More news from the DVD Forum's North America DVD Conference in Universal City, Calif.

The newest jewel in HD DVD's crown, Paramount, only has four HD DVD releases planned for 2007. According to a Paramount representative yesterday at the DVD Forum conference, 2008 is another story. Approximately 30 titles are scheduled for release on HD DVD from Paramount and Dreamworks in 2008. No details on which titles are on the slate, or what the release schedule will be.

Paramount has a nice back catalog of films. Hopefully we'll seem some of the big catalog titles get a high definition makeover, in addition to the day and date titles.

51 gigabyte triple layer HD DVD is still on the way, but there is some question as to whether or not existing players will be compatible with the new discs.

Home Media Magazine reports that Toshiba's Mark Knox, a Toshiba member of the HD DVD Promotional Group, said the technology is still in testing and would likely receive the DVD Forum's ok for production by the end of the year. Knox stated “We’re still looking at the backwards compatibility”, and added that a firmware update for existing HD DVD players might be needed. Knox revealed that twin format discs, which host a dual layer HD DVD and a single layer DVD on the same side of the disc, unlike the flipper combo discs we all know and loathe, are likely to become more commonplace.

Hopefully Toshiba will create a firmware solution that will allow existing players to play triple layer and twin format discs as they enter production.

Generally loudspeakers for your personal computer don't excite. One can only hope for something that will do justice to your mp3 collection, and serve the occasional movie without too much disappointment.

The Audio Insider has a new multimedia 2.1 system that will hopefully fit the bill at a price that doesn't break the bank. The Swan M10 active desktop loudspeaker system is a magnetically shielded 2.1 system comprised of a sub and two monitors. The monitors sport 3 inch aluminum alloy woofers mated with 25 mm soft dome tweeters. The subwoofer houses a 5 inch aluminum alloy driver. The system reproduces a frequency range of 42Hz-20kHz, which is respectable for a desktop system.

This lightweight 11 pound system will only set you back $109 direct from The Audio Insider. The M10 system comes with Audio Insider's 30 day in-home satisfaction guarantee, and is sure to provide greater sonic satisfaction than similarly priced chain store offerings.

As reported last week, Samsung Blu Ray players were stymied by the new Fox Blu Ray movie releases that utilized BD+ copyright protection.

It was initially reported that a firmware update that addressed this issue would be a few weeks in the making. Samsung BD-P1200 owners will be happy to hear that a firmware update for the Samsung BD-P1200 Blu Ray player is now available via the player's ethernet connection. Owners of the Samsung BD-P1000, which does not have an ethernet connection, will have to contact Samsung to receive a firmware upgrade disc to make their BD+ woes go away.

It's no surprise that Blu Ray, with it's unfinished specifications, is giving early adopters fits. Kudos to Samsung for taking care of their customers so quickly in addressing this issue.

J.D. Power and Associates released the results of their 2007 Large Screen HDTV Usage and Satisfaction Study last week.

Taking top honors in the sub-50 inch class was the Sony Bravia series of direct view LCD televisions. Coming in a close second and third was LG, with their LCD and plasma series in a dead heat with the Sony Bravias.

The 50-65 inch class was won by Pioneer's plasma televisions, who edged out Sony's Bravia series for first place in this class. Rear projection televisions are rated in their own class, and Samsung DLP televisions beat Sony Wega LCoS and Toshiba DLP in a very tight race. It should be noted that while Samsung won the class, both Sony and Toshiba topped Samsung in picture quality scores.

It should be noted that this evaluation is used to determine consumer satisfaction and is targeted at mass market consumption. A thumbs up from J.D. Power is a good thing, but if you're shopping for a television, please take the time to read some detailed editorial reviews, and make sure to go look at televisions yourself and let your eyes be the judge.

Video Business has a new article revealing that HD DVD is back in the high definition optical disc players sales lead.

According to Toshiba, HD DVD regained first place in sales mid September. Year to date, HD DVD enjoys a 53% slice of the stand alone market, with Blu Ray holding 44% and combo players accounting for 3%. August sales for Blu Ray were boosted by the arrival of Sony's $499 BDP-S300 Blu Ray Disc player. Paramount's announcement on August 20 boosted lagging HD DVD software sales, and is beginning to show in hardware sales as well. HD DVD recently shipped it's third generation of HD DVD stand alone player hardware. The middle and top of the line third generation units are now available, and combined with discounts on second generation hardware, sales are strong. The new entry level HD DVD player, the Toshiba HD-A3 will ship this November. HD DVD has made a strong showing in both software and hardware sales this last month.

With the holiday shopping season just around the corner, things are heating up for a fierce battle this Christmas. This is a crucial financial quarter for both sides in the format war. It will be interesting to see how far the two sides are willing to go to win the consumers' hearts, minds and wallets.