ISP Information:
A form of encoding and decoding surround sound first used in 1993 in the film Jurassic Park. It features 6 discrete channels of audio, with 5 standard speaker channels and one subwoofer channel. DTS can work along with THX speaker certification and placement, or it can work separately. ISP Glossary:
DTS Digital Surround - http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2004Jun/gee20040706025869.htmVoice over IP (VoIP) phone service is becoming more popular thanks tocompanies like Vonage (see our review), and one of its major draws isits lower cost. Because the technology is newer, VoIP servicecompanies can avoid some of the government taxes and regulation thatadd universal service fees, access charges, and more to your land-linephone service.But that situation may change soon as more and more U.S. legislatorscast their eyes on VoIP and the new tax revenue targets it offers. Forexample, a telecommunications subcommittee of the U.S. House ofRepresentatives is having a hearing tomorrow on how regulation wouldaffect VoIP technology; AT&T, BellSouth, Vonage, the NationalAssociation of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, and others will bethere to throw their hats in the ring. There are already billsfloating in the House and Senate on VoIP regulation, and the latestCongressmen to throw a bill on the "make VoIP like regular phoneservice" bonfire are Representatives Rick Boucher (Democrat out ofVirginia) and Cliff Stearns (Republican out of Florida). In short,they want to "declare that the service is an interstate service andsubject it completely to the jurisdiction of the FederalCommunications Commission."The Representatives' proposal is to let the FCC expand its oversightof telecommunications from regular land-line service to VoIP/Internet-based telephony, keeping the states out of the mix. The language ofthe bill has not been revealed yet, but it's expected to "set broadguidelines" directing the FCC to "apply universal service formulas toVoIP" but not saying how. The bill wouldn't let anyone set rates forVoIP offerings, but it would let the FCC levy the semi-mysterious"universal service" and "access" taxes/fees we see on our land-lineinvoices on our VoIP invoices as well. Universal service fees thatlocal telecoms pay (and charge back to consumers) go to subsidizetelecom services in low-income and rural areas and 'Net connectionsfor libraries and schools; the access fees they charge subscribers andlong-distance service providers (the long distance companies chargethose back to us as well) cover the cost of sending long distancecalls across the local networks.Full story at:http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2004Jun/gee20040706025869.htm
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