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Stonemason, EDIG isn't in the chip -making business; therefore SigmaTel is better qualified to be a customer than a competitor. I see they are from Austin... isn't that Texas Instruments territory?
Bang and Olufsen Goes MP3 II - B&O introduces the BeoLink PC 2
( http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=EDIG&read=805187 )
By Richard Menta- 10/17/01
http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/2001/bangolufsen2.html
Back in August we reported on the BeoPlayer 1.0.0, a desktop MP3 player that was developed by Bang and Olufsen for playing digital music off the computer. We thought this was rather curious that a maker of high end electronics would become software developers and as we wrote in that article:
Except for RCA, who developed the MP3 format, and Sony, who developed the ATRAC3 format, no other major electronic manufacturer has sought to develop its own desktop player for the market already dominated by the likes of Winamp and MusicMatch. Bang and Olufsen's entry here might signify a move to evoke the status of the company name and draw future customers, branding the exclusivity of the general product, which according to a Bang and Olufsen representative will soon include an MP3 portable line.
Now Bang and Olufsen has completed the puzzle with the release of the BeoLink PC 2. As it turns out, BeoPlayer was only the first step in the audio manufacturers plan to integrate the music downloaded on our computers and make it available throughout the home.
The need to somehow liberate hundreds, even thousands, of music files from our computer systems to other areas in our homes and offices is a growing market that already has seen several different ideas come to fruition to address it. The Rio Receiver converts the phone lines of your home into a network, using the phone jacks as a plug-in source. US Robotics' Soundlink uses FM frequencies to transmit music from your system to other sources via standard radio waves.
With the BeoLink, Bang and Olufsen already had a home network device that connected its audio products. The BeoPlayer and BeoLink PC 2 now improve music delivery by harnessing your PCs power as the brains of the system, while simultaneously bringing your digital music collection into the fold.
The Bang and Olufsen BeoLink system accomplishes all this through their proprietary MasterLink cable, which is strung throughout the house either under room molding or into the wallboard itself. Once in place, the BeoLink connects several present B&O products like the company BeoSound 9000 and BeoSound 3000, and will soon incorporate everything from B&O Radios, TVs, Satellite setups, DVDs, etc. All can be controlled from the computer screen.
This setup is far more expensive than using existing phone jacks, but then everything Bang and Olufsen does is expensive.
Those a little light in the pocketbook can simply go with the free BeoPlayer as their MP3 player if they want the company logo as a status symbol for the PC. It's a good player, though not better than the latest versions of Winamp or Sonique. It does use a unique toolbar setup, which might be preferable to some. The stoic black design layout may also be more appealing to the over 40 set than the array of funky skins available on the most popular MP3 players.
The question left is how many electronic manufacturers -both low and high end -are looking at a similar game plan to connect their audio products to the PC, merging computer and stereo. I would think it is on the minds of all those who put out complete home theater setups like RCA and Sony. Success on B&O's part here might help them make that decision if they haven't already.
cyberrafter, will Czech do?.....
http://www.palmserver.cz/clanek.phtml?show=302
Napster Turns the Tables on Major Labels
http://news.webnoize.com/item.rs?ID=14423
October 11, 2001 - Yesterday we wrote that we thought the record labels don't want Napster to die. But today we're not so sure.
In court yesterday Napster successfully turned a federal judge's scrutiny from its alleged copyright violations to possible antitrust violations by the soon-to-be-launched major label-backed subscription ventures. Napster said its licensing agreement with MusicNet has an exclusivity clause that specifies it can not make a separate agreement with Pressplay. Napster attorney Celia Barenholtz claimed that the record labels have misused their copyrights, thus forestalling their right to enforce them.
Patel's attention to the matter could fuel ongoing federal antitrust investigations into MusicNet and Pressplay. If Barenholtz' assertions cause more antitrust watchdogs to move in for closer sniffing around, the label groups may wish Napster had bitten the dust long ago.
I ran riverwalk's numbers myself but could only get $7 or so PPS assuming PE of 15 and $175/unit gross profit for 300K EDIG-branded units and $20/unit profit on the 600K units from others.
EDIG $44.47 by end of 2002?
http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=EDIG&read=800318
From riverwalk:
Here's an estimation of shareprice by the end of next year.
This is based upon selling a total of 900K units next calendar year across 15 products.
The 15 products are derived from the release of 5 e.Digital branded devices and 10 OEM devices.
My expectation is up to 3 e.Digital devices before XMAS and another 2 Q1-2002 (calendar / not fiscal)
These products will span microdrive, flash, and dataplay offerings.
You can do the numbers yourself but if you evenly distribute 900K total devices across 15 product lines you only need to sell 60K units per.
The OEM sales are likely to generate licensing only fees from $4-25 each, while the e.Digital devices could through off a gross margin of 40-50% on devices ranging from $249-349 each.
Expenses are running between 350-400K a month so I used the highend 400K as the basis of profit projection.
You can play with the numbers yourself but I came up with profits of $2.96 a share. A very conservative PE of 15 derives the $44 shareprice.
The numbers I'm playing with are not far fetched. These are the number of OEM's and devices that have projected. Granted they might be optimistic but they certainly weren't made up.
Perhaps the number of units sold across 15 product lines comes in less, maybe more. Maybe more OEM's are added during the course of next year.
It's all a guess, and no one can guarantee anything, but at 99 cents a share it's an interesting gamble on something which may in fact be attainable.
If your looking for guarentees buy treasury bills.
Good Luck
Tech giants push MPEG-4 standard
By Gwendolyn Mariano CNET News.com
Thursday October 04 09:00 PM EDT
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/htx/cn/20011004/tc/tech_giants_push_mpeg-4_standard_1.html
A standards body comprising such tech heavyweights as Apple Computer and Cisco Systems has released a specification for streaming MPEG-4 video and audio via the Web.
The Internet Streaming Media Alliance (ISMA) announced this week that it has developed and published its first specification. ISMA 1.0 will let consumers install one plug-in for streaming audio and video, rather than a raft of programs each specific to a single format, on devices ranging from cell phones to personal computers.
For ISMA, the specification is the latest effort to create open standards in streaming media. Microsoft's Windows Media, RealNetworks' RealPlayer and Apple's QuickTime each hold a piece of the market. Although Apple joined Cisco, IBM, Kasenna, Philips Electronics, Sun Microsystems and other tech companies in founding the nonprofit group last year, market leaders RealNetworks and Microsoft have yet to join.
"For streaming to be really broadly embraced, broadly accepted, both on the PC as well as the non-PC platform by the content industry and by the consumer, what needs to take place is the creation of an open standard," said Hans-Peter Baumeister, a board member of the ISMA and vice president of strategic alliances at Philips.
MPEG-4 is the successor of MPEG-1 and MPEG-2, technologies behind the MP3 audio explosion. Like its predecessors, MPEG-4 comprises audio and video technologies that condense large digital files into smaller ones that can be easily transferred via the Web.
ISMA hopes MPEG-4 will eventually replace the MP3 audio format, which inadvertently became a household name through the popularity of file-swapping service Napster. But the new format's video applications and interactive features have drawn the most interest so far.
ISMA 1.0 has two versions. Profile 0 helps wireless and narrowband networks stream audio and video content to devices, such as cell phones or PDAs (personal digital assistants), for limited viewing and listening. Profile 1 is devised for broadband networks and targeted to more powerful devices such as set-top boxes and personal computers.
Apple is hoping the standard will help its QuickTime, which trails Windows Media and RealPlayer, gain popularity. The PC maker is expected to release a new version of QuickTime based on the MPEG-4 format.
According to Nielsen/NetRatings, RealNetworks in August held first place in media format usage at work and at home. The research firm said 28.8 million people at home and 15.5 million at work used RealPlayer. Windows Media had 13 million consumers at home and 8.8 million at work. QuickTime attracted 8.2 million consumers at home and 5.3 million at work.
According to Baumeister, ISMA 1.0 could shorten these gaps by freeing content creators and distributors from depending on a single vendor for streaming media technology. Without an overarching standard, companies must choose one format or encode the same audio and video for several players. With ISMA 1.0, he said, companies would only need to encode the content once to stream it over all compliant players.
Microsoft, however, says it is unimpressed with the quality and application of MPEG-4; rather than join ISMA, the software giant has chosen to focus on an upgrade of its own technology.
"Windows Media 8 can actually deliver near-DVD-video experience and save about 40 percent of the bandwidth over what MPEG-4 can do," said Michael Aldridge, lead product manager of the Windows Media Digital Division at Microsoft. "Bandwidth savings impact the cost of media delivery, and (it) really is the key determinant on whether there is business viability to deliver video across the Web."
RealNetworks could not be immediately reached for comment
Intel plan: Use gizmos to push PCs
By John G. Spooner, ZDNet News
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/htx/zd/20011005/tc/intel_plan_use_gizmos_to_push_pcs_1.html
Friday October 05 08:15 PM EDT
In a bid to boost PC demand, Intel unwraps two cameras and an MP3 player that plug into its computers via USB connections.
Intel wants you in pictures.
The company, best known for its Pentium PC processors, this week launched a trio of PC-related consumer devices intended to further its strategy of using gadgets to push PC demand.
The new products from Intel's Connected Products Division include an updated Intel Pocket Digital PC Camera, a new MP3 player dubbed Personal Audio Player 3000 and the new Intel Play Digital Movie Creator, a children's video camera. All three use universal serial bus (USB) connections to hook up with a PC and will ship this month.
The new cameras and MP3 player join a host of PC-related products, gadgets generally priced under $200, that allow consumers to create, store and then share personal multimedia files, such as pictures or short videos, using a PC.
The devices serve to help Intel promote its consumer brand and evangelize its vision of the PC as the center of the home-computing universe. The devices, which aim at fairly processor-intensive tasks, such as editing video, also encourage upgrades, analysts say.
