News

Will Watermarking Really Work?

Barry Willis Oct 15, 2000 First Published: Oct 15, 2000

Mastering engineer Denny Purcell let out a long sigh. "Does anyone in this room really believe that any of this is going to do any good?" he asked. Of the eight or nine people—each with decades of experience in the music and/or audio industries—hanging out at Georgetown Masters Studios in Nashville for SDMI's Phase II listening tests, no one said "Yes." The consensus: The watermarking issue will probably be dead and forgotten within a year.

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Aaron Neville Reveals His Devotion to DVD-Audio

Jon Iverson Oct 15, 2000 First Published: Oct 15, 2000

Following on the heels of its announcement">http://www.stereophile.com/news/10863/">announcement last week of the first commercially available DVD-Audio disc (Swingin' for the Fences, by Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band), Silverline">http://www.silverlinerecords.com">Silverline Records says that Aaron Neville will become the first major artist to release an album in the format. Silverline expects that, on October 24, Neville's solo album Devotion will be released on DVD-A. The disc will also include audio tracks compatible with standard DVD players.

News

Warner Music Group Releases First DVD-A Discs

Stereophile Staff Oct 08, 2000 First Published: Oct 08, 2000

After a difficult gestation, DVD-Audio may finally be moving toward becoming a market reality now that a major record label has stepped forward to support it. Warner">http://www.wmg.com/">Warner Music Group (WMG) has issued several recordings in the new format, covering a range of genres. DVD-A is "the most significant industry format launch since the introduction of the CD nearly 20 years ago," according to an October 2 WMG press release.

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Added to the Archives This Week

Stereophile Staff Oct 08, 2000 First Published: Oct 08, 2000

Slap echo got you in a flutter? Jonathan Scull writes, in "Fine">http://www.stereophile.com//finetunes/275/">"Fine Tunes" #27, that "last month I delved into avoiding reflective, parallel-wall slap echoes from ruining your audiophile day. But I've since learned of a perfectly useful workaround that's much less costly and involved than horsing around the Sheetrock." George Cardas lends a hand.

News

Independent Record Label Claims First DVD-Audio Release

Jon Iverson Oct 08, 2000 First Published: Oct 08, 2000

Warner Music Group may have just announced its first DVD-Audio titles (see related">http://www.stereophile.com/news/10861/">related story), but an upstart independent label is claiming the first DVD-A discs actually available for sale. In an attempt to establish itself as the leader in the new DVD-Audio format, 5.1 Entertainment Group's Silverline">http://www.silverlinerecords.com/">Silverline Records says it has begun shipping the first commercially available 24-bit/96kHz DVD-Audio disc, Swingin' for the Fences, by Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band.

News

CEA Promoting Audio with Free Gear for Students

Barry Willis Oct 08, 2000 First Published: Oct 08, 2000

You want to grow your market, you've got to plant some seeds. The Consumer">http://www.ce.org/">Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is doing just that with the BuzzNet">http://www.buzznet.org/">BuzzNet 2000 tour, a traveling educational event that will hit college campuses beginning this month, as reported last">http://www.stereophile.com/news/10859/">last week.

News

Cirrus Logic Buys Patents from B&W Loudspeakers

Stereophile Staff Oct 08, 2000 First Published: Oct 08, 2000

In an unusual move, chipmaker Cirrus">http://www.cirruslogic.com/">Cirrus Logic has purchased patents for Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technology owned by B&W">http://www2.bwspeakers.com/">B&W Loudspeakers, a leading UK manufacturer. The patents will be used in combination with current Cirrus Logic technology in a new line of digital amplifiers, according to an October 2 news release.

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New NARM Report Outlines the Future of Digital Distribution

Jon Iverson Oct 08, 2000 First Published: Oct 08, 2000

According to a report just released by the National">http://www.narm.com">National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM), Digital distribution—particularly streaming technology—will seriously disrupt the music industry, but has the potential to "benefit all segments of the business if companies can leverage their traditional strengths and create compelling consumer value propositions."

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Creating a Buzz for DVD-Audio

Jon Iverson Oct 01, 2000 First Published: Oct 01, 2000

It is often observed that audiophiles are an aging, dying breed, and that the obvious antidote is to bring younger 'philes into the fold. To that end, BuzzNet 2000 has been created as a "touring educational festival of new music listening technologies" by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). The program launches this fall with two dates on the west coast: California State University at Long Beach and the University of California at Davis.

News

Universal SACD/DVD-Audio/DVD-Video/CD Players for the Masses?

Jon Iverson Oct 01, 2000 First Published: Oct 01, 2000

The dawning of the age of inexpensive universal DVD-Audio/SACD/CD players may finally be upon us. Cirrus">http://www.cirruslogic.com/">Cirrus Logic recently announced the introduction of their CS4392 integrated circuit chip, which the company describes as a high-performance Crystal digital/analog converter that "delivers unrivaled sound quality while providing manufacturers a cost-effective solution for next-generation DVD-based audio products including DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD (SACD) players."