MEMS mics are taking over. Almost every mobile device has ditched its old-fashioned electret microphone invented way back in 1962 at Bell Labs. Expect new piezoelectric MEMS microphones, which promise unheard of signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) of up to 80 dB (versus 65 dB in the best current capacitive microphones) in 2015. MEMS microphones are growing like gangbusters.
Analysts and veterans of the International CES expect to see plenty of 4K ultra-high-definition televisions, new smartwatch uses, and a large section of the show floor dedicated to robotics. 2015 will be the first year CES gets behind 4K in a big way, as lower price points make the technology more attractive to consumers. Samsung, Sony, Sharp, and Toshiba will be big players in the 4K arena. OEMs must solve the problem of intelligence and connectivity before 4K will really take off. CES attendees may also see 4K TVs optimized for certain tasks, along with a variety of sizes. There will be 10-inch and 14-inch and 17-inch UHD displays.
4K is not enough anymore? 8K – finally come true? Korean giant LG has promised to introduce ehdan 8K TV at CES 2015 exhibition in January. 8K means a total of 33.2 million pixels, or 7680 x 4320 resolution. 4K video material fate is still uncertain, 8K video can not with certainty not available for a long time.
Sound bars will be a big issue at shows. One problem with new TVs — the thinner they are, the harder it is to get sound out.
Open file formats Matroska Video (MKV) and Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) gets more widely used as Windows 10 To Feature Native Support For MKV and FLAC.
Watching shows online is more common now. More people are watching videos on smaller screens. You can use a tablet as personal TV. Phablets and portable televisions have taken off in China, Japan, and Korea, where many people watch videos during long commutes. Tablets now have become so ubiquitous and inexpensive that you can buy them for a specific application. Much of the innovation will be in software, rather than hardware — tuning the tablets to boot up like a television instead of an Android tablet
We’re all spending more time with smartphones and tablets. So much so that the “second screen” may now be the “first screen,” depending on the data you read. It seems inevitable that smartphones and tablets will replace the television in terms of time spent. Many metrics firms, including Nielsen, report on the rapid increase of mobile device usage—especially when it comes to apps. Half of YouTube’s views now come from phones and tablets.
Qualcomm will push this year broadcast LTE. That will be picked up more and more by some vendors in tablets, so they can have broadcast TV signals, but it doesn’t have to be generic LTE.
There will be lots of talking on traditional TV vs new streaming services, especially on who gets which program material and at what price. While it’s possible to create a TV platform that doesn’t deal with live channels, smart TVs and game consoles alike generally try to integrate the content as best they can.
Netflix’s new strategy to take on cable involves becoming best friends with cable to get its app included on set-top boxes of cable, fiber and satellite TV operators. Roughly 90 million U.S. households subscribe to cable or other forms of pay TV, and more than 73 million subscribe to the biggest five operators alone. That’s why Netflix has been working hard to team up with one of these major operators.
Google intends to integrate content best it can. Google Publishes ‘Live Channels For Android TV’ App Into The Play Store. G The “Live Channels for Android TV” app is unsurprisingly incompatible with phones and tablets, maybe because for some reason those markets are intentionally artificially tried to be kept separate.
Virtual reality video is trying to get to spotlight. Samsung’s new Milk VR to round up 360-degree videos for Gear VR article tells that Milk VR will provide the videos for free as Samsung hopes to goose interest in virtual reality. Milk VR service will provide free 360-degree videos to anyone using a Gear VR virtual-reality headset (uses Galaxy Note 4). Samsung wants to jump-start the virtual-reality movement as the company is looking at virtual reality as a potential growth engine at a time when one of its key traditional revenue sources — smartphones — has slowed down. The videos will also serve as a model for future filmmakers or artists looking to take advantage of the virtual-reality medium, as well as build up an ecosystem and viewership for VR content.
Although digital video is increasing in popularity, analog video remains in use in many applications.
1,154 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
YouTube Is Purposely Making Shows With Stars You Don’t Know
http://www.wired.com/2015/04/youtube-purposely-making-shows-stars-dont-know/
Netflix did it. Amazon did it. Now YouTube is getting into the original content game. But there’s one big difference: the names on the online marquee.
The world’s largest online video site announced plans today to partner with some of its biggest stars—Fine Brothers’, Prank vs. Prank, Joey Graceffa, and Smosh—to launch four new original series
Over the next two years, the video-streaming behemoth will also release several feature films in a partnership with AwesomenessTV, a company that helps develop popular YouTube content.
But YouTube stars really are stars. Millions of fans watch them put on makeup, make jokes, or recount their days. Tens of thousands of fans go to their concerts and meet-ups.
While YouTube’s streaming competitors, like Netflix and Amazon (not to mention video newcomers BuzzFeed and Vice), have gone all-in on originals, YouTube has been slow to produce its own shows. And now it risks getting left behind by the same talent that has used its platform as a springboard to fame.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fortunately, the music industry has brought us a solution to Dolly Parton appeared hundred thousand people Glastonbury Festival last year. While Miss Parton undoubtedly appeared on stage for an unforgettable way, the engineers behind the stage appeared also correctly to ensure that the audio and visual experience were excellent also hundreds of meters away from the stage performance monitoring. This insanely successful cable and carefully calibrated components.
The long-av-cable replacement standard Ethernet was the festival organizers, stadium designers and kotiteatterifanaatikkojen dream. However, the same above-mentioned network problems – latency, low reliability, and synkronointiongemat – have always affected insurmountable.
To solve this problem the IEEE 802.1 Working Group created AVB Group (Audio Video Bridging), which updated the Ethernet AVB standard to include in the 2000s, the first end of the decade. AVB allows audio and video data, deterministic transmission and terminal equipment such as speakers and Jumbotron screens synchronization over Ethernet standard. In addition, the AVB data runs parallel to the same Ethernet cable, in which the normal data transfer between computers.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2721:dolly-parton-ja-teollinen-esineiden-internet&catid=9&Itemid=139
Tomi Engdahl says:
Making Music with Clojure and Bananas
http://hackaday.com/2015/04/27/making-music-with-clojure-and-bananas/
At this point, the banana piano is a pretty classic hack. The banana becomes a cheap, colorful touch sensor, which looks sort of like a piano key. The Arduino sets the pin as a low-level output, then sets the pin as an input with a pull up resistor. The time it takes for the pin to flip from a 0 to a 1 determines if the sensor is touched.
