Today's High-Def Headlines

A High-Definition Fight Scene in Slow Motion - Los Angeles Times
Raging in the backrooms of Hollywood this summer has been a battle that will play out in the aisles of Wal-Mart and Target.Until recently, it had appeared that the two camps vying to set the standard for next-generation DVDs would settle the score this holiday season. But last-ditch maneuvering in recent weeks has all but assured that the format war will extend well beyond December, keeping many home-movie buffs from laying their money down until a winner is declared.

Upstart Maker Tops in Flat-Panel TVs - AP
Upstart American TV maker Vizio has been nipping for three years at the heels of household names such as Sony and Samsung. Quietly selling its affordable line of flat-panel sets in wholesale-club stores instead of electronics retailers, it knocked its foreign competitors from the top spot in the second quarter to become the largest seller of flat-panel TVs in North America.

Cox Cable Bolsters Its Equipment in Tucson - Arizona Daily Star
Cox Communications is upgrading its data network in Tucson as it faces increased competition from satellite TV providers who are offering more high-definition television programming.
The $25 million upgrade for Southern Arizona will increase Cox's bandwidth from 750 MHz to 1 GHz, allowing the company to provide more HDTV channels and video-on-demand choices.

Comcast Media Center Unveils HD Six-Pack - Light Reading
The Comcast Media Center (CMC) has hooked up with SES Americom on a high-definition television (HDTV) package tailored for HITS Quantum cable affiliates. Initially, the CMC's HITS Quantum service will offer six linear hi-def nets: A&E HD, HGTV HD, Food Network HD, National Geographic Channel HD, Starz HD, and Universal HD.

FCC Sends Signal on Dual Must-Carry - Hollywood Reporter
Federal regulators will vote Tuesday whether to approve a requirement -- long-sought by broadcasters -- that would force cable operators to carry analog and digital TV signals transmitted by some local stations. The dual-carriage requirement pushed by FCC chairman Kevin Martin is intended to ensure that millions of analog cable homes don't abruptly lose access to local TV signals when U.S. broadcasters make the switch to digital TV in 2009.

"World's Highest Resolution'' HD Surgical Cameras Used in National Geographic Channel's "Inside the Living Body''
KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc., a world leader in endoscopy and advanced video imaging technologies, is proud to announce that its Image 1(R) HD technology was used to provide key high-definition (HD) video footage highlighted in the upcoming National Geographic Channel (NGC) premiere, "Inside the Living Body." The production used several KARL STORZ Image 1(R) HD video cameras to capture highly detailed video images to underscore key aspects of how our bodies function throughout our lifetimes and will include HD video footage previously unseen on television.