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The WAVE Report on Digital Media
3D --- Media Creation --- Shared Space ---Published by 4th Wave, Inc.--- Issue #0526------------------7/1/05 |
The WAVE Report is Searchable on
http://www.3dlinks.com
http://www.wave-report.com
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0526.2 PC Performance Measures
BAPCo Releases SYSmark 2004 SE; The Latest Version of Their PC Performance Metric
0526.3 World-wide Broadband
0526.4 Anti-Spam Statistical Tools
Commtouch Launches Most Powerful Online Statistical Resource in Anti-Spam Industry
0526.5 Virtual Reality
CyberEdge On-line, First VR Website, Redesigned For Ease-Of-Use
0526.6 Display Markets
0526.6.1 LCD Monitor Sales
DisplaySearch Report Indicates Q1'05 LCD Desktop Monitors Rise 7% Q/Q
0526.6.2 OLED Sales
0526.7 Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance
HotStatus Enterprises Announces Tools for Sarbanes-Oxley Act Compliance
0526.8 Home Appliance Technology
Smarthome's Products Using Insteon Technology Are Widely Available
0526.9 Internet Businesses
Internet Capital Group Technology White Paper on Internet Software Platforms Now Available
0526.10 Computer Audio
0526.11 Portable Storage
0256.12 Java 3D
New Java Standard for Mobile 3D Audio Content Enabled and Supported by Sonaptic
0526.13 WiMAX
WiMax.com: Visionary Site to Focus on Solutions Delivery and Original Value Added Content
0526.14 xBox Gaming
Let the Turf Wars Begin! WEBZEN Draws Its Guns with All Points Bulletin for Xbox 360
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0526.1 Cellular Bandwidth
***ABI Research: To Paraphrase Yogi Berra, Upgrading to HSDPA is 90% Software and the Other Half is Hardware
OYSTER BAY, N.Y.
June 28, 2005
The GSM world is looking to HSDPA to increase downlink cellular bandwidth, first because of the high data rates required to transfer advanced multimedia to the handset, and also because HSDPA reduces the cost/megabyte of transmission to less than half that of 3G WCDMA. There is one more reason, which is competitive: the CDMA world already offers close to 1Mbps through EV-DO, and it could reach 3.1Mbps with the Rev A version.
How easy will the upgrade to HSDPA be? The conventional wisdom is that it's just an easy software update. There is some truth to this: 3G infrastructure installed since 2002 was designed with HSDPA in mind and therefore will be software-upgradeable.
But according to ABI Research, just like Yogi's logic on baseball, the transition to HSDPA will require more than just software at the base station. Some infrastructure will require hardware additions such as channel cards, traffic processing units and backplane modifications to handle the increased capacity and throughput of HSDPA.
And the client side is definitely more than just software. Hardware in the form of advanced baseband chipsets will be required to handle the high data throughput while consuming little power; diversity receive circuitry may be required to handle the 16-QAM of HSDPA; and increased handset memory will also be needed. Lastly, as a reminder, EDGE was supposed to be an easy software upgrade from GSM/GPRS, but it still took the industry a couple of years to sort through all the issues with testing, interoperability with different vendors, and roaming to other cellular protocols.
ABI Research's study, "HSDPA - Mobile Broadband" discusses all these issues in detail. In addition it examines the drivers for HSDPA, the deployment schedules of operators, and the timelines and volumes for HSDPA Infrastructure, PC Cards, Handsets, and ICs.
0526.2 PC Performance Measures
***BAPCo Releases SYSmark 2004 SE; The Latest Version of Their PC Performance Metric Extends Support to Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
SAN MATEO, Calif.
June 28, 2005
The latest version of the performance metric that measures and compares PC performance based on real world applications was released this week by the Business Application Performance Corporation or BAPCo, a non-profit consortium of leading computer industry publications, independent testing labs, PC hardware manufacturers, semiconductor manufacturers and software publishers.
