With video game consoles becoming more and more commonly found in households the world over, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now drafting plans to include game consoles in its Energy Star program. A quick look through the Energy Star 5.0 draft has revealed a few of the requirements needed for consoles to pass the Energy Star specs. Hit the jump for details.

The Advanced Access Content System (AACS) Licensing Authority 'fesses up. As BBC has reported, the megagroup responsible for the walls of security on Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs has just admitted that the encryption on HD-DVD discs has been bypassed, as claimed by muslix64b earlier. The AACS aren't too worried, though, as they note that "It does not represent an attack on the AACS system itself."

The spokesperson further commented that the large size of the files and the high cost of writable hi-def discs made widespread copying of the movies impractical. From that perspective, they might be looking at the early (and high-cost economics) of high-def movies to deter potential pirates - hence their complacent attitude towards the hack.

Here's an interesting bit, though: Why did muslix64b go as far as to break the walls of copy protection on HD-DVD, then, if the economics aren't suited for it right now? BBC gets the answer straight from the hacker himself: because he was so peeved at the fact that he couldn't play his HD-DVD movie, simply because he lacked the required compliant connector (HDMI cable or compliant DVI). According to him, "Not being able to play a movie that I have paid for, because some executive in Hollywood decided I cannot, made me mad."

So... for want of a cable, what got lost again?

With the confusion of the next-generation of gaming, it's easy to see why most people just don't bother updating their TV sets to HD. If you don't know the difference between 720p and 1080i then why spend your life's savings on a TV or LCD screen when you don't know what does, but hopefully by the end of this article you should have a better understanding of different HD formats, and why some people believe that the Xbox 360's New 1080p Support system is flawed.

At this year's Tokyo Game Show, Microsoft announced that they would be adding 1080p support in Xbox 360 games and movies, upgrading their latest console to support what is currently the highest grade of High-Definition resolution available. The part of HD which most people know about is the HDMI cable, basically yet another wire that connects a console and the TV. It has the ability to send both audio and video signals in a digital format, something that other cables previously haven't been able to accomplish. Due to this, it is able to support HDCP / AACS, a new copy-protection technology that will some day be required for playback of Blu-ray/HD-DVD at full resolution, hence why Sony have added HDMI support for their next-generation PS3 consoles.

This is where Microsoft seem to have let us down. As the Xbox 360 doesn't have HDMI support you may not be able to playback copyrighted HD-DVD's at full resolution, as only a limited number of 1080p-capable HDTVs can accept the HDCP / AACS signals through analog inputs. HDMI is the standard for HD TVs and for that reason most TV manufacturers have built 1080p HDTVs that are only able to accept the high-resolution 1080p via HDMI cable. Very few 1080p HDTVs will accept an analog 1080p signal via VGA, but this usually requires the use of a VGA-to-DVI dongle - making 1080p without HDMI very difficult to achieve.

An interview with Microsoft on how they plan to have 1080p support for all games without HDMI support turned out inconclusive, with IGN still waiting for a proper response from Microsoft. Sure, the Xbox 360 will support 1080p games, but due to the lack of the HDMI cable most 1080p HDTVs won't display the signal - possibly ending in disaster for 360 owners who have purchased HDTVs without analog 1080p signal support. Lets hope Microsoft pulls something out of the bag in order to sort this mess out soon.

The company Accell who has etched their mark as a premium provider of audio/video interconnects just recently announced a new innovation, the UltraAV HDMI 2-1 Switch, which is a compact UltraAV HDMI Switch. This baby enables simultaneous connection of two audio/video sources and includes a razor thin wireless remote to easily swap between each source.

The company remains optimistic that their product will click because their competition's existing switches often costs more than $300, placing them out of reach for many consumers. Aside from that they are also bulky which makes them intrusive in many home theater installations. The Accell product boasts a small size for an HDMI switch - it claims to be smaller than a deck of cards. Also it has a MSRP of $99.

Since the switch doesn’t use external power there is no power adapter. This design saves additional space and frees up a power outlet for other equipment. Michael Weizer, Director of Marketing for Accell said that "our UltraAV HDMI Switch was designed to deliver high performance at an affordable price. Now enthusiasts can instantly enjoy a variety of HD sources without breaking the bank, or their backs!"

The HDMI Switch maintains the highest resolutions of up to 1080p, and is compliant with HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) devices. It’s backwards compatible with DVI (Digital Visual Interface) when using an HDMI-DVI adapter or cable. The switch features a wireless remote control, an infrared extender and a built-in manual toggle. Nice!