[Stian] took a new approach to the banana piano by hooking it up to Clojure and Overtone. Clojure is a dialect of Lisp which runs in the Java Virtual Machine. Overtone is a Clojure library that provides tons of utilities for music making.
Overtone acts as a client to the Supercollider synthesis server. Supercollider has been around since 1996, and provides a wide array of sound synthesis functions.
The banana piano acts as an input to a Clojure program. This program maps the banana to a musical note, then triggers a note on Overtone’s built-in piano sampler.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Canadian Recording Industry: Works Entering the Public Domain Are Not in the Public Interest
http://www.michaelgeist.ca/2015/04/canadian-recording-industry-works-entering-the-public-domain-are-not-in-the-public-interest/
On World Book and Copyright Day, it is worth noting how Graham Henderson, the President of Music Canada (formerly the Canadian Recording Industry Association) characterized the government’s decision to extend the term of copyright in sound recordings and performances:
With each passing day, Canadian treasures like Universal Soldier by Buffy Sainte-Marie are lost to the public domain. This is not in the public interest. It does not benefit the creator or their investors and it will have an adverse impact on the Canadian economy.”
This statement raises several issues. First, it should be noted that the song Universal Soldier by Buffy Sainte-Marie is not in the public domain nor will it be entering the public domain for decades
What is at stake with the government’s proposed copyright term extension is not copyright in the song, but rather in the sound recording or performance. Those rights are often held by recording companies, not the artists.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Disney video-dubbing software makes people speak gibberish
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-32416031
Disney has developed software that automatically redubs video clips with new words that fit the speaker’s lip movements.
The program works by tracking variations in the shape of a subject’s mouth and jaw, and then searching a pronunciation dictionary to find alternative words that match the moves.
The firm says it can “literally put plausible words” into a person’s mouth.
But for now, the examples it has produced are of limited use.
Disney’s researchers acknowledge that the primary application of speech redubbing is to translate films and television programmes from one language to another.
And it seems unlikely that the system could be used to find enough suitable matching phrases to re-voice a complete film or programme imperceptibly.
However, it could potentially be used for more gimmicky applications.
One YouTube video maker, for example, already specialises in making clips that replace the voices of well-known personalities with deliberately ridiculous lip-synched utterances for comedic effect.
A Mouth Full of Words: Visually Consistent Acoustic Redubbing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt9_1eyQE38
Tomi Engdahl says:
Toshiba has introduced a 1/3 inch CMOS image sensor, which can be reached to bring full high definition camera for various industrial applications. Such applications are, for example, surveillance cameras
TCM3232PB circuit is packaged in a 10 x 10 PBGA–milliseen housing. It’s just coming to volume production. It supports Toshiba’s own HDR feature (High Dynamic Range) and 60 fps.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2753:taytta-teravapiirtoa-teollisuuteen&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Movie streaming service Popcorn Time blocked by UK court
http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/29/popcorn-time-uk-block/?ncid=rss_truncated
Popcorn Time has painted a rather large target on its back with its movie-streaming service. Due to its questionable legality, movie studios have sought to block the service, but a shift to Bittorrent-based distribution has allowed it to continue operating while Hollywood scrambles a response. One place the studios have been able to deal a blow, however, is in the UK, where they’ve managed to restrict access to the original Popcorn Time client.
The High Court yesterday ruled that five of the UK’s biggest broadband providers begin blocking five websites offering the streaming software for download. Sky, BT, EE, TalkTalk and Virgin Media will all be forced to comply, just as they have with popular Bittorrent websites like ThePirateBay (even if those blocks have later been rendered useless).
Although Popcorn Time is indifferent about its legal position, the judge had no issue calling out its real motive. “It is manifest that the Popcorn Time application is used in order to watch pirated content on the internet and indeed it is also manifest that that is its purpose,” notes Judge Briss. “No-one really uses Popcorn Time in order to watch lawfully available content.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Power of Backroom Lobbying: How the Music Industry Got a Copyright Extension
http://news.slashdot.org/story/15/04/29/0117209/the-power-of-backroom-lobbying-how-the-music-industry-got-a-copyright-extension?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Slashdot%2Fslashdot%2Fto+%28%28Title%29Slashdot+%28rdf%29%29
The Canadian government’s unexpected budget decision to extend the term of copyright for sound recordings came as a surprise to most copyright watchers, but not the music industry lobby, which was ready with a press release within minutes.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Music Industry ‘Shuts Down’ Top Torrent Trackers
By Ernesto on April 29, 2015
http://torrentfreak.com/music-industry-shuts-down-top-torrent-trackers-150429/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
A regional court in Hamburg has ordered a hosting company to identify the operators of three iconic BitTorrent trackers that together coordinated dozens of millions of transfers per day. The order is the result of a complaint from German music group BVMI, which says it’s behind the shutdown of the trackers shut down earlier this year.
OpenBitTorrent, PublicBT and Istole.it have long been the three largest BitTorrent trackers on the Internet, coordinating the downloads of 30 million people at any given point in time.
This means that these non-commercial services, powered by the open source Opentracker software, handled a staggering three billion connections per day – each.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Casey Newton / The Verge:
Eight cloud photo storage services compared as they roughly achieve feature parity: Amazon, iCloud, OneDrive, Google+, Picturelife, Dropbox, SmugMug, Flickr
All-time greatest album
The best way to manage your photos online in 2015
http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/29/8467289/cloud-photo-storage-comparison-dropbox-icloud-flickr-onedrive-free
Tomi Engdahl says:
Socionext Starts Sampling of 4K/60p HEVC Video Encoder Chip; New MB86M31 Delivers Major Performance Boost for Real-Time 4K/60p Video Encoding
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/socionext-starts-sampling-of-4k60p-hevc-video-encoder-chip-new-mb86m31-delivers-major-performance-boost-for-real-time-4k60p-video-encoding-300060738.html
Socionext Inc. has started sampling the world’s first HEVC/H.265 – compatible encoder IC, the MB86M31, along with an evaluation board, the MB86M31-EVB, and the software development kit for drivers and applications. The new device is capable of real-time encoding of 4K/60p video with the latest video compression technology.