"There's a definite synergy between these products and the PC," said Brian Ma, an analyst with IDC. "Even more so, it helps drive demand for the PC, and ultimately it helps to create an environment that helps shore up (Intel's) primary market."
Research company ARS, which keeps a "score card" for retail presence for devices like digital cameras, shows Intel as having carved out a sizable chunk of the PC camera market. Intel was second only to Logitech in retail shelf space for cameras in September. Logitech, the maker of PC cameras as well as keyboards and mice, garnered 25 percent of retail shelf space for cameras in September. Intel followed with 21 percent. The rest of the field, including Creative, IBM and Kensington, each had nine percent. The results are similar for previous months.
Because the cameras require a fair amount of horsepower to process images, they're seen as a good motivator to get PC users to upgrade.
"Most importantly, Intel is to stimulate the next wave of buying, and these devices require a fairly well-equipped PC," said Dwaine Smith, research analyst at ARS.
Intel's new Pocket Digital PC Camera offers mega-pixel resolution for digital still photos and can also capture video. The camera features 16MB of built-in memory, good for 256 photos, and lists for $149.99.
Intel's new MP3 player, the Personal Audio Player 3000, which changes colors via inserts in its faceplate, offers 64MB of memory. Intel says this is good enough to store up to two hours of digital music. Additional memory can be added via an external expansion slot. The MP3 player lists for $149.99.
Meanwhile, the Intel Play Digital Movie Creator, aimed at allowing children to create and edit short movies of up to four minutes in length, lists for $99. The device can also take still photos.
Music Publishers, Labels Near Deal on Subscription Services
Internet: Record companies would pay $1 million in advance royalties to run song distribution services.
By JON HEALEY, TIMES STAFF WRITER
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-000079745oct06.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dpe%2Dbusi...
October 6 2001 - Music publishers and major record labels are closing in on a deal to authorize online subscription services, potentially opening a new era in music distribution.
Online subscriptions are the labels' long-awaited response to the wildly popular--and arguably unlawful--networks that let consumers make free copies of hit songs through the Net. But the labels couldn't move forward without permission from the publishers, which are entitled to royalties when their songs are reproduced.
The deal, which could be completed as early as this weekend, would allow the labels and their partners to launch Internet-based services without fear of being sued by the publishers. But it wouldn't set the publishers' royalties, leaving that issue to be settled through future negotiations or arbitration. The publishers wouldn't leave the bargaining table empty-handed. The deal, which would expire in two years, calls for the labels to pay the publishers an advance of $1 million, sources said.
Spokesmen for the two sides--the Recording Industry Assn. of America, which represents the labels, and the Harry Fox Agency, the licensing arm of the National Music Publishers Assn.--declined to comment.
The deal was all but signed last month when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, setting in motion a chain of events that pushed the two sides apart. But the talks got back on track this week, sources close to the labels said, and a tentative agreement was reached Thursday night.
Publishers and labels still were reviewing terms of the proposal Friday.
The first services to benefit from the deal would be the two ventures most closely associated with the five major record labels: MusicNet, which is jointly owned by BMG, Warner Music Group, EMI and RealNetworks, and Pressplay, a joint venture between Universal Music Group and Sony.
Beyond that, several executives at online music companies said the lack of a deal between the labels and publishers blocked a host of companies eager to build subscription services around the labels' songs. "That's obviously the linchpin that's holding this whole industry up," said Tuhin Roy of Echo Networks Inc., an online music service.
The two sides have been under considerable pressure to reach agreement, not just from online services but also from Congress. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property was slated to hold hearings in mid-September and early October on the music industry's approach to the Internet, and legislation had been introduced to make it easier for unaffiliated companies to obtain licenses from the publishers and labels.
As the first hearing approached, the two sides appeared to be on the brink of a deal. But the terrorist attacks led the Judiciary Committee to postpone the hearings at least until next year, effectively lifting the deadline for an agreement.
Shortly thereafter, two unrelated events caused the publishers to reconsider their negotiating positions, several sources in the online music industry said. The publishers struck a deal Sept. 25 with Napster Inc., the Redwood City-based song-sharing service, that provided much higher royalties than they received from CD sales. The next day, a federal judge ruled that Universal Music had violated the publishers' copyrights by failing to gain permission for an online jukebox service.
The two sides appeared to drift apart, leading Pressplay to postpone its planned October launch until later in the year. In particular, the two sides split on whether the labels could extend their agreement with the publishers to unaffiliated services, such as Echo Networks.
The publishers eventually agreed to let the labels extend their licenses, and the two sides settled on the terms they'd been poised to agreed to before the Sept. 11 attacks, two sources at the labels said.
The two-year agreement could help the online music industry regain some of the momentum it has lost. But James Glicker of FullAudio, an online music-distribution service, said the deal doesn't make it any easier for upstart services to set prices and build healthy businesses.
"They haven't agreed on the most essential point, which is the [royalty] rate," Glicker said.
Full-length movies on your iPAQ? Microdrives enable that and a whole lot more.
http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=FONX&read=335540 (thanks, MIR)
Total Recall
By C.J. Kennedy, Oct 04 2001
No bigger than a book of matches, a gigabyte of memory attaches to the back of my Pocket PC. It's pretty cool, especially remembering that NASA's first moon-launch computers didn't use a gig of memory, and that the storage units for their memory took up floors of buildings.
In terms of applications and content, this small microdrive represents a quantum leap for PDAs - like the first amphibious newt suddenly gaining a prehensile flipper. With an added gig of storage, PDAs can become true computing devices for a range of the extended memory applications - that to this point have only available for PCs - like MP3 libraries, image libraries, movies, games, graphic eBooks, and extended email capabilities.
The bite-sized gig.
The gigabyte
For PDAs the improvement is enormous. Compaq's iPAQ 3670 is available with 64MB of memory and Palm's line of PDAs starts with 8MB, expandable to 64MB. Flash cards, the solid-state memory competition, may download information faster, but the 64MB these cards offer is not comparable to the titanic 1000MB microdrives hold.
Flash cards offer the most serious competition to the microdrive. Their price is cheaper and retrieval is instantaneous. On September 10th IBM announced that they were reducing prices of their microdrives by up to 32%, with the 1 gig model costing $379.
They're usually still more expensive than the PDA they attach to, making the combination of high-end PDA and microdrive as expensive as a basic desktop. If a PDA is used for a simple planner, then adding 64MB through a flashcard - costing less than a dollar per megabyte - makes more sense. If the PDA is being used as mobile PC, then the microdrive makes more sense.
In terms of speed, the microdrive is a disk drive (if only an inch across) so it does take roughly a second to start spinning - not a substantial time lag for saving or retrieving information.
A full-length movie or thousands of digital pictures
Who are these drives aimed at? John Osterhout, World Wide Marketing Director for IBM's Microdrives, says a microdrive offers enriched entertainment value and added communications capabilities to the businessperson.
"Content has probably the biggest and most universal appeal of the drive," he says. "But it also offers added email utility and the ability to download files. My last six months of email are stored on my PC, and that took a gig of memory."
Certainly the microdrive now blurs the line between a PDA and a laptop for the corporate executive. As Microsoft officially launches Pocket PC 2002 today, look for their operating system to eat up more of the memory and push the user to purchase added memory.
The microdrive supports multiple data types including video, MP3, text, JPEG, and voice, and can hold thousands standard digital photographs, a full-length movie, a thousand 200-page novels or nearly 18 hours of high-quality digital audio music. IBM's Frontier Lab introduced the NEX II, simply a microdrive added to an MP3 player, allowing 17 hours of music and over 200 individual songs.
Do you actually need a gig?
Compact Flash cards like this new 300MB SanDisk model offer up competition for the microdrives.
Still, the microdrive's marketers need to answer a fundamental question: Do you actually need a gig of memory? What current applications can take advantage of all that space?
Sophisticated sales force automatons need large amounts of storage, as do insurance companies. "Pfizer is deploying iPAQs to all their sales force people," says Richard Paxton, Product Manager for North America for Compaq's iPAQ division. "And their concern is needing the extra storage."
In terms of consumer uses, IBM in the process of offering various full-length feature films onto microdrives. Richard Paxton of Compaq explains that it is surprisingly pleasant to watch an iPAQ-sized movie during business travel. "I've done it and it's amazingly good. I rented the "Usual Suspects" and thought the quality was excellent. I watched it during a flight about a month ago, from take-off to landing."
Other sectors of the consumer market are beginning to sell applications. Sierra Imaging sells a digital camera to work in conjunction with an iPAQ and a microdrive. And Handango offers games through their website.
Although these games are still basic (Tetris, chess, casino games), the processing power that the Pocket PCs offer combined with the capacity of the microdrive makes them are an ideal platform for even the most sophisticated 3-D battles. Watch this market develop faster than the handheld game market.
Although Compaq has announced no MP3 partnerships to take advantage of the increased memory, it should be noted that one CD takes up 60-70MB. The microdrive is a must for every music aficionado.
The future of storage
In the near future, Compaq and IBM will be offering microdrives through sales "packages." Already there is a mobility package that includes a portable keyboard, another package with a digital camera for imaging, and another mobile multimedia package that includes up to eight movies on microdrives.
Will we see microdrives built in to PDAs or even handheld phones in two years from now? Will we see the drives rolled up like a stack of quarters, offering ten or twenty gigabytes of memory? There are already industry rumors that a five-gigabyte version is in the works.
Here IBM and Compaq's predictions conflict. Richard Paxton of Compaq says, "It is a safe assumption to see these drives merge into a hard drive implementation in the iPAQ." Although he did qualify his prediction by adding, "That is a speculation right now. There are no announced plans."
John Osterhout of IBM argues that the current cost of microdrives makes that "prohibitive." His point is a good one. Even though microdrives have been roughly halving their price each year since their introduction in 1999, a row of ten microdrives today would cost close to $4000 dollars. In a year from now that will be $2000, a year later $1000.
Maybe after three years microdrives will be reasonably priced for the mobile market. On that most basic level, that of price, microdrives will most likely find themselves in a niche market of high-priced accessories for now.
