Here are some audio and video trends for 2018.
Buying headphones in 2018 is going to be a fragmented mess because of a silent goodbye to the 3.5mm audio plug, Majority of new headphones introduced at CES were wireless and there are several different wireless systems. Bluetooth audio has historically sacrificed sound quality for convenience relative to a wired connection. However, there are a couple of standards now that promise “better-than-CD” audio quality. For wired connections where we once had the solid reliability of a 3.5mm analog connector working with any jack shaped to receive it, there’s now a divergence of digital alternatives:Lightning, USB-C, and Sony’s 4.4mm Pentaconn connector.
Voice, connectivity and AI took center stage at the Consumer Electronics Show. Alexa Skills and the Voice Experience is really getting off. With over 15 million Amazon Echo devices shipped and 244 million projected by 2022 it is expected to take lead with Google Home Assistant and Apple Homepod with Siri following. Also Google Assistant was mentioned a lot in CES. Google Sold 6.75 Million ‘Google Home’ Devices In the Last 80 Days. ‘Language assistants were a big topic at this year’s CES. More and more manufacturers like JBL and Creative are integrating smart helpers into their WLAN speakers. Alexa support comes to 2018 TVs from Sony, Hisense and LG. Google launches smart displays with JBL, Lenovo, LG and Sony. There will be also other competitors aiming to this market, for example “China’s Google,” shouted out most loudly for voice. Microsoft’s Cortana had a crappy CES so it seems that Amazon Alexa will soon arrive on Windows PCs (HP, ASUS, Acer and others). Introducing Single-Chip Solutions for Building Alexa-Enabled Products.Sony launches a bunch of new headphones and adds Google Assistant functionality to the line.
Binaural, ambisonic, spatial, surround, 3D will be talked about. The most accessible exhibitions of this technology are in Youtube VR and Facebook 360, where users can interact with 360º videos that contain spatial audio. AR/VR was hot topic at CES 2018.
Sound bars are popular for compact home theater setups. Traditional home cinema systems with AV receivers and large speaker arsenals are only used by film and sound enthusiasts who sacrifice space in the living room for this purpose.
People listen to four hours of audio content every day. Streaming platforms like Spotify take a big bit of that. Streaming accounts for 41% of music consumption was the 2017’s most jaw dropping statistic. People will also listen a lot of music from YouTube.
Acoustics-based NFC is being pushed to market as it requires only a microphone and speaker, eliminating tags and chips. Chirp and LISNR are two emerging companies facilitating soundwave communication.
Wireless headphones and speakers become more common. Portable loudspeakers without cables are more popular than ever with music listeners. Most popular connection technology is Bluetooth.More and more manufacturers are breaking away from the cable and are showing new models and updates of completely wireless in-ear headphones at the CES 2018.
There is a bit of nostalgia involved: Several traditional technology tries to make come-back in 2018. The traditionalists among the music lovers continue to use records, so new record players keep coming. Cassette tapes making a comeback thanks to young, independent artists. Artists like Justin Bieber, Eminem and Metallica have all put out material on tape recently as a recent blockbuster film “Guardians of the Galaxy” put a hero center stage with a Sony Walkman. Tube amplifiers are back for traditionalist audiophiles that think that tubes can make your music to sound better.
4K video resolution is hot and 8K going to be pushed to market. TV has progressed to the 4K ultra-high-definition stage with its 3,840 × 2,160 pixel resolution. LG Display has made a 65-inch rollable 4K OLED TV. LG displayed 8K OLED TV at CES. Samsung has technology scales the image resolution to a 8K with AI. LG, Panasonic, and TCL put the spotlight on the chips that do the video processing: For the foreseeable future, any advances in image quality will be coming from these chips, not from the displays themselves.
Welcome ATSC 3.0 in USA: In November, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued new rules that will let TV broadcasters adopt the next-generation wireless TV standard designated ATSC 3.0. This new standard defines the specifications for ultra-high-definition (UHD) or 4K over-the-air (OTA) digital TV. But over-the-air is minority in USA as roughly 75% of households pay for their TV reception for cable or satellite distribution.
Home theater headsets have come a long way. AR/VR is hot. Oculus partners with Xiaomi to launch the Oculus Go and Mi VR Standalone.
Wired peripherals and electronics are still a major part of the market. Cabling for AV systems will have new features: a new HDMI standard and how active cables will provide both power and video to consumer devices.
3D cameras are hot. HP’s Z 3D Camera puts Sprout’s scanning power on your PC. Intel’s new cameras add human-like 3D vision to any machine.
When almost all AV products are pushing more and more features, it seems that almost Everything is too complicated for an average Joe.
