LATEST ADDITIONS

According to a recent report released by the <A HREF="http://www.recordingmedia.org">International Recording Media Association</A> (IRMA), with the gradual introduction of players for the developing DVD-Audio format finally taking place, the software replication industry can expect an "accelerated growth rate" for DVD-A titles around the world in the next two years.

Briefly <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10843/">gone</A&gt; but not forgotten, Wadia Digital will return as a division of Audio Video Research, Inc. (AVR) of Ann Arbor, Michigan, a new company formed in December, 2000 by combining the assets of Wadia and Digital Imaging Corporation. Wadia products, including the 861 and 831 CD players and 27<I>ix</I> processor, will be shown at CES in January, 2001.

The economy may be slowing down in some parts of the country, but not, apparently, in Minneapolis, where national electronics retailer <A HREF="http://www.bestbuy.com/">Best Buy Co</A>., Inc. announced December 7 its acquisition of both <A HREF="http://www.musicland.com/">Musicland Stores Corporation</A> (also of Minneapolis) and Seattle-based <A HREF="http://www.magnoliahifi.com/">Magnolia Hi-Fi, Inc</A>. The buyouts will give Best Buy increased exposure in rural malls and in the Pacific Northwest. The company also announced a plan to open several stores in Canada over the next three years, beginning with eight locations for which leases have already been signed.

Robert Deutsch asks, "How can you tell an audiophile from a normal person?" RD's answer involves the name of the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/296/">Vienna Acoustics Mahler loudspeaker</A>, which Deutsch reviewed for the April 2000 issue of <I>Stereophile</I>. Deutsch writes, "I find Gustav Mahler's music to be on the ponderous side, but when I heard the Vienna Acoustics Mahlers at HI-FI '99, I was sufficiently impressed that I began the process of getting a pair for review." The results of his careful listening are not ponderous at all.

Charles Hansen said it best, in a recent e-mail: "People have been holding back from criticizing this technology because they weren't certain that some new discovery hadn't been made." Ayre Acoustics' main man was talking about "upsampling," whereby conventional "Red Book" CD data, sampled at 44.1kHz, are converted to a datastream with a higher sample rate. (Because of its association with DVD-Audio, 96kHz is often chosen as the new rate.)

One of the constraints of the DVD format that is much hated by consumers around the world is the notorious "region code," whereby a DVD disc will only play in a machine that was bought in the country or region that the disc is licensed for. Hollywood claims that this is the only way to protect a work's licenses, which may vary from country to country. But region codes have made it tough on citizens in countries with few DVD releases and world travelers who try to bring home and play discs that they find abroad, leading to the widespread use of "hacks" to circumvent the restrictions.

DVD-Audio is getting a big push from <A HREF="http://www.technicsusa.com/">Panasonic</A&gt; this season. A promotion running from November 7, 2000 until January 31, 2001 includes rebates on the purchase of new players and free discs from a wide assortment of performing artists.