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AAC

DRM still sucks, even after it's dead

In January, Apple announced that all songs in the iTunes Store would be free from DRM. As part of the announcement, the company said that previous DRM-encumbered purchases would be upgradeable to DRM-free versions, with a higher bitrate as well. This isn't just a point of principle with me--I have a Zune player that automatically adds all the songs in my iTunes library, including AAC files, but which cannot see or play DRM-protected songs.

Today, while doing some shopping for songs I love but don't own (or have only on--gasp--cassette, which I can't digitize because of the … Read more

More free on-demand audio with Muziic

I love covering music software because the pace of evolution is so fast. I guess everybody's looking for the next billion-dollar business (after iTunes) to help replace declining CD sales.

Last week, I blogged about Spotify, a free and legal music player that offers a massive library of music on demand. Unfortunately, Spotify's library has some big gaps because of legal disputes with rights-holders, and it's not available in the U.S.

A couple days later, software developer David Nelson contacted me about Muziic, a company he started with his dad--he's 15(!) and has gone from … Read more

Norway drops iTunes gripes after Apple drops DRM

One of Apple's most persistent European critics regarding the use of digital-rights management technology on the iTunes Store has dropped its complaint following the company announcement that iTunes music would soon be DRM-free.

Norway's consumer ombudsman, Bjoern Erik Thon, said Wednesday that he would drop his complaint against iTunes before Norway's Market Council, telling Agence France Presse "we have no reason to pursue them anymore." Norway has been particularly vocal among European critics regarding the way Apple had used DRM technologies on the iTunes store to limit the use of purchased iTunes songs to iPods.… Read more

iPod alternatives for iTunes Plus AAC

Apple's iTunes store is offering more and more of its music catalog in the DRM-free iTunes Plus music format (256Kbps AAC). There's no question that DRM-free music purchases are better for consumers than the aggravations of FairPlay and computer authorizations. Still, it also doesn't hurt Apple that its unique allegiance to the AAC music format leaves people with few non-iPod choices when it comes to compatible MP3 players for their iTunes Plus music collections.

You do have options, though. In fact, most of Apple's iPod competition has at least one AAC-compatible model for sale (I … Read more

DRM deathwatch: iTunes, the final chapter

CNET News' Greg Sandoval is already covering the story, so I won't belabor it, but kudos to Apple and the three holdout record labels--Sony, Universal, and Warner--for reaching an agreement that will result in more than 8 million songs being available on iTunes with no digital rights management (DRM) restrictions. (EMI has made DRM-free songs available on iTunes since last spring, but only 10 percent of the music sold in the U.S. comes from EMI.) As Greg reports, Apple will also let users with existing DRM-encrusted downloads upgrade to a DRM-free version at a higher bitrate--256kbps--for an extra … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 845: BOL the vote

Hey, here's a thought: a free, open-source video codec that could be universally portable and playable. I'd vote for that, wouldn't you? In other news of the day, Dash stops making hardware to focus on software, Apple brings in an IBM guy to run the iPod division (other than Steve Jobs), and BlackBerry sneaks the Bold into stores today. Yeah, today. There's got to be something wrong with that thing.

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EPISODE 845

Apple’s iPod chief to step down http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10082065-37.html

Dash Navigation pulls the plug … Read more

What's new for audio in Windows 7?

Update at 5:10 p.m. PDT: Changes were made based on a draft version of the Windows 7 Reviewers' Guide.

Microsoft took the wraps off the next version of Windows Tuesday at its Professional Developers Conference, and the Web's abuzz with first impressions and previews--most of which are positive.

It looks like Microsoft is making the right moves to counter some of the problems with Vista: application and hardware compatibility are top priorities, and most of the UI tweaks I've seen so far seem helpful rather than arbitrary, as many of the changes in Vista seemed … Read more