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The week in
review: March 20-26
Last week's features at
3DsoundSurge
X-Gamer and FPS2000 Giveaway!!
Creative Labs is sponsoring a contest where (if you live in North America) you can win a
Sound Blaster Live X-Gamer or a set of FPS2000 speakers depending on which banner you
click on. Even if you already have another good sound card you might want to enter the
Live contest as you can either run two sound card (e.g. Vortex 2 and Live) or take the
excellent game bundle and give the card to a friend! Here's the direct link to the
FPS2000 page and X-Gamer
contest page respectively.
Cambridge SoundWorks Digital 2.1
In this review will take a look at Cambridge Soundworks new 2.1 speaker
system, the SoundWorks Digital. The system is an update (and replacement) to their
classic SoundWorks three-piece system. The new system has been built around their highly
successful FPS2000 system and as such also features design elements common with the
DTT2500. This very affordable (99 dollar) system is targeted at the both the PC and home
audio (for TVs, portable CD players, MP3 players, etc) market and offers two analog inputs
and a COAX digital input!
Last week's sound news
Drivers and bugs
This announcement caused the share price to drop 38% but at that
time most probably still thought (or at least hoped) Aureal would be bought by some other
company and the current soundcard business would continue but late Friday Aureal announced the resignation
of all of its executive officers, including its President and CEO, Kip Kokinakis, its
Chief Technical Officer, Scott Foster, its Chief Financial Officer, David Domeier, and its
Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, Brendan O'Flaherty, along with all senior
staff members of Aureal. The Board of Aureal stated that it is seeking replacement or
turnaround management and is considering all necessary actions to either sell the Company
or its assets or wind down the Company. This caused the stock to drop another 68%.
It currently looks unlikely that someone will buy Aureal and
continue to develop, market and sell the Vortex series. Someone may of course buy the IP,
patents and the 3D audio engine and use them in their own future products but don't expect
to see any more Vortex2 reference drivers released and I also doubt anyone will promote
the A3D API in the future, but it's of course possible someone will. When it comes to the
other companies selling Vortex2 boards, the ones we have been in contact with say they are
currently evaluating the current situation and should in the near future have an
announcement. When it comes to A3D games it looks like at least in the immediate future we
will see many games supporting A3D and considering many games uses engines (e.g. Unreal)
or SDKs (e.g. Miles Sound Tools) that support A3D2 we probably will see some A3D2/3 games
even 12 months from now but of course most likely a significant drop compared to games
that are released now. This is of course assuming no one steps in and decide to promote
the A3D API/SDK. The Vortex2 also supports DS3D, EAX and I3DL2 as you know. While the DS3D
support works well, the EAX and I3DL2 support have some compatibility issues and so far no
EAX 2.0 game has turned out to work. No reason to throw away your Vortex2 card, but I
wouldn't buy one until we find out more about Aureal's future, especially not if you
intend to run Windows2000.
You can find more details about what Aureal said if you check out the financial report
and the "Aureal
Announces Resignation of All Executive Officers and Senior Staff Members" press
release.
New games, demos, patches and bugs
Reviews of soundcards, speakers, headphones and MP3 players.
- Videologic Speaker interview
A recent AGN Hardware Show featured an interview and product overview with Ray Wells,
Colin Crawford, and David Harold from Videologic, where they discussed their new Crossfire
and DigiTheatre home speaker systems. I have listened to the interview and it does not
offer much news if you read our review of the DigiTheatre and Crossfire. The only news is
that VideoLogic confirms that the DigiTheatre is now available in US while the Crossfire
will not be available until May 1 and will have a SRP of 449 dollars. You already know
this if you visit our forums or checked out www.DigiTheatre.com.
The AGNHardware crew also mention they think the Crossfire sounds better than the
ProMedia. Mark should have a comparison up between these two this week sometime. It's
pretty much already done (including written) he just needs to do a quick check of the new
low-gain preamp to see the hiss is reduced, quality the same and redo the SPL tests.
For more on the AGNHardware interview follow this link
- DTT2500
ALive has posted a
very detailed and positive review of Cambridge SoundWorks Desktop Theater 5.1 DTT2500.
