We've yet to see this for ourselves, but tipster Adam has informed us that Cox Communications is talking up a new On Demand platform via commercials. In fact, the spots have also led us to believe that a new software update will soon be available for the carrier's set-top-boxes, presumably one based on the Aptiv platform. Pictured above is a quick snap of what the future VOD system will look like, though we're sadly unaware of whether this rollout will be hitting everyone or just a select few. Couldn't hurt to ping your local office and ask, though.

[Thanks, Adam]

The idea of gesture-based remote control isn't new, but GestureTek has added in 3D tracking to the mix for, you guessed it -- even more expressive interaction with your TV. After all, you don't live in flatland, so why should your remote control gestures? Of course, adding in depth perception requires the use of more than one webcam, but maybe that's not a big tradeoff in our age of six and more speakers in the living room. The setup will be on display at CES (sans Xpletive), so we'll try and swing by for a, um, hands on while we puzzle over how to add voice commands to this system. Watching the big game with your buddies just might get even more entertaining yet.

If you're looking for a way to have a big screen flat-panel and keep things neat and tidy for the SO, Premier Mounts is about to become your new best friend. The outfit has just announced that it will be introducing a fully-integrated motorized lift system at CES, enabling buyers to hide away HDTVs in existing or customized cabinets. With just the touch of a button, owners can hide and reveal their flat-panel; the LIFT1 (single system) holds panels up to 52-inches and 180 pounds, while the LIFT2 (dual system) manages screens up to 58-inches and 360 pounds. 'Course, for $2,499.99 / $4,199.99 (respectively), maybe the eyesore isn't so intolerable after all.

Tired of buying those overly compressed MP3 files online are ya? If so, have a look at the new music service from Bowers & Wilkins. Said outfit, along with Peter Gabriel, is pushing the B&W Music Club, which is hailed as the subscription service for audiophiles. Essentially, those with incredibly discerning ears can pay an annual / monthly fee to have access to "one specially commissioned album each month, recorded in dedicated live sessions at Real World Studios near Bath in the UK." The albums are available in Apple Lossless or FLAC formats and provided without any DRM baked in. In an interesting twist, B&W is providing free studio time and mixing sessions for artists who'd like to have their tunes offered up, which could open up opportunities for little known musical geniuses to get exposure. Check the read link for all the fine print, but here's the tidbit you're really after: $39.95 for six months, or $59.95 for a year.

Those Xtreme-loving audiophiles at Tritton are heading to CES next week and bringing with them a wireless 5.1 surround sound bar / subwoofer combo designed specifically with gamers in mind. Their presser touts how easily it connects to the Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in addition to an iPod, MP3 player, PC, and that's unfortunately all the information we've got for now -- no pics, release date or price in sight. Additionally, they're also showcasing new Bluetooth accessories and Dolby 5.1-equipped gaming headsets. Hopefully we'll be able to fill in the missing details in just a few days.

Redbox -- the outfit that makes its ends by offering consumers $1 DVD / Blu-ray rentals in kiosk stations positioned at grocery stores, Walmarts and other retail outlets -- has let its CEO out of the corner office long enough to speak with VideoBusiness. With B&M rental outlets feeling the pain from by-mail / online alternatives, VB questioned whether Redbox's business model was viable. Gregg Kaplan noted that the model was indeed viable and profitable, harping on the fact that many families are redirecting out-of-home entertainment dollars to at-home entertainment. He's also publicly confident that the business will continue growing "at a brisk pace," and given that its market share currently sits at just 5% to 10%, it definitely has the room to grow. We have to say, Redbox has it pretty good. While many are too lazy to make a trip to the video store, it's actually convenient to grab a flick while you're out grabbing produce; hit the read link for the full interview.

We've known for years that Charter Communications isn't what you'd call a "stellar" cable operator, but we had no idea things were looking this dire for the outfit. According to a new report surfacing at Reuters, the St. Louis-based MSO is currently holding a net debt of around $21 billion, and it has purportedly said that it may need to "go into bankruptcy to deal with that burden." In order to stay afloat this long, it has "refinanced and extended its maturities every year since 2004," and just before Christmas it asked a longtime financial adviser to "start talks with bondholders to boost its financial flexibility." In related news, things aren't looking much brighter for Spanish-language media giant Univision, which recently reported a stiff 25% drop in automotive advertising. For awhile, it seemed the media firms were almost untouchable, but the recent downturns in the economy could be taking their toll on a few mainstays. Ah well, at least Charter subscribers can now somewhat justify those rate increases... somewhat.

Bowers & Wilkins isn't being exactly forthcoming (not at all, actually), but it's pretty darn excited about whatever secret it's planning to unveil at CES. Here's what we know: it'll be launching into a new market while its classic products receive "a dramatic makeover." More specifically, the company is set to "launch into an exciting new product category and reveal an all new model in the XT Series," and beyond that, all we're told is that it will be "groundbreaking" in the same way the Zeppelin apparently was. Consider our interest piqued, B&W, but you better not disappoint. Full gloat-fest is after the break.

Time Warner Cable subscribers managed to avert a crisis early this morning, but it seems that Sunflower Broadband customers aren't so lucky. As it stands, KMBC-ABC and KCWE-CW -- both owned by Kansas City's Hearst-Argyle Television -- are being dropped from the provider. Both channels were being transmitted to customers in SD and HD, and until an agreement can be worked out, Sunflower has arranged to retransmit ABC Topeka affiliate KTKA in SD / HD so that customers can at least view ABC material. The good (or better, we should say) news? The carrier has vowed to "work around the clock with Hearst-Argyle to restore KMBC and KCWE under terms that are fair to its customers." And now, we wait.

