The future of cameras seem to be heading to is smaller, more portable, more disposable and mirrorless (DSLRs have a mirror). When Nokia’s Executive Vice President Anssi Vanjoki told 2010 that Cell Phone Cameras Will Replace DSLRs, I could not believe that on time. But it really seems to become more and more to truth in 2014: Nowadays you can take professional level (“good enough photos”) using consumer level cameras and smart phones. Technical quality is good enough for majority. There is going on a rampant replacement of point and shoot cameras of all flavors and varieties with smart phones and their built in cameras. Now the market is being effectively gutted. Gone. Non-existent. Same thing is happening to video as well.
Part of the technical race came to a (maybe temporary) end: “How can I match and exceed the quality of conventional metrics that we used to get from medium format film.” There’s nothing else pressing to solve, technically. Many photographers are fully equipped but uninspired to move forward. We have have set down for “good enough.” The engineering idea is that we’ve hit the sweet spot and to go for a Six Sigma improvement would be costly and unnecessary.
DSLR sales were down in 2013, worldwide, by 18.5% according to CIPA. The total decline in the entire dedicated camera market is closer to 43.5%. The decline will continue. Credit Suisse prediction: “Only those who have a strong brand and are competitive on price will last – and only Canon, Nikon and Sony fullfil that criteria”. Mirrorless cameras are not a big market: According to CIPA is the total sales of mirrorless system cameras in N. America was slightly fewer than 39,000 units. Total.
The challenge will be: How do you bridge that gap between high photo-capture quality and high-quality camera devices and the cloud where every amateur photographer’s images live? The company which has the most innovative post-processing, easy to share photos feature set wins! The future of photography is same as future in pretty much everything: software and connectivity. Camera manufacturers have been slow on those: we are just now seeing cameras with full operating systems like Android The advantages to smart phones are size, constant (annoyingly constant) access, multi-task tool set, and the ability to send your images, electronically, to an audience just about anywhere in the world.
Several smartphone makers have clear strategies to take photography to extremes: 40 megapixel camera is already on the market and several manufacturers are playing with re-focus after shooting options.
Consumer video device trend is that separate classic video cameras have pretty much faded from market. New smart phones have high definition video cameras in them, so for most users there is no need for separate video camera. For special uses there are small “action” video cameras that are so tiny that you can place them almost anywhere and they can take some beating while you perform your extreme sports. If the video quality of those do not suffice, many people use their DSLR to shoot higher quality high definition video. For professional video production there is still some market left for professional and prosumer video cameras.
The world seems to be heading to situation where separate DSLRs and separate video cameras will be more like high fidelity audio, which used to be common selling point in 1970s, 80s and early 90s, but now only some geeks care about audio quality. This will more or less happen to photographs and video.
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. This development is far from ready. Gartner suggests that now through 2018, a variety of devices, user contexts, and interaction paradigms will make “everything everywhere” strategies unachievable.
Video streaming has really become mainstream as Netflix And YouTube Account For Over 50% Of Peak Fixed Network Data In North America. Because of the rise in video services like Netflix and YouTube, peer-to-peer file-sharing has dropped (meaning less piracy of movies and TV series). Netflix remains the biggest pig in the broadband python, representing 31.6% of all downstream Internet traffic in North America during primetime hours in September — well ahead of any other streaming service. In other parts of the world, YouTube is the biggest consumer of bandwidth. In Europe, YouTube represented of 28.7% of downstream traffic.
Post HDTV resolution era seems to be coming to TVs as well in form of 4K / UltraHD. It was introduced in the 2013, and the manufacturers start to push it more in 204 because 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. On this road giant curved TVs is gaining ground: LG announces that it will present the “world’s first ” 105-inch curved ultra-hd-TV in January in Las Vegas at CES. Almost at the same time , however, Samsung also announced the proposal at CES “the world’s first and curved” 105-inch ultra HD television.. TV screens are in fact higher resolution the basic 4k level of ultra hd: Samsung and LG screens resolution is 5120 × 2160 pixels in the image (11 megapixels).
4K resolution ecosystem will get more ready for use. Netflix is testing out 4K video streaming and Netflix’s House of Cards was shot in 4K. Amazon Studios also just recently announced that it will shoot all of its 2014 shows in that format as well.
4K and 4K streaming are definitely coming in 2014 regardless of how many people can actually view it. 4K will still require a lot of work “with the compression and decode capability” to be ready for mainstream use. There are a great many things that need to happen before 4K really becomes a reality or needs to do so.
