While computer makers are still struggling to find consensus for the recordable DVD format, with the front-running rivals DVD-RW and DVD-RAM duking it out, a few consumer electronics products incorporating DVD-R are beginning to appear. Last week, Toshiba announced its introduction of the RD-2000, which it describes as "the world's first combination of hard disk drive and DVD-RAM video recorder" for recording TV programs. The new recorder is planned for sale in the Japanese market only, starting December 22.

The results of a recent study released by TechTrends last week reveal that consumer electronics manufacturers are poised to take significant market share from traditional set-top box makers. TechTrends reports that, by next year, half of North America's leading cable operators will deploy digital set-top boxes from Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer or Sony, at the expense of Motorola and Scientific-Atlanta.

Now that e-cinema—using a non-film, digital projector in a movie theater—has started to take off, several companies are offering new technologies for getting the high-resolution data to the movie house. Last week brought news of the new FMD 100GB disc from C-3D, while this week we focus on news concerning the use of a high-bandwidth satellite to do the job.

Last week, Philips Semiconductors (a division of Philips Electronics) announced the first in a new family of silicon chips that they claim "will revolutionize the way we use television." The company says its pnx8500 Nexperia Home Entertainment Engine will enable the combination of digital video, audio, graphics, and Internet content into "highly interactive" program material and will allow cable and satellite service providers to add new digital subscriber services to their existing TV program offerings. At the same time, Philips also announced Samsung's support for the new chip in its next-generation consumer set-top box.