Cell phones with build in cameras are replacing cheap pocket size digital cameras and video cameras. Best cell phone cameras can be better in many ways than cheap pocket digital cameras from few years back. And most people do not want to carry separate devices for each function (at least without a very good reason), when a smart phone can handle calls, Internet, photos and video shooting.
CES 2013 fair had more pocket advanced size cameras on display than DSLRs, but the trend on then was that business was going down due cellular phone cameras getting better. So camera manufacturers are integrating more cellular phone like features to their cameras (like Android OS with wireless connectivity to photo sharing sites) and concentrate on building good superzoom and DSLR type cameras. You need to have something clearly different than what cell phone can offer: huge zoom, good performance in low light or works also in harsh environment. Wireless connection is getting more and more common, either built-in or using memory card with WiFi.
As Sales Slip, TV Makers Strain for the Next Sensation because hardware companies want to make their products stand out in a sea of black rectangles that can show the content user want to watch. And one that is particularly acute for television makers. The hardware is becoming kind of boring and exciting things are happening in software. TV manufacturers continue to push the idea of “smart” sets by adding apps and other interactive elements.
Connected TV technologies get more widely used and the content earlier viewable only on TV can be now seen on many other screens. Your smartphone is the screen in your pocket. Your computer is the screen on your desk. Your tablet is a screen for the couch. Almost every major electronic device you own is a black rectangle that is brought to life by software and content.
In the last two years, television makers have tried a push with 3-D sets. But now It’s official: 3D is dead. The tech industry’s annual hot air balloon show is gone. On the one hand, 3D has become ubiquitous enough in televisions that people are unwittingly buying it when opting for a high-end new HDTV to fill their living room.
Post HDTV resolution era seems to be coming to TVs as well in form of 4K / UltraHD. This year, television makers like Samsung, Sony, LG and Panasonic are trying to grab attention by supersizing their television screens and quadrupling the level of detail in their images. They are promoting what they call Ultra High-Definition televisions, which have four times as many pixels as their high-definition predecessors, and can cost as much as a car. It’s a bit of a marketing push. It seems that all LCD makers are looking to move their business models on from cheap mass production to higher-margin, premium offerings. They try to innovate and secure their future viability by selling fewer, but more profitable displays.
4K at CES 2013: the dream gets real article tells that the 4K bandwagon is fully loaded and ready to get rolling. The US TV maker isn’t alone in stepping up to the higher resolution in its new flagship models. Sony, Panasonic and Sharp, Japan’s traditional big-screen TV leaders, are all attending this year’s CES with proper retail products. Manufacturers Need You to Buy an Ultra-High-Def 4K TV. Save Your Money because just as HDTV was slow to take off, the 4K start will be slow. It’s more than the price that’s keeping these things from hitting critical mass. 4K is only for ultra-premium markets this year.
4K resolution TV has one big problem: The entire ecosystem isn’t ready for 4K. The Trouble With 4K TV article tellst that though 4K resolutions represent the next step in high-definition video, standards for the format have yet to emerge and no one’s really figured out how to distribute video, with its massive file footprint, efficiently and cost effectively. Getting 4K content to consumers is hard.
Even though 4K resolution is widely use in digital cinematography, but there is no suitable consumer disk format that supports it and the bandwidth need to stream 4K content would be huge. Given that uncompressed 4K footage has a bit-rate of about 600MB/s. Broadcom chip ushers in H.265 and UltraHD video tells that H.265 video standard, aka HEVC or MPEG-5, squeezes more pixels over a network connection to support new high-resolution 4K TVs.
You should also note that the new higher resolution is pretty pointless for a small TV (where the TV mass market is now). Ultra HD would make a difference only on screens that were at least 80 inches, measured diagonally. For smaller screens, the extra pixels would not be visible to a person with 20/20 vision viewing from a normal viewing distance. Ultra HD TVs can also be a flop. But let’s see what happens in the world where nowadays tiny smart phone screens can have full HDTV resolution.
Keep in mind that 4K is not any absolute highest resolution expected in few years. 8k resolution TVs are coming. Sharp showed a 8K resolution TV with 7680 x 4320 resolution at CES2013. For more details on it read Sharp 8K Super Hi-Vision LCD, 4K TV and Freestyle wireless LCD HDTV hands-on article.
Another development than pushing up the resolution to make high end display products is OLED technology. OLED is another new technology to make expensive products. The much buzzed-about device features next-generation, high-quality OLED screens. OLED stands for organic light-emitting diode, and they offer a bevy of benefits: more energy efficient, cleaner image, wide viewing angle and devices can be made thinner. You can also make TV screen curved in shape. In a race between television titans, LG has beat Samsung in becoming the first manufacturer to introduce a 55-inch OLED television to market: the largest OLED TV panel to date.. OLED products are very expensive (LG TV $10,300 in US dollars). OLED display can also have 4K resolution, so you can combine two expensive technologies to one product. Market analysts say that they believe the technology will not become more affordable until 2015.
The Verge Awards: the best of CES 2013 article lists for example product like Samsung 4K “easel TV”, Sony 4K OLED TV, Teenage Engineering OD-11 Cloud Speaker and Oculus Rift virtual reality gaming.
All your audio, video kit is about to become OBSOLETE article tells that although much of the audio and video technology packed into CES 2013′s 1.9 million square feet of exhibition space is indeed impressive, one panelist at an emerging-technology conference session channeled a little 1974 BTO, essentially telling his audience that “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” Deep-geek soothsayer predicts smart audio, Ultra HD eyewear, much more in coming years. Audio is going to become adaptive, changing its wave forms to fit each user’s personal aural perceptions. Active noise reduction is finding its way into cars. HD audio will be coming to mobile phones. MEMS-based microphones and speakers are also on the runway. Consumer-level video will see in the future much higher resolution devices with much higher frame rates.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Google blocks Chromecast app that let you stream your own videos (update)
http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/25/4657202/google-blocks-chromecast-app-that-let-you-stream-own-videos
Google hasn’t provided a clear answer on whether Chromecast will eventually let users stream their own local videos and music to the TV screen. But if early updates for the $35 dongle are any indication, the company doesn’t want third-party developers trying to deliver that functionality. The most recent Chromecast update has broken support for AllCast, an Android application that previously allowed users to stream their personal media to a TV. AllCast (also known as AirCast thanks to a trademark dispute) could play back files stored in a phone’s gallery, Dropbox, or Google Drive. Developer Koushik Dutta accomplished the feat by reverse engineering the Chromecast’s code.
“The policy seems to be a heavy handed approach, where only approved content will be played through the device,” he says. “The Chromecast will probably not be indie developer friendly.”
Update: Google has responded to our request for comment, and any fears that the company may bar playback of local media appear to be unfounded. “We’re excited to bring more content to Chromecast and would like to support all types of apps, including those for local content,” a spokesperson tells The Verge. Google notes that its Google Cast SDK is still in “early days” and may change significantly before an official release reaches developers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel developing 3D laptop cameras that can follow your glare and read your emotions
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2047425/intel-bringing-vision-3d-to-laptop-and-tablet-cameras.html
From mundane 2D devices, integrated cameras in laptops and tablets in the future will change into powerful 3D tools that can sense movement, track emotion, and even monitor reading habits of children, according to Intel.
Intel is developing a “depth sensing” camera, which is an enhanced version of a 3D camera that can go deeper inside images to “bridge the gap between the real and virtual world,” said Anil Nanduri , director of perceptual products & solutions at Intel.
