Audio News for October 10, 2007

by | Oct 10, 2007 | Audio News | 0 comments

Marian McPartland Elected to National Radio Hall of Fame – Host of the longer-running jazz show on NPR, and with nearly seven decades of jazz experience behind her, Marian McPartland will be inducted into the prestigious National Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago next month.  The same month the 89-year-old host of Piano Jazz will also premiere with the U. of South Carolina Symphony Orchestra her new symphonic composition A Portrait of Rachel Carson.  Pianist-arranger Alan Broadbent created the orchestrations around McPartland’s piano compositions for the tribute to the environmentalist. Ms. McPartland recently also completed her latest Concord Jazz recording with her Piano Jazz Trio.

Questionable Piracy Study – A 26-page “study” was recently released by The Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) which concludes that copyright piracy may spell the end of our nation’s economy.  It claims that piracy of motion pictures, sound recordings, business and entertainment software and video games has cost the economy $58 billion, and cost American workers 373,000 jobs. The study was made by Stephen E. Siwek, principal of Economists Incorporated. He has been an expert witness in over 40 court proceedings involving analysis of economic damages in commercial litigation. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is one of his notable clients. Mr. Siwek has been paid by the RIAA and other anti-piracy organizations to carry out 11 similar studies in the past. Get the picture?

TVs Getting Bigger, Better, Cheaper –  Old-fashioned CRT television displays are being replaced at a high rate by the two most popular current types of flat screens – plasma and LCD (liquid crystal).  The industry faces a challenge in disposing of million of outmoded sets in a manner friendly to the environment. A recent survey showed that worldwide, LCD displays of 37 inches and above enjoy the lion’s share of the TV market. The worldwide demand for flat-screen TVs is expected to touch 65% by 2010 vs. only 15% for 2000.  The debate of whether to go plasma or LCD in one’s new HDTV is a hot subject.  Plasma pros are wider viewing angle, better track of motion, possibly better picture; cons include a higher draw of electricity, lower brightness, the possibility of burn ins, higher cost and no repair possible when pixels burn out. LCDs have improved greatly in the last couple of years,  now offering lighter weight, brighter and less reflective screens, and freedom from the danger of burn-ins. And don’t forget DLP (digital light processing), which can’t provide a flat screen but has achieved minimal depth in some new models and is a cheaper alternative.

Multi-room Controller Combines Keypad and TouchPad Features
– Custom Retailer Magazine has give Elan Home System’s new OI XL Touchpad a 2007 Excite Award.  The Film Interactive Touchpad brings to multi-room system control touch-screen functionality, keypad-like simplicity, affordability, and customization. The speed, graphics and response of a traditional LCD touch panel has been combined with the ease of use and pricing of a traditional keypad control.  Many different backlit, slide-in films can be custom-matched to fit every client’s personal situation.  The OI XL has a SRP of $580.

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