Chuck Berry 1926-2017
"If you tried to give rock'n'roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry.'"John Lennon
Circuit City Outsources Jobs—to the USA!
In a move some industry analysts characterized as "an uncertain experiment that could backfire," Circuit City Stores, Inc, the nation's second-largest electronics retailer, laid off 3400 employees, about 8% of the company's workforce, on March 28 because they earned too much money. Company spokesperson Bill Cimino told Bloomberg.com that the jobs that were eliminated were paying "well above" market rates, adding that the fired employees can re-apply for their jobs at lower pay after a 10-week delay. Cimino declined to give the wages of either the fired employees or the wages being given to new hires. He said it would vary "depending on the market."
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.
Cirrus Logic Buys Patents from B&W Loudspeakers
In an unusual move, chipmaker Cirrus">http://www.cirruslogic.com/">Cirrus Logic has purchased patents for Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technology owned by B&W">http://www2.bwspeakers.com/">B&W Loudspeakers, a leading UK manufacturer. The patents will be used in combination with current Cirrus Logic technology in a new line of digital amplifiers, according to an October 2 news release.
Cirrus Logic Delays Wireless A/V Chips
Wireless local audio/video networks and surround sound systems have long been one of the electronics industry's holy grails, given the fact that a major cost in installing home theaters or whole-house audio systems is the wiring. The market potential is so great that major chipmakers have invested enormous amounts of research in developing products that would enable easy placement of audio and video systems anywhere in a home without the need for dedicated wiring.
Cirrus Logic Introduces New DAC and DVD Controller ICs
"Digital audio quality at analog prices." ThatÆs how Cirrus">http://www.cirrus.com/">Cirrus Logic's Crystal Semiconductor division introduced a chip that may bring a new level of audio performance to a much wider audience. On April 6, Crystal announced its CS4334, an 8-pin, small-outline D/A converter. The 24-bit CS4334 will support sampling rates of up to 96kHz, and is being marketed as a low-cost, high-quality solution for computer, automotive, and portable audio applications, as well as DVD systems and set-top converter boxes. Crystal claims the new chip is the industryÆs smallest delta-sigma DAC.
Cirrus Logic Signs with Verance
Cirrus">http://www.cirruslogic.com">Cirrus Logic has become the latest chipmaker to license audio watermarking technology from San Diego–based Verance">http://www.verance.com">Verance Corporation. Cirrus will integrate Verance copy-prevention and copy-tracking technology in "a new line of high-performance chipsets for DVD devices," according to a November 20 announcement. Cirrus Logic's entry into the DVD-A arena may help boost market acceptance of the DVD-A format, executives conjectured.
Claims and Counterclaims in SDMI Hack Challenge
A group of researchers has claimed success at cracking four digital audio watermarking technologies presented in a challenge by the Secure">http://www.sdmi.org/">Secure Digital Music Initiative in September. The claim has been denied by David Leibowitz, chairman of Verance">http://www.verance.com/">Verance Corporation, creator of one of the challenged watermarks. SDMI has made no public statement on the claim, and has resolved to remain silent until all 447 submitted hacks are evaluated.
Clarion Debuts World's First Automobile PC/Stereo
Convergence has come to the automotive market. Clarion">http://www.autopc.com/">Clarion Corporation of America announced December 4 that it has developed the the world's first product that integrates car audio, computing functions, navigation, and wireless communications through hands-free voice activation. The Clarion AutoPC is a DIN unit that fits in the dash of an automobile, and is powered by the Microsoft Windows CE operating system.
Class-T Amplifiers Announced
It's well known among designers of power amplifiers that the class-A and -A/B amplifiers (referred to as linear amplifiers) used in the majority of car, home, PC, and pro audio systems are notoriously inefficient. They can consume vast amounts of power and yet waste most of it---as much as 80% or more---as heat. They require large power supplies and massive heatsinks, which drive up system weight, size, and cost. On the other hand, class-D amplifiers, using Pulse Width Modulation switching technologies, have good power efficiency but sometimes questionable audio fidelity. (The Spectron designs are possibly the exceptions here.) Class-D amps are used mostly in battery-powered applications in which sound quality might be considered secondary to battery life.