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Digital music and optical storage medium such as CDs, DVDs, MP3s, Blu-ray and many others have totally replaced the audio tapes that were used to be the major source of music a decade ago. Now a days we have music in digital format that is much better with regards to quality, bass and clarity. But what if you still got a bunch of audio tapes in your house? Well, the TapeLink USB can offer you a very efficient way to utilise them. It can let you convert the tracks stored on the tapes into CD format and save them on the PC.

In other words, you can digitise your cassettes by using the TapeLink USB. It’s basically a dual cassette deck with a USB connection that can be used to connect it to any Windows, Linux or Mac computer. There is no need to install any drivers if you are using the latest operating systems such as XP/Vista etc. The Alesis TapeLink USB not only converts and transfers music from tapes to PC but also features unique technologies that help in improving the quality of the converted tracks. It uses unique software called SoundSoap SE that cleans the audio and removes any background noise, hiss, room noise, rumble, electrical hum or any other distortion.

The TapeLink has got Plug n Play functionality and a CD-quality 16-bit (44.1 kHz) audio output that helps in capturing the tape data accurately. It also features a LED meter and auto-stop function that prevents breaking of aging tapes. The TapeLink USB supports both normal and high speed dubbings. So no need to discard the tapes now, the TapeLink can put them to use judiciously.

With iAudio D2 Cowon has dipped its toe into the ultra portable player market. This is the company’s first touch screen media player that packs lots of exciting features into its sleek body. This player is so small that you can easily hide it in your fist. Everything is smooth on the player except the plastic frame that is slightly rugged to give the player optimum strength. But the touch interface is very smooth and easy to use. Although the company claims that the screen will not attract scratches easily it is highly recommended to use a screen protector for maximum safety.

That was about the overall styling of the device. Coming to the performance, the iAudio D2 lives up to the reputation the Cowon has in the market. This compact media player gives you a plethora of high-tech options and uses Cowon’s cutting edge technology to deliver supreme quality videos and outstanding acoustics. It’s a MSC/UMS compliant device and thus it can be used with Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Mac OS 9/OS X, Linux and some other forthcoming operating systems. The Cowon iAudio D2’s UI is easy to use because of the presence of intuitive navigational controls. Both the main screen as well as the inside menus offer an easy access to all the functions of the iAudio D2. Moreover, this player has got extreme capabilities with regards to battery run time, file compatibility and audio/video technologies.

Cowon iAudio D2 major selling points

• 2.5 inch TFT touchscreen
• Audio formats: MP3, Ogg Vorbis, WMA, FLAC, APE, WAV and AAC
• Video formats: All MPEG4-SP and WMV9
• JPEG photos supported
• 52 hours audio playback, 10 hrs video playback
• SD/SDHC card slot, TV out port, FM radio, vice recorder, EQ and BBE sound enhancements

The OSMPX music manager is the ultimate PC application for organising audio files. Just like Apple iTunes, this one also offer lots of professional tools to manage different file formats including MPEG-1 Layer III (MP3), MPEG-4 AAC (MP4/M4A), Musepack (MPC), Windows Media Audio (WMA), Ogg Vorbis (OGG), Monkey’s Audio (APE), FLAC, WavPack (WV), PCM WAV (WAV, PCM), m3u playlists and cue sheets. The OSMPX stands for OrlSoft Music Manager and supports different operations such as audio file encoding, decoding and re-encoding.

The UI of OSMPX is very intuitive and easy to use. Its window looks like a normal window explorer and supports drag n drop function. You can view the file list in different formats. For instance you can only have the file names or full details. Operating OSMPX is easy as there is a full fledged tool bar provided on the top. Besides, it also sports fully functional context menus that give instant access to all the functions related to the selected file.

OSMPX main attractions

• Great Microsoft Windows XP style looks and loads of themes for customisation
• Eight audio compression formats supported
• Local, removable and network devices support
• Great command line interface
• Express tag editor
• Batch processing supported
• Lots of usable functions such as filters, cue, compression and updates

The only problem that has been bugging the music industry is illegal downloads. Would you believe that almost 95% of music was downloaded on the internet illegally? However the digital music industry saw an increase in its sales by over 25% with sales touching $3.7 billion across nations.

Online piracy has always been a case of concern for those in the music industry with figures touching new highs according to the department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform or BERR, which is a regulatory body that fights illegal file sharing among peers. Apparently, efforts by the recording industry, and government, such as DRM protected files, have not been enough to thwart digital pirates. Moreover, popular music download service iTunes, used for managing music on your Apple iPod nano, classic, touch etc, has decided to do away with DRM protection. Clearly, new and innovate steps must be taken to deal with online music piracy.

