Mark Fleischmann

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Ears On
Sony BMG: CD Sales to Collapse
Mark Fleischmann  |  Nov 09, 2006
Sales of CDs will drop to half of current levels within three years, according to a grim forecast from a British record executive. (The very phrase "record executive" seems woefully out of date.) Here's what Jed Doherty, head of Sony BMG in the U.K., had to say: "We figure the value of CD sales will be 50% less in three years than it is now. We predict digital growth of 25% per year, but it is not enough to replace the loss from falling CD sales. By 2010 we will be 30% behind in terms of revenues. We have to reinvent. We are running our businesses like it is 1982." The industry conference Doherty was addressing in Manchester also saw calls for the end of DRM that prevents iPods from playing non-iTunes downloads and iTunes purchases from being played on non-iPod players, according to The Guardian: "Mr. Doherty said the current situation was 'stupid' while Mike Smith, managing director of Columbia Records UK, predicted that the rights management regime would be gone within a year."
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Audio Video News
Sony Bows Green TV
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jun 20, 2008
Sony has unveiled a 32-inch LCD TV that the company says has the world's lowest power consumption at that size.
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Audio Video News
Sony Bows New Blus
Mark Fleischmann  |  Feb 27, 2008
Two new Blu-ray players were among the highlights of a major Sony product introduction yesterday in Las Vegas.
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Audio Video News
Sony Bravia Owners Get Free Movie
Mark Fleischmann  |  Nov 10, 2009
Were you planning to buy a Sony Bravia TV or Blu-ray player in the near future? If so, the company will throw in a free streaming movie, and you'll get to see it a month before it's released on disc.
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Audio Video News
Sony Bravias Have 500GB Drives in Japan
Mark Fleischmann  |  Feb 10, 2011
Sony has introduced three Bravia TVs equipped with 500 gigabyte hard drives. The catch is that, at least for now, these models are for the Japanese market.

With that kind of storage on board, you can record 65 hours of HD programming. The system can also accept additional external drives.

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Audio Video News
Sony Buys Metadata King Gracenote
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 12, 2008
Sony has bought Indianapolis-based Gracenote for $260 million. Why should you care?
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Desktop Speaker Reviews
Sony CAS-1 Compact Audio System Review
Mark Fleischmann  |  Feb 14, 2017

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,000

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Small-footprint amp and speakers
Streaming app
Hi-res capable
Minus
No analog line input
No S/PDIF input
No sub output

THE VERDICT
The Sony CAS-1 is a sleek and simple desktop system, optimized for input from computers and mobile devices, with sweetly addictive near-field imaging.

It’s been 21 years since the MP3 audio file format made its debut, 17 years since Napster revolutionized the distribution of digital music, 15 years since the iPod brought that music to a pocketable device, and 13 years since Apple made downloads legit with the iTunes music store. Computerized audio is now enjoying a vigorous middle age—old enough to support lots of audio products and system configurations, young enough for some of those products to be innovative. Outfitting your desktop with an audio system can cost as little as $13.99 for a pair of AmazonBasics powered speakers or as much as several thousand dollars for the highest-end speakers and integrated amps recommended by our sister site AudioStream.com.

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Other Source Component Reviews
Sony DVP-NS9100ES DVD/SACD Player
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jun 15, 2006
Your DVD collection flies first class.

Why pay $1,300 for a DVD player when you can get one for $100? You might as well ask, why fly first class when you can fly coach? Membership in the club of videophiles has its privileges. There will always be people who can afford to pay extra for tangible benefits, like top picture and sound quality, and intangible ones, like pride of ownership.

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Audio Video News
Sony Enhances iTunes Movie Downloads
Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 10, 2011
Though disc releases are festooned with special features, movies sold as downloads tend to be unadorned. However, Sony Pictures is beginning to add features to movies sold as downloads through iTunes.

You'll be able to search for actors and dialogue, choose clips to share on social networking sites, and find songs embedded in soundtracks. Not surprisingly, the latter will be linked for purchase in the iTunes music store.

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Sony Exhibits Exhibitionist Tendencies
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 03, 2008
Sony shattered the quasi-content-free tradition of pre-CEDIA press events with an awesome exhibition of exhibitionist tendencies. The Bravia Internet Link will host the premiere of the blockbuster Sony Pictures film Hancock with Will Smith and Charlize Theron. The Blu-ray release of same will have Digital Copy. Wait, there's more. Sony attacks lazy liquid crystals with 240Hz Motionflow, which quadruples the refresh rate and interpolates three new frames. Blu-ray has gone from 18 to 32 manufacturers in a year, including Sony of course, which will bow the BDP-S5000ES (pictured) in November for $2000. It has an HD Reality Processor that selectively enhances sharpness in areas of the picture that need it -- not unlike what Toshiba is doing. With rigid frame & beam construction and isolated circuits, this will be the Blu player to beat. Oh, and when the floor opens tomorrow, Sony will be showing a prototype of a 400-disc BD mega-changer to make its debut in 2009. Two new ES receivers will have Faroudja video processing. SACD not dead, judging from intro of XA5400ES player. Huff, puff. If other manufacturers have this much news, I'll be dead by the end of the show.
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