Just weeks after Corel held a trophy high proclaiming that its WinDVD 8 had landed DTS-HD Master Audio certification, CyberLink is finally able to do the same. Except with its own breed of playback software, PowerDVD. For audiophiles the world over, you can now stop pacing in wonder of when said application will finally have this honor bestowed upon it, as that 7.1-channel goodness you've come to expect from DTS-HD MA can now be fully enjoyed on PowerDVD. Break out the Champagne? No? Okay.

Uh oh -- it looks like early-adopter Panasonic has hit some choppy waters in its tru2way TV efforts. The first sets subjected to CableLabs testing showed several bugs in the implementation, and talk coming from insiders indicates that no-nos like disabling Emergency Alert System messages slipped through. For its part, CableLabs is being professional and not making any comments on the Panasonic results. Panasonic is also putting a brave face on things, and is not retreating from its goal of delivering tru2way TVs to retail shelves in time for the 2008 holiday season. We wouldn't rule it out, either -- Panasonic has some serious resources it can throw at the problem; but this does throw a major wrench into the works. We're still optimistic about tru2way, and are willing to wait a few more months to get things right. Introduction of new technology and/or standards is always challenging, so we hope this setback doesn't have a chilling effect on other tru2way players -- quite the contrary, it could spur more aggressive development to claim the "first tru2way TV" title.

Sure, WinDVD 9 supported those fancy audio codecs right out of the shrink-wrap, but up until now, WinDVD 8 users have been shut out solid. Thankfully, Corel finally saw fit to pass down a little love to its loyal end users still rockin' the ocho, as said software picked up DTS-HD Master Audio certification over at Computex. As you very well know, this now enables the application to play back Blu-ray Discs with 7.1 discrete channels of lossless audio, which surely makes the audiophiles in attendance remarkably jovial.

With the problems that CableCARD ran into, CE company reticence to adopt the new tru2way standard is understandable. But CableLabs has gone a ways toward not repeating past mistakes in its updated tru2way licensing agreement. First and foremost, CE companies will be able to "self-certify" their products. This is great news for manufacturers and consumers alike, and could solve issues stemming from the previous requirement that all gear must be submitted to CableLabs for certification. Altogether, the changes show a "kinder, gentler" face of CableLabs, which seems to get the hint that more cooperation with companies that actually make goods for consumers is a good thing. For its efforts, Samsung has put its name on the dotted line of the new agreement. We like what we're seeing with tru2way, and hope to get more hands-on impressions at The Cable Show later this month. Who knows, maybe roll-your-own tru2way HTPCs could be around the corner!

Little known fact: THX was founded by Star Wars director George Lucas in 1983 to help theater owners adjust their auditoriums for maximum impact -- and in doing so became an iconic brand for AV technology, even if no one really knew what THX is or does. Well, the company is now using that expertise to take on a new home theater challenge: automatically balancing audio and video levels. While THX-certified receivers, screens, and speakers are nothing new, what THX has under development could help ensure even the least technology-savvy users get the most from their gear. While details are slim at this point, think about how HDMI connectors can send technical details between source units and televisions to set optimal resolutions or audio formats. The project, code-named Blackbird, will supposedly work with the equipment directly on a movie-by-movie basis to adjust levels and tweak all those many options and levels you set and forget. Now, if we can just get this tech to do something about people connecting their high-def sets up correctly in the first place.

Just when every patient, fence-sitting individual finally rejoiced that a single unit was being introduced to solve the HD DVD vs. Blu-ray dilemma, we had a hunch things wouldn't be perfectly peachy. Sure enough, the BH100's dirty little secret could keep the machine a secret altogether, as it reportedly won't be able to claim HD DVD-compliance (and consequently, hit shelves at all) without support for HDi. Playing a bit of favorites, the player provides the goods to show off those BD-J extras just fine, but users hoping to experience the lovely bonuses requiring HDi would be sorely disappointed. According to BetaNews, the player cannot receive the necessary thumbs-up from the DVD Forum with such a void in its makeup, and even suggested a very dark, unwanted result could end up happening, you know, like the BH100 getting the axe. Nevertheless, we certainly hope LG gets on the ball and throws in the (scarcely used thus far) HDi support, or else we could be facing yet another reversed decision in the combo player arena.