PC hardware with 4G capable graphics cards is already available, so decoding the stream is not a problem. The biggest issue is that the market penetration of 4K-capable televisions needs to grow, but to that happen the prices must drop to ranges for the average consumer. Many users have already fast enough fixed broadband connection, but can the networks handle peak usage 4K streaming? According to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, it won’t require more than a stable 15 Mbps to stream 4K.
Extreme overkill resolution will also push to tablet and smart phone markets. There are already smart phones with full HD resolution. In high-end smartphones we may be moving into the overkill zone with extreme resolution that is higher than you can see on small screen: some makers have already demonstrated displays with twice the performance of 1080-progressive. Samsung is planned to release devices with 4k or UHD resolutions. As we have seen in many high tech gadget markets earlier it is a very short journey to copycat behavior. And we will see also see smart phones that can shoot 4K video.
For a long time music has been listened mainly with small portable MP3 player and such, which for most users provide “good enough” audio quality. The market had already shifted from separate MP3 players to the same functionality included to other devices (smart phones and tablets), so sales of music players sales have plummeted in year 2013 as much as as one-third. Separate music players mostly only used for listening music during fitness hobby, and growing popularity of fitness hobby is full of players saved the market from total collapse. Uncompressed music player to appreciate the need of a decent storage capacity, so some hifi people buy some high-end separate players, but that’s a small market.
Apple’s iPod continues to lead an ever-shrinking market of portable media players with a staggering 72 percent of the market for standalone music players. Apple has never been afraid of reducing demand for one of its devices by creating demand for another, in this case iPhone. The future of separate music players looks bleak.
Smartphones have taken the music player market. The growing popularity of smart phones and music streaming services will rise in the future to eat even music players sales. If smart watch will become a hit, the music player may be lost in exercisers shopping list.
1,214 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
All the Latest News from NAB 2014
http://nofilmschool.com/2014/04/all-the-latest-news-from-nab-2014/
Every year at NAB there’s an overwhelming amount of new filmmaking gear unveiled, so we’ll be keeping track of all the breaking news over the next several days and posting the stories here in one central place.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Blackmagic URSA 4K Camera: Interchangeable Sensors, Flip Out 10-Inch Screen for $6K
http://nofilmschool.com/2014/04/blackmagics-new-4k-ursa-camera-interchangeable-lenses-sensors/
Blackmagic has done it again, introducing a product the industry has yet to see. The new Blackmagic 4K URSA camera is something else entirely, featuring a 4K Super 35mm global shutter sensor, real camera form factor, a built-in 10.1″ 1920 x 1200 fold out display, and two 5” 800 x 480 displays. Not only that, but it has both interchangeable lenses and sensors, meaning you’ll be able to upgrade to a better sensor at home removing a few screws when a better one is available.
Here are the four options they are offering, with the Broadcast having a totally different sensor, and the HDMI-only model which has no sensor and is basically used as a recorder
The price is simply out of this world for what is being offered, just as it has been for their other products. Interchangeable sensors and lenses is really what we needed in this industry, as things are moving way too fast to keep up.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Blackmagic URSA
The world’s first user upgradable 4K digital film camera!
http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicursa
Super 35 size sensor with feature film dynamic range
URSA is a true professional digital film camera with a 4K sensor, global shutter and an incredible 12 stops of dynamic range.
Blackmagic URSA features dual recorders so you never need to stop recording to change media.
Choose from a range of sensors and lens mounts!
URSA EF includes the amazing 4K Super 35 image sensor with global shutter and an EF lens mount with active lens control. Now you can use low cost DSLR photo lenses from companies such as Canon, Zeiss and more!
URSA PL includes the amazing 4K Super 35 image sensor with global shutter and the film industry PL lens mount
URSA Broadcast, due later in 2014, features a whole different sensor optimized for Broadcast Video in Ultra HD, combined with a broadcast B4 lens mount and broadcast lens control connection plus built in ND filter wheel.
URSA HDMI includes no sensor because it features an HDMI 4K input and mount plate for connecting any camera such as DSLR cameras!
Say goodbye to bulky on set monitors because you get a massive fold out 10 inch screen built into Blackmagic URSA, making it the world’s biggest viewfinder!
