Apple has upgraded its misc jukebox, on this Wednesday Apple announced iTunes 10 major improvement to its media management software and music jukebox. Basically, this upgraded iTunes 10 is aimed to be a social networking element with the purpose to aid helpers discovering new music genre. The Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs elaborated the functioning of [...]
If you didn’t get an invitation to Apple’s September 1st music themed event, worry not because you can still watch it live streamed. According to the Apple’s officials the press conference will be released live streamed at 10AM PT, pretty cool and innovative. You can log on to live video from Apple.com, but there are some [...]
If you ever came across a situation when you had lost your DVD from your car shelf, or lost it from your DVD rack, you had probably pondered about how to retrieve the lost songs. May be your cravings were about the lost music, but not so much about the DVD. You may get DVD’s [...]
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I assumed that VHS tapes had gone the route of Polaroid film and were continuing to be phased out of existence. I must have been too hasty, because according to the Entertainment Retailer’s Association, videocassette sales in Britain have more than doubled in the past year. In the grand scheme of home entertainment , these numbers are hardly a drop in the bucket. Movies, PC games, and console titles are still moving millions of copies per title. VHS has jumped up 214% , except total sales still haven’t cracked 100K. But who’s still making all of these tapes? At least with other retro media formats such as vinyl and instant film, there are distinct advantages over today’s mediums. MP3s don’t have anywhere near the same fidelity or warmth, and modern cameras still can’t instantly print analog prints. But I don’t see anything VHS tapes can do that DVDs can’t do exponentially better. One interesting tidbit is that music sales aren’t as far down as you’d expect. 2009 only saw a 0.8% decline despite the loss of large chain stores such as Zavvi and Woolsworth. According to ERA director general Kim Bayley: “It’s too early to say whether this is the music market bottoming out” But some changes to the music delivery system may be responsible. The average price of an album has dropped below £8 for the first time, and smaller, independent retailers are surviving. Seems the US could take a leaf out of their book , perhaps?
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The announcement from Nintendo this morning came like a bolt out of the blue. We all have been expecting some new hardware from Nintendo, seeing as the Wii and DS platforms are getting pretty long in the tooth (despite refreshes for the DS), but a 3D handheld? This is madness! No – this is Iwata ! Satoru Iwata and Shigeru Miyamoto are two men who know what they’re doing when it comes to making games. While a few of their ideas ( Vitality Sensor , Wii Music) may seem a bit bizarre to us, there’s no question that everything they do is in the name of making fun games . And you know that they wouldn’t be doing the 3D thing unless they felt they could make it fun. There are a number of questions out there. How will the 3D be effected? Will it be faux-3D, as Kotaku wonders? Will it be lenticular lens technology, used for (eye-breaking) glasses-less 3D TVs? After all, the Wii is something less than the perfect 1:1 movement detection they wanted us to think it was. Even the newest motion control technologies are barely approaching that level. Will Nintendo just give us a “good enough” version of 3D? We’ll find out for sure in June, and I’m guessing it’s not going to actually blow everyone’s minds. I mean, you can play tons of games in 3D right now with the right hardware, and it seems likely that the traditional control scheme (analog stick and buttons) is going to make for rather traditional games. You can’t snatch coins out of the air with your hand, or have Mario mimic your limbs’ positions exactly. But remember when the DS came out, and everyone said the second screen was just going to be an anchor around the neck of developers? All they wanted was more power, like the PSP, people said. A second screen, who can even think of a use for it? Well, a hundred million units later , I think we ought to have a little faith in both Nintendo and the developers. Off the top of my head, I can think about a few uses for 3D in a single-player, small-screen device, but I’m guessing that there are developers out there covering whiteboard after whiteboard with sweet handheld 3D concepts. Don’t forget, you’ve got the cameras on there, too. Nintendo is very picky about its hardware, too. The reason, I feel, why they are behind in terms of graphics, is like the reason of the Luddites: it’s not that they don’t like or want technology, but they want to weigh its potential fully before adopting it. So it is with Nintendo, who will I’m sure eventually make possible the photorealistic graphics of the 360 and PS3, but in the meantime seems to be doing just fine with the, let’s be honest, rather meager capabilities of the Wii and DSi. Likewise with the motion control system: they were pitched with the progenitor for Project Natal, and deemed it not ready for prime time, which three years ago it certainly was not (and which remains to be seen). They may have improved the Wiimote with the MotionPlus add-on, but the motion control fidelity on the Wii has been good enough to sell like hotcakes, and I’m guessing that’s about the level they’re aiming for with the 3DS. So whatever technology it uses (and we all know it will be mocked by fanboys no matter what), we know it is at least approved by a couple guys who probably know pretty well what’s good and what isn’t. They led the charge on motion control, and now they’re starting up the “only in 3D” variety of development. And you better believe there’s going to throw a bitching Mario game into the deal. Get excited.