Adding microdrives to a mobile phone does not look possible from a cost perspective either. John Osterhout of IBM says handheld manufacturers have the same pressure to offer low prices. "Market dynamics don't support that. Right now the market is extremely price competitive," he says. "Companies are offering devices at the lowest cost possible and then the consumer can choose the amount of memory they need. This is not a bad thing. The microdrive is true removable storage. If the PDA you have today requires double the memory a year from now, you can just switch a card."
Capacity or price?
The possibilities for adding storage capabilities in the future seem almost limitless. As of IBM's May 2001 announcement, IBM's antiferromagnetically coupled coating on hard disks can quadruple their density. IBM says they can put 100 gigabytes of storage per square inch - similar in size to the.
Personal computers demands for added memory have grown exponentially - something that will probably hold true for PDAs as well. If the microdrive's biggest drawback is price, then solid-state flash card's biggest drawback is their capacity.
Just remember, one of the first personal computers, the early Apple II, that had 64k. The Sinclair1X had only 1k of memory. If you picture a graph of the current price and storage demands, flash cards have the advantage now, but as price drops and memory needs increase, microdrives might make an ideal solution.
C.J. Kennedy is currently the senior staff writer for Unstrung.com, and has covered the mobile industry for M-Business Magazine, The Wireless Developer Network, Wireless Business & Technology, Wireless Related, and The Industry Standard.
Music Labels, Movie Studios Sue Napster Descendants
Thursday October 04 01:08 PM EDT
By Robyn Weisman, www.NewsFactor.com
The major music labels and motion picture studios have filed a copyright infringement suit against three peer-to-peer file-sharing networks on Wednesday, Morpheus, Grokster and Kazaa, which have stepped into the shoes of music file-sharing service Napster following the court injunction against it.
The plaintiffs comprise a list of over two-dozen record labels and movie studios, among them several subsidiaries of AOL-Time Warner's (NYSE: AOL - news) film and music divisions, several arms of the Walt Disney Holding Company (NYSE: DIS - news), and Virgin Records America, Inc.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles federal court Wednesday, cited defendants MusicCity.com, Inc., MusicCity Networks (the operator of the Morpheus file-swapping service), Grokster LTD, and Consumer Empowerment BV (the operator of Kazaa, a file-sharing service similar to Morpheus) for creating a "21st century piratical bazaar where the unlawful exchange of protected materials takes place across the vast expanses of the Internet."
In a statement issued Wednesday, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) president Hilary Rosen said that neither the movie nor the recording industries can "sit idly by while these services continue to operate illegally, especially at a time when new legitimate services are being launched."
Labels on Offensive
The lawsuit comes at the same time as news reports confirming that record labels are beginning to manufacture copy-protected CDs, which will prevent purchasers from making a backup copy or from "ripping," or copying, its contents onto the purchaser's PC.
The lawsuit also comes as companies that provide services similar to those once provided by Napster have evolved and grown.
The defendants listed in the suit allegedly use Consumer Empowerment networking software known as FastTrack.
With FastTrack, such services no longer need to be connected to a central server in order to function. Instead, FastTrack seeks out user computers with fast connections to use as hubs, from which other users can connect and swap MP3s, recently released motion pictures and videos, and computer software with one another.
Profits without Permission
This latest evolution has since allied the motion picture industry with the recording industry. The motion picture industry is already coping with wholesale piracy in the Far East, among other regions.
"The filing speaks for itself," Jack Valenti, president and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) said in a prepared statement. "As the complaint makes clear, those named in this suit have sought to profit from works protected by copyright, without obtaining the copyright owner's permission."
Roadblocks Likely
But unlike Napster, none of the defendants, with the exception of Franklin, Tennessee-based MusicCity, are U.S. companies. Experts believe this fact may make prosecution of the complaint more complicated and problematic.
Elizabeth Sun, senior program director of Electronic Business Strategies for META Group, Inc. told NewsFactor Network that the record companies have a difficult road ahead.
"The record companies had a chance to address this when Napster went down," Sun told NewsFactor. "Since they offered no timely alternatives, Napster-like entities will continue to emerge.
"Until they have a viable alternative with regard to DRM (digital rights management), the 'illegal' copying will continue."
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nf/20011004/tc/13956_1.html
OT: D-Link Unveils MP3 Player with 12 Mbps of Bandwidth
Tuesday October 02 06:47 PM EDT By Jay Lyman
D-Link has built on its DMP series of MP3 players with a new model featuring LCD display, digital quality playback, equalizer and (Universal Serial Bus) USB interface. The unit's real claim to fame is that it provides 12 Mbps of bandwidth for music file transfers.
The DMP-210 Roq-it MP3 player, priced at US$99, comes with D-Link MP3 Manager software that allows file transfers to and from Windows-based PCs. Users can also download music from the Internet, listen to streaming music, encode from audio CDs and organize music libraries, according to D-Link.
D-Link product manager Travis Whitney told TechExtreme that the DMP-210 is the result of the company's effort to meet market demand with ease of use and low price. He said usability and the player's 10 hours of play from a single AA battery -- more than double the three to four hours of previous models -- are the biggest improvements in the Roq-it.
USB Utility and Speed
D-Link says the DMP-210, usable out of the box with included battery, earphones, software, drivers and USB cable, delivers digital quality stereo playback, but the USB interface is among its more impressive features.
The company credits the integrated USB interface, which replaces a parallel port feature in previous D-Link and other MP3 players on the market, for "lightning quick" music file transfers at 12 Mbps of bandwidth.
D-Link's Whitney said he was able to download the player's full 32MB of music "in a couple of minutes;" previously, it took up to a half-hour via parallel port.
Memory Movement
The DMP-210 comes with 32MB of on-board flash memory, providing a maximum of one hour of digital music and other MP3 recordings. The player includes an expandable SmartMedia memory card that provides 128MB of additional memory.
Whitney told TechExtreme that with the added memory the player could deliver about two-and-a-half hours of playing time.
Full Featured for a C-Note
Music enthusiasts may be disappointed not to have a CD player, but the MP3-focused Roq-it does offer the essential MP3 features as well as some new ones.
The company says the LCD display -- with playtime, track, number, battery status and encoded Kbps information -- and large buttons with hold switch make the player easy to use. The player also employs one of four preset equalizer modes for Normal, Jazz, Rock and Classical music.
A single, standard AA battery powers the small device for up to 10 hours of use -- accomplished by more efficient chips according to Whitney -- and plug-and-play features make the player workable right away.
Irvine, California-based D-Link also takes advantage of a lack of moving parts in the MP3 player, sidelining music skips on the DMP-210.
"There are no moving parts so there's no way that music can be jittered at all," Whitney said.
Eastech is actually Singapore-based and listed. In April 2001, they became the first Singapore-listed company to trade as depository receipts in Taiwan. ATLM is incorporated in Taiwan and is a subsidiary of EASTECH.
Not if they apply to mutually exclusive devices/applications. If you think about it, examples abound... such as 'Esquire' the magazine vs 'Esquire' shoe care products.
New EDIG trademarks: 3GO, MXP, Renegade...
Word Mark 3GO
Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: portable and automobile based listening and recording devices, namely MP3 type players, digital audio players and digital audio recorders
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING
Serial Number 76306603
Filing Date August 29, 2001
Filed ITU FILED AS ITU
Owner (APPLICANT) e.Digital Corporation CORPORATION CALIFORNIA 13114 Evening Creek Drive South San Diego CALIFORNIA 92128
Attorney of Record Marnie Wright Barnhorst
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Word Mark MXP
Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: computer software for managing and storing digital music files and enabling the music files to be downloaded to a portable digital music player
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING
Serial Number 76306604
Filing Date August 29, 2001
Filed ITU FILED AS ITU
Owner (APPLICANT) e.Digital Corporation CORPORATION CALIFORNIA 13114 Evening Creek Drive South San Diego CALIFORNIA 92128
Attorney of Record Marnie Wright Barnhorst
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Word Mark RENEGADE
Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: portable and automobile based listening and recording devices, namely MP3 type players, digital audio players and digital audio recorders
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING
Serial Number 76306605
Filing Date August 29, 2001
Filed ITU FILED AS ITU
Owner (APPLICANT) e.Digital Corporation CORPORATION CALIFORNIA 13114 Evening Creek Drive South San Diego CALIFORNIA 92128
Attorney of Record Manie Wright Barnhorst
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE
OT: Addonics New Pocket DigiDrive Allows Users to Copy Digital AV Files to PCs From Anywhere
New USB Drive Reads &Writes from Seven Different Digital A/V Formats
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010918/180112_1.html
FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 18, 2001--Addonics Technologies today announced its multi-format Pocket DigiDrive -- a pocket-size storage device that reads/writes digital audio/video files from seven different formats.
The Addonics Pocket DigiDrive is the perfect device for transferring data to your PC from digital cameras, digital camcorders, PDAs, MP3 players, digital voice recorders, and more. With so many options available for storing music and video files Addonics has designed a unified drive that supports all of today's popular A/V storage formats. The Pocket DigiDrive reads and writes to all popular digital media formats such as CF-I, CF-II, Smart Memory(TM), Memory Stick(TM), Micro Drive(TM), Multimedia Card(TM), and Secure Digital Card(TM).
The drive contains no moving parts, and consumes so little power, users only need to plug device into any USB 1.1 or USB 2.0-compliant port to power the drive (no AC Adapter is needed). The device weighs just 11 ounces and measures 4 inches (W) x 5.5 inches (D) x 1 inch (H).
The Addonics Pocket DigiDrive has a 1MB/second read/write speed. Supports is included for Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, XP, Mac OS 8.6 or higher, Linux kernel 2.4 or higher. Once the drive is installed, an icon for each type of media automatically appears under the My Computer folder.
List price of the Pocket DigiDrive is $89, which includes a USB 2.0 cable and software.