To make it super easy to bolt on your favorite accessories, Blackmagic URSA has multiple mount points all over the camera.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A 2560×1440 VR Headset That’s Mobile
http://games.slashdot.org/story/14/04/08/2323252/a-2560×1440-vr-headset-thats-mobile
“GameFace Labs may very well be the furthest along in the quest to create a mobile VR headset. It’s based on Android, and their latest prototype is the first VR headset (mobile or tethered) to include a 2560×1440 display, with 78% more pixels than 1080p based VR headsets like the Oculus Rift DK2. CEO Ed Mason said”
Tomi Engdahl says:
GameFace Labs Has the First VR Headset on the Block with a 2.5K Display—And It’s Mobile
http://www.roadtovr.com/gameface-labs-first-vr-headset-block-2k-display-mobile/
GameFace Labs may very well be the furthest along in the quest to create a mobile VR headset. Based on Android, GameFace Labs has been working hard to iterate on their prototypes, their latest is the first VR headset (mobile or tethered) to include a 2.5K display, with 78% more pixels than 1080p based VR headsets like the Oculus Rift DK2. And they’ve got even more surprises up their sleeve.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Netflix Starts To Stream In 4K
Offers ‘House Of Cards’ Season Two, Selection Of Nature Documentaries In Ultra HD – See more at: http://www.multichannel.com/news/tv-apps/netflix-starts-stream-4k/373677#sthash.UGXiXIP6.dpuf
Tomi Engdahl says:
High Performance DisplayPort MUX
http://www.eeweb.com/company-news/nxp/high-performance-displayport-mux/
The CBTL06DP213 is an NXP third generation high-performance multi-channel multiplexer, meant for DisplayPort (DP) v1.2, v1.1a or Embedded DisplayPort applications operating at data rate of 1.62 Gbit/s, 2.7 Gbit/s or 5.4 Gbit/s.
Ron on DP high-speed channels: 14 Ω
Low insertion loss:
- – 0.9 dB at 100 MHz
- – 1.3 dB at 2.7 GHz
- – 3 dB at 11.1 GHz
Tomi Engdahl says:
Visiting Finland for the indie flick guru : Piracy is not a problem , the major studios are
New York-based Troma a cult following in the 80′s The Toxic Avenger and Class of High Nuke’Em movies. In addition to its own productions Troma has spread countless independent films.
Producer-director Lloyd Kaufman , 68, has led Tromaa the first steps up . What is a low-budget indie movies from the award today , 40 years ?
“It’s more difficult than ever , even Troma on the other hand is more famous than ever before . U.S. entertainment sector is dominated by a few giant companies . They dictate which films get publicity and general distribution. And we do it with the big boys belong to the club ,” Kaufman says.
“It’s a shame, because coming straight from the heart of art can change the world. But one of the Committee of the ideas of a $ 200 million film can hardly be . ”
Big business soulless film outputs Kaufman to take , for example, in early premiere at the receiving – even the widely acclaimed – Lego movie.
” It’s not even a movie , but a half -hour advertisement!”
Kaufman also laments how the entertainment giants have spread the tentacles of an independent art events, such as South by Southwest.
Kaufman does not feel that piracy would have adverse effects , for example, the indie film scene in distress.
“None of piracy , the term should not even be used. , It is only the art of sharing. Factors beyond our control I think it can only be beneficial , that our art will be distributed. , It’s not a problem , unless someone begin selling the art of trespassing forward,” Kaufman said .
A couple of years ago Troma uploaded almost the entire movie catalog for viewing on YouTube , legally and for free.
” We thought it was a good bet for the business deals”
Source: Nyt
http://nyt.fi/a1305811055234
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amazon Rising – Amazon’s Streaming Video Surpasses Hulu and Apple
http://www.qwilt.com/blog/2014/04/04/amazon-video-surpasses-hulu-apple/
Amazon Logo
“Amazon.com rivals Wal-Mart as a store, Apple as a device maker, and IBM as a data services provider. It will rake in about $75B this year.”
The Secrets of Bezos: How Amazon Became the Everything Store, October 2013
So, fair warning to Network Operators – if Amazon is saying it is serious about streaming, get ready for the rivers to run fast and deep.
In just the last year, Amazon moved from 5th place to 3rd place, passing both Hulu and Apple in terms of the volume of video streaming traffic consumed from their site to US broadband subscribers. Today, only Netflix and YouTube produce more total online video traffic in the US. Amazon”s traffic volumes
In some US operator networks, between March 2013 and March 2014, Amazon”s streaming video traffic increase was nearly 300%.
And all this growth happened before they announced Amazon Fire TV.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dropbox unveils Carousel for organizing your photos and videos
http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/9/5594288/dropbox-unveils-carousel-for-organizing-your-photos-and-videos-online
Dropbox today announced Carousel, a product to store and manage your photos and videos. It incorporates features from Snapjoy, a photo startup that Dropbox acquired in December 2012. The launch of Carousel represents a bid for Dropbox to diversify its lineup of products — and potential revenue streams — as it prepares for an expected initial public offering of its stock. The app is available today.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sony Curves Images Sensors & TSMC Stacks Them
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321841&
Two papers at an upcoming engineering conference promise to take image sensors in new directions.
