Tivo has announced the availability of their new Tivo HD.

The Tivo HD has a recording capacity of 20 hours of high definition program content, or 180 hours of standard definition material. Video support is up to 1080i over HDMI or component. The Tivo HD is capable of recording two shows at once, and also can download movies from the internet via it's ethernet connection. The Tivo HD is compatible with cable and over the air broadcast signals.

The $299 Tivo HD costs an additional $12.95 to $16.95 per month, depending on the length of contract.

PC World scored an interview with Alan Bell, executive vice president and chief technology officer for Paramount Pictures.

Bell refrains from talking about any financial compensation Paramount received from Toshiba. He seems well informed about the format, and discusses the areas that Paramount feels HD DVD is ahead of Blu Ray in. His list of features that make HD DVD attractive to Paramount include price, stability of specifications and interactivity via HDi and ethernet. He downplays the storage capacity advantage Blu Ray enjoys, citing the 45 gigabyte triple layer disc that Toshiba has in development.

PC World ends the article with Bell stating that the commitment to HD DVD is indefinite.

Pioneer has shipped two new receivers in their Elite series that feature Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding.

Pioneer's two new recievers, the VSX-92TXH and VSX-94TXH, both sport 1080p24 capable HDMI 1.3a connections, with the VSX-92TXH having three inputs and the VSX-94TXH four. The VSX-92TXH's amp section claims 130 watts per each of it's seven channels, while the more expensive VSX-94TXH pumps out 140 watts. Both use the fourth generation of Pioneer's MCACC room tuning technology, and are THX Select2 certified. Suggested retail is $1300 for the VSX-92TXH and $1600 for the VSX-94TXH.

More specs on the original press release.

Yesterday Paramount dropped a bomb on the format war. AV web forums and blogs are buzzing with the pro-HD DVD celebrating the victory and the pro-Blu Ray wringing their hands and making excuses. What impact does Paramount's decision have on the format war?

Before the announcement Universal stood alone with Weinstein (who is a smaller player) as the only HD DVD exclusive studios. Warner Bros. and Paramount released on both formats, and New Line is going to release on both formats as well. That left Blu Ray with Sony (Sony Pictures, Columbia TriStar and Screen Gems), Fox, MGM, Lionsgate and Disney. Very lopsided toward Blu Ray. Let's look at 2007 YTD box office receipts:

I came across this rumor and deemed it too far fetched to post. Well, Paramount made it official today. Paramount and Dreamworks are going HD DVD exclusive and dropping support for Blu Ray.

Brad Grey, chairman and C.E.O. of Paramount Pictures stated "I believe HD DVD is not only the affordable high-quality choice for consumers, but also the smart choice for Paramount". This decision means that holiday blockbuster releases Shrek the Third and Transformers will only be released on DVD and HD DVD. Paramount also owns Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films. The exception is that Spielberg films will still be released on both formats. This is a big victory for HD DVD in a format war where Blu Ray has held the dominant position since the beginning of the year. It also shows that Toshiba, who recently announced a third generation of HD DVD players isn't planning on throwing in the towel anytime soon and is taking steps toward strengthening their position. Universal and Paramount both HD DVD exclusive.

The format war just got more interesting. This just in, the official press release.

Continuing their exodus from DLP rear projection HDTVs to direct view LCDs, today in Japan Toshiba has announced eleven new 1080p models in their Regza television lineup.

Details are incomplete and dependent on a Google translated Japanese press release. Of particular interest to AV Enthusiasts is the Regza Z3500 series. The Z3500 series models will be available in 37, 42, 46, 52 and 57 inch screen sizes. Native refresh rate is 120Hz, providing support for both 60Hz and 24Hz sources. Also included are ethernet connection, onboard web browser, firewire, and usb. DVR recording in mpeg2 is available via the ethernet or usb interface.

Models in the Z3500 series will be available this fall, and will retail for approximately $3000 to $8000.