The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C., Vicki Lee Parker Column: Today's Business

Feb 27, 02:10 PM

Current Headlines: By Vicki Lee Parker, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Feb. 27--UNITED STATES

HIGH DEFINITION DVDS

Sony announces cheaper Blu-ray player

New York -- Sony Corp. said Monday it is bringing out a cheaper player for Blu-ray discs early this summer, a crucial step in its battle to make the high-definition format the replacement for DVDs.

The BDP-S300 will cost $599, yet will have the same capabilities as the $999 BDP-S1 Sony is currently selling.

Sony and Samsung Corp., which also makes a Blu-ray player, have been undersold by Toshiba Corp.'s players for the rival HD DVD format. Toshiba has a model on the market for $499. However, sales of players for either format have been tepid, as consumers have stood back, waiting for the market to settle on one of the discs.

Retail data from Nielsen VideoScan showed Blu-ray discs outselling HD DVDs by three to one this year.

CHOLESTEROL

Garlic doesn't lower cholesterol, study finds

Chicago -- Garlic doesn't do much for the breath and it stinks for lowering cholesterol. That's the conclusion of the most rigorous head-to-head study of raw garlic and garlic supplements, despite promoters' claims to the contrary.

Whether eaten raw or in pills, the strong-smelling herb had no effect on cholesterol in people whose levels were already elevated, the government-funded study found.

Robert Borris, a scientist with the Council for Responsible Nutrition, said the study doesn't answer whether garlic might help regulate cholesterol levels in healthy people.

WORLD

CLIMATE CHANGE

Scientists turn attention to polar regions

London -- More than 50,000 scientists from 63 nations turned their attention to the world's poles Monday to measure the effects of climate change, using icebreakers, satellites and submarines to study everything from the effect of solar radiation on the polar atmosphere to the exotic marine life swimming beneath the Antarctic ice.

The International Polar Year unifies 228 research projects under a single umbrella, with the aim of monitoring the health of the Earth's polar regions and gauging the impact of global warming. The largest international research program in 50 years, the project officially begins Thursday and ends in March 2009 -- allowing for a full cycle of polar seasons, which span two calendar years.

About $1.5 billion has been earmarked for the year's projects by various national exploration agencies, but most of the money comes from existing polar research budgets.

From wire reports

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