News:  August 14 - 20, 2000

Sunday, August 20, 2000

Week in Review - Mikael @ 13:26 EST

We have posted our latest edition of the 3D Audio Week in Review covering August 7-13. We sent it several days ago but I forgot to post the HTML version.

This weekly newsletter covers new driver releases, games, patches and demos that support 3D sound including information on any new bugs, bug fixes and other tips. The newsletter now also includes links to all sound related hardware reviews on the web as well as updates on what we did and what we plan to do in the coming week. The 3D Audio Week in Review is a great way for busy people to be right on top of all latest in the PC audio world.

Unreal Arena Beta v0.4 Now Available - Mikael @ 12:13 EST

Beta v0.4 of the UT to Q3 partial conversion mod is now available. It's official name is Unreal Arena. Check out the official site for more info and download links
News Source: Voodoo Extreme

Getting the Most out of a new DVD-ROM - Mikael @ 12:13 EST

Hardware Avenue has posted a new article titled "Getting the most out of a new DVD pc system". It's a rather short article that suggest you should get a region free drive and buy a hardware decoder. I think a software DVD decoder works just fine and I would certainly not recommend anyone to buy the Dxr2 decoder if you want to watch movies on your monitor. I also doubt there are any new DVD-ROM drives that are region free so I think the best you can get is one that you can patch with region free firmware. When it comes to soundcards the article miss to point out that there are plenty of soundcards that come with a SPDIF output which together with the right Software DVD player can provide Dolby Digital output to your DD 5.1 speaker system.

Heavy Metal FAKK 2 and A3D support - Mikael @ 08:50 EST

I got a couple of questions asking about why I the game supports only A3D 1.0 and not A3D 2.0, even though the snddrivers folder includes a msa3d2.m3d file. The reason is simple - Ritual's Mark Dochtermann told Mark that there is no A3D 2.0 support. Here's Mark Dochtermann e-mail:

We had A3D 2.0 support in but it caused too many problems so we just left A3D 1.0 support in...We are using the Miles Sound System and unfortunately it doesn't do very well with A3D support.
Mark D

Saturday, August 19, 2000

No 3D sound in BreakNeck? - Mikael @ 12:34 EST

We have previously mentioned that BreakNeck supports 3D sound since one review (GamesDomain that have been wrong before) mentioned support for DS3D and the official site list "comprehensive audio backdrops with 3D sound" as one of the features. Now according to a review of the BreakNeck at GlideUnderground there is no support for any 3D sound api which makes me wonder if there is some home made 3D audio engine or just some stereo enhancement processing of the ambient sound effects that take place. I have asked the publisher to what extent Breakneck supports 3D sound, hopefully I get an answer early next week.

GlideUnderground found the game to be pretty good arcade racer with great graphics and gameplay but they were not that impressed with the sound effects and music:

Sound effects and music are not a strong point of the game. The sound effects consist of a fairly basic and standard issue of engine sounds, blowing up effects, and collisions. There is nothing especially different or unique about the issue as there are no 3D APIs supported that enhances the sound. There are, however, some ambient noises like a fox howl in the background of the Arizona track that is enjoyable. The music is not as nice, offering little more than a basic rock track that most racing games come with.

Sneak Peek at Game Commander 2 - Mark @ 10:35 EST

Sontage Interactive, makers of Game Commander voice recognition software for games and simulations, have announced that it will be releasing Game Commander 2 in October 2000. Game Commander is a voice control application for Windows games and simulations that enables users to say commands instead of memorizing keystrokes. The software can be programmed with up to 256 keystrokes per voice command. Game Commander 2 features numerous enhancements and optimizations, and adds support for Windows 2000. According to Peter Ridge, General Manager of Sontage and Game Commander designer, the new version will be faster, smaller, and more powerful than its predecessors and with voice response times faster than ever before. Unlike other products, Game Commander 2 works with existing voice chat software such as TeamSound, Roger Wilco, and many others so that gamers don't have to give up the systems that they like and that their teammates already use. Current Game Commander customers will be able to upgrade to Game Commander 2 at a special upgrade price. For additional details on Game Commander 2 you can check out the full press release.

Soulbringer review - Mikael @ 07:38 EST

Avault has posted a positive but not glowing review of the RPG Soulbringer. They found it to be one of the more addictive games they played but also pointed out that it takes some time and skill to adapt to the quirky combat system and awkward control scheme which may explain why we have seen some really negative reviews while others considered it a must buy for RPG fans. Here's a what they had to say about the sound effects:

Soulbringer's sound effects are well conceived and sound good overall. The clashing of swords is quite realistic, and certain types of weapons make different noises when they strike varying styles of armor. A club striking plate mail will make a ringing sound, while a sword against the same mail will screech appropriately. Spell sounds are well done and easy to identify, which is a bonus when you near a powerful spellcaster and are unable to see your enemy because of a bad camera angle. Infogrames also did a good job in implementing directional audio. Several times throughout the game, I was required to follow a noise when my target was out of sight for varying graphical reasons.

Sound Blaster Live! musician interview - Mikael @ 07:38 EST

As the first part in a series of interviews with Sound Blaster Live! musicians, Live! center has posted an interview with the skilled and multi-talented musician Ethan Winer. Ethan Winer has been a musician for over 35 years, owned four studios, created everything from jingles to a cello concerto and written several articles for music magazines. The interview covers Ethan's studio's, how he creates music and of course how he uses the Live in his work. Here's a couple bits on his impressions of the Live and where he found it lacking:

LC: Do you think of the Live! as a sound card for musicians? Does it belong in a professional music studio?

EW: Absolutely! It's a shame so many otherwise knowledgeable folks dismiss the Live! card based on the reputation of the original SoundBlaster card from years ago. I've done careful listening tests, and the Live! card is totally transparent. Some of the very expensive audio cards available today may have a slightly lower noise floor than the SB Live!, but for most people the huge difference in price is pretty hard to justify. So in my opinion the SB Live! is equally suited for both home and professional studio use.

LC: What do you miss most about the Live!? (excuse me for the incorrect use of punctuation marks here - I blame Creative Labs for choosing silly names for their products...)

EW: I do wish the SB Live's built-in sampler was a bit more capable. For example, it would be nice if the SoundFont spec allowed for different LFO wave shapes. I'd also like to see more options for the filter, such as 24 dB. per octave and maybe highpass and bandpass modes. There should also be a better way to control filter brightness with note-on velocity, rather than the screwball way we're stuck with now by fudging the ADSR Attack time. Finally, I wish Creative Labs would do a better job with their owner's manuals. I had no idea that all sample parameters could be adjusted in real time until someone told me about your Live Center web site where I found the list of Non-Registered Parameter Numbers.