The image sensor market leader Sony Corp. is due to report on an improved CMOS image sensor that uses a curved substrate to improve the image fidelity and reduce the dark current. At the same event, the Symposium on VLSI Technology, which takes place June 9-12 in Honolulu,engineers from TSMC will report on a CMOS image sensor with a 3D stacked architecture.
Sony’s curved sensor is back side illuminated, with the curvature matched to the curved depth of field that comes from an integrated lens close to the surface of the chip. The use of a flexed substrate doubles the light sensitivity at the edge of the image and increases it at the center by a factor of 1.4,
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Mirror Takes Your ‘Selfies’ and Posts Them on Twitter
http://mashable.com/2014/04/10/selfie-mirror/
As was proven in the most popular selfie ever, Ellen DeGeneres’ celeb-filled Oscar photo, a very limiting factor when taking a selfie is the length of your hand.
That problem is moot with S.E.L.F.I.E. or “The Self Enhancing Live Feed Image Engine,” a two-way mirror that automatically takes photos of you and posts them on Twitter.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Banks slap Olympus with £160 MEEELLION lawsuit
Scandal hit camera maker just can’t shake off its past
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/10/olympus_fraud_lawsuit_28_billion_banks/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fake Audiophile Opamps Revealed
http://hackaday.com/2014/04/10/fake-audiophile-opamps-revealed/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Photo Web Site Offers a Wall of Shame For Image Thieves
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/14/04/10/201201/photo-web-site-offers-a-wall-of-shame-for-image-thieves
“Stop Stealing Photos is a resource in the pro photographer community for protecting consumers. How? By identifying wannabes who use images in their portfolios that they did not create.”
http://stopstealingphotos.com/
http://stopstealingphotos.com/brett-jizelle-photography-las-vegas-nevada/
Tomi Engdahl says:
IAB: $43 Billion In 2013 Digital Ad Revenue, Mobile Doubles
Apr 10, 2014 at 11:26am ET by Greg Sterling
http://marketingland.com/iab-43-billion-2013-digital-ad-revenue-mobile-doubles-79687
The IAB has just released its annual report on US digital advertising. The trade association said that Q4 2013 revenues hit $12.1 billion, and full year revenues were $42.8 billion, beating broadcast TV (though not TV in total) for the first time.
The 2013 numbers grew by 17 percent over 2012.
One of the highlights, mobile ad revenue hit nearly $7.1 billion, doubling from last year’s $3.4 billion. Digital video also grew significantly to reach nearly $3 billion.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Following Spotify, Deezer Goes Freemium On Mobile
http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/10/following-spotify-deezer-goes-freemium-on-mobile/
Music streaming startup Deezer just revamped its free offering across the board in order to become more competitive with Spotify, Rdio and others. Mobile users will now be able to listen to smart radios for free. Like on the web, your music will be interrupted by audio ads every now and then. The company also dropped its listening cap of 10 hours per month on all platforms.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fake audiophile opamps: OPA627 (AD744?!)
http://zeptobars.ru/en/read/OPA627-AD744-real-vs-fake-china-ebay
What happened here?
Some manufacturer in China put an effort to find cheaper substitute for OPA627 – it appeared to be AD744.
So they bought AD744 in the form of dies or wafers, packaged them and marked as OPA627.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Comcast wins! (Worst company in America)
http://www.cnet.com/news/comcast-wins-worst-company-in-america/
In the Consumerist’s annual competition, Comcast defeated Monsanto in a pulsatingly close poll — and just as it’s trying to take over Time Warner Cable too.
So as Comcast persuades Congress that its takeover of Time Warner Cable will be good for all concerned (especially all concerned at Comcast), I hear news of another Comcast triumph.
Tomi Engdahl says:
YouTube Hurts Music Album Sales, Research Finds
By Ernesto
on April 9, 2014
http://torrentfreak.com/youtube-hurts-music-album-sales-research-finds-140409/
The music industry has often cited piracy as the main reason for the decline in music sales over the past decade, but new research suggests that YouTube may have played a role as well. Based on Warner Music’s YouTube blackout, researchers conclude that the video streaming portal cost the label up to $40 million in lost album sales per year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
RIAA Demands Personal Details of Pirating YouTube Users
By Ernesto
on March 27, 2014
http://torrentfreak.com/riaa-demands-personal-details-of-pirating-youtube-users-140327/
After focusing on P2P file-sharers in the past, the RIAA is now going after pirating YouTube users. This month the music group obtained a subpoena at a federal court in California and has asked YouTube to hand over the IP-address, email and all other identifying information related to user(s) who uploaded two leaked Chris Brown videos.
