I hate it when the taskbar on the Windows machine I use at work gets needlessly polluted by things like emails, Explorer windows, pop-under ads that sneak through, etc.

Everyone we can think of off the tops of our heads uses a PDF reader often. I was using one just today as part of my job duty of technical editing; reading some technical documentation to supplement a review I was writing. (And you, my fellow video editing friend, I’m sure you’ve used PDFs before. You’ve probably been sent to an instruction sheet or two for a new plug-in.) It used to be that Adobe Reader wasn’t guilty of polluting my taskbar when I had to have multiple PDFs open, it would open muliple PDFs in the same window… but lo and behold, the current version opens every PDF in its own window, and has stripped away the option of letting one window handle many PDFs to help keep your taskbar uncluttered.

I have been a stalwart user of Adobe Reader for years. You don’t have to put a PDF reader on a Mac because it comes with Mac OS X, but I installed Adobe Reader anyway. There are a lot of freeware choices for readers on the PC side of things that are more svelte than the official Adobe Reader, but I stuck by Adobe Reader for the utmost in compatibility. But now I have to admit that I’m having to second-guess my choice. I’m disappointed that I’m even having to contemplate this; but I urge software developers to think twice when it comes to making choices that will drastically alter the way users use their software.

The recent South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin, TX saw quite the gathering of filmmakers discuss the contentious issue of making money by way of digital distribution. Although the common belief is that DVDs will be obsolete sooner rather than later and that online video sharing sites are the future the truth is that the Digital Distribution doesnt provide the same reliable numbers as film and television does.

According to panelist Morgan Spurlock ( “Super Size Me” and “Where In The World Is Osama bin Laden?,”) “The reason numbers aren’t released (for digital distribution revenues) is because the numbers are pathetic,” he said. “The numbers are sadly low in comparison to what we expect from film and television. If you’re looking to pay your rent, not so much, if you’re looking to pay your phone bill, you have a great chance. It’s getting to a point where it’s down the road from being profitable, but we’re just not at that point yet.”

The panelists had many different ideas concerning what the best method to digital distribution is. Whether or not filmmakers should try to get the content out everywhere, or be much more selective was the main question that the panel couldn’t come to terms on. According to president of distributor New Video, Steve Savage, “It’s good to be agnostic, and I think it’s a good way to put everything out there and see what sticks but there’s also other ways to do it,” he asserted, “to be really strategic, to find where the money is.”

Discovering where that money lies may be the biggest challenge, what do you guys think? Let us know.

Yeah, we know we’ve told you to keep your editing computers off the Internet. But all of your computers that run Windows and that are on the Internet should be updated with the newest patches (that’s always on the second Tuesday of the month.) There are some big ones this month, including a critical kernel fix. You want to update.

There’s also a new version of Adobe Reader, version 9.1. We couldn’t get the updater in the program (in either Windows or on the Mac) to automatically pull this one down, so it might be prudent to go ahead and re-download this one. (If you use the full Adobe Acrobat, a new version is on the way within the next week or so, according to Adobe.)

After you’ve run these updates, don’t forget to do some other quick cleaning. Run a registry cleaner, defrag your hard drive, do a quick look for new video drivers, etc. These little steps will save you time in the long run–ignore this advice at your peril.

For those of you who were worried about the switch to digital and haven’t yet upgraded your television, it looks like you have another four months to choose one. Yesterday, the Senate voted unanimously to delay the switch until June 12. According to Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.,“Delaying the upcoming DTV switch is the right thing to do, I firmly believe that our nation is not yet ready to make this transition at this time.” With the original date of Feb. 12, there was fear that viewers weren’t technically ready for the switch and the extension gives more people who have expired digital converter coupons, time to request new ones. Looks like penny pinching last minute consumers like myself, have at least four more months to pick out the right TV… Wait, that’s it?

Yet again, more additions to Nintendo’s current line up as it looks like the Nintendo DSi has received a face lift. The new design points to the inclusion of a VGA camera andthe ability to playback music. As well as on-board memory, a built-in Web browser and SD slots enabling the transfer of images to the Wii Photo Channel.

With the recent announcement that the Wii will soon be featuring Video On Demand what else is next for Nintendo? Video Capture? Blu Ray? It’s to soon to say, but it is clear that originally Nintendo did not want to jump into the multimedia market, however it seems that now they are ready to take the leap… And so am I.

The unit is already selling out in Japan, which means that it should land in the states by next Christmas.

For a slick 9 billion, Panasonic is set to acquire Sanyo in a move that is sure to position them well as one of the top electronics manufacturers. The deal will be finalized in April 2009, creating a combined revenue of $1.1 billion. Panasonic plans to keep the Sanyo branding separate and continue to grow in the consumer market. According to Panasonic President Fumio Ohtsub, “taking over Sanyo will provide an opportunity for Panasonic to become more competitive to ride out the worsening global downturn. The alliance with Sanyo will provide an engine for growth for us.”

“This is opening a way to fight these tough times that come only once in a 100 years,”Sanyo President Seiichiro Sano told reporters. Sanyo’s green businesses in solar panels and rechargeable batteries has been struggling, and this would allow Panasonic to revamp the gameplan to bring Sanyo back into the forefront.  Sanyo shares dipped 3.6 percent to 136 yen ($1.50) while Panasonic shares gained 2.9 percent 1,051 yen ($11.8). Panasonic will be purchasing Sanyo shares for 131 yen ($1.49) through a tender offer in February.

Yahoo! News picked up the story