SYSmark 2004 SE extends the SYSmark 2004 productivity benchmark, which has been widely accepted by IT Managers, PC OEMs, press and analysts worldwide to support Windows XP Professional x64 Edition. SYSmark 2004 SE allows users to directly compare platforms based on Windows XP Professional x64 Edition to those based on Windows XP Professional and Home.
The new release also incorporates all other previously released updates and patches released for SYSmark 2004, allowing users a unified installation process for both 64 and 32-bit Windows platforms.
SYSmark 2004 SE is an application-based benchmark that reflects usage patterns of business users in the areas of Internet Content Creation and Office Productivity.
SYSmark 2004 SE and SYSmark 2004 are used by PC OEMs, hardware and software developers, IT departments, system integrators, publishers and testing labs as well as Information technologists and computer industry analysts.
BAPCo's SYSmark 2004 SE builds upon its predecessors utilizing the strongest and broadest development team in PC benchmark history. BAPCo's depth of membership represents the breadth of the computing industry and harnesses a consortium of experts.
BAPCo's SYSmark 2004 Software and Hardware Requirements:
BAPCo's SYSmark 2004 SE supports Windows XP (Professional and Home) with service pack 2 and XP Professional x64 Edition. SYSmark 2004 SE requires 256 MB RAM, a CPU frequency of 650 MHz (or comparable rating) or above and 12.0 GB free hard disk space. SYSmark 2004 SE also requires an integrated or add-in sound card and a DVD ROM drive. SYSmark 2004 SE supports the following languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. SYSmark 2004 SE may also run under other languages.
SYSmark 2004 SE results are directly comparable across both 64 and 32-bit platforms. SYSmark 2004 SE results are not directly comparable to SYSmark 2004 results.
The Business Applications Performance Corporation (BAPCo) is a non-profit consortium of leading computer industry publications, independent testing labs, PC hardware manufacturers, semiconductor manufacturers and software publishers. Current BAPCo membership includes: AMD, Atheros Communications, ATi Technologies, ARCintuition, CNET, Computer Shopper, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Seagate, Toshiba, Transmeta, VNU Business Publications Limited (UK), ZDNet, and Ziff Davis Media.
BAPCo's SYSmark 2004 SE is distributed by Futuremark and is also available at the BAPCo website. Upgrade information is available for registered users.
http://www.bapco.com/store.html
***World Broadband Lines Pass 164m in Q1 2005
London
June 22, 2005
World broadband lines reached 164m as of 31 March 2005, an increase of 52m lines since March 2004 last year - with 28m lines added in the last 6 months alone. The USA is still the world's largest broadband country with 36.5m lines, and China remains in second place with 28.3m lines according to the latest analysis from Point Topic.
The UK is leading growth in the 'G7 Rankings' achieving a 16.5% increase in lines since end-2004, and adding over 1m lines in the process. France was the only other G7 country passing 10% growth in the quarter - achieving 13.5% growth and adding an equally impressive 913,000 lines in the quarter.
According to Point Topic, Turkey led the rankings in terms of percentage
growth achieving a 37% growth in the
quarter, adding 179,000 lines.
Poland led the Eastern European countries, achieving 24% growth and becoming the first Eastern European country to pass 1m lines. Australia continued to impress, achieving 18% growth to reach 1.8m lines in the quarter.
Point Topic also pointed out the in South Korea, the broadband market continues its path to saturation. They had growth of 1.4% in the quarter. But, slow growth is seen in some other countries, especially the established 'early adopters' such as Taiwan and even Japan, with figures of less than 5 per cent increase in the quarter.
DSL operators are still dominating the world broadband market with 107m out of the 164m broadband subscribers opting for DSL, giving it a 65% market share. Cable modem broadband subscribers are only higher in the North American market, where both USA and Canada have cable broadband shares of 59% and 52% respectively.
In other major broadband markets, DSL clearly dominates, especially in Western Europe, added Point Topic.
