As I sit here and think about the topic for my next article, I keep coming back to the idea of piracy. Not the kind of piracy that involves skulls, bones and an eye patch; the kind of piracy that allegedly will change the world forever: music piracy.

As a way to have a thorough discussion on piracy, I’ve decided to take excerpts from the very source of the anti-piracy movement, and examine the RIAA’s beliefs about what piracy is, and what it is not. I am not here to say that piracy is a fine practice, and I support any and all attempts that are made against large piracy organizations that cost artists the money they rightfully deserve. With that said, I am strictly against the practices of the RIAA, and believe that their scare tactics of little old ladies in middle-class USA, or little Johnny Boy who doesn’t know any better is simply despicable. So, without any further adieu, let’s examine the RIAA’s arguments.

“Today’s pirates operate not on the high seas but on the Internet, in illegal CD factories, distribution centers, and on the
street. The pirate’s credo is still the same–why pay for it when it’s so easy to steal? The credo is as wrong as it ever was. Stealing is still illegal, unethical, and all too frequent in today’s digital age. That is why RIAA continues to fight music piracy.”

I chose this excerpt because it runs directly against the practices of the RIAA. I agree that CD factories, distribution centers and street dealers are the true pirates of the world. In fact, it’s easily documented that the vast majority of pirates that cost the record industry millions of dollars each year come from these kinds of place. Unfortunately for the suits, more times than not, the people who run these illegal facilities have machine guns strapped to their backs. But if that is true: namely that the fight is against the aforementioned facilities, why did the RIAA bust a handful of college students back in 2003 and charge them $150,000 per illegally downloaded song? Were they running an illegal CD factory, distribution center or street dealing enterprise? Nope. They were regular college kids (you know, the ones who don’t have any money yet) who wanted some songs. Or what about the 83-year old deceased women the RIAA sued for 700 song violations? Was she a ring leader and we weren’t told about it?

Unfortunately the RIAA is attempting to attack the people who do not deserve the punishment. They tell us what the pirate’s credo is, but what is the RIAA credo? They will surely claim that it is stamping out the major distributors of copyrighted material, but judging by their history, one would be hard-pressed to prove it. The RIAA is not out to take down the Song Stealing Mafia, it’s out to take down the little people. After all, they are easier to pick on.

“Pirate recordings are the unauthorized duplication of only the sound of legitimate recordings, as opposed to all the packaging, i.e. the original art, label, title, sequencing, combination of titles etc. This includes mixed tapes and compilation CDs featuring one or more artists.”

Did you make a CD for mommy last night? If so, you better throw it out now. According to the RIAA, a mixed CD featuring one or more artists is strictly prohibited. But why? What if I purchased five CDs from five different artists. From there, I ripped them onto my computer and put my favorite songs from each disc onto one CD. Why is that such a crime? Based on the broad definition, that is in fact, a crime. I paid for the disc, and wouldn’t you think I should own it as well? Nope. Sorry folks, believe what you want, but the sad fact is when it comes to music, you don’t own a thing.

Continue Reading

So now the big thing is an HD-DVD crack. Some guy figured out the seven line code to crack the encryption on the discs and now it has opened the flood gates to DVD burning. Unfortunately for HD-DVD developers, all of their cease and desist letters were too little too late as the code was disseminated to several sites like Digg.com.

Now the great idea created by that guy is to market the code minus one line on black T-Shirts; as if this is going to be a way to go against the developers. Honestly, I think someone has too much time on their hands to create such a ridiculous idea. Obviously it won’t be too ridiculous if they make a lot of money, but still I believe that there must be something else that these geeks can do with their time other than think it’s cool to wear a black T-shirt with six lines of hexadecimal coding on the front. C’Mon.

Via [I4U]

If you’re the type who enjoys walking around town capturing video of everything that moves, you might want to check out the HD Camcorder from Aiptek.