HEVC achieves the transmission of realistic 4K video at half the cost of the preceding AVC/H.264 technology without a loss of quality. This new format is being adopted rapidly worldwide, as 4K video is becoming more and more popular. Real-time encoding of 4K video used to require parallel processing using multiple CPUs. The new device can perform the real-time encoding with a single chip
Socionext is a new company established by the consolidation of the system LSI businesses of Fujitsu Limited and Panasonic Corporation. The company’s video encoder business has a track record of development and delivery of industry-leading encoder products for MPEG-2 and H.264, since the unit was with Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited.
Tomi Engdahl says:
castAR – Share your 3D world as it springs to life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL1qT0TK6aw
castAR is a fun way for you and your friends to engage a 3D world that springs from your table, wall or just about any tangible object.
Testing the CastAR Augmented Reality Glasses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpmKq_qg3Tk
Tomi Engdahl says:
Andrew Wallenstein / Variety:
Periscope Piracy Sets Up Grudge Match: Hollywood vs. Twitter
http://variety.com/2015/digital/opinion/periscope-piracy-sets-up-grudge-match-hollywood-vs-twitter-1201486298/
Forget Mayweather-Pacquiao. There’s a more interesting fight brewing between Twitter and Hollywood.
The piracy of Saturday’s welterweight boxing championship enabled by Periscope, a livestreaming app recently acquired by Twitter, is setting up a conflict that could be just as brutal.
HBO and Showtime, which partnered on what will likely be the most popular boxing pay-per-view event ever, took a one-two punch of their own Saturday. First, they watched multiple pay-TV distributors experience technical problems transmitting the fight, which probably cut into their sales total.
But what made matters even worse is that countless people who did pay for the fight used their smartphones to re-transmit the fight to users of Periscope and, to a lesser extent, rival app Meerkat. Each stream reached hundreds or thousands of non-paying fans with a picture quality that was shaky and pixilated, yet still quite adequate.
Christina Warren / Mashable:
How Periscope users experienced the readily-available pirated streams of the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight last night —
http://mashable.com/2015/05/03/pacquiao-mayweather-periscope/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Audio Precision supports Dante pro networked audio
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4439294/Audio-Precision-supports-Dante-pro-networked-audio?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20150504&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20150504&elq=ee1dfecc5a4341a9b066f199a3cf2381&elqCampaignId=22836&elqaid=25698&elqat=1&elqTrackId=bd2e233dc2c540d9926bfe5e24647b85
Audio Precision has added support for Dante-enabled pro audio devices to its APx500 series of audio analyzers and software. Dante is a technology for digital transport of professional audio over Cat5e, Cat6, or fiber-optic cables. Dante support is available for AP’s APx58x Series, APx52x Series, APx555 (shown below) and APx515 audio analyzers.
Created by Audinate, Dante provides digital audio over existing IT networks. Dante is an uncompressed, multi-channel digital transport technology that provides near-zero latency and synchronization for digital media networks ranging from live sound and recording studios to public address and broadcast.
Through Audinate’s hardware and software, Dante has been integrated into audio products such as speakers, amplifiers, mixers, and digital-signal processors.
What You Need to Know About Dante
http://blog.shure.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-dante/
For the last couple of years, we’ve all heard the steady drumbeat of digital in pro sound applications. Digital audio networking systems that transmit and receive up to 64 audio channels over a single Ethernet cable, and more recently, digital wireless microphone systems. These solutions allow audio inputs and outputs from enabled audio gear (for instance, a wireless microphone system or mixer) to be routed using a user’s existing Mac or PC when loaded with the necessary software. All inputs and outputs are carried as digital data running on lightweight, inexpensive Cat-5 cabling.
While Australia-based Audinate’s Dante is one of several competing protocols for communicating multiple audio channels over standard Ethernet and IP networks, it has led the industry in media attention, awards and licensing agreements with an impressive list of partners.
How is digital distribution different than analog?
In an analog AV implementation, the logical and physical connections are the same – most connections are point-to-point and individual cables represent each channel. Copper cables are needed to for each individual signal path. In Dante, the physical connecting point is irrelevant: as long as all the devices are connected to the same network, audio signals can be made available anywhere and everywhere. Patching and routing are configured in software and not over physical wired links.
Depending on the application, Dante allows up to 512 bi-directional channels of audio to be sent and distributed over an Ethernet network, using CAT-5e cable or CAT-6 cable.
How is the system set up?
Devices that are Dante-enabled (like Shure’s ULXD4Q wireless system) utilize Dante Controller, Audinate software that provides a graphical interface for set up, routing and device monitoring. It is designed to run on a customer’s existing PC or Mac.
Michael Pettersen, Director of Shure’s Technical Product Support team explained it this way to us: “Essentially, the Dante Controller is a dispatcher of the digital signals: ‘Signal A – go to device #1, Signal B – go to device #2 and Signal C – go to device #3.’ In the world of analog audio, this type of signal routing is accomplished by the use of individual cables or a patch panel.”
re there cost benefits?
Digital media distribution reduces set-up time, plus it eliminates the need for miles of increasingly expensive copper wiring. Installation is simplified through digital networking since inexpensive CAT-5e or CAT-6e cable will carry all the required inputs and outputs as digital audio data.
The Advantages
The benefits of Dante are the same whether you need to set up a digital audio network for 54 classrooms or a 500-member church. The difference in cost savings? It’s one of scale – miles of expensive copper cable.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple pushing music labels to kill free Spotify streaming ahead of Beats relaunch
http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/4/8540935/apple-labels-spotify-streaming
Aggressive tactics from the music giant have garnered scrutiny from the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission
The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission are looking closely into Apple’s business practices in relation to its upcoming music streaming service, according to multiple sources. The Verge has learned that Apple has been pushing major music labels to force streaming services like Spotify to abandon their free tiers, which will dramatically reduce the competition for Apple’s upcoming offering. DOJ officials have already interviewed high-ranking music industry executives about Apple’s business habits, but it appears the FTC has taken the lead in recent weeks.