In this review they mention an undocumented feature but considering what it does I think
it's actually documented since the manual says you should disable all CMSS modes when you
play Dolby Digital content. One thing this review doesn't bring up at all is that if you
can use the Live and many other soundcards with SPDIF out (coaxial) to send AC-3 to the
DTT2500 using a software decoder and in case of the Live also when using the Dxr3. A
couple other points worth noting is that I don't think the music or movie CMSS mode offers
much if any improvement to simply forcing Dolby Prologic on stereo content so I wouldn't
consider those a reason to buy this speaker instead of some other Dolby Digital system.
Finally in their conclusion they mention some improvements they like to see in the next
system from Cambridge SoundWorks and one of them is In FourPoint mode, the center
speaker should be used to provide better directionality. While that would be nice
it's IMO not a good idea to enable it if the soundcard doesn't support a center output,
otherwise it may mess up the 3D sound. For a second and rather similar opinion you can check out our
review of the DTT2500.
- Surround Sound Solutions
Thanks to Allan for the pointer to an article at IGN.com that discusses complete Surround Sound Solutions in
the $300-750 price range. The systems they list are Cambridge SoundWorks DeskTop
Theater ($300), JVC MX-J70 ($400 and just ProLogic), NSX-DS11 ($525.00) and Panasonic
SC-DK1 ($750.00). They give a very brief description/comment on each system. In the intro they mention that games are just stereo now which isn't true, we
have 3D sound and we have Dolby Surround. When it comes to games using AC-3/Dolby Digital
don't expect this to be interactive surround sound, it will be used for soundtracks, movie
clips and maybe ambient sound.
In their movie tips they suggest to not buy THX or DTS systems. I
agree that DTS isn't worth a lot more but there are DTS/Dolby Digital systems available
now that don't cost much more than those that only support Dolby Digital. When it comes to
THX their For the THX enhancements to work is a bit misleading. THX is just
(except THX-EX) a quality standard and non THX stuff can certainly be better than one
that's THX certified. THX are just meant to make Lucas rich and give lazy shoppers a
guarantee that the system performs well. Important to note there are now several different
THX certifications so be sure you know what certification you are looking for and at..
They also suggest that Surround EX is not that relevant, which is true now but the number
of movies using it will increase and at least in movie theaters it offers a significant
benefit IMO. It will certainly have less impact in your living room not to mention when
you sit at your computer but I would still buy it if the price premium is 20% or less. So
far I have not seen any Surround-EX system in the $300-700 price range. Could add that
Surround EX are more like the Dolby Prologic mono surround channel than the Prologic
Center channel since just like the Prologic surround channel the center rear channel has
limited frequency response.
- BA4800
Vince has posted a review of the BA4800 in our forum.
- Pine D'Music MP3 Player
Anandtech continues their coverage of MP3 players by testing Pine's $160
MP3 Player, D'Music. It seems to be a rather standard portable MP3 player featuring 32
MB, SmartMedia Card slot, voice recording, equalizer, parallel port connection and
according to review offers great sound quality.
- DLink DMP-100 MP3 Player
Sharky Extreme has put up their
impressions of the DLink DMP-100 32MB MP3 Digital Audio Recorder which is what you
usually refer to as a portable MP3 player. Just like the Pine D'Music portable player it
retails for less than $160 and features 32 MB memory, smart media cards, voice recording,
Parallel port connector, equalizer and according to the review offers great sound quality
but it's not top notch.
- Yepp' MP3 Player
T-break has tested Samsung's MP3 Player Yepp and found it be a great MP3 player for
the money. The player features 32 or 64MB memory, expansion slot, equalizer, stereo
expansion, voice recording and a telephone directory.
- eGo MP3 Player
3D-Unlimited has checked out i2Go MP3 Player, the eGo which in addition to standard MP3
playback features news, sports, weather and uses Microsoft Voice conversion system to read
your e-mail to you. It's mostly intended to be used in a car but if you go with
CompactFlash memory instead of Microdrives discs it can be used with batteries.