Icewind Dale review - Mikael @ 07:18 EST

GameRaiders has posted their very positive and detailed 6 page long review of Interplay's latest RPG, Icewind Dale. They think the game is a must buy for any RPG fan and that it's the best RPG this year and they have played Diablo II. Here's a bit of the unusual long sound comment:

It's a rare thing for a game's sound environment to leave a strong impression on me. The sounds in Icewind Dale are very impressive, especially if you're using a sound card that supports EAX (Creative Labs Environment Audio Extensions). The environmental sounds in Icewind Dale do an excellent job of portraying a game world that is very much alive. Everything from weather sounds to footsteps and echoes in caves help draw you into the game. I especially enjoyed some of the more subtle things, such as the fact that the sounds your footsteps make vary from surface to surface (e.g., walking on snow sounds like you're walking on snow, while walking on a dungeon floor sounds like you're walking on a hard surface). The sound effects used for magic are also very good, as well as the voices used (though there aren't very many).

Heavy Metal F.A.K.K. 2 reviews - Mikael @ 07:17 EST

GamersFocus, The Game Guy and Head-2-Head have all posted a review of Heavy Metal FAKK2. They were all very impressed with the graphics and gameplay even though Head-2-Head didn't think it had the same action feel as MDK2. Head-2-Head had several complaints of the bugs even with the patch that many other users have reported while the two other reviews didn't mention it at all. Head-2-Head also complained about poor performance something the other reviews had no issues with. Game Guy didn't really have any complaints while Gamersfocus only major complaint was the standard complaint for this game, lack of replay-value. Here's the usual sound snips, first up GamersFocus:

Sound in this game is provided by hardware or software, and can be adjusted. While the sounds were nice and loud as well as accurate. The weapon sounds were great. The guns really rattled my cage! It tended to cut out sometimes when going to the menus. The game supports A3D and EAX. The music is, as with most games, average and I disabled it the instant I started playing it.

Friday, August 18, 2000

JeepMP3 v1.0 - Mark @ 21:58 EST

Here's a snip from their intro to set the stage of just what this is about:

After much scrutiny (sans some encouragement) and acquiring the necessary parts, the JeepMP3 was built. Why should I pay approximately $200 (Summer 1999) for a handheld player with 64Mb of memory that can hold a whole hour's worth of music when I could build the system you see here (v1.0) for $140 ($115 for the HD, $25 for the USB ports)? The rest of the parts I already had. Besides, should this system become too antiquated in its present form, I can always loot it for parts. Can you say the same for a Rio-esque player? Hence, the reasoning behind the 1.0 design. Though, my feelings are likely to change drastically once the portable players capable of playing CDs of MP3's come to market.

Vortex of Sound Aureal Update - Mark @ 21:47 EST

Vortex of Sound has more interesting news on Aureal's ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, basically noting that a source at Creative was unable to confirm anything on the bids and there is some internal concern with respect to the recent posting on Vortex of Sound. I had checked with Creative Labs this week and my source also denied any knowledge of the ongoings at the bankruptcy proceedings and as such was unable to offer any comment. VOS also notes that there is a chance that some of the numbers reported from the proceedings (which are not first hand numbers) may not be entirely accurate. For all the details check out Vortex of Sound's news page.

Dell Digital Audio Receiver Review - Mark @ 21:37 EST

C/Net has posted a review of the Dell Digital Audio Receiver. Based on S3's Rio technology, the receiver works by using your PC as a file server, then streaming MP3s across a home network to the unit, which plays them on your stereo system. The receiver connects to your computer in one of two ways: over an Ethernet network, or through HPNA 2.0 (the Home Phoneline Networking Alliance standard for transmitting data over your home phone). C/Net was fairly impressed with this unit award it an 8/10 concluding that it runs very reliably with excellent audio quality is excellent--comparable to the results you'd get if you connected your sound system directly to your PC. Dell expects to start shipping the Digital Audio Receiver in October for $199 when purchased with one of its PCs (HPNA telephone networking kit included) or for $249 as a standalone unit. For more details, check out the C/Net review.

Gnutella Review - Mark @ 21:29 EST

C/Net has posted a review of Gnutella. Here's a snip to set the stage:

As a file-sharing program, Gnutella is unstoppable. Unlike Napster, Gnutella is a decentralized, open-source application, meaning that it doesn't use servers and has no hierarchy. In other words, there isn't a company to sue, and no individual is entirely responsible for the program. So no matter how the legal wrangles over copyright violations impact companies such as Napster, Gnutella--and similar software--will undoubtedly survive. It does have some usability issues, although we like that it shares files of any type.

Since it is an open-source application, Gnutella is not proprietary and can be opened and tweaked by any number of developers, which is why it is difficult to use. The most complicated aspect is that Gnutella does not automatically connect to a server when you launch the program. Your first step after downloading the application is to enter a host (or IP) address, which enables users to connect to one another.

Deus-Ex review - Mikael @ 16:43 EST

MGON has posted their review of Ion Storm's Unreal engine powered first-person RPG/Action game Deus-Ex. The detailed review was overall very positive saying the most addictive game he played since Half-Life. He had some complaints including the standard complaint about poor D3D performance and long load times. One other complaint I haven't seen before was about the ladders which he often got stuck on. Here's the usual sound snip:

The sound quality in Deus Ex is also excellent; with full surround sound capabilities, listening to the sounds around you are pretty important in creating situational awareness. The AI is also intelligent enough to react to sound and movement so moving carefully and listening is very important to gameplay. You can also use sound to your benefit in the game, try creating a diversion and doubling back to pick off the enemy from a distance.

The musical score is nothing short of outstanding, Deus Ex has simply one of the best-suited sound tracks in any game to date. The music is context sensitive so rises in tempo in combat and then returns back to normal levels. This is so well done that it really does become one of the major factors in setting the atmosphere in the game just right.

The voice acting was in most cases very good, the game relies heavily on voice acting to convey the story line and give information on what is to be done next. In the majority of cases the quality is excellent, there are a few criticisms to mention. Some the accents used in the game are pretty darned poor, for example the two Australian girls had the best British accent I have heard in a while.

Klingon Academy review - Mikael @ 16:32 EST

Gamepen has posted their impressions of Interplay's action space sim set in the Star Trek world, Star Trek Klingon Academy. They found the game overall to be good but not great. The strong part includes it captures the essence of Star Trek combat while the major weakness was the collision modeling. Rather common complaints and praise from the reviews I've seen. Here's the sound bit:

The sound in the game, as expected of a Star Trek title, is excellent. The musical score is quite good, and the voice acting, at least to my Trek experienced ears, is excellent. The presence of Plummer alone is enough to elevate the quality of the entire titles sound to well above par.

