We've heard whispers of Netflix heading to other, non-Xbox 360 game consoles before, and now adding to the susurrus is a job listing from the company for Engineering Lead - Gaming Platforms. The description calls for someone familiar with the technical hurdles of current-gen consoles for building a small team to "rapidly prototype and iterate on a variety of platforms." Whether or not this means we'll be seeing PlayStation 3 or Wii services in the near (or even distant) future is anyone's guess, but with Microsoft's version so far a streaming success, we wouldn't be surprised if the company took a few steps to increase the probability that 3 billionth delivered flick is digital.

[Via Joystiq]

Oh, brother -- you had to see this coming, didn't you? Soon after details of the California Energy Commission's proposed TV efficiency standards leaked out, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has fired back a shocking press release in order to sound the alarm and get people in opposition. According to its "research," setting arbitrary limits on television electricity usage will end up costing California $50 million annually in state tax revenue and will destroy some 4,600 jobs in the TV sales, distribution and installation business. In the CEA's eyes, this proposal "eliminates consumer choice and will remove 25 percent of televisions from the market." Naturally, all of these assertions pay no attention whatsoever to the environment, and while we won't bother with inserting any politics here, we'd advise hitting the read link just to see what blatant bias looks like in its purest form.

VUDU's been doing its darnedest of late to keep up with the slew of rivals looking to steal away every piece of market share they can, and a recent report over at CEPro sheds a little light onto how the company plans to both stay afloat and take off. As with most every other outfit, VUDU has also suffered through a few rounds of layoffs. Currently, the company employs about 50, which is down from a high of around 110. Co-founder Tony Miranz seems pretty optimistic about the future, though, noting that the outfit is being "bombarded with inquiries" from potential partners. Speaking of which, he also asserted that VUDU was -- at its heart -- a software company, and thus it was currently looking to integrate its top-shelf UI and movie delivery network into HDTVs, DVD / Blu-ray players and other standalone boxes. It's tough to say how such a shift would affect the firm. On one hand, you've got CinemaNow barely breathing, while Netflix has managed to execute this plan to perfection. Go on VUDU, roll the dice -- we'll be watching.

[Thanks, Ben]

Hey Sony -- we know that experiencing your first annual operating loss in 14 years calls for drastic measures, but this is bordering on downright rash. Barely a month after announcing that 16,000 employees would be axed, Sony has now revealed plans to close one of its two television plants in Japan and rid itself of 2,000 domestic full-time jobs as it attempts to "revive its electronics business." Of note, it's stated that those 2,000 -- which seem to be a part of the previously mentioned 16,000 figure -- will be shed via "early retirement and other programs." Just think what a 40-inch XEL-1 would do for business. No, seriously Sony, just think.

[Image courtesy of DigitalWorldTokyo]

It's not pulling a Sony or anything, but even Sharp has been unable to absorb the downturn in flat-panel demand. We already knew that the firm was looking to scale back production by as much as 10% from the middle of this month, and our deductive reasoning skills are leading us to believe that this is the cutback we've been expecting. The outfit will be closing down two LCD panel production lines in Japan in order to "move production to a newer and more cost-efficient plant as the global downturn hits demand for electronic goods." Along with the closings will come 380 job cuts -- all temporary workers -- which will presumably be sent home when the lines halt for the final time in January.

Okay, so we're kidding. Sort of. Believe it or not, Audiovox actually was a very minor player in the LCD flat-panel industry, but no more. In an effort to counter "what is shaping up to be the worst economy in decades," CEO Patrick Lavelle decided to pull the plug on the LCD business and show 8% of his employees the way out for the final time. It's all good for the company though, because every worked-to-the-bone parent in America will be snapping up one of its Homebase Digital Message Centers.

Just over a year ago, we heard that AT&T would be sinking hundreds of millions of dollars into the Carolinas in an attempt to "upgrade its fiber network, further broadband deployment, and deliver internet-based technologies to customers in North Carolina and South Carolina." Now, we're beginning to see signs of life. According to this nondescript job posting on Craigslist, AT&T is scouting residential field agents specifically for U-verse in the Raleigh / Durham, NC region. Sure, this could very well be a hoax of some strange kind, but we can't possibly be more hopeful that it's not. Hey TWC -- is this enough to get you to add a few HD channels to your absolutely abysmal selection in the Triangle?

[Thanks, Jonathan]

Another month, another round of layoffs over at Moto. This time, we're seeing 120 out of the 600 positions in Motorola Labs -- the unit responsible for researching pretty much everything ranging from handsets to radio technology -- slashed; another 180 are "being reassigned to work in individual business units." According to the company, the moves from Moto Labs "will help R&D teams work with their business partners to optimize R&D investment and focus on projects that deliver the greatest value for Motorola," though your guess is as good as our as to what that actually means. Granted, we wouldn't normally support hacking off a good part of your innovation department, but considering that it's been stuck in fail mode for far too long, maybe this really is for the best.