Apple has been using its considerable power in the music industry to stop the music labels from renewing Spotify’s license to stream music through its free tier. Spotify currently has 60 million listeners, but only 15 million of them are paid users. Getting the music labels to kill the freemium tiers from Spotify and others could put Apple in prime position to grab a large swath of new users when it launches its own streaming service, which is widely expected to feature a considerable amount of exclusive content. “All the way up to Tim Cook, these guys are cutthroat,” one music industry source said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cloud Service Shrinks Set-Tops
Startup demos virtual set-top on ARM servers
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1326526&
The cable TV set-top box could disappear someday if software developer Netzyn gets its way. The startup will demonstrate its software creating a virtual set-top box running in the cloud at the NFV World Congress here.
Netzyn’s NzOS software aims to deliver streaming services from the cloud across a variety of applications environments including Android, Linux and Windows. Cable TV providers could use the code to shrink a set-top to a dongle or puck form factor “which can eventually be integrated into TVs, eliminating the need for operators to manage” set tops, it said in a statement released Tuesday.
The offering is the latest in a long history of efforts around thin clients. The approach has established a beachhead in business computing and more recently gotten traction with so-called over-the-top Internet video services that compete with cable TV giants.
While an interesting use of cloud services, the demo is not the primary focus of most developers at the NFV World Congress here. Network Function Virtualization (NFV) got its start at gatherings of mainly European carriers about two years ago, seeking ways to simplify their networks overloaded with mobile data.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Knowles Buys Audience for $85 Million
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1326532&
MEMS microphone supplier Knowles Corp. (Itasca, Illinois) has agreed to acquire Audience Inc. (Mountain View, Calif.) for $85 million net of a cash balance of $44 million.
Audience is a provider of audio and noise suppression processors for Android equipment and recently acquired software company sensor platforms for $41 million to help it expand into sound-plus-motion context awareness.
The combination of Knowles and Audience provides an alternative to Cirrus Logic, a market leader that acquired Wolfson Microelectroncs plc in 2014. Microphones and audio processors with extremely low power for always-on are being deployed for use as wake-up systems in mobile equipment.
“Audience and Knowles have pioneered the revolution in connected device audio capabilities,” said Peter Santos, CEO of Audience, in the same statement. “The combination of the audio and sensory intelligence of Audience and the acoustic expertise and scale of Knowles creates a truly unique audio and sensory systems company.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Embedding Vision in Next-Generation SoCs
http://www.synopsys.com/Company/Publications/DWTB/Pages/dwtb-embedding-vision-nextgen-socs-2015Q2.aspx?elq_mid=6557&elq_cid=303473&elq=da0e8d1bd97948eba939aab2945b9e92&elqCampaignId=308&elqaid=6557&elqat=1&elqTrackId=38620e4bd932477ca3f6c8a07fd078d0
Computer vision is the acquisition, processing, analysis and understanding of real-world visual information with computers. Until recently this was only possible on PCs and other high-end machines, but the advance of microprocessor technology is now enabling designers to integrate computer vision into SoCs. The resulting practical and widely deployable embedded vision functionality is showing up in emerging consumer applications such as home surveillance, gaming systems, automotive driver assist systems, smart glasses and augmented reality. This is giving rise to a whole new class of embedded processors, designed specifically for embedded vision and offering very high vision performance, but at the low power-consumption levels required for embedded applications. Embedded vision technology is included in an increasing number of SoC designs and will have a profound impact on many aspects of our lives. – See more at: http://www.synopsys.com/Company/Publications/DWTB/Pages/dwtb-embedding-vision-nextgen-socs-2015Q2.aspx?elq_mid=6557&elq_cid=303473&elq=da0e8d1bd97948eba939aab2945b9e92&elqCampaignId=308&elqaid=6557&elqat=1&elqTrackId=38620e4bd932477ca3f6c8a07fd078d0#sthash.ATFnQxg2.dpuf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Days after its demise, Grooveshark is back
http://bgr.com/2015/05/05/grooveshark-is-back-online/
By Jacob Siegal on May 5, 2015 at 11:54 AM
Email @JacobSiegal
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There are more free, legal ways to stream music over the Internet than ever, but it was still a bit of a shock to see Grooveshark finally go offline after more than half a decade of legal battles and controversy. I had always just assumed that Grooveshark would be around forever, fighting the good fight and refusing to adapt, but the record companies finally got the better of the dubious streaming service on April 30th.
But that’s not the end of the story.
On Tuesday, I received an email from someone calling himself Shark — an individual connected to Grooveshark who has assembled a team to bring the site back to life.
The result of Shark’s labor is now online at Grooveshark.io.
Tomi Engdahl says:
ARM joins the NFV race with virtual set-top box spec
All your STBs are belong to the cloud
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/05/06/arm_joins_the_nfv_race/
ARM has become the latest silicon vendor to pitch a major network function virtualisation (NFV) strategy, and has announced a partnerships with Applied Micro and Netzyn, and with Enea.
Under the ARM-Applied Micro-Netzyn agreement (announced here), the three partners will create and demonstrate a virtual set-top box for pay TV delivery.
Under the vSTB reference platform the pals intend to put together, Applied Micro X-Gene server-on-a-chip solutions would live in the carrier cloud to run STB functions (like UI, electronic program guide, and even STB-based gaming), turning the STB into a simpler, dumber device.
This is in line with what ETSI has set out in its Proof of Concept documents, and will be demonstrated at the upcoming NVF World Congress.
Ultimately, ARM reckons, the virtualisation of the STB would reduce the customer-side device footprint down to a dongle-level form factor or an app in the TV (the latter, The Reg’s networking desk reckons, being an ideal way for pay TV operators to try and capture customers forever).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Digi content market set for vast embulgement, will be $154bn in 2019
Physical possessions? Pah! We’ll all be sat at home in our pants playing games
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/05/06/gamers_to_boost_digital_content_market_to_154bn_by_2019/
Global digital content sales are on track to hit $154bn (£113bn) annually by 2019, up 60 per cent from 2014, according to recent analysis.
The current market is worth $99bn (£65bn) and is expected to increase at an average annual rate of 9.4 per cent over the next five years, said a report by crystal ball gazers at Juniper Research.