The government has come out with a new set of regulations that are formulated to replace existing laws to restrict internet service providers. Internet service providers are bound by legal codes of practice that ensure internet users are restrained from flouting laws.

Claims by the BPI, a voice of the British music industry claims a loss of over 180 million pounds in revenue from illegal downloads in 2008 alone. Last July saw a memorandum of understanding being signed that ensured that ISP mail out to 1000 subscribers every week over a three-month period. These subscribers have been found to engage in illegal file sharing on the internet. Though the ISP’s have sent out warning letters, they are opposed to any plans of disconnecting their customers. Internet Service providers feel that a workable business solution to tackle illegal music downloads needs to be worked out so that users stay clear of piracy and music rights owners slapping legal action against them. P2P file sharing of copyright material, which is strictly unauthorized, is an important issue that requires immediate action.

iLuv’s i1166 is the absolute solution for portable entertainment. Coming from one of the best makers of iPod docking stations and other iPod accessories, this device grabs our attention as soon as we enter an online or physical electronics shop.

The name may be suggestive of a state-of-art portable media player like the iPod touch and iRiver Spinn, but the iLuv’s i1166 is nothing as grand as that. This is just a DVD player that is multi purpose and conveniently portable.

Vice president of sales from iLuv, Robert Caputo says the selling point of this device is its ease of transportation and portability. He goes on to say that consumers can use this device which is one of the best portable entertainment systems everywhere including the pool side, play room, on a trip, the dorm room or even the office for giving presentations. Options galore can be made use of including the digital photo frame and the exciting multimedia capabilities, he said and the device undoubtedly proves his claims.

The device itself features an LCD display measuring 9 inches. This enables users to enjoy watching movies. Built in CD-R/RW discs, DVD R/RW, USB drives and memory cards allow users to view stored digital photos effortlessly. MPEG4, DivX, Kodak, JPEG, MP3 CD, MP3, VCD, DVD R/RW, DVD and CD are the various file and disc formats that are supported by the iLuv i1166.

Various connectivity options include features like USB/SD/MMC slots that are built in, slotMusic, TV connectivity video output and iPod connector. A remote control which comes with this device can be used to control iPod’s functions. The Apple iPod music player can also be charged with the help of this device.

Price is not yet known, but considering the features offered, there is no way this device will come cheap.

The gadgets and gizmo blogs have been creating quite a buzz regarding the coming of the successor of the Samsung P2 media player recently. However, this is buzz is no longer mere speculation, as Samsung has recently unveiled the Slick P3 Media Player at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2009. According to Samsung, the new portable media player has been substantially enhanced, as far as the touch screen interface and sound quality is concerned.

The noticeable upgrade that the Slick P3 has got is the Samsung’s EmoTrue technology that makes the touch interface intuitive and exciting to work with. EmoTrue senses whenever the user taps his finger on the touch screen and gives back a sensational feedback to the finger so that the user knows that the instructions are received by the player successfully. This is something that the P3’s predecessor, the Samsung YP-P2J, did not do. What makes the EmoTrue so important is its intelligent gesture recognition system. It gives a different type of physical reaction for different types of touchscreen operations. There is a different physical feedback for swiping the finger, tapping the screen just once, holding down the finger for few seconds etc.

Another enhancement that this media player has received is the Samsung’s DNSe 3.0 sound enhancement. It offers excellent listening environment and natural sound effects. Other goodies include 3 inch display with 16:9 aspect ratio, photo album, voice recorder and FM radio. You will be able to pick up one for you in the first half of 2009. The Slick P3 will come in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB storage capacities.

The Ice 800 is the latest MP4 player from Somvision which manages to combine function, affordability and style perfectly all in this one unit. Ice 800 is undoubtedly one of the best MP4 players available in the market with its high quality 2.4 inch colour display and touch sensitive navigation buttons. As a result the player represents superb value for money in comparison to the other more expensive, and less functional MP4 players.

Ice 800 is highly intuitive and has an amazing user interface making it extremely simple and easy to use. You just need to plug this MP4 player into the USB slot of your computer, immediately a new hard drive will appear on the screen of your PC. Now all you need to do is add songs, pictures, movies, eBooks etc. to this hard drive and this smart Ice 800 MP4 player will automatically place it in the right place. The main advantage of this MP4 player is that it can be used for listening songs, watching movies, viewing pictures, eBook viewing, digital voice recording, using it as a flash drive and much more, which already makes it more capable than straight forward MP3 players like the Sandisk Sansa Clip 8GB. Somvision Ice 800 MP4 player supports an extensive memory feature wherein a Micro SD card slot of 2GB is provided for adding up more memory on top of the already existing memory in the player. It has a clear, bright and crisp display featuring 256,000 colour TFT which provides a clear video and allows easy navigation of files. It supports MP3, WAV and WMA music formats. Ice 800 MP4 player also features JPEG photo browser, built-in lithium rechargeable battery, supports MPEG-4 (AVI) video format, text reader and high speed USB 2.0 support.