Up until now “pirating” YouTube users would only get a slap on the wrist by Google, and have their YouTube accounts terminated at worst. However, it appears that the RIAA has had enough and is now going after the uploaders of two leaked Chris Brown tracks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Digital advertising hits $43B, passing broadcast TV for the first time ever
http://venturebeat.com/2014/04/10/digital-advertising-hits-43b-passing-broadcast-tv-for-the-first-time-ever/
This past year, digital advertising online and via mobile crossed the $40 billion mark for the first time ever, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau. Since 2004, the average growth rate has been 18 percent. And this year, digital ad revenues surpassed broadcast television for the first time.
Not shockingly, mobile is leading the charge.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chrome beta for Android makes it easy to send web video to Chromecast
http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/11/chrome-35-beta-chromecast-support/
Google has rolled out a Chrome 35 beta that lets you deliver “some” clips from the browser to a Chromecast-equipped TV.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google TV: Overview and Strategic Analysis
http://research.gigaom.com/report/google-tv-strategic-analysis/
Google unveiled Google TV at its I/O conference on May 20, promising to revolutionize the TV ecosystem by giving people “the power to experience what they love on TV and on the web on a single screen,” while turning the living room “into a new platform for innovation.”
It’s a promise made by others (including no-less formidable innovators such as Microsoft and Apple) but never delivered on. Much has changed since Microsoft failed with Web TV, however, and even since Apple introduced (and has since largely ignored) its Apple TV. The amount of premium video content available on the Internet has grown exponentially, while faster broadband connections have made delivering high-quality video over IP networks feasible.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Reconstruction on Portable Devices
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/3dscan/
3D scanning on portable device is a technology that empower people turn physical objects into high-quality 3D models with the normal RGB camera capturing on mobile device and support for 3D printing. The Skynet UI design aims to enhance user experience to lower the barriers between common consumers and 3D reconstruction.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Camera Phone. Camera Phone History.
http://gsmserver.com/articles/cameraphone.php
A camera phone is a mobile phone which has a camera built in. Philippe Kahn invented the camera phone in June 1997. The first commercial camera phone was the J-SH04, made by Sharp.
Tomi Engdahl says:
GoPro’s new lens: Like a GOOGLE STREETMAPS car… for your life
360° panoramas in a single click… but res is not so hot
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/14/new_camera_panoramic_lens_like_google_streetmaps_car/
f you’ve taken the trouble to carry a camera around rather than using your smartphone, you certainly won’t want to miss anything. GoPro’s newest offering solves this problem by looking in every direction.
Of course resolution suffers as you are spreading the pixels over a bigger image.
The Pano Pro lens is a parabolic convex mirror designed to capture all the action. The lens and a GoPro enclosure hold the camera in place to point at the lens. This gives a massively distorted image of the world around the camera which is then corrected in software.
The mirror consists of specially formulated glass with a pure aluminium reflective coating and a protective clear coat.
The Pano Pro Publisher software is available for Windows with a Mac version in beta
Meanwhile GoPro itself has launched a housing which takes two GoPros and software to produce stereoscopic images.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google looks to LTE and Wi-Fi to help it lube YouTube tubes
Bandwidth hogger needs tube embiggenment if it’s to succeed
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/14/google_looks_to_lte_wifi_to_boost_youtube/
There were reports last week that Google is considering taking an MVNO mobile network and using it as a fall back for a Wi-Fi first service – in the areas where it has fibre in the ground in the US.
Faultline thinks this is a great idea.
If Google really wants YouTube to be the “daily destination of a generation” (its words) it needs to help existing MNOs deliver YouTube without eating up half of their bandwidth
As viewing moves slowly from TVs to portable devices, YouTube has to make the same journey or die. And if it wants YouTube to be made up more of TV channels (it now claims 500 channels with at least 1 million subs each), then it needs collaboration with LTE providers, not competition.
So the rumour also has it that Google wants such collaboration with mobile operators in partnership, rather than just hitching a ride over their networks.