DSL lines in France, Germany, UK and Italy are at least 70% of the total market and in Germany's case form almost 100% of national broadband lines.
In terms of broadband penetration, South Korea becomes the first country to reach 25 lines per 100 population, with growth having started to saturate over 18 months ago.
Elsewhere, Western European countries have moved further up the penetration rankings, with Netherlands and Denmark in third and fourth place having passed 20 lines per 100 population, and Switzerland in fifth place with almost 19 lines per 100 population, having passed Canada.
0526.4 Anti-Spam Statistical Tools
***Commtouch Launches Most Powerful Online Statistical Resource in Anti-Spam Industry; Real-Time Data and Trends Analysis from Commtouch is Now Available Online; Free Service for Analysts and Press
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.
June 29, 2005
Commtouch has announced that it has launched a powerful new online statistical lab covering global spam outbreaks. Commtouch statistics, which have already been cited by industry analysts and professional magazines in over 300 articles, are now created automatically and available online. No other online resource available today provides such comprehensive, accurate and updated information on global spam activity.
The Commtouch Spam Lab provides a wide array of information including: the number of spam outbreaks with monthly, quarterly and annual breakdowns, geographic breakdown of the origins of spam, and more. The Commtouch Spam Lab also includes a world map that shows emerging spam outbreaks in real-time, with detailed information such as distribution scale, speed and sources.
The Commtouch Spam Lab is based on data from the Commtouch Detection Center, which filters over 1.5 Billion messages a month (more than 50 millions per day on average). Commtouch's network-based approach to spam detection provides scientifically accurate and reliable data on emerging outbreaks in real-time.
Receiving a steady stream of data from the Commtouch Detection Center, the new online Spam Lab calculates data "on the fly" -- and automatically updates all graphs and charts. The Commtouch Spam Lab is the most convenient and effective source of reliable, accurate and updated information on world spam.
Access and Availability
The lab can be accessed through the Commtouch website free of charge for both statistics and graphs, and their global email-outbreak monitor. Data can be downloaded either in graphic (JPG) or raw-data (Excel) format, for easy integration into other documents. All information may be freely quoted and redistributed, (with appropriate referencing of Commtouch as specified online).
http://www.commtouch.com/Site/ResearchLab/statistics.asp
http://www.commtouch.com//Site/ResearchLab/map.asp
***CyberEdge On-line, First VR Website, Redesigned For Ease-Of-Use.
Oakland, Calif.
June 24, 2005
The first, and longest continuously published website covering virtual reality (VR) and visual simulation (VizSim) was re-launched this week with a new look, new content, and new navigation designed to make finding information faster and easier.
CyberEdge On-line went live in 1995, and since then has served hundreds of thousands of pages to visitors from around the world. The site features articles, links, presentations, a glossary of VR terminology, a Health and Safety Section, reviews of VR books, many illustrations, and much more. It provides one of the richest stores of VR and VizSim information on the Web, and all of the content is free of charge.
According to CyberEdge Information Services, the newest incarnation of CyberEdge On-Line has gone live after several months of development. It celebrates the 10th anniversary of their website. They find the new design by CK Kuebel (http://www.kuebel.com) to be outstanding, with easy-to-use navigation, and a clean, modern look that is attractive and functional.
CyberEdge On-Line also provides detailed information about CyberEdge Information Services, a leading source of market data and marketing services for VR and VizSim companies. Publishers of the much-cited annual market study, The Market for Visual Simulation/Virtual Reality Systems, CyberEdge Information Services has provided consulting services, presentations, market research, and other communications services to an international who’s-who of VR and VizSim companies. Their clients include EDS, HP, IBM, Kodak, KPMG, LG Electronics, SGI, Siemens, SONY, SUN Microsystems, and many other well-known organizations.
