Seagate Helps Preserve a Centuries-Old Chinese Art Form

Members of the Beijing Opera Theatre use several FreeAgent drives to store and share video while travelling.

Seagate is helping preserve an important part of China`s cultural heritage. The Beijing Opera Theatre is using Seagate`s line of FreeAgent external storage solutions to backup and protect thousands of hours of video, photos, scripts and recordings.

Beijing Opera (also known as Peking Opera) goes back more than two centuries, and combines music, singing, dance, mime and acrobatics. The Beijing Opera Theatre was formed in 1979 and is one of China`s foremost opera troupes.

Until recently, most of the early filmed performances and records of Beijing Opera had been stored in analogue format. Over the years, some of those recordings were damaged or lost altogether. One such treasure—the master recording of a 1905 Beijing Opera performance of “The Battle of Dingjunshan,  featuring the legendary actor Tan Xinpei was destroyed in a fire in 1940. That loss spurred efforts to digitize and protect other priceless works.

 “With the long history of Beijing Opera, we need a great deal of digital storage to help us preserve these beautiful classics, said Wang Yuzhen, president of the Beijing Opera Theatre. “The high capacity, reliability and security of Seagate`s FreeAgent drives are uniquely capable of meeting our needs.”

“Peking Opera is the essence of Chinese culture and among the most representative of Chinese traditional arts, said BanSeng Teh, Asia Pacific vice president and managing director at Seagate. “Seagate is privileged to help preserve this important heritage.”

Digital Treasure Trove

The Beijing Opera Theatre has amassed a historically rich collection of content, including more than 2,000 hours of video, over 4,000 hours of audio, more than 10,000 photos and 5,000-plus scripts and other written material. Now, using a variety of Seagate 1.5 TB FreeAgent Desk and FreeAgent XTreme drives, organizers of the Beijing Opera Theatre`s digital library have the confidence that their content is safe and secure for future generations to enjoy.

Both drives include easy-to-use software that helps keep data safe and private with automatic backup and encryption of important files and folders. And with its ultra-fast data transfer, the FreeAgent XTreme is ideal for accessing large video or photo files quickly and frequently.

In addition to using Seagate’s desktop backup products, the Beijing Opera Theatre also uses an array of FreeAgent Go portable drives to capture, transport and share video data while on tour. Weighing just a third of a pound (150 g), the FreeAgent Go combines roomy capacity (up to 640GB) with a compact, stylish design that makes it easy to store, sync and share files.

“The FreeAgent Go is easy to carry around and showcase the skills of our fellow performers,” said Mei Baojiu, one of China’s most distinguished Beijing Opera masters.

“With Seagate, I can store and review (operas) and learn from other performers to help improve my own skills,” said Du Zhenjie, another veteran artist with the Beijing Opera Theatre.

ALTEC LANSING: A LEGACY OF AUDIO INNOVATION

Today the whole world is going digital. It`s the most sweeping technology trend since color television or the internet. As you might expect, Altec Lansing is ahead of the curve. We`ve been designing and manufacturing digital powered audio systems for PCs and portable audio devices for more than a decade. And like no other company, we`re producing sophisticated, third and fourth generation products in all price ranges that complement the style and electronics of the most advanced PCs, TVs, iPods, portable audio devices, smartphones, and entertainment centres - enhancing all these digital systems with sound quality that everyone can enjoy.

No matter how advanced digital technologies become, we know that great sound will always be essential. Whether you need exceptional solutions for home, on the go, or personal enjoyment, you can count on Altec Lansing to deliver them.

1927 - Motion picture sound is introduced with the release of the first "talkie," The Jazz Singer. Engineers at Western Electric, who would later go on to form Altec Lansing, developed the technology behind this landmark innovation.

1936 - A group of Western Electric sound engineers start the "All Technical Products Company." The name is later changed to Altec Service Corporation in December 1937.

1941 - Altec Service Corporation buys Lansing Manufacturing Company, headed by James B. Lansing, and forms the Altec Lansing Corporation on May 1, 1941.

1942 - Altec Lansing develops and produces the first permanent magnet in a 15" Duplex speaker - model #604.

1942 - Altec Lansing produces high-power amplifier (Model 87E) and anti-submarine detection equipment for the US Navy.

1945 - Altec Lansing builds first home loudspeakers, amplifiers, and receivers for television.

1947 - Altec Lansing introduces The "Voice of the Theatre" speaker system designed to greatly enhance the quality of motion picture fidelity.

1948 - Altec Lansing introduces the first "high-fidelity" sound equipment specifically designed for home - the Altec High Fidelity Tuner (AM/FM), model #101.

1953 - After competitive tests, the Altec Lansing "Voice of the Theatre" becomes the only motion picture speaker system approved by the Research Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciene3. The "Voice of the Theatre" speaker system becomes the worldwide standard.

1955 - Altec Lansing introduces the first "Voice of the Theater" home loudspeaker, model 820A.

1961 -Altec Lansing introduces first transistorized compressor amplifier and installs teleconferencing system at Disneyland.

1967 - Altec Lansing creates the recording industry`s first modular, solid-state broadcast and recording console - model #9200A.

1973 - Billboard magazine reports that more Altec Lansing monitor loudspeakers are used in recording studios than all other brands combined.