Well, the year has come and gone, and with it, our 365 -- or in this case, 366 -- days of posting. We've seen some pretty amazing stuff, gotten to play with a stack of awesome gear, and watched the site grow by leaps and bounds. We thought we'd cap the year off with a look back at the posts that got the most heat. Check out the top 20 of the year below, and be sure to truck over to Engadget and Engadget Mobile for their year-end round-ups!

Top 20 most trafficked posts of 2008 (in order)

1. Hands-on with the Vista Media Center TV Pack
2. The Media Center Extender shootout
3. Ask Engadget HD: Does cable, satellite, or fiber provide more HD?
4. Win a Philips 42PFL5603D 42-inch 1080p HDTV!
5. The real reason why Warner went Blu?
6. T-minus one year till the US analog shutoff: are you ready?
7. Poll: So, what are you HD DVD early adopters going to do?
8. Samsung LN52A650 review
9. Did you apply for your TV converter box coupons yet?
10. Apple's Steve Jobs calls Blu-ray "a bag of hurt"
11. Samsung SC-HMX20C HD camcorder review
12. Zenith's ATSC Digital to Analog Converter Box gets priced
13. Win an LCD HDTV, Xbox 360, and plenty of Old Spice
14. No DirecTV HD for Vista Media Center until 2010?
15. DirecTV's PC tuner (HDPC-20) is real!
16. EchoStar's TR-40 DTV converter box not available 'til June / July
17. Forget Black Friday -- $175 Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray player here now
18. Why the PS3 isn't the best Blu-ray player
19. The full list of coupon-eligible DTV converter boxes
20. Popcorn Hour's Networked Media Tank gets reviewed

Top 20 most trafficked posts during 2008 (in order; non-2008 posts in bold)

1. How to connect your PC to your HDTV
2. Hands-on with the Vista Media Center TV Pack
3. The Media Center Extender shootout
4. 1080p charted: Viewing distance to screen size
5. Ask Engadget HD: Does cable, satellite, or fiber provide more HD?
6. OTA HD demystified
7. HDMI cable scam used to fool in-store customers?
8. Win a Philips 42PFL5603D 42-inch 1080p HDTV!
9. The real reason why Warner went Blu?
10. T-minus one year till the US analog shutoff: are you ready?
11. Poll: So, what are you HD DVD early adopters going to do?
12. Samsung LN52A650 review
13. Did you apply for your TV converter box coupons yet?
14. Apple's Steve Jobs calls Blu-ray "a bag of hurt"
15. Samsung SC-HMX20C HD camcorder review
16. Zenith's ATSC Digital to Analog Converter Box gets priced
17. Win an LCD HDTV, Xbox 360, and plenty of Old Spice
18. No DirecTV HD for Vista Media Center until 2010?
19. DirecTV's PC tuner (HDPC-20) is real!
20. EchoStar's TR-40 DTV converter box not available 'til June / July

A few other interesting numbers for you:

Total posts on Engadget HD in 2008: 5,815
Total number of comments: 106,755 (and counting)
Average comments per post: 18.4

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]

Slowly but surely, AMIMON is establishing itself as a serious player in the wireless HD space. Right before our eyes, the outfit has announced that it's playing a major role in the world's first HD wireless display designed specifically for use in the operating room. Stryker Endoscopy's WiSe HDTV is embedded with AMIMON's WHDI technology, though few details beyond that are being disclosed. We've no idea if this is just the beginning of AMIMON's domination of the OR, but it's certainly a good start. Here's hoping we see some similar announcements in the consumer space at CES -- it's about time some of these wireless HD doodads stopped looking pretty and started shipping out.

Missed out on those fire sales held right after HD DVD's funeral, did you? Fret not, as Blockbuster is looking to make the most of your HD DVD player purchase. As of now, the rental outfit is selling over 300 HD DVD titles at just $7.99 each, which gives you a perfect excuse to blow that Christmas cash before 2008 is even over. In related news, Frys is offering up an Xbox 360 HD DVD player along with HD DVD box sets of Heroes: Season One and Battlestar Galactica: Season One for just $49.99. Better hurry on that one, though -- the deal's up at the stroke of midnight.

[Via HighDefDigest]

Read - Frys deal
Read - Blockbuster sale

Baffled when trying to choose what size screen to install in your home theater? Let Da-Lite help. The outfit has just made live its web-based Screen Calculator, which guides individuals through an "easy and clear process for selecting the right projection screen." Users will be able to determine the optimal screen size by "selecting the appropriate format the projection will be shown in, choosing the screen type and lastly picking the correct material or surface." Just don't be shocked if you suddenly start craving a Da-Lite screen when it's all said and done.

A fresher, probably completely unbreakable version of BD+ isn't even expected until February, but SlySoft's making sure you have plenty to watch on your non-HDCP compliant display over the holidays. The newest refresh of its AnyDVD HD software (v.6.5.0.2 at last count) reportedly "decrypts copy protection on all current Blu-ray movies." In conjunction with the celebration, the outfit is also reminding everyone that it will be moving to a subscription-based update program starting in the New Year, so you've got T-minus two days and counting to buy now and secure that 20% discount.

[Thanks, Erie]