Sources:
https://www.smartbrief.com/original/2018/01/10-audio-marketing-trends-2018
http://www.computerbild.de/artikel/avf-News-Audio-Trends-CES-2018-11264743.html
https://www.marketplace.org/2017/11/22/business/cassette-tapes-make-comeback
http://aeaaudio.com/why-tubes-are-back-and-how-to-get-in-on-it/
https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/coolest-best-audio-gadgets-ces-2018/
https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/18/16903516/headphones-wireless-analog-jack-future-ces-2018
https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/08/alexa-support-comes-to-2018-tvs-from-sony-and-hisense/
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332845
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYhgJlEn880
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/7368-tekoaly-skaalaa-televisiokuvan-8k-tarkkuuteen
https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/6/16859102/lg-display-rollable-oled-65-inch-ces-2018
https://www.engadget.com/2018/01/08/eagle-wearable-home-theater/
http://www.electronicdesign.com/community-home/free-tv-keeps-getting-better-welcome-atsc-30
https://www.engadget.com/2018/01/18/intel-realsense-ready-to-use-depth-cameras/
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/01/hps-z-3d-camera-puts-sprouts-scanning-power-on-your-pc/
841 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8364-tekoaly-skaalaa-kuvan-8k-tarkkuuteen
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8360-tahan-on-tultu-oled-televisio-jossa-on-liikaa-pikseleita-ihmissilmalle
Tomi Engdahl says:
Television Technology
Samsung and LG Unveil 8K TVs
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/18/08/30/204247/samsung-and-lg-unveil-8k-tvs?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Slashdot%2Fslashdot%2Fto+%28%28Title%29Slashdot+%28rdf%29%29
The latest TV “must have” that you actually don’t really need — at least right now — has arrived at the IFA electronics show in Berlin. That’s 8K, the super-crisp display technology that has four times the resolution of 4K screens. CNET:
Samsung on Thursday showed off the Q900, which packs in more than 33 million pixels. The 85-inch TV will be the first 8K TV to hit the US market when it goes on sale in October, although Samsung didn’t specify the price. Its arch rival LG a day earlier announced what it called “the world’s first” 8K OLED TV. It showed the 88-inch device to some reporters in January at CES but didn’t specify when there would be an actual product for consumers. Meanwhile Sharp began shipping the LV-70X500E 70-inch 8K monitor earlier this year to Europe after launching it in late 2017 in China, Japan and Taiwan. 8K TVs dramatically boost the number of pixels in the displays
Hello, 8K displays: TV’s next must-have feature isn’t really a must-have
https://www.cnet.com/news/hello-8k-displays-tvs-next-must-have-feature-isnt-really-a-must-have-samsung-lg-ifa/
Samsung, LG and others are jumping into super high-resolution displays. But your old 4K TV is just fine.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Berliinin IFA2018: Supertarkka OLED-jättitelevisio
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/08/29/berliinin-ifa2018-supertarkka-oled-jattitelevisio/
Berliinin perinteikkäät viihde-elektroniikan messut alkavat perjantaina Berliinissä. LG ehti tosin julkistaa tänään uusimman ja maailman suurimmaksi ilmoittamansa 88 tuuman kokoisen ja 8K-tarkkuuden OLED-television. Myös Samsung tuo oman 8K-mallinsa.
Etelä-korealainen LG ilmoittaa olevansa myös ensimmäisenä suurinäyttöisten OLED-televisioiden sarjatuotannon aloittanut valmistaja. Yrityksen uusin on 7680 x 4320 tarkkuuden OLED -televisio, jossa on kaikkiaan 33 miljoonaa itsevalaisevaa pikseliä.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://someco.fi/blogi/videoiden-mobiilieditointi-nelja-android-sovellusta/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wireless headphones are improving faster than anything else in tech
https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/31/17803728/wireless-headphones-usb-c-google-assistant-siri-ifa-2018
Equipped with USB-C, voice assistants, and better batteries, 2018’s wireless headphones kick 2017’s butt
If you’re in the market for new wireless headphones, IFA 2018 has been an absolute treat for you. If, on the other hand, you just bought a pair, well… this is going to be an upsetting read. At this year’s IFA in Berlin, headphones manufacturers brought out a litany of meaningful, tangible, delightful improvements that have made the wireless audio market much more exciting than it was just a few days ago. Let’s take each new change in turn.
USB-C is the new charging standard
Every pair of headphones now has a voice assistant trigger
Battery life getting better
Smarter design
Tomi Engdahl says:
Paul Tadich / Canadaland:
Inside Canadian network Global’s cost-cutting “multi-market content” model, where local news for 12+ markets is produced in Toronto using green screens — Global’s late-night local newscasts, from Saskatoon to Halifax, are all produced in a Toronto green-screen studio.