In other countries Google may find it easier to woo mobile operators with collaborative deals, given the growing impact of YouTube videos on their bandwidth.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Audio fans, prepare yourself for the Second Coming … of Blu-ray
High Fidelity Pure Audio – is this what your ears have been waiting for?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/14/high_fidelity_pure_audio_launch_event_elton_john_goodbye_yellow_brick_road/
pparently, 60 per cent of the population has access to Blu-ray players. Who’d have thunk it? Really, if you include the Sony PlayStation consoles and now the Xbox One, it all adds up… possibly. The statistic came from Olivier Robert-Murphy, global head of new business at Universal Music Group, during an event held at Metropolis Studios in London last week.
Yes, that’s right folks: forget downloads. Discs are where it’s at, though not CD of course: it’s time to form an orderly queue for High Fidelity Pure Audio.
Since last summer, this format has been touted by Universal along with Sony Music. What makes it interesting, practical and even plausible for consumers is that High Fidelity Pure Audio discs simply take advantage of the existing provision for sound on the Blu-ray format. Apart from a menu screen you won’t see any video, something which the packaging is at pains to point out.
Last year, the album count on HFPA’s launch was around 30 titles, but that has since grown to 100.
One aspect to this is repurposing existing back catalogue remasters that were prepared for CD. While these would have been released in CD’s 16-bit/44.1kHz resolution, the studios would have created higher resolution versions and these are being drawn upon to use on the new format.
SACD failed because it demanded that listeners shell out around £400 for a player capable of handling it. By contrast, HFPA relies on readily available equipment that’s a fraction of that cost and installed in many homes already.
Although high resolution audio is to be welcomed, as a fillip to quality audio gear sales, probably the best that can be hoped for with this format is that punters will buy into it with a mind to upgrade to a home theatre system one day, but will make do with the stereo mix for now.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mouser Electronics Audio Applications & Technologies
http://fi.mouser.com/applications/audio_applications/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Paper
Cellulose nanofibers decorated with magnetic nanoparticles – synthesis, structure and use in magnetized high toughness membranes for a prototype loudspeaker
http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2013/tc/c3tc31748j#!divAbstract
Magnetic nanoparticles are the functional component for magnetic membranes
Here, cellulose nanofibers are decorated with magnetic ferrite nanoparticles formed in situ
An ultrathin prototype loudspeaker was made and its acoustic performance in terms of output sound pressure was characterized. A full spectrum of audible frequencies was resolved.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cat 5e, 6 cables achieve HDBase-T certification
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2014/04/ice-hdbaset.html
ICE Cable Systems recently announced that its Category 5e and Category 6 cables have received HDBase-T certification, meeting the specifications established by the HDBase-T Alliance. The HDBase-T connectivity standard for residential and commercial distribution of uncompressed HD multimedia content features the trademarked 5Play technology “a feature set that converges uncompressed full HD digital video, audio, 100Base-T Ethernet, power-over-cable and various control signals through a single LAN cable,” ICE Cable Systems explained when it announced its cables’ certification.
Tomi Engdahl says:
12G-SDI chipset enables single-link 4K video over coax or fiber
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2014/04/macom-12-sdi-4k-video.html
At the 2014 NAB Show in Las Vegas, M/A-COM Technology Solutions Inc. (MACOM), a supplier of semiconductor technology for broadcast video infrastructure, unveiled six new 12G-SDI products, which the company claims comprise the industry’s first complete chipset to support 12G-SDI applications.
12G-SDI is the next data rate in the evolution of the SDI standard. It is required in order to support 4K video resolutions at 60 frames per second over a single coaxial cable, or optical fiber.
“Viewers are demanding 4K/UHDTV content to show on newer panels,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
HDBaseT Alliance demos single-cable 4K video delivery at NAB 2014
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2014/04/hdbaset-nab-single-cable-4kvideo.html
The HDBaseT Alliance’s booth at NAB (#SU 11914) will feature live demonstrations of how HDBaseT technology can deliver 4K video over a single cable over long distances to significantly reduce the costs and complexities of installations. These demonstrations will be based on products by several HDBaseT Alliance members and partners including: Apantac, Gefen, Keisoku, Kramer, and Muxlab. Additionally, the Alliance will showcase new HDBaseT-enabled displays from manufacturers such as Panasonic, NEC, Samsung and Primeview.
HDBaseT technology enables all-in-one connectivity between HD video sources and remote displays through a single 100m CAT5e/6 cable, delivering uncompressed high definition video, including 4K, audio, Ethernet, control signals and up to 100 watts of power.
Tomi Engdahl says:
You Thought 4K TV Looked Real? This One Goes to 8K
http://mashable.com/2014/04/10/8k-tv/
Did you enjoy that hot minute of thinking 4K was the end-all, be-all for the living room TV?
