Digital Media Copyright in Europe – is proceeding differently from in the U.S. Last month European Union Commissioner Viviane Reding called on European governments to change their approach to regulating Internet content and piracy – to set up “simple, consumer-friendly” rules for accessing digital content, rather than the current legal framework which often makes users into pirates. She said “We must reform our European copyright rules on orphan works and libraries swiftly… [or] Europe will be left in the dust.” Music downloads in Europe trail behind those in the U.S. – partly due to the fact that music rights are sold separately in each country, which has prevented Apple’s iTunes from setting up a single online store to service all of Europe. It has been forced to seek licenses from each EU member state. Correcting this problem could support iTunes’ rollout across Europe. The international copyright on many classic jazz recordings has expired in Europe, enabling small European labels to issue jazz CD sets at bargain prices compared to U.S. labels.
Digitize Your Old Cassettes? – With many USB turntables now available for conversion of LP collections to digital files, it was only a matter of time before a unit with similar function for audiocassettes was offered. ION Audio’s Tape 2 PC is a dual deck which plays standard cassettes but also aids in moving all your music on cassette to your computer, iPod or MP3 player, or recording it on a CD-R. Its cross-platform design uses EZ Tape Converter 2 software to transfer to PCs and EZ Audio Converter for Macs. It hooks up with a USB cable and helps you import your music into iTunes and analyzes them to automatically retrieve album, artist and song information from GraceNote online. The Tape 2 PC lists for $134.99.
Panasonic Fully Wireless HT System – The Panasonic SC-ZT1 hopes to provide a total entertainment solution for demanding consumers with space constraints or not willing to set up the usual multi-speaker array. It reproduces uncompressed audio via a wireless 2.4 GHz band for high-quality sound. Four speakers placed vertically inside two slim pole enclosures to achieve a parallel sound system creating a virtual 7.1 surround field using special Panasonic technology. The unit decodes Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD 7.1 audio codecs, and each speaker has an integrated subwoofer with a long-throw 12 centimeter driver, which releases the sound facing downward towards the floor. Speaker cables are unnecessary, and the vertical speaker array reduces noise from ceiling or floor reflections. The wireless Panasonic 2009 VIERA TV and Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray disc player may also be added for a totally wireless HT system.
Fourth Main Version of HDMI Introduced – Silicon Image has introduced its first semiconductor products using the latest HDMI v1.4 spec for DTV and home theater applications. It consists of a port processor and transmitter which offer a more interactive HDMI entertainment experience via Ethernet, such as Silicon Image’s LiquidHD technology, transmission of full duplex data at 100MB/sec using the Audio Return Channel on 1.4 HDMI cable. The transmitter supports full 48-bit Deep Color, though that technology is not yet on the market and there are no content sources available using it. The new port processors offer features, technologies and standards for DTV above and beyond the basic HDMI switch function offered by analog switches. There is also faster port switching between HDMI-enabled consumer electronics, and a low pin-count HD AV interface that connects portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras, camcorders and portable media players to HDTVs. It has been difficult for manufacturers of consumer electronics to keep up with the laundry list of HDMI features on each version. Communication has often been poor on how to make the latest version work. HDMI still doesn’t offer users a 100% reliable connection guaranteed to work, and part of the problem is the copy protection technology demanded by the Hollywood studios, which is built into HDMI. Many retailers fail back on component connections for their HDTV displays because the HDMI connections are too problematic.
