News written by Dave Horvath (September, 2007)

Those engineers out of Redmond over at Microsoft have announced the release of a new range of extenders which will increase the amount of video formats that Windows Vista can broadcast throughout your home.

With the expectation of companies such as Cisco, D-Link and Niveus to unleash set-top boxes next month that are capable of accepting a stream of video from a Windows Media Center PC running on at home network. Users of the Vista Home Premium or Ultimate versions will be able to stream the previously unsupported DivX and XviD file formats to any television through a wired or wireless network.

These new extenders will be capable of delivering DRM encoded files over an 802.11n network for display in protected high-definition.

Microsoft hopes this move will revitalize customer interest in the Windows Media Extender services they provide as currently the only one making any big waves is the extender built into the Xbox 360 which is estimated to have sold some 10 million units.

In the opening of the 2007 CEDIA show, plasma television giant Panasonic announced that it is launching two new and more affordable 1080p plasma television sets to the masses. The TH-42PZ77 and the TH-50PZ77, 42-inch and 50-inch respectively are set to ship this month with a suggested retail price of $1799.95 and $2799.95.

Panasonic claims that the addition of these two new PZ77 based televisions give consumers the choice of even more high-definition plasma televisions capable of broadcasting in the highest possible Resolution to date, thereby expanding their already deep grasp on the plasma HDTV market. These two sets join the 700 and 750 series sets that all share features such as SD memory card slots so consumers can view pictures and video from their cameras in beautiful 1080p.

"CEDIA is the perfect environment to introduce Panasonic's expanded line of 1080p Plasmas," stated Dennis Eppel, Vice President, Panasonic Display Company. "Custom installers are a very important part of our business and with this in mind we are confident that the depth and outstanding picture quality of Panasonic's Plasmas will meet and exceed the installer's requirements. In the end, Panasonic's commitment to providing the highest quality ensures that we will continue to meet consumer desire for a High-Definition lifestyle."