VIZIO sure ends up in a whole lot of legal battles, but one way or another, it always seems to find its way out in the long run. Such is the case once again today, as the current LCD TV king has apparently said all the right things to Sony. If you'll recall, Sony (along with a slew of others) filed suit against Vizio awhile back over patent licensing concerns, but now it seems the two have reached a mutual agreement to use each other's technologies without bickering over who owns what. The release on the matter states that Sony "has become a licensee under VIZIO's patent portfolio," and that "VIZIO now is a licensee under Sony's color television patent portfolio." Who knows how much under-the-table cash and shaky promises had to be passed along in order to make everyone happy, but hey, a problem solved is a problem solved.

[Image courtesy of TooMuchNick / WireImage]

Update: Sony's response to all of this is after the break, courtesy of a company spokesperson who pinged us directly.

Just as we heard back in February, Time Warner and Comcast have joined hands in order to regain control on some of the content that is slipping right out from under 'em. In the olden days, the only portal for catching content was the 'tube; today, a vast array of television shows are available gratis on the web, and that's downright frightening for pay-TV operators. Today, both firms are detailing TV Everywhere in the most general way possible, only telling us that paying Comcast subscribers will soon have access to "premium long-form content" via a web portal. TNT and TBS are the only networks specifically named thus far, but considering that both of those already offer their best programming online to everyone, we're not terribly impressed.

The agreement also includes a trial with around 5,000 Comcast users, which will be used to heavily test a newfangled authentication technology that will be necessary to allow paying Comcast users to access the material from any internet-connected PC. NewTeeVee has also assembled a clean, easy-to-digest FAQ that explains what exactly all this is. To be frank, it seems like a solution in search of a problem from the consumer viewpoint. After all, with portals like Hulu and individual network websites already providing in-demand content online, why is there even a need for some "special portal" for Comcast users? We've heard that paying subs will have access to even more material, possibly movies or other premium shows. But we won't front: we certainly don't want TV Everywhere to convert some of the content that's already free into pay-only content in order to accomplish the aforesaid "even more" goal. At any rate, the public at large probably won't hear more about this until the trial sessions end at an undisclosed time, but you can bet we'll be keeping a cautious eye on any developments.

Read - TV Everywhere press release
Read - NewTeeVee FAQ

Whoa, Nelly. This is getting serious. As 3D looks to infest each and every cinema it can, Sony has just inked a potentially ginormous agreement with 3D guru RealD that will provide "3D digital cinema systems that combine a single Sony 4K projector and its new 3D dual lens adapter with RealD technology." In other words, you could soon be seeing 3D cinema through a 4K projector, which just might lead to your head exploding from visual overload. The agreement makes mention of a "specially designed optical filter tuned for the projector, resulting in the ability to deliver crisp 3D images to screens up to 55 feet in width." Also, the relationship makes it possible for existing 2D installations to be upgraded with 3D capabilities, and honestly, even we're excited about 2K of 3D resolution per eye.

It's been a long, long time since Belo-owned stations were transmitted on Charter systems (what, two years or something now?), but the two are finally burying the hatchet before 2009... or partially burying it, anyway. According to Belo, 11 of its 15 markets can finally see Belo-owned locals in SD and HD on Charter, including KMOV-TV in St. Louis, WFAA in Dallas / Fort Worth, WCNC-TV in Charlotte and KONG-TV in Seattle / Tacoma. Few details about the actual agreement were made public, but we're just stoked that the two have finally made amends.

[Thanks, Shane]

While RPTVs teeter on a bellbottom-styled return to the mainstream, Sharp and Nichia are focused squarely on the future. The two have just entered into a LED patent cross-licensing agreement covering both LEDs and laser diodes; the deal grants each company the right to use "inventions related to LEDs and laser diodes covered by the vast number of patents owned by the respective companies in Japan and in major countries." The release gets interesting when touching on Sharp's intentions -- it states that the company is hoping to "create unique, one-of-a-kind products in the future that feature both devices [Blu-ray recorders and LED lighting] at their core." Color us very intrigued.

It's pretty stellar to hear of theater chains lining up to install 3D systems, but this one just gets us all sorts of envious. Reportedly, Q-tec -- one of Japan's leading video post production service providers -- has just completed the "first domestic installation of a 3D cinema system developed by RealD." And it doesn't sound as if Q-tec is done, particularly considering that it's planning to begin "full-scale operation" this month. Who woulda thunk it -- maybe 3D cinema has a shot after all.

This is one of those rare cases where the headline tells all: TWC and LIN TV have finally agreed to put their differences aside and strike a retransmission deal. In other words, those 17 LIN TV-owned local stations that have been dark for the past few weeks should be back online at any moment. LIN TV's President and Chief Executive Officer Vincent L. Sadusky was quoted as saying that it was "pleased to have reached a fair market agreement with Time Warner Cable," and he continued by calling the deal "a mutually acceptable economic agreement." While we can't imagine he said that with a straight face, we're just glad you folks won't have to rely on any more EPG trickery to watch the (possible) final game of the World Series tonight. Or tomorrow. Or whenever Philadelphia decides to stop acting like Siberia.