The drive is available through major catalog companies, resellers, VARs and distributors, including StorageUSA.com, PC Connection, CDW, Buy.com, Insight, Egghead, Ingram Micro, and Ma Lab.
Addonics Technologies Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets a broad line of external storage products. Addonics is headquartered at 48434 Milmont Drive, Fremont, CA 94538. Visit Addonics at www.addonics.com.
(Gee; be nice if they listed capacity - TR)
OT: OSTA to Host Tokyo Briefing to Demonstrate Recently Approved MultiAudio and MultiPlay Compatibility Specifications
Seminar At Meiji Kinenkan On Sept. 21 Will Help the Consumer Electronics Industry Capitalize On the Latest Trend of Consumer-Generated CDs
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010918/180169_1.html
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 18, 2001-- The Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) today announced that it will conduct a seminar for consumer electronics manufacturers at Meiji Kinenkan, Tokyo, on Friday, Sept. 21 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The briefing includes a demonstration of OSTA's recently approved MultiAudio and MultiPlay compatibility specifications, which capitalize on the latest trend of consumer-generated CDs and allow manufacturers of consumer CD/DVD players to provide a better overall user experience.
The MultiPlay/MultiAudio briefing is being held in conjunction with OSTA's quarterly meeting of industry manufacturers of optical storage devices, media and software, which will be held in Tokyo from Sept. 18 to 20.
MultiAudio Enables Faster Access to Compressed Audio Files
OSTA's MultiAudio specification ensures that discs with compressed audio files, such as MP3 or WMA, are as easy to play as standard Red Book audio CDs, whether played back on a PC or consumer electronics device. The new specification creates a Table of Contents used for retrieval, management and playback of compressed audio files and playlists by a CD or DVD consumer player.
The MultiAudio specification enables the playback device to quickly read the table of contents, bypassing the lengthy delays for disc initialization that can occur today while the player identifies all of the files on the disc. In addition, it allows custom playlists to be created by the user so songs can be accessed by genre, album, artist or other grouping.
``With today's MP3 and WMA compressed audio files, hundreds of songs can be stored on a single CD,'' explained Felix Nemirovsky, chairman of OSTA's MultiRead Subcommittee. ``Our MultiAudio specification allows CE manufacturers to give consumers a much more satisfying experience with the CDs they have created. It provides faster access to these files while making it easier for the users to play the songs they want through multiple playlists, based on the album, artist, genre, their own favorites, or the entire contents of the CD.''
Revision 1.0 of the MultiAudio CD-CA specification has been unanimously approved by OSTA's voting members, and it is posted on the industry group's Web site at www.osta.org/multiaudio. The first consumer CD and DVD players conforming to the specification are expected to appear in the market later this year. The MultiAudio specification is both inexpensive and easy for consumer electronic manufacturers to incorporate, as no hardware modifications are required for this software feature.
The MultiAudio logical disc format is an extension of current MP3 capability on consumer devices, and provides backward compatibility with current MP3 disc players capable of playing compressed audio files stored on optical disc. To facilitate creation and display of playlists, the specification provides a standardized method of storing information regarding the track name, year recorded, performer name, composer name, songwriter name, arranger name, album name, and genre.
MultiPlay Compatibility Specification
OSTA will also discuss the availability of test discs as the next step in the rollout of its MultiPlay compatibility program. This specification enables manufacturers of CD and DVD players to assure customers that CD-R and CD-RW discs created on a personal computer will play in consumer electronics devices that display the MultiPlay logo.
Upon successful completion of the self-certification program, OSTA will license the MultiPlay logo to qualifying consumer electronic device manufacturers on a royalty-free basis. The logo license will grant the right to apply the MultiPlay logo on qualifying products and related documents. The licensee will pay a one-time fee for the test discs and logo license and must comply with the licensing rules.
The MultiPlay compatibility specification, originally proposed by Oak Technology Inc., was completed and adopted by OSTA at its December 2000 meeting. The availability of the test discs and implementation of the certification program complete the rollout of this compatibility specification.
``The MultiPlay effort builds on OSTA's successful MultiRead compatibility specification, which in the past three years has accomplished full compatibility of CD-R and CD-RW discs in essentially all computer-based CD or DVD devices,'' stated Nemirovsky. ``MultiPlay will in a similar way accomplish much needed CD-R and CD-RW disc compatibility in consumer CD and DVD players. Now that our testing and logo licensing requirements are complete, we expect the MultiPlay logo to appear in the market this year.''
The need for the MultiPlay compatibility specification stemmed from recent dramatic growth of CD-RW drive adoption by computer users, fueled by the low price and widespread availability of CD-R and CD-RW discs. Consumers have found that audio or video discs written on a PC using CD-R or CD-RW media cannot always be played in consumer CD or DVD players.
All CD and DVD players available to the consumer clearly state that they are designed to play audio Compact Discs, and consumers expect that -- regardless of the type of player (home, portable, car) -- it should play all types of audio discs. Consumers are greatly disappointed to discover they cannot play an audio disc written on CD-R or CD-RW media in some CD or DVD players.
A large number of CD and DVD players can also play CD-Text audio discs and VideoCD Movie discs. The new specification defines the following requirements for a consumer CD/DVD player to be MultiPlay capable:
CD Players capable of only CD Audio must play CD Audio from CD-R and CD-RW discs.
CD Players capable of CD Audio and CD-Text must play CD Audio and CD-Text from CD-R and CD-RW discs.
DVD Players capable of only CD Audio (besides DVD Movie), must play CD Audio from CD-R and CD-RW discs.
DVD Players capable of CD Audio and VideoCD must play CD-Audio and VideoCD from CD-R and CD-RW discs.
Consumers will benefit greatly from the improved compatibility, since more and more consumers have access or ability to record CDs. With MultiPlay, consumers will be able to play not only commercially available content but also personal content, such as compilation audio discs made from their own libraries of commercial audio discs or from compressed audio files stored on their PCs. Digital photos downloaded to the PC from digital cameras or scanners can also be recorded onto CDs and played in MultiPlay-capable DVD or VideoCD players.
Furthermore, personal video in MPEG1 format can be recorded on CDs and played in MultiPlay capable DVD or VideoCD players. Additional information on compressed audio formats, with links to other industry sites, can be found on OSTA's MP3 information page at www.osta.org/mp3info.
For further information, refer to the OSTA MultiPlay compatibility specification and test plan, available at www.osta.org/multiplay. To obtain the test discs and logo licensing documents, manufacturers may contact Ray Freeman at ray@osta.org.
About OSTA
The Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) was incorporated as an international trade association in 1992 to promote the use of recordable optical technologies and products. The organization's membership includes optical product manufacturers and resellers from three continents, representing more than 85 percent of worldwide writable optical product shipments.
They work to shape the future of the industry through regular meetings of CD/DVD, file interchange, market development, high performance and planning committees. Interested companies worldwide are invited to join the organization and participate in its programs by contacting an OSTA representative at 805/963-3853, by fax 805/962-1541 or by addressing its Web site at www.osta.org.
Interesting Toshiba snippet:
"...Toshiba's Tecra 9000 Series and Portege 4000 Series are the first corporate notebooks to incorporate a Secure Digital (SD) Media slot which allows the units to accommodate a Toshiba SD Memory Card.
Designed for use in wireless and portable communications devices including personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular phones, handheld PCs, digital still and video cameras, MP3 players, car navigation systems, and electronic books, the 128MB SD Memory Card stores up to four hours of music or 40 minutes of video.
SD Media is a revolutionary, universal flash memory storage that includes key enhancements over existing flash cards such as cryptographic security, protection of copyrighted data, high data transfer rate for fast copy/download, and high storage capacity. Toshiba is a founding member of the Secure Digital Media Association that defined the SD Media Card specification..."
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010918/180334_1.html
Opinion: When Osama bin Laden Leads Search Engine Requests
By Mike Banks Valentine, www.osOpinion.com
Tuesday September 18 06:30 PM EDT
I join those mourning lost loved ones in the terrorist attacks on the United States last Tuesday. I'm still struggling to make sense of it all. In taking the oft-repeated advice that we seek a return to business as usual, I've found no escape from terrorism in returning to my work.
As a search engine optimization and marketing specialist, I monitor and measure the most frequently searched terms at all the top search engines across the Web.
To those of us who make a living tweaking and maximizing search terms on our clients' Web sites, it is often clear from what people are searching for on the Internet, what people are thinking about around the U.S. and the world.
"Terrorism" now ranks at position No. 48 on the most frequently searched list I use.
Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) now ranks as the most searched term on the search engines, displacing Britney Spears and Pamela Anderson (news - web sites) as the most sought after name on the Web.
Nostradamus is running a close second after rumors circulated that he predicted the attack on America as the beginning of the end of the world.
Searching for bin Laden
Using Google (news - external web site) and searching for Osama bin Laden returned a category at the Open Directory Project where bin Laden is one of the subtopics with its own section.
As of this writing, the top link in that category leads to the University of Texas Middle East Information Center in Austin, Texas. It provides a 1993 interview with bin Laden by Robert Fisk of the Independent. With bin Laden being the most searched person on and off the Web and this page being the No. 1 result this week, it must be experiencing heavy traffic.
Search Substitutions
It is not always so obvious why top terms are being searched as it is this week. This demonstrates strongly that the Web is a valuable tool for research and reference when important issues arise in our society.
Next on the list come searches for "American flag" and "World Trade Center," displacing "jokes" and "MP3" from their usual high ranking in number of searches.
"New York City" and "Afghanistan (news - web sites)" now rank as the top searched locations, pushing "Toronto" and "Canada" off the list of the top 500 search terms. Folks are still interested in "Maps," but now it is "World map" and "Afghanistan map" that have replaced "Weather" and "Driving Directions" as top 50 search terms.
Taking the Lead
"American Red Cross (news - web sites)" has displaced "dictionary" as a top 20 search term and dictionary has dropped to 40th position. I'm sure lots of folks are looking up how to spell "Afghanistan" and of course "Nostradamus," so "dictionary" still ranks as a top search term.