If you’ve been to an electronics store in the past few months, you’ve seen the candy-colored, crystalline images of 4K televisions, with four times the resolution of the 1080p HD set you have at home. The difference is stunning.
4K TVs are getting within reach now: A 55” Sony goes from upwards of $2500. There’s precious little content for it outside some 4K-mastered Blu-rays from Sony and a specialty YouTube channel, but more stuff to watch will arrive soon enough, just as it did with 1080pi.
Now along comes Japan’s public broadcasting organization NHK with 8K, a format so dense with detail that the human eye will not detect additional resolution — a claim I’ve heard made for 4K.
NHK showed about 30 minutes of footage
Tomi Engdahl says:
8K Super Hi-Vision
http://www.nhk.or.jp/8k/index_e.html#
Tomi Engdahl says:
Steering Sound with Phased Array
http://hackaday.com/2014/04/14/steering-sound-with-phased-array/
[Edward] and [Tom] managed to build an actual phased array speaker system capable of steering sound around a room. Powered by an Atmega 644, this impressive final project uses 12 independently controllable speakers that each have a variable delay.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Yahoo Expands Partnership With Vevo, Bringing Music Videos To Yahoo Screen In U.S., Canada And Germany
http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/14/yahoo-expands-partnership-with-vevo-bringing-music-videos-to-yahoo-screen-in-u-s-canada-and-germany/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Frozen Instruments Played at Swedish Music Festival
http://hackaday.com/2014/04/15/sweden-music-festival-plays-frozen-instruments/
[Tim Linhart] wanted to do something different for this Swedish music festival — so he decided to carve all the instruments by hand, out of ice.
[Tim Linhart] has painstakingly carved each instrument from violins to cellos out of individual sheets of ice. He adds strings and fret-boards to complete each piece, and if the temperature goes above zero it’s game over.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Apple’s CarPlay Could Shore Up the Car Stereo Industry
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/14/04/15/2219232/how-apples-carplay-could-shore-up-the-car-stereo-industry
“Car stereo salesmen and installers around the country are hoping Apple’s CarPlay in-car infotainment system will have a big presence in the aftermarket car stereo industry. The Nikkei Asian Review reports that Alpine is making car stereo head units for between $500 – $700 that will run the iOS-like system Apple unveiled last month, and Macrumors added Clarion to the list of CarPlay supporters”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Alpine Planning to Release Aftermarket CarPlay Console This Fall
http://www.macrumors.com/2014/04/13/alpine-carplay-console/
Car electronics manufacturer Alpine will begin selling a standalone aftermarket console that will support Apple’s CarPlay vehicle integration feature, reports Japanese business newspaper Nikkei. Alpine’s offering, which will likely be the first aftermarket device to support CarPlay, is said to hit the United States and Europe this year with a cost of around $500 to $700.
While CarPlay will be found in a number of announced and upcoming vehicles from manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, BMW, Ford, GM, and Honda, the integration of the system into older vehicles has been a topic of much discussion in recent months.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bill Gates vs. Google Glass: Pending patent would thwart video snooping
http://www.geekwire.com/2014/bill-gates-vs-glassholes-pending-patent-thwart-video-snooping/
Google is offering its Google Glass for sale to the public for the first time today, in a limited-time promotion
A newly surfaced patent filing, listing the Microsoft co-founder as an inventor, proposes to equip computer and device displays with technology for detecting and responding to any cameras in the vicinity by editing or blurring the content on the screen, or alerting the user to the presence of the camera. It doesn’t refer specifically to Google Glass, but generally addresses the increase in video cameras in our society.
It’s the second patent filing in a series
Tomi Engdahl says:
Spotify Starts Shutting Down Its Massive P2P Network
on April 16, 2014
http://torrentfreak.com/spotify-starts-shutting-down-its-massive-p2p-network-140416/
For more than half a decade Spotify has relied on P2P technology to quickly deliver songs to its millions of subscribers. This will be over soon. The music streaming service has started to phase out P2P technology to rely fully on central servers instead.
Tomi Engdahl says:
GoPro Project Claims Technology is Making People Lose Empathy for Homeless
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/gopro-project-claims-technology-making-people-lose-empathy-homeless-1445134
A project involving GoPro cameras and people living on the streets of San Francisco has suggested technology is making people feel less compassionate towards the homeless.
