As DVD and Blu-Ray disk sales continue dropping and services of the Ultraviolet variety come and go, Hollywood now looks at storage makers Western Digital and SanDisk for new anti-piracy initiatives.

Warner Bros. 20th Century Fox, SanDisk and Western Digital are forming the Secure Content Storage Association (SCSA)-- a group aiming to "create and license solutions" allowing users to purchase (and play) HD movie files on HDDs, USB drives and SD cards.

"Project Phoenix" (working title) will allow users to organise, store and move HD media across multiple "SCSA-optimised" devices, with the UltraViolet standard (and other cloud-based services) providing further online backup.

The SCSA plans to sell content through online distribution services, physical media and kiosks in retail outlets, and hopes to have its solutions available for licensing later this year. But are digital films (and, by extension, customers) in need of even more DRM measures?

Go SCSA Announcement (Marketwatch)

Draper Europe AB acquires Tvaakersmarkisen, one of the largest awning makers in Sweden as well as a maker of window shades and venetian blinds.

“Awnings are a popular window covering in Europe, due to the high cost of energy,” according to Goran Peterson, MD, Draper Europe AB, “so this was a natural fit for Draper.” Peterson adds, however, there “more than awnings in Draper Europe’s plans.”

During the second half of 2012 Draper Europe will also begin to make interior and exterior window shades using Draper’s proprietary hardware system.

If one is to believe the New York Post, Cisco wants to sell its Scientific-Atlanta cable STB business, as it is moving the video business entirely towards cloud-based Videoscape technology.

The likely buyers? Private equity firms looking for a low-cust purchase, a NY Post suggests.

Cisco bought S-A back in 2006 for nearly $7 billion-- but NY Post sources claim S-A is currently going "under pressure" following the Q4 2011 earnings report. The company did recently sell a key manufacturing facility in Juarez, Mexico to one of its contract manufacturers.

In reaction to the NY Post, the company denies all rumours in a blog post titled "Cisco Committed to Set Top Boxes." Quoting CEO John Chambers, the blog says "in terms of set top boxes, we [Cisco] are very much committed to this marketplace." However Chambers also points towards plans involving moving from IP-based STBs to the cloud (if not hybrid solutions).

The STB market has gone through a lot of changes recently-- from long-time Cisco competitor Motorola Solutions getting bought by Google to the rise of video-on-demand solutions of the Netflix kind. Over here Cisco supplies the Virgin Media TiVo box and has an exclusive arrangement with ONO in Spain.

Go Cisco Thinking Out of the STB Biz (NY Post)

Go Cisco Committed to STBs

As ISE grows bigger, many exhibitors consider increasing their stands. While re-signing for 2013 ISE, Digital Projection increased its stand size almost 3X. Sony, Barco, Sennheiser, AVC Group, Sharp and Optoma also increased their floor space for 2013. But the real news is Samsung who will jump 25% to 1000 sq. m.

Exhibitors will now grow their stand footprints, in conjunction with an ISE priority system that ranks exhibitors so one with higher priority can choose its stand location and size before another. And this selection process will change the face of the show.

Which exhibitors at ISE 2012 took the most space? Click below and see...

Go ISE 2012 Top 10 in Floor Space