DVD audio, digital cameras entertain technology addicts
Jeff Baltruzak
Scene columnist
Are CDs just not doing it for you anymore? It is easy to find yourself constricted by the 74 minutes on a CD. While the quality might be better than on that old Cyndi Lauper tape in the closet, it's still not good enough. Luckily, there's a new hope — DVD audio — that promises to blow away the good old CD in Rambo-style.
DVD audio, currently being developed by a host of electronics giants like Pioneer and Panasonic, features seven times the capacity of a CD, plus "multiple channels of sound at higher bit rate and sampling frequency." (Translation: Juvenile's "Back that Thang Up" will rock your world like no time before with super-clear, heart-thumping bass.)
To find out just how this new DVD audio will enhance your listening pleasure, check out www.howstuffworks.com. Too often it seems that people sit around, procrastinating from their work and wondering, "Dude, how does my 8-bit Nintendo work to bring me hundreds of hours of gaming enjoyment?"
A search at www.howstuffworks.com sadly yielded no information about the 8-bit Nintendo or the Nintendo Zapper, but the site had volumes on some of the newer video game systems like Playstation 2 and Dreamcast, as well as the secrets behind everyday wonders like toilets and microwaves. However, a word of warning about www.howstuffworks.com. Due to extremely detailed descriptions of objects and sections on light sabers, this site has been rated FNO (For Nerds Only).
Speaking of Playstation 2, Sony will launch it this Thursday, Oct. 26. If you can scrap together $299 from recycling cans in Michigan like Kramer on "Seinfeld," critics say it will be well worth your effort.
Playstation 2 features 128-bit graphics and will also play your audio CDs and DVDs. It supports Dolby Digital sound as well. As with most video game system debuts, there will be limited game offerings for Playstation 2 until Christmas.
The most unique feature of Playstation 2 is its capability to play all the old Playstation games as well. This aspect truly separates the console from most other systems like Dreamcast, which require all new game investments.
Waiting to buy Playstation 2 is definitely advantageous. The price has been driven up by a limited United States release. Sony will offer only half the amount of machines to the United States on Thursday than they originally planned. If Playstation 2 follows the usual video game system pattern, prices will drop dramatically after the Christmas season. However, during the Christmas buying season, the console will surely have a Tickle-Me-Elmo hysteria surrounding it.
But make no mistake about it — Playstation 2 is a chick-magnet. Knowing about new and very expensive technology makes you look smart and will attract attention. And it will probably distract people from the fact that you could not possibly ever afford what you're talking about. Thus, the following tidbit.
There is a digital camera called the Camedia C-211 Zoom that prints out pictures as soon as you take them. The camera, made by Olympus and Polaroid, stores the pictures on a card for transfer to your computer as well.
Think about it: who really needs this camera? Most people take pictures of their family standing in front of some cheesy roadside landmark on their summer vacation. College students take pictures of friends doing stupid things at parties. You hardly need a digital camera to do any of that.
What may be more useful to those living in South Bend is something for those who are hungry for quality radio stations. Since this area is somewhat lacking in As a result, many people have turned to the Internet to find their radio. To make that experience more enjoyable, there's a new accessory called the iRhythm that plugs into your computer and sends wireless transmissions of Web radio or MP3s to your stereo.
The cost for the iRhythm is $129.95, pretty steep for something a $1.59 cord from Best Buy would do. But like that digital camera, wireless is "cooler" and will make people like you more.
Stay tuned for more technologies and smart-aleck comments about them . . .
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Scene Stories for Wednesday, October 25, 2000