Misspellings of words are very often found highly ranked in the most frequently searched terms, and this week that is still apparent, as the list contains 18 spelling variations on the name of Nostradamus.
News sites are very frequently sought by searchers but are usually found near the bottom of the 500 most frequently searched terms. This week all major U.S. television networks jumped into the top 250, where only CNN manages to be found routinely that high on the list.
This week CNN jumped to the top 10 with three positions. Position No. 7 with "CNN news," position No. 8 with "CNN" and No. 10 with "CNN.com."
While the commercial phrase "airline tickets" maintains a position around the 50th most frequently searched terms in a normal week, it is nowhere to be found in the top 500 this week. Neither are there many searches for products as there have been in recent weeks.
Looking for a Friend
We often seek comfort and enjoyment from animals and the terms "dogs," "cats" and "horses" usually find their way onto the most frequently searched terms list. Only "dogs" remain this week. Does that suggest they remain our best friend in difficult times too?
Our society can be viewed through this odd lens on a regular basis every week. You can see a side-by-side list of the top 300 search terms for the week of September 8th and 15th at: website101.com/Search_Engine_Positioning/top300terms.
I hope to see the term "World Peace" in that most frequently searched phrases, if not someday soon, at least some day.
Author's background: Mike Banks Valentine advocates a do-it-yourself approach to e-commerce. Valentine is the founder of WebSite101, and is a "guest expert" on Workz.com. He can be reached at learn@website101.com.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nf/20010918/tc/13595_1.html
Opinion: Reassessing The Value of Digital Content
By Monty Manley, www.osOpinion.com
I read an essay many years ago which suggested that the cores of certain gas-giant planets might be made of diamond. Think of that. A single, two-thousand-mile-in-diameter diamond. It boggles the mind. What would such a diamond be worth?
The answer: absolutely nothing in monetary terms. Diamonds are, after all, only rocks. Well, crystals actually. It's only their relative rarity that makes them valuable.
That is, diamonds have little intrinsic worth. They are valuable only because people are willing to pay for them. Were the diamond market to suddenly become flooded with high-quality stones, their value would plummet. Diamonds would morph back into pretty rocks.
We can see an analogous situation forming up in cyberspace. It's no longer possible to make money selling hardware for most companies; you have to be a huge conglomerate in most cases to turn much of a profit.
Selling operating systems and infrastructure software is likewise a losing proposition. You can choose to pay nothing for Linux (news - web sites) and its associated software, or spend more money and get your software from Microsoft.
Checking for Leftovers
A new vendor can't really add much value to the mix. The application software market is an even tougher nut to crack. So what's left?
In a word: content.
Despite the dot-com shakeout, businesses new and old are still rushing to put content on the Internet -- movies, music, books, artwork, you name it. And there are hundreds of schemes floating around to extract payment for this content: micropayments, escrow accounts, debit cards, direct account withdrawals, credit cards, and many others.
But something has happened that media companies especially have been dreading for years -- the content is losing its value even as the cost to produce the content is going up.
Digital Decline
Some point to the "piracy" or "theft" of digital content on the Internet as the reason for the decline. There is some truth to that theory. Why pay $15 for a CD when you can get it for free (in the form of MP3) from Gnutella (news - web sites)? Despite Hollywood's attempts at deterring this scenario, the day is not far off when the same will be true of motion pictures.
Broadband access will make downloading a feature film a trivial exercise. When Stephen King published the first e-book (which used a lame encryption technique), it was cracked and distributed on Usenet within the hour.
Laws and ethical considerations aside, it is clear that sharing movies online will happen. Digital technology is too pervasive to ignore and too dispersed to control completely. If a piece of information *can* be distributed digitally, it *will* be eventually -- and in vast numbers.
Does that mean people are inherently bad? Did the computer revolution turn us into a nation of thieves? Why do we feel the need to propagate "intellectual property" over the Web, rather than accept its controlled dissemination by corporations?
Blurring Right and Wrong
Most people would never think of sneaking into a movie or taking a CD from a store without paying for it. And not just because they fear getting caught. They'd consider it wrong to do so. And yet these same people think nothing of grabbing the latest MP3 of their favorite artists off Gnutella or, in the old days, Napster (news - web sites). But is downloading an MP3 the same as taking a CD without paying for it?
To the RIAA (news - web sites), absolutely yes. To them, digital content is no different from media in real space and is subject to the same restrictions and laws. The MPAA feels the same way about movies, and publishers probably feel the same way about books and magazines. The U.S. court system, by and large, agrees with them. So why is this digital anarchy still proceeding apace?
We are entering a time when information, in and of itself, will be so common and easy to get that it has no innate value. Content will become free not because it is right or ethical that it be so, but rather through a harsh Darwinian devaluation.
Digital Differences
In real space, even the commonest things -- paperclips, gumballs, thumbtacks -- are constrained by natural barriers: they must be manufactured, shipped, stored and disseminated. There can only be so many of them.
A digital thing is different. There is no theoretical upper limit on how many perfect copies of the thing can exist, and there are no real barriers to its propagation. A digital thing can be created, disseminated and stored for almost nothing. Even that "almost" may go away when broadband is more common.
It is this facet of the Internet that has led to the saying that "information wants to be free." This is a misstatement. Information itself has no will, and thus cannot "want" anything.
It is human beings who want information to be free, for whatever reason. We can choose to call this desire criminal, and hold that people who believe so are enemies of democracy and the free market. Or, we can admit that cyberspace and real space are two very different places and do not share the same rules.
Shifting Gears
I personally don't believe that vast numbers of people turned into criminals overnight. It's clear that some major shift in the concept of property is happening, and this shift is going to be painful for many (especially those who profited from the old way).
We need to start having serious discussions about whether it is even possible to own digital content or intellectual property.
If not, where does that leave us?
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nf/20010918/tc/13591_1.html
OT: InterTrust Patents Important Technology for Secure Computing Networks
22nd patent claims digital policy management, mobile code, and distributed computing network inventions
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010918/180255_1.html
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 18, 2001-- InterTrust Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ITRU - news), the leading inventor of Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology, announced today that it has been awarded a broad-based secure computing patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This is the 22nd U.S. patent issued to InterTrust in the fields of digital rights management, digital policy management, and secure distributed computing. Complemented by more than 80 additional patent applications pending worldwide, this patent further extends InterTrust's industry leading patent portfolio.
The patent--No. 6,292,569 ('569 Patent)--describes inventive work for verifying and certifying mobile code and other executables, so that downstream computing devices can reliably determine the code's trustworthiness and suitability for use. It is based on an application filed by InterTrust on August 12, 1996, and extends the claims granted to InterTrust in US Patent No. 6,157,721 issued December 5, 2000.
The inventions of the '569 patent are particularly important in the fields of digital policy management (including DRM) and distributed computing networks, such as collaboration networks and evolving methods for electronic data interchange.
In these markets, computing devices and applications of many types (such as PCs, PDAs, other emerging electronic appliances, and business applications) need to receive software code and instructions about how to treat the digital information they receive or process. These instructions must be analyzed and verified to ensure compliance with security and trust policies. Inevitably, these policies will differ depending upon the nature of the device, the implementation, the use, the code deployed, or the originator of the instructions.
The '569 patent claims technology for providing a common framework for verifying and certifying instructions in a manner that enables devices and applications to reliably enforce their own specified security policies. By enabling multiple verification methods and security levels in common device and application frameworks, such as those that may be provided by different certification authorities, InterTrust's patents address a key barrier for global e-commerce. Different organizations will have different security requirements, and these requirements must be respected by all of the computing devices that process the organization's digital information.
``We live in a world where it's commonplace for software programs to flow freely among many interconnected parties and devices,'' said David Maher, chief technology officer of InterTrust. ``Each group and organization needs the ability to define its own trust policies and criteria. For efficient digital trust to exist, distributed computing environments must have methods to accept or reject software code based on its integrity and trustworthiness.
These InterTrust patents go to the heart of that issue and significantly enhance our already extensive patent portfolio.``
About InterTrust Technologies Corporation
Over the past eleven years, InterTrust has invented and defined key elements of Digital Rights Management technologies. As the first company to devise a digital commerce network, the MetaTrust Utility, to help other businesses manage and protect their proprietary data, InterTrust acts as a neutral third party to ensure security and interoperability over the Internet and other electronic devices. InterTrust's more than 40 licensees and partners include Adobe, AOL/TimeWarner, Blockbuster, BMG Entertainment, Cirrus, Compaq, Digital World Services, Enron, Magex, Mercurix, Mitsubishi, Nokia, Philips, Samsung, Texas Instruments, Universal Music Group, and Wave Systems. InterTrust's pioneering role in DRM and trusted computing is underscored by 22 U.S. patents and more than 80 patents pending worldwide.
Note to Editors: The statements contained in this release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, including statements regarding InterTrust's expectations, beliefs, hopes, intentions or strategies regarding the future. All forward-looking statements included in this document are based upon information available to InterTrust as of the date hereof, and InterTrust assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement. Actual results could differ materially from current expectations. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the factors and risks discussed in InterTrust's reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The statements in this release regarding InterTrust's patents are intended for purposes of illustration only, and are not meant to cover or describe all possible applications, variations, or interpretations of the patented inventions. Nothing contained in this release is intended for use in construing the scope, content, or meaning of any patent's claims, specification, or prosecution history, or of any other patent-related materials.
Copyright (c) 2001 InterTrust Technologies Corporation. All rights reserved. InterTrust, the InterTrust logo, MetaTrust, and The MetaTrust Utility are registered trademarks of InterTrust Technologies Corporation, all of which may or may not be used in certain jurisdictions. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or organizations.
emit, jqlaw re codec embedding in data files:
The decompression of a digital file is a mathematical operation; most of the perceptual audio codecs use some form of calculus-based algorithms (fast Fourier transforms, etc) for compression. These algorithms provide the math instructions used by the DSP to expand the compressed data. As long as the DSP is programmable and has a core set of resident instructions for locating and loading these algorithms, it should be able to load them from various sources, including a set location within the music file or files. Hope this helps.
