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The most explosive category for CES 2000 is the upstart format MP3 audio. During our 1999 roundup, the Audio Revolution picked MP3 as the best new technology. In 2000 it has gained mainstream acceptance, as most major (and a lot of minor) manufacturers are offering MP3 players with various storage capabilities. MP3 players store music downloaded off the Internet or extracted from a CD. Some contain internal storage drives, while others provide removable media to save entire two-hour playlists on tiny storage cards. In the short period of a year, MP3 audio was the train the recording industry couldn’t even get to slow down, let along stop. This time last year, MP3 players didn’t even register a blip on the radar, yet at this year’s CES, you couldn’t turn around in the Convention Center without finding another version of this simple player. MP3 players have the distinction of having no moving parts, thus the size of the units themselves are becoming smaller and smaller, as evidenced by Sony’s Music Clip. The attractive size of these units will soon replace cassette and CD portable players that suffer (by comparison) from skipping and cumbersome hardware. All units link to a PC via a USB port and are controlled by Windows-based music management software (of course, proprietary to each manufacturer). Based on the response delivered by most of the folks I talked with, Mac users may be left out in the cold (even though the newest Macs have adapted the USB protocol), at least in the initial round of the MP3 revolution. Yamaha’s PC Receiver is projected to have their software eventually ported (no exact time offered) to the Mac platform. Except for one Rio player and the I-Jam player, all MP3 players are specifically designed for use with PCs. Here is just a sampling of the Internet (and Computer) Audio products shown during the four days at CES: Samsung YEPP
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seven-band equalizer
imports and plays MP3 files; extracts music files from CD with the Open MG Jukebox Software (Windows 98 required); transfers an hour of music from PC in three minutes
uses removable 64MB Memory Stick media, Sony’s proprietary flash memory; backward and forward compatible with higher and lower capacity Memory sticks
the only home stereo component that plays MP3 files and CDs (compatible with CD-R and CD-RW)
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Audio for Computers is not a new category, but it is gaining a lot more recognition and racking up more and more products from diverse manufacturers. Yamaha RP-U1000
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This is ideal for all PCs with USB connectivity and a Windows 98 software package. A Mac version compatible with OS 9 (only) is promised.
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THX lunges into the multimedia arena with the new THX multimedia product certification program. The first certified speaker system comes from Altec Lansing with the five-piece ADA885 system, sold exclusively with the Dell Dimension XPS computer series. The speaker system comes with onboard Dolby Digital decoding, a built-in five-channel amplifier with a total of 120 watts. One front speaker comes with a control panel and LCD display. The performance parameters specified by THX include bandwidth, minimum peak sound pressure level, frequency response, front/rear timbre matching and directional characteristics. Additionally, THX evaluates installation, set-up and operation to ensure ease of use before giving their stamp of approval. According to THX, certifying multimedia speaker systems is a unique challenge, due to different listening conditions/environments in conjunction with the complex interactions between PC hardware and software.|
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Check out coverage from CES 99. Back to AudioRevolution.com Front Page. |
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