The webcam enhancements will help the computer understand a human better, bring new levels of interactivity to 3D games, and make webconferencing fun by blanking out the background and adding a green screen, Nanduri said.
Such depth cameras will be integrated into laptops and ultrabooks in the second half of 2014. The technology will initially appear in external webcams such as Senz3D external webcam, which was jointly developed by Logitech and Intel, and will become available in the coming quarters. The camera technology will ultimately trickle down to tablets and smartphones, Nanduri said.
You are not going to look for a case [for a device] anymore, you’ll just point that device, and the cameras will recognize what you have. It’ll know the model number…and it’ll print [the case] for you, or you go to the store, they will print it for you,” Nanduri said.
With the help of eye tracking, it could also track how well somebody is reading and use that information as an evaluation tool. For example, it could track reading, and tell if kids are stuck on words, how much they read, or whether they need help with specific words.
“Having the capabilities to say—they read about 80 percent of the lines, they had difficulty with these words—that kind of intelligence for educational tools is phenomenal,” Nanduri said.
There are already 3D cameras out there, but Intel is trying to tack on the algorithm and hardware features that make images more meaningful.
“Kinect was a good initial version of a depth camera more from a long range perspective. When Intel started looking at it, we were primarily looking at it primarily as more personal interaction, short range, which is probably a meter or meter-and-a-half range of interaction,” Nanduri said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Except for market leaders like Canon, Sony and Nikon, no one wants to be in the digital camera business anymore. Worldwide unit sales are down 18% in 2012 since their peak in 2010 and are accelerating this year.
It is no surprise then that Olympus, which only has 7% market share, has failed to generate a profit from its imaging business in any of the past three years. The decline caught the company’s management off guard. Actual sales were less than two-thirds of forecasts.
Read more: Ten Brands That Will Disappear in 2014 – 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/special-report/2013/05/23/ten-brands-that-will-disappear-in-2014/#ixzz2d9XqSnza
Tomi Engdahl says:
The library card will soon be able to use movie service for free in Finland
Metropolitan area libraries bring to their clients an online movie service 1 September. Viewing is free, and it requires a network connection and a library card.
Metropolitan area libraries rotating beads will provide its customers IndieFlix service, whose films include Helmet of small and independent independent film producers handwriting.
Movies are in English or have English subtitles.
movies are available in more than 2 500 There’s also an animation and short films.
Source: http://www.itviikko.fi/teknologia/2013/08/27/kirjastokortilla-voi-pian-kayttaa-leffapalvelua-ilmaiseksi/201311876/7
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Dumps Video Responses From YouTube Due To Dismal .0004% Click-Through Rate
http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/27/google-dumps-video-responses-from-youtube-due-to-dismal-0004-click-through-rate/
Google is ditching video responses from its video sharing site on September 12, encouraging users to fall back on hashtags and descriptions to surface videos in searches. The cited reason is a minuscule .0004% click-through rate on video responses submitted by users.
To illustrate, says the YouTube team, only four out of every 1 million users bothered to click on those little boxes underneath the main video. Efforts will theoretically go into providing new and different tools to increase fan engagement for creators.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple Reportedly Acquires Swedish Firm AlgoTrim, A Company That Does Mobile Media And Data Compression
http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/28/apple-reportedly-acquires-swedish-firm-algotrim-a-company-that-does-mobile-media-and-data-compression/
Apple has acquired AlgoTrim, a Swedish startup that builds codecs and designs solutions that maximize performance of data, mobile imaging, video and computer graphics while minimizing memory requirements, according to a new report by Swedish emerging industry news service Rapidus. The acquisition would help Apple in terms of allowing it to build more efficient media deliver for mobile devices, that use less bandwidth while preserving quality.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Follows Sony In Cutting Ultra HD Prices
http://www.twice.com/articletype/news/samsung-follows-sony-cutting-ultra-hd-prices/108124
Pricing on new high-ticket Ultra High-Definition TVs have started plummeting faster than the consumer confidence index, with word from retailers that Samsung followed Sony’s lead in making price reductions on recently introduced Ultra HD LCD TVs.
Similarly, LG released a statement from Korea that it was planning to soon introduce new less-featured 55- and 65-inch Ultra HD TVs that potentially could also impact current price thresholds
According to multiple retail sources, who asked not to be named, Samsung significantly dropped prices on its F9000-series TVs Aug. 25, matching price cuts previously announced to retailers by Sony, and taking effect the same day.
Retailers said Samsung’s UN55F9000 55-inch Ultra HD will now carry a new $4,499 unilateral pricing policy (UPP) tag. That would be a $1,000 reduction from the previously listed price on Amazon.
Samsung’s UPP, which is now a commonly exercised practice by most top-line TV manufacturers, prevents dealers from promoting or selling products at lower prices.
Sony’s two new Ultra HD LCD TVs models are to include a 55-inch unit at a $3498 UPP and a 65-inch unit at a $4,998 UPP.
“Margins will remain the same, as far as percentage,” a Sony dealer told TWICE.
For its part, LG Electronics’ corporate parent released a statement in Korean announcing the planned rollout of two more Ultra HD TVs in the 55-inch and 65-inch screen sizes
“It’s just unbelievable. Everybody’s reacting to each other,” one dealer told TWICE. “Sony made a very aggressive move here, and it concerns me. How do you make money?”
“Sony doesn’t need to increase their share of Ultra HD, but it’s no secret that they want to increase their volume, to make sure no one takes their leadership position in 4K,” Pratt said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung, Sony cut 4K TV prices
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33199_7-57600087-221/samsung-sony-cut-4k-tv-prices/
Although they still cost thousands more than similar 1080p TVs, high-end 4K resolution models from marquee brands are falling fast in price
Out for barely two weeks, Samsung’s F9000 4K TV gets a $1,000 price drop.
Sony has a press event planned for September 4 in New York, when it may officially confirm the new models. We may also hear more about new 4K TVs at the IFA show in Berlin beginning September 6.
Meanwhile LG, another major name making mainstream-sized 4K TVs, is maintaining the same price for its only 55- and 65-inch US models, the LG LA9700 series.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Got MIPI? If Not, Lattice Will Show You How
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1319340&
It’s a funny old world sometimes. The MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface) was formed by a consortium of companies in 2003. The goal of MIPI (mipi.org) is to define a suite of interfaces for use in mobile and consumer products, where these interfaces reduce cost, complexity, power consumption, and EMI while increasing bandwidth and performance. These are all great targets to be sure, which is why the use of MIPI interfaces is expanding way beyond the mobile space. These interfaces are currently appearing all over the place.
Actually, this is probably a good time to take a step back and note that the term MIPI covers a lot of things — it’s like saying Ethernet without offering any further qualification.
The two MIPI standards of interest to us here are the Camera Serial Interface (CSI) and the Display Serial Interface (DSI). The latest versions of these interfaces — CSI-2 and DSI — share a common PHY (physical interface) known as the D-PHY, which has been designed so as to offer high speed with low power consumption and low EMI.
When you think about all of the products today that employ cameras and display screens, industrial control systems, vending machines, home appliances — the list goes on — it’s easy to see why having standard interfaces is so attractive to system designers. Fifteen years ago, the PC was the dominant architecture, so everyone was using PC-based components and subsystems to reduce costs and increase reliability. Today, smartphones and tablets represent the dominant architecture — an architecture that employs the CSI-2 and DSI interfaces — which explains why components and subsystems using these interfaces are finding their way into a vast array of application areas and products.
