There’s no doubt that the audio visual industry has proven its ability to survive and thrive in trying times. Global events have facilitated the rapid evolution of audio visual technologies, and these only continue to advance. Here are some audio visual trends for 2022 collected from many sources (click the link colored to text to get to the information source):
Growing consumer demand for audio content: People are listening to all forms of audio content: news, music, podcasts and books. Nielsen reports 75 per cent of people working from home are streaming music every week, with 40 per cent tuning in daily.
Rapid smart speaker adoption: Smart speakers and voice assistants are becoming common home appliances. One-third of U.S. households are equipped with smart speakers and 44 per cent of U.S. adults use voice assistants. Smart speakers let listeners to respond to ads using voice commands. Consumers are rapidly embracing voice to access information, entertain themselves and shop. The ability to instantly answer consumers’ questions and help them solve problems is becoming a key advantage for marketers who lean into audio.
Digital Audio is becoming multi-devices: Historically, digital audio has been widely consumed via mobile devices; it can now also be launched from a variety of new technologies including tablets, connected speakers, TVs and even smart watches.
Prosumer audio: Prosumer audio gear has remained on a steady upward curve over the last few years. With podcasting, live streaming, and at-home work solutions more popular than ever, it’s been a fantastic few years for prosumer audio sales. Their need for reliable, slightly elevated gear to take their content to the next level is proving highly profitable for certain companies.
Content Still Rules: Audiophiles are fiercely loyal to their favorite DJs, hosts, podcasters, artists and stations. As a result, they’re spending more time than ever listening to audio daily. Listeners consume programming on their own terms.
TikTok has caused a seismic shift in the world of content creation, skewing it ever further into a mobile-first industry. To capitalise on the market, more and more mobile-friendly gear is being created, forgoing the need for hundreds of adaptors and plugging straight into AUX, USB-C, or iPhone ports (or working wirelessly).
Many amplifier technologies in use: While classic class AB amplifiers are more and more often replaced with class D amplifier technology, there is still special audiophile markets for class A amplifiers and tube based amplifiers. New technology just coming to the class D amplifiers are GaN-based audio amplifier powered with switch mode power supply. They promise premium audio systems with good sound quality in a small and light format.
Vinyl records: Vinyl is here to stay, it seems, despite all technological advances that would have seemed to threaten it. Vinyl records (and coincidentally, cassette tapes) are selling like hot cakes again. Vinyl sales have been steadily rising for some time, but in 2020 for the first time in 34 years, vinyl has surpassed CD sales.
Streaming has killed CD: CDs sales are continuously and quickly declining thanks to streaming and music flash drives.
The race to wireless zero latency: Companies around the world are racing to find a solution that all but eliminates latency from wireless audio, removing the need for cables in an increasingly space, waste, and aesthetically-conscious world.
Green screens: As events become more hybrid, green screens will play a significant role, enabling speakers to be placed directly in the content becoming part of the message. Green screens are a great cost-effective way to insert branding and infographics, which works perfectly for online events and we will see them become adopted further for conferences. There are also cameras with depth sense features and software that can use pretty many background for green screen type effects without building a real green screen.
Hybrid events: Events have had to embrace the constant mix of who can attend, who can possibly attend and who is not afraid to attend and as such have flipped to hybrid. Although not necessarily an AV trend, hybrid events are unsurprisingly on the increase as people work from home and corporate travel is halted. In those events content needs to be clear and targeted to get the information across efficiently. There is demand for standalone apps that can enhance hybrid events such as Slack, Slido and Survey Monkey.
Touchless Environments: COVID-19 has accelerated the desire for automation and touchless environments from a nice-to-have to a must-have. They minimize the amount that people come into contact with shared surfaces. Following the throes of COVID-19, it appears that touchless building controls are here to stay.
Remote Control And Remote Management: We’re seeing an increase in demand for remote management software that allows one person, or a small group of people, to log into a remote system and review the status of a set of classrooms or meeting spaces. Increasingly in 2022, companies can implement remote monitoring and maintenance for audio visual systems to support the advancement of technology. Whether your organization is expansive or small, remote audio visual support teams can significantly reduce operating costs for your business.
Live Streaming: As more people look to tune into events from home, we’re seeing an increased need for equipment that supports live streaming.
Video Walls: In many commercial spaces, there’s often a need for a large video display. In past years, many spaces have opted for projection screens as opposed to large LCD displays or video walls, solely because the cost was much lower. The price of video walls getting close to similar to a projection screen, and the benefits almost always outweigh the slightly higher cost.
Service And Maintenance: As more commercial spaces look for ways to save, there’s been an increasing demand for AV integrators to handle service and maintenance in order to maximize the lifespan of AV products. Businesses are focussing on reducing the overhead costs associated with maintaining and installing the equipment. Companies having expertise in sectors other than AV cannot have a dedicated team to manage and monitor their AV equipment.
Snake oil: Many audiophiles are infected by the snake oil curse, which causes them to chase endlessly after what is supposedly better sound reproduction. Audio interconnect and speaker cables have become a profitable business built on imaginative marketing and misinformation. This market now extends into power cords, HDMI, and optical cables. Untold sums of money have been wasted on the fanciful claims of cable vendors. There is lots of ridiculous pieces of pseudo-audiophile nonsense out there. Try to avoid this bullshit in 2022. Try to to restore peace of mind, and the enjoyment of music.