[Image courtesy of Britannica, thanks Dayton Guy and Brian]

My, my -- now isn't this nifty. Time Warner Cable in Northeast Wisconsin is just one of the many areas still fighting with LIN TV in an attempt to get LIN TV-owned stations back in the EPG. As you can likely guess, the World Series is being played right now on one such station (WLUK), which obviously is no longer available via TWC to NE Wisconsin subscribers. In a workaround that can only be described as brilliant, it is bringing the Fall Classic to viewers via FOX Sports Espanol (slot 70; SD only) and encouraging them to catch the English play calling through the radio. We've no clue if other TWC regions are dabbling in the same black magic, but we can't help but chuckle and offer up a round of golf claps -- this, friends, is determination at work. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Via FoxCitiesTV]

Here's an interesting one. While we'd say it's perfectly normal to see upticks in voucher requests from areas affected by early analog shutoff drills, this here is just bizarre. According to a release put out by the American Cable Association, an irregular surge in coupon requests has occurred in three markets where Time Warner Cable dropped LIN TV's stations after the two couldn't come to a retransmission agreement. On top of that, FCC chairman Kevin Martin has reportedly asserted that the voucher program is running out of cash, but given that this isn't the FCC's program, we'd take that as speculation more than anything. Either way, because of this blackout, it seems consumers are asking for items (and thus, cash) they probably don't even need. Look LIN TV, we know you loathe TWC, but please -- put your stations back online. Do it for the taxpayer. Do it for love.

Remember when DivX was a format only understood by the hardcore BitTorrent users and P2P mavens who shared low-quality videos online? No more. DivX is stamping its name on all manners of devices these days, and now it's getting in with the always-guarded content providers. Today, DivX and Warner Bros. have announced that the studio's material will soon be available for distribution in the DivX format, meaning that any DivX Certified consumer electronics device could play it back. The pact is similar to the one signed with Sony Pictures Television and Sony Pictures Television International, though not everything is particularly peachy. Content will be available in SD DivX as of this month, but HD DivX won't be streaming until September of 2009. Ah well, at least we've a date to hold 'em to.

Reports have been flooding in from across Ohio, Indiana and Texas to confirm the cold, hard truth: LIN TV has begun removing its stations from Time Warner Cable systems. Last month, we found that the two were still in disagreement over carriage terms, with LIN TV wanting TWC to pony up to carry stations that could otherwise be fetched OTA for free. Amazingly, they let the October 2nd deadline come and go without even a stopgap deal, meaning that some locals in Dayton, Columbus, Toledo, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Austin, Green Bay, Buffalo and a handful of other cities have now vanished from TWC's EPG. In a posting made on the carrier's site, it bluntly states that LIN TV is "trying to make up for lower ratings and advertising revenue by adding fees that will fall, ultimately, on the backs of our cable customers." Granted, that's only one half of the story, but here's the bottom line: you two need to come to terms, and fast.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

And the hits just keep on comin'. Merely hours after Netflix revealed that its API was open for all and just days after announcing deals with ABC and CBS, the firm is extending its reach once more with a fresh deal with Starz. As we're waiting for the ink to dry, the two have already fessed up to an agreement that will "make movies from Starz -- through its Starz Play broadband subscription movie service -- available to be streamed instantly at Netflix." Best of all, the additional content (over 2,500 new flicks eventually; 1,000 available now) will be included with Netflix members' current monthly subscription fee. For those who'd rather (we're talking all 2.5 of you), Netflix will soon offer a Starz Play-only subscription for $7.99 a month. Full release is after the fold.

The NHL may not have the viewership in America as, say, the NFL, but that doesn't mean it can't find fans elsewhere. In a rather unexpected move, Hong Kong-based All Sports Network (ASN) has signed a multi-year deal to posses rights for broadcasting NHL matchups throughout much of Asia (India, South Korea and China included). Over 130 upcoming regular-season games will be televised on ASN's Yes TV along with the All-Star game, playoffs and the Stanley Cup Final. The good news? The broadcast rights include "all forms of television, including HDTV." The bad? Japan, Australia and New Zealand have been excluded from the agreement.

[Image courtesy of The Globe & Mail]

Good news for DISH Network VOD fans -- you'll soon be seeing a few more options in the programming guide. Announced this week, the satcaster has inked a deal with Sony Pictures Television that will enable it to host the studio's films and other programming content on its video-on-demand platform (DISH On Demand) as well as its pay-per-view services. Best of all, the agreement covers SD and HD content, and if we're reading this correctly, it sounds as if some future films will be made available day-and-date with the DVD release.

It's still a touch unclear to us exactly what this means for end-users, but AT&T has just inked a deal with Move Networks that will enable it to "deliver Move-enabled video content to companies and their users." The release states that Move Networks technology allows "media and entertainment companies to deliver live and on-demand high-definition programming to computers over the internet in a true television-like experience," so we're wondering if AT&T won't start offering some type of HD content via the web. Then again, this whole agreement may be focused on the business sector, so we lowly consumers may never be able to take advantage. Guess we'll see in time, huh?

[Thanks, Anthony]