Mobile and online games will account for the largest share of sales, as gamers continue to opt for digital formats, it said.
However, this is set to decrease from the current proportion of 44 per cent, as more users stream videos.
Tomi Engdahl says:
EU Digital Single Market plan: We will compromise fast, and compromise early
Wild goose chase across level playing field begins
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/05/06/damp_squip_digital_single_market_package_brings_no_surprises/
The European Commission has finally unveiled its big Digital Single Market Strategy (DSM). Despite leak after leak over recent weeks, Digi Commissioners Andrus “The Robot” Ansip and Gunther H-dot Oettinger took to the podium together (for the first time) with due pomp and ceremony on Wednesday.
But what they presented was a rather damp squip – no actual legislation, just a list of “things we’d like to do”.
The “Three Pillars” upon which the edifice of the DSM will be built are: “(1) better access for consumers and businesses to digital goods and services across Europe; (2) creating the right conditions and a level playing field for digital networks and innovative services to flourish; (3) maximising the growth potential of the digital economy.”
So far, so ho-hum.
The two biggest bits of planning most commentators wanted to see are the two Commissioners’ pet projects – geo-blocking (deep in his heart Ansip hates it) and copyright (Oetti wants to tax Google).
But both seem to have been watered down a little.
And there you have it – 16 vaguely nice sounding things that could help boost a digital single market in Europe. Without any backbone behind them and obvious opposition in the offing from interested parties, they may never see the light of day.
As Caroline de Cock, coordinator of the C4C Coalition on copyright, put it: “Going for a toned down compromise is a normal feature of the Brussels scene, but toning down so early in the process is a bit disappointing. One can only hope that this is not due to tough compromises having to be struck within a single institution, rather than the usual inter-institution dialogue. Let’s hope it doesn’t get too ugly.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Periscope Can’t Afford to Piss Off Broadcasters
http://www.wired.com/2015/05/periscope-broadcasters/
Periscope has had some well-publicized issues with users live streaming copyrighted content, including this weekend’s endlessly hyped boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. In live streaming the fight, Periscope users were able to circumvent the $90 fee that HBO or Showtime were charging. It wasn’t the first time this problem arose. Periscope has had similarly well-publicized issues with HBO, thanks to users streaming pirated episodes of Game of Thrones on the app.
This time, however, Beykpour says the Periscope team was better prepared. “We had a team of people who just look at an email channel, and if someone says this stream is copyrighted, we take it down,”
Periscope is legally obligated to respond to these takedown requests in a timely manner under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Of course, there’s an argument to be made that when it comes to copyright infringement, Periscope, which offers a suboptimal viewing experience at best, should be a low priority for media companies. And yet, it’s still in Periscope’s best interest to keep television partners happy, and that requires doing more than responding to takedown requests, one by one.
‘It’s an Internet Thing’
Beykpour admitted as much on stage, acknowledging the fact that in a world of constant connectivity and instantaneous sharing, it’s critical for the industry as a whole to rethink how it deals with piracy. “Generally, there’s a lot of innovation to be had. The sheer fact that the DMCA process mandates that you respond to these requests within 24 hours isn’t very relevant in a real time setting,” he said. “The proliferation of all these devices, and the fact that I can take my phone out now and stream changes the landscape of how a process like that has been done in the past.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sony finally comments on CCD image sensor discontinuation news
http://www.vision-systems.com/articles/2015/05/sony-finally-comments-on-ccd-image-sensor-discontinuation-news.html?cmpid=EnlVSDMay62015
This past February, news began to surface that suggested Sony would, at some point in the future, discontinue its production of CCD image sensors. A number of major machine vision companies, including Allied Vision, FRAMOS, and IDS Imaging Development Systems, were among the first the report on the potential closure.
This week, however, Sony finally acknowledged the matter, noting that the company would continue to use CCD sensor technology, until the year 2026. In the release, Sony notes that it has “no plans to discontinue any industrial camera products related to CCD sensor availability before March 2026 and will continue to support customers with long product lifetimes.”
It’s difficult to say what happened here, exactly, given the letter initially said 2017, but the new Sony release says 2026, but what is certain here is that CCD sensors from Sony will be available until 2026.
“Sony CCD-based industrial cameras will not be discontinued due to CCD sensor availability until 2026,” said Matt Swinney, Sony ISS Senior Marketing Manager. “There is no requirement to ask our customers to provide ‘last time buy’ estimations because it is not necessary. This is the difference Sony as a complete camera manufacturer brings to the market.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
There’s a Way to Control Phones With Sound, Not Electronics
http://www.wired.com/2015/05/theres-way-control-phones-sound-not-electronics/
Gierad Laput thinks the future of smartphone interaction could look a lot like playing the flute. For his most recent project, Acoustruments, Laput, a researcher at Carnegie Mellon’s Future Interfaces Group and Eric Brockmeyer, from the Disney Research Lab, have developed a series of phone accessories that function less like the electronic gadgets you see at Best Buy and more like simple, tiny woodwind instruments.
Gierad Laput thinks the future of smartphone interaction could look a lot like playing the flute. For his most recent project, Acoustruments, Laput, a researcher at Carnegie Mellon’s Future Interfaces Group and Eric Brockmeyer, from the Disney Research Lab, have developed a series of phone accessories that function less like the electronic gadgets you see at Best Buy and more like simple, tiny woodwind instruments.
To make Acoustruments work, Laput and his colleagues built each accessory so that a hollow tube connects runs between the phone’s speaker and microphone. The speaker emits a high-frequency sound (imperceptible to you and me but maybe not to your dog) which the microphone measures. On its own, this signal flows through the tube like water through a freshly cleaned pipe. But make a change—add a hole, thicken the plastic walls, pinch the tube, lengthen the tube—and that signal gets disrupted. Like plugging a valve on a flute to make a note, you can control your phone’s actions by physically altering how that signal flows.
The appeal of this sort of interaction is apparent. A simple 3-D printed accessory could add an element of tangible interaction to smartphones without much cost or complexity.
Acoustruments: Passive, Acoustically-Driven Interactive Controls for Hand Held Devices
http://www.disneyresearch.com/publication/acoustruments/
We introduce Acoustruments: low-cost, passive, and powerless mechanisms, made from plastic, that can bring rich, tangible functionality to handheld devices.
