Sony confirmed yesterday that it recalled the latest firmware update for the PS3. The 2.40 update was released on Tuesday, and reports of problems started appearing right away on PS3 websites.

The company said the bugs were only experienced by a limited amount of PS3 owners. In an email to InformationWeek, Sony said “We are working diligently to isolate the problem for those few consumers and to identify a solution before we put the firmware back up.”

RCN customers in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, will be happy to know the television service provider added seven new high-definition (HD) channels to its channel listings this week. The additional channels include: Discovery Channel HD, Animal Planet HD, The Learning Channel HD, The Science Channel HD, Lifetime Movie Network HD, Food Network HD and Travel Channel HD. Full Story »

Cablevision will give customers an additional 15 HD (high-definition) channels in order to compete with competition from satellite and fiber-optic based television providers. The report, from Reuters, says the New York-based cable operator will add Discovery, Nickelodeon, FX, FOX News, AMC and The Weather Channel to its HD offerings. Full Story »

Residents in Plymouth, Massachusetts can now get 30 high-definition from Verizon FiOS, now that the television service provider has expanded into the area. The service will also provide 200 all-digital channels and over 10,000 video-on-demand channels. Full Story »

Onkyo, who once produced HD DVD players for the now defunct format, has announced it will release a Blu-ray Disc player by the end of 2008. The player will be 1080p compatible (I would hope so) and HDMI capable. For audio the player is supposed to support Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Full Story »

2.40 software update for Sony’s Playstation 3 is officially available. The upgrade enhances person-to-person gaming by adding the long awaited XrossMediaBar (XMB) which allows players to link to other each other and communicate. And, the addition of the Trophy system allows players to share their skills with other players. Full Story »

Verizon FiOS has just added 15 new HD (high-definition) channels to its service in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area. The new high-def channels include the Big Ten Network and new HD channels like CNBC, Bravo and USA. Upcoming channels will include CNN, TBS, Lifetime, 3 new Starz channels and 2 new Showtime channels. Full Story »

DirecTV announced today their on demand service is now available to customers nationwide. The content is available to customers who have a DIRECTV Plus HD DVR or R22 DVR receiver. There are more than 4,000 titles available at any time, including high-definition (HD) titles. Full Story »

Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather epic trilogy will be released on Blu-ray September 23. The newly-restored high-definition versions arrive 36 years after the original film was released in 1972.

The Godfather I and The Godfather, Part II took over a year to restore in a historical preservation effort. The collection also includes a newly remastered version of The Godfather Part III. The HD format of the restored films is 16:9 in Dolby Digital Surround 5.1. Full Story »

Who says you need an HDTV to watch high-definition television? You can actually watch HD shows on your computer whether it be a PC or Mac, tower or laptop. You just need a USB device from Pinnacle (an Avid company), or from Elgato (a privately held company out of Germany and San Francisco.) The devices act as tiny receivers, converting television signals and transmitting them to your PC via USB port. Full Story »

In what would think is a move that could be biting their own tail, satellite television provider Dish Network began selling a digital-to-analog converter. The DTV converter allows older televisions that are not digital to enjoy digital transmissions over-the-air. Some might ask, “Why do I need satellite service then?” If you like having a lot of channels to choose from, you may want both. Full Story »

Residents of Stow, Massachusetts will have another high-definition choice as Verizon FiOS is approved for the area. The Board of Selectmen in Stow, granted a cable franchise to Verizon last Tuesday. FiOS will offer hundreds of channels including 30+ HD (high-definition) channels to customers. Full Story »

Vizio now distributes 3 new HDTV models, all under their recently announced XVT brand. Two of the new models are LCD, and one plasma. The LCD models are the SV420XVT (42″) and SV47XVT (47″) LCD HDTVs, both at 1080p. The Vizio VP505XVT (50″) Plasma HDTV is also 1080p with a 30,000:1 contrast ratio. Full Story »

Sony said it expects Blu-ray to reign in profits close to $10 billion annually within three years. The company also said its gaming business would be profitable by the end of the fiscal year in March, 2009, much in part to increased PS3 software sales as well as lowered PS3 production costs. Full Story »

A poll taken by random HD-Report visitors reveals that DirecTV and Verizon FiOS finish in first and second place as the service providers with best HD quality.

DirecTV finished out on top with 32% of the votes. This is not surprising given their market penetration and dominance in HD channel offerings. Verizon FiOS, who currently only serves approximately 40 HD channels, came out with 27% of the votes. DISH Network, who trails DirecTV in number of HD channels, captured 15% of the votes. Full Story »

In Virginia, Poquoson City Council awarded Verizon a cable franchise which currently covers 347 households. The residents will have another choice in television service with FiOS TV and the high-definition channels it carries. The company expects to start offering FiOS TV in the area later this summer. Full Story »

Reports are that Hellboy: The Science of Evil is now shipping for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Sony PSP. The in-stock date noted on Amazon is June 27, just a couple days away. The release comes just a couple weeks short of the release of the new Hellboy movie Hellboy II: The Golden Army set for theatrical release on July 11. Full Story »

I’ll drink to that. Home Media Magazine reports that more Bond films will soon be available on Blu-ray Disc. MGM, through distributer 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, is currently producing six of the Bond classics for release on Blu-ray. The scheduled release dates are Oct. 20 in the U.S., and Oct. 21 in the U.K.. Full Story »

Sony, the creator and manufacturer of Playstation 3, revealed yesterday that the company lost $2.16 billion in 2007, and $1.16 billion in 2008 on the PS3. Sony admits it was a business move that could have “significant negative impact”, especially if the console never reaches expected market penetration. Full Story »

Crown Media announced a contractual agreement with Cox Communications to carry the Hallmark Movie Channel in high-definition. The multi-year deal (length of contract not specified) will allow Cox to distribute Hallmark Movie Channel HD to its subscribers. Full Story »