Inside The Bunker Where Global Produces Local Newscasts For The Entire Country
http://www.canadalandshow.com/inside-globals-local-news-bunker/
Global’s late-night local newscasts, from Saskatoon to Halifax, are all produced in a Toronto green-screen studio. A former producer describes life in a “news sweatshop.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Digital-Input Audio Amplifiers with Auto Diagnostics from STMicro
https://www.electronicdesign.com/automotive/digital-input-audio-amplifiers-auto-diagnostics-stmicro
By delivering high audio quality with low distortion, two new audio amplifiers can be used for adding extra audio channels to high-end infotainment systems.
STMicroelectronics has launched two new 1x45W class-D fully digital automotive audio amplifiers with the aim of simplifying design, reducing BOM costs and helping to certify systems to the required ISO 26262 ASIL (Automotive Safety Integrity Level). Designated FDA803D and FDA903D, applications include telematics, emergency-eCall equipment and Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems (AVAS, for hybrid/electric vehicles).
The parts offer I2S (Inter-IC Sound, a serial bus interface standard used for connecting digital audio devices together) and TDM (Time-division multiplexing) digital-audio inputs and a feedback-after-filter topology for low noise and high sound quality. Combining these features with full I2C automotive-grade diagnostics including offset and open-load detection in play mode, the new products extend ST’s FDA family of 2-channel and 4-channel devices up to 4x135W.
Tomi Engdahl says:
#71 – How to: Setting up a new iPad for Live Sound
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmOL136S9bQ
Tomi Engdahl says:
#59 – What’s in my gig bag?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94QpkFSJyqc
Tomi Engdahl says:
5 Beat-Building Must-Haves for Your Home Music Studio
https://www.wired.com/story/gearhead-beatmaster/
Engineer your tracks for total dance floor domination with this home studio gear.
1. Technics SL-1200GR Direct Drive Turntable
2. DJ TechTools Midi Fighter 64
3. Genelec The Ones 8331
4. Roli Seaboard Block
5. Apogee One
Tomi Engdahl says:
Naked and a Little Afraid: Testing the Body-Scanning Mirror
https://www.wsj.com/articles/naked-and-a-little-afraid-testing-the-body-scanning-mirror-1535547600?mod=e2tw
Naked Labs’ body scanner does a great job creating a 3-D model of your nearly naked body, but just how far are you willing to let technology go?
Despite being alone in my bathroom, I undress at YMCA-locker-room speeds. Down to just my bra and underwear, I tap the “scan” button in the iPhone app and quickly step onto a white turntable. Like a plate of lo mein on a Lazy Susan, I’m slowly spun around as 3-D cameras on the full-length mirror capture a detailed map of my body. I quickly throw on my clothes and wait for a report telling me if there is, indeed, less fat on my thighs today.
This isn’t an episode of Netflix’s “Black Mirror” entitled “The Real Black Mirror.” This is my actual morning routine with the $1,395 Naked 3-D home body scanner.
I have been getting (basically) naked in front of an internet-connected mirror.
the company advises stripping down to just underwear. “Whatever is exposed is measured,”
Lined with depth sensors, the Naked—possibly the worst-named product in all of technology history—plots a 360-degree model of my body and calculates various body measurements.
There are two ways of looking at this product:
1) What a time to be alive! Within minutes we can get surprisingly accurate measurements that go way beyond the traditional scale, potentially aiding our health and fitness progress.
2) It’s here, the dystopian future we’ve been warned about. We’re willfully standing in our skivvies in front of cameras, handing over the privacy of our bodies to a Silicon Valley startup with an uncertain future.
It’s still hard for me not to LOL every time my nearly nude body spins around on the white scale. How much technology is at work during those moments to capture every inch of imperfect flesh?
The mirror has three Intel RealSense depth cameras and a laser pointer to show you where to place the rotating scale. During your 15-second spin, four gigabytes of depth data are captured. Then the mirror’s built-in laptop-grade computer crunches the raw data and sends a smaller file (2 to 3MB) to the cloud so you can access your scan and measurements via the app
The process takes about two to three minutes, but it’s worth the wait to see what you’d look like if you spray-painted your entire body metallic silver.
“We do not take pictures of your body,” Ed Sclater, co-founder and chief operating officer of the scanner’s maker, Naked Labs Inc., assured me. The cameras capture only 3-D depth maps—no color.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Recording Industry Ass. says vinyl and CD sales beat digital downloads
Hipsters will have to go to iTunes now
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/03/23/riaa_says_digital_bested_by_records_cds/
For the first time in seven years, Americans spent more on CDs and records than digital downloads.
This according to the Recording Industry Ass. of America, who says in its 2017 music revenues report [PDF] that sales from vinyl and CD recordings accounted for 17 per cent of revenues last year, compared to a 15 per cent share for digital downloads. This is the first time since 2011 that physical recordings made more money than downloaded music files.
