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Internet music-swapping site "Napster" is created, and alarms the recording industry which mounts a massive campaign to shut it down despite First Amendment concerns.
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The first year recording sales actually declined -- record industry blames online music swapping as the cause and tried to advance digital copy protection schemes.
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Consumer DVD recorders were introduced at the Comdex Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas priced at $1000
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Digital electronic books (E-Books) become a small part of the publishing industry, and several competing companies attempt to introduce the standards for them.
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the "Internet Bubble" burst leading to a recession of the inflated technology industry
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Intel announces a breakthrough in the speed of computer processing chips that will make computers several THOUSAND times faster; first systems expected to be sold in 2007
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Music DVD's are introduced which can contain 7 - 10 times the amount of music.
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The TV screen gets more junked up by "crawls" -- banners at the bottom of the screen, and other distracting divisions of the screen in imitation of computer desktops.
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Alternate standard for consumer DVD writable disks is introduced to stop piracy called DVD+RW
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Napster is forced to "filter out" content due to RIAA lawsuit; hints at fees to come other free peer-to-peer software including Gnutella are developed to take Napster's place
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DVD video disk players outsell VHS video cassette recorder/players for the first time.
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Apple Computer introduces the iPod for playing mp3 files, and it is a big hit.
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The F.C.C. (U.S. Federal Communications Commision) requires all new U.S. television TV sets to include digital receivers in order to help the transition to digital transmission.
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The F.C.C. approves a digital radio broadcast standard. Backed by Viacom.
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Apple Computer introduces a downloadable music service via its iTunes music application, replaced illegal music downloads.
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Retailers Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy and Circuit City announce they will stop selling VHS Video Cassette tapes since DVD's are now way more popular.
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The U.S. Congress agreed that Standard NTSC analog TV broadcasts will cease in favor of all digital TV transmission nation-wide on February 17, 2009
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Western Union stopped delivering telegrams as of this date -ending a service in the United States that it began in 1851
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Itunes/Apple sold it's one billionth song on this date, proving that digital music can be accepted by the public when distributed in an easy format.