The Rift Becomes Far Gate - Mikael @ 16:07 EST

Microids has announced they will publish ThrushWave Technology's upcoming 3D real-time strategy space game, Far Gate, formerly known as The Rift. The was said to support DS3D last time I checked but see no mention of it on ThrushWave's site now. The game is expected to hit retail shelves later this year and a new demo will then also be released. Until then you can download the demo that was released in February
News Source: Avault

Tribes 2 Interview with Dave Georgeson - Mikael @ 16:02 EST

Stomped has chatted with Dynamix producer Dave Georgeson about the upcoming Tribes 2. Here's a couple interesting answers:

Stomped: Primarily, what are some of the more fundamental changes since the original Tribes?

Dave Georgeson: The addition of the web community (e-mail, news pages, forums, etc.), the streamlined command map, live voice communication, ground vehicles, new game types, new weapon types (Shock Lance, Guided Missile, and the various grenade and mine types), and more. There are a ton of new things in T2.

Stomped: Will Tribes 2 support ATI's new technology, Dual Processors, EAX and A3D, Windows2000 and Voice Commands?

Dave Georgeson: W2K is supported. Voice commands? You mean voice recognition? No. Dual processors? Not enough bang for the buck. No. EAX and A3D? Yes.

Good Quality headphones anyone? - Mark @ 13:23 EST

If you are in the market for some good quality headphones you might want to check out this thread in our forum for some discussion and feel free to contribute your own thoughts and impressions. No registration necessary!

Sony resurrects Walkman brand - Mark @ 13:16 EST

Sony's groundbreaking portable music player, a cultural mainstay of the 1980s, has languished in the past decade, as CDs and other digital music formats have displaced cassette tapes. But Walkman is still a valuable brand name, according to Fujio Nishida, president of Sony Electronics. So the electronics giant plans to resurrect the name for all of its portable music players. For more on this story you can head over to C/Net News. A couple other interesting bits I will hi-light from the story. Sony says that an ongoing components shortage is affecting even those companies that make their own chips. Nishida said sales of DVD players have suffered because Sony can't pump out enough of its digital signal processors! He also said that more than 50 percent of Japanese consumers over 30 who bought a PlayStation2 did so primarily because of its DVD capability. This was likely because of high DVD Player prices in Japan, so they don't expect the same trend in the US, where DVD Players are less expensive.

Studios crack code, get win in DVD hacker case - Mark @ 13:01 EST

A federal judge handed Hollywood studios a major victory Thursday against what they see as DVD piracy by permanently barring a Web site from posting the code that cracks the encryption on digitally stored movies. The studios see the landmark decision as a significant step toward the secure distribution of their movies via the Internet, but the case's defense team is hoping to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The ruling comes in the wake of a contentious two-week trial that pitted the MPAA -- acting on behalf of Universal Pictures, the Walt Disney Co., Fox, Paramount, MGM, Time Warner Entertainment and Sony Entertainment -- against computer hacker and journalist Eric Corley, a k a Emmanuel Goldstein. Testimony in the case ended last month. The MPAA said Corley, 40, was trafficking the DVD code breaker -- known as DeCSS -- through his Web site, 2600.com, the Hacker Quarterly. Corley's lawyers argued that DeCSS is a tool that enthusiasts of alternative operating systems like Linux must use to play encrypted DVDs. The defense added that the code is protected under free-speech laws. Industry observers compared the trial to the major music labels' efforts to stop unauthorized audio downloads. For the whole article you can check out the Hollywood Reporter report over at Yahoo as well as more analysis at eWeek.

Shadowbane First Look - Mark @ 12:53 EST

GA-RPG has posted a first look at Shadowbane, which according to their report is one of the next generation MMORPG’s (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) due out within the next year. Being developed by Wolfpack Studios, it is being geared towards PvP (player versus player) action. There is no mention of sound in the article other than they list 3D sound as one of the supported features. However, it will give you a good run down of what the game will be all about.

Submarine Titans Patch - Mark @ 12:44 EST

Ellipse Studios has released a new version 1.1 patch for Submarine Titans, available for download from SubTitans.Com, with a mirror available at Avault. The patch, currently only available for the North American version of the 3D sound supporting underwater RTS game, addresses a load of bugs, and also adds several performance optimizations. There is no mention of audio in the list of fixing, nor have I heard of any audio issues so that's not surprising.

Labtec ATX-5820 Speaker Review - Mark @ 08:37 EST

The Tech Gods have posted a review of Labtec's ATX-5820 2.1 virtual Dolby Pro Logic speaker system. We have reviewed the 4620s (before we beefed up our reviews) which, with the exception of the virtual Pro Logic, are the identical speakers. As such, I can attest to the fact that they are much better speakers than people tend to give Labtec credit for, but perhaps not quite as good as this review would have you believe. I also highly doubt that the virtual surround is quite as effective compared to a rear surround system as the review lets on and its using the Pro Logic source and not the Dolby Digital source. Having said that, I do think that both the 5820 and 4620 are worth checking out, especially at the street prices they are going for.
News Source: Anandtech

SRS Labs' WOW: One of the Year's Most Impressive Technological Innovations - Mark @ 08:25 EST

That's what Discover Magazine thinks! As seen in July's issue of Discover Magazine, the Company's WOW Thing was named as a Top 10 Semi-Finalist in Discover's esteemed program that has become known as the ``Academy Awards of Technology'' within the industry. The Discover Awards for Technological Innovation honors unsung technological heroes whose creative genius improve the quality of our everyday lives and alerts us to what lies ahead in the frontiers of human achievement and ingenuity. You can read more about the award and WOW thing in the press release issued by SRS Labs.

Next LiveWare will be released late October - Mikael @ 07:21 EST

Creative's Harvey Fong mentioned in the Live Newsgroup that the next major Live!Ware release is currently planned to be released late October. Last time when we asked in mid June he said it was estimated to be released in the September/October time frame.
News Source: Live!Center

Thursday, August 17, 2000

3-D Audio with Real-Life Impact - Mikael @ 17:45 EST

Wellness Junction is offering a free article outlining the benefits of incorporating a new breed of motivational tapes into an everyday wellness program. What makes these recordings different, and the only reason we mention it, is their approach to the end goals of smoking cessation, weight management and stress management. The tapes use new advances in recording technology, placing the listener into a virtual soundscape right where the action is taking place. The narration is punctuated by sound effects that seem to leap out from all angles, holding the listener's attention and making the experience colorful and entertaining. For more info about this very unusual use of 3D audio read the press release

MP3.com and The Beggars Group Announce on-Demand Music Subscription Channel - Mikael @ 17:40 EST

MP3.com has announced a technology and content collaboration with the Beggars Group of record labels (Beggars Banquet, XL Recordings, Mo'Wax, Mantra Recordings, Too Pure, and Wiiija) that includes an expected August 2000 launch of a subscription music service. The Beggars Group (``BG'') includes artists such as Prodigy, Cornershop, Saint Etienne, The Charlatans, South, and Hefner. You can find more details in the press release

Hifi.com Announces Launch of Hifi.com Asia - Mikael @ 17:40 EST

Hifi.com, a multi- channel retailer of consumer electronics and home entertainment products, has announced the launch of Hifi.com Asia(TM) (asia.hifi.com) to the Singapore market. Hifi.com plans to launch Web sites in other global markets, including additional Asia-Pacific regions, in the future. No mention of when or even if they will launch one in Europe. For more details check out the press release

Martian Gothic: Unification review - Mikael @ 16:59 EST

GameRaiders has posted a review of Martian Gothic: Unification. Like most other reviews of this game it's very negative. Here's a bit that sums up their impressions nicely:

This game has value to die hard console-style gamers that could not get enough of "Resident Evil." For all others, be warned—the real terror on Vita base is the frightening question, why was such a great concept so poorly executed?

