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Israel Could Be Next in Piracy Crackdown
Barry Willis  |  Feb 28, 1999

Move over, Brazil. Step aside, China. Make room for Israel, king of the copyright-violation hill. US Trade Representative Charlene Barshevsky announced in mid-February that sanctions could soon be imposed on the Middle Eastern nation for what the State Department calls piracy of "epidemic proportions."

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Audio Video News
Digital Watermark Technology Announced by DVD Group
Barry Willis  |  Feb 21, 1999

On Tuesday, February 16, five major computer and consumer-electronics companies---<A HREF="http://www.hitachi.com/">Hitachi</A>, <A HREF="http://www.ibm.com/">IBM</A>, <A HREF="http://www.nec.com/">NEC</A>, <A HREF="http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/">Pioneer</A>, and <A HREF="http://www.sony.com/">Sony</A>---announced that they have achieved an acceptable copyright-protection system for digitally reproduced movies and videos. The five companies are original members of the 11-member Copy Protection Technical Working Group (CPTWG), which has been at work on the problem for two years under the auspices of the DVD Forum.

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Audio Video News
Gone With the Wind Holds Its Own on DVD
Lawrence B. Johnson  |  Feb 21, 1999

C<I>lark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia De Havilland, Thomas Mitchell, Hattie McDaniel, Butterfly McQueen. Directed by Victor Fleming. Aspect ratio: 1.33:1. Dolby Digital 5.1. 233 minutes. 1939. MGM 906311. Rated G. $24.95.</I>

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Audio Video News
FireWire Burns a Little Brighter
 |  Feb 21, 1999

Last week, <A HREF="http://www.apple.com">Apple Computer</A>, <A HREF="http://www.compaq.com">Compaq Computer</A>, <A HREF="http://www.panasonic.com">Panasonic</A>, <A HREF="http://www.philips.com">Philips Electronics</A>, <A HREF="http://www.sony.co.jp/">Sony</A>, and <A HREF="http://www.toshiba.com">Toshiba</A> announced their support of the high-speed IEEE 1394 digital interface and their intention to form a patent pool to efficiently license patents required to implement the standard. The six companies say they will work together to create a joint licensing program and promote the industry-wide adoption of IEEE 1394.

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Audio Video News
C-3D Digital and PICKSat Announce Agreement
 |  Feb 14, 1999

Last week, <A HREF="http://www.cqmt.com/">C-3D Digital</A> and PICKSat announced that they have agreed to uplink an IP (Internet protocol) broadband version of C-3D Digital's three-dimensional (3D) satellite channel, which now transmits via the SpaceNet3 satellite. The uplink will originate from PICKSat's gateway facilities in Miami. In addition to its existing C-band distribution, the new format will allow C-3D Digital's programming service to be received by broadband Internet subscribers.

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Audio Video News
Jimi Hendrix: Rainbow Bridge Flashes Back on DVD
Dave Thompson  |  Feb 14, 1999

J<I>imi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell, Billy Cox. Directed by Chuck Wein. Aspect ratio: 4:3. Dolby Digital stereo. 137 minutes. 1971. Rhino Home Video R2 4461. Rated R. $24.95.</I>

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Audio Video News
A Bug's Life Becomes First All-Digital DVD Release
Jon Iverson  |  Feb 14, 1999

In a joint statement by Steve Jobs, chairman and CEO of <A HREF="http://www.pixar.com">Pixar</A>, and Thomas Schumacher, president of <A HREF="http://disney.go.com/">Walt Disney Feature Animation</A>, it was announced that <I>A Bug's Life</I> will be the first feature-film video release on DVD to be created entirely from digital data. Video releases of previous "completely digital" films, such as <I>Toy Story</I>, were created through an analog film-to-videotape process. The DVD for <I>A Bug's Life</I> is the first to be created using the original digital computer data and an all-digital process. The DVD release presents the film in its original widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and is due for release on April 20, 1999.

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Audio Video News
High-Speed Access Race Heating Up; Cable in Lead
Barry Willis  |  Feb 14, 1999

High-speed access is almost universally acknowledged as the most important next step in the development of the Internet. Interactive capabilities, transaction time, and the ultimate resolution of digitally transmitted audio and video are all limited by the speed with which data can be sent.

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Audio Video News
Caddyshack Special Edition set for April 6 Release
 |  Feb 13, 1999

Not exactly April Fools' Day, but close: <A HREF="http://www.whv.com/">Warner Home Video</A> announced last Tuesday that it will celebrate the annual Masters Golf Tournament with a reissue of the 1980 film <I>Caddyshack</I> on April 6. The Special Edition reissue package will include the original comedy starring Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, Ted Knight, and Cindy Morgan, as well as <I>Caddyshack: The 19th Hole</I>, a new documentary including outtakes, rare footage, and interviews with the film's stars, producers Jon Peters and Mark Canton, and director Harold Ramis. Fans will also learn more than they ever wanted to know about Bill Murray's nemesis in the film, the indestructible gopher.

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Audio Video News
Image and Eagle Rock Sign Agreement
 |  Feb 07, 1999

Last week, <A HREF="http://www.image-entertainment.com">Image Entertainment</A> signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Eagle Rock Entertainment that paves the way for 28 music titles to be released on DVD in the coming months. According to Martin Greenwald of Image, "Music DVD is a relatively untapped genre in comparison to the number of motion pictures being released on DVD. Image has recognized a real opportunity and taken the lead in this category of DVD programming. To date, Image has released dozens of music-related DVDs, and we will continue to aggressively explore other licensing opportunities for all types of music programming: pop, rock, jazz, and classical."

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