Webnoise re DP delay (8/23)
http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=EDIG&read=760538
DataPlay Delays Product Launch Until Next Year
Citing device production delays, DataPlay said it will miss its fourth-quarter deadline for selling its pre-recorded 500MB media storage disks. The Boulder, Colo.-based company has delayed the release of blank and pre-recorded disks and compatible devices until the first quarter of 2002. A DataPlay spokeswoman said the company this week decided to delay the launch after learning that production of the rewrite drive for DataPlay-enabled devices won't begin until September; the company's production facility is in Asia. Next year, DataPlay will introduce its disks along with portable audio players from manufacturers including SonicBlue and Samsung; other compatible devices will include digital cameras, PDAs and PC peripherals. About the size of a quarter, DataPlay disks will compete with Flash memory cards developed by SanDisk and other companies, Iomega's PocketZip disks, and hard disk-based MP3 jukeboxes such as Creative Labs' Nomad Jukebox. DataPlay has deals in place to sell music from Universal Music Group, EMI Recorded Music and BMG Entertainment. DataPlay's investors include Universal, SonicBlue, Samsung and Toshiba.
DR - 100 DataPlay Drive
http://www.amaxhk.com/products/napa/dr100/dr100.htm
New Technology of Data Storage
DR-100 really changes the concepts about data storage in the world of information technolgy. In contrast to an external CD-ROM, the DR-100 DataPlay Drive is compact in size, and so handy to carry around to meet your needs of entertainment or work.
Built-in DataPlay engine supports DataPlay disc
Data Play disc allows you to move files to virtually any DataPlay enabled device. You will not be able to enjoy music, but also view your presentation , play PC games, and save any kind of digital document onto a single DataPlay digital media. DataPlay engine is a universal media that plays everything digital.
Standard USB 1.1 Interface
DR-100 works with any PC or that has built-in USB support. USB interface provides faster transfer rate, while DR-100 functions as a DataPlay drive and Memory Card Reader when connected to PC.
Up to 500 MB data on a DataPlay disc
500MB DataPlay digital media gives you up to 14 hours of digital-quality multimedia content from the internet or your own DataPlay disc.
Key Features
Performance Spec.
12 Mbps data transfer rate.
Conform to plug and Play regime.
USB port PC interface.
CD-ROM file format.
Software Spec.
Conform to USB V1.1
Compatible with Window 95, 98, 2000, ME
Support FAT32
Support custom file structure
Hardware Spec.
Dataplay Micro-optical engine
Dataplay optical WORM disc (250/500MB)
Powered by USB
Putnam response on DataPlay delay etc.
http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=EDIG&read=759095
Thank you for writing, Ken. We continue to work with several OEM customers on e.Digital-powered products that will be utilizing DataPlay's digital media and look forward to more information being released about them.
We view this short delay as an opportunity to bring more e.Digital-powered, DataPlay-enabled devices to the consumer market, especially those devices that will play the pre-recorded content scheduled to be made available from
major media companies.
We are also working with multiple OEM customers on our flash-based solutions (including versions of the MP2000) and miniature hard disk drive products (including versions of our jukebox platform).
We are particularly excited with the scheduled branding and marketing of versions of our Microdrive (TM)-enabled digital music player platform this fall. We look forward to the release of more information about this important new product line.
We expect OEM-branded products based on our platforms to be released this year along with other expected significant developments.
Please e-mail me or call me at your convenience if I can be of further assistance.
Thank you for your continued support, Ken.
Best regards,
Robert Putnam
Senior Vice President
e.Digital Corporation
13114 Evening Creek Dr. S.
San Diego, CA 92128
http://www.edig.com
Phone: (858) 679-3168
Fax: (858) 486-3922
robert@edig.com
BusyBump speaks w/Putnam
http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=EDIG&read=754161
Talk w/Robert late last night.
I was surprised when Robert called me at home late last night. They are working long hours at Edig, but he said that this is normal with the many things going on.
Here we go:
Question #1- Do we have to wait until mid-Sept for any news from/about Edig?
Response #1- In about 30-35 days, we will issue an extensive, in-depth letter, a presentation from management to the shareholders that will contain a lot more detail than we've seen before. We are confident that this information will be what shareholders have been waiting for. However, there will be significant announcements between now and then.
Q#2- We've heard about the "strategic alliance" catch phrase for months. Will we have to wait until mid-Sept for that news as well?
R#2- No. We have selected our partner to service specific needs of our present and future customers and that announcement will be made very soon. (He emphasized "very" but I couldn't get anything more specific.)
Q#3- Fred's letter was very brief....
R#3- This was intentional. We have a great deal of information that we will be able to provide in the mid-Sept letter and we prefer to release it all at that time.
Q#4- Fred's letter also talked about the "business direction" Edig will be taking. Some who read that interpreted that as a possible merger, acquisition, or buyout Care to comment?
R#4- I would not go there at this time. Let me just say that we firmly believe that what we will be announcing will be a positive move that will take this company to another level and will be the kind of direction that the shareholders will like.
Q#5- When will we hear more about VoiceNav?
R#5- Very soon...in conjunction with finished products coming out. This is going to be our main differentiating feature that will separate us from our competition. This will provide our OEMs with a huge marketing opportunity. Imagine hundreds of thousands of files that can be quickly navigated without buttons. No other company has anything to compare and our OEMs are excited about this marketing margin.
Q#6- F&H has not been heard from as of yet. Will they be taking a more active role with this mid-Sept letter?
R#6- F&H will play a major role as products come to market. They need these product rollouts to get our "name in lights." They deal with the media and, up to now, they have been working exclusively behind the scenes, laying the groundwork for the product launches. As products come out, they will be taking a major, visible role.
Q#7- There seems to be so much going on at Edig. Fred can't do it all alone. I know that we've bolstered our engineer ranks. Do we have enough management in place to handle the many facets of this business?
R#7- That is one of the main reasons we brought Jim Collier on board. He has the background and ability to handle the growth and expansion and daily operations. We are also very fortunate to have a very active BOD. It is extremely important to have that kind of talent at the top, taking an active, daily role in the business. I can't go into the specifics of what they have been doing but it will all become apparent soon.
It was late, I had the children to deal, and I had left my notes/question at work. So...that was it. I can only tell you all that as upbeat as Robert usually is, this conversation was a couple of notches up from normal. I sensed an end to the waiting. "Soon" has become "very soon" and considering Robert's assertion that announcements will precede the mid-Sept letter, that can only mean in something less than 30 days.
I hope this has been of some interest. We really are close. Let's try to hold down the unnecessary whining and criticism and see what transpires between now and mid-Sept.
My best to each and everyone of you. Go Edig!
First Look: Liquid Audio Liquid Player Plus 6
Liquid Audio releases the first SDMI (Secure Digital Music Initiative) compliant jukebox.
By James L. Kim August 15, 2001
http://www.techtv.com/news/story/0,24195,3342597,00.html
A few weeks ago, we got a sneak peek at MusicNet, the music subscription service backed by EMI, BMG, AOL Time Warner, and Real Networks. The venture aspires to offer consumers a wide choice of songs that can be downloaded legally. This "secure" distribution system won't be the first of its kind. In fact, companies like Liquid Audio have been offering similar services for years. The record industry, Napster, and Napster clones, however, have undercut their success.
On one hand, the record industry has been playing catch up with Liquid Audio-type technology and is finally ready to launch with its competing services (MusicNet and PressPlay). Because Liquid Audio's content depends on its licensing agreements with the record industry, it's only been able to offer consumers scattered content. On the other hand, millions of potential Liquid customers are still using one of many Napster-type applications to download free music. It will be interesting to track Liquid Audio in the next few months.
Here are some of the features in the newest version of Liquid Player Plus 6.
The standard jukebox interface has had years to evolve, and it shows (see it up close). Clean lines and intuitive tabs allow users to play, import (rip), organize, burn, and export music with a single mouse click. The player is compatible with MP3, WMA, AC-3, ATRAC3, audio CDs, and the secure LQT, Liquid's branded version of AAC. Liquid Player also rips audio CDs into LQT up to 128 Kbps.
The player also has a prominent link to the Liquid.com website, where users can search and download content either for free or on a per-download basis. The latter typically cost 98 cents per track, while albums cost almost $17. Liquid holds agreements with all five major labels and scores of independents. While users obviously don't get the choice of a pre-lawsuit Napster or its clones, the content isn't bad.
We were able to find tracks ranging from NSync and Britney Spears (we actually downloaded her entire album) to Pink Floyd and Duke Ellington. We weren't able to find any Beastie Boys tracks. Nevertheless -- content withstanding -- it's easy to understand why downloaders prefer the Napster clone method. It's important to note, however, that these tracks were encoded using the high quality AAC format.
Once downloaded, these tracks join others in a user's library and can be easily accessed and organized.
What users will notice most about the interface are three columns next to the track listings. A check box indicates what tracks can be played, burned, or exported to a portable device (typically an MP3 player). These "permissions" regulate secure formats like WMA or LQT, so unsecured MP3s can be copied, burned, or exported at will.
LQT tracks that are downloaded for free (previews) from Liquid.com cannot be burned or exported to an external device, and can only be played for about a month. Tracks that are purchased have limitations, too. For example, our Britney Spears track could be played any number of times, but could only be burned to a CD once and exported to a device three times. Furthermore, when exporting to a device like Sanyo's SSP-PD7, users may not listen to the track on the desktop player until it's deleted from the player (the player needs to be connected to a PC to delete).
This may seem like an onerous task for the end user, but remember, Liquid Audio is trying to comply with SDMI standards. It deserves some credit for playing within the rules. Also consider the fact that MusicNet and PressPlay will not allow the export of music to devices when they roll out.