Verizon's doing more than just blessing Oregon customers with more HD content -- it's also preparing to bring its fiber-based services to even more folks in the Ocean State. $86 million has been set aside to invest in network expansion within Rhode Island, promising FiOS TV to an additional ten communities (specifics were solely absent) and giving another 50 union-represented technicians and customer service representatives a job. Yep, all that new cabling means expanding its Providence-based Fiber Solutions Center, but it failed to mention when the new hires would take place. Lastly, it's planning on upgrading the internet services in Cranston, Hope Valley, Jamestown, Narragansett, Pawtucket, Providence, Tiverton and Weekapaug, giving each of those locales download speeds of 7-megabits per second.

For folks camped out in Southeastern Wisconsin, chances are you've got yet another choice for pay-TV coming to you. AT&T is trumpeting the fact that over 200,000 living units in the region now have access to U-verse, which isn't half bad for just being around 14 months. More specifically, viewers in and around Milwaukee, Racine and Sheboygan are likely to now have access, and the growth has apparently been substantial enough to warrant the need for 200 new jobs in the state. As of now, the carrier is seeking to employ 200 U-verse service technicians in the Badger State, with spots to open in Northeast / South Central Wisconsin.

As of tomorrow, Takashi Fukuda will no longer have his job as Sony's top television executive, and no, it's certainly not an April Fool's joke of any kind. Reportedly, Hiroshi Yoshioka, the current head of the company's audio business, will be taking over and attempting to slash costs and boost profits. Sony's TV unit has been struggling of late to remain profitable in the incredibly competitive flat-panel market, and while its Trinitron CRTs once ruled the roost, tables have certainly turned since. Recently, Mr. Fukuda noted that Sony may have honed in too much on large, high-end sets while overlooking demand for budget-priced TVs, and quite frankly, we couldn't agree more with his assertion. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]

[Image courtesy of Tech-On]

Ken Graffeo, who formerly served as executive VP of marketing before signing on as executive VP of HD strategic marketing at Universal, has decided to step down from a position that had essentially crumbled since the fall of HD DVD. Curiously enough, the bigwig noted that he wouldn't be taking on a similar role for the Blu-ray side, but did assert that he would be hanging around Universal Studios Home Entertainment. More specifically, he was quoted as saying that he would be "looking at what [his] different options are and what [his] next moves would be," which -- to be fair -- is about as canned of a response as one could hope for. Somehow, we get the feeling Ken will be quite alright, though.

[Via FormatWarCentral, image courtesy of FutureNet]

Just days after hearing that Verizon would be staffing its Syracuse call center with 335 new employees over the next few years, DISH Network is announcing that it too needs a few good men / women to "accommodate customer growth." Reportedly, the satellite provider is looking to hire 200 folks in its Tulsa, Oklahoma facility before June 1st of this year, primarily in the Technical Support division. Once the hires are made, the total workforce at the 78,500-square-foot center would amount to 650, but there's still room for a few more heads considering DISH's plans to "eventually employ about 1,000 people" in Tulsa.

It's no surprise that Verizon is adding FiOS customers at a mind-numbing rate, but apparently, signing on some 80,000 new subscribers per month is going to require a few more employees. More specifically, the carrier will reportedly be hiring some 335 more workers over the next few years to "staff a FiOS call center in suburban Syracuse, NY." We aren't told if any other job openings will surface as a part of FiOS' rapid expansion, but here's to hoping it branches out to more locales in the not-too-distant future, regardless.

Merely days ago, Digeo trumpeted a number of Moxi-related partnerships and simultaneously failed to give us any additional details as to when we could expect either of its standalone HD DVRs. Now, we could have a reason why. According to a breaking report from The Wall Street Journal, the firm is axing 50-percent of its staff (leaving 80 employees) and Mike Fidler, CEO, is handing over his position to Greg Gudorf, the company's current president and chief operating officer. As if that weren't enough, the report also claims that Digeo will "not release two digital media recorders that had been planned," and rather, it will "focus on a [single] next-generation consumer model." Notably, we aren't told whether or not said model is the HD DMR that's already out in beta testers' hands, but we suppose only time will tell. [Warning: read link requires subscription]

Update: We've now learned that the oft delayed Moxi Multi-Room HD DMR and the Moxi Home Cinema Edition DMR will not be released. Additionally, we're told that details about the firm's upcoming consumer DMR (which will be released) will be "announced later in the year." Full release posted after the jump.