The problem is that we are still in transition. Some components and subsystems support the CSI-2 and DSI interfaces, while others still use alternative standards.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Skype confirms 3D video calls are under development
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23866593
The news was revealed by a senior executive in an exclusive interview with the BBC to mark Skype’s 10th anniversary.
“We’ve done work in the labs looking at the capability of 3D-screens and 3D-capture,” said Microsoft’s corporate vice-president for Skype, Mark Gillett.
“We’ve seen a lot of progress in screens and a lot of people now buy TVs and computer monitors that are capable of delivering a 3D image.
“But the capture devices are not yet there. As we work with that kind of technology you have to add multiple cameras to your computer, precisely calibrate them and point them at the right angle.”
“We have it in the lab, we know how to make it work and we’re looking at the ecosystem of devices and their capability to support it in order to make a decision when we might think about bringing something like that to market.”
A decision by Skype to support 3D could provide a boost to device-makers at a time the format has shown signs of flagging.
However, the executive warned it could be many years before the tech launched.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The High Fidelity Pure Audio Disc: The Stillborn Format
http://www.forbes.com/sites/bobbyowsinski/2013/07/02/the-high-fidelity-pure-audio-disc-the-stillborn-format/
Universal Music Group recently did a low key introduction of a new hi-res audio format called High Fidelity Pure Audio. The launch was kicked off at the Dolby headquarters in London on June 20th and the format became available in France first, which seemed like a great place to dip the product’s toe in the water without having picky audio journalists noticing.
So what exactly is this stealth format? High Fidelity Pure Audio (HFPA) is basically a Blu-ray disc that delivers 96kHz/24 bit audio recordings in three lossless formats: uncompressed PCM , DTS HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD. Most discs include the option to download MP3 and lossless FLAC versions of the songs as well. The discs will also play on any Blu-ray player or PS3 device.
Didn’t we just play this game about 10 years ago with the DVD Audio disc and SACD, formats that both failed miserably?
Technology has always driven the music business but the quality of the fidelity has been a byproduct of the convenience of the format, not the primary feature itself.
When the shellac 78 RPM disc took over from sheet music and piano rolls, it was because you could listen to a performance any time you wanted, rather than having to wait for a piano player to show up to play. When the standard 33 1/3rd RPM vinyl disc showed up, it gained traction because it didn’t break as easily as the 78’s, and it could hold more music as well.
When the CD replaced both tape and vinyl it was because of the smaller size and random access. Finally, the MP3 format beat them all because of the ultimate random access and portability, plus the ability to share online.
Sure, improvements in fidelity happened along the way in most formats, but almost as a byproduct of the technology. Nowhere in this stream did the majority of consumers choose to replace a format simply because it sounded better.
If you really want to get people back into high-fidelity, start with the typical playback systems first. Improve those earbuds and computer speakers so people can really hear a difference between good and bad sounding recordings. The typical playback system is by far the weakest link in the chain today.
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.pureaudio-bluray.com/
“Pure Audio Blu-ray combines the Blu-ray format’s vast storage capacity and bandwidth necessary for high resolution sound (up to 192 kHz/24Bit) in surround and stereo with the easy and straight-forward handling of a CD – on every Blu-ray player”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Editorial: High Fidelity Pure Audio starting a noble but losing battle
http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/04/high-fidelity-pure-audio/
The announcement is wrapped in an aura of déjà vu: Universal Music Group is marketing an uncompressed, high-end digital audio format for Blu-ray called High Fidelity Pure Audio (HFPA). Where standard CD audio is 44.1KHz at 16 bits, HFPA’s A2D sampling rate clocks in at a sky-high 96KHz at 24 bits.
Analog elitists will maintain that even extremely refined sampling is inherently inferior to capturing unchopped waveforms, and while that argument is fun to test, it is academic in the context of wide consumer adoption. Can a new audiophile format gain traction in a technomusical world governed by convenience and mobility?
People like me are why previous audiophile formats have crashed and burned — or, more accurately, have flown silently into the void, unnoticed. Compact disc technology has never satisfied either audiophiles or nostalgic sentimentalists, who rhapsodize about the “warmer” sound of analog recording, and the bigger artwork of 12-inch records. The audiophile market is tempting, but always niche, and repeatedly unrewarding to format startups.
One of the first post-CD hi-fi efforts was Super Audio CD (SACD), which was launched in 1999 to fight two battles: sound quality, and insecure CD tracks that consumers were rampantly ripping, burning and loading into Napster.
DVD-Audio launched a year after SACD, leveraging the digital roominess of DVDs.
The market was deeply swayed by an increasingly liquefied stream of musical bits represented by MP3, file sharing and new services that encouraged single-song downloading and streaming.
MP3 was — and still is — an audiophile savagery, ruthlessly throwing out parts of the original waveform in the name of file size. It’s this fact that makes it a so-called lossy format, contrary to “lossless” digital schemes like FLAC and WAV.
Whether lossy or lossless, a recording’s fidelity starts with how a track is captured — the basis of “digital is bad” arguments. More broadly, the sound quality of music we listen to all day depends depressingly on the weakest link in the signal path. It’s not just MP3, or crappy Apple earbuds, that degrade quality. The trend has a larger historical sweep. The entire recording industry is staged as a tug of war between quality and convenience.
During the 15-year digital music era defined by MP3 and internet platforms, convenience has triumphed over faithful reproduction time and again. The trending values of progressive music consumption favor access above everything. Mobility is one touchstone: We want music delivered in nimble formats through hand-held and automotive devices. That key requirement demands miniaturization straight through the signal path, from encoding to playback hardware to earphones. Miniaturization is not the audiophile’s friend.
Who is Universal Music Group thinking of as it attempts to make a market of HFPA? Audiophiles, of course, with high-end home theater setups; those who continue to buy physical music. (Side note: In Japan, CD sales grew in 2012, while digital download sales declined.)
Pinpoint marketing might be a slim reed of hope. Classical music is a fertile niche, if a receding one.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Star Wars revival secret: This isn’t the celluloid you’re looking for
JJ Abrams to use 35mm film – but that wasn’t what made the old movies great, sputter fans
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/27/new_star_wars_film_to_be_shot_on_analogue_film/
The next Star Wars film is to be made using analogue film in a bid to evoke the glory days of the space saga.
The excitement is Palpatine palpable among Star Wars fans, who will be hoping the return to the traditional methods of filmmaking heralds a move away from the digital, hyper-real – and hyper-rubbish – style of the last three films.
At the end of the speech, a super keen Kodak rep asked whether it was true that the film would be shot on analogue film. Mindel then confirmed he would be using Kodak film stock 5219.
Growing clusters of hardcore analogue-lovers* are once again embracing the old ways, with sales of vinyl records growing and a subculture developing among photographers who use film. Analogue advocates say its “imperfect” methods offer a warmth that is lacking in coldly exact digital media, with the crackly pops of an old record or the grainy glow of Leica film often deemed more pleasing than the chilly perfection of digital snaps or digital music files.
Abrams has long been interested in analogue film, using techniques like lens flare throughout his work to evoke the pre-digital era.
“I wanted this movie to feel real,” Abrams told a website called Digital Content Producer. “I’m not saying you can’t be real with digital. But with film, for me, there was such a familiarity and comfort to it, a real warmth. We wanted to avoid coldness and any unnatural sense of perfection.”
