ATLANTA -- With the audio/video receiver fighting for relevance amid a growing market for powered speaker systems and streaming media devices, Denon is holding fast to the AVR as the “hub” of the entertainment experience while trying to keep its custom models ahead of the curve with Internet streaming, networking and control features. At CEDIA, Denon announced it was the first receiver company to incorporate Apple’s AirPlay wireless streaming technology, which lets users access all content from their iTunes library -- including DRM-protected content -- as well as album art.

A rulemaking paving the way for the FCC to auction TV stations’ spectrum for wireless broadband use and give part of the proceeds to the affected broadcasters won’t be approved until after the deadline envisioned by the commission in its agenda to deliver on the National Broadband Plan. The plan called for action this quarter on an item on “broadcast TV spectrum innovation” that would seek comment on proposals to increase spectrum efficiency and innovation (http://xrl.us/bhf9kj). Instead, Chairman Julius Genachowski is expected to circulate in Q4 a rulemaking notice that could be voted on at the November or December FCC meetings, agency officials and industry executives said. The FCC has missed several other deadlines in the agenda.

The consumer electronics industry has concerns over the EPA’s decision to terminate the Energy Star program for external power supplies, including a reason cited for its shutdown, a CEA official said. The agency is closing the Energy Star programs for power supplies and DTV converter boxes. For the power supplies, the agency cited the existence of a federal minimum efficiency standard, among other reasons, for ending the program, said Douglas Johnson, CEA vice president of technology policy.

ATLANTA -- NuVision will ship its new 3D-capable FX10 46 ($5,499) and 55-inch ($6,999) LCD TVs in October with a 3D Blu-ray player from an undisclosed supplier and two pairs of RealD glasses, NuVision Marketing Consultant Debra Mayfield told us at CEDIA. The promotion behind the Samsung LCD panel-based FX10 line, which will include a 40-inch model ($4,499) in January, comes as NuVision prepares to ship the models by year-end to 57 of the more than 300 Best Buy stores with a Magnolia Home Theater store-within-a-store format, she said.

Crestron launched a campaign to “prevent” dealers from carrying rival Savant Systems’ home and commercial automation programmable controllers to “thwart competition,” Savant said in a suit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, Boston.

ATLANTA -- Sharp’s debut of a DLP-based 3D-capable front projector at CEDIA this week is the first in a line of products, possibly including a model allowing for native 2.35:1 display without an additional lens, Product Marketing Manager Sean McBride said.

All 3,000 of Blockbuster’s U.S. stores will remain open for now, it said Thursday after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The filing at U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York was part of a deal with bondholders to recapitalize the ailing company by converting senior debt into equity, it said.

ATLANTA -- The resurgence of interest in LCoS, this time as a means for delivering 3D content, is being driven by its ability to provide higher contrast ratios at reduced brightness levels, industry officials said. LCoS (liquid crystal on silicon) can help counter an up to 50 percent reduction in brightness of an image that results from the need for wearing 3D glasses, JVC Product Engineering Manager Gary Klasmeier said at CEDIA.

ATLANTA - Lutron Electronics said it’s upgrading its flagship HomeWorks lighting control system with energy-saving features and additional control functionality to manage HVAC, shades and appliances. HomeWorks QS will launch in select projects in December and roll out to all dealers in February, with add-on products available in April, company executives said. HomeWorks QS includes phase-adaptive dimmers that can control and dim energy-efficient light sources including LED and fluorescent, the company said, and works with radio-based occupancy sensors so that lights are on only when the room is occupied.

The number of people who watch broadcast TV programming on the Internet has doubled in the last year, said a recent survey conducted by Altman Vilandrie & Co. “More people are cutting the cord than ever,” said Jonathan Hurd, the firm’s research director and one of several analysts speaking at USTelecom’s Broadband Research Summit.