Barry Willis

Chips galore: <A HREF="http://www.ati.com">ATI Technologies Inc</A>. announced December 20 that in 2004 its digital television division shipped more than five million chips for high-definition TVs, HD cable and terrestrial set-top boxes. ATI's "NXT Theater" and "Xilleon" chips are claimed to "enable consumer electronics manufacturers to create a wide variety of products that feature exceptional reception and video display performance," according to the announcement. OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) that purchase ATI chips also "have access to ATI's extensive software support and reference designs to help them bring to market unique products that conform to worldwide industry standards." ATI Technologies will be exhibiting its DTV solutions at the upcoming International CES 2005 at booth 3/30342 at the South Hall, Upper Level, in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Video-on-demand: The Holy Grail of the cable industry, VOD is getting a boost from underutilized ("dark") fiber optic networks. Early attempts at VOD were glitchy at best, but computer technology is increasingly making the service a reality via large-capacity servers that can offer thousands of hours of programming to thousands of digital cable subscribers. Many of the fiber networks are owned by telecommunications companies that lease use to cable providers. Cox Communications Inc., Time Warner Inc., and Comcast Corporation have all bet heavily on the potential of fiber optics to deliver more to their subscribers. "80% to 90% of the fiber installed during the telecom boom is still sitting unused," reports Peter Grant in a recent analysis in <I>The Wall Street Journal</I>.

Adhering to all the rules imposed by the DVD Copy Control Association apparently isn't enough to keep high-end startups out of court.

<A HREF="http://www.universalstudios.com">Universal Pictures</A> is among the first Hollywood studios to announce its support for HD DVD, the high-definition optical disc format backed by a coalition of technology companies led by Toshiba. The studio made its announcement in a press release dated November 29.