Tomi says:
Target Ticket, Target’s Video Download & Rental Service, Nears Launch
http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/30/target-ticket-targets-tv-movie-download-rental-service-nears-launch/
Target’s answer to Walmart’s Vudu, Netflix, and iTunes, is preparing to launch.
Details surrounding Target Ticket were first revealed earlier this year, when word got out that the concept was in testing with employees. At the time, the beta website appeared, saying that Target Ticket would offer users instant access to 15,000 titles, including new releases, classics, and TV shows. The company then would only say that the service was in a trial period that would help it gather data to help inform its future plans.
Most movies on the soon-to-launch service will cost around $14.99 (though some were less at $12.99), and movie rental prices will be on par with iTunes at $3.99/$4.99. Individual TV show episodes tend to be around $2.99, depending on the show, and TV seasons will be around $34.99, again depending on the show.
Networks including ABC, AMC, CBS, CW, Fox, FX, HBO, The WB, NBC, Showtime, Starz, and USA have content on Target’s service.
The TV shows and movies can run nearly anywhere, including on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, as well as on streaming players, TVs and gaming consoles like the Xbox 360. However, support for the service on TVs is currently limited by manufacturers. Employees were told that only Samsung TVs and Blu-ray players will work with Target Ticket during training, but now the site lists Samsung, Panasonic, LG, Philips and Funai brands as “coming soon” under compatible devices.
Tomi says:
Scratch-built gigapixel scanner
http://hackaday.com/2013/09/01/scratch-built-gigapixel-scanner/
The presence of a camera in this image may be a bit confusing since we’re calling it a scanner. What’s actually going on is that macro-images this piece of art are being captured automatically. The multiple shots will later be assembled into one fascinatingly high-resolution image.
The larger rig uses movement on two axes. The idea is that the artwork will be perfectly positioned so that manual focus set at one point will work along all points in the capture routine.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung will launch a stupidly big 98in 4K TV at IFA
Has to be installed vertically on a wall
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2291838/samsung-will-launch-a-stupidly-big-98in-4k-tv-at-ifa
KOREAN TV MAKER Samsung is set to send audiences’ eyes square next week when it launches a whopping 98in 4K TV at the IFA 2013 consumer electronics trade show in Berlin.
Touting a ridiculously sized large format display (LFD) that boasts four times the definition of standard HD TVs, the 98in ultra-high definition (UHD) TV needs to be installed vertically on a wall so it can be watched safely.
UHD format pixels are so small that they are almost invisible on TV sets and as a result the format has the level of detail seen in 70mm IMAX movies.
Alongside the 98in beast, Samsung will also launch a more realistically sized 31.5in UHD monitor at IFA 2013.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Netflix challenger surprise: YLE TV series to Viaplay
The company plans to expand the content of the Finnish Finnish market enabled.
Netflix with Web TV business for hard to compete Viaplay announce the launch of its range of YLE’s television series.
Viaplay announces its goal of growing up in the Finnish market and therefore provides more Finnish content. Netflix, in turn, informed the national attaches to the amount of content deliberately small.
Source: http://www.digitoday.fi/viihde/2013/09/02/netflixin-haastaja-yllattaa-ylen-tv-sarjoja-viaplaylle/201312089/66?rss=6
Tomi Engdahl says:
PlayStation 4 does voice recognition with new PlayStation Camera
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-09-02-sony-confirms-playstation-camera-does-voice-recognition
Sony has confirmed that the PlayStation 4 does voice recognition through the new PlayStation Camera.
However, the extent of its voice recognition features remain under wraps.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Acer announces 6-inch Liquid S2, ‘first 4K-recording smartphone’
http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/02/acer-6-inch-liquid-s2-smartphone/
Acer’s touting the S2 as the first phone to offer this 4K functionality, though all signs point to Samsung’s next Galaxy Note shipping with the same feature. The device sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED ring flash along with a 2MP front shooter capable of 1080p video.
Though 4K recording is clearly the phone’s marquee feature, other specs are decidedly more high-end than we’re used to seeing on Acer’s Liquid lineup. As mentioned, there’s a Snapdragon 800 chip under the hood, clocked at 2.2GHz and bolstered by 2GB of RAM, and the battery is a sizable 3,300 mAh. There’s 4G LTE connectivity on board as well.
• Video Recording: 4K Ultra HD, fast full HD 1080p 60FPS, 4 x slow motion
The Liquid S2 version will be available at the end of October in. Exact pricing and availability will be announced at a later stage.
Tomi Engdahl says:
CBS win squeezes Time Warner Cable’s margins – analysts
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/03/cbs-timewarner-idUSL4N0GZ0TX20130903
CBS Corp won large increases in the fees it will receive from Time Warner Cable Inc in its agreement with the cable operator that ended a month-long blackout of CBS, Showtime and other channels in key cities, analysts said.
CBS was asking for as much as $2 a month in “retransmission fees” to allow Time Warner to carry the CBS network and other channels for each of its 3.2 million cable subscribers in the affected areas. That would be a large hike from the current CBS monthly fee of around 56 cents a subscriber, although any increase would be phased in over the life of the contract.
“CBS is the winner. Content owners always win these negotiations, it’s just a matter of how much they won,” said cable and telecommunications analyst Craig Moffett of Moffett Research.
Tomi Engdahl says:
With Time Warner Cable Deal, CBS Seeks To Ensure Its Digital Future
http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/02/twc-cbs-blackout-ends/
CBS and Time Warner Cable finally reached a deal today, ending a long, protracted blackout of the broadcast network on TWC’s cable system. While getting the deal done will mean that Time Warner Cable viewers will be able to watch Week One of the NFL season next week — and no one wanted to miss that — the deal is also designed to help CBS monetize its content on a growing number of new platforms.
Increasingly, agreements between networks and cable operators are getting hung up on the question of digital rights whenever those contracts come up. In the case of CBS, the network has been pretty cautious about how viewers watch its shows on their computers and on other devices. While the other broadcasters made their content available through Hulu and Hulu Plus, CBS forced viewers to watch its shows on CBS.com.
It was also one of the last networks to embrace the growing tablet market, waiting until this spring before finally launching its iPhone and iPad application.
With the latest retrans deal, it appears CBS continues to seek control over its digital rights.
A few years ago, Fox made the (then) unprecedented decision to require viewers to log in or authenticate with their cable subscription password to view shows the day after they aired. Don’t have a cable subscription? Well then, you’d have to wait until a week later to watch the latest episode of your favorite show.
Authentication isn’t exactly a new thing: the concept has been around ever since Comcast and Time Warner announced their plans for TV Everywhere back in 2010. But Fox was the first broadcaster to embrace the cable login as a way to screen out non-cable subscribers on Hulu and its own properties.
Being able to monetize on emerging platforms could also mean having the freedom to license TV rights to new, emerging players in the market. CBS, of course, has profited handsomely from the emergence of digital distributors like Netflix. In fact, digital licensing is one of the fastest-growing parts of its business, especially with the emergence of players like Amazon Prime Instant Videos and Redbox Instant by Verizon.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Spotify launches ‘Connect,’ lets you stream music to compatible speakers
http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/3/4688166/spotify-connect-launches-to-stream-music-to-compatible-speakers
Spotify is freeing your music from the device you use to listen to it. With a feature called “Spotify Connect,” your current listening sessions will be synced to the cloud, and you’ll be able to use any of your devices to control exactly where and how your music plays.