The RIAA says that, overall, streaming services (including Sirius and internet radio outfits) accounted for 65 per cent of all revenues
Tomi Engdahl says:
Achieve Audiophile Superiority With These Streaming Amps
https://www.wired.com/story/head-to-head-audiophile-streaming-amps/
Streaming music doesn’t have to mean compromised sound. These hi-fi amps can help you find cloud-connected aural ecstasy.
1. Naim Audio Uniti Star
Best for: Streamcurious audiophiles
2. Bluesound Powernode 2
Best for: Proud digital natives
Tomi Engdahl says:
Review: Samsung Q8FN 4K TV
https://www.wired.com/review/samsung-q8fn-4k-television-55-inch/
This bright, beautiful TV makes Marvel movies pop, but standard-def sitcoms suffer.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nick Vivarelli / Variety:
Streaming services like Netflix that operate in the EU will need to dedicate 30%+ of their catalogs to local content after new law comes into effect in December — Quotas obligating Netflix, Amazon and other streaming services operating in the European Union to dedicate at least 30% …
Local Product Quotas for Netflix, Amazon to Become Law, EU Official Says (EXCLUSIVE)
https://variety.com/2018/film/news/netflix-amazon-local-product-quotas-european-union-law-1202924740/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why do we need SO MANY SERVERS??
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQED3tF8wuw
“I can’t help but think all of this is just an excuse so Linus can create an over-complicated networking and server setup.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nick Vivarelli / Variety:
Streaming services like Netflix that operate in the EU will need to dedicate 30%+ of their catalogs to local content after new law comes into effect in December
Local Product Quotas for Netflix, Amazon to Become Law, EU Official Says (EXCLUSIVE)
https://variety.com/2018/film/news/netflix-amazon-local-product-quotas-european-union-law-1202924740/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Premium Cables as Fast As Possible
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfv9L8fVvr4
Premium cables. Do we need them or are they snake oil?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Vimeo is pivoting away from being a video viewing destination, instead focusing on selling software tools to its community of millions of social creators — Vimeo, the 14-year-old video service that started as a platform for indie filmmakers, is changing its business to focus on selling software tools …
Vimeo pivots business from media to tech
https://www.axios.com/vimeo-pivots-business-model-from-media-to-tech-1536090779-1c425d8e-7f04-4511-9daa-b0c1f713c128.html
Vimeo, the 14-year-old video service that started as a platform for indie filmmakers, is changing its business to focus on selling software tools to its community of millions of social creators, instead of being a video viewing destination, its CEO said in an interview with Axios.
Why it matters: The pivot allows Vimeo to go after a less competitive social “SaaS” (software as a service) market that focuses on stock images and video, as opposed to the saturated video viewing market, which is dominated by massive tech companies investing billions in original content to win eyeballs.
“Today 100% of our business model is software as a service, like a Dropbox or a Slack … We just saw so much organic growth from the software tools side among the creators that it became a no-brainer that this is what we should focus on.”
— Anjali Sud, CEO of Vimeo
What’s new: Vimeo will now make money by selling Vimeo Stock, a software tool for creators that is akin to Getty Images or Shutterstock.
Vimeo is mostly going after professional creators, but is also targeting brands, agencies and small to mid-size businesses, given how much social media creation has become a vital part of marketing efforts across industries.
The back story: Vimeo says it has been trying to pull back from being a video viewing destination for the past year by no longer investing in original content. Instead, it wants to fill the vacancy being left by large video platforms in the realm of creator tools.
Bottom line: Vimeo sees a business opportunity in moving away from making money off of time spent watching content, to selling subscriptions to tools for people to make content.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The 8K TV You Can Actually Buy! [Samsung Q900R QLED 8K] | The Tech Chap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yajKZVdUWBQ
The Samsung Q900R QLED 8K TV is the WORLD’s first 8K TV you can actually buy! This 8K HDR QLED TV comes in 4 sizes (65-85″), has a new 8K Quantum Processor, Up to 4000 Nit Brightness, 8K HDR, and AI Upscaling! But why would ANYONE buy this?
Tomi Engdahl says:
New Wireless Noise-Canceling Tech Is Faster Than the Speed of Sound
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/consumer-electronics/audiovideo/noisecanceling-techs-edge-is-faster-than-the-speed-of-sound
A lightweight earpiece technology promises to meet or beat the performance of the best premium noise-canceling headphones without blocking the ear canal or covering people’s ears like heavy earmuffs. The new noise-cancellation device leverages the not-so-secret fact that wireless network signals can travel 1 million times faster than sound waves.
Commercial noise-canceling headphones and earphones have internal microphones to detect incoming sounds so that their digital signal processors (DSPs) can compute an appropriate antinoise signal for canceling each incoming sound. But having microphones located so close to the ears means commercial headphones get just tens of microseconds to process incoming sound, calculate an antinoise signal, and play it through their speakers before the sound reaches the ears.
