Acclaim Entertainment offered optimistic forecast for rest of its fiscal year last week as it posted $3.8 million profit (4? per diluted share) on $70.7 million in revenue for 2nd quarter ended March 3 as next-generation console software sales continued to rise. Year ago, Acclaim had $543,000 (1?) profit and $40.4 million revenue. Meanwhile, it estimated Xbox installed base in N. America reached 1.7 million units through end of Feb., with GameCube trailing at 1.3 million.

Prices for write-once DVD-R blanks are falling quickly -- perhaps more quickly than anticipated, and with side-effect of pirate DVD burnings of movies. Pioneer Tues. announced price reduction for 4.7 GB DVD-R and rewritable DVD-RW to $5.99 and $9.99 MSRP respectively. But we've found lower prices from Taiwanese and U.S. suppliers on Web. DVD-R from Taiwan’s Ritek go for $4.15 each in lots of 100 with jewel boxes, $3.95 without box (www.ioproducts.com). Danbury, Conn.-based Recordable Media Corp. (www.cd-recordable.com) take prize though -- as low as $1.59 per DVD-R in lots of 100 with jewel box. Company offers 9.4 GB dual sided DVD-R for $3.99. It claims to be only American-owned blank media maker in U.S., and sells only direct from factory. Within past week, first signs of pirates using DVD burners to copy movies have cropped up in U.S. and U.K. MPAA and N.Y.P.D. busted pirate operation in Bronx, N.Y., on March 22, seizing 15 DVD burners and 1,208 counterfeit movies. Next day, police and Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) in U.K. raided Glasgow market and found 301 counterfeits of first-run movies burned on DVD-Rs from Taiwanese Princo brand. FACT said it found only about 30 counterfeits that were imports from rogue replicators -- first time home-burned pirated discs outnumbered professionally made ones.

International Trade Administration seeks information technology and telecom industry professionals fluent in Russian to assist in its technology commercialization program. It plans specialized program May 25-June 22 in Washington to train mid-to senior level managers from Russia and its independent states. Participants must be capable of English-Russian and Russian-English translation of technical material. Proposals are due March 8 -- 301-713-0856.

International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) released report Fri. on continuing piracy plague, saying problem accounted for $8.3 billion in losses in 2001 in 51 countries surveyed. Interactive Digital Software Assn. (IDSA), one of IIPA’s members, said American game publishers continued to lose billions of dollars each year due to rampant piracy of their products. IDSA joined other members of Washington-based IIPA in recommending that govt. single out more than 50 countries for their failure to adequately protect intellectual property rights in accord with international obligations.

Thomson signed agreement with EchoStar to build satellite receivers for its Dish Network. Pact, which was being negotiated before EchoStar’s proposed $26 billion bid for Hughes Electronics and DirecTV subsidiary, calls for production to start at Thomson’s Juarez, Mexico, factory by midyear. Under agreement, Thomson will build receivers for EchoStar’s current line and start development of products that presumably will be compatible with both Dish Network and DirecTV. Thomson and EchoStar officials declined comment on specific product plans, but EchoStar developed model 301 receiver with plan to add DirecTV service should proposed acquisition be completed. “We plan to roll out these products [which can receive Dish and DirecTV] before the merger is approved so there is no need to go back to the consumer’s house,” EchoStar CEO Charles Ergen said. “Until the merger is approved we will both be only able to control our own subscribers.” Officials of DirecTV, which has battled EchoStar at retail for 6 years, weren’t available for comment, but Thomson spokesman DirecTV was “aware” of its discussions with EchoStar. “We want to be in a position where we can be a set-top box supplier to any number of companies,” he said.

Thomson signed OEM agreement with EchoStar to build satellite receivers for its Dish Network. Pact, which was being negotiated before EchoStar’s proposed $26 billion bid for Hughes Electronics and DirecTV subsidiary, calls for production to start at Thomson’s Juarez, Mexico, factory by midyear. Agreement doesn’t include RCA branded product, Thomson spokesman said.

As EchoStar gears for proposed acquisition of Hughes Electronics and DirecTV, it expects to have set-top box (STB) by spring capable of receiving rival’s service. Pro 301 will ship as EchoStar receiver, but will contain 4 MB of memory for DirecTV’s advanced program guide and will be modified to handle its satellite switching, Senior Vp Mark Jackson said. Final detail, should $26 billion deal be approved, would be for DirecTV to transfer source code to box via software download to receiver’s flash memory, Jackson said in interview after news conference at Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. EchoStar also showed prototype “tribeam” receiving dish with 3 LNBs that would allow service to receive programming from its satellites at 119? and 110? W. and DirecTV’s at 101?.

LAS VEGAS -- As EchoStar gears up for proposed acquisition of Hughes Electronics and DirecTV, it expects to have set-top box (STB) by spring capable of receiving rival’s service. Pro 301 will ship as EchoStar receiver but WILL contain 4 MB of memory for DirecTV’s advanced program guide and it will be modified to handle its satellite switching, Senior Vp Mark Jackson said at CES here. Final detail, should $26 billion deal be approved, would be for DirecTV to transfer source code to box via software download to receiver’s flash memory, Jackson said in interview Wed.

National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) seeks research proposals from small businesses to develop advances in areas such as mobile communications privacy and e-commerce. NIST’s Small Business Innovation Research program provides funding to carry out such research, with goal of “stimulating technological innovation in the private sector.” Although NIST said it acknowledged usefulness of wireless location services, it identified need “to develop technologies for mobile devices and mobile device infrastructure that will protect the privacy of the mobile work force while providing accountability and security.” Related topic is development of secure e-commerce technologies for personal digital assistants and other wireless mobile devices. Proposals also will be accepted for digital communications home and office networking software specifically to enable seamless interaction of plug-and-play electronics devices. Submissions are due Feb. 15 -- 301-975-3085.

National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) seeks proposals from small businesses to develop digital home and office networking software, specifically to enable seamless interaction of plug-and-play electronic devices. “Smart sensor network” development is one of numerous R&D subject areas that NIST will consider funding under its Small Business Innovation Research program, it said. It said Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) recently approved new interface standard (IEEE 1451) that provided new model for plug-and-play hardware and software, and that some companies already were producing hardware that complied with that standard. However, it said “need exists for complementary software tools that enable the fast and efficient building of application solutions. Innovative ideas are sought that create new ways to provide the benefits of a plug-and-play hardware and software architecture such as 1451 to a wider community of users. Simplicity comparable to the connection, programming and operation of home audio and video equipment should be the goal.” Proposals are due Feb. 15 -- 301-975-3085.