Most importantly, this feature — alongside a set of new Spotify Connect-compatible wireless speakers — will let you switch the music you’re listening to from your phone to your stereo when you get home without stopping playback.
The updated iPhone and iPad app now include the Spotify Connect logo near the pause, back, and forward controls during playback. Once you click the button, you’re presented with a list of available playback devices. If you’re signed in on your iPad it will show here, and if you have a Spotify Connect speaker — or one of many wireless speakers from that are going to be updated with support — you can easily pair it with your account so long as both the speaker and your device are on the same Wi-Fi network. And speaker playback using Spotify Connect streams music directly from the service’s servers, not from your phone or tablet, so you can continue to use either of those devices without having to worry about interrupting the music or draining your battery.
Spotify’s launch today comes as part of a broader effort to make its software more complete — particularly on the social front. The “ultimate goal” of Spotify, as CEO Daniel Ek has said before, “is to be as ubiquitous as the CD, but with all of the obvious advantages of being digital.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Three-dimensionality may have been a slight disappointment TV manufacturers, but the improvement in accuracy can always be trusted. Chinese CSOT (China Star Optoelectronics Technology) reports that in October it will provide manufacturers a hundred thousand UltraHD panel.
In June and July CSOT according to Asian reports sold a total of 70 000 UltraHD box. Volume increase is a clear indication that the market will begin in earnest to start.
UltraHD, the term refers to the display with a 4096 × 2160 pixels. Televisions means the screen with a 3840 x 2160 pixels
In practice, 2160p-quality video picture means that the viewer can be 1.6 meters from the screen without having to distinguish individual pixels.
UltraHD-up is also coming to the new game consoles such as the Xbox one. Digitally movies shown UltraHD has been the practice for some time. Also, the TV picture is more accurate: The BBC has already made the nature documentaries with 4K equipment.
And of course, sharper the image will be also available for mobile devices. Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 800 series supports 4K technology. And apparently the Samsung Galaxy Note tablet-III supports UltraHD video recording.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=304:ultraterava-kuva-tulee&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
HDMI 2.0 spec arrives … 1.0 years late
New released supports high frame-rate 4K TV goodness, and much, much more
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/09/04/hdmi_20_spec_published/
Eleven years on from the commencement of work on the first version of the telly connectivity standard, the minds behind the High Definition Multimedia Interface – HDMI to you and me – have taken the wraps off release 2.0 a year later than originally anticipated.
At one level, HDMI 2.0 is essentially about nothing more than squeezing more bits through its pipe: 18Gb/s, up from HDMI 1.0’s 3.96Gb/s and HDMI 1.3’s 10.2Gb/s. The extra bandwidth will allow HDMI 2.0 to carry 4K x 2K* pictures at 50Hz and 60Hz frame rates. HDMI 1.4 currently allows 3840 x 2160 pixels at 24-30Hz or 4096 x 2160 pixels at 24Hz. 4K colour depths of up to 48 bits per pixel can now be supported.
The bus’s clock rate rises from 165MHz in HDMI and 340MHz in HDMI 1.3 to 600MHz, raising the per-channel TMDS (Transition Minimised Differential Signaling) rate from 1.65Gb/s and 3.4Gb/s to 6Gbps. Like HDMI 1.4, 2.0 supports 3D video, is able to host Ethernet networking traffic and has an audio return channel.
The new spec makes room for 32 separate audio channels, adds support for dynamic lip-syncing and extends the range of device control commands that HDMI’s CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) mechanism can support.
HDMI 2.0 is compatible with previous versions of the standard, so new kit will connect to old. Cables remain the same, as do the connectors, but you’ll need Cat 2 – aka High Speed – HDMI cables to take advantage of the higher bandwidth
Tomi Engdahl says:
Before you cheer a goal, check the tech
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/serious-fun/4420345/Before-you-cheer-a-goal–check-the-tech-
After decades of human error causing heartbreak on the soccer field, technology is finally coming to the rescue.
One of the world’s biggest leagues, the English Premier League, introduced new goal-line technology this season that will almost instantly notify officials when a goal has been scored.
Hawk-Eye provided the league’s goal-line technology system, which implements high frame rate cameras and vision processing. It uses seven cameras monitoring each goal
When the system detects that the ball has crossed the goal line, it sends a signal to a specially designed watch worn by the referee.
Video replay will be available within 10 seconds so viewers can see the result on TV and in the stadium.
A similar system is used to settle challenges in tennis, and camera footage determines home runs in baseball, confirms goals in hockey and buzzer beaters in basketball, and is used to review calls and scores in football, but this system is quicker and more automated.
Another system approved by FIFA, the governing body of association soccer worldwide, is GoalRef. The system is a radio-based sensing system that uses low-frequency magnetic fields from special goals and balls to detect if a goal has been scored.
There is also a similar high-speed camera system called GoalControl that could be implemented for next year’s World Cup in Brazil.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sony betting big on 4K, launches Video Unlimited 4K download service
http://gigaom.com/2013/09/04/sony-betting-big-on-4k-launches-video-unlimited-4k-download-service/
Summary:
Sony today announced a new US-only 4K video download service, Video Unlimited 4K. Sony also introduced two new 4K television models. It is all part of the company’s big bet on 4K technology as a way to stage a big comeback.
It’s the Ecosystem Baby
Sony Electronics President and COO Phil Molyneux in an interview said Sony’s approach was to systematically go after the entire video food chain — from displays to cinemas to professional video cameras to consumer devices. “We now have the whole 4K ecosystem, from production to projection to download service to media servers and televisions,” he boasted.
Sony wants every Sony product — Experia tablets, VAIO laptops, Experia phones, video camcorders — to support 4K, a technology it has nurtured for nearly a decade. Many of its products are already 4K-ready. Sony sees it as a way to overcome its past problems and leapfrog rivals. The new video download service is the last piece of the puzzle. It had to build its own because none of the regular video download services are ready just yet. Since Sony has access to a vast video library, it has been able to make movies and television shows available at 4K.
Still, 70 titles is a drop in the bucket — we are all used to basically getting unlimited access to tens of thousands of videos on Netflix and Amazon.
The paucity of content is going to be a challenge for Sony, but Molyneux said Sony has graphics technology built into its devices that can up-convert 1080p images to near-4K, including Blu-ray HD movies. It is hard to judge the quality of the up-converted videos, without spending time looking at those screens.
Tomi Engdahl says:
TV Makers Track What Viewers Watch Seeking Access to Ads
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-03/tv-makers-track-what-viewers-watch-seeking-access-to-ads.html
Televisions reaching consumers this year will be able to tell what audiences are watching and relay the information to marketers over the Web, opening the door to new ad revenue as well as privacy concerns.
Coming Web-connected units from LG Electronics Inc. (066570) and other manufacturers contain digital sleuthing technology that tracks live and recorded programs as they’re shown on-screen. Sets being demonstrated by Seoul-based LG in Berlin this week at IFA, Europe’s largest consumer electronics show, will use software from San Francisco-based Cognitive Networks Inc.
Ad Premium
The technology from both Cognitive and Gracenote scans pixels on connected screens almost continuously to determine, for example, what a viewer is watching and where in the program they are.
