Audio Video News

General Motors has agreed to sell <A HREF="http://www.directv.com">DirecTV</A> parent Hughes Electronics, but upstart buyer <A HREF="http://www.echostar.com">EchoStar</A> may face opposition in Washington. The unanswered question: Is direct broadcast satellite (DBS) cable's competitor or an industry unto itself? How this issue is resolved will determine the fate of the merger.

Last week, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) reported that it has successfully developed what it describes as the world's first system for delivering 1.5 Gbps volume uncompressed HDTV video data in real time over the Internet. NTT says it will exhibit the Linux-based system during the International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition (InterBEE 2001) at the Nippon Convention Center from November 14 to 16, 2001.

HDTV is finally getting another push from the cable industry, according to the announcement from <A HREF="http://www.comcast.com">Comcast Cable Communications</A> last week that it will soon launch HDTV services. Comcast estimates that the HDTV service will reach more than 1.3 million customers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, providing access to high definition broadcasts of ABC, NBC, CBS, HBO, and Showtime in November.

Big plasma displays are among the home theater industry's most desirable and expensive products. Only a handful of companies have ventured into the market for truly big plasma screens.

Long one of the audio industry's most respected equipment makers, Canada's Bryston has made an impressive move into the home theater market with several new products. Notable among them is the 6B-ST amplifier, a three-channel powerhouse capable of 250 watts/channel into an 8-ohm load or a whopping 400 watts into 4.

According to the latest figures released by the <A HREF="http://www.dvdinformation.com">DVD Entertainment Group</A>, DVD hardware and software sales continued their rapid growth in the third quarter and are anticipated to accelerate through the holiday selling season.

Bandwidth limitations have long been a primary obstacle to transmitting broadcast-quality video over the Internet. Even digital subscriber lines (DSL), so useful for quick access to text and graphics, are typically capable of quality video over short distances only.