The Fraunhofer Institute, originator of the MP3 file format that brought the music industry to its knees, is adding Surround Sound and Copyright Protection.
According to PC Mag Online, The Fraunhofer Institute will add Surround Sound support to the MP3 Format using Agere systems technology. Also to be added is Copyright Protection called Light Weight Digital Rights Management (LWDRM) which will allow copying only if the file is registered and a digital signature is added.
The MP3 Surround files are backward-compatible, so they play back as stereo tracks on existing players; updated hardware and software will play the files back as surround sound for 5.1 speakers.
The Fraunhofer Institute is also adding copyright protection. Dubbed Light Weight Digital Rights Management (LWDRM), when added to MP3 files it allows copying files, provided the user is willing to mark files with a digital signature—and register it. So when a file appears on Kazaa, the culprit could be swiftly found.
Now who’s going to use the new traceable/trackable format when the old one works fine….
Source: PC Magazine Online
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