Hybrid environment: Although some employees are returning to the office, it is doubtful that society will return to an entirely on-site work environment. Remote workspaces from 2020-21 on will now be ‘Hybrid’ (home and office). AV technologies are playing a crucial role in creating a modern working environment. Hybrid technologies are changing their form, we had just a Skype call before the pandemic and now we have Zoom, Microsoft Team Rooms, Google Meet, etc with more advanced features allowing space for seamless collaboration and communication. Hybrid environments are expected to go beyond that with continuous innovation and development. Remote employees, distant customers, healthcare providers, and educational institutions can utilize unified communication solutions. It is now increasingly important to adopt technologies that make collaboration easier. At one time, frequent video communications, online learning, and compact hardware design were ambitious audio visual innovations that were hard for people to imagine. Today, they’re top priorities for business, educational, and religious spaces of all types, and are critical to how people interact in those spaces.
Silent Video Gains Momentum: It’s estimated that 85% of short videos viewed on Facebook are watched without sound. Yet as much as 41% of video would be incomprehensible to viewers without sound. Video marketers are using captions, context and other “no-audio” tactics to convey information.
Social Media Goes Video-First: video content is one of the internet’s main attractions. Users are being drawn to video-first platforms. One of the most common reasons people use social media is to view video. But with video streaming set to be as much as 82% of total web traffic by 2022, the importance of video content to marketing strategy is massive and still growing.
Digital audio: Digital audio consumption accelerated in 2021 and commercial engagement followed the audiences. In 2022 we foresee three key commercial trends in the digital audio space: Data-led targeting capabilities provide a powerful way to get advertising cut through, Creativity is a constant rather than a ‘trend’ in advertising and Audience Growth is attracting new advertisers. Programmatic audio is divided into three main supply sources – music streaming (through suppliers like Spotify), podcasts (the biggest opportunity for brands), and online broadcast radio (now more attractive with the addition of data overlay opportunities). Amongst these audio heavyweights we can see emerging innovation in the form of conversational and actionable audio ads.
Virtual and Augmented Reality: Although virtual and augmented reality first entered the public consciousness via video games or social media filters, they are now infiltrating every aspect of our lives. Given the rapid evolution of technology, it is inevitable that these advancements will impact the audio visual industry. Companies specializing in the development of VR and AR technologies are noticing an increase in interest from educational institutions wishing to create an enhanced learning experience. Within the healthcare sector, VR solutions are assisting healthcare professionals with socializing medically isolated patients. Virtual reality has been in development within the audio visual industry for many years. In 2022, virtual reality is becoming mainstream. Or at least tries.
Shift from linear TV to streaming: Video streaming goes beyond traditional TV viewing for people under 45. The lion’s share of viewing by those over 45 is still grabbed by linear television.
894 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ernesto Van der Sar / TorrentFreak:
Leaked screener copies of big movies tend to surface at year’s end, but didn’t in 2022, probably due to more security, streaming, and shorter release windows
Where Are the Pirated Movie Screeners This Year?
https://torrentfreak.com/where-are-the-pirated-movie-screeners-this-year-221229/
Towards the end of the year, leaked screener copies of Hollywood films traditionally leak online. This year, no notable screeners have surfaced. This absence may be in part due to security and enforcement measures, but streaming services and shorter release windows are dominant factors too.
Screeners are advance copies of recent movies that are generally sent out to critics and awards voters for review.
These copies have regularly ended up in the hands of pirates after which they’re widely circulated online. That includes screeners of potential Academy Award nominees, which usually appear around December.
In recent history, hundreds of these screeners have leaked early.
Looking at recent history, it’s almost unthinkable that no pirated screener copies will appear online this year. For more than two decades they have leaked in significant numbers, often from Hollywood’s own connections. So why would that stop now?
Many of the screeners leaked in recent years were published by the release group “EVO”, which mysteriously disappeared a few weeks ago. The group used to post a steady stream of TV and movie releases, not just screeners.
leaking screeners is a risky endeavor that draws the attention of the largest Hollywood players.
There are only a few groups that are willing to take these risks. Even if there are other release groups that have access to screeners, these may be spooked by EVO’s sudden absence.
Screeners Lost Relevance
This enforcement threat may play a role in the absence of leaks this year. The fact that all Oscar screeners are now sent digitally may also help to increase security, although that’s certainly not a silver bullet.
A third and perhaps even more important factor is the overall relevance of screeners in today’s movie piracy landscape.
Piracy groups typically release pirate screeners when there’s no high-quality copy of a movie available online. This was very common in the past, due to the long window between theatrical and Blu-Ray or digital releases. That’s no longer the case.
Today, release windows have shrunk significantly or disappeared altogether. When Netflix releases a new movie a high-quality copy is posted to pirate sites soon after. As a result, a screener of an already-released Netflix title is useless for piracy groups.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chris Velazco / Washington Post:
Hands-on with the Pixel 7 Pro’s Real Tone, which claims to render skin tones more accurately in photos, compared to the Galaxy S22 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro Max — Google is trying to make its phone cameras more inclusive. We put it to the test against its rivals.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/12/29/real-tone-google-pixel/
Tomi Engdahl says:
When are expensive cables worth it?
https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/when-are-expensive-cables-worth-it/
Commentary: It’s almost always a waste of money to spend more on HDMI, USB, optical digital and speaker cables, not to mention DisplayPort, DVI, Ethernet and VGA. But are there any exceptions to the rule? Maybe.
There are few things that come in as wide a variety of prices as cables and interconnects. HDMI cables, for instance, can run from $1 to over $1,000 for the same length. USB cables can be similarly cheap or high-end. Speaker cable is even more extreme, from pennies per foot, to hundreds of dollars for the same 12 inches.
