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SDMI Applies Legal Pressure to Suppress Hacks

Barry Willis Apr 29, 2001 First Published: Apr 29, 2001

Back in September, the Secure">http://www.sdmi.org">Secure Digital Music Initiative issued a public challenge that offered cash rewards for successfully uncovering and removing watermarks from recorded music. The challenge">http://www.stereophile.com/news/10878/">challenge was met by a number of hackers, most notable among them Professor Edward Felten of Princeton University's Computer Science Department.

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Watermarks Added to Broadcast Audio?

Jon Iverson Apr 29, 2001 First Published: Apr 29, 2001

Amid news that its watermark technology for DVD-Audio may have been compromisedhttp://www.stereophile.com/news/11026/">compromised;, Verancehttp://www.verance.com">Verance; nonetheless announced last week the launch of its "ConfirMedia" watermarking service. The company says that ConfirMedia will monitor and report the airplay of encoded commercials, music, and programs broadcast by television, cable and radio stations in the 100 top US markets and on the national feeds of major broadcast and cable television networks in the US.

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First Watermarking and Now Fingerprinting?

Jon Iverson Apr 22, 2001 First Published: Apr 22, 2001

Having previous experience working for the CIA or the KGB may be a bonus on the resume of any aspiring audio industry applicant, it seems. In an effort to stymie the illegal copying and distribution of digital song files, record companies and hardware manufacturers have turned to increasingly complicated tracking technologies such as MPEG-4 and watermarking. The most recent addition to the anti-pirate bag of tricks: "fingerprinting."

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David Chesky Pays Tribute to Jazz Pianist John Lewis

Wes Phillips Apr 22, 2001 First Published: Apr 22, 2001

On Tuesday, April 17, 2001, New York said farewell to John Lewis in a memorial ceremony at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Over 5000 New Yorkers from all walks of life attended, but the most visibly represented community was the musicians.

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Upscale Retailers Report Good Returns; TDK Closes US Plants

Barry Willis Apr 22, 2001 First Published: Apr 22, 2001

Is the consumer electronics business swimming, sinking, or simply treading water? It all depends on who's talking. Retailers don't appear to be suffering, despite widespread staffing cutbacks by large companies, but the gains are coming more slowly than they did last year.

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Added to the Archives This Week

Stereophile Staff Apr 22, 2001 First Published: Apr 22, 2001

Sam Tellig may apologize for contributing to the audiophile empty wallet syndrome, but that doesn't stop him from ranking the Monarchy">http://www.stereophile.com//digitalsourcereviews/339/">Monarchy Audio Digital Interface Processor 24/96 "a must-have if you want to get the most from your upsampling MSB Link DAC III."

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Long Struggle Pays Off for Emusic.com in $24M Buyout

Barry Willis Apr 15, 2001 First Published: Apr 15, 2001

During the past year, hardly a day has gone by without headlines announcing the latest twist in the fate of embattled free music service Napster.comhttp://www.napster.com">Napster.com;. Lost in the hysteria was Napster's tiny rival Emusic.comhttp://www.emusic.com/">Emusic.com;, a three-year-old online music venture that always charged its subscribers for downloading tunes, and always paid the copyright holders. For news appeal, Emusic's paltry 10,000 subscribers and languishing stock price didn't compare to Napster's reported 75 million users and major league court battles.

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Digital Audio Watermark Watch

Jon Iverson Apr 15, 2001 First Published: Apr 15, 2001

In the perfect digital future, audiophiles would be able to drink from the purest of high-resolution audio datastreams with no worry that someone upstream had polluted the current. But in the real world, content providers and hardware manufacturers increasingly conspire to dirty the flow a little and limit unauthorized consumption by controlling the technology needed to filter out their toxic additives.

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Added to the Archives This Week

Stereophile Staff Apr 15, 2001 First Published: Apr 15, 2001

To balance or not to balance? That is the audio question that Martin Colloms sets out to answer in Balance:">http://www.stereophile.com//features/335/">Balance: Benefit or Bluff? Although balanced capability is a fashionable feature in many expensive audio products, Colloms writes that "the High End could be paying dangerous, costly lip service to the received wisdom that balanced operation is the goal for an audio system."

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HE 2001 Seminar Schedule Set

Stereophile Staff Apr 15, 2001 First Published: Apr 15, 2001

Consumers attending the Home Entertainment 2001 Show in NYC, May 11–13, 2001, will have a unique opportunity to speak with and learn from the home entertainment industry's leading experts. As part of the three-day audio and video extravaganza, the Show will offer educational seminars and panel discussions—included with the admission ticket price on a first come, first served basis. This is a rare opportunity for consumers to meet with legendary industry journalists, manufacturers, dealers, and others.