Mark Fleischmann

Taiwan-based AOSRA's HD FVD format has driven both Blu-ray and HD DVD from the market, ending an ugly format war that threatened to go on for years. This poster explains why: The price is "low," compared to the "high" prices of other formats. Said Blu-ray and HD DVD spokespeople in unison: "We surrender to HD FVD. We cannot go on living a lie. What are we going to tell our parents?" Then they burst into tears. (Enlargement, spec sheet.)

The good news is that HDTV ownership is up. The bad news is that many HDTVs in U.S. homes can't get an HD signal.

Look out, Blu-ray. Video on demand may deliver the high-def goods to homes before your shiny discs even make it into stores. And here's a nasty twist: This may mark the first use of selectable output control to turn off the analog component video interface.

HDMI 2.0a is almost upon us. But why? Didn’t A/V manufacturers just assimilate HDMI 2.0?

The answer is that HDMI 2.0a will further improve picture quality, firming up 2.0’s Ultra HD support with complementary HDR (high dynamic range) technology. Does that mean 2.0a will transmit video in a new way?