We’ve written about cables a lot, and — for the most part — we recommend spending as little as possible.
But there are rare times where spending a bit more is actually a good idea. Here are when those occasional exceptions to the rule occur — along with the 99 percent of the time they don’t.
Despite millions of dollars in marketing money devoted to convincing people otherwise, it’s not possible for different HDMI cables to deliver different video and audio quality. Expensive High Speed HDMI cables don’t provide better resolution, better framerates, better color, or anything else. A High Speed HDMI cable is just a dumb tube. Get the cheapest dumb tube you can.
However, there are some cases where spending a bit more makes sense. Active cables, such as those that use Redmere technology, have chips built into them that help boost the signal. (They siphon a bit of power from the connected devices to power the chip.) As a result, they make it far more likely that you’ll get a signal over long-distance runs. We’re talking 20 feet (6 meters) or more. Many times, depending on the display (TV or projector) and/or the source, a cheap passive cable will work fine. Other times, it won’t. There’s no way to tell until you try it. Thicker gauge HDMI cables may also do the trick, or you may need an active cable.
Occasionally you might want thinner cables, and again, active cables allow that, too. Plugs at angles can place less stress on the connection if you use a thinner cable. And if you’re doing an in-wall installation be sure to use cables rated for in-wall use.
But, to repeat: no expensive HDMI cable will make your TV’s image look better, unless your previous HDMI cable was faulty or otherwise massively messed-up. If that’s the case, replace it with a cheap one.
USB (and Lightning)
It seems the cable manufacturers, finding that you, dear readers, are too smart to buy their mumbo-jumbo about HDMI cables, have moved on to fleecing audiophiles on USB cables. Yep, USB cables.
Ahhh, expectation bias.
I’m also including Lightning because they’re effectively just USB cables
As far as the data going across it, USB is also a dumb tube. It won’t improve video or audio quality.
The exception is with USB cables used to charge devices. Not all USB cables can charge devices at the same rate.
If there’s something wrong with your USB cable, or you’re trying to pass more data than that cable can handle, you can get dropouts or pops in the audio when using a USB DAC. A different, working, cheap cable is all you need.
But, to repeat: an expensive USB cable isn’t going to make your audio sound better, your pictures look better, or your printouts look sharper.
Speaker cables
Some audiophiles will swear up and down that expensive speaker cables radically change the sound of audio systems, really “opening up” the music, offering “improved clarity,” letting them “see God,” blah blah blah.
In the case of speaker cable, however, there’s actually science and objective testing to back up a little of the notion that cable quality affects sound quality. The speaker, receiver/amplifier, and cable all create an electrical circuit. Changing the resistance and capacitance of the cable can slightly change how the amplifier and speakers interact. I’ve done blind A/B testing that proves this, and audio guru Brent Butterworth has done objective tests of a wide range of speaker cables that reveal subtle audible differences.
CNET audio reviewer Steve Guttenberg says speaker cables are important.
Does this mean you should spend more on speaker cables? Not really. Which cables offer the “best” sound for your system (and to your ears) is impossible to predict and has nothing to do with price.
The important thing to remember is that even if it does sound better, it’s such a minuscule improvement that pretty much anything else you can do will have a greater effect on the sound. Moving the speakers, for example, or getting a different DAC, or a different receiver. Heck, even getting a bookcase and some curtains will do more to affect the sound than new speaker cable.
This is a different scenario from USB and HDMI. Speaker cables are analog, USB and HDMI (and most of the other cables you use today) are digital
Optical cables
Most of what you’ll be transmitting over optical cables is digital, namely audio in PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) or Dolby Digital format. All Dolby Digital decoders are designed to cut out completely if they don’t get a perfect signal. If bits are missing or wrong, the decoder transmits silence before it risks sending something that might damage your speakers. So if you’re getting a Dolby Digital signal, and it’s not cutting out, your optical cable is fine.
If you’re transmitting PCM, the audiophile answer is that different optical cables can cause different amounts of jitter. The reality is, the digital-to-analog converter in your gear has vastly more effect on the sound. Could a “better” optical cable result in audibly better PCM sound? Doubtful.
Ethernet
Category 6/6a cables have a more robust specification than Category 5/5e. There probably won’t be much of a speed difference on your home network (Cat5 is still really fast), but the extra shielding can’t hurt. Since Cat6 cables are only fractionally more expensive, there’s no reason not to go with them.
As far as different Ethernet cables looking or sounding better with A/V gear… nope. If it works, it works.
DVI and DisplayPort
The digital video portion of DVI is effectively the same as that of HDMI, so if you’re running digital, and it works, then you’re good to go. The same goes for DVI’s replacement, DisplayPort.
VGA (RGB-15)
Not sure if anyone still uses these ancient cables, and even if you do, I’m not sure you can even find “good” ones. But since they’re analog, in theory better-made cables might allow you to run higher-resolution images without problems.
Power Cables
High-end power cables are seriously a thing. I’m not kidding. If you believe changing the power cable in your gear will improve the audio or video…I have an island I want to sell you.
In short (so to speak), power cables have no effect on audio, video or any other kind of fidelity.
Lifespan
There also isn’t much sense to the idea of buying more expensive cables because they last longer. There’s no proof of this, for one, and it doesn’t make economic sense either.
Everything else
Obviously I’ve left out a few other types of cables, but this article has already turned into quite a tome so I’ll just stop already. In the failed efforts of pith, I’ll try to cover everything else with these overriding, if simplistic, pieces of advice:
If the cable transmits digital information, then with few exceptions, if it works, it works. Go cheap.