0526.6 Display Markets
***DisplaySearch Report Indicates Q1'05 LCD Desktop Monitors Rise 7% Q/Q; LCD Monitors Account for over 63% of Desktop Displays Shipped Worldwide in Q1'05
AUSTIN, TEXAS
June 21, 2005
DisplaySearch indicated in its latest Quarterly Desktop Monitor Shipment and Forecast Report that worldwide LCD desktop monitor shipments grew on track with previous predictions, rising 7% Q/Q to 22.7M units in Q1'05. This growth represents a unit shipment growth of 44% Y/Y, continuing the 26% Q/Q growth seen in Q4'04 brought on mainly by the aggressive street-level price points which began to hit the market in the fall of last year. For the quarter, the three most popular LCD monitor sizes continued to carry average retail price points of $199 for 15", $299 for 17" and $399 for 19", which increased penetration of LCD-based desktop solutions to reach a record high penetration rate of 63.6% of the total Desktop monitor marketplace in Q1'05. The increased demand that yielded record revenues of $8.2B in Q4'04 was not enough to overcome the continued aggressive industry price points, so revenues dropped 5% to $7.8B in Q1'05.
The aggressive price points for LCD monitors seen in Q1 continued to erode the share of CRT monitor shipments for desktop computing worldwide, resulting in CRT monitor shipments falling 21% Q/Q to 13.2M units. As more PC companies move away from bundling CRT products in their entry level PC bundles, the CRT monitor market is forecasted to fall even faster than previously expected.
EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) was the largest market for LCD monitor shipments in Q1'05 with 41.0% of the world's shipments going into this region, slightly down from 43.7% in Q4'04. The North America market remained the #2 region with 31.6% of worldwide shipments.
Dell was again the worldwide leader in the shipments of desktop LCD monitors in Q1'05, with a 20.2% worldwide market share. After Dell in worldwide shipments were Samsung, HP, Acer and LGE. Among the top ten, Acer showed the strongest worldwide Q/Q growth with shipments up 13.7% Q/Q.
Dell continued to hold the top positions in Japan, North America and Latin America. Dell has almost a 40% market share in North America, but Acer grew a remarkable 46.4% Q/Q, increasing its market share to 5.1%. Dell's dominance in the LCD monitor market is becoming evident in EMEA as well, growing 16.5% Q/Q to an 11.3% share. Samsung held the dominant position in the AP (Asia Pacific) region with a 21.6% market share, while Lenovo held the top position in China with a 14.2% share.
New desktop monitor sizes from 19" wide to 24" wide continued to emerge, but the three most popular sizes--15", 17" and 19"--accounted for 96.7% of all desktop monitors shipped in Q1. 15" LCD monitors had a 19.7% market share, even though shipments were down 20.3% Q/Q. Shipments of 17" grew 11.1% Q/Q to 58.4% market share, and 19" grew a significant 45.2% Q/Q to capture 18.3% share in Q1'05.
With sales demand still strong in Q1'05 but revenues down due to the aggressive street-level price points, pricing for the LCD monitor panel components began to rise in Q1. The effect of these component level price increases is already starting to impact the street prices of end-market LCD monitors, which are now on the rise. Increases in street-level pricing usually slow the growth of the LCD monitor market especially in seasonally weak periods, a market condition seen as recently as Q2'04. If the unprecedented amount of planned additional LCD production capacity continues to ramp, however, these street-level price increases may not last for long, thus allowing for LCD monitor price points to realign with the market to allow for continued sales growth throughout the rest of 2005.
The Quarterly Desktop Monitor Shipment and Forecast Report includes shipment and forecast data for LCD monitors, CRT monitors, LCD PCs, and TFT LCD monitor modules. The Quarterly Desktop Monitor Shipment and Forecast Report also provides cost forecasts of TFT LCD monitor modules, LCD monitor interface electronics, and LCD monitors. This report is delivered in PowerPoint and includes Excel pivot tables.
