News

On November 1, Window OS expert Mark Russinovich revealedhttp://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/10/sony-rootkits-and-digital-righ…; that his root kit detection utility had uncovered the presence of some well-hidden, poorly written code that was clogging computer resources and could potentially crash his computer or, if removed, disable his CD drive.

The hits just keep on coming in fair-use land. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has proposed legislation that requires that all digital radio content be encrypted, including works that now exist in the public domain. The proposed legislation would apply to satellite radio (Sirius, XM) as well as conventional terrestrial broadcasting. As proposed by the RIAA, content could be recorded only in blocks of 30 minutes or longer, and the recorded data could not be exported from the recording device (in other words, you could only play it back on the device you had recorded it on—no more recording programs on your hi-fi to listen to on your way to work). To learn more about this legislation, go to Public">http://www.publicknowledge.org/news/analysis/digital-radio-2pager">Publ… Knowledge's two-page summary. While you're there, you might want to check out "Why">http://www.publicknowledge.org/issues/why">"Why These Issues Matter."

The 2006 edition of the Stereophile Buyer's Guide is out now. Listing the specifications of more than 5000 audio components within its 212 large-format pages, the Buyer's Guide is exclusively concerned with products for music reproduction, as opposed to the bangs, bonks, and battle noises typical of movie soundtracks.

Stereovox's new Signals: Stereovox, Inc. and Signals-SuperFi, LLC have announced that worldwide distribution for Stereovox products will be handled exclusively by Signals-SuperFi from its Atlanta, GA offices as of November 1, 2005. Known for innovative audio, video, and digital cable technology, Stereovox hopes to increase its exposure and market share by more closely associating with the luxury audio brands represented by Signals-SuperFi.

What happens to your old audio components? We're asking Stereophile readers that">http://cgi.stereophile.com/cgi-bin/displayvote.cgi">that very question this week, but the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has already studied the habits of general consumers and found that most unwanted consumer electronics go to secondary users, not into America's waste stream.

Gerhard Feldmann’s Bösendorfer New York is partnering with the Jazz Foundation of America to donate the legendary "Blue Note" Bösendorfer to the JFA's inaugural auction benefit, which will be held November 16 at the B.B. King Blues Club and Grill in New York City. Auction proceeds will support JFA non-profit programs, especially working gigs and educational programs for victims of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

Like many specialty audio companies, NHThttp://www.nhthifi.com">NHT; has had its ups and downs. The Benicia, CA–based loudspeaker manufacturer, founded by Ken">http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/232/">Ken Kantor and Chris Byrne in 1986, was sold to Jensen International in the early 1990s, sold again to accesssories perveyor Recoton, and then acquired (and some would suggest saved) by Rockford Corporation towards the end of 2002.