TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Sony Halts Satellite TV Receiver Shipments: Sony Corp. of America halted shipments of its direct satellite TV receiver systems after receiving complaints that picture signals would sometimes contain a mysterious line or freeze momentarily. But Sony said that it would not stop retailers from selling devices already in stock or recall ones that have already been sold since they became available in June. Richard Clancy, the company’s vice president of corporate communications, said the problem in existing units likely can be fixed through a satellite broadcast of software. Clancy said Sony had not determined whether there was a common feature, such as a set of chips that came from a supplier on the same day, among the systems.