If the cable transmits analog information, then it’s possible it might have some impact on the sound or video. However, such impact is likely exceptionally slight. Enough so that it you shouldn’t spend much money on them.
Lastly, every cable article I’ve written has attracted its fair share of unbelievers: Anonymous posters claiming they’ve seen/heard differences and therefore expensive cables are awesome.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LG’s new optical zoom sensor aims to get rid of the smartphone camera bump
LG’s optical zoom sensor can move between 4x-9x.
https://www.androidauthority.com/lg-smartphone-camera-sensor-3260484/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smartphones will kill off the DSLR within three years says Sony
By Mark Wilson last updated June 01, 2022
Phone cameras are set to get even better, according to Sony
https://www.techradar.com/news/smartphones-will-kill-off-the-dslr-within-three-years-says-sony
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ dominated the New Year’s Eve box office, pulling in $400 million in domestic ticket sales.
‘Avatar’ Sequel Has Earned $1.37 Billion Globally — Putting It Within Striking Distance Of Highest Grossing Films Of All Time
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/01/01/avatar-sequel-has-earned-137-billion-globally—putting-it-within-striking-distance-of-highest-grossing-films-of-all-time/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Valerie&sh=2f189d681b49
Tomi Engdahl says:
Vinyyli käy kaupaksi – Yhdysvalloissa lyötiin tiskiin formaatin kovimmat myyntiluvut sitten vuoden 1991
https://www.soundi.fi/uutiset/vinyyli-kay-kaupaksi-yhdysvalloissa-lyotiin-tiskiin-formaatin-kovimmat-myyntiluvut-sitten-vuoden-1991/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1672602736
Yhdysvalloissa myytiin vinyylilevyjä yhden viikon aikana suurin määrä sitten vuoden 1991.
Tutustu
Luminaten mukaan joulukuun 22. päivään päättyvällä viikolla kaupiteltiin kaikkiaan 2,2 miljoonaa vinyylilevyä. Billboardin raportoi kyseessä olevan suurimmasta luvusta elektronisesti mitattujen myyntilukujen aikakaudella.
Viikon myydyin levy oli Taylor Swiftin Midnights-albumi 68 000 kappaleellaan. Vinyyli kattoi 57 prosenttia kaikesta albumimyynnistä ja 63 prosenttia fyysisestä levymyynnistä.
Kahden miljoonan rajapyykki rikkoutui Yhdysvalloissa tasan vuosi sitten. Vinyyli myös ohitti samassa rytäkässä cd:t myyntiluvuissa ensimmäistä kertaa 30 vuoteen. Isossa-Britanniassa sama tapahtui vuonna 2022.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/01/02/whats-new-from-1927/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/01/02/holographic-cellphones-coming-thanks-to-ai/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Was 3D TV actually poo?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbjb2spwQVg
3D TV was poised to be the NEXT BIG STEP FORWARD for home entertainment, but as quickly as the zeitgeist began, it disappeared. What happened? Was at home 3D really that bad? To find out, we take a look at two 3D Displays using the two most prevalent technologies. The Active 3D PlayStation 3D Display and the Passive LG OLED Signature G6.
CHAPTERS
—————————————————
0:00 Intro
1:28 Brief History of 3D
3:32 How RealD 3D works
4:40 The TVs
6:00 PS3D Display / Active 3D
9:14 SimulView
11:07 LG Signature / Passive 3D
15:22 A Detour
16:01 Reacting to 3D Movies
17:26 How 3D Content works
18:36 Problems with 3D
19:46 3D LIVES ON!
21:15 Outro
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why does Avatar 2 look so real?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eCVOK_2DaQ
In this video we take a look at the CGI, cinematography, and filmmaking techniques used in Avatar: The Way of Water. Trying to understand why it looks so real, and more interestingly why it feels so real. This video breaks down a key scene that Corridor Digital tried to analyze whether or not it was good or bad CGI. By looking at behind the scenes clips we try to understand how they made Avatar 2 (Avatar The Way of Water) and what makes James Cameron’s approach to CGI with Weta Digital so special.
00:00 – Intro
00:41 – The Feeling
01:00 – Cameron Quote
01:30 – Why Performances Matter
02:00 – Cameron Quote 2
02:14 – Way Of Water
02:51 – Bad CGI
03:03 – The Truth About That Shot
03:23 – Is This Really The Future?
04:22 – The Volume
05:18 – Practical Filmmaking
06:26 – Cameron Quote 3
06:40 – Free Pizza
Tomi Engdahl says:
A few months ago, many users noticed that AirPlay on older Apple TV models no longer works with DRM-restricted content after the iOS 16 update. However, it seems that the problem goes far beyond that, as there are reports that such content can no longer be played using HDMI adapters as well….
https://9to5mac.com/2023/01/04/ios-16-break-drm-content-hdmi/
Tomi Engdahl says:
What? Huh? Why your favorite shows and films sound worse than ever
Dialogue has never been more unintelligible. Is there anything we can do, other than turn on the subtitles? In short: not really
https://www.avclub.com/television-film-sound-audio-quality-subtitles-why-1849664873
Tomi Engdahl says:
Roland’s astonishing 50th anniversary piano comes with flying drone speakers
https://www.musicradar.com/news/roland-50th-anniversary-piano-drones
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/12/handbrake-video-transcoder-adds-official-av1-codec-support-in-latest-release/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.edn.com/devices-help-hearing-aids-produce-natural-sound/
Tomi Engdahl says:
5 things a DSLR still does better than an iPhone
By Sam Kieldsen published July 09, 2022
DSLRs are becoming niche, but they’re far from irrelevant
https://www.techradar.com/features/5-things-a-dslr-still-does-better-than-an-iphone
Tomi Engdahl says:
–||– How To make Rubanoide Speaker At home–||–
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F_CDiy84yMw&feature=share
Tomi Engdahl says:
How CD players lost their cool & why the Technics SL-P1200 didn’t.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag2RVk2vx4o
Forty years ago CD players were the cool new thing. The first machines were amazing technological marvels with interesting designs. But when it came to launching the second generation players most manufacturers’ models started to look pretty similar. In this video I’ll explain what happened and then show that there were some exceptions – you just needed to think outside the (oblong) box. I then go on to demonstrate the exception(al) CD player I bought – a Technics SL-P1200.