- Hitachi GD-5000 8X DVD Drive
GamePC has posted a review of Hitachi 8X DVD-ROM drive, GD-500. When it comes to
CD it will read at up to 40X. In the review you will find CD-ROM performance and CPU usage
numbers but not any DVD numbers. The review also note that it has a digital CD output and
use tray-loading instead of slot-loading.
- Optical Drive (CD/CDR/CDRW/DVD) Tweak Guide
Tweak3D have posted an
Optical Drive Tweak Guide covering CD,CD-r,CDRW and DVD-ROM drives. The tweak includes
getting new drivers, enabling Sync Data Transfer and Direct Memory Access (DMA), Cache
setting, getting Winboost and CD-Quick Cache, IDE Channel Configuration, cleaning your
drive and finally for CD-R/CD-RW drives they recommend getting audiograbber and Nero.
Other sound news
- Creative Technology rallies as sound card demand
stabilizes
That's the headline for an article at CNET Singapore that mentions the increase in the stock
is because its sound card business has stabilized and its Internet ventures will start to
pay of. The article mentions a 5% increase of the share Thursday. Could be interesting to
know that the share has gone up more than 20% since Monday in the US market and hit an all
time high 36 5/8 yesterday. That's an increase of more than 300% from the 52 week low of 8
7/8.
- New TerraTec products @ CeBIT 2000
Yes Cebit ended a few weeks ago but Terratec just mailed us about a few other new products
they demonstrated during Cebit in addition to DMX XFire 1024 and MP3 OnAir that we have
already mentioned. First up is a brief overview of their EWS series of soundcards that targeted to home and
project studios. When it comes to new products they announced:
- New features for the EWS88 MT audio system. With 8 inputs and outputs
for analog audio equipment, continuous audio data processing with 24bit at up to 96kHz
frequency from the converters to the driver, MIDI I/O as well as digital interfaces in
S/PDIF format, the PCI card once again sets the price/performance standard in the music
market. The EWS88 MT now also has an ASIO 2.0 driver which can take up to four cards in
one PC (ASIO with up to 40 inputs and 40 outputs at up to 24bit/96kHz, full-duplex). In
addition, AC3 audio streams - for example for DVD - can now be sent through the digital
output. And: the EWS88 MT now supports the NEMESYS Gigasampler interface GSIF. EWS88 MT
owners can download the new software features on www.terratec.net
- The new EWS88 D model which is based on the technology of the
AudioSystem EWS88 MT and provides a total of 10 digital audio channels. The EWS88 D will
be available in April 2000.
- Synchronisation via EWS ClockWork. Cards with EWS-Connect* can be
connected internally to the EWS ClockWork module to ensure perfect synchronization with
the digital outside world. The module can either transfer the clock signal of a master EWS
card to all external devices with a minimum of jitter, or it can follow an external clock.
Up to 4 EWS cards with EWS-Connect* in the computer can be coupled in parallel to the
WordClock signal using only a single EWS ClockWork module.
- QSound will buy StreamMagic for C$100 millions
QSound announced last Tuesday that it has signed a letter of agreement to acquire 100% of
Los Angeles based StreamMagic, Inc., a leading provider of Internet video streaming, in a
stock-for-stock transaction valued today at approximately $100 million. The combination of QSound's enhanced audio and StreamMagic's broadband video
delivery solutions will enable content publishers to deliver rich media via the Internet
in a cost effective manner.
Immediately prior to this transaction, the Company plans to spin off
its non-Internet audio business segment and its e-commerce business segment to QSound
shareholders in a new company that QSound intends to list publicly. More information
regarding the spin-off will be forthcoming in a future press release. For more about this
deal check out the press
release. For more about QSound you can check out an
article we posted about a year ago.
- Sound Advance Debuts 'Invisible' Flat-Panel
Speakers
Sound Advance Systems last Wednesday introduced the first "invisible" flat-panel
speakers for discerning homeowners who believe high-quality audio should be heard and not
seen. Designed to replace traditional speaker boxes the new SA2 sound systems are built
into the walls or ceilings and covered with common wall coverings such as wallpaper,
plaster and paint so they are completely invisible when installed. They claim the speakers will project the highest quality sound through the
wall coverings at 180-degree angles, virtually eliminating the limited ``sweet spot''
required when listening to conventional boxed, cone-shaped speakers that must be carefully
spaced in home entertainment settings. The speakers are already installed in the homes of
several celebrities, including Bill Gates, Cher, Madonna and Placido Domingo, who said:
``I have probably heard most of the top-quality sound systems throughout the world. When
it came to my own home, I chose the SA2s -- no boxes, no grills, just incredibly realistic
and marvelous sound.''