A pizza chain could theoretically ask for an ad insertion at a commercial break to offer 10 percent off to viewers near its shops, and LG could tie in Skype calling so the person never leaves the couch. Proceeds, after the networks’ share, would be divided between the software companies and TV makers.
Because so-called dynamic advertising can be better targeted to the individual, some advertisers are willing to pay a premium of as much as 25 percent above traditional television advertising, according to Ooyala, a Mountain View, California-based company that analyzes video data.
While the technology could threaten traditional ads, companies that pursue a multiple-device approach and seek to coexist with existing ad systems have the best chance of success, Gracenote’s White said.
“When you have content and context-aware devices, the reality is you can do a lot more to hyper-target consumers and give them information they care about,” White said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
HDMI 2.0 officially announced: 18Gbps bandwidth, 60fps 4K, 32 channel audio
http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/04/hdmi-2-0-official-4k-60fps-32-channel-audio/
Only just after it leaked out, the folks at HDMI Licensing are announcing HDMI 2.0 officially. Arriving just in time for the wide rollout of a new generation of Ultra HDTVs, it adds a few key capabilities to the connection standard. With a bandwidth capacity of up to 18Gbps, it has enough room to carry 3,840 x 2,160 resolution video at up to 60fps. It also has support for up to 32 audio channels, “dynamic auto lipsync” and additional CEC extensions.
The HDMI Forum has listed a few more specs in its FAQ, including that HDMI 2.0 is spec’d to handle up to 1536kHz audio sample frequency, dual video streams for multiple users on a single screen, multi-stream audio to as many as 4 users at once and support for 21:9 widescreen displays.
Tomi Engdahl says:
FAQ for HDMI 2.0
http://www.hdmi.org/manufacturer/hdmi_2_0/hdmi_2_0_faq.aspx#136
Tomi Engdahl says:
The African continent will mainly digital television era as early as 2015. As many as 47 sub-Saharan countries have agreed to the ordination of spectrum so that the digital transition is possible.
According to the ITU African UHF channels are released in June 2015. VHF-in analog TV broadcasts will end in 2020.
As part of the digital switch-over of African countries also intend to release the 700 and 800 MHz ranges for mobile use.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=321:afrikka-siirtyy-digitelevisioon-2015&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi says:
LGPL H.265 Codec Implementation Available; Encoding To Come Late
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/13/09/05/142209/lgpl-h265-codec-implementation-available-encoding-to-come-later
“The German company Stuttgarter Struktur AG has released a free and open source implementation of the H.265 codec, also termed ‘High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC)’ which is now available on Github. At the same video quality, H.265 promises roughly half the bitrate as compared to H.264. Also, resolutions up to 8K UHD (7680 × 4320 px) are supported. The software is licensed under LGPL.”
Code at GitHub
https://github.com/strukturag/libde265
libde265 is an open source implementation of the h.265 video codec.
It is written from scratch in plain C for simplicity and efficiency.
Its simple API makes it easy to integrate it into other software.
Currently, libde265 only decodes intra frames, inter-frame decoding
is under construction. Encoding is planned to be added afterwards.
Tomi says:
Ricoh unveils ‘world’s first’ spherical camera device, the Theta
Features a twin lens folded optical system to capture 360 degree shots
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2292809/ricoh-unveils-worlds-first-spherical-camera-device-the-theta
JAPANESE DIGITAL IMAGING FIRM Ricoh has unwrapped what it claims is “the world’s first mass-produced” 360 degree imaging device at IFA 2013, which captures fully spherical scenes with one shot.
The handheld device named Theta features a proprietary “ultra-small twin-lens folded optical system” that captures the scene around, above and below the device in one shot for fully spherical images.
Weighing 95g, the device links up to smartphones so that images can be uploaded via WiFi and viewed in a free Ricoh app. The app allows users to then pinch, swipe or rotate the images they have taken, editing the size, shape and composition if they like before sharing online via social media such as Twitter, Tumblr and Microsoft’s Photosynth.
Ricoh said the Theta will work with Apple iOS 6.0 devices and newer. Android compatibility is expected before the end of the year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pixy is a fast vision sensor you can quickly “teach” to find objects, and it connects directly to Arduino and other controllers.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/254449872/pixy-cmucam5-a-fast-easy-to-use-vision-sensor
Tomi says:
In fight with broadcasters, Aereo has time on its side: Supreme Court ruling unlikely before 2015
http://gigaom.com/2013/09/04/in-fight-with-broadcasters-aereo-has-time-on-its-side-supreme-court-ruling-unlikely-before-2015/
Summary:
Viewers can stream over-the-air TV services like Aereo in New York but not California. The case could go to the Supreme Court – but not until 2015 or later, leaving consumers ample time to get to know the new service.
Legal on the east coast, not the west coast
Supreme Court would decide in 2015 or 2016 (if ever)
Aereo marches on
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why is the engineer who recorded Nirvana still using analog tape?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-57601739-47/why-is-the-engineer-who-recorded-nirvana-still-using-analog-tape/
The Audiophiliac interviews the great Steve Albini, who not only made his name with legendary bands, he loves recording local talent!
Pixies’ “Surfer Rosa,” Nirvana’s “In Utero,” and PJ Harvey’s “Rid of Me” I noticed that all of these great sounding recordings were engineered by Steve Albini. The man is extraordinarily prolific, and to date has worked on 2,000 albums!
Albini’s Chicago, Ill., studio, Electrical Audio, is always busy, not only because of his talent but also because his rates are extremely reasonable. Other than Albini it’s rare to find engineers with his level of experience recording bands that are just starting out
Microphones play a major role in determining the sound of each instrument for the recording, and Albini’s years of experience lead him to select specific ones
“You’re trying to make a flattering and accurate portrait of the band. Realism is a good starting point, and then the band will make some adjustments.”
Albini records to analog tape, not because he’s in love with the sound of analog. No, he’s concerned that as digital formats continue to evolve, today’s digital recordings will be unplayable in the future. I loved the way Albini put it: “I feel it would be irresponsible to give my clients digital files as their permanent masters, knowing they would eventually disappear or become unusable, so I won’t do it. Some of the bands I work with don’t appreciate the difference, or take seriously the notion that music should outlive the people who make it, and I understand that.” Still, Albini feels that analog tape offers the best chance for recordings to survive. I agree, and analog tape can be used to create great sounding high-definition digital masters. That’s not true of the vast majority of recordings that are being made today; most are limited to 48-kHz/24-bit digital.
Albini feels the biggest advance in recording technology is the wide availability of affordable but high-quality mics and gear, so there’s less of a need for bands to use studios. Albini actually thinks that’s a good thing
When I brought up the issue of dynamic range compression, Albini said, “That’s why most music is so dull, people don’t want to be gripped by music that’s being played in the background in the office, they don’t want something that will draw their attention away from their jobs, phone calls, or their boss.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bigshot do-it-yourself camera hits the market
http://www.vision-systems.com/articles/2013/08/bigshot-do-it-yourself-camera-hits-the-market.html
When you buy a Bigshot camera, be prepared to go to work. These cameras, specifically designed for kids, come in a kit of all of the necessary parts to build your own simple digital camera. So if you have young kids who might be interested, be prepared to do it yourself to help them.
The Bigshot camera dates back to early 2010, when we blogged about how prototypes of the kit had been sent out to kids in New York, Bengaluru, India, and Vung Tao, Vietnam. Now, following years of testing and tweaking the design based on feedback, the camera has finally hit the market.