“The main hardware challenge is to get rid of any sound-absorbing material, and instead design a wireless forwarding system that runs very fast to provide the maximum ‘head start’ to the ear piece,”
Shen and his colleagues plucked the usually embedded microphones out of the earpiece to make a noise-cancellation system—called MUTE—with physically separated components connected through a wireless network. External microphones are placed closer to noise sources; you might put one by, say, your office door if people tend to chat outside.
Because the wireless signal arrives well in advance of the sound waves coming through the door, this gives the MUTE system more time to process incoming sounds and calculate the corresponding antinoise signals.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ben Sisario / New York Times:
Sources detail how Spotify has quietly signed direct licensing deals with some artists, a move that is worrying major record labels — For decades, the path to stardom in the music industry has usually gone through a major record company. — Almost every artist today who reaches the top of the charts …
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/06/business/media/spotify-music-industry-record-labels.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Live Streaming Goes Pro with a Hacked Backpack
https://hackaday.com/2018/09/03/live-streaming-goes-pro-with-a-hacked-backpack/
If you haven’t been paying attention, live streaming has become a big business. Streamers are getting out of their basements and moving around among us. While IRL streams may not be our cup of tea, the technology behind creating a solid high upstream bandwidth wireless internet connection is. Sure you can stream with a phone, the top streamers want something a bit more reliable. Enter [Gunrun], who has designed a backpack just for mobile streaming.
The backpack starts with a Sony AS300 Camera. [Gunrun] likes this particular camera for its exceptional audio capabilities. Network connections are handled with no less than four LTE modems. You never know which carrier will have good service out in the field, so the modems are available from a variety of carriers.
https://www.gunrun.tv/parts-list-lul
Tomi Engdahl says:
Easy Time-lapse Video via Phone and Command Line
https://hackaday.com/2018/01/13/__trashed-4/
A good time-lapse video can be useful visual documentation, and since [Tommy]’s phone is the best camera he owns he created two simple shell scripts to grab time-lapse images and assemble them into a video. [Tommy]’s work is just the glue between two other things: an app that turns the phone into an IP camera with a web server on the local network, and the ability to grab a still image from that server on demand.
Making Time-lapse Videos with an iPhone by Command Line
http://blog.tommy.sh/posts/making-time-lapse-videos-with-an-iphone-by-command-line
Tomi Engdahl says:
Inexpensive Display Jumps to Life
https://hackaday.com/2018/01/13/inexpensive-display-jumps-to-life/
If you’ve ever been to a local fair or amusement park, chances are you’ve seen an illusion known as Pepper’s Ghost. To perform the illusion, essentially all that’s needed is a thin sheet of plastic or one-way mirror and a light source. Get it right, and you’ll have apparitions popping up in all kinds of interesting places. With just the right software, though, one of those places could be in your own 3D display.
Using just a tablet and a sheet of plastic rolled into a cone, a three-person team was able to create a 3D display using the Pepper’s Ghost illusion. Using
Pepper’s Cone: An Inexpensive Do-It-Yourself 3D Display
https://roxanneluo.github.io/PeppersCone.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Know Your Video Waveform
https://hackaday.com/2018/01/18/know-your-video-waveform/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Building A Plate Reverb On The Cheap
https://hackaday.com/2018/03/23/building-a-plate-reverb-on-the-cheap/
For those who don’t spend their free time creating music with experimental audio effects, a plate reverb is essentially a speaker. It just happens to be, by design, a rather poor one. Rather than using a paper cone for a diaphragm like a traditional speaker, the plate reverb uses as you might guess, a metal plate. As the plate vibrates along with the source audio, a set of piezoelectric pickups convert that to an output. The end result is that audio fed into the plate reverb comes out with a nice echo effect.
But despite their relative simplicity, a plate reverb costs thousands of dollars. They’re so expensive that the majority of people just emulate the effect in software. But it doesn’t have to be that way. [Sammartino] and an audio engineer friend recently came up with a detailed guide for building a plate reverb that cost about 10% of commercially available models.
https://imgur.com/a/G5jGj
Tomi Engdahl says:
US Military Developing Laser Plasma Speakers
https://hackaday.com/2018/03/24/us-military-developing-laser-plasma-speakers/
It probably won’t surprise you to know that the US military is very interested in using lasers as weapons. Directed energy weapons such as lasers have many advantages over more traditional kinetic weapon
As reported by [Patrick Tucker] of Defense One, a radical new laser-powered sonic weapon was shown off at the “Directed Energy to DC Exhibition”. The system uses two lasers: one to generate a ball of plasma when it hits the target, and another to modulate the plasma ball in open air. The result is a variation of the classic plasma speaker demonstration, where plasma is used as a a driver for a massless speaker.