Acoustruments can achieve 99% accuracy with minimal training, is robust to noise, and can be rapidly prototyped. Acoustruments adds a new method to the toolbox HCI practitioners and researchers can draw upon, while introducing a cheap and passive method for adding interactive controls to consumer products.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Expands Vision Applications in Industrial Automation
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1326540&
— Machine vision is a well-established technology in industrial applications such as automated inspection, but the advent of relatively inexpensive 3D image sensors is opening doors for many new vision applications. From automating truck loading to enhancing factory safety, depth perception is empowering new vision opportunities in industrial automation. The upcoming Embedded Vision Summit will highlight some of these opportunities and the technologies behind them.
“The use of 3D in vision applications has been evolving for a while,” said Jeff Bier, founder of the Embedded Vision Alliance, in an interview with EE Times, “but in the last year or so it crossed a critical threshold. Multiple suppliers are now offering 3D vision modules at low cost, making it practical in industrial applications where it wasn’t before.” Bier noted that five years ago 3D imaging required large, expensive equipment but now the cost is being driven down by consumer-oriented modules for smartphones and the like. He pointed to Intel’s RealSense and SoftKinetic’s DepthSense offerings as examples of 3D image sensors coming out of the consumer space.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Robinson Meyer / The Atlantic:
Mobile Justice CA app uploads all video footage as it’s being captured to servers owned by ACLU, available for iOS and Android for now
Film the Police
A new app makes it easier.
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/05/film-the-police/392483/?google_editors_picks=true
Last month, video footage emerged that appeared to show something illegal: A U.S. marshal approached a woman who was filming him on duty, snatched her smartphone, and smashed it on the ground.
That incident only became news because someone else was filming the encounter. But not every bystander filming a police encounter can have a backup. What should a person do when there’s no one else on the scene?
A new app tries to answer this question by offering, in effect, a different kind of backup. Called Mobile Justice CA, the app uploads all video footage as it’s being captured to servers owned by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Even if the phone is destroyed, the video will survive.
The app was co-released Friday by the ACLU of Southern California and the Oakland-based Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, and it’s available now for iOS and Android devices.
Within a year, Cullors told me, the Center plans to debut a “web-based platform” that will help communities track behaviors—both positive and negative—among law-enforcement agencies and individual police officers. Cullors described the platform as “a Facebook for challenging criminalization in your community.”
For now, there’s the app. Video uploaded to ACLU servers will be reviewed by the organization’s lawyers, but it will still belong to the person who captured it.
Body cameras have been hailed as a solution to police brutality, and in that they’ve proven popular but fraught: They improve officer accountability while functioning as one more surveillance tool in communities often already riddled with them.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Paul Thurrott / Thurrott.com:
Sources: Microsoft to add TV recording functionality to Xbox One, probably this year
Confirmed: Media Center is Dead
https://www.thurrott.com/windows/3319/confirmed-media-center-is-dead
You may have seen recent rumors that Microsoft has killed off Windows Media Center, the ten-foot digital media interface that it first developed for a special version of Windows over 10 years. Well, it’s true: Microsoft’s Gabe Aul confirmed this week that Media Center will not move forward to Windows 10.
“Due to decreased usage, Windows Media Center will not be part of Windows 10,” Mr. Aul tweeted recently.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Asif Shaik / SamMobile:
Some Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge units have Sony IMX240 camera sensors, others have Samsung’s own ISOCELL sensors
Here’s the difference between Samsung and Sony camera sensors on the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge
http://www.sammobile.com/2015/05/05/heres-the-difference-between-samsung-and-sony-camera-sensors-on-the-galaxy-s6-and-s6-edge/
After a first glance, we think that the images shot using the IMX240 display vibrant and warmer colors than the ones clicked using the ISOCELL sensor. Also, the images captured using the Sony sensor appear to have more depth in them. In bright conditions, the IMX240 captured original colors, but it was the opposite otherwise – the ISOCELL sensor captured truer-to-life colors during low-light conditions.
Official statement Samsung Benelux.
“The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge utilize camera sensors from several different vendors. Like all of the technology used in our products, they meet our strict global quality and performance standards.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
David Katzmaier / CNET:
Comcast to offer 4K Xi4 set-top box this year and Xi5 set-top box with HDR in 2016
http://www.cnet.com/news/comcast-to-offer-4k-set-top-box-this-year/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tom Fairless / Wall Street Journal:
EU unveils plan to unite fragmented online markets, crack down on possible abuses by US Internet firms
http://www.wsj.com/article_email/eu-announces-sweeping-plans-to-create-a-digital-single-market-1430906432-lMyQjAxMTA1MDA2NjcwNTY0Wj
Tomi Engdahl says:
Reddit launches a video division to create original content
The AMA is about to get a major upgrade
http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/6/8555869/reddit-video-create-original-content
The social news service Reddit has grown to a truly massive size, garnering 170 million monthly visitors and 6.7 billion pages view this January, while maintaining a fairly bare-bones service. It helps elevate obscure material to front page news, but hosts virtually no content of its own, instead linking out to articles, images, and videos from around the web. Recently it has begun to venture into original content with a podcast and newsletter. Today it is going even further with the launch of its own video division. “Reddit’s mission is to connect people across the world through authentic conversations, collaboration, and community — video is an amazing storytelling medium and there’s no better wellspring of original stories than Reddit,” said co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
“Something that gets me really excited is being able to work with the community. I think Reddit has the smartest, most witty community on the internet,” said Greenwood. “We’ll be aiming to tell some of the best stories that have happened on the platform and because of the platform.”
Reddit has begun to dabble in the dark arts of “monetization”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Meerkat Launches Developer Platform To Differentiate From Periscope
http://techcrunch.com/2015/05/06/meerkat-api/
How did it feel getting cut off by Twitter with just 2 hours notice? “It sucked” says Meerkat founder Ben Rubin. That’s why it’s determined to treat developers with more respect. In the nine weeks since Meerkat launched, 37 developers have built companion experiences to the livestreaming apps on its unofficial, private API, including stream discovery, automatic uploads of streams to YouTube, and audience analytics tools.
