Audio Video News

Surround sound used to be a rare experience available only in the best commercial theaters and the most exotic home theaters.

Top management at <A HREF="http://www.philips.com">Philips Electronics NV</A> has expressed sympathy for victims of an eight-hour siege that took place last week at Amsterdam's Rembrandt Tower.

<I>William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Majel Barrett, Persis Khambatta, Steven Collins. Directed by Robert Wise. Aspect ratio: 2.35 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Surround 2.0. 136 minutes. 1979. Paramount Home Video 08858. PG. $29.99.</I>

It appears that almost nobody in government thinks a single direct broadcast satellite system is a good idea.

All is not well in entertainment land. Of the music industry's Big Five, only Universal Music managed to report a profit last year. That was a curious development in view of parent company <A HREF="http://www.vivendi.fr">Vivendi Universal SA</A>'s recent report of a net loss for 2001 in the amount of 13.6 billion euros, or $15.63 billion. Vivendi is also the parent company of Universal Pictures, its film unit.

It looked good on paper and at the demo: Digital Television and HDTV would revive the video market and create a wave of demand for new sets and playback equipment. Then there were the <A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/shownews.cgi?785">8VSB versus COFDM</A> and <A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/shownews.cgi?1237">copy protection</A> flaps, leading to shifting connection standards and uncertainty both on the manufacturing end and in the marketplace.