The US Military Is Making Lasers That Create Voices out of Thin Air
https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2018/03/us-military-making-lasers-create-voices-out-thin-air/146824/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Let There Be Light Rings!
https://hackaday.com/2018/03/24/let-there-be-light-rings/
[Brandon Rice] is at it again — this time to level-up your photography and video production skills with a diffused light ring.
Inspired into creating more video content, he wanted to forgo the price tag associated with consumer lighting rigs. A 19″ diameter ring fit his requirements, but since the only laser cutter he had access to was limited to 12″x14″, he was forced to assemble it in pieces.
https://www.whilethegluedries.com/blog/2018/2/4/defused-light-ring
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.thevab.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/OTT-Ecosystem-Overview-Final.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Who Made the First Human Audio Recordings? Edison? Not so Fast!
https://hackaday.com/2018/04/09/who-made-the-first-human-audio-recordings-edison-not-so-fast/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Linus Tech Tips INSANE Studio Tour!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIs77g86WhA
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8403-korvanappien-suunnittelu-helpottuu-merkittavasti
Power & Communication Interface
https://ams.com/Power-Communication-Interface
The interface enables concurrent battery charging at up to 150mA and data exchange between a charger cradle, earpiece and mobile phone. The interface needs only two pins per device, giving design flexibility and improving the reliability of charging operations. By implementing the POW:COM interface in earbuds, manufacturers can improve the user experience, giving enhanced communication capabilities and convenient charging. Furthermore no bluetooth component is required in charging cradle.
Tomi Engdahl says:
You Don’t See in 4K
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxNBiAV4UnM
Many people are thinking about upgrading to the next video format – 4K. But does the human eye and brain even perceive and process things that clearly? Let’s find out if the upgrade is necessary.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Lens-less Camera Is Built Specially for AI and Computer Vision Programs
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/software/a-lensless-camera-built-specially-for-ai-and-computer-vision-programs-sorry-humans
According to new research, a photodetector pressed up against the edge of a window can detect the reflections that bounce around inside the glass—like light signals traversing a fiber optic cable. And some clever processing of those tiny trickles of detected light enables the pane of glass to act like a giant camera lens.
The resulting grainy images (think of pixelated, somewhat distorted and lower-resolution cousins to shots taken by first-generation smartphones) won’t compete anytime soon with conventional cameras for picture quality. But for the purposes of many computer vision programs, a window pane or a piece of car windshield may provide all the resolution that an image processing algorithm or neural network might need.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nikon Z vs Nikon F – What’s the Difference?
https://photographylife.com/nikon-z-vs-nikon-f
It has been almost 60 years since Nikon introduced the Nikon F mount on its first SLR film camera, the “Nikon F“. Since then, Nikon has made over 100 million lenses for this mount without changing any of the physical dimensions, primarily for the purpose of keeping lenses compatible between different cameras, whether film or digital. With its new full-frame mirrorless system, Nikon is now introducing a brand new “Nikon Z” mount, which is quite different when compared to the Nikon F mount.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Magic Leap One Teardown: A Leap Forward for AR/VR?
https://www.designnews.com/design-hardware-software/magic-leap-one-teardown-leap-forward-arvr/204060129459400?ADTRK=UBM&elq_mid=5553&elq_cid=876648
A teardown of the Magic Leap One from iFixit looks inside the highly anticipated mixed reality headset. Does it have more going on under the hood than its competitors?
After years of hype and speculation, the flagship mixed reality headset from Magic Leap, the Magic Leap One, is finally here. The hefty $2300 price tag alone was enough to shock potential consumers. But the most important question is still: How does the headset, once so shrouded in secrecy, stack up against competitors like Microsoft’s HoloLens or the various offerings from Vuzix? The team at iFixit has come to lay bare the bones of the Magic Leap One and give us all a definitive look under the hood of the world’s most-anticipated mixed reality headset.
First, a look at the components inside of the “Lightpack”—the external unit that handles all of the heavy processing for the headset
The Magic Leap One’s core processor is an Nvidia Parker SoC (the Jetson Tegra TX2). Nvidia has touted this SoC for its applications in autonomous vehicles.
Other components of note show a heavy emphasis on power management and control. The Renesas Electronics 9237HRZ charger, Samsung K3RG5G50MM-FGCJ, and uPI Semiconductor uP1666Q are among several components with low power and small form factor devices in mind.
Microsoft’s HoloLens, by contrast, has a proprietary processor called a Holographic Processing Unit (HPU) at its core.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hollywood goes open source
https://www.zdnet.com/article/hollywood-goes-open-source/
When you think of open-source software, you think about smartphones, servers, and the cloud. You probably don’t think about movies, but you should.
Out of 200 of the most popular movies of all time, the top 137 were either visual-effects driven or animated. What did many of these blockbusters have in common? They were made with open-source software.
The Linux Foundation had joined forces with The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to form the Academy Software Foundation.