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There’s one week per year that there’s reason to listen to Sirius XM beyond XM Channel 202 The Virus. That’s right, it’s Winter Music Conference time, a time when the world’s top DJs and producers descend upon Miami and have themselves a good ol’ Dionysian time. House music, trance, progressive, Dutch tourists trying to find food that won’t kill them , etc. It’s a good example of what satellite radio could have been. It’s probably not too crazy to call Sirius XM a niche product, and I’m fine with that. Again, so long as I get to hear the occasional healthcare rant by Anthony, or hear Fez flip out on interns, I’m more than happy with Sirius XM. Every single other channel could disappear and I wouldn’t mind one bit. Aside from this week! On Channel 80, Area , today begins Sirius XM’s annual broadcast of the Winter Music Conference. It’s basically a five-day electronic music party. Now, electronic music isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time, but I can think of no better music to accompany a late night World of Warcraft grinding session. Surprisingly, Sirius XM usually does a good job in broadcasting the festival. It’s non-stop: coverage from various parties, live DJ sets, interviews with producers, etc. “Oh, so that’s what Chris Lake sounds like!” So yeah, the one week of the year that my Sirius XM dial leaves Channel 202 The Virus for any amount of time. As soon as I hear “Satellite of Love” at the end of Ron and Fez , it’s WMC time. I haven’t really paid attention to that whole scene in the past year—who’s the big name producer these days? Flickr
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Yo, what’s up. You need to do your Skyping and your phoning and your music? Yeah? I got something for you. Come over here. Look at this. This is the TokyoFlash Escape C Kisai , a little Bluetooth thinger that connects to almost any device and routes audio and controls wirelessly. Kisai Escape C is the revolutionary new Bluetooth® fashion accessory from Tokyoflash Japan. Pair with your cell phone to make and receive calls hands-free, pair with your MP3 player to listen to your favorite tunes in comfort or use with applications such as Skype™ for a great chat experience. Escape C is also a stylish and versatile time piece. The time has come to Escape. It also works as a watch, but one of those crazy watches. It costs $107 and is so maddeningly beguiling that while I find it strange, I also want to obtain it.
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There’s been so much push for digital, downloadable content lately that we’ve almost forgotten about our old friend, the compact disc. Even though CD sales are plummeting each time our little planet makes another obit around that bright, flaming thing in the sky, the big boys don’t seem to be willing to throw in the towel just quite yet . In fact, UMG is working to implement a new pricing structure that will hopefully bring CD prices down to a maximum of $10 a pop. UMG plans to make up the difference with more units moved, and with a push for “deluxe” versions of albums that will cost a bit more, but come with all sorts of fun and exciting extras. “We think [the new pricing program] will really bring new life into the physical format,” Universal Music Group Distribution president/CEO Jim Urie The new structure plans to keep a 25% wholesale profit margin. So an album you pay $10 for, wholesellers will get for $7.50. We’ll see if that’s enough to get everyone on board with the move. People already behind it include Newbury Comics CEO Mike Dreese and Trans World Entertainment CEO Bob Higgins. The rest of the music industry doesn’t seem too excited though. But they’d better do something if they want to get CD sales out of their current nosedive. 2008 saw 360.6 million units, barely over half of the numbers in 2000. iTunes and other retailers seem to have set 10 bucks as the magic number people will buy albums at. Granted, if people are willing to shell out $10 for a digital album, a little more isn’t so unreasonable for a physical copy. With art, liner notes, and all the rest. Universal’s move here seems to show the music industry is finally starting to look into some longer term solutions that just suing everybody left and right . We’ll have to wait and see if any of the other big labels make similar moves. [ Billboard ]
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iPod docks are in everything these days, but this leather sectional from Natuzzi actually makes a bit of sense. Think about it. You and yours are chillaxing on the couch after a hard day working for the man. You want nothing more than some relaxing tunes from the Manilow, but the music is stuck on your iPhone and the dock is all the way on the other side of the room. But no worries, you have the Surround sofa so you slap your iPhone in the dock and suddenly you’re drifting off to Looks Like We Made It. Ah, life is good. [ Danish Inspirations via LuxuryLaunches ]
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Apparently it’s illegal in Canada to copy music from a CD you bought to an iPod (or whatever). It’s simply not allowed, even if you’re not breaking any DRM in the process. (In the U.S., it’s illegal to copy a DVD to your computer’s hard drive because you have to circumvent the copy protection in the process.) Solution? Some sort of levy, which would ensure that “artists” make money even though you’re not re-buying their music. The deal now is that an MP up there wants to introduce a CAN$75 “iPod levy” that would effectively legalize copying music from a CD you bought to your iPod. The levy has just been proposed, but if the Canadian legislature is anything like its American counterpart it’s going to be a little while before anyone even raises the issue again. The idea of a levy isn’t new, per se—there’s already a levy on blank media (CD-Rs and the like) that supposedly help to make sure that “artists” get paid. (My hunch is that it goes right back to the record label’s coffers, but whatever.) Granted, you could be buying blank media to backup your PowerPoint presentation, so it’s not a 100 percent fool-proof thing, but it neatly solves the problem in a way that prevents people from having to re-think the entire concept of copyright in the 21st century. This so-called iPod levy could also negatively affect people who buy iPod but don’t put any music on them—people like me, for example. I have an iPod touch and I dare you to find one song on there. (I pretty much just use it for like 10 minutes a day to check WoW.com before going to bed.) Why should I have to pay CAN$75, which is like US$4,000 these days, to subsidize other people’s habits? Yes, I understand that the number of people who buy iPods and then don’t put any music on there is quite small, but I needed to fulfill my daily complaint quota. Let’s turn it around, make it local to our fair American readers. Let’s say Congress, for whatever reason, creates and passes a law that says you’re 100 percent allowed to copy DVDs (legally bypassing the DRM) that you own to your hard drive, but that from now own all commercial DVDs come with a $10 tax on them to cover the “losses,” so to speak. Would you go for that? Flickr
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