On the Fair Use Frontlines
As anyone who reads this website is all too aware, these days legislative matters increasingly encroach upon audiophiles' ability to experience uncompromised high fidelity. Like it or not, political decisions can and do have an impact on what we listen to and how we are able to manipulate our music after we have purchased it.
Once Telarc, Now Five/Four
Three years ago, as the shift to downloadable media gathered momentum, Concord">http://www.stereophile.com/news/122605concord/">Concord Music Group purchased Telarc International. The suspicion of those who then saw the handwriting on the wall were confirmed this past December, when a company-wide restructuring by CMG included the layoffs of 27 Telarc employees. Among those now on their own are the entire Telarc Production Department, as well as former classical publicist Amanda Sweet.
One Million Protected CDs
While Napster was thriving a few short months ago, the music business was noisily seething and quietly plotting. How could they put the digital audio genie back into the content-control bottle? Although Napster has since been gutted, the labels have identified the unprotected CD as the source of their woes, and now it's payback time.
One More Audio-Compression Scheme Hits the Net
Last week Microsofthttp://www.microsoft.com">Microsoft; entered the Internet audio fray by announcing the release of their Windows">http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia">Windows Media Technologies 4 platform, which the company claims introduces a "new standard for CD-quality audio" on the Internet. Windows Media includes Windows Media Player, Windows Media Services, Windows Media Tools, and Windows Media Audio SDK.
One More Way to Charge Up a Walkman
For years, credit cards have allowed people to earn points toward air travel and automobiles, so earning credits for audio and video gear seems a no-brainer. Last week, Sony Electronics and Citibank launched the Sony">http://www.sony.com/sonycard">Sony Citibank Card, a co-branded credit card that allows consumers to earn points toward the purchase of a variety of Sony entertainment and merchandise.
One World, One Kid
The holiday season is upon us, and if you have someone on your gift list—especially a youngster, but really, anyone—whom you'd like to introduce to the wonders of world music, I've got just the ticket. And even if not, read on, because this story will do you good.
OneDisc to Rule Them All
To combat lackluster CD sales and online file trading, some record labels have been adding bonus DVDs to new releases to get consumers to buy them instead of downloading the data. DVD-Audio proponents, in an attempt to counter Super Audio Compact Disc's single-disc hybrid SACD/CD strategy, have been trying to figure out how to combine CD functionality and DVD-A onto one disc.
Onkyo Adds C-30 CD Player to Icon Series
Onkyo has introduced the C-30 CD player, the latest addition to its Icon Series of hi-fi components. The player features Onkyo’s proprietary Vector Linear Shaping Circuit (VLSC), designed to remove pulse noise from the signal path.
Onkyo and Apple
Onkyo released a tantalizing bit of news on February 25: Sometime before summer, it intends to release a remote interactive dock (RI) for "specified iPod models and many of the Onkyo products (as many as five million worldwide) produced over the past 10 years."
Online Database Aids Music Search
Questions for music lovers: 1) Have you been racking your brain trying to remember who recorded Ruby Vroom? 2) Do you know how many Tim Hardin recordings are available on CD? 3) Which album featured Head East's "Never Been Any Reason," considered by some connoisseurs the greatest rock song ever?