San Jose, Calif. - Vusion, a provider of HD-quality streaming video distribution services, on Monday announced its official launch and the signing of Island Def Jam Music Group as its first customer.

Littleton, Mass. - ZeeVee on Thursday announced the launch of its ZvBox, a $499 device that lets users transmit Internet TV, online video and computer content to all HDTVs in the home. The ZvBox connects to a computer's monitor output and turns it into a new HD channel called Zv, which is then broadcast across existing cable wiring to all HDTVs in the home. The Massachusetts-based company has raised funding to date from Alpond Capital and JLL Ventures.

Los Angeles - A new survey of U.S. consumers found that 25% of U.S. households, or 28 million, now have at least one HDTV set, and that 5.5 million households purchased an HDTV set for the first time during the 2007/2008 holiday and Super Bowl season.

Santa Monica, Calif. - PluggedIn on Wednesday announced the beta launch of its broadcast and HD-quality music video streaming site, which features over 10,000 videos from both major and independent label artists.

American Fork, Utah - Move Networks, a provider of HD online TV services, announced on Monday that it has landed a $46 million third round of financing, led by Benchmark Capital.

Los Angeles - Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) is developing a set-top box that will deliver streaming films to consumers' televisions, and is expected to announce details on the plan sometime this month, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Taipei, Taiwan - Sony (NYSE: SNE) plans to increase distribution of its Blu-ray Disc players this year and hopes its share of the total DVD market can increase from 20% to 50% by the end of this year, Digitimes reports. Sony Electronics CEO Ryoji Chubachi made the projection at a press conference in Taipei last week.

Minneapolis, Minn. - Comcast (NASD: CMCSA), the nation's largest cable TV provider, which also counts 13.2 million broadband customers, on Thursday launched a new high-speed Internet service that offers up to 50 Mbps downloads and 5 Mbps uploads -- fast enough to download an HD movie in about ten minutes.

San Jose, Calif. - MediaXstream, a new venture that provides "carrier-neutral, high-quality transport and managed network services for the production and broadcast industries," announced on Monday that it has closed a $10 million first round of funding, led by Constellation Ventures.

New York - CBS (NYSE: CBS) has launched a test of high-definition streaming on its website, offering some clips in H.265/AVC format at 480p resolution through an HD player, TechCrunch reported. The company plans to offer 720p and 1080p as well. Hulu, the joint venture video service from News Corp. and NBC Universal, is also experimenting with HD streaming, and currently offers 360p, 480p and 720p -- although the latter is delivered through progressive download rather than streaming, due to bandwidth constraints.

Tokyo - The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has launched an investigation into potential patent infringements of Sony (NYSE: SNE) Blu-ray Disc players and the products of some 30 other companies, based on a complaint from a Columbia University professor, Reuters reported.

Foster City, Calif. - Sony Computer Entertainment America said on Thursday that the next system software update for its PlayStation 3 will add BD-LIVE, a set of interactive features for the game console's Blu-ray player. BD-LIVE will enable features such as downloadable video content, ringtones and games. Sony said the update, due for release in late March, will also enable photo and music playlists on the PS3 to be copied to a PSP handheld.

Austin, Texas - Unicorn Media on Friday launched a beta version of its planned free entertainment site, which aims to offer professionally-produced digital video content from filmmakers, videographers and production companies from all over the world. The company says its focus is on video quality, and will launch HD streaming later this year. "We're not building a system to provide intermittent humorous distractions in peoples daily lives," said A.J. McGowan, CTO at Unicorn Media. "We're building the system people will use for all their digital entertainment." The Tempe, Ariz.-based company says it will pay artists as much as 50 percent of the advertising gross receipts earned from their specific content.

Sunnyvale, Calif. - Tzero Technologies, a developer of technology used in the wireless distribution of high definition video, said on Monday that it has raised $18 million in its third round of funding, led by the CID Group.

Los Angeles - Universal and Paramount (NYSE: VIA) have become the last of the major Hollywood movie studios to pledge support for Sony's (NYSE: SNE) Blu-ray next-generation DVD format, after Toshiba decided earlier this week to abandon its rival HD DVD format, ending a costly battle between the two companies to establish their respective format as the standard. "We are pleased that the industry is moving to a single high-definition format, as we believe it is in the best interest of the consumer," Paramount Home Entertainment told The Hollywood Reporter.

New York - Video-sharing site Dailymotion on Tuesday introduced a high-definition video player, which will be available to users in the company's Motionmaker program "for the most creative UGC," as well as the to the company's professional content partners. The company said the site will automatically detect and deliver HD-quality video to users with the appropriate bandwidth.

Beverly Hills, Calif. - In another bad sign for Toshiba's next-generation HD DVD format, online DVD rental service Netflix (NASD: NFLX) announced on Monday that it has decided to begin exclusively stocking high-definition DVDs in Sony's (NYSE: SNE) Blu-ray format. The company has stocked both formats since early 2006, but said the decision of four of the six major movie studios to exclusively support Blu-ray influenced its decision.

London - Large U.K. retailer Woolworths has announced that it will no longer carry HD DVD format movies in its stores as of March, opting instead to feature only Blu-ray titles. The company said that Blu-ray titles outsold HD DVD titles by ten-to-one over the holiday period. "The main reason is the success of Sony's PlayStation 3 machine. Because it plays Blu-ray discs, there are over three quarters of a million homes in the UK that can view the new high definition format," Woolworths DVD buyer Steven McGunigel told The Retail Bulletin. "While we're disappointed by Woolworths' decision, it is extremely early to spot which format will eventually win," Oliver Van Wynendaele, European assistant general manager of Toshiba's Consumer Products Division, told GamesIndustry.biz.

New York - NBC Universal's (NYSE: GE) Local Media Division has acquired LX.TV, a producer of Web and HD video programming focused on lifestyle products and services for affluent consumers.