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In hopes of stoking the multichannel DVD-Audio engine, Burr-Brownhttp://www.burrbrown.com">Burr-Brown; announced last week the PCM1604 audio digital-to-analog converter, which they describe as a high-performance, 6-channel audio DAC featuring 24-bit capability and 192kHz sampling, for use in a "wide variety of multichannel audio applications."

Progress toward a working digital radio technology took a big step forward in April with the addition of Lowpass">http://http://www.lowpassprototype.com/">Lowpass Prototype Inc. to the development team. According to an April 27 press release, USA">http://www.usadr.com/">USA Digital Radio, Inc., a privately held digital radio technology company owned by the nation's largest radio broadcasters, has added the manufacturer of radio-frequency systems for radio and television transmission to its coalition to develop and commercialize digital AM and FM radio.

The healthy trend for the audio market continues: the Consumer">http://www.ce.org">Consumer Electronics Association reported last week that revenues from factory shipments of audio products to dealers this February increased by 8% over last February, to a total of $542 million. "The fantastic sales in February spurred the year-to-date total for audio sales to more than $1 billion; a 6% increase over the first two months of 1999," said the CEA.