Las Vegas (NV) - It wasn't officially the first day of the show, but it was the first day (if not the second) of events all around Las Vegas, including product announcements, exclusive previews, and the Bill Gates keynote address. With the hot-button issues of the week now engrained in our minds, Wednesday brought with it the opening bell of the next round in the Blu-ray / HD DVD fracas, as well as the culmination of a new and equally pressing debate: How are all these experientially-immersive digital home media experience vehicles, such as Intel Viiv and AMD LIVE! devices, supposed to communicate with one another? You'd think there'd be an interface somewhere.

There is - but like most everything in the CE industry, there's at least three, if not more, including multimedia over coaxial (MoCA), FireWire, and various stabs in the dark at wireless, some using the letter-of-the-day for 802.11. Everybody wants to be the media provider, with DirecTV getting into the PC business, Skype getting into the hardware business, and Intel getting into the service business. And strangely enough, while all this is going on, you might get the sudden feeling that Microsoft is becoming a more minor player in all of this - or, at least, not really the dominant player. At the very least, you could argue that Microsoft is seeking the same dominance that everyone else who came to the show is seeking, and in much the same way. Here now are links to the key stories that highlighted TG Daily's coverage of "day zero" of CES 2006.

Highlights From Day One Of CES 2006

• The top high-def DV-R STB, already?
  Scientific-Atlanta makes a statement right out of the gate, with a show-stopping 720p/1080i DV-R...though no MoCA.
• Sony says no PS3 announcement this week
  In response to reports that its chairman would reveal some secrets in advance of a formal unveling.
• Pioneer places a premium on Blu-ray
  Clearly indicating the market segment that the first high-definition optical equipment is intended for, Pioneer today unveiled its first Blu-ray disc recorders.
• Mobile video standards to compete at CES
  Several mobile phone and PDA manufacturers will be showing off their streaming video gadgets at CES 2006.
• Intel unveils its new marketing campaign
  This morning, Intel took the wraps off its $2 billion refresh of the firm's 37-year-old logo. According to media reports, Intel also confirmed the name of its new mobile processor generation "Core."
• Bidirectional multimedia streaming a hot-button topic
  With even more home media center devices emerging, how will computers and "media servers" make the connection?
• Kodak packs two lenses into DSC
  The new Easyshare V570 combines the functionality of an "ultra" wide-angle and an optical zoom in the form factor of a compact snapshot camera.
• Skype makes a play for the mainstream
  A number of CES announcements by Skype seem to be unscoring the company's push to be accepted among the ranks of mainstream VoIP service providers.
• Xbox 360 overheating problem may get a fluid solution
  CoolIT's approach is not rocket science, but rather a system that was retrofitted from existing PC cooling solutions.
• Consumer electronics industry grows 11% in 2005
  According to CEA president / CEO Gary Shapiro, 2005 sales exceeded initial estimates of about $122 billion by over $2 billion.
• Sony to make another play for electronic books, literally
  Sony will launch a modified version of its Librie E- Book reader, which displays text and pictures by electrically charging colored capsules.
• XM is your vehicle, baby!
  XM Radio will show off its Advanced Services concept car, which will have streaming video in addition to traditional satellite radio.
• Rumors of a TiVo partnership with a satelite provider
  The Web is buzzing with the notion that TiVo may need an STV partnership to keep going.

Source : Tom's Hardware US