ARX interview - Mikael @ 16:32 EST

Ga-RPG has chatted with Lead Designer Raphael Colantonio of Arkane Studios about their upcoming 1st person role-playing game ARX. A game GA-RPG describes as the unofficial Ultima Underworld III due to the heavy influence of these games on the designers. Here's a couple interesting bits:

.)Could you briefly describe ARX?

I'd describe Arx as being an immersive 1st person rpg experience. The player is set in a dark environment, in which he'll have to deal with sects, sacrifices, and demon summonings
[snip]
15.) A few technical questions all strung together. What features can we expect from the graphics engine used in Arx (what makes it special)? What system requirements are you targeting for the game? Finally, will the game feature any type of 3d audio support?

For this one, I’ll transfer the keyboard you to Cyril Meynier, our lead Programmer: Well, beginning with the end... 3d audio support will not be an option in Arx, but a full-must-be-no-way-around feature of the game. So don't worry about this :), but for people who don't have 3d environmental audio the experience will just be a bit less immersive.

Heavy Metal: FAKK 2 review - Mikael @ 16:32 EST

Gamersdepot has posted a review of the third person action game Heavy Metal: FAKK 2. Like most other reviews they found it to offer great graphics, sound effects and gameplay but complained about the lack of multiplayer mode and short time to complete it. Here's the sound bit:

Capping off the graphics and gameplay is the excellent sound effects and musical score that help complete the experience. Utilizing today’s latest 3D sound hardware, FAKK2’s sound effects are some of the best we’ve heard to date, and leaving little else to be desired. The music isn’t an annoying soundtrack that keeps going the whole way through. Its dynamic and seems to always kick in the right time, with some kind of pulse-pounding sound track that adds to the attitude of kicking but.

BlasterKey MP3 + Live tutorial - Mikael @ 16:17 EST

Soundblaster.com has wrote a nice tutorial to get started with using the BlasterKey MP3 with a Live soundcard. Here's a bit from the intro:

I'm sure many of you have, at one time or another, wished you could play a musical instrument. But lack of time or finance may have kept it a dream. With the advent of the BlasterKey MP3, you'll now have an opportunity to realize your musical aspirations! All without having to spend months or years learning music theory, or spending huge amounts of cash.

Diablo II review - Mikael @ 16:17 EST

Gamer's Nexus has posted a very positive review of Diablo II. As most other reviews they complain a bit on the graphics and the Battle.net servers but loved the gameplay. Here's the sound bit:

Also, support for 3d sound and EAX is included. The EAX for Diablo is a nice touch and it really adds some mood in the many dungeons and caves.

More Aureal news - Mikael @ 15:52 EST

Vortex of Sound has received info from "an outside source familiar with the situation". Assuming the info is accurate 3dfx won't be allowed to bid, Guillemot has increased their bid to $12 Million and Creative Labs has increased their offer to $21 Million. The Guillemot bid has been turned down because its not high enough and Creative Labs bid has been turned down because the major investor refuse to drop the lawsuit. Guillemot has put a 5 day deadline on its and also said they will try to see if they can bring it more in line with Creative's offer. Creative says they will match the Guillemot offer (same price for the same limited assets) if a deal with Guillemot could not be consummated within the Guillemot 5 day limit. According to Vortex of Sound source the court can't force Aureal to sell to Creative Labs. Vortex of Sound also mention new WDM drivers should be posted soon. For more details head over to Vortex of Sound.

Diablo II MP3 of the Week - Mikael @ 15:52 EST

Blizzard has released a new MP3 of the Week from their Diablo II. This one is named "Sewer".
News Source: Blue's News

Heavy Metal FAKK2 Reader Review - Mark @ 13:03 EST

Here's a taste of the mini-review posted by reader BrianL in our forum:

For everyone who enjoys great sound work in a game, I give my highest recommendation to Heavy Metal FAKK2. Played through my MX300 in A3D mode (over headphones), it is the finest game sound I have ever heard. Everything is great: little ambient sound effects, weapon effects, the music, the voice acting, etc. Some of my previous high-water marks have been Half-Life, Heretic II, and the last couple of Need For Speeds, but this game tops them, IMO.

AVB's VMouse - World's First Sound-Based Vibration Mouse - Mark @ 07:42 EST

American ANKO has announced the availability of the world's first sound-based vibration mouse, AVB's VMouse. Via a connection to the sound card, AVB's VMouse ``listens'' to sound effects emitted by any game, multimedia software or interactive website viewed on a user's computer. Synchronized vibrations accompany each sound. According to the release, the unique design and patented SoundSensual Technology make it possible to plug-and-play through the USB port of a PC, iMac, Power Mac and even a Linux-based operating system. The VMouse ships in volume in September. For some more details you can check out the full press release.

C-Media Electronics to License Sensaura 3D Sound Technology - Mark @ 07:36 EST

Scipher plc, the technology development and licensing company, has announced the award of a license to C-Media Electronics, the leading Taiwanese PC chip manufacturer, for its 'Sensaura' 3D Sound technology. The agreement allows C-Media to distribute Sensaura technology with their audio chips - significantly increasing the availability of Sensaura worldwide. There have not been may C-Media chips in the mainstream retail market but Guillemot, for one, is releasing a sound card (Maxi Sound MUSE) using the CMI-8738 chip, so this announcement could mean that the card will offer more of Sensaura's newer technology at bargain basement ($29) retail prices. For some additional details on the C-Media licensing deal you can check out the full press release.

Sensory Science Shipping World's First Dual-Deck DVD+VCR - Mark @ 07:29 EST

Sensory Science Corporation has announced it is shipping its new DVR-5000 combination DVD+VCR to retailers throughout the United States. The unit has complete versatility to play DVDs, audio and video CDs, and VHS tapes, and users can watch a DVD while recording a TV program. Users can playback MP3 files on CD-ROM, and the unit is also compatible with CD-R. RF inputs and outputs located on the back of the unit allow for connections to both new and older model televisions, a feature not included on many current DVD players. Users can also record non-copy protected DVDs to VHS at the touch of one button. The unit's Hi-Fi VCR seamlessly integrates with the DVD and contains four heads for superior slow motion and stop action, and VCR Plus+ C3(TM) for easy programming of the VCR, cable box, and satellite in one easy step. The VCR plays back S-VHS tapes at better than standard resolution and has a 16-event/one-year timer recording feature. The unit also contains a Dolby Digital® 5.1 channel surround sound decoder, and has dts digital output for dts-enhanced DVDs. For more details you can check out the full press release.