Today, Meerkat is legitimizing those developers by launching an official developer platform and APIs that it promises to never take away. By becoming a platform, Meerkat could allow outside developers to build tools for a much wider variety of use cases than its small, independent team build spawn itself. That might help it differentiate itself from fellow livestreaming app Periscope, which benefits from the massive team and deep pockets of its acquirer Twitter.
As for his hopes for the platform, Rubin tells me “one thing I want to see is how collaborative streams could be done around a topic or demographic.” A Map view based on the location of streams could also be helpful
The platform could be an especially sharp sword to brandish against Twitter, which has repeatedly burned its credibility with developers of app clients, data services, and consumer products like Meerkat by suddenly stripping their access to its systems or steamrolling them with acquisitions and in-house projects. Periscope could launch a platform, but few developers might trust it.
While livestreaming could become a market big enough for both Meerkat and Periscope, there’s no denying that they’re competing for users and attention. Until now, Meerkat’s basically just been Periscope without replays.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Age guessing with Microsoft is FUN! Now give us your metadata
Netizens snigger as MS boffins advertise services on the back of data slurp
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/05/01/microsoft_facial_recognition_age_estimation_metadata_harvesting
Microsoft has unwrapped a metadata-slurping website powered by user-uploaded pictures which pretends to be a fun age-guessing game.
While the page’s inability to accurately guess users’ ages might seem an amusing cock-up on Redmond’s part, the machine learning boffins who set up the page are content to slurp up the JavaScript Object Notation metadata of the photographs users are uploading, and process it to advertise Microsoft’s services.
An invitation extended to the internet-at-large to help Satya Nadella sell his services to all comers has been duly answered by social media users, ever-keen to jump on the new meme bandwagon as early as possible.
Fun with ML, Stream Analytics and PowerBI – Observing Virality in Real Time
http://blog.how-old.net/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rose Pastore / Fast Company:
Side project of computer vision startup Dextro categorizes Periscope videos in real time
This Startup’s Side Project Scans Every Periscope Video To Help You Find The Best Streams
Dextro side project Stream is using its algorithms to categorize Periscope videos in real time.
http://www.fastcompany.com/3045926/passion-to-profit/this-startups-side-project-scans-every-periscope-video-to-help-you-find-th
Tomi Engdahl says:
Silicon/software package to build USB Type-C to DisplayPort cables
http://www.edn-europe.com/en/silicon/software-package-to-build-usb-type-c-to-displayport-cables.html?cmp_id=7&news_id=10006303&vID=209#.VVMAnJNLZ4A
Cypress Semiconductor has assembled a complete silicon and software offering for USB Type-C to DisplayPort adapters (dongles).
The EZ-PD CCG1-based Type-C to DisplayPort Cable solution enables connectivity between a USB Type-C receptacle and a DisplayPort (DP) or Mini DisplayPort (mDP) receptacle, allowing emerging Type-C notebooks and monitors to be interoperable with older products.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Distributor RS lists GoPro cameras for ‘pro’ applications
http://www.edn-europe.com/en/distributor-rs-lists-gopro-cameras-for-pro-applications.html?cmp_id=7&news_id=10006271&vID=1328#.VVL7-JNLZ4A
GoPro cameras are most often associated with “user-generated content”; RS Components is stocking HERO4 Silver and Black cameras it presents as suitable for ‘on the job’ commercial applications deliver leading-edge high- and ultra-high-definition video at super fast frame rates.
While the cameras are well known for their use in action-packed video in extreme sports and many other consumer-led applications, there is also a place for these products in commercial and industrial environments. For example, site maintenance and installation engineers using cameras to monitor and record daily activities and inspections.
The HERO4 Silver offers high-definition 1080p60 (1080p at 60 frames per second) and 720p120 video performance with lifelike clarity, as well as 12-megapixel photos at up to 30 frames per second. Other key features include: auto-low-light mode; HiLight Tag, enabling easy playback, editing and sharing; and QuikCapture, which allows power up and video recording with the press of a single button. Offering a built-in touch display for easy control, the camera is also waterproof to 40m (131ft) and offers built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Music Industry’s Latest Shortsighted Plan: Killing Freemium Services
http://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/15/05/12/2128203/the-music-industrys-latest-shortsighted-plan-killing-freemium-services
An anonymous reader notes that there have been rumblings in the music industry of trying to shut down freemium services like Spotify’s free tier and YouTube’s swath of free music. The record labels have realized that music downloads are gradually giving way to streaming, and they’re angling for as a big a slice of that revenue as they can manage. The article argues that they’re making the same mistake they always make: that converting freemium site listeners (in the past, music pirates) to subscription services will be a 1:1 transfer, and no listeners will be lost in the process.
Killing Freemium is the Worst Thing for Artists
https://medium.com/cuepoint/killing-freemium-is-the-worst-thing-for-artists-5c1b022bad78
Ending Spotify and YouTube’s free tiers will increase piracy, not sales or signups
Tomi Engdahl says:
Firefox 38 Arrives With DRM Required To Watch Netflix
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/15/05/12/172238/firefox-38-arrives-with-drm-required-to-watch-netflix
Mozilla today launched Firefox 38 for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. Notable additions to the browser include Digital Rights Management (DRM) tech for playing protected content in the HTML5 video tag on Windows, Ruby annotation support, and improved user interfaces on Android.
Firefox 38 arrives with DRM tech required to watch Netflix video, Ruby annotation, revamped look on Android
http://venturebeat.com/2015/05/12/firefox-38-arrives-with-drm-tech-required-to-watch-netflix-video-ruby-annotation-revamped-look-on-android/
Both desktop and mobile releases are getting Ruby annotation support, a long-time request from East Asian users. Ruby is essentially extra text attached to the main text for indicating the pronunciation or meaning of the corresponding characters — adding the feature to the browser means users no longer need to install add-ons like HTML Ruby.
Ruby is widely used in Japanese publications, and it is also common in Chinese books for children, educational publications, and dictionaries.
Desktop
The most important addition to Firefox 38 is undoubtedly integration with the Adobe Content Decryption Module (CDM) to play back DRM-wrapped content on Windows Vista and later. Mozilla announced the controversial (given the closed nature of DRM) move just under a year ago.