Started by Kevin F Adler, the Homeless GoPro project aims to “build empathy through a first-hand perspective” by strapping one of the cameras onto homeless volunteers to document their lives and daily interactions.
hose behind the project are hoping the camera can give a fresh perspective on what they call “extreme living”.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google’s 3D mapping Project Tango prototype gets the teardown treatment
It may not be finished, but it’s easier to fix than the Galaxy S4
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2340317/googles-3d-mapping-project-tango-prototype-gets-the-teardown-treatment
Google Project Tango gets the teardown treatment
iFixit decribes Project Tango as “basically a camera and sensor array that happens to run on an Android phone,” with the device’s camera set-up boasting a 4MP RBG/IR camera, a 180 degree rear-facing fish-eye camera, a 120 degree front facing snapper and two computer vision co-processors.
It’s unclear when Google’s Project Tango will make it into the hands of consumers, but 200 developers already have prototype devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google’s ‘Project Tango’ Smartphone Uses Apple’s PrimeSense Technology
http://www.macrumors.com/2014/04/16/project-tango-primesense/
Earlier this year, Google unveiled “Project Tango,” an experimental smartphone that incorporates 3D sensors to allow users to map indoor and outdoor environments.
Reports suggested that the smartphone’s 3D capabilities were powered by the Movidius Myriad 1 3D-sensing chip, but as it turns out, Project Tango is also powered by Apple technology. Alongside two Myriad 1 vision co-processors, Project Tango utilizes a PrimeSense Capri PS1200 3D imaging system-on-a-chip, technology that Apple acquired when it purchased PrimeSense late last year.
According to iFixit, Project Tango works very similarly to the original Microsoft Kinect, which also used technology developed by PrimeSense. Tango displays a bright grid of dots that are captured by IR sensors to build a depth map.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Street View and reCAPTCHA technology just got smarter
Wednesday, April 16, 2014 8:31 AM
Posted by Vinay Shet, Product Manager, reCAPTCHA
http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.fi/2014/04/street-view-and-recaptcha-technology.html
we’ve been working on a new system to help locate addresses even more accurately, using some of the technology from the Street View and reCAPTCHA teams.
This technology finds and reads street numbers in Street View, and correlates those numbers with existing addresses to pinpoint their exact location on Google Maps.
These findings have surprising implications for spam and abuse protection on the Internet as well.
Turns out that this new algorithm can also be used to read CAPTCHA puzzles—we found that it can decipher the hardest distorted text puzzles from reCAPTCHA with over 99% accuracy.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Toshiba has introduced a new MicroSD memory cards, it boasts the world’s fastest. 32 and 64 GB versions of the cards are the first MicroSD cards that support the new UHS-II bus.
UHS-II SD cards standardized serial interface, a single cable that supports data transmission at 156 megabytes per second. Dual-line connection to transfer data between 312 megabytes per second.
Data speed will be a big jump from the current UHS-I cards year. Write speed increases by 8-fold and read speed of 2.7-fold.
4K2K video recorded to the card easily
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1227:maailman-nopein-microsd-kortti&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lens Blur in the new Google Camera app
http://googleresearch.blogspot.fi/2014/04/lens-blur-in-new-google-camera-app.html
One of the biggest advantages of SLR cameras over camera phones is the ability to achieve shallow depth of field and bokeh effects. Shallow depth of field makes the object of interest “pop” by bringing the foreground into focus and de-emphasizing the background. Achieving this optical effect has traditionally required a big lens and aperture, and therefore hasn’t been possible using the camera on your mobile phone or tablet.
That all changes with Lens Blur, a new mode in the Google Camera app. It lets you take a photo with a shallow depth of field using just your Android phone or tablet. Unlike a regular photo, Lens Blur lets you change the point or level of focus after the photo is taken.
Lens Blur replaces the need for a large optical system with algorithms that simulate a larger lens and aperture.
Lens Blur uses computer vision algorithms to create a 3D model of the world, estimating the depth (distance) to every point in the scene.
Once we’ve got the 3D pose of each photo, we compute the depth of each pixel in the reference photo using Multi-View Stereo (MVS) algorithms
Having computed the depth map, we can re-render the photo, blurring pixels by differing amounts depending on the pixel’s depth, aperture and location relative to the focal plane.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Netflix will raise streaming prices for new members this quarter
http://gigaom.com/2014/04/21/netflix-will-raise-streaming-prices-for-new-members-this-quarter/
Netflix will raise its streaming prices for the first time since 2010 this quarter. New customers may soon have to pay as much as $10 per month.
The company announced in its first-quarter earnings letter to shareholders that it intends to raise the prices for new members by $1 or $2 this quarter.