The Wall Street Journal's Lee Gomes makes an interesting argument [subscription required] about digital music that iPod and iPhone buyers should consider: "[B]ecause both compressed music and the iPod's relatively low-quality earbuds have many limitations, music producers fret that they are engineering music to a technical lowest common denominator. The result, many say, is music that is loud but harsh and flat, and thus not enjoyable for long periods of time."

According to one expert, high frequencies which sound good on a CD may sound poor on an MP3. Music today is also being released at higher volume levels, which can also weaken the distinctions between high notes and low ones in a track.

So add that to the list of complaints about Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL). MP3 and iPods are weakening the quality of recorded music. Part of the problem is the ear buds that are commonly used with iPods are relatively poor quality.

But hopefully engineers are hard at work making MP3 technology better, just as they did with CDs when they first came out. Either way, don't count on CDs making a comeback any time soon.

Intertainer, which was one of the pioneers in delivering movies over the Internet, has sued Apple Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), and Napster Inc. (NASDAQ:NAPS). Intertainer was so early into the Internet movie business that it folded. Or, maybe it was just badly run.

Intertainer claims that the companies listed in its complaint violate patents to its digital entertainment platform.

The idea that Intertainer could collect something on its suit is not entirely insane. Creative Technology brought an IP suit against Apple for certain interfaces on the iPod, and Creative ended up collecting a large settlement.

Burst.com, a defunct server technology company, filed IP suits against Apple and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT). Microsoft settled the suit for $60 million.

The only way Intertainer may get any money from its business is to win one of these suits. Some law firm must be willing to take some risk on that.

You never know.

Douglas A. McIntyre is a partner at 24/7 Wall St.