Cybele Records Launches Hi-Res Downloads – German classical label Cybele has joined those labels and sites offering hi-res downloads from their site cybele.de. The site is unusual in only offering lossless hi-res audio downloads in either FLAC or DSD – no data-reduced MP3s. They also offer 5.0 or 5.1 surround downloads of some selections for those with surround soundcards in their computers. Either entire albums or specific tracks may be downloaded. :20 of each track can be previewed before purchase, and there is a product-related picture gallery and artist’s profile for each download. The site is available in 23 different languages.
DVDO Uncompressed Wireless HDMI – DVDO, of Sunnyvale, CA, has announced their Air WirelessHD solution which streams uncompressed HD content from source components to wall-mounted HDTVs. The wireless system delivers 1080p video and 7.1-channel lossless surround sound at a frequency 60GHz (free of interference from wi-fi networks and cordless phones) up to 100 feet. The wireless transmitter connects to the source, and a wireless receiver connects to the display via the HDMI port, with a receiver-mounting clip that secures it. It retails for $399.
Google Developing Home Entertainment System – Google is currently developing a home entertainment system for wireless streaming in the home, which would be marketed under their own brand. This would be first time consumer electronics devices would be marketed under the Google brand. Google’s now No. 1 Android system has led a multi-year effort to develop the new entertainment device. The Internet giant wants to control both the software and hardware, as done by rival Apple Inc. Google currently sells music at a digital store called Android Market, a rival to Apple’s top-selling iTunes store. Google hopes to bring a new revenue stream to the company, at more-affordable prices than a similar product from Sonos Inc., which focuses only on music, not video too. The current market for home audio hardware is worth around $8 billion a year world-wide. Google TV, which lets users browse the Web for video content, involved the company working with TV makers, but it has been slow to catch on. The new home entertainment system could bring Google into competition with such hardware companies.
New Vinyl Cleaning Machine – It has become accepted among vinyl aficionados that only with an LP cleaning machine of some sort can the maximum fidelity be realized from the grooves of vinyl discs on high quality turntables. Now the popular brands of VPI and Nitty Gritty have a new competitor, but at an entirely different price point. Audio Desk Systeme’s Vinyl Cleaner is the first to use an ultrasonic cleaning cycle in addition to the more conventional mechanical cleaning. It has bi-directional rotating microfiber cleaning drums, and the ultrasonic feature breaks the surface tension of the cleaning liquid to displace any contaminants in the smallest grooves of the LP. Not using vacuum, it is quieter in operation than the competition. And it is automatic – you just put the LP in the slot, push the button, and in five minutes both sides of the disc are cleaned and dried, with most surface noise eliminated. SRP is $3895.
Wayne Shorter – In Memoriam
Rememberance of the artist
