One of the hottest buzz phases in telecommunications is "video-on-demand," a service that allows customers to plug into the universal content library and watch anything they wish whenever they wish. VOD and interactive television (ITV) are the twin holy grails of cable companies and Internet service providers.

It seems that Voom is not doomed just yet. The primarily high-definition satellite service has been the focus of a bizarre family struggle between Charles Dolan, founder of Voom owner Cablevision, and his son, Cablevision CEO James Dolan.

Earlier this week, it looked like the Voom HD satellite service was dead, but it now seems that reports of its demise were at least slightly exaggerated. On Tuesday, we reported that Cablevision, Voom's parent company, decided to pull the plug after founder Charles Dolan failed to meet a February 28 deadline for purchasing Voom's remaining assets. (The Voom satellite and FCC licenses to operate at its orbital location are being purchased by rival EchoStar, subject to regulatory approval.)

The chicken-or-egg issue that plagued the early ramp-up of DVD may now be history. Sales of both DVD hardware and software are increasing rapidly, attendees learned at last week's Video Software Dealers Association convention in Las Vegas.

VUDU Inc., has unveiled HDX, a high definition video format that delivers full HD 1080p material using the company's existing set-top box. Content is delivered over the Internet and optimized for 40 inch and larger HDTVs. According to VUDU, the HDX content is the highest quality available from any Internet, broadcast, cable, or satellite on-demand service. HDX movies are available to all VUDU customers and will be rented for the same price as standard HD titles.