LATEST ADDITIONS

I've recently been rereading Mark Lane's and Donald Freed's 1970s screenplay <I>cum</I> novel, <I>Executive Action</I>, which develops the theory that John F. Kennedy was assassinated by a conspiracy between organized crime, expatriate Cuban Batistists, and Eisenhower's "military-industrial complex." Long predating Oliver Stone's <I>JFK</I>, the book is fascinating, convincing stuff, from authors who had done considerable research into what really happened in November 1963. But, like all conspiracy theories, it falls down on the hard rock of reality: the more people and organizations are involved in a conspiracy, the less likelihood there is of anything happening at all, let alone going according to plan.

Someone once said that if you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door. Well, this month, we will see not one but <I>two</I> better mousetraps, in the form of Sony's and Philips' Super Audio CD and the DVD Forum's DVD-Audio. Both are intended to replace the humble CD, now in its seventeenth year; both offer higher-resolution digital audio; and both offer multiple channels. To accompany SACD, Sony's $5000 SCD-1 two-channel player is now on sale (and will be <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalsourcereviews/180">reviewed</A&gt; in the November <I>Stereophile</I>), while Panasonic has announced October sale dates for two DVD-A players, the $1000 Panasonic DVD-A7 and the $1200 <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalsourcereviews/300">Technics DVD-A10</A>.

Audiophiles have a mess on their hands. In a somewhat surreal press conference in May, a half dozen audio luminaries&mdash;representing Sony, Philips, and several titans of the high-end recording business&mdash;stood on a HI-FI '99 stage looking awkwardly at the audience.

As you can read in this month's "Industry Update" (pp.35 & 37), the two conglomerates who hitherto seemed driven to offer the world <I>two</I> competing standards for the forthcoming Digital Video Disc came to their senses. Instead of consumers being offered Toshiba/Warner/Matsushita's SD <I>and</I> Sony/Philips's MCD, there will be just one high-density 4.75" disc to take both video and audio data storage into the 21st century.

Tweeter's new look: Tweeter Home Entertainment Group is entering the first phase of a massive makeover&mdash;with redesigned stores and a new marketing approach emphasizing custom installation and media-server&ndash;based home-theater products. The company will de-emphasize individual components and pitch its services toward women, who make most decisions about home entertainment and home d&#233;cor. The company's pitch will be "We can untangle your mind," a reference to the widespread frustration with semi-compatible and often incomprehensible technologies. Over the next 18 months, Tweeter will consolidate its various regional chains under a single brand name, with a prototype 14,500 sq. ft. store in the Las Vegas suburb of Summerlin, NV to be launched at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

<I>"The idea that intellectual property in a Net-based economy can lose its value horrifies most owners and creators. They'd better get over it."&mdash;Esther Dyson, "Intellectual Value" </I>Wired<I>, July 1995, p.136</I>

There has always been something uniquely satisfying about holding a paper magazine in your hand and riffling through its pages. Images and textures are of higher resolution than any video screen, and the ease of use of the paper-page bundle can not easily be replaced. People are developing electronic substitutes for paper, but the interesting thing is that these researchers are endeavoring to imitate the look, feel, and functionality of paper&mdash;but with digital inks and charged surfaces. For now, plain old paper and ink are just too perfect a medium to toss when it comes to packing information into a compact, portable, high-quality package.