00:00 Show me the media
02:52 Things started off well
04:34 But then this happened
06:32 So I bought this
07:32 But I really wanted this
08:53 Let’s look at the SL-P1200
10:34 How quick
11:15 So what can it do
16:11 Summary
16:56 Patreon credits
Vinyl Record Mass Production Process. Korea’s Only LP Records Manufacturing Factory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f344wxy-2pU
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why do I have 80 Staff?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCXQzLbDrgs
Running a tech YouTube channel is no easy task, especially when you have to cover things like AMD CPUs, Nvidia GPUs, Computer Cases, Hard Drives, oh yeah, and making custom merch, like screwdrivers and backpacks and running a streaming website, oh yeah, and then I need people to clean the building because I don’t have time… and who will help me move? Or build my house? Or find sponsors for me to tell you about? Oh, man… this is getting out of hand.
CHAPTERS
—————————————————
0:00 Intro
0:52 Writers
3:33 Mac Address / Channel Super Fun
4:51 Social Media/Memelord
5:44 Business Team
6:58 Procurement
7:22 Accounting
7:58 Logistics
10:59 Camera Crew
12:37 Editors
16:51 COC
17:30 Creator Warehouse
20:24 Linus, this video is about staff…
21:14 Creator Warehouse cont.
22:20 Stragglers
25:18 Floatplane
25:40 yes, we missed some
26:41 Outro
Tomi Engdahl says:
Photogrammetry Rig with 30 Sony Cameras
https://hackaday.io/project/189006-photogrammetry-rig-with-30-sony-cameras
Use Sony Camera Remote API to control 30 cameras, including NEX 5R, NEX 5T, NEX 6, A5100, or more. Build Control Panel UI and Hardware Rig.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kenneth Shepard / Kotaku:
Some creators are protesting YouTube’s policy changes to regulate swearing and violence, which demonetize gaming videos and retroactively impact old content — YouTube’s policy changes on swearing and violence are being retroactively applied to old gaming content
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kenneth Shepard / Kotaku:
Some creators are protesting YouTube’s policy changes to regulate swearing and violence, which demonetize gaming videos and retroactively impact old content — YouTube’s policy changes on swearing and violence are being retroactively applied to old gaming content
Gaming YouTube Is In Turmoil Thanks To New Violence And Profanity Rules
YouTube’s policy changes on swearing and violence are being retroactively applied to old gaming content
ByKenneth Shepard
PublishedTuesday 2:45PM
Comments (138)
Alerts
Daniel Condren is shown sitting in front of a green screen and talking into a microphone with his hands in the air.
RTGame has been a centerpiece for conversations around YouTube’s new profanity and violence policies.
Screenshot: RTGame / Kotaku
Members of YouTube’s gaming community are calling out the video hosting site for adding new regulations regarding profanity usage and violent content, disproportionately affecting gaming creators who produce unscripted videos such as let’s plays of M-rated games. Worse, the policy is retroactively deeming their videos in violation of new rules and affecting their ability to make money on the platform.
The rule changes in question was originally made in November of 2022, and the blog post announcing it says that YouTube now treats all profanity equally (meaning “ass” is just as bad as “fuck”), and any usage of such in titles, thumbails, or in the first seven seconds of a video may result in complete demonetization. While you can swear after the first eight seconds, if you use profanity “consistently throughout the video” it may also be demonetized according to this new policy. The same restrictions apply to violent content, as well.
Previously, YouTube’s violent content policy applied to images of real-world violence, though game violence is now specifically noted as of the November update. As for profanity, prior to this change, YouTube allowed creators to use what it describes as “moderate profanity” (it says “shit” and “bitch” fall under this category) in the first 30 seconds without fear of demonetization.
The trouble is, the new standard is apparently being applied retroactively to videos made before the policy change, and that adds up for channels that have been on YouTube for years and have received revenue from old videos. Users like Daniel Condren, who runs the game-centric channel RTGame, have publicly expressed frustration with not only the policy change, but YouTube’s lack of communication during the transition. In a nearly 20-minute-long video, Condren, who has over 2.7 million subscribers, recapped a situation in which a video had been flagged and age-restricted without explanation, and after he sent in an appeal to rectify this, he was denied within 10 minutes.
RTGames
After escalating the issue, Condren says he saw a mass flagging of around a dozen more videos that he attempted to appeal through the same channels, all of which were immediately denied. Eventually, after being put in direct contact with YouTube, Condren was told these videos were being age-restricted and demonetized due to these new policies, and he says he believes these older videos were being affected because he escalated the situation with the original video.
“As you are aware, all content available on the platform must follow these guidelines, regardless of when they were uploaded or when the policy was implemented,” a YouTube rep told Condren, as shown by screenshots in the video.
