CEA seeks simplified testing of TV X-radiation in petition for rulemaking submitted last week to Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Proposal asks FDA to amend methods TV manufacturers use to confirm compliance, but doesn’t ask agency to change amount of X-radiation sets can emit. CEA wants to reduce govt. and manufacturer administrative costs of testing and certification process “made unnecessary by modern transistorized circuitry,” it said. Current FDA rules require manufacturers to test each new family of sets for X-radiation and submit detailed report. Complex testing and reporting method was necessary in 1960s when TV technology and set manufacturing were in infancy, CEA said, but “set design has improved to… eliminate most of the components that could fail and result in excessive X-radiation.” Recent survey of manufacturers found level of emissions from TV sets hadn’t approached that of naturally occurring background radiation -- about 1/5 of FDA limit -- in last 20 years, it said. “During the last 2 decades television set manufacturers have voluntarily reduced X-radiation emissions to levels well below the FDA’s limit and it is time the regulatory process caught up with technology,” CEA spokesman said.

Rival recordable DVD formats squared off at Comdex in Las Vegas Mon., heavily promoting their technologies while holding out possibility that warring camps could reach agreement on single standard. In dueling news conferences that broke little new ground technologically, DVD+RW Alliance and Recordable DVD Council, which backs DVD Forum-approved DVD-RAM, DVD-RW and DVD-R formats, and DVD+RW Alliance, each laid groundwork for continued product introductions despite hints of efforts to standardize rival formats.

Office Depot CEO Bruce Nelson adds chmn. post Dec. 30, replacing David Fuente, who has been nonexecutive chmn. since July 2000 and will remain a dir… Frank Ingriselli, ex-Texaco Technology Ventures, named consultant to Energy Conversion Devices… Grayson Hoberg, ex-Earthlink, appointed CFO, iBlast.

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) started shipping NCAA Final Four 2002 for PS2 from its 989 Sports development team.

Activision teamed up with Pacific Sunwear and Spin magazine for Shaun Palmer’s Classic Car Give-Away promotion. Contest is being held through Nov. 23. Grand prize will be vintage Cadillac. Consumers can register for contest online at www.pacsun.com. Separately, Santa Monica, Cal., game maker said upcoming Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX 2 for PS2 would incorporate live bike-riding action footage. Title is to ship in spring.

DVD with 100 GB capacity can be possible owing to optical head developed by Asahi Optical and Hitachi. Companies said device yields DVD with 10x current storage by reading and writing to double-sided, dual-layer disc with 2 layers of 25 GB per side. Head adjusts laser’s focal length to read and write different layers.

Composer Jeremy Soule is creating soundtrack for role- playing game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Rockville, Md., game maker Bethesda Softworks said. Soule recently completed score for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone game. Title is scheduled to ship for PC and Xbox in spring.

EM Holdings (EMH) proposed buying beleaguered eMachines for $117 million, in move that would put PC maker in hands of major supplier and shareholder. EMH’s 78?-per-share bid, 156% premium over average stock price in last 30 days, was proposed to eMachines board in late Oct., but not made public until SEC filing late Nov. 9. It expires Wed. and, if accepted by board and approved by shareholders, could be completed by year-end, said Lap Shun Hui, CEO of eMachines shareholder/supplier Korea Data Systems (KDS) provided EM Holdings with $5 million in initial capital. Hui and EMH own 1.8 million shares (1.26%) of eMachines outstanding common and KDS 19.8%. eMachines stock closed last week at 43?, down 5?.

THQ shipped Xbox version of snowboarding game Dark Summit. PS2 version is to follow Nov. 27.

Midway Games said GameCube title NHL Hitz 20-02 started shipping. PS2 and Xbox versions of game already had been released.