***DisplaySearch Announces Q1'05 OLED Q/Q Growth: Shipments Up 31%, Revenues Up 19%
AUSTIN, TEXAS
June 23, 2005
DisplaySearch has indicated in its latest Quarterly OLED Shipment and Forecast Report that OLED shipments grew to 9.9M and revenues hit $101.9M in Q1'05. Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED) displays compete with LCDs in small/medium applications such as mobile phone main displays and subdisplays, MP3s and automotive consoles. OLED shipments declined 1% Y/Y due to a significant drop in subdisplay sales, which peaked in Q1'04. However, MP3 application growth is now driving shipment and revenue growth.
With two high volume applications (subdisplays and MP3s), the passive matrix OLED industry is beginning to take hold. Small molecule shipments are driving the volume, as only three companies are shipping low volume monochrome polymer (P- OLED) displays. Active matrix OLED displays are available but in very low volumes.
Samsung SDI continued to lead in revenue in Q1'05 with slightly over $28.1M, and RiTdisplay was #2. However, Univision experienced the strongest growth of the top five, with revenues up 235% Y/Y to $13.4M and shipments growing 515% Y/Y to 1.5M units.
RiTdisplay led in shipments with a 24.7% share followed by Samsung at 23.2%, Pioneer at 13.4% and Univision at 15.6%. OLED displays are used on almost 40% of MP3 players, as their manufacturers are moving away from monochrome and color STN panels, due to the sharper image and rapid response time on OLED displays. OLED subdisplay shipments had been falling, but recent price reductions have increased interest in these emissive devices.
0526.7 Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance
***HotStatus Enterprises Announces Tools for Sarbanes-Oxley Act Compliance; HotStatus Technologies to be Used for Automating Internal Controls and Maintaining an Audit Trail of Movement Within the Supply Chain
MISSION VIEJO, Calif.
June 29, 2005
HotStatus Enterprises announced that they have released a set of products and tools that companies can use to gain compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
Although the supply chain is not specifically called out in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, section 404 is widely known to affect the movement of goods with regard to reporting their movement and auditing their worth. Management must attest to internal controls and certify them with an auditor. In lay terms, this means that the movement of product from suppliers to Distribution Centers, DCs to stores, stores to stores, etc. must be monitored, tracked and reported in a manner that has a viable audit trail that can be certified by a public accounting firm.
Some of the critical capabilities for SOX compliance offered by HotStatus include: The ability to direct inventory movement among locations; The creation of inventory movement tasks and validation of moves against the destination location; Providing an inventory adjustment function; Recording inventory adjustments for audit trail requirements; and Managing changes to warehouse inventory. The security features incorporated into the HotStatus product suite ensure that usage and audit trails for all activities are maintained.
HotStatus provides its customers a single point of control over operations. Whether a company has multiple facilities, is part of a distributed network of partners, or relies on supplier operations, this single view of operations and resources provides the tools needed to maintain the highest standards and controls for managing the supply chain.
0526.8 Home Appliance Technology
***Smarthome's Products Using Insteon Technology Are Widely Available; Home Automation Innovator Plans to Mainstream Electronic Home Improvement with Insteon Technology
IRVINE, Calif.
June 29, 2005
Smarthome Inc. has announced that their award-winning Insteon (pron:"instee-on") enabled products are now shipping and widely available. Insteon is the first home automation network technology to combine the home's electrical wiring with radio frequency (RF) communications delivering a secure, reliable and fast connection for remote control of lighting, security, entertainment systems, appliances, climate and more. The initial Smarthome Insteon-enabled line is comprised of lighting products for the home.
Smarthome designed Insteon as a dual band network standard because the home's electrical wiring is the most pervasive network in the home and RF is an excellent way to add reliability and to reach battery-powered and wireless applications. The dual band combination (pairing the home's electrical wiring with RF) allows users to seamlessly send a signal from a wireless device from anywhere in the home to any other device. No other technologies offer a solution as flexible, reliable and affordable as Insteon.
Smarthome's Insteon lighting products in the initial launch line are: a ControlLinc V2 Tabletop Controller, SignaLinc RF Signal Enhancer and LampLinc V2 Lamp Dimmer. These products are sold individually or as a five-piece starter kit. The Insteon starter kit installs in less than 10 minutes. With the touch of the button, users can control lighting throughout the home.