To sum it up, Somvision has offered a package deal to all its customers in the form of this MP4 player.

The Denon DN-D6000 is an awesome DJ mixer / player combo that is specially designed to bolster the abilities and enjoyment of professional DJs and party lovers. Equipped with loads of functions, the DN-D6000 is the ultimate tool for rockin’ dance nights. It’s the outcome of the perfect amalgamation of technology, experience and style. The Denon DN-D6000 offers DJs real life equipment to gain full control over the acoustics and its quality. It not only delivers astonishing music but also allows its users to bend and modify the sound waves in a way they want.

The Denon DN-D6000 is designed in a simple yet impressive way. No matter whether you are a pro DJ or an amateur, the Denon DN-D-6000 is definitely for you because it does not demand any sort of technical knowledge on the user’s part. Even if you are totally alien to the music world you can understand the device’s operations and their corresponding effects in no time. The controls are intuitive and easy to slide and rotate and offer unprecedented precision over while mixing the track. You can make use of integrated tools like seamless looping, scratching, MP3 effects, C.B.R and V.B.R encoding (up to 320 kbps), ID3 tagging, cross fading, 15 sec on board sampler, 3 way BPM counter, Flanger, filter, drag start, brake, reverse and others to add jaw dropping effects to the tracks.

Denon DN-D6000 also offers a powerful and intelligent search engine. You can search for a particular track by title, artist, genre and album anytime you want. A new feature called ‘neat track’ is also included ion the system which can be used for searching a particular track from a CD that is currently playing some other track and then crossfade the two tracks of the same CD. This is very useful as you don’t have to load two different CDs for crossfading.

If you are hunting for an eminent DJ player, which not only suits your personality, but also offers sophisticated functions, then the Cortex HDC1000 is for you. It is one of the smartest DJ players on the planet today. Developed by Cortex, the company well known for its acoustic products, the HDC1000 hosts a variety of features that offer the user full control over the tracks.

This DJ player not only plays the audio tracks but also gives the professionals an opportunity to remix the songs and modify them according to their needs in a number of ways. With Cortex HDC1000, you can play MP3 files, CBR and VBR at any bitrate up to 320kbps. Besides this, you can also connect your portable music player, like the Disney Electronics High School Musical player and then play the directly from it. The two integrated USB 2.0 ports ensure that you get all your acoustic gear connected to the HDC1000 and via a USB hub you can connect and manage up to four USB devices (including external hard disk drives and CD/DVD ROMS) to it simultaneously. The device is a real feast for the professional DJs ergonomically. It has got easy to operate buttons, jog wheel and sliders that are positioned so intellectually that you can access any one or more simultaneously to add loads of effects to the track.

Another very useful feature of the Cortex HDC1000 is its intelligent database that can be used to search particular tracks on the basis of string, title, artist or genre. It also supports playlist creation via PC applications like iTunes. Besides this, the device offers all the standard features of a DJ player including seamless loop, scratch effect, shuffle, cue and much more. It also equips a bright LCD to display the necessary information.

The Denon DVD-1940 is a feature packed DVD Player, which is far above most budgeted DVD players in the market today. With its cutting edge features and top notch picture and sound quality, the DVD-1940 from the ranks of Denon commands respect from competitors whilst enticing customers.

The Denon DVD -1940 is an aesthetically looking deck like most other Denon decks with no superficial add-ons. It has fine aluminum front panel and an overall elegant silver finish; alternatively you can also have the black one which is equally impressive. In addition to the buttons, there is a control for the HDMI resolution, which can go up to 1080p, on the Denon DVD1940 player. There is also another control, which turns off the video connection for smooth audio playback, located on the model. The good thing about this model is that on the one hand it is priced just above the entry level DVD-1740 and on the other hand it is packed with features and technology which has filtered down from the high end decks of Denon.

It is compatible with the SACDs, DVD-Audio and CD besides the DVD format. It also supports other formats like all versions of DivX, JPEG, WMA and MP3 formats. You have total control of the picture quality and save in five different ways you want brightness, gamma, contrast and colour, bass management and the HDMI Enhancer. The player is also user friendly with display screens, large text, colorful icons and intuitive menus. The picture quality is outstanding with emphasis on detailing, sharpness, rich color and above all smooth play. Similarly the sound quality and soundstage is outstanding and it can be used as a superior quality music player giving a powerful performance and clarity. To sum up it is a real value for money buy.