Dubbed the GO-HD, the camcorder is truly one of a kind.  With its ability to capture video in 720p at 30fps, the camera is a must-see for any video enthusiast.  Even better, if you decide to encode video in H.264, you’ll be able to cram four hours of video on an 8GB SDHC card.  And if you want to take stills while you’re at it, the camera takes a 5-megapixel shot with the help of its 3x optical zoom.

But perhaps the most impressive aspect of this phone is its price.  For just under $300, you can have this tiny bad boy sitting in your hands while you capture any kind of video you want.  Just try to keep it clean please.

Via [Slashgear]

How many times do I have to say it?  HD Radio is one of those ideas that, although worthy, will never quite gain the traction it needs to become the hot shot everyone thinks it will be.  Well, with the first Sony entrant into the market, that idea may have gone a bit awry.

The XDR-S3HD is a tabletop HD radio that offers great sound at a pretty affordable price — $200.  The radio will feature a remote, alarm clock in case you sleep in, and a cable jack so you can plug in your favorite digital music player.

Although Sony claims there are over 1300 stations nationwide that offer HD radio content, the simple fact is most of it stinks.  With poor reception and the crappy quality of radio, these systems have me wondering if it’s even worth spending the cash that can be used on something much nicer.

Oh, and in case you’re worried: this cherry-wood finished radio does offer your oh-so-last-century AM and FM frequencies.

Via [Gizmodo]

As marketers continually look for newer and more creative ways to sell their products, consumers are looking for advertisements that are more appealing (and products that actually do what they are supposed to do). This median is what the company, Unicast, seems to be attempting to reach with their new HD3D Ad Suite. The basic premise for this new Ad Suite is taking new HD and 3D technology and incorporating them into a 2D flash environment. What Unicast is striving for is the visually appealing effects we see in movies and games, extended into the online marketing realm.

The Ad Suite is comprised of the 3D Video Cube, 3D Product Configurators, and 3D Advergames to name a few. These products are aimed at enhancing visual experience for online advertising pretty similar to the way HD has enhanced television. As a result, an intriguing advertising scheme is being developed.

How many times have you seen an ad, but have not truly “seen” the ad. We see banners and ads on every website we visit. It has gotten to the point where I may see an ad, but I never click just because I know it will be the same ol’ same ol’. Unicasts’ Ad Suite has been developed to combat that lackadaisical attitude, as stated by Jason McKay, Vice-President of Unicast: “3D is a very rich and engaging element that can be integrated into any ad format to create an extraordinary experience for users.” Marketers are trying to capture the viewers attention to lure them to their product, much how like a bug flies towards a light.

I’m actually interested in seeing just what a 3D ad looks like. So the next time I’m surfing the web I will be looking for these interactive HD3D advertisements and might actually just click on one to see how they work. Looks like the marketing scheme is working already.

Via [HDTV Magazine]

Toshiba unveiled a new HD DVD player for cars at the Automotive Engineering Exposition 2007 in Japan. Toshiba is hoping to get their product into vehicles sometime during 2008. So now wait a minute, Toshiba is spending money to develop an HD DVD player for a not even 10″ TV screen. This seems a little far fetched. How could anyone pay extra for an HD DVD player, when they can barely see whats on screen now.

To be honest with you, this is just a waste of time. Yet, we all know someone is going to think this is the next big thing and actually support Toshiba and buy the HD system for their Minivan. Now little Suzie can watch Snow White in HD on a 10″ screen; like she will be able to tell the difference.

Via [I4U]

Welcome to NewAgeHD.com. This site is going to be your one-stop shop about everything High-Def. Whether you want to read about the latest HD news or you want a product review, we are here to provide you with the very best information available on the web.

This website is a proud member of Bunga Media. You may have heard about the great other sites on the Bunga Media Network - Bungatech.com, ApplePhoneboy.com, and DigiSnapshot.com. Like these other great sites, NewAgeHD will continuously strive to bring you the latest up-to-date news.

As the days progress look for daily updates and if you want other news just head on over to the other great Bunga Media websites.

Thanks.