1976 - Altec Lansing Model 19 monitor loudspeaker receives Design and Engineering Excellence Award from EIA.

1982 - Altec Lansing builds almost 4,000 channels of power amplification for Disney`s Epcot Centre.

1986 - Altec Lansing Consumer Products is established in Milford, Pennsylvania to design, engineer and introduce a line of high fidelity loudspeakers for the home and car.

1990 - Altec Lansing introduces the first PC audio speaker system, the ACS200/300.

1995 - Altec Lansing creates the world`s first surround-sound computer speaker system with built-in Dolby Pro-Logic circuitry, the ACS500. The company changes its name to Altec Lansing Technologies, Inc.

1996 - Altec Lansing opens manufacturing facility in Dongguan, China.

2000 - Altec Lansing celebrates a decade of leadership in the PC audio category.

2002 - Altec Lansing introduces a line of speaker systems designed to enhance the television audio from video game consoles and DVD players.

Bluetooth Speaker for your Mobile Devices

03/11/2009

No Dock, No Wires, Just a great sound – anywhere! London, UK 3 November 2009 – The new cute and compact Bluetooth® Audio Cube streams music from any Bluetooth®-enabled device, making it an ideal portable stereo speaker for mobile phones, MP3 players, or notebook computers.

   

Whilst small,lightweight and compact in form, the Verbatim Bluetooth Audio Cube is big with sound.  Music with real vigour – more than enough for a large room – and being only 70mm cubed, it fits neatly into a jacket pocket, perfect for ad-hoc gatherings with friends, camping trips or a summer evening in the garden.

It has a wireless range of up to 8 metres and once connected to your Bluetooth device, the buttons on the speaker can be used to control music playback.  It also comes with a conventional stereo audio cable (3.5mm) which enables you to plug it into any non Bluetooth audio device to use as a standard stereo speaker. The Bluetooth Audio Cube has a maximum output of 3 Watts, a frequency range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz and runs on four AA batteries.

The Audio Cube is available now for £39.99 (RRP).

Ukdvdr Price is £23.59

Since 1969, Verbatim has been shaping the development of data storage technology  from Floppy Disks and Magneto-Optical storage media, CD and DVD formats to the latest High Definition media Blu-ray.  Moreover, Verbatim offers high quality products in the field of Portable USB Drives, Flash Memory Cards, SSD and External Hard Drives in 4,57cm (1,8“) Pocket, 6,35cm (2,5“) Portable and 8,89cm (3,5“) Desktop-Format as well as a broad variety of computer Accessories. Verbatim is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical Group and benefits from the outstanding research and development department. With these innovations Verbatim has played a key role in shaping the storage media market.  Ultra-strict quality controls during the manufacturing process ensure the high quality of Verbatim’s products, which have been the winners of numerous international comparative tests.  The company is the worldwide market leader for Optical Media.  For more information

World First: Verbatim SSD Secure ExpressCard with premium AES 256-bit hardware encryption

Verbatim has launched an SSD Secure ExpressCard with premium AES 256-bit hardware encryption, combining innovative, solid-state drive storage technology with powerful security protection. The SSD Secure ExpressCard, the first of its kind in the world, is available in 32GB and 16GB.

Premium AES 256-bit hardware encryption

Mandatory complex password input

Content of the drive automatically deleted after 10 incorrect password entries

The SSD Card can be completely inserted into the internal ExpressCard slot

Low power consumption – longer battery life for laptops and netbooks

Sturdy and shock resistant

Compatible with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7

The demand for mobile storage solutions that satisfy strict security standards has grown significantly in recent months.  Verbatim’s pioneering SSD Secure ExpressCard with premium AES 256-bit hardware encryption guarantees maximum security for stored data. The hardware-based encryption with mandatory complex password input protects the stored data even if the SSD should fall into the wrong hands, with the disk auto-formatting after 10 incorrect password entries deleting all the content on the drive, further increasing the security of the drive.  Another new feature is the option of assigning guest passwords, enabling all or some of the data memory accessible to others.

The solid-state drive is extremely sturdy and resistant to shocks and vibrations, making it the perfect high-capacity portable storage device.  Another key advantage of SSD storage is its low power consumption, resulting in significantly longer battery life for laptops and netbooks.  Thanks to plug and play compatibility, the SSD Secure ExpressCard is immediately ready for use, avoiding the need for prior software installation or having to secure administrator rights.  It is also possible to use the ExpressCard as a permanent extension to the memory on netbooks and laptops, since it can be inserted completely into the internal ExpressCard slot.

“We have seen significant growth in the SSD market in recent months.  Verbatim is seizing this opportunity and has expanded its SSD ExpressCard range to include a hardware encrypted version: The SSD Secure ExpressCard.  Our aim is to address the rapidly growing demand for secure portable storage solutions head-on with innovative products that come with the security aspect already integrated,” explains Hans-Christoph Kaiser, Business Development Manager Verbatim EUMEA.

Verbatim’s SSD Secure ExpressCards can be inserted into the computer’s PCI ExpressCard slot, which is a standard feature of modern laptops. The cards are compatible with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, and will soon be available in stores with capacities of 32GB and 16GB.