Audio and Video

CES 2020

CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is the world’s gathering place in January at Las Vegas for all those who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. This event owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® has served for 50 years to introduce next-generation innovations to the global marketplace. Here are some interesting news I

Audio test videos

Here are some videos related to audio systems testing for use and your enjoyment: Left and Right Stereo Sound Test 20Hz to 20kHz (Human Audio Spectrum) 0Hz – 22kHz – Animation Reacting to Sound Frequencies How Old Are Your Ears? (Hearing Test) Bass Test 2-150Hz Frequency Sweep 1-100hz (Bass Test) 1080p HD Ultra Deep Bass

Silent attacks against voice assistants

Now there are two attack vectors to send commands to voice assistant from distance without anyone in the room hearing: ultrasounds and laser. Audio Hotspot Attack Crosses the Ultrasonic Beams to Send Silent Commands to Voice Assistants https://www.hackster.io/news/audio-hotspot-attack-crosses-the-ultrasonic-beams-to-send-silent-commands-to-voice-assistants-6d386644111b Lasers Can Take Over Voice Assistant Systems From Long Distances, Research Finds https://securitytoday.com/articles/2019/11/06/laser-hack-alexa-voice-assistants.aspx?m=1 https://news.umich.edu/a-laser-pointer-could-hack-your-voice-controlled-virtual-assistant/ From a distance

Linux USB drivers reverse-engineering

Developer Ben Cox sets out to get old VGA capture cards working on a modern Linux build. Interesting read for people interested in Linux, USB and video technology. Hackster.io reports: Ben Cox Revives Epiphan’s VGA Capture Cards with Custom Reverse-Engineered Linux Driver https://www.hackster.io/news/ben-cox-revives-epiphan-s-vga-capture-cards-with-custom-reverse-engineered-linux-driver-4fb8de896605 Having picked up a bulk supply of VGA capture cards for pennies

VGA to SCART adapters

Some time ago I saw  The ultimate VGA to SCART adapter project at Hackaday with description: Accurate recreation of vintage arcades is becoming increasingly difficult. CRT monitors are rare nowadays and, even if you find one, it will probably not support the 15.7Khz horizontal frequency used by many old arcades. A good alternative is a

Modular synthesis on the web

The modular synthesizer is a type of synthesizer consisting of separate specialized modules. The modules are typically connected together with patch cords in different ways as needed to generate needed tones. Typical modules are oscillators (operate on frequency), filters (spectrum), amplifiers/gates (amplitude) and Envelope generators (dynamic control). The earliest commercial modular synthesizers were developed, in

2in1 Wireless and Wired Microphone

I got a very cheap wired/wireless mic  from Wish.com. I plan was to have a cheap “disposable” microphone for uses where I don’t want risking the more expensive microphone. Basically the product looks OK. The construction is plastic, but till feels acceptable for the price (less than 10 Euros on sale). If I get this

Friday Fun: Studio 188 zero budget movies

This is how you remake a Hollywood blockbuster with zero budget (or almost). Studio 188 is a group of people that are creating low cost movie trailers. They say they have have is imagination. They have made several quite funny versions of well known movie trailers and posted the results to YouTube to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX3q2gub8M8NVVu4bCNIQ2g  

Microphone hardware hacking with a hammer

I have had for a long time an AKG D60 S microphone. The AKG D60S is advertised as an unidirectional semiprofessional dynamic microphone with smooth frequency response, a rugged all-metal body, an on/off switch, and removable wire-mesh grill.  It was proven to be a decent semiprofessional all-round microphone with hypercardioid polar pattern. Hypercardioid microphones are