Be says that it and Intel will partner to design an Internet audio device intended for consumers, which will then be licensed to a variety of hardware manufacturers. Be has also announced a recent deal it has arranged with Hitachi's Digital…
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It would seem almost reasonable to imagine that your next stereo receiver or preamp could have an "intel inside" sticker on the front. Last week, software company Be made several announcements that it hopes will not only bring such a future to consumers, but also place itself at the center of the Internet-connected home-entertainment equipment market.
Love it or loathe it, Internet music is here to stay.
Universal Music Group acknowledged this reality July 9 with an agreement to make approximately 1000 albums available through EMusic's downloadable music service. The albums represent a "cross-section of UMG's back catalog," according to a joint press release, and will beef up EMusic's library of more than 225,000 tracks from more than 900 independent labels. Both partners are units of Vivendi Universal SA, the Franco-American media conglomerate much in the news of late due to its cloudy financial picture and the departure of several…
The new year ushered in several significant personnel changes for the audio industry.
On January 21, Snell Acoustics announced the appointment of Dr. Joseph D'Appolito as chief engineer. He assumes the technical helm at the Haverhill, MA–based loudspeaker manufacturer at "a time of intense development," according to Snell, which is pushing product development in high-resolution two-channel and multichannel systems as well as in the custom installation arena.
Only the fourth head of the company’s technical division in its 25-year history—founder Peter Snell was the first— D'Appolito…
Paul Bolin reviews the EgglestonWorks Andra II loudspeaker, noting, "It's always tough to follow an award-winning act." Bolin listens carefully to determine if "the lofty ambitions of the Andra II project" have made significant and meaningful improvements to the original design.
Next, Larry Greenhill files his report on the Quad ESL-989 electrostatic loudspeaker, the fourth and latest incarnation in the product's 45-year history. As LG explains, "owning a pair of [the original] ESL-57s required dedication and a generous masochistic streak." Greenhill determines whether the new '989 answers…
What ails the music business? Stereophile reader Jim Steel, in an online poll last year, opined, "Most of today's pop and metal is lifeless, heartless, and crude. Over-produced, synthetic, and the core product (songs) are mind-numbingly dull and without imagination."
Another reader, Chris, added, "What music? Give me a break . . . the recording industry is wondering why people are refusing to pay for the overpriced, overhyped garbage they ceaselessly pour out. I'd almost rather drink from an open sewer line than submit myself to a couple of hours of the latest offerings from the likes of…
Last week, e.Digital announced a licensing agreement to incorporate Sony's ATRAC3 sound-compression technology into e.Digital's portable Internet music-player designs. e.Digital claims that its multi-codec platform, including ATRAC3 support, can be incorporated into a variety of products including portable digital music players, home and automotive stereos, and functionally enhanced wireless phones.
Last month, Sony had announced that they were collaborating with Sonic Solutions to integrate Sony's ATRAC3 into iMaster, Sonic's suite of tools for the preparation of compressed audio for…
The first half of the fiscal year has been generally kind to many Japanese electronics manufacturers, most of whom released financial reports at the end of October.
Hitachi's global sales were up 3% for the first six months, to $4.9 billion compared to $4.8 billion during the same period a year earlier. Strong product categories included plasma televisions and optical storage products; Hitachi's Maxell division reported a continuing decline in demand for audio- and videotape. Hitachi posted $47 million in operating income for the six months ended September 30, compared with a loss of $49…
Last week, Cello Technologies (formerly Cello Music & Film Systems) announced that it had acquired San Francisco Bay area custom installer and retailer The Audible Difference. According to a statement issued by Cello, The Audible Difference was founded in Palo Alto in 1976 and serves over 10,000 clients in the Silicon Valley area, and has 30 employees, "all focusing on audio design and home-systems design engineering, integration, and automation technologies."
Cello says that the retail store will operate independently as a subsidiary of Cello and will continue to do business as The…
The name Joe D'Appolito is synonymous with high-performance loudspeakers. Many manufacturers use D'Appolito techniques, but Snell Acoustics has the advantage of employing the famed designer himself as chief engineer. The company will soon begin delivering its Series 7 loudspeakers, which debuted at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
There are eight models in the Series 7 line, all of them "timbrally and cosmetically matched so any number of combinations can be created to suit any listening and home-theater environment," according to a Snell announcement. There are two…
The Internet has become an integral part of Philips Electronics' global sales strategy. The Dutch technology conglomerate has announced a plan for online marketing that will link customers to more than 60,000 Philips dealers worldwide.
Philips' online plans figured large in a speech made by Philips Consumer Electronics Mainstream CEO Guy Demuynck on the opening day of the recent Consumer Electronics Show. "The Internet has transformed the way we do business," Demuynck told reporters at CES. "The Internet dominates all our thinking—it will expand from a browsing activity to an always-on,…