Sounds pretty good but it will cost you $1000 for one pair of
speakers with an additional $400 to hookup.
You can check out the press
release for more details.
- The World's Most Powerful Audio System
That's what AIWA claims when they introduce their new a new surround sound system Mega A/V
XH-A1000 digital audio system which features 800 watts of total power. The system not only
includes speakers and subwoofer but also include Dolby Prologic decoder, CD changer, tuner
and auto-reverse cassette deck. I guess their world's most powerful only refers to other
integrated systems. The suggested retail price of the XH-A1000 is $700.00. You can find a lot more details in the
press release.
- Imagination Technologies buy Ensigma
Imagination Technologies has agreed to acquire Ensigma, a private company specialising in
Digital Signal Processing (DSP) algorithms and technologies for entertainment,
communication and speech applications, with acknowledged experience and intellectual
property (IP) in audio and speech processing. Ensigma will become a new division of
Imagination Technologies, joining existing divisions PowerVR Technologies and VideoLogic
Systems. The newly established Ensigma Technologies division will focus its development
resources on Digital Radio, Wireless and Internet Communication, Consumer Audio and Speech
Technology. You can find more details in the press release.
- 5.1 Entertainment Group announces their DVD Music
plans
5.1 Entertainment Group, the worldwide leader in production and release of DVD Music
Products, announces the formation of their Silverline and immergent record labels. Both
will operate under the 5.1 Entertainment Group banner. Catering
to the thriving DVD-based "6-channel surround sound" music marketplace,
Silverline Records will debut over 15 high end classical and jazz DVD Music titles on
March 28, 2000, with immergent Records' initial pop reissue releases due Spring/Summer
2000. Discs will carry a suggested retail list price of $19.98.
The 5.1 Entertainment Group is at the forefront of developing the
groundbreaking "5.1(five speakers, plus the sub-woofer) multi-channel format,"
also known as "6-channel surround sound." The DVD Music discs, which play on any
and all DVD players (including today's DVD players and the soon to be released DVD Audio
Format), offer more than twice the sound quality of traditional CDs, as well as compelling
visuals. Every Silverline and immergent discs will contain AC3 and DTS formats and, in
June 2000, DVD Audio will also be incorporated on all releases. 5.1 Entertainment Group is
at the forefront in providing "6-channel sound" for the 12 million-plus (and
rapidly growing number) of DVD and home theatre consumers.
Check out the full press release for more details where you also find the 15 DVD
titles that will be launched March 28.
- Sigma Designs Ships Sonic DVDit! LE with
REALmagic DVR
Sigma Designs Inc. and Sonic Solutions announced that Sigma Designs has begun shipping
Sonic's DVDit! LE authoring software with Sigma's REALmagic DVR, a complete DVD/MPEG-2
encoding and playback card. REALmagic DVR enables Windows NT users to capture, edit,
author and publish video on DVD as well as play DVD-Video content. To create a DVD title,
video is captured and compressed into MPEG-2 using REALmagic DVR. Users then drag-and-drop
their compressed video and audio clips, graphics, backgrounds and buttons into DVDit! LE
to build an interactive DVD. With a single mouse click, all video and audio content is
converted into DVD-Video format and written to DVD-R, CD-R using the new cDVD format,
DVD-RAM or hard disk. The suggested retail price for the REALmagic DVR is $999 U.S. For
more details check
out the press release.
- First Linux-based MPEG-2 Encoding Solution With
Dolby Certification Announced by Zapex
A new high performance Linux-based MPEG-2/Dolby encoder for satellite, video server,
Digital Video Broadcast (DVB), and cable applications, priced considerably lower than
other solutions, has been introduced by Zapex Technologies. All encode functions are
performed by the ZL-330, achieving minimum utilization of the CPU and memory. The new
product joins the other Zapex family of MPEG encoders which are designed for WindowsNT
platforms. For more
details check out the press release.