Developed by Shree Nayar, chairman of Columbia University’s computer science department and director of the Computer Vision Laboratory, Bigshots were created in order to educate children on how cameras work, and what exactly comprises them.
“It’s about getting kids’ hands dirty,” Bigshot’s creator, Prof Shree Nayar, told the BBC News Network. “In an age when software rules I want kids to know how to build hardware.”
Personally, I think the concept of the Bigshot is refreshing.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DeepSea Challenger records 3D video of Earth’s deepest ocean trench
http://www.vision-systems.com/articles/2013/09/deepsea-challenger-records-3d-video-of-earth-s-deepest-ocean-trench.html
On March 26, 2012, James Cameron successfully piloted the DeepSea Challenger submersible to the Mariana Trench’s lowest point, the Challenger Deep, which lies 6.83 miles (10.99 kilometers) below the ocean surface. A 3D documentary of the mission—which was dedicated to the advancement of the world’s understanding of the ocean’s biological and geological phenomena—will be released this fall.
In order to film the movie, however, the DeepSea Challenger required an underwater camera system that enabled 3D image capture. For the project, Cameron and his team used a number of different cameras. First, a Red Epic camera was mounted directly in front of the small viewport in the pilot sphere’s hatch. This camera captured IMAX-quality, 5K-raw images.
Inside of the sphere, two tiny HD cameras that were used to create 3D video also filmed the pilot himself, according to the DeepSea Challenger website. These cameras filmed the dive log
On the outside of the submersible, two mini HD cameras built specifically for the project from the sensor level up also capture 3D video.
“The M3-F was the final piece of the puzzle, providing a very compact solution for achieving remote focus control with the M12 lens,” said Adam Gobi, technical project lead for cameras and imaging on the DeepSea Challenger and president of Go Beyond Consulting Inc. in a New Scale Technologies press release.
Tomi Engdahl says:
HDMI extenders leverage HDBaseT
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2013/09/key-digital-hdbt-hdmi.html
Audio and video (A/V) technology specialist Key Digital (Mount Vernon, NY) has introduced its FatCat Series model KD-CATHD500Pro HDBT/HDMI Extenders, optimized for digital video distribution applications. This HDBase-T/HDMI extender is designed for residential A/V installations where long Cat 6/STP cable runs are impeding digital video signal transmission.
The HDBT/HDMI (Tx/Rx) extenders extend 1080p/60, 1920×1200, 3D signals up to 400 ft. via single Key Digital KD-CAT6STP1X Super CAT6 shielded cable, or up to 300 ft. using a single third-party Cat 6 shielded cable.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Making the ultimate creative content OS from bits of Windows, Mac, and Linux
New Mac Pro leaving you cold too? ÜberCreate OS 1.0 would be the OS to end them all.
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/09/making-the-ultimate-creative-content-os-ubercreate-os-1-0/
So in effect, this is a guide on how to create the ultimate OS for creatives by taking what OS X, Windows, and Linux do right—and wrong—for serious creative professional work. The end result should be a guide on how to make ÜberCreate OS 1.0.
Good image, PDF, and video codec support out of the box
All the major OSes have no problem showing a slideshow of TIFFs, even compressed 16-bit ones. But for professional image format support, OS X can’t currently be beat.
Movie format and codec support
Because of QuickTime’s close ties to the legacy Mac OS, video and audio format support was ahead of its time on the Mac. With the spread of ripped movies and the Web, it’s become commonplace in all OSes to handle a variety of media formats. Windows 8 will play many .mov files without the need for QuickTime—still much reviled on Windows—and Ubuntu offers interactive installers for most codecs. Because Linux generally uses VLC or FFMPEG libraries, many distros have exceptional out-of-the-box codec support.
Advanced hardware support in the OS, resolution independence, and expanded driver control
Where Apple fares much better than the others is with 4K/HighDPI monitor support (this is still a minefield on Windows and Linux for various reasons). Luckily, recent Linux developments have seen its multi-monitor support expand beyond two displays without having to go movie hacker on config files.
Search everywhere, clear-text content indexing, and expanded metadata handling
The search capabilities of your OS are obviously important to working efficiently—less time is spent digging through folders. Being able to search for images by their size, format, and everything is now a commonplace feature of search in all OSes
Intuitive methods of dealing with visual content and flexible inter-application workflows
Nowadays, much collaborative design work is done through Dropbox and Google drive, since people don’t need to work on-site anymore. When you can’t walk over to someone’s desk, an OS’ digital filing system needs to step up to help in this modern work environment.
Multitasking
It seems almost ridiculous to have to bring up multitasking today, but yes, it is still an issue. I’m not going to go on at length about MACH versus Linux kernels because, between OS X and Linux, multitasking is pretty much the same. But Windows is an entirely different beast.
OS-wide scripting support
If you are a professional, you probably use things like templates and well-honed workflows and lots of hotkeys to save time. But scripting goes beyond those things to make you an efficiently working beast. Before Photoshop had its Actions scripts, we would use a plugin that much the same thing, and on OS less-than-X, many applications supported AppleScript to get expanded functionality. It is still used widely in desktop publishing.
This is the power of a ton of built-in UNIX command line tools meeting the OS’ GUI scripting frameworks. There is nothing like this on any other OS, and third-party efforts to emulate Automator fall flat due to the lack of OS-wide support and frameworks. For all the work that Microsoft has done on improving Powershell, there is zero exposure of these tools to use it in a GUI context.
Downtime reduction tools: Flexible ghosting and backup
Time Machine—or to put it a more platform-agnostic way, a backup system that is tied to the OS—is crucial to reducing down time.
In the enterprise Linux world, the solution to this problem is to put the system and the user data in separate partitions so you can reinstall the OS without wiping the user data.
Windows has both Windows 7 Backup and Restore and Windows 8 File History, but neither option does system file backups. Windows 8 has a “Refresh your PC” option that does something similar
Tomi Engdahl says:
TV Ad Spending Up 6.4% In 2nd Quarter
Cable jumps 14.9%, according to Kantar Media
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/495354-TV_Ad_Spending_Up_6_4_In_2nd_Quarter.php?rssid=20068
Ad spending on TV jumped 6.4% to $18.4 billion in the second quarter.
The gain boosted first half ad spending growth to 3.3%, according to new figures from Kantar Media.
The gains were caused partly because of extra NBA playoff games on both broadcast and cable, Kantar said. Also, a year ago, spending was depressed somewhat by the lead up to the Summer Olympics, making this year’s gain appear larger.
“Ad spend has now increased for six consecutive quarters and in reaching 3.5% growth for Q2, had its best performance in a non-Olympic period since the end of 2010,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wilocity delivers 4K video over WiGig wireless home networking at blazing speeds
http://venturebeat.com/2013/09/09/wilocity-delivers-wigig-wireless-home-networking-at-7-gigabits-a-second/
Two tech firms are demonstrating that they can deliver 4K video over a wireless network within the home at super-fast speeds.
Wilocity and DisplayLink said they can demonstrate the delivery of 4K video, which has four times more resolution than full high-definition 1080p video, over a WiGig network, which has a short range of around 30 feet but can operate in the 60 gigahertz band of the wireless spectrum. The data can be transferred over the network at a rate of up to 7 gigabits a second.
The demo includes a notebook computer that includes Wilocity chips in it. The notebook computer and a WiGig docking station with a 4K chipset from DisplayLink are able to connect to a 4k resolution monitor.
