By Jon Bernstein, 12 April 1999 17:21
NEWS The battle to deliver music via the Internet will intensify this week as Microsoft launches a rival to MP3 - the de facto standard in digital compression for downloading recordings from the Net. According to US reports, Microsoft will unveil MS Audio 4.0 tomorrow. Company officials argue MS Audio will be twice as fast as MP3, half the file size and offer better sound quality. However, Microsoft is likely to meet opposition from major recording companies which are currently working on their own set of standards for delivering copyright-protected music over the Internet. The Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) expects to have standards in place by the middle of the year. SDMI insiders question the need for a Microsoft alternative and whether it will fully address the lack of copyright protection they claim is resident in current technologies. MS Audio 4.0 will be available as part of a free, updated version of the Windows Media Player.
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