- DVD International Inks Marketing Deal With 5.1
Entertainment Group
DVD International, one of the industry's leading independent DVD suppliers, has signed a
marketing agreement with 5.1 Entertainment Group, the worldwide leader in the production
and release of DVD Music product, to release a series of six-channel surround sound DVD
titles. The first 15 titles--to be released under the Silverline Records label--will be
available on March 28th at a suggested retail price of $19.98 each. For more details check
out the PR.
- A bit more on Indrema
As you may recall we mentioned a company named Indrema (=Dreamin') a week ago which talked
about releasing a game console using Linux. They now have a press release where it sounds
more like a set-top box than a new game console (just like I suggested btw). Nothing about
3D sound in this but they mention DVD, MP3, web browser, 3D graphics and few other bits.
You can check
it out if you are interested.
- Napster takes steps to overcome network overload
Reuters has a report that says Napster found a solution for hundreds of universities that
have had to ban the program. The solutions is a more intelligent computer searching
techniques. You can check
out the full story for more details.
- e.Digital Licenses Sony's Proprietary ATRAC3
Format
e.Digital Corp. last Thursday announced a licensing agreement to incorporate Sony's
proprietary ATRAC3(TM) sound compression technology into e.Digital's portable Internet
music player designs. In case you don't know ATRAC3 is the sound compression technology
used in MiniDisc. It will be interesting to see if Sony will be able to make it a major
format for Digital music in the future. You can check out the press release
for more details.
- MP3 Indexing Support for Web Sites
PicoSearch announced last Wednesday its indexing support for the popular audio file format
known as MP3. All PicoSearch users may now search for the songtitle, artist, album, and
other tagged information commonly included in MP3 files by the ID3 tagging standard.
You can find more details
in the press release.
- Play Digital Music on Audio Cassette Players
SmartDisk Corporation announced last Wednesday that it has developed a FlashTrax that will
extend digital music to users of traditional audio cassette players. It resembles a
conventional audio cassette but has a slot that accepts a removable flash memory card on
which digital audio files are stored. FlashTrax will enable traditional audio cassette
players, particularly those installed in automobiles, to play music downloaded from the
Internet or copied from an existing CD collection. You can check out the press release
for more details.
- National Semiconductor Introduces Efficient High
Power Class D Audio Power Amplifier
National Semiconductor Corp. has announced the LM4651 and LM4652, a two-chip driver and
quad MOSFET amplifier set for high-fidelity Class D subwoofer designs. This chipset
provides up to 170 watts of audio power at an excellent 85% efficiency, with smaller space
and lower cost. In comparison, Class AB amplifiers are only 50 to 60% efficient. This
highly integrated LM4651 and LM4652 set eliminates the need for large power supplies, heat
sinks and transformers to help achieve compact designs. For lots more details, check out the press
release.
- Summoner Composer/Sound Designer interview
RPG Vault has posted an interview with Wally Shaw, Composer and Sound Designer for the upcoming
RPG Summoner. The interview is about Wally Shaw and doesn't reveal anything about
Summoner except for a link to an MP3 from Volition's official site.
- Sonic Mayhem Interview
Damaged Gaming posted a rather short interview with Sascha Dikiciyan, one of the guys behind
Quake III's musical score.
- Interview with Ion Storm's Audio Director
Ion Storm has posted an interview with their Audio Director and a song entitled "Face
Rake". It's a rather short interview discussing what Music he did for Daikatana, what
he's currently working on and this new death match song "Face Rake". Head over
to Ion Storm's news page to
download the song and read the interview.
For more news from last week check out our news archive.
Upcoming features at 3DsoundSurge
- Best Data's Theatrix
- Sirocco Pro
- A review of PowerDVD 2.55 and WinDVD 2k
- ADA880
- Optical Digital in/out 2 card
- Sirocco Spirit
As always if you have any ideas for products we should review or
features we should do, please let us know.
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