You probably don’t know the name of the open-source, special-effects programs, such as Alembic, OpenColorIO, or Ptex, but Morin said, “they’re very instrumental in the making of movies”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wow folks! Sony announced the world’s first 20 Megapixel Four Thirds format Global Shutter sensor! Will it be used by the new Olympus OMD?
https://www.43rumors.com/wow-folks-sony-announced-the-worlds-first-20-megapixel-four-thirds-format-global-shutter-sensor-will-it-used-by-the-new-olympus-omd/
The IMX367LLA is a diagonal 21.6 mm (Type 4 / 3) CMOS active pixel type solid-state image sensor with a square
pixel array and 19.66 M effective pixels. This chip features a global shutter with variable charge-integration time. This
chip operates with analog 3.3 V, digital 1.2 V, and interface 1.8 V triple power supply
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jeremy Horwitz / VentureBeat:
Mixed reality startup Jaunt acquires Teleporter, a tool for capturing and streaming lifelike AR assets online, and team behind it from Chicago-based Personify
Jaunt acquires Teleporter, Personify’s real-time 3D AR asset streamer
https://venturebeat.com/2018/09/10/jaunt-acquires-teleporter-personifys-real-time-3d-ar-asset-streamer/
If you’ve been waiting for live, hologram-like human beings to pop up in AR or VR experiences, that wait’s almost over. Mixed reality company Jaunt announced today that it has acquired Teleporter, a solution for turning people and objects into real-time 3D video streams that can be displayed within AR and VR apps.
Developed by a Chicago-based team at Personify, Teleporter is described as software to capture, process, and stream lifelike AR assets online. J
Tomi Engdahl says:
AV: From analog to digital to IP
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/print/volume-26/issue-8/features/installation/av-from-analog-to-digital-to-ip.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-09-10&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2231633
Penetration rates are low, but the potential is significant for the adoption of IP-based audio-video systems supported by high-performance twisted-pair cabling.
If you haven’t yet watched the online seminar titled “Cabling and Connectivity Requirements for Reliable AV,” you can find it on-demand at cablinginstall.com through November 30, 2018. During the seminar, which aired live on May 31, Panduit’s product manager for audio-video (AV) solutions Amy Hacker, and the company’s product manager for copper cable products Steve Kwasiborski, describe AV distribution technologies and the physical-layer system performance needed to support them.
During the seminar, Hacker pointed out, “AV systems have evolved from analog to digital to IP,” setting up a discussion about the cabling specification, design and installation methods that can best position an end-user organization to navigate this evolution.
Panduit’s Hacker elaborated that the introduction of HDMI—High-Definition Multimedia Interface—in 2002 marked the transition from analog to digital. “Before HDMI, 4K video wasn’t possible,” she explained. “The highest resolution was 720p. The HDMI connector and cable, with 16 pins and 16 pieces of copper wire, respectively, allowed more data transmission.”
The evolution to IP started a few years later, with the introduction of technology that allowed the extension of HDMI over twisted-pair cabling. 2010 marked another turning point with the introduction of HDBase-T, “which brought control, Ethernet, and power functions” she noted.
SDVoE
Hacker points to SDVoE—Software-Defined Video over Ethernet—as a next-generation video-transmission technology that improves the user experience and ratchets up the requirements on the system’s cabling infrastructure. SDVoE incorporates 10-Gbit speeds in the form of 10GBase-T.
In May Anixter joined the SDVoE Alliance. Around that same time the company’s vice president of technology, Andrew Jimenez, recorded an informative video on SDVoE. Jimenez explained, “SDVoE is the leading system for low-latency transmission of AV over IP. By leveraging the existing OSI Layer model established for network communications systems, SDVoE builds on the suite of 802.3 and 802.11 standards, and offers solutions for the full seven-layer OSI stack.
Jimenez further explained three advantages SDVoE holds over traditional AV distribution systems.
Cost: “Ethernet-based switches are widely available and do not require custom hardware configurations, which drive device port costs dramatically lower than traditional AV switching platforms.”
Futureproofing: “IEEE 802.3 standards support 10-Gbit/sec data rates over structured cabling that facilitates a transmission of uncompressed 4K video streams.”
Density: “Increased port counts due to converged applications are limiting available space within telecommunications rooms. With SDVoE, port densities of up to 48 per 1RU are achievable on many Ethernet switch platforms.”
The AV opportunity
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/print/volume-26/issue-8/departments/editorial/the-av-opportunity.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-09-10&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2231633
Tomi Engdahl says:
FierceWireless: Study claims streaming video apps are being ‘throttled’ by carriers
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2018/09/fiercewireless-study-claims-streaming-video-apps-are-being-throttled-by-wireless-carriers.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-09-10&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2231633
FierceWireless.com is reporting that “researchers from Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts say online video apps like YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Prime are being throttled on wireless networks.