In addition to Insteon-enabled products, developers will be able to easily integrate Insteon technology into their own products. The Insteon technology is available to enthusiasts, ISVs (Independent Software Vendors) and OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) by purchasing an Insteon Software Development Kit for $99 or an Insteon Hardware Development Kit for $199. The purchase of either kit allows for access into the Insteon Alliance. Smarthome is committed to working with partners to incorporate Insteon into a wide variety of everyday devices, including appliances and other household products, as well as continuing to develop its own products based on the technology.
***Internet Capital Group Technology White Paper on Internet Software Platforms Now Available; Article Examines the Role of the Internet in Business Today and Presents the Company's Unique Perspective on the Future of This Industry
WAYNE, Pa.
June 28, 2005
Internet Capital Group, Inc. has announced the availability of it's recently published white paper: Internet Software Platforms on its website. The team leveraged the unmatched technology experience and intellectual property maintained within its executives to develop an in-depth look at the current and future effect of new Internet models on the way business is done.
According to ICG, they have tapped their deep pool of experience in launching, acquiring and building Internet companies to put together the thesis behind this paper, which is also the kernel of their investment strategy. The white paper examines the role of the Internet in driving firms to reduce costs and increase efficiencies both within the organization, as well as reduce transaction costs between firms - and the new business models emerging as a result.
The theme is based on the idea that although the Internet is today a core part of the world's communication infrastructure, related technology has yet to fully mature and in fact, the industry is now at the point where the Internet will have a dramatic impact on how industries are structured and on how firms within those industries interact with each other in complex industry ecosystems. This idea is one of the many filters with which Internet Capital Group is currently reviewing new acquisition opportunities.
The paper delves down even deeper to look at the models that will deliver the greatest value as the industry evolves. The Internet creates price transparency and continues to drive down margins forcing firms to reduce costs by becoming more efficient. At the same time, it reduces transaction costs between firms. As transaction costs decline and the communications infrastructure enables better collaboration between individuals in different firms, there is a natural tendency for firms to "unbundle" and for industries to "disaggregate" and evolve into ecosystems. This will drive suppliers to increase industry efficiency by attacking the business processes between firms. This is often accomplished by providing some form of platform upon which firms can transact with other members of the ecosystem. The more successful platform providers will do this in a way that provides network effects among ecosystem members and allows other suppliers to add capability and value to the platform, enhancing the keystone position of the platform provider and enhancing the value of the platform to all members.
http://www.internetcapital.com
***MAGIX Announces Music Studio 10 Deluxe
June 21, 2005
Miami, FL
MAGIX has announced the 10th anniversary of their music software with the launch of Music Studio 10 deLuxe. Creators of audio and MIDI software, MAGIX has been bringing professional music studio technology to home PCs at an affordable price for ten years. The new 10th anniversary edition of MAGIX Music Studio 10 deLuxe is available immediately in stores priced at $79.99.
Music Studio 10 deLuxe includes professional features that make life easier for home users in the virtual music studio, such as “Elastic Audio Easy” for automatic pitch recognition and correcting monophonic audio. “File Manager” and “Browser” help overviewing tracks and files – crucial for large projects. New creative retro effects are featured in the “Vintage Effects Suite” with effects for Chorus, Flanger, Mod filter, and Analog Delay. Complete drum tracks can be generated by the touch of a button with the new “LiViD” feature.
For questions on the product, help is always available through the software’s “Task Assistant,” which clarifies with videos, explanations, links, and more. Finalized MAGIX Music Studio 10 deLuxe arrangements can be recorded onto a master CD, which is automatically prepped for CD duplication. For the first time, 24-bit playback and processing is fast and gap-free.
In addition to musicians, Music Studio 10 deLuxe users also include semi-professional and professional movie and video producers, who take advantage of the power of MAGIX Music Studio 10 deLuxe to create the perfect soundtrack by using new advanced features, such as professional sound overdubbing.
