With 35% of US cable TV subscribers surveyed saying they would terminate subs in the next 5 years for online TV viewing, cable companies in the US are planning to evolve out of their set-top boxes.

T&A: Knowledge@Wharton released an article here describing how the cable television industry in the US is facing an increasing threat from Internet video sites like YouTube and Hulu.

To counter this, the cable TV industry is working on a plan to make cable subscriptions portable to any Internet-enabled device, be it a notebook or a mobile phone, at no extra charge.

One example mentioned was an announcement in June by Time Warner and Comcast to launch TV Everywhere, a service that allows cable subscribers to use their PC/Macs to watch on-demand programs from Time Warner’s TNT and TBS networks. Since then, CBS, HBO, Cinemax and Starz have made known their wish to be involved.

Of course, with 35% of respondents from a consumer survey done by Bernstein Research saying they would consider cutting a cable subscription in favor of online video in the next five years, this is definitely something the cable TV companies should be worried about (and do something about before it’s too late).

The Alpha 330 shoots 10.2-megapixel images and features Quick Live View AF mode.

Mr. Toru Katsumoto, Senior GM for Sony Alpha Mount Camera Division, during the interview session.

VIEWPOINT: For our second HWM ViewPoint video program series, the HardwareMAG.com team met up with Mr. Toru Katsumoto, Senior General Manager from the Alpha Mount Camera (AMC) Division, who was kind enough to demo the newly released Alpha 330 DSLR camera to us.

The A330 comes hot on the heels of two other recently launched Alpha models — the A380 and the A230. The former is similar to the A330 except that it shoots up to 14.2 Megapixels, while the A230 shoots 10.2 Megapixels but boasts a lighter 420g body.

On price: The A330 costs US$850 with 2 lenses (the SAL-1855 standard zoom lens and the SAL-55200 telephoto zoom lens).

Anyway, here’s the exclusive ViewPoint video. Enjoy.

This video comes with English captions. To change caption language, click on Translate in the bottom corner option of the video.

CORP TALK: Japan’s Toshiba Corporation will be entering the Blu-ray Disc market, after more than a year of abandoning the HD-DVD format market. According to an AFP report here, the company will be launching Blu-ray products as soon as this year, encouraged by the rapid growth and demand for the format in Japan.

Navin Danapal, Technical Editor, HWM Malaysia

Navin (HWM MY): If this doesn’t seal the next-gen DVD war then nothing else will. Toshiba was the biggest advocate for the rival HD-DVD format going against Sony’s Blu-ray Disc (BD) format in the past few years.

Over time we began to see Sony’s BD standard taking up the storm while Toshiba’s HD-DVD began to wither in support.

However, to see Toshiba themselves entering their rival’s market is ultimately the nail-in-the-coffin for the HD-DVD format, as there were some rumours that the Japanese are not known to take kindly to defeat, and that Toshiba won’t back down from their HD-DVD war. Now with this entry, it’s clear the days of HD-DVD is over for good. (more…)

CORP TALK: Following up on an earlier report we did on Huawei partnering with Singapore-based StarHub to launch an upgraded commercial HSPA+ service, StarHub will be rolling out the service for real tomorrow.

Called the MaxMobile Elite, the HSPA+ service offers download speeds of up to 21Mbps nationwide, priced at S$118 (US$81) per month. For customers who take up a two-year subscription plan, they get a 30% discount on the monthly fee, paying only S$82.60 (US$57).

Those on the MaxOnline post-paid plan (with the exception of MaxOnline FlexiSurf) enjoys 50% and pay only S$59 (US$41). Whatever the plan, the Huawei HSPA+ USB modem is free. Besides the MaxMobile Elite, StarHub also offers a 7.2Mbps (Ultimate) and 2Mbps (SurfLite) service.

PROMOTIONS: If you happen to be in Singapore on 24-26 July 2009, sports, entertainment and media company IMG will be launching its inaugural exhibition called the Lifestyle Value 2009 at the Singapore Expo Hall 4 during the period. The event will display different types of lifestyle choices ranging from automotive, consumer electronics, spa and beauty, sports apparel and equipment, as well as travel and weddings. From car accessories to flat-screen TVs, spa items to sporting wear and wedding ideas, check it all out at the event. For more details, click here.