Liquid Player Plus 6 adds full support for WMA 7, support for multiple languages, increased CD-RW support, and an integrated download manager. The free version cannot export to devices (which include players from Sanyo, Toshiba, and the Palm platform). The Liquid Player Plus is available for $19.95, while the standard player is available for free.
Summary: Liquid Audio is a well-known jukebox and music download service that uses the latest SDMI compliant technologies.
Pros: Nice clean interface; good content from Liquid.com; AAC ripping.
Cons: Need permissions; must get over the fact that you need to pay.
Company: Liquid Audio
Price: Free; $19.95 for the Plus version
Available: Now
Platform: Windows 98/Me/2000
SimpleTech Announces First-to-Market Availability of Type II CompactFlash Cards in Capacities Up to 1GB; Type I Cards Available in Industry-Leading Capacities Of Up To 640MB
http://ny-web1.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/212282086&ticker=stec
SANTA ANA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 16, 2001--SimpleTech, Inc. (Nasdaq:STEC), a technology solutions provider offering products based on DRAM, SRAM and flash memory technologies, today announced first-to-market availability of Type I CompactFlash(TM) cards in capacities up to 640MB and Type II cards in industry-leading capacities of 850MB and 1GB.
The cards are designed to meet the expanding needs of commercial and industrial embedded applications professionals looking for the highest possible storage capacity in the most popular standard Types I and II CompactFlash cards.(a)
"This is a prime example of the technical synergy inherent in our recently announced alliance with Hitachi Semiconductor (America)," said SimpleTech's Chief Technical Officer Mark Moshayedi. "We can take Hitachi's leading edge flash memory silicon, double its density with SimpleTech's patented IC Tower(TM) stacking technology, and offer the world's highest capacity CompactFlash cards."
According to Mark D'Arcangelo, Hitachi Semiconductor America's system memory product marketing manager, "These new product offerings from SimpleTech are just the beginning of many future `industry-first' solutions that will result from our partnership. The combination of both organizations' strengths will continue to yield superior product for the marketplace."
The proliferation of digital cameras of 3 megapixels plus, audio players and other consumer electronics -- as well as the standardization of high density CompactFlash in industrial embedded applications -- is fueling an unprecedented demand for high capacity flash cards. As more digital data is captured and supported across various consumer and computing devices, CompactFlash becomes the portable media of choice for the transparent exchange of information between electronic platforms. A captured image on a digital camera can travel to a PC, notebook or handheld device directly or with the help of an adapter.
"By pushing the storage capacity of our CompactFlash cards, we are enabling the market to look at them not just as portable media storage devices but as viable permanent storage options," said Jeanclaude Toma, SimpleTech's vice president, marketing. "With this equivalent of a miniature floppy disk and HDD combo, we can offer ruggedness, high storage capacity, low power consumption and miniaturized size in one package, offering enough flexibility to load and run operating systems and serve as a secure repository for critical data."
Embedded or commercial applications can also leverage the high capacity cards as a storage cradle for Linux operating systems or embedded Windows-based systems that serve host devices, Toma added.
The high capacity cards are available in limited quantities through September, with production quantities expected to be available in October.
SimpleTech, Inc., a leader in the design, manufacturing and marketing of custom and standard DRAM, SRAM and flash memory solutions, is headquartered in Santa Ana, California.
This release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted. Important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expected or implied in the forward-looking statements are detailed under "Risk Factors" in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission made from time to time by SimpleTech, including its Registration Statement on Form S-1 declared effective on September 29, 2000, and its periodic reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements include the risks that its compact flash cards may not be compatible or perform in the manner anticipated; customer use of compact flash cards may not grow as anticipated; and new and changing technologies may limit the applications of compact flash cards. SimpleTech undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.
(a) Type II cards, at 5 mm thickness as opposed to 3.3 mm in Type I, enable higher capacities and are ideal for applications such as digital cameras and music players.
CONTACT: SimpleTech, Inc., Santa Ana
Barbara Pronin (media), 949/260-8219
bpronin@simpletech.com
or
Mitch Gellman (investors), 949/260-8328
ir@simpletech.com
Digital World Services Introduces Promotional Products and Subscription Solutions for Secure Digital Distribution of Music
http://ny-web1.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/212282104&ticker=
COLOGNE, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 16, 2001--
Company Delivers Promotional Solution with Music from BeSonic, BMG Entertainment and NYC Independent Bands
Popkomm - Digital World Services today announced the launch of two new digital rights management (DRM) based distribution solutions: DWS Subscription and the DWS Promotional Products.
In the developing market of digital product delivery, Digital World Services took another step forward, adding to what already is regarded as an increasingly comprehensive DRM solutions portfolio.
At Popkomm in Germany this week, Digital World Services is promoting DWS Promotional Products by providing CDs powered by the solution itself, demonstrating how downloading secure music using the DRM company's solutions can work. Music for the promotion was contributed by German music portal BeSonic, BMG Entertainment and various independent rock bands from New York City. The promotion is supported by Digital World Services' technology partners Sonopress and InterTrust Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ITRU), the leading developer of Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology".
"What better way to promote our new offering than with our own DRM solution?" noted Johann Butting, CEO of Digital World Services. Some 4,000 Popkomm attendees will receive a CD at the Digital World Services booth, which allows them to connect with a promotional Web site. They can then download free music using a random code number that simulates a subscription payment and choose five tracks from a total of fifteen tracks. All downloads are secure and protected by the DWS Promotional Products solution.
DWS Promotional Products is a "White Label" solution that lets content owners and distributors license digital content to companies that use it in special promotion offers with their products and services. The licensed content is fully protected. When consumers redeem the promotional offer, their demographic information can be captured and distributed. For example, a record label could distribute promotional downloads of a feature track from a band's new album through their fan site in an effort to increase sales of their physical album. In another example, music labels can license their music for promotional purposes to companies that are unable to sell goods through the Internet.
The DWS Subscription solution enables partners to distribute digital music on a subscription basis by charging consumers an access fee. Subscriptions can be tailored to meet the target markets allowing for different tiers of subscriptions and the ability to upgrade. Different packaging models include pre-defined play lists that allow for updating frequency, a consumer-driven model that enables the consumer to fill a limited number of "active slots" for a certain time period as well as broader genre-based subscription models. DWS Subscription provides tools to develop tailored business rules that track the amount of music a consumer is permitted to access, the duration of each access period and manage the expiration and renewal of usage rights.
At the end of the time period, consumers automatically receive an email informing them about the expiration of their access rights. This enables affiliates to drive consumers back to their Web site on a regular basis, thereby maintaining a relationship with the consumer while at the same time providing new content with a single click.
"DWS Subscription allows our clients to realize the innovative pricing and packaging models they need for a successful online strategy," added Mr. Butting. "Our subscription solution can operate as a stand alone or in combination with other solutions such as DWS Retail Integration. This enables online retailers to offer and sell music subscriptions through existing e-commerce-platforms. The implementation effort is kept at a minimum - the solution is seamlessly integrated into existing shopping cart systems. The digital rights marketplace is about being flexible and integrated. And that's what our solutions are all about."
About Digital World Services
Digital World Services is a digital rights management (DRM) company providing tailored solutions and services for securing and delivering digital content for all media types including music, publishing, video, games and software.
DWS Rights Clearing, the premiere engine that drives all of DWS' secure digital distribution solutions is unmatched in power and designed to maximize profit and efficiency for all digital business solutions. Among the solutions offered are, retail integration, subscription, promotional products, and P2P secure file sharing.
Digital World Services is the only DRM company that offers experienced professional services such as initial and on-going consulting, end-to-end project management, system integration, content packaging, 24/7 customer support and catalog management.
Operating with offices in New York and Hamburg, Germany, Digital World Services is a subsidiary of Bertelsmann AG, one of the world's largest media companies.
--30--ac/ny*
CONTACT: Media:
Digital World Services
Vanessa Erhard, 212/782-7679
vanessa.erhard@dwsco.com
Digital World Services Launches Rights Locker and Content Manager; Both Tools Will Enhance the Consumer Experience For DRM-Secured Music Downloads
http://ny-web1.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/212282094&ticker=
COLOGNE, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 16, 2001--Popkomm - Digital World Services today announced the launch of DWS Rights Locker and DWS Content Manager, both of which are specifically designed to address the need for a better, easier user experience in a digital rights management (DRM) environment.
These two enhancements will enable flexible access to digital products and allow maximum portability beyond the PC to mobile phones, handheld devices and MP3 players. The tools perform across all Digital World Services' solutions including DWS Retail Integration, DWS Subscription and DWS Promotional Products.
The DWS Rights Locker is a Web-based rights repository that can be used by retailers, portals and content providers to equip consumers with a secure locker to store the rights to their digital content. These rights can then be redeemed from multiple locations.
The rights locker also provides consumers with a secure back up for the content to which they have previously acquired rights.
The DWS Content Manager brings clarity to the consumer experience of acquiring digital products. A single tool to negotiate the download and use of digital products, the DWS Content Manager brings together all media types and associated players with the ability to interact with DRM-secured content. It provides consumers with a concise visual display of download information as well as specific product information and gives them a single library view of their acquired content, which can be activated directly from the interface.
As an integral part of all of Digital World Services' solutions, the DWS Content Manager works with any of the Digital World Services service offerings including the DWS Subscription solution, allowing the consumer to interact with their subscription plan and associated rights to acquired subscription content.
"Absolute ease of use is crucial to the successful distribution of digital products," noted Johann Butting, Digital World Services' CEO. "The rollout of these two tools is not only a great enhancement to all of Digital World Services' solutions, it is our way of saying we are committed to nothing less than perfecting the consumer experience."
About Digital World Services
Digital World Services is a digital rights management (DRM) company providing tailored solutions and services for securing and delivering digital content for all media types including music, publishing, video, games and software.