“I also want to take this opportunity to share that our systems are constantly updated, which means that content that [violates] any of our policies may be identified by our system at any time after they have been uploaded to the platform. Likewise, content can be reported by viewers at any time once uploaded to YouTube, and they will be reviewed by YouTube teams.”
As other channels have commented on the situation, users such as SomeOrdinaryGamers’ Mutahar Anas have pointed out that there are some loopholes. The easiest one seems to be adding a bit of buffer footage at the beginning of videos to get whatever violent or profane content that follows past the seven-second threshold, but that obviously can’t be applied to videos that have already been uploaded, as Condren found out in his conversations with YouTube representatives.
While these policies are stated on Google’s support website, the specifics of why were not communicated to Condren until he reached out to YouTube staff, and that lack of communication has been a sticking point for creators criticizing these new policies. Creators could hypothetically edit their videos using YouTube’s native editing tools to adhere to the policy after being flagged, Condren was told by the YouTube rep he was in contact with that users aren’t allowed to regain monetization through this method. So the process doesn’t feel conducive to a back and forth between creators and YouTube to address misunderstandings after a video has been uploaded.
As knowledge of the retroactive effects this policy change has on creators has spread since its implementation in November, other YouTube users like Charles Christopher White Jr., better known online as commentator and streamer MoistCr1TiKaL, have also posted about the issue, criticizing that platform’s lack of communication.
“If you’re just now figuring this out and wondering why your channel got demonetized over the last 24 hours, I’m sorry I had to be the one to shit out this bad news onto your plate,” White says. “Would’ve been a lot more palatable if it came from YouTube’s mouth as opposed to my ass. But it is what it is. I am very, very convinced they will never actually communicate policy changes ever. At least, not in any effective manner.”
Kotaku has reached out to Condren and YouTube about the situation and will update the story if/when we hear back.
For now, Condren says he is now having to reevaluate his relationship with YouTube, saying that, regardless of what happens, he will be taking a break from content creation for a bit.
“Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love doing this for a career,” Condren says as he signs off. “This is my favorite part of life. I love producing content, I love having a community, I love being able to entertain that community. I’m so thankful for all the support I have received, but this has all shaken me quite badly.”
Culture
News
https://kotaku.com/youtube-violence-profanity-policy-rtgame-moist-critical-1849971177
Tomi Engdahl says:
Free DJ software for learning
You’ll pick up DJing quickly with Serato DJ Lite. It’s easy to learn and keeps things simple while you’re starting out.
Built on Serato DJ Pro technology, you’ll find it reliable and intuitive.
https://serato.com/dj/lite
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://audiovideo.fi/opas/kaiutinrakennusohje-6-5-piste/
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://rvbprecision.com/stereo/full-range-speaker-phase-plug-addition.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.puhelinvertailu.com/uutiset/2022/05/23/opas-mita-eroa-on-oled-ja-amoled-naytoilla
https://www.power.fi/artikkelit/tieto-ja-tekniikka/puhelinten-naytot-amoled-vai-ips/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Vinyylilevyjen myynnin arvo on jo reippaasti ylittänyt CD-levyjen myynnin arvon. Mielenkiintoisesti noin puolella vinyylilevyjä ostavista ihmisistä ei ole laisinkaan vinyylisoitinta. Ts. levy voi olla todellakin vain keräilykohde.
Alan liikevaihdosta lähes kaikki tulee streamaamisesta:
Rank Music formats Revenue in 2021
1 Streaming $11.5 billion
2 Vinyl $1.0 billion
3 CD $0.6 billion
4 Downloads $0.5 billion
Other $1.4 billion
Total $15.1 billion
Animated Chart: The Rise and Fall of Music Sales, by Format (1973-2021)
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/visualized-the-rise-and-fall-of-music-sales-by-format/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The ELP Laser Turntable
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE4tO_dIDKA
In this video, I explain everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the ELP Laser Turntable and dispel some of the rather amusing myths and misinformation associated with it.
0:00 Introduction
3:52 History
6:19 How It Works
6:53 Advantages
8:04 Disadvantages
9:20 How to Use It / Features
11:15 Listening Preamble
13:08 King Tut Strut
22:10 Debussy Étude 3, Pour les quartes
23:43 In The Spanish Mode
25:19 Q&A
29:48 Conclusion
Tomi Engdahl says:
Optical Fibre Turntable for Archives Records
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnGh7FADitg
The most interesting feature of the optical system consists in its ability to play ancient and damaged records, as may be found in the sound archives of National Institutes and broadcasting stations.The force applied by the fiber on the record is limited to 50 mg, about 100 time less than that of a modern pick-up.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How It’s Made – turntables
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXNXJD5F0r4
Another audio-related segment on the Discovery Channel’s “How It’s Made” show. This segment shows some of the steps in building a Wilson Benesch turntable.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Adding USB-C to a 45-Year-Old Cassette Recorder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bch1OeoB-54
Well, I’m certain my decision to make permanent modifications on this old cassette deck won’t be controversial at all. Nonetheless it was a ton of fun learning how to add rechargeable batteries to this portable cassette recorder and making the power source for those batteries be from USB-C, well all the better. Enjoy!
Viewer comments:
I was also expecting you put a USB audio interface in it so you could record and playback to a PC over that same USB-C connector, should be easy just connect the data wires and power to the existing breakout and wire the line in and out between the audio interface and the jacks on the recorder
Huh, that really good idea. I’ll remember that if I do something like this again; right now that battery compartment is pretty cramped lol
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smart Speaker Acoustic Measurements
https://www.elektronikfokus.dk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/AppNote-Smart-Speaker-Acoustic-Measurements.pdf
Smart speakers are a relatively new class of consumer audio device with unique characteristics that
make testing their audio performance difficult. In this application note, we provide an overview of smart
speaker acoustic measurements with a focus on frequency response – the most important objective
measurement of a device’s audio quality.
