Germans risk two years in prison if they illegally download films and music for private use under a new law agreed yesterday. Anybody who downloads films for commercial use could be jailed for up to five years.

The world's largest electronics firms are reported to have opted to use Bluetooth wireless technology to send video between devices in the home.

Digital rights management (DRM) technology has deep flaws despite the hope of content providers that encrypted files will deter illegal file sharing, according to a computer security researcher.

iPods and other MP3 players look set to become much cheaper thanks to a dramatic decline in the price of NAND Flash chips. According to memory industry watcher DRAMeXchange, NAND Flash prices on the spot market have fallen by more than 50 per cent since the start of 2006. It said 2GBb and 4Gb NAND Flash chip prices fell by 63 per cent on average. Other parts saw their prices drop by at least 43 per cent.

Plextor are now shipping the PX-750 family of 16X DVDR/RW CD-R/RW drives. The PX-750 is the first drive from Plextor to support DVD-RAM functionality for removable data storage applications.

File-sharers have moved away from the popular BitTorrent system following legal action and have moved to another network called eDonkey, showed a study by internet analysis firm CacheLogic.

Nero have announced the new features of Nero Digital in its latest Nero 7 web update. It includes full support for Nero Digital MPEG-4/ASP and H.264/AVC content with plug-and-play video file transfer from a computer to an Apple fifth generation iPod.

It seems that Sony's decision to allow the majority of Blu-ray content to play at the highest resolution possible on a consumer's HDTV is gaining support from major Hollywood studios.

Apple is also offering video compilation albums consisting of six or seven video clips from various artists, and also sells videos with their corresponding single. For example, the new Massive Attack 'Collected' album, released today, ships with video content.

Sky has announced a May launch for its HD service. Its HD website not only has the details of pricing but also says that installations for the service will begin in May. It seems very unlikely that Sky would begin installations without having launched the service.

A Russian website is selling a DIY spyware kit, called WebAttacker, for around $15 a throw. The site, which proudly boasts of its creator's credentials in the scumware industry, also offer technical supporter to potential buyers.

Infomedia, a second-tier maker of blank optical discs has announced it has obtained certification from Philips for the 8x DVD+RW format, the fifth maker globally and the third in Taiwan following Ritek and CMC Magnetics.

Toshiba's U.S. unit may delay the launch of its next-generation DVD player for several weeks to coincide with the April debut of movies that play in the new HD DVD format.

Due to DVD disc makers including Italy-based Computer Support Italcard (CSI), France-based Manufacturing Advanced Media (Mam-E) and Japan-based TDK exiting the market, the European Union (EU) is expected to drop its anti-dumping investigation against optical discs coming from China and Taiwan, according to market sources.

InPhase Technologies have announced that it has demonstrated the highest data density of any commercial technology by recording 515 gigabits of data per square inch.

An employee of Cognitive Technologies computer company has beaten a man who was selling the company's software illegally.

Apple's iTunes software will overtake Real Player later this year to become the second most widely used media software after Windows Media Player (WMP).

So, the BBC's first venture into the brave new world of HD TV will be balls. Football and tennis fans are to be the inaugural beneficiaries of high-definition pictures from the Beeb, with the World Cup and Wimbledon to be screened in HD.

Up to 60% of the code in the new consumer version of Microsoft new Vista operating system is set to be rewritten as the Company "scrambles" to fix internal problems a Microsoft insider has confirmed.

Universal Pictures has launched a new service in Britain that will sell digital downloads of movies such as "King Kong" along with a DVD copy, tapping into the online video market now dominated by Apple's iTunes.