Spatializer N-2-2 in Toshiba's NUON Enhanced DVD Player - Mark @ 07:24 EST

Spatializer Audio Laboratories Inc. has announced that Toshiba Corporation has included Spatializer N-2-2 virtual surround sound software in its SD2300 DVD player, the first from Toshiba utilizing the powerful interactive capabilities of the NUON processor developed by VM Labs, Inc. The Toshiba SD2300 DVD player is planned to commence shipping in the third quarter of 2000. For some additional details and quotes of representative of both parties you can check out the full press release.

Compaq's PA-1 features Maverick and RioPort software - Mark @ 07:16 EST

RioPort, Inc. has announced that Compaq Computer Corporation is featuring RioPort's advanced technology and software solutions in its new Compaq iPAQ Personal Audio Player (PA-1). The new device utilizes RioPort's Media Device Manager (MDM) 2.0 Technologies that support popular PC applications such as the Windows Media Player 7 and the RioPort Audio Manager. The RioPort Audio Manager software enables iPAQ Personal Audio Player users to easily create, catalog and navigate through lists of songs recorded from their personal CDs or downloaded from the Web. Further, RioPort's versatile software supports multiple audio file formats, including MP3, WMA and AAC, for playback in crystal clear digital sound. Users also benefit from RioPort's secure firmware solution that enables the audio player to be upgraded for playback of newly emerging sound file formats. For more on this announcement you can check out the full press release.

In related news Cirrus Logic announced that Compaq Computer Corporation has selected its Maverick EP7209 Market Specific Processor (MSP) to power the new Compaq iPAQ Personal Audio Player PA-1. With the Maverick processor's ability to decode MP3, WMA and AAC sound files, the iPAQ Personal Audio Player will be capable of handling the most popular audio compression formats available in the market. In addition, the Maverick processor can be quickly modified to support newly emerging audio compression standards (codecs), or add valuable features such as equalization, without redesigning the players. You can find more details in the press release.

If you missed it the iPAQ Personal Audio Player, announced Aug. 15, is a hand-held device that enables users to rapidly download digital music files from the Internet through a USB interface to a PC, and plays back crystal clear digital audio sound. The iPAQ PA-1 is equipped with 64 MB MultiMediaCard flash memory which can hold up to two hours of digital-quality music and as mentioned above is compatible with multiple music formats, including MP3, WMA and AAC.

Encore 12x is shipping/Upgrade your Dxr2 to Dxr3 - Mikael @ 06:31 EST

Creative's latest storage newsletter included the following two interesting bits:

PC-DVD Encore 12x w/Dxr3 Available Now

- Listen to 5.1-channel Dolby® Digital (AC-3®) or DTS® audio*
- Reads DVD data at 12X maximum transfer rate
- Reads CD-ROM, CD-R and CD-RW discs at up to 40X
- Dxr3 DVD decoder board provides hardware-accelerated, high-resolution MPEG2 video playback

Check out this speedy product at:
http://www.americas.creative.com/pc-dvd/encore-12x

Upgrade to Dxr3
Needing more features than your software MPEG2 decoder? Wanting enhanced features to replace your Dxr2? Now you can get Dxr3 for as low as $59.99!

Hurry up and check out the details of this great deal at:
http://www.americas.creative.com/pc-dvd/dxr3-decoder.

Icewind Dale International Patches - Mikael @ 06:21 EST

Interplay has released international versions (German, French and Spanish) of the 1.06 patch for the DS3D with EAX supporting Icewind Dale. On the same page you'll also find the North American version.
News Source: Blue's News

Wednesday, August 16, 2000

New Worlds MP3s Galore - Mark @ 23:45 EST

Daily Radar has posted 12 MP3 from the sound track of Star Trek: New Worlds.
News Source: Blue's News

Spec Ops 2 - 1.2 Patch - Mark @ 19:08 EST

According to 3Dfiles there is no info in the readme.txt except that this is a version 1.2 patch. There are separate patches and texture add-ons for Direct 3D and Voodoo cards. Patches Scrolls also mentions that version 1.2 will bring you up to the Platinum edition. Download sizes vary from 5-18 megs and you can grab them all from 3Dfiles. Spec Ops 2 is supposed to support A3D 1.X, IAS and DS3D with EAX but it's still not on Creative's EAX list almost a year after its release and there is no mention of any 3D sound or EAX on Zombie's pages.

Terminus 1.7 Patches - Mark @ 18:31 EST

Yes! More patches for Terminus (which should support 3D sound). You can grab the various versions from 3Dfiles.

MDK2 European Patch - Mark @ 18:25 EST

The European version patch DS3D with EAX 2.0 supporting MDK2 has been released. You can grab the 700 KB file from 3Dfiles.

Nascar 2000 Review - Mark @ 18:16 EST

3D Game Force has posted a review of Nascar 2000 and were fairly impressed giving it a 7/10. Here's what they though of the sound:

The audio effects are not that complex in this game at all. You'll hear the engines roar as you race down the speedway, collision sounds from the accidents, in-game comments from the announcers, and even some sounds from the pit crew working on your car. For those that don't care much about the effects and would rather just listen to the tunes on the CD, guess what? There is no in-game music which is a real shame because that would make the game a bit more exciting I think. All games should have some good tunes following it's theme but for those that do like to listen to the tunes of this game, try popping in a CD of Metalica or Nine Inch Nails or something to get you going.

Maverick Processors in Embedded Linux Internet Appliances - Mark @ 17:48 EST

Cirrus Logic Inc. has announced multiple new design wins for its Maverick processors running embedded Linux in recently reported Internet products such as the futuristic IBM Internet appliance wrist watch prototype, S3's Diamond Rio Receiver and PhatNoise's PhatBox car audio system. The combination of rapid time-to-market and flexibility are among the key reasons customers chose Maverick processors for embedded Linux in consumer applications. Cirrus Logic feels that this customer trend should continue to expand as upcoming Internet products such as Web tablets, Personal Device Appliances (PDAs), TV Internet boxes and audio jukeboxes are announced. For details on some of the new products that will be using the Maverick processors you can check out the full press release.