Smart speakers contain several distinct audio subsystems, including:
• A Microphone array
• A powered (active) loudspeaker system
• Front-end signal processing algorithms for tasks such as beamforming, acoustic echo
cancellation and noise suppression
An array of microphones is used instead of a single microphone to enable the device to take advantage
of beamforming, a signal processing technique which can effectively increase the signal to noise ratio of
the speech signal sent to the IVA for processing.
Audio Signal Paths
The primary audio paths for a smart speaker are between the device and the IVA or a network server,
using the Internet with a Wi-Fi or wired connection. On the input side, a speech signal containing a
spoken command is sensed with the device’s microphone array, digitized and uploaded to the IVA for
signal processing and command interpretation. On the output side, digital audio content is transmitted
from a web server to the device, where it is converted from digital to analog, then finally to an acoustic
signal as it is played over the device’s loudspeaker system
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microphones: On-PCB options for catching tones
https://www.edn.com/microphones-on-pcb-options-for-catching-tones/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ainakin 57 000:ssa LG:n televisiossa hengenvaarallinen kaatumisriski – koskee myös Suomea https://www.is.fi/digitoday/art-2000009332168.html
LG vetää 86-tuumaisia televisioitaan takaisin kaatumisvaaran vuoksi.
ETELÄKOREALAINEN elektroniikkavalmistaja LG Electronics vetää takaisin 86-tuumaisia televisioitaan ympäri maailmaa, myös Suomessa. Tietyt vapaasti seisovat mallit saattavat olla epävakaita jalustalla ollessaan. Yhtiön mukaan ongelma voi ilmetä, jos jalustan asentaa väärin.
LG antoi Ilta-Sanomat Digitodaylle seuraavan lausunnon:
LG on huomannut, että telineen virheellinen asennus tiettyihin LG 86 tuuman UHD-televisiomalleihin voi aiheuttaa haavoittuvuutta television tukitelineen eheyteen. Tämä haavoittuvuus ilmenee kuitenkin vain, jos jalustaa ei ole asennettu oikein. Kun jalusta on asennettu täsmälleen tuoteohjeissa kuvatulla tavalla ja kaikki mukana toimitetut ruuvit on käytetty ja kiristetty oikein, tätä rakenteellista vikaa ei tapahdu.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rick Beato thinks Auto-Tune has ‘destroyed popular music’. Here’s why he’s wrong
By Matt Mullen published about 14 hours ago
We make the case for Auto-Tune, with a little help from T-Pain
https://www.musicradar.com/news/rick-beato-auto-tune?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_content=musicradar&utm_source=facebook.com
Tomi Engdahl says:
TOP 20 Inventions that CHANGED Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ1t1epu8bE
Tomi Engdahl says:
EU-lainsäädäntö voi kieltää 8K-televisiot
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/14492-eu-lainsaeaedaentoe-voi-kieltaeae-8k-televisiot
Elektroniikkamyymälöissä monen katse kiinnittyy uusiin 8K-resoluutiota tarjoaviin televisioihin. Laitteet ovat vielä kalliita, mutta vievät toki viihteen ja urheilun aivan uudelle tasolle. EU:n lainsäädäntö näyttää kuitenkin kieltävän 8K-televisioiden myynnin ensi vuonna.
EU:n komissio ilmoittaa, että uuteen energiatehokkuuslakiin (EEI, energy efficiency index) ei tule korjauksia. Näin alkuperäinen tiukempi direktiivi tulee voimaan maaliskuussa. Tällä hetkellä kaikkien markkinoilla myytävien 8K-televisioiden energiankulutus on liian suuri.
Tällä hetkellä OLED-televisiot voivat kuluttaa hieman enemmän virtaa kuin LCD-televisiot. Poikkeuksia ei kuitenkaan sallita maaliskuun alusta lähtien. Tällöin esimerkiksi 55 tuuman television tehonkulutus saa olla enimmillään 84 wattia, 65-tuumaisen 112 wattia ja 75-tuumaisen 141 wattia.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Serato’s Studio DAW now has built-in stem separation: “This is a big moment for music production,” says Kendrick Lamar producer DJ Khalil
By Ben Rogerson( Computer Music, Future Music, emusician ) published 2 days ago
Break mixed audio into separate vocal, drum, bass and melody tracks
https://www.musicradar.com/news/serato-studio-2-stems
Tomi Engdahl says:
Plugindoctor fills a longstanding gap in the market: a cross-platform and cross-bitformat plugin analyzer for VST and AU plugins. Whether you are a plugin developer yourself who wants to thoroughly test the audio quality of your latest and greatest product, or a power user who wants to understand in more detail what exactly a specific plugin is doing to your precious audio material, Plugindoctor will help you find out!
https://ddmf.eu/plugindoctor/
Tomi Engdahl says:
What makes that song swing? At last, physicists unravel a jazz mystery
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/01/18/1139783203/what-makes-songs-swing-physicists-unravel-jazz-mystery
For nearly a century, jazz musicians and scholars have debated the answer to a musical mystery. As legendary jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong once put it, “What is this thing called swing?”
Swing has long been considered an essential component of almost all types of jazz, from traditional to bepop to post-bop. As Ella Fitzgerald and many others have sung, “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.” You might describe swing as a rhythmic phenomenon in jazz performances — a propulsive, groovy feeling that makes you want to move with the music.
