Mark Fleischmann

A little while ago we reported that Redbox was contemplating the launch of a streaming service to supplement its ubiquitous rental kiosks. No, the company still hasn't announced its streaming partner, but it has said a little more about its plans.

And it looks as though the strategy will be subscription, not a la carte.

If you're looking to buy an LCD HDTV for an unprecedently low price, 'tis the season to be ecstatic. The 2006 holiday shopping season is the best in history for TV buyers in general--and, thanks to slipping profit margins, one of the worst for retailers. As I'm writing this, Amazon is selling 32-inch models by major names below the psychologically significant $1000 mark. A Panasonic goes for $979 and a Samsung for $939. I won't link to them because these things change from moment to moment, but you get the idea. So why is the Justice Department--and its brethren in Japan and South Korea--investigating LCD manufacturers for price fixing? The problem is not with TVs or other finished products but rather with LCD components. Their makers are accused of cutting output to keep prices high. And eventually that will affect pricing of TVs, laptops, and other LCD-driven products, even if it doesn't seem to be doing so now. Companies under investigation include Samsung, Sharp, NEC, AU Optronics, LG Phillips, and Chi Mei Optoelectronics; Matsushita and Sony have not gotten the fishy eye.

The ReplayTV DVR platform is about to lose its electronic program guide updates. It's another nail in the coffin for what was once TiVo's major rival.

The ReplayTV website reports that the EPG will be "permanently discontinued" on July 31, 2011. Users will still be able to program their units or software manually, but will no longer be able to use the EPG to record.

Even as shoppers wait expectantly for Black Friday to kick off the holiday shopping rush, retailers are already suffering.