Rosun Launches Versatile Line of MP3 Chips - Mark @ 13:40 EST

Rosun Technologies has announced the debut of its new family of MP3 decoder chips, created for next-generation Internet appliances and designed to be the most versatile MP3 chips ever made. Rosun's MP3 decoders are based on a single DSP chip design that can be programmed to support a wide-variety of applications without recasting a new chip-enabling it to replace competing multiple chip solutions with a single chip. According to the release, the versatility of the Rosun chips enables them to be customized to support specific applications and devices. The release also mentions that the chips allow for the ability to play a variety of audio formats in 3D sound and that the 3D sound is VMAx 3D Virtual Surround Sound by Harman International. For quite a few additional details and some quotes you can check out the full press release.

InterVideo to Integrate Marimba's Castanet - Mark @ 13:34 EST

Marimba, a leading provider of Internet infrastructure management solutions, today announced that its Castanet product solution has been selected by InterVideo to manage its award-winning WinDVD 2000 software. Castanet will enable InterVideo to distribute and update multimedia applications, such as MP3 and DVD players, to millions of users via the Internet. InterVideo will manage several applications with Castanet, enabling it to deliver content and application updates. Initially, InterVideo considered developing a software-updating infrastructure internally, but determined that Castanet was a much simpler, more cost-effective, and more reliable choice. It's interesting to see the growth rate of InterVideo that led to this decision. According to Raul Diaz, vice president of business development at InterVideo, the Marimba solution has the proven unlimited scalability InterVideo requires to support a customer base that is growing by about one million installations each month! For some additional detail you can check out the full press release.

Compaq Introduces iPAQ Personal Audio Player - Mark @ 13:26 EST

Compaq Computer Corporation has unveiled a line of Compaq iPAQ products and services aimed squarely at the power of the Internet, leading to a convergence not of devices, but of experiences. iPAQ is a family of personal Internet devices and services that together provide solutions allowing users to take advantage of personalized and customized information from the Internet any time, anywhere. From an audio perspective they introduced the iPAQ Personal Audio Player, which offers one-button access through your personal computer to the iCAST music and entertainment web site. According to the release, the rugged, compact and colorful iPAQ PA-1 supports multiple formats, makes downloading simple and convenient, and easily accepts upgrades as technology evolves. The PA-1 has a simple plug-and-play feature that allows users to download music files from their computers without added parts like memory sticks. The iPAQ PA-1 will be available in late August for $249.99 at retail establishments in the U.S, through Compaq's web site, through their toll free hotline at 1-800-888-0263 and through Compaq's kiosks located in over 10,000 popular retail stores. For more information you can check out their iPAQ Personal Audio site, the full press release and an article over at C/Net News.

Aureal Update at Vortex of Sound - Mark @ 13:15 EST

Vortex of Sound has posted a lengthy update on the latest that they have heard regarding Aureal's fate. They have quite a bit of detail on the bidding process that indicates that Guillemot, Creative Labs and 3dfx are in the fray, but not Nvidia. Apparently Creative Labs has topped the Guillemot bid, but it's conditional on the remaining law suits against Creative being withdrawn. 3dfx has not made a bid but want additional time to bid on the technology. Aureal has also sent a letter to its few remaining employees notifying them of the termination of their benefits plan and the way the letter is worded it seems to imply that the few remaining employees at Aureal may not be part of the sale. For the full details check out Vortex of Sound.

4X4 Evolution Review - Mark @ 07:59 EST

GA-Sports has posted a review of 4X4 Evolution, based on a preview build of the game. For details on the overall impressions you can check out the review, but here is a snip on sound:

Sound and music was lacking in this preview build, but I've been reassured that they're working on this, and from what I can see they'll support all the major 3D API's. They're about 25% done with this aspect, and at the time of this preview, it should be about 50% or more.

Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K. 2 Review - Mark @ 07:43 EST

Avault has posted a review of Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K. 2. Given the crash on exit problems some (including the Avault reviewer) have had with the game I thought that the following bit was interesting:

The strides made by Ritual in FAKK 2 with regard to optimization are enormous, and considering the stark differences between this product and SiN's at its initial launch, I'd say Ritual has achieved redemption. For techno-heads this is hands down the best example of today's best PC-based visual technology. But looks aren't everything, and considering the industry's bad habits, the question remains, is FAKK 2 just another example of solid gameplay sacrificed on behalf of graphical innovations? Simply put, not a chance.

Sad Day on the Web - Mark @ 07:35 EST

I am not sure if you have caught the bad news on the All Games Network (AGN3D, AGNHardware). Here is part of the post on AGNHardware by Jose Antonio Ayala:

The End Is Here Folks....I never thought I would have to type this... As of Tuesday, August 15th, 2000, AGN and all of its web sites is no more. This also includes AGN Hardware. We were just told by upper management to cease operations and to stop posting news to the engines.

So, this will be my last official post to AGN Hardware and to AGN PC. For the time it lasted, I have to say it was an excellent run. I met and made contacts across the entire industry. I made some really good friends and also made the occasional enemy.. :) But all in all, I have no complaints about the time I spent working for you guys. Following you will find some parting shots, so feel free to read them if you want to...

Turtle Beach Santa Cruz Now Shipping - Mark @ 07:29 EST

Got a call from Mike McDougall and an email from Julie Solpietro, both of Voyetra Turtle Beach, to let me know that the card shipped to retail stores yesterday. It should now also be available to order online from their website. Mikael already has the VideoLogic SonicFury (same hardware) in testing for our review of that card and the Santa Cruz should be in my machine for the same purpose any day now.

Creative Labs Interview - Mikael @ 03:34 EST

Ga-Hardware has posted an interview with Hector Marinez of Creative Labs about Creative's plans for the future of Audio. Here's an interesting bit:

Q3: It seems to me that support for 5.1 digital stream output or six-channel analogue output (5.1) are to be inevitably implemented in future sound products. But at the moment we need a separate Dolby Digital decoder amplifier - which are still rather expensive - to take full advantage of this sound system. Don't you think that providing a reasonably priced but high-quality AC3 on board decoding solution would be much to the liking of gamers and DVD maniacs?

A: We feel that the ideal playback platform for DVD is a matched system comprised of the Live! card and the CSW DTTS. This ensures the best quality Dolby Digital experience. However, we do intend to offer a wider choice of options by introducing a more affordable, analog multi-channel solution to the market later this year. At this time will add AC3 decoding capability to the soundcard, as a native feature.