Study claims streaming video apps are being throttled by wireless carriers
https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/study-claims-streaming-video-apps-are-being-throttled-by-wireless-carriers
Tomi Engdahl says:
Are WAV files really better than FLAC?
https://opensource.com/article/18/9/comparing-audio-files-flac-wav?sc_cid=7016000000127ECAAY
Using the command line tools to test out the idea that FLAC audio files are inferior to WAV.
If you lurk around enough audiophile-related sites, you may stumble upon writers claiming a difference in sound between the same music played back in FLAC or WAV format.
My conclusions, for now…
If you buy music in FLAC format and want to convert it to WAV, use the flac command-line tool. Same story if you buy music in WAV format and want to convert it to FLAC.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Magic Leap One Teardown: A Leap Forward for AR/VR?
https://www.designnews.com/design-hardware-software/magic-leap-one-teardown-leap-forward-arvr/204060129459400?ADTRK=UBM&elq_mid=5591&elq_cid=876648
A teardown of the Magic Leap One from iFixit looks inside the highly anticipated mixed reality headset. Does it have more going on under the hood than its competitors?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Which STREAMING SERVICE SOUNDS the BEST?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FURPQI3VW58
Comparing the sound quality of different streaming services.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Neutrik XLR Audio Cable Connectors – XX Series
https://www.onlinecomponents.com/featured/neutrik-34/neutrik-xlr-audio-cable-connectors-xx-series?id=376&utm_source=aspencore&utm_medium=enews&utm_campaign=neutrik_xxseries
The next generation of the worldwide accepted standard of XLR cable connectors. The successor of the X series offers several new features which make it more reliable, easier to assemble and improves contact integrity as well cable strain relief.
The worldwide accepted standard
Unique cage type female contact – increases conductivity
Female contact with “solder stop” for ease of soldering
Male connector without locking “window” – more robust housing, increases durability
Specialized female ground contact – excellent contact integrity between chassis and cable connector
Customized branding using translucent ring
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Pentagon’s Tiny Covert Mics That Clip Onto Your Teeth Are A Game Changer
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/23517/the-pentagons-tiny-covert-mics-that-clip-onto-your-teeth-are-a-game-changer
Hidden inside your mouth, the device sends radio messages vibrating through the bones in your head straight into your inner ear.
The days of the iconic image of plainclothes law enforcement, military, and intelligence personnel wearing a small speaker in one ear and talking discreetly into a microphone in the cuff of their shirt may be coming to an end. The U.S. military has handed a small tech company a contract worth approximately $10 million dollars for tiny combination microphone-and-speakers that clip onto the back of your teeth and use vibrations to transmit sounds right into your head.
Sonitus’ system, nicknamed the Molar Mic, helps address many issues units such as the 131st have with their existing communications gear. It completely eliminates the need for headsets or earbuds, head-mounted microphones, and the wires that link all of that together with a larger radio.
Instead, an operator with the Molar Mic simply clips that tiny system into the back of last upper molar on one side of their mouth and that’s it. You can speak as normal, even in a whisper, and the built-in microphone will pick it up.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Create and publish video with open source Kaltura editor
https://opensource.com/article/18/9/kaltura-video-editing?sc_cid=7016000000127ECAAY
Learn more about Kaltura for your video editing needs.
Video has long been an integral part of education—back in the day, movies shown on huge reel-to-reel projectors were wheeled into classrooms to supplement teaching.
Video software-as-a-service provider Kaltura offers a platform that helps businesses, cloud TV providers, and—increasingly—educators make video available to their audiences.
It’s easy for instructors to record their lectures and publish them immediately within their LMS of choice.
growth can be attributed to timing, architecture, and people. The company started just before Google acquired YouTube, Apple dropped support for Flash, and broadband became ubiquitous. This synergy, along with Kaltura’s focus on open architecture (which includes open source, open APIs, open standards, and an open marketplace) facilitated rapid growth.
https://corp.kaltura.com
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://waxrain.com/product_en.html
AirPin (previously named: AirPlay DMR) is an Android/Windows app developed by WaxRain Tech. and it can be installed in Android Devices/Windows PC to work as a receiver to wirelessly receive screen mirroring or media streaming sent from Apple products(iPhone/iPad/iPod) via AirPlay protocol, or from Android Devices(Android Phone/Pad) and Windows PC(WindowsXP/7/8/10) via DLNA protocol.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple Is Deleting Bought Films From iTunes Accounts – And Don’t Expect A Refund
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarcher/2018/09/13/apple-is-deleting-bought-films-from-itunes-accounts-and-dont-expect-a-refund/#1439c2de5f74
You know how some people like to say that physical media is dead and streaming is the future? Well, Apple is doing a pretty good job right now of proving that theory well and truly wrong.
Reports have started to emerge of Apple completely deleting films from iTunes accounts even when they’ve been bought, not merely rented.