New Music Studio 10 deLuxe Features:
MAGIX Elastic Audio Easy
MAGIX LiViD (Little Virtual Drummer)
24-bit playback and processing
RMS Normalize
4 professional effects: Chorus, Flanger, ModFilter and
Analog Delay
File Manager and Explorer
MAGIX Remix Agent
Task Assistant
Improved Surround Panner
Optimized video playback
Copper Synth, Beat Box
MAGIX Music Studio 10 deLuxe is available immediately in retail stores and at
***Maxell Announces Double-Layer DVD+R Media; Boosts Per-Disc Capacity to 8.5 GB on a Single Side for Extremely Dense Data Storage in the Same Form Factor as Conventional DVD
FAIR LAWN, N.J.
June 29, 2005
Maxell Corporation of America is now shipping double-layer DVD+R media, delivering an 80 percent capacity boost for a broad range of data storage, multimedia and video applications. This latest recordable media breakthrough from Maxell increases per-disc capacity on a single side to 8.5 gigabytes, supporting high-capacity backup applications. One double-layer DVD+R will hold up to four hours of DVD-quality video, 16 hours of VHS-quality video, approximately one hour of high-definition video, or more than four million pages of text - the equivalent of more than 13,000 300-page books.
Consistent with Maxell's technology roadmap of extremely high-density optical media that will reach 100 gigabytes or more per disc in the next three years, double-layer DVD+R media is currently the largest capacity compatible DVD format available for data backup and archival storage. The full 8.5 GB capacity of the disc is contained on a single side, eliminating the need to flip the disc over during recording or playback. Double-layer recording technology - designated DVD+R 9 - is based on double-layer technology that has been used for many years in DVD video applications. The media uses the same proven and reliable dye-based optical-recording technology as single-layer media but incorporates new design improvements required to facilitate recording and playback from two layers.
The additional capacity provided by double-layer DVD is extremely attractive for compliance with federal regulations, such as HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley, which require company records to be stored in a write-once, read many (WORM) format. Once recorded, a DVD+R cannot be altered or changed, satisfying the most stringent record retention policies.
The new double-layer DVD+R media is already supported by a new generation of double-layer drives from several leading hardware vendors. Many of the new drives are multi-format models that can record not only on double-layer media, but also with single-layer DVD write-once and rewritable media. After a disc has been recorded, it can be played back on any DVD double-layer drive, DVD-ROM or DVD video player.
Maxell's double-layer DVD+R media will be followed by a double-layer DVD-R product scheduled for availability in the third quarter of 2005. Rewritable double-layer media products - both DVD+RW and DVD-RW - are planned for availability during the second half of 2005.
***New Java Standard for Mobile 3D Audio Content Enabled and Supported by Sonaptic
High Wycombe, England
June 21, 2005
Sonaptic Limited has announced completion of its JSR-234 Audio Engine and its involvement and support for developing this new standard for multimedia and 3D audio on mobile phones and convergence handsets using Java. Sonaptic was recommended as a participant in the Expert Group by Vodafone (Newbury, England) and Sun Microsystems (Mountain View, CA) and played a major role in the development of the audio portion of this standard within the Java Community ProcessSM (JCPSM), in tandem with Nokia (Helsinki, Finland) and Ericsson (Stockholm, Sweden).
Sonaptic’s 3D Audio Engine fully supports the 3D audio and music capabilities defined in the JSR-234 Advanced Multimedia Supplements API Final Release, announced by Sun Microsystems. The Sonaptic 3D Audio Engine is currently licensed and shipping in mobile phones from NEC (Tokyo), Fujitsu (Tokyo) and Mitsubishi (Tokyo) and will soon be available from a still to be announced fourth vendor.
The JSR-234 Advanced Multimedia Supplements API enables mobile devices to access a full range of multimedia technologies through a standardized Java API, including camera, tuner, image manipulation, and the 3D positional audio and music capabilities as delivered by Sonaptic’s advanced technology.