“Our partnership with DisplayLink to demonstrate wireless 4K graphics and video marks a significant industry milestone, as we are showcasing the ability of WiGig to offer capabilities previously exclusive to wired technologies,” said Jorge Myszne, vice president of products and sales at Wilocity. “It’s an exciting time for Wilocity, as the industry’s first WiGig-enabled products began shipping last February, new platforms launched this summer, and we are now showcasing new, cutting-edge use cases. We look forward to more exciting firsts to come.”
Wilocity uses a tri-band Wi-Fi solution to deliver the WiGig solution. When that solution is used for directional connections, the rate can get up to 7 gigabits a second speed. That helps it avoid interference with other data in the wireless spectrum.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Angry Nerd: Let’s Go Ahead and Stop Turning Movies Into First-Person Shooters
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/09/ut_angrynerd-2/
Movies are totally wasting POV cams! Seeing carnage through a character’s eyes used to mean something. Three decades ago, Sam Raimi piloted his camera in Evil Dead
The original Terminator showed us a robot’s outlook
Head-mounted videocam imagery was supposed to bring the action of a fantastic first-person shooter to real life — not turn every movie into a vapid first-person shooter.
Hollywood: Camera angle is supposed to help tell the story, not get in the way. Let me know when you figure it out; I’ll be over here playing Halo.
Tomi Engdahl says:
HDMI-to-MIPI bridge IC integrates de-interlacing and video scaling functions
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4420652/HDMI-to-MIPI-bridge-IC-integrates-de-interlacing-and-video-scaling-functions
The T358749XBG from Toshiba Electronics is an HDMI to Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) bridge IC that integrates video de-interlacing and video scaling. The new chipset enables HDMI video streams to be recognized and read directly by application processors
By providing on-chip support for video preprocessing of video de-interlacing, video scaling and video format conversion, the T358749XBG, replaces software processing and significantly reduces memory bandwidth on the host Processors deployed in consumer electronics.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft music to competitors devices:
Xbox music service on iOS and Android platforms
The general public will bring to mind the Xbox games and consoles, but Microsoft is also working under the sign of the same music. The company will now bring it to the competitors for mobile platforms.
Xbox Music describes a comprehensive music library of 30 million tracks. Mobile devices can be used in addition to, of course, Xbox and Windows computers. The monthly fee is 9.99 Euros
Source: http://www.tietokone.fi/artikkeli/uutiset/microsoftilta_musiikkia_kilpailijoiden_laitteisiin
Tomi Engdahl says:
09/07/2013
LG Electronics’ Ultra HD TVs will be the two new models.
Top of the range LA970W is a sleek TV with versatile features and automatically highlight-facing 4.1-channel speaker system. LA965W model is a retro design, it has a 2.1-channel audio
LG’s Ultra HD models support HEVC codec MPEG H.264/H.265, that is, those can be viewed in Ultra HD content directly to a USB memory stick or external hard drive.
Common to all models is a motion sharpness 200Hz healing technology enables wider viewing angle IPS display, contrast, healing Local Dimming technology, the Ultra HD up-scaling, Smart TV functions and the Magic Remote. All the TVs that support Cinema 3D technology, and comes with four pairs of 3D glasses, and two pairs of Dual Play glasses.
Models are equipped with a powerful dual-core processor and eight gigabytes of random access memory, which enables the Smart TV user interface runs smoothly and Smart TV apps start and react quickly.
Source: http://www.hifimaailma.fi/uutiset.php?id=4363
Tomi Engdahl says:
TV’s goggle gaggle: EVERYBODY’S first with something at consumer tech feast
OLED and HDMI 2.0 rule the 4K roost
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/09/10/ifa_2013_tech_firsts_oled_4k_hdmi2/
IFA 2013 If you’re in Berlin and have a tech habit, then IFA, Europe’s biggest consumer electronics show, rages on for another couple of days. On display you’ll find all manner of things upon which the consumer tech giants want us to focus our spending – even those that may well soon be redundant.
As mobile content viewing explodes, it seems not everyone has woken up to the idea that we don’t really need a telly any more. At IFA this year, the manufacturers were keen for us to forgive and forget their early 3D forays and entice us instead with 4K, OLED and curvy TVs. The latter, I’m sure, will go the way of 3D eventually
There were a number of claims for “World’s first… biggest… bestest, blah…” Late in the show, LG announced the biggest OLED TV – a curvy one too. LG reckons its 77-incher delivers an IMAX-style experience.
How about Samsung’s 55-inch S9C curved OLED panel?
Using Active 3D it can generate two independent 3D viewing images.
Samsung claimed a first with the world’s biggest 4K telly, a 110-inch monster
HDMI 2.0 was also making a noise, with all signed up for it and Panasonic actually rolling a set out in time for the show.
If you’re sold on the idea of Ultra HD, then Sony is happy to sell you its new, soon-to-be-HDMI-2.0-compliant prosumer 4K camera, so you can point anywhere you like. No doubt there will be plenty looking at the FDR-AX1 given its price tag of £3,799 or $4,499 in the US is a fraction of the pro gear.
who needs a Handycam these days? Acer’s Liquid S2 was launched at IFA and can shoot 4K video that you can view on its 6-inch full HD screen. How long the 3300mAh battery lasts with that going on remains to be seen and it’s not clear what the 4K frame rate is
Sony’s Xperia Z1 might not be a 4K video shooter, but its 20.7Mp camera is a force to be reckoned with.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Netflix Added to Virgin Media U.K. TV in Industry First
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-09/virgin-media-u-k-pay-tv-service-adds-netflix-in-first.html
Netflix Inc. (NFLX)’s subscription-video service will be offered on Virgin Media cable systems in the U.K., marking the first time the Web-delivered product is integrated by a major pay-TV provider.
The agreement marks a breakthrough for Netflix, blurring the line between traditional pay-TV and so-called over-the-top services delivered through the Web, such as Netflix and Amazon.com Inc.’s U.K.-based LoveFilm. Virgin Media customers will be able to search for Netflix shows on the same on-screen guide they use to hunt for pay-TV programs.
“It’s a huge win for Netflix,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
IP solution synchronizes wireless multiroom audio
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4420669/IP-solution-synchronizes-wireless-multiroom-audio
Imagination Technologies’ Caskeid IP enables any compatible audio device to stream music to Caskeid-enabled audio components or media servers over standard WiFi networks with low-latency synchronization that rivals that of wired systems. Any product featuring Caskeid is capable of working with any other Caskeid-compatible products.
Caskeid wireless connectivity technology delivers audiophile-quality stereo playback with less than 50-µs delay. Caskeid is so accurate that designers will be able to build everything from straightforward multiroom wireless audio products to fully wireless surround-sound systems with separate tuned speakers across stereo sources. It also works seamlessly with Imagination’s FlowAudio cloud-based music and radio service.
Caskeid is supported by an app framework for both Android and iOS
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to perform HDMI measurements
http://www.edn.com/design/test-and-measurement/4420698/How-to-perform-HDMI-measurements
Klaus Schiffner from Rohde & Schwarz explains what HDMI is, and how it needs to be evaluated. By way of example, he describes how to perform HDMI tests using the R&S UPP audio analyzer.
The high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) has become a firmly established standard in consumer electronics. The interface allows audio and video signals as well as InfoFrames to be carried on a single cable. For audio measurements over this interface, the test instrument must be able to generate and evaluate complete test signals in HDMI format, including video signals.