Still, a precise definition of swing has long eluded musicians and scholars alike.
Fittingly, physicists now think they’ve got an answer to the secret of swing — and it all has to do with subtle nuances in the timing of soloists.
There’s one defining component of swing that’s easy to hear, and it has to do with how eighth notes are played. Instead of playing them straight
… in jazz these notes are swung, meaning the downbeats — or every other eighth note — is played just a little longer, while the offbeat notes in between are shortened, creating a galloping rhythm, like this.
But jazz musicians know that technique alone can’t explain swing — after all, even a computer can swing a note.
“A computer just ain’t — excuse my language – it just ain’t going to swing that hard, you know?” McBride says. “You still don’t get the real proper swing feel, which is a human feel.”
That swing feel happens as musicians interact in performance, McBride explains.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DIY focus stacking device aids in macro photography
https://blog.arduino.cc/2023/01/18/diy-focus-stacking-device-aids-in-macro-photography/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.musicradar.com/news/arturia-minifreak-v-now-available
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.stereogum.com/2210759/rick-rubin-talks-recording-johnny-cash-ll-cool-j-more-on-60-minutes/news/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Teoston tuore raportti: 12–17-vuotiaat nuoret löytävät uutta musiikkia TikTokista, vain 6% radion kautta
https://kaaoszine.fi/teoston-tuore-tutkimus-12-17-vuotiaat-nuoret-loytavat-uutta-musiikkia-tiktokista-vain-6-radion-kautta/#Echobox=1673265312
Tuoreen tutkimuksen mukaan 12-17 -vuotiaat nuoret löytävät uutta musiikkia nykyisin suurelta osin TikTokin kautta radion osuuden jäädessä ainoastaan 6% luokkaan. Yli 30 vuotiaiden keskuudessa taas TikTokin merkitys putosi merkittävästi ja radio oli selkeästi suosituin tapa löytää itselleen uutta kuunneltavaa. Kaikkien ikäryhmien keskuudessa keskimäärin tärkein kanava uuden musiikin löytämiseen oli yhä radio, josta uutta musiikkia vuonna 2022 löysi 28 % kaikista suomalaisista (vuonna 2020: 38 %).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Suuntana Skywalker Ranch – Disney halusi elokuva-alan huipulle nousseen äänitaiteilija Heikki Kossin
Foley-taiteilija Heikki Kossi on muuttanut pois Suomesta ja aloittaa helmikuussa työt Kaliforniassa. Uusi työnantaja on elokuvaääneen keskittyvä Skywalker Sound.
https://yle.fi/a/74-20013862
Tomi Engdahl says:
Floppy Photog: Making An IR Filter From A 3.5″ Disk
https://hackaday.com/2023/01/21/floppy-photog-making-an-ir-filter-from-a-3-5-disk/
Sony used to sell digital cameras that recorded on actual floppy disks. We’ve come a long way, but [Mathieu] put a floppy in a digital camera recently for an entirely different reason. First, though, he had to modify the camera to work on the full spectrum, something he covered in an earlier video. You can see both videos, below.
As you might expect, he didn’t actually put an entire floppy inside the camera. He used the internal disk portion as an infrared filter to obtain some striking photos. In all honestly, the results were not as nice as what you get from a very expensive professional filter. But the pictures looked great and the difference was not as much as you’d expect compared to the cost difference.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cristina Criddle / Financial Times:
A look at the challenge of moderating livestreams for children and vulnerable users, even if age verification can be improved and privacy concerns addressed — Abby Rayner was 13 when she first watched livestreams on Instagram that demonstrated self-harm techniques and encouraged viewers to participate.
Can Big Tech make livestreams safe?
https://www.ft.com/content/5280535a-4dd5-482d-ad0d-730e47354d4a
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ariel Shapiro / The Verge:
Listen Notes: ~219K podcasts were created in 2022, down nearly 80% from a peak of ~1M in 2020 and lower than the pre-pandemic high of ~337K in 2019
New podcast creation has fallen off a cliff
https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/17/23559638/new-podcasts-down-apple-spotify-amazon-audible-hot-pod-summit
The number of new shows that debuted in 2022 was down 80 percent since 2020.
People are launching way fewer podcasts
One thing I keep hearing over and over is that it is so much harder to launch a podcast now than it was, say, three or four years ago. And that is usually coming from people at established studios with at least some marketing might. For independent creators, it must be nearly impossible. It is not entirely surprising that, according to data compiled by Chartr from Listen Notes, fewer podcasts were created in 2022 than in the two years prior. Even so, the margin is shocking: the number of new shows created dropped by nearly 80 percent between 2020 and 2022.
Some of that can be attributed to the pandemic — podcast creation peaked in 2020 when people truly had nothing better to do. But the number of new shows in 2022 was even lower than pre-pandemic levels: 337,063 podcasts were launched in 2019, compared to 219,178 in 2022. New episode creation has fared somewhat better. Though still lower than 2020 and 2021 figures, Listen Notes logged 26.1 million new episodes published in 2022, up from the 18.1 million episodes in 2019.
Creators seem to recognize that until podcast discovery improves, launching a podcast may be a losing proposition. The system seemingly cannot effectively handle the number of podcasts that already exist. One small solution seems to be launching new shows on old feeds, such as what The New York Times did with Hard Fork and Sway’s RSS. The feed had a built-in audience and made it much easier for listeners to discover the new show. It may not have landed well with all subscribers (or podcasters), but Sway ranks in the top five technology podcasts on Apple and Spotify several months after its launch.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.thebdr.net/setting-a-standard-for-audio-wiring/