JSR-234 will allow game developers and studios to take advantage of 3D sound technology for a fully immersive experience. The standard allows games or other content to easily support the full range of Java-enabled mobile devices without forcing the developer to program for a specific model or chipset.
Using Sonaptic’s 3D Positional Audio technology, an application has realtime control of multiple sound channels positioned and moving dynamically around the user, providing an immersive, 3-dimensional sound environment (as opposed to the stereo expansion features typically found on low-end consumer devices). This allows for amazing games effects and extends the game play area outside of the relatively small screen size of the mobile device. Sonaptic’s technology works equally well on both stereo headsets and on stereo microspeakers built into the device. Sonaptic’s technology is portable and has been especially crafted for the low-power, low-resource requirements of the mobile device environment. It is ideally suited for use on mobile phones, personal video and music players, PDAs and gaming platforms.
Sonaptic recently presented a paper entitled ‘3D Audio for Mobile Devices via Java’ describing the specification at the 118th AES Conference in Barcelona, together with other Expert Group members Nokia and Ericsson.
Handset vendors supporting JSR-234 as part of the initial Expert Group include:
Ericsson Mobile Platforms (Lund, Sweden)
Motorola (Schaumberg, IL)
Nokia Corporation (Helsinki, Finland)
Sharp Labs of America (Camas, WA)
Siemens AG (Munich, Germany)
There are already an estimated 600 million Java-enabled mobile devices currently deployed worldwide, and it is expected that JSR-234 will also form an important part of the Mobile Service Architecture (MSA) in providing a common platform for developers of Mobile Java applications under J2ME™ for many years to come.
***WiMax.com: Visionary Site to Focus on Solutions Delivery and Original Value Added Content
WCA 2005
WASHINGTON
June 29, 2005
WiMax.com has announced the launch of its website intended to further the collaboration and subsequent advancement of broadband wireless technology based on the IEEE 802.16 standard.
WiMax.com will focus its efforts to deliver not only fresh, original content related to WiMAX technology and its emerging implementation and usage, but also to further WiMAX collaboration through the use of online forums, data exchange tools, and the delivery of services. Original content services include the WiMax.com Spotlight!, and soon to be released WiMax.com Spotlight! Premium service and WiMax.compilation eNewsletter.
Additionally -- WiMAX related white papers, presentations, webinars, ipodcasts, interviews, resources/FAQs, vendor directories, training and consulting services as well as global tradeshows and seminar dates/locations can be found on the site. Much of this wealth of information is offered free of charge for visitors to
***Let the Turf Wars Begin! WEBZEN Draws Its Guns with All Points Bulletin for Xbox 360; Groundbreaking Game to Bring First Real-World Based, Massively Multiplayer Experience to Forthcoming Console
SEOUL, South Korea & LOS ANGELES
June 28, 2005
WEBZEN Inc. has announced that its highly anticipated massively multiplayer freeform combat and driving-based game, "All Points Bulletin (APB)," is in development for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. "APB" is being developed by Real Time Worlds Ltd. under the leadership of David Jones, creator of the original Grand Theft Auto franchise. "APB" will be the first real-world-based, massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) for Xbox 360. WEBZEN will publish and operate the game in worldwide markets, with WEBZEN America Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of WEBZEN, launching and operating "APB" in North America. "All Points Bulletin" for Xbox 360 will be released in 2008.
A genre-breaking game unlike any other in the MMO space, "All Points Bulletin" offers intense game play in a highly volatile world filled with dramatic car chases, shootouts, busts, escapes and arrests. Players can also enjoy a fully customizable gaming experience without leveling-up constraints, allowing them to choose character appearances, attitudes, music preferences and more. In addition, many actions throughout the game will result in cash rewards, enabling players to obtain advanced weaponry, vehicles and other items to further enhance their characters.
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Copyright 2005 4th WAVE, Inc.
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