S4 MidiLand 7100 Review - Mikael @ 03:15 EST

In this review we take a close look at the multi-functioned (2 channel, 4 channel, five channel and 6 channel input) S4 MidiLand 7100 5.1 ready speaker system that lists for $200. The 100 Watt RMS system comes with 5 identical satellites using 2.5-inch drivers, a subwoofer using a 6.5 inch driver, a very large power supply, the necessary speaker wires and cables and the unique S4 module. Based on the total specifications the S4-7100 appears to be a worthy contender for the attention of your ears and dollars in the now crowded 4 channel speaker market. At least as important, if not more so, the S4-7100 has specification that appear to position it as an excellent option for people wanting to take full advantage of MidiLand's own ADS-2000 Dolby Digital decoder as well as the new 5.1 analog output soundcards that are on, or starting to hit the market. Examples include the existing Best Data Theatrix and Skywell Magic Sound Live as well as the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz / VideoLogic SonicFury. Having said that, we all know how little impressive paper specifications will do for your ears. In the review we set out to test the MidiLand S4-7100 in all configurations with a number of sound cards to see how those specs translate to real world performance and how it stacks up against the competition in its range

Bungie/TotalAudio interview - Mikael @ 03:07 EST

MacCentral Online has chatted with TotalAudio's Audio Designer/Composer Marty O'Donnell. Total Audio is the company that's behind the music in Myth, Myth II and the upcoming Oni and Halo. Here's a taste:

MG: Do you think gamers recognize sound as an equal part of their gaming experience along with graphics, or do you think that most will still continue to fixate on polygon counts, frames per second, and lighting effects?

MOD: I don't think the majority of gamers actually focus on those details. I think most of them take in the whole effect of the game experience and either like it or not. It's just easier to talk about visuals. Sound and music is hard for most people to talk about intelligently. It's a sort of "I can't explain what I like but I'll know it when I hear it" attitude. If someone really enjoys a game, they rarely mention the sound, but I guarantee that if the sound was horrible they probably wouldn't have enjoyed playing the game. That will never happen in any game I work on, if I can help it.

Dogs of War review - Mikael @ 02:38 EST

Avault has posted a review of Talonsoft's real-time strategy game Dogs of War. They found the gameplay and especially interface to be the weak parts of the game with 2 and 3 stars out of 5 respectively while the graphics and especially music and sound effects to be its strong parts with 3.5 and 4 stars respectively. Here's the sound bit:

Positional audio goes a long way in 3D RTS experiences, and it's something that Dogs of War certainly takes advantage of. For instance, you can hear the faintly ominous hiss of incoming missiles as they soar above the head of your selected soldier, as well as the subsequent explosion that rocks the tank that was trailing behind him. Similarly, you can hear the gritty, oil-soaked chug of your tanks as they move their way across the landscape, and the dull whine of a recharging plasma cannon. Although not all audio effects are as pleasant as these, most are well-done and certainly add to the title's atmosphere.

Speaking of which, the voice acting is top-notch and adds a very definite flavor to the underlying tone. Craig Charles does an absolutely fantastic job in each of his incarnations, as do the other actors, each bringing their various characters to life. Since the pre-mission "personal logs" are audio-only, it's positively crucial that the vocal talent be spot-on if they are to convey any kind of personality. Fortunately, they succeed with flying colors, and are most definitely a high point.

DigiTheatre DTS review - Mikael @ 02:28 EST

TargetPC has posted a very positive review of VideoLogic's DigiTheatre DTS system , which they found good enough to earn their editor's choice award. One bit that's not clear in the review is if he compared the DTS version of Saving Private Ryan with the DD 5.1 version or just used the Dolby Digital 2.0/Surround track that's available on the DTS disc. In the end of the review he mentions that DD 5.1 was introduced in the home theater market 98 and Dolby Pro Logic Surround 4 years ago. I'm not sure when Dolby Pro Logic was introduced but it's more than 10 years ago and Dolby Surround was introduced long time before that. Dolby Digital entered the Home theater market 95 and had its big break in Movie Theatres the same year. Thanks to Kamikaze for the pointer.

For more about DigiTheatre DTS you can check out my review

Tuesday, August 15, 2000

More on S3 Sound Card Withdrawal - Mark @ 19:59 EST

As you may recall, last week we posted confirmation that S3 was withdrawing from the sound card market in addition to the video card market. Voodoo Extreme got an email from a reader with some similar info plus a bit on the next (and final) driver release for the MX400. Here's the goods courtesy of Th3K33p3r:

Given S3s recent announcement that it will be shutting down its Diamond Multimedia board businesses, S3 has halted development of newer graphics and audio cards, as well as development of next-generation drivers for the Monster Sound and Sonic Impact audio cards. One final driver release for those products is about to be posted and, while it will resolve some game compatibility issues, it will not add support for any features beyond those already implemented in the drivers that came with your product.

Following that final driver release, we will continue to provide you with technical support and honor the 3 year hardware warranty on your Monster Sound or Sonic Impact product.

Submarine Titans Review - Mark @ 12:54 EST

Head 2 Head has posted a positive review of the 3D sound supporting RTS Submarine Titans, done in a rather different style . Here are a couple snips on sound:

And I must say, the music works extraordinarily well in this game. The soundtrack is perfect.
[snip]
The unit speech was, well....talk about robotic. But a fun thing you can do is change them yourself with the configuration utility you're given, with Submarine Titans. But although going through and changing everything to Homer Simpson wavs would be cool - it would take a damn long time.

DS9 - The Fallen Interview - Mark @ 12:45 EST

Planet Unreal has posted part 1 of an interview with a number of the team from The Collective who are working on the upcoming UT engine based DS9 - The Fallen. Here's a sound related snip:

The demo appears to be lip synced, but without voices. Is The Collective trying to get the official DS9 cast to provide the voice acting?

[Tony] At the time of the demo's release to PCGamer (months ago), the voiceovers had not been recorded. Many of the actual actors from the show have lent their voices to the final product. These voices drive our proprietary Lip-Sync technology. This technology analyzes an audio file and provides perfect lip sync on our models. In addition to lip sync, facial expressions and even blinking is supported.

More on FAKK2 Problems - Mark @ 12:34 EST

Ritual's Mark Dochtermann sent the following email to FAKKYou.com asking for assistance from gamers in the Dallas area who are still experiencing problems with Heavy Metal: FAKK2 (after applying the just-released patch). Here are the details:

We released a patch for Heavy Metal FAKK 2 tonight and honestly thought we had fixed the vast majority of remaining issues with the product, apparently we were wrong. The truth is since we shipped the product 2 weeks ago we have been unable to reproduce the crash bug that everyone seems to experience. We have access to over 30 different machines (at the office and at home) running 98, 2k, and NT, running A3D, EAX and software and we have not gotten one machine to reliably crash time and again.

Often when we did find a machine that did crash, we were able to cure it by upgrading to the latest sound or video driver or it miraculously cured itself after minimal cajoling. I am writing this, to ask if there is anyone in the DFW area that is experiencing this problem and would like to help us solve it, please contact me directly at markd@ritual.com. Ritual Entertainment is dedicated to shipping products that are bug free, and we thought Heavy Metal FAKK 2 was bug free. I ask that people have a bit more patience with us so that we can do the right thing by our customers. We shipped a product that had no known major issues at launch time (according to our testing), the fact that it has exhibited these problems in wide release is very distressing to me and the rest of the FAKK 2 team.