The company’s reasoning for the decision is the same today:
We are enabling DRM in order to provide our users with the features they require in a browser and allow them to continue accessing premium video content. We don’t believe DRM is a desirable market solution, but it’s currently the only way to watch a sought-after segment of content.
The CDM in question is downloaded from Adobe shortly after you install Firefox 38 or higher, and it activates when you first interact with a site that uses Adobe CDM. Mozilla says some premium video services, including Netflix, have already started testing the solution in Firefox.
Mozilla has designed a security sandbox that sits around the CDM, adding another layer of security for code that the company does not control itself. Firefox users can also remove the CDM from their copy of the browser, and the company even offers a separate Firefox release without the CDM enabled by default
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mark Walton / Ars Technica:
Nvidia debuts its Grid cloud gaming service with 1080p 60 FPS streaming for Shield Hub beta members who own a Shield device and have 30Mbps Internet or better
Nvidia turns on 1080p 60 FPS streaming for its Grid cloud gaming service
Shield device, 30Mbps connection, and beta membership needed to get in on the action.
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/05/nvidia-turns-on-1080p-60-fps-streaming-for-its-grid-cloud-gaming-service/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cutting the cord
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/brians-brain/4439415/Cutting-the-cord?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150512&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150512&elq=0d82b53701b944f6aede6d9171b3c6bc&elqCampaignId=22964&elqaid=25849&elqat=1&elqTrackId=cf18e87372294a35bb1d93957195fb06
HBO’s “Now” partnership with Apple
Regardless of their particular implementation form, they have a few common attributes:
1. They don’t come from a traditional pay TV provider; cable, satellite, or fiber, and
2. They (usually) don’t require a greater-than-one month subscription commitment, although there are a few exceptions, such as the free movies and TV programs bundled with Amazon’s yearly Prime membership, and
3. They (often, but again not always) avoid bundling a bunch of networks’ content together, even though you only care about a few shows … although as we’ll soon see, the outcome may or may not be an aggregate cost savings to any particular consumer.
I’ve also tried out (and written about) numerous online TV show-and-movie services over the years … Aereo, Amazon Video, Google Play, HBO Go, Hulu, Netflix, Vimeo, VUDU, XFINITY Streampix and TV Go, Yahoo! Video, and YouTube are only some of the names that come to mind. And with respect to Internet-streamed live content, which is finally coming to a credible fore, I recall a less-than-perfect but promising NCAA basketball tournament experiment seven years past with now-defunct Joost.
“Next year” is, of course, this year, and as those of you who have already read my Spring Forward coverage already know, Apple became HBO’s first notable “Now” partner. The announcement focused on the TV-tethered apple TV appliance,
HBO isn’t the only significant online-streamed service news of recent times, however. Back at January’s Consumer Electronics show, Dish Network unveiled Sling TV, a satellite-less service whose base $20/month tier bundled content from Disney, Turner, Scripps, and A&E (and later, AMC and others), including all-important (at least to some) ESPN and supported on (among other platforms) the Roku media player product line.
Online streaming still isn’t perfect, due both to client-side bandwidth glitches and server-side demand under-forecasts.
Clearly, however, the “cat’s out of the bag” … Internet-streamed service is now (and will increasingly be) a feasible alternative to traditional subscription TV bundles. But will consumers benefit? Maybe … and only, I’ll postulate, if their viewing habits are narrowly focused. Right now, for example, I’m paying $100/month long-term subscription-free for the combination of Comcast’s Blast Plus broadband Internet service plus 140+ channel Digital Preferred TV service plus HBO and Cinemax … and because I’m using a CableCARD receiver, I also get HD resolution for free.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Vision Core Tightens its Focus
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1326577&
Startup CogniVue announced some details of its next-generation vision core that will be available this fall. Opus is the next offering in an increasingly crowded field of vision chips, initially gaining traction in automotive markets.
Opus will sport 5-10 times the performance of CogniVue’s existing vision accelerator core, the G2-Apex, as well as better performance per power and area. The advances come from the new core’s mixed 32- and 64-bit VLIW architecture, wider memory bandwidth, better control of on- and off-chip memory and near gigahertz data rate.
The core also supports more options for closely and loosely coupled multiprocessing. In addition, it now supports both Cascade Classifiers, used in car vision systems to detect pedestrians and traffic signs, as well as Convolutional Neural Networks, widely used models for image and video recognition.
Freescale designed CogniVue’s first-generation cores into its automotive vision SoCs now in use at some car and accessory makers. However archrival Mobileye, a supplier of integrated vision subsystems, commands as much as 80% of the market for car vision systems.
“CogniVue’s partnership with Freescale is an early example of an emerging trend much in evidence at this week’s Embedded Vision Summit” where the core was announced, said Jeff Bier, founder of the Embedded Vision Alliance. “Processor suppliers are increasingly optimizing their chips and development tools for computer vision applications, like automotive safety,” Bier said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Audio Precision supports Dante pro networked audio
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4439294/Audio-Precision-supports-Dante-pro-networked-audio?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150428&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150428&elq=cab0f68f8f4a491bbf795b545628083b&elqCampaignId=22739&elqaid=25578&elqat=1&elqTrackId=01f69602a9ac4c5ea0ad2b6949577cf8
Tomi Engdahl says:
Laser-like audio with the PAL
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/sound-bites/4439392/Laser-like-audio-with-the-PAL?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_consumerelectronics_20150513&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_consumerelectronics_20150513&elq=96c5efec559f4eaa94fa28ec0ca8aa40&elqCampaignId=22954&elqaid=25837&elqat=1&elqTrackId=22402d7568cf491aa6f8a0ac33034d80
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Laser-like audio with the PAL
Ramkumar Ramaswamy -May 07, 2015
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Imagine a loudspeaker beaming music at you, almost as if it were a beam of light. You hear the music loud and clear, but your friend sitting across the table hears practically nothing. While products that do this are relatively new, technology for doing it was prototyped as far back as 1983, and its theoretical possibility was investigated as far back as 1963! Did I say “loud and clear”? Not quite yet, perhaps – the Parametric Array Loudspeaker (PAL), which this technology is called, generates far more distