Legendary American high-end AV brand Lexicon has announced the first Blu-ray player to be THX-certified.

The Lexicon BD-30, which is currently undergoing certification, will also be compatible with Super Audio CD and DVD-A discs, and claims to load Blu-ray movies in less than 5 seconds. Image processing comes via Anchor Bay's VRS technology.

The premiere league Region A machine, which is expected to retail for $3,499 when it goes on sale Stateside later this year, will make its debut at the upcoming CEDIA Expo in Atlanta. It's the latest in a growing

As the global recession continues to bite just about everyone but the bankers who caused it, the US Consumer Electronics Association has warned that overall revenues within the consumer electronics industry are likely to fall by 7.7% to $165 billion by the end of 2009.

However, it isn't all doom and gloom as the CEA expects a small bounce of 0.7% growth in 2010.

It also forecasts some isolated sectors of the industry to show growth during 2009. Most notably, sales of Blu-ray players are expected to grow by 112% to six million total sales by the end

So in the Autumn you will be able to use the Sky Player through your Xbox 360 – with the tie up between one of Britain's biggest broadcasters and the might of Microsoft already looking damn impressive.

Of course, the version that was being shown off to the press was still an early version of the Xbox Sky Player, but it's already showcasing much of the functionality.

TechRadar has had plenty of time to play around with the Xbox Sky Player in its foetal stage, and we have to confess to being entirely impressed by what we have seen.

A

Once the sole preserve of computers, multimedia playback is now a common feature in everything from receivers to games consoles.

Even TVs have it built in these days, but if you don't have one of those and cannot plug your computer into your existing set perhaps, then you can use an adapter like the USB Player.

About the size of the average portable HDD and clad in shiny black to complement most TVs, the Player plays back media from USB-connected sticks and NTFS/FAT 32 formatted hard discs.

A blue operating light adorns the front but the

A small British company has announced the arrival of its new PMP and is claiming the gadget has enough firepower to outflank Apple's miniature range.

The Sonix7 Media Pro sells for a pinch over £100 and features a 3.2 inch TFT screen with touch capabilities, while boasting a battery life of 30-plus hours for audio and 20 hours for video.

British-designed and proud

The company is very proud of its British roots and feels that in the current economic market, the Sonix7 is perfect.

"Value for money is what people

Latest Blu-ray sales data shows that the HD format is moving more into the mainstream, with player sales up 72 per cent year on year.

Although the figures are for the American market, they do make for interesting reading and reflect worldwide that the format is really starting to take off.

The data compiled by market researchers The NPD Group shows that 400,000 units were sold in the US in Q1 2009, equating to $107.2 million (£70 million) sales.

Blu-ray what?

Despite strong sales, research into Blu-ray familiarity shows

Last.fm has just upgraded its socially networked music service with a new multimedia Personalized Visual Music Player that mixes genres and adds photos, videos and video advertising.

The new player has a video window that shows cover art, artist photos or promo videos, alongside music recommendations, events, user comments and now "unique visual branding opportunities", too.

Last.fm's 'radio stations' can now be generated using multiple (up to three) artists, so if you've ever wondered what a Lady GaGa and Glen Miller mash-up would sound