DWS Rights Clearing, the premiere engine that drives all of DWS' secure digital distribution solutions is unmatched in power and designed to maximize profit and efficiency for all digital business solutions. Among the solutions offered are, retail integration, subscription, promotional products, and P2P secure file sharing.
Digital World Services is the only DRM company that offers experienced professional services such as initial and on-going consulting, end-to-end project management, system integration, content packaging, 24/7 customer support and catalog management.
Operating with offices in New York and Hamburg, Germany, Digital World Services is a subsidiary of Bertelsmann AG, one of the world's largest media companies.
--30--mw/ny*
CONTACT: Digital World Services, New York
Vanessa Erhard, 212/782-7679
vanessa.erhard@dwsco.com
JQL, keep in mind that hackers' expertise is usually limited to knowledge of PC operating systems and the standard types of files utilized by them. A DP disk can't be played on any existing computers - an adaptor is required. The extent that DP can go to in keeping its engine software and disk recording formats proprietary (and publicly undisclosed) will have a direct bearing on the security of their disks' content. So far, they have been extremely good at keeping such knowledge out of the public domain.
DH & EDIGkid, check you IHub mailbox.(EOM)
OT: journal, check your IHub mailbox. (Link at top of page)
ASpectator, ARM (symbol ARMHY) is one of the premier designers of DSP and RISC microprocessors. Companies like Texas Instruments and Intel license ARMHY's processor core designs for use in their chips. EDIG is not in competition with ARMHY, but we do offer highly flexible memory management and other software that may be used with chips based on their architecture. Their software is concerned with the internal operations that the processor uses to convert compressed digital files into a format usable by a DAC (digital-to-analog converter). Our software is geared towards managing the flow of raw digital data, efficiently retrieving it from memory and directing it to the processor, and vice-versa. Other areas our software may support include the user interface, where we facilitate rapid file searches and navigation within each song file (the digital equivalent of fast forward/rewind) and the management of other data required by the processor, such as varying compression/decompression and encryption/decryption algorithms. Hope this helps, but don't take my layman's explanation as gospel; I'm sure there are technical errors and omissions.
XM Ad Debuts Today on Most U.S. Movie Screens; 60-Second Spot Will Air on More than 19,000 Screens In 3,000 Theaters Across Country
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010810/dcf004.html
WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Kicking off its national advertising campaign, XM Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: XMSR - news) will debut its 60-second spot today on a majority of the nation's movie screens: More than 19,000 screens in 3,000 theaters across the country.
The spot, previewed last month at a New York news conference, will run for a month, building momentum toward XM's commercial service launch Sept. 12. It will run on every screen in more than 3,000 theaters coast-to-coast, at the peak of summer movie season.
XM's national ad campaign, called ``Radio to the Power of X,'' is a multimedia effort anchored by a television campaign developed by the premier agency TBWA/Chiat/Day, and features some of the biggest stars in music: BB King, David Bowie and Snoop Dogg. The multi-faceted effort will also include radio, magazines, newspapers, direct mail, outdoor and online.
``What better place to introduce America to XM than in movie theaters, where consumers are used to seeing and hearing great entertainment?'' said XM President and CEO Hugh Panero. ``We are coming to just about everybody's local theater to let them know that a new generation of radio -- Radio to the Power of X -- is coming to their local retailer in a few weeks.''
Overall, the ad campaign defines XM's brand as the ultimate radio experience and uses a series of artists -- King, Bowie and Snoop Dogg -- and objects depicting the range of content and programming available on XM's service. Musicians, musical instruments, a racing car and other objects rain down across the country from an XM satellite. The overarching 60-second spot and seven 30-second, genre-specific spots give consumers a flavor of some of the programming that will be available. Some $45 million of the $100 million advertising campaign will be concentrated in the fourth quarter of this year.
XM will transform radio, an industry that has seen little technological change since FM, almost 40 years ago. XM will offer 100 channels of digital- quality sound coast-to-coast: 71 music channels, more than 30 of them commercial-free, and 29 news, sports and talk channels, all for $9.99 a month. Tracked by its $100 million multi-media ad campaign, XM will launch commercial service Sept. 12, initially in San Diego and Dallas/Fort Worth, throughout the Southwest in mid-October and nationally in early November.
XM's equipment production is on pace with its launch plans. Earlier this month, STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM - news) announced it had received orders from radio manufacturers for 170,000 two-chip receiver chipsets for XM radios. At least 70,000 of these chipsets are scheduled for delivery in the third quarter to support the initial startup of commercial service, and the remaining 100,000 chipsets are forecast for delivery before the end of 2001, STM announced. XM Radio chipsets are being delivered to equipment manufacturers including Sony, Pioneer, Alpine and Delphi Automotive Systems for both vehicle and home receiver products that will also include AM and FM radio capability.
XM's strategic investors include America's leading car, radio and satellite TV companies -- General Motors, American Honda Motor Co. Inc., Clear Channel Communications, DIRECTV and Motient Corporation. XM has a distribution agreement with General Motors to integrate XM radios into its vehicles commencing in 2001. ``XM-ready'' radios are being manufactured by such household names as Sony, Alpine, Pioneer, Clarion, Blaupunkt, Delphi-Delco, Visteon, Panasonic, and Sanyo and are available through retailers including Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears and Crutchfield. XM tuner modules will be available before service launch. For more information, please visit XM's web site: http://www.xmradio.com .
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements in this press release include uncertainties associated with the company's dependence on third party vendors, its continuing need for additional financing, as well as other risks described in XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.'s Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 2-22-2001. Copies of the filing are available upon request from XM Radio' s Investor Relations Department.
SOURCE: XM Satellite Radio
HotRodHans visits Hy Tek:
http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=EDIG&read=748272
Talked to Dustin....they are still checking out the TREO to be sure there are no glitches. They HAVE NOT SHIPPED ANY YET. They are looking at early too mid September to ship.
He wouldn't sell me the demo, that would have been a collectors item. The TREO unit was on the desk with a headset and a nice case for the unit. He got a little upset when I stuck it in my pocket. Told him I was just makin' sure it fit, it did. :<( About the same weight as a Whopper with cheese.
He did try to sell me another unit..no EDIG in it though.
Sorry but I didn't get the feeling we'll see it by mid September. That's JMHO. We'll see. Hope I'm wrong.
I did get the feeling that they are overwhelmed by EDIGGERS calling too much...they also said the orders for the TREO are excellent. No numbers.
also the Web site is being redone and you may want to check it out and make sure your order is in. Double check it. Web site should be redone shortly (?).
Would have loved to tell you all a different story but a few weeks more is OK by me.
I don't know who started the hype this morning that the TREO was shipped, but we don't need that kind of krap.
DataPlay gets in line to replace the CD
BY DAWN C. CHMIELEWSKI
Mercury News
http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/ptech/datapl080901.htm
To hear some in the recording industry speak, the new music format from DataPlay will turn audio CDs into so many shiny drink coasters and flash memory cards into a digital flash in the pan.
DataPlay has developed an optical disc that's the size of a postage stamp -- but holds a stunning 500 megabytes of data, or about 11 hours worth of music in compressed format. And it's expected to cost $5 to $12 for blank media: a fraction of what consumers now pay for flash memory cards that hold a mere 60 minutes of music.
The first portable players, from Samsung, Toshiba and Sonicblue, maker of the Diamond Rio, should reach stores in time for the holidays. And three of the five major record labels -- Universal Music Group, BMG Entertainment and EMI Recorded Music -- plan to release recorded music on DataPlay discs.
``In the pantheon of technologies that have lined up to replace the CD, these guys are in the lead,'' said Talal Shamoon, executive vice president of InterTrust Technologies, a rights-management company in Santa Clara that supports the format. ``There's been a bevy of things, like MiniDisc, that have never quite stuck -- Here you've got the light fantastic. These things are going to kill. These things could be the next Walkman.''
Like Sony's gum-like Memory Stick, the DataPlay disc is a versatile repository of all things digital. It will support a mixture of content, whether it's music, digital photos, ebooks or Excel spread sheets, for that matter. And it will play in an array of compatible portable devices, from portable music players to digital cameras to handheld computers.
Unlike rival portable formats, such as flash memory cards, DataPlay's discs are cheap enough for record labels to press in massive quantities -- making it a fine medium for digital album releases. And there's space for additional content, like new music videos from, say, Blink 182, the tour calendar or exclusive interviews.
Labels can even include previous releases from the same group, which the consumer can sample and ``unlock'' through a quick online purchase. No need to return to Tower Records to buy an earlier album or wait for a lengthy download.
``Whenever an artist comes out with a hit, it sells back catalog,'' said DataPlay president Steve Volk. ``It's a huge source of revenue for record companies -- selling back catalog.''
DataPlay's compact size, its vast storage capacity and its novel ability to continue selling music to the fan, long after the initial purchase, has won the endorsement of record labels like Universal.
``This has the potential of being a major format,'' said Larry Kenswil, president of Universal Music Group's eLabs, the e-commerce division of Universal, which invested early in DataPlay.
DataPlay will be just one of an array of new portable players vying for consumers' time and money this fall.
Iomega will update its HipZip player with a new, 100-megabyte removable disc that's the size of a quarter -- and can hold up to two hours of MP3s. Sony's MiniDisc, which stumbled at its initial launch, will be reintroduced with removable discs that sell for $2 each and hold 80 minutes of music.
And that doesn't take into account new versions of popular MP3 players from Rio, Compaq and Nomad with use flash memory cards.
Whether DataPlay will achieve its lofty aspirations -- of replacing the compact disc -- seems a long shot. Right now, the portable digital audio market is tiny, with 1.4 million players shipped in 2001, according to research firm IDC. That number is expected to grow to 11 million by 2005. That's puny compared to the number of CD players in the home -- 700 million, not including the CD-ROM drives found in every PCs.
``CDs are still cheaper. And people still do burn CDs. You've seen those spindles at Fry's -- they're dirt cheap,'' said Bryan Ma, an analyst with IDC. ``DataPlay still isn't at the point where you can throw it away.''