Kazaa To Go Legitimate – The founders of Kazaa, one of the world’s best-known illegal download sites, have become allied to the music industry that prosecuted them out of business a bit ago, by launching a new commercial music service called Rdio. The site will have a monthly $5 subscription fee, allowing visitors access to a catalog of five million songs, including some content from all four of the major music labels: Universal, Sony, Warner, EMI. For $10 you can obtain music content for use on smart phones.
USB Cards to Replace Compact Discs? – First Impression Music sees the technology of USB audio cards and accompanying drives replacing CDs in years to come. They are credit card size and played on a USB player, computer or music server. FIM has already produced the first USB audio card in 96K/24-bit format, and is working on the development of a high-tech USB player, operating much like a CD player, and capable of playing true 192K/24-bit files by clicking a remote control. Such cards are to replace the hassle of hi-res downloads and library problems. FIM hopes to have a production unit in the near future.
Sanyo Delivers New Short-Throw 3D Projectors – Sanyo, working closely with Panasonic, has introduced two ultra short-focus video projectors with 3D capability – one with a 16:10 aspect ratio and the other with a 4:3 aspect ratio. The first can create an 80-inch image only 32 centimeters from the screen – the short-throw unit on the market. It uses Frame Sequential Display Format for 3D, which works with active shutter 3D glasses. The 3D capability opens a new range of possibilities for use in the education, digital signage and amusement markets, as well as rear-projection museum exhibits and 3D arcade games.
Two Studios Join Adobe to Oppose Apple’s Ban on Flash – Time Warner and NBC Universal are supporting Adobe in their battle with Apple over use of the Flash format on Apple’s iPad. The two Hollywood studios are refusing to throw out their Adobe Flash-based video libraries to suit Apple. Other studios, however, are planning to offer non-Flash but iPad-friendly content. Adobe’s Wired for iPad app was produced without using Flash technology and can be used with the iPad.
Sony Develops First “Rollable” Video Display – Sony Corp. has developed a small flexible video display – only 80 micrometers thick – which can be rolled around a pencil. Using high-performance organic thin-film transistors, the prototype is only 4.1 inches in size, but Sony hopes the technology will take off the same way that 3D TV has recently grown. To create the OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Display) Sony created transistors with a new organic semiconductor material that has eight times the current modulation of conventional thin-film transistors. The company said that even after 1000 cycles of repeatedly rolling up and stretching the display, there was no clear degradation of its ability to reproduce moving images. The new technology could be applied to TVs, screens for industrial applications, and electronic newspapers, books and magazines designed to be rolled up and popped into a user’s pocket.
