January 28 - 3:25pm EST   Toshiba will run an ad during the Super Bowl as part of a final effort to rally support for the HD DVD format, the company confirms in the latest issue of Home Media Magazine. Marketing VP Jodi Sally provides few details but explains that the 30-second commercial will primarily focus on the company's own A3-series HD DVD players rather than movies or the platform as a whole. The time slot on Fox TV's network chosen by the Japanese firm may have cost as much as $2.7 million, the magazine says. The Blu-ray Disc Association had reportedly considered an ad but was given only short notice for an open spot, preventing it from offering a suitable commercial. [full story]

January 25 - 12:00pm EST   The Super Bowl is expected to spur sales of approximately 2.4 million HDTVs, according to the third annual Sports and Technology survey performed by the Consumer Electronics Association and the Sports Video Group. The finale for seasonal NFL activity has so far been the cause of $2.2 billion in HDTV sales this year, making it the largest driving factor in the industry for three years running. The Super Bowl is followed by college bowl games, the World Series, NBA Finals, and NCAA March Madness, in terms of events that notably spike sales of HDTVs. [full story]