The EPA will consider changes in the Energy Star set-top box specification for cable, satellite and IPTV service providers to “allow both utilities and manufacturers to further their promotion” of compliant boxes, the agency said in response to comments. It said talks with interested parties on proposed changes will start this month. The EPA has started work on revising the specification for box makers, releasing last week the first draft of version 3.0, which would make the program stricter.

Supporters of fair use and the digital remix culture may well be winning in the courts, but they can’t get the copyright changes they need out of a Congress whose captivity to corporate money can only get worse with the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on campaign finance, Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig said on a webcast organized by the Open Video Alliance. Apple would do well financially to take a lead from Google and open its technology platforms -- but a push from “free culture” supporters could help it along, he said.

Whether Blockbuster becomes “a bit more aggressive” in closing stores this year depends on whether other studios join Warner in adopting new DVD release windows, Blockbuster CEO James Keyes said in a conference call.

Sirius XM probably won’t pursue a reverse stock split to get back into compliance with NASDAQ’s listing requirements, executives said on an earnings call Thursday. NASDAQ had warned the company in September that its stock must trade above $1 for 10 straight business days by March 15 or risk delisting.

TiVo is expected next week to introduce a DVR platform to search for shows on YouTube and other sites, an analyst said. TiVo executives, expected to demonstrate the new platform at a news conference March 2 in New York, weren’t available Thursday to comment. The technology probably will provide users with Web search results alongside broadcast, cable TV and pay-per-view listings, said Tony Wible, an analyst at Janney Montgomery Scott.

Cablevision is planning by year-end to stop buying DVRs to lease to its customers and phase out the in-home boxes in favor of its remote-storage system, Chief Operating Officer Thomas Rutledge told investors Thursday.

House Democrats voiced skepticism that no jobs would be lost as a result of the Comcast-NBC Universal deal, during a wide-ranging hearing Thursday before the Judiciary Committee. Members also grilled the companies’ executives on independent programming and diversity in programming and corporate leadership. Republicans seemed more amenable to the deal, though some sought assurances that Comcast would more forcefully address intellectual property issues.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple will be at the high end of its annual range of 25-50 store openings this year, reflecting a winning bet on real estate prices, its second-in-command said Tuesday at the Goldman Sachs conference.

Philips disputed Panasonic’s assertion that plasma is superior to LCD for 3D display (CED Feb 22 p1). Like Sony, Philips defended its choice of active-shuttering LCD for 3D, telling us Wednesday that LCD and plasma have equal merit. On Tuesday, Philips announced a line of eight “3D-Ready” LCD TVs that go on sale this summer in Europe.

SRS Labs and Sony are nearing settlement of a legal battle over Sony’s use of virtual surround technology in flat-panel TVs, SRS CEO Thomas Yuen said in a conference call. The companies are scheduled to meet in March in Japan in an effort to resolve the suit, he said.