Over the years we've seen many home theater companies attempt to rekindle memories of Hollywood's grand, but nearly forgotten ballyhoo past (some of which would make even the great William Castle jealous). Several companies make devices that will shake, rattle, and roll your chair during passages with loud, deep bass. We've even seen subwoofers said to originate from research projects aiming to imitate the low frequency groans that elephants use to communicate to each other through dense brush.

Twenty members of Congress signed a letter sent to House of Representatives Internet and commerce panel chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) requesting that a federal law be drafted to legalize the use of the broadcast flag. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the members of Congress who signed the letter argue the broadcast flag is necessary to safeguard digital content from Internet piracy.

Verizon began taking orders late last week for its FiOS fiber optic TV service, beginning a rollout that will cost the telecommunications company billions and have it competing directly with cable and satellite operators for your TV subscription dollars.

Federal lawmakers believe the response to hurricane Katrina was hampered by communication problems among public safety personnel and are pushing for legislation to speed up the transition to Digital TV, which will free up precious analog spectrum for emergency responders.