A Tribes 2 Interview with Dave Georgeson - Mark @ 07:48 EST

Digital Fusion Cafe has posted an interview with Dave Georgeson, Producer of Tribes 2. It covers a games built in voice system as well as game play design is worth checking out. Here's one snip from the voice system section:

Q: We have heard quite a bit about the built in Battlecomm/Roger Wilco style voice support for online play which sounds fantastic. For the sake of clarity could you definitively state the intended use of and how many brodcast channels there will be per game world?

A: One general chat channel. However...

Everyone starts a game "MUTED".

To hear someone else, you must first UNMUTE them.

For them to hear YOU, they need to UNMUTE you.

This process prevents voice spam because only people you CHOOSE to hear can actually speak to you via voice.

This also makes it fairly easy for teams in vehicles, or defense teams, or attack teams to mute/unmute necessary team members and create separate "psuedo-channels".

It also makes it easy to do a Commander. Everyone would unmute the Commander (and thus be able to hear the Commander's voice), while the Commander could selectively mute/unmute folks as needed while giving commands.

Mute/Unmute functionality is easily done on the command map

Heavy Metal F.A.K.K.2 Patch - Mark @ 07:37 EST

A patch has been released for Heavy Metal F.A.K.K.2 which appears to address many of the issues various people have complained about since its release. Here's the list of fixes:

Crash or BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) on Exit should now be fixed on various versions of Windows.

Crashes on cinematics should be fixed

Voodoo 2 support has been fixed

The OpenGL driver can now be selected from the advanced menu

The memory manager has been re-written to improve stability and eliminate some memory leaks.

Altec Lansing ADA-800R Review - Mark @ 07:31 EST

Apu's Hardware has posted a review of Altec Lansing's ADA-880 Dolby Digital speaker system. A couple rather significant comments. Despite what they say in the review, the ADA880 does not and cannot deliver 4 discrete channels for games (unless the game used Dolby Digital which is very rare). Under the typical scenario, unless you use it with games that have Pro Logic source or use it with the SB Live in its LiveSurround mode (which translates DS3D and A3D 1.x to Pro Logic) the rear speakers are not used for gaming. They also mention that the Live doesn't support Dolby Digital but that's only true if they talk about converting DS3D to Dolby Digital. The Live supports Dolby Digital just fine if you use a software DVD player like PowerDVD or WinDVD. Speaking of DVD it's not even mentioned at all in the entire review! Anyway, the bottom line is they were very happy with the system and for why they were happy check out the review. For a lot more detail on how the system works and performs you can check out our own ADA880 review. Our thanks goes out to 703 for the pointer.

Monday, August 14, 2000

MP3.com and The Outernet Burn to Order - Mark @ 21:13 EST

MP3.com, Inc. has announced that it has entered into an agreement with The Outernet, Inc., a chain of brick-and-mortar retail entertainment complexes that, among other things, will enable customers to create CDs featuring digital artists that post their music on MP3.com. This agreement creates an offline opportunity for digital artists to potentially increase their earnings through CD sales at a retail outlet. The Outernet will utilize MP3.com's technology infrastructure and songs posted on the MP3.com site to deliver custom-created CDs and individual songs to consumers. Using interactive touch screen monitors at The Outernet locations, shoppers are expected to be able to search for various music on the MP3.com site and then create a custom CD through The Outernet's ``Singles on Demand'' program. The music will be ``outloaded'' to a fully automated CD burning system within each facility. The Outernet's first location is scheduled to open in Apple Valley, Minn. this fall, with 20 additional locations slated to open by July 2001. For a few more details and some quotes you can check out the full press release.

Cambridge SoundWorks DTT2500 Review - Mark @ 20:00 EST

Yoink! 3D has posted a short but positive review of Cambridge SoundWorks' DTT2500 Dolby Digital 5.1 speaker system.

More F.A.K.K.2 - Mark @ 13:32 EST

Subsequent to my post on the demo I got the following email from Robert I.

The ritual message boards are crawling with people who have probs with an exit-game crash on Soundblaster Live cards. the demo isn't as bad as the full game for this. Currently I find it unplayable.

Demo Report: Heavy Metal F.A.K.K.2 - Mark @ 07:47 EST

I downloaded and installed the 72.4 MB demo yesterday and had a chance to do some brief testing with a Turtle Beach Home Studio with Turtle Beach's new 2046 reference drivers (more like 2041 not 2048) as well the Sound Blaster Live with the latest drivers. The demo has sound options for software, EAX, EAX 2.0 and A3D (no version listed). In the advanced options you can also select your speaker setup selecting between 2 speakers, 4 speakers and headphones. Using the Home Studio 3D sound works fine but there are some dropped sound effects in a few spots. I am not sure if the 2048 drivers on other Vortex 2 boards would solve that problem. Using the Live I had no issues with dropped sound effects, but I found that the EAX(1) setting resulted in notably more prominent effect than the EAX 2 setting. Note that I have not played through the whole demo yet and I may try some other cards later, including an MX400 and a Vortex 2 board with the 2048 drivers but at least from a quick check on 3D sound, the demo is worth a look see.

Unreal Tournament 4.28 Patch - Mark @ 07:41 EST

I posted about the known audio issues yesterday (see top post of the day) but forgot to give the link to the patch. This patch fixes 425's D3D problems, improves client side predictions, addressed some UnrealEd problems and a 'creeping ping' issue with win2k. Version 428 (as with all UT patches) is fully network compatible with other builds. You can grab the 6.2 MB patch from 3Dfiles.

AOL Drops MP3 Search Engine - Mark @ 07:36 EST

C/Net's Week in Review had the following snip on AOL's foray into the controversial music swapping realm:

AOL last week scrapped a search engine that finds links to downloadable music files. The company developed the search engine one month ago and posted it on the Web site for Winamp, a Web-based MP3 player developed by AOL subsidiary Nullsoft. The feature presented links to sites that let people download MP3 files. Since the search engine was unable to distinguish between copyrighted files that are illegal to download and others, AOL decided to drop the service.

The decision could mark another culture clash between new and traditional media, analysts say. AOL is in the process of acquiring media giant Time Warner, which also runs several record labels under its Warner Music Group. Now that the companies are merging, AOL must walk a fine line when developing new Internet services to make sure they don't threaten Time Warner's existing businesses.

AOpen DVD 1640 Pro Review - Mark @ 07:27 EST

Techgrounds has posted a review of the AOpen DVD 1640 Pro. The drive is rated for 16X for DVD and 40X for CD and comes bundled with PowerDVD 2.55. Overall they were impressed with the package which carries a MSRP of $136 but found that the DVD speeds were well below (7x) the specs in the tests they ran. For their more detailed impressions you can check out the full review.
News Source: Anandtech

News from August 7-13, 2000

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