Pitchfork

Admit it, Y2K was a pretty big letdown. You thought there would be food shortages, computer crashes, and robot monsters, but as it turned out, it was just you setting off poppers and wishing everyone at the slumber party a happy new year before turning in for the night. Y2.006K, though not as widely hyped as its predecessor, is looking like it might come through on the whole "future is now" tip. Because pretty soon, we're all going to be jacked into our pods in...(cue robot monster voice) SURROUND SOUND.

This week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS (say that five times fast) will demonstrate two new software components that, when used together, allow MP3s to be converted and played in surround sound. The first program, MP3 Stereo eXtended, or MP3 SX (that sounds dirty), allows users to enhance MP3 files from stereo to surround sound, while the second, Ensonido, gives portable MP3 players the ability to play MP3 SX files in 5.1 surround sound...on two speakers.

According to a press release, MP3 SX "guarantees playback with a stable localization of vocalists and solo instruments even off the sweet spot." We're not going to pretend that we know what that means, or how any of this works. But we are pretty stoked to hear what The Soft Bulletin is going to sound like on our iPods.