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Bertelsmann Saves Napster

Napsterhttp://www.napster.com">Napster; has been saved from what appeared to be certain death. A last-minute deal struck by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann">http://www.bertelsmann.de">Bertelsmann AG will revive the company, which was reportedly near bankruptcy. It's the end of a long-running soap opera and the beginning of a new era for the company that began the audio file-sharing phenomenon.

Added to the Archives This Week

A pair of audiophile-friendly speakers for under $250? That prospect piqued Robert J. Reina into closely examining the PSB">http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/580/">PSB Alpha B loudspeaker. Reina notes that designer Paul Barton "is not one to rest on his laurels. Into this third and latest generation of the Alpha, the Alpha B, he has trickled down some of the design and manufacturing innovations of his more expensive Image series."

CES Dates Announced

Earlier this year, the Consumer">http://ce.org/">Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) tried something a little different and ran the 2002 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas during the week, starting on a Tuesday, instead of in its normal slot over the weekend. The hope was that the show would not compete with the normally crowded Las Vegas weekends, and would offer showgoers more flexibility in finding hotel rooms and taxi cabs.

Rooms of Magic

eBay and Primedia have announced an industry-wide onlinehttp://www.ebay.com/hes/">online; charity event, which will culminate during the Home">http://www.homeentertainment-expo.com/">Home Entertainment 2002 Show (HE 2002), May 31–June 2, 2002. The charity event will bring the latest and greatest in home-theater and audio products to enthusiasts around the world, while benefiting The Elf Foundation, a charity created and supported by the consumer electronics industry.

The Canadians Are Coming

French-speaking Canada's premier A/V, home theater, and new technologies publication, Quebec">http://www.quebecaudio.com">Quebec Audio-Video has once again offered its readers an opportunity to attend Home">http://www.homeentertainment-expo.com/">Home Entertainment 2002 in New York City for free! Franco Moggia, editor of Quebec Audio-Video, says, "After the tragic events of September 11, we had to support our American friends and colleagues by repeating last year's contest."

Insert At Your Own Risk

The escalating "anti-piracy" technology battle being fought by record labels has caught the attention and provoked the ire of consumers, who are finding their fair use rights quickly eroding away. But computer manufacturers are also feeling the effects of recent music-company attempts to restrict the activities of music fans, since many computers fail to play the altered discs.

Otis Blackwell, 1931–2002

Otis Blackwell, the prolific songwriter who helped propel the careers of Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, died Wednesday, May 9 in Nashville. The cause of death was an apparent heart attack, according to a spokesman for St. Thomas Hospital. Blackwell was 70.

Cirrus Launches Low-Cost A/D Converters

Cirrus">http://www.cirrus.com">Cirrus Logic Inc. has introduced two new high-performance analog-to-digital converters. The CS5361 and CS5351 are said to deliver professional sound quality for audio/video receivers (AVRs) and DVD recorders (DVD-Rs) at mainstream consumer prices. The new chips are OEM-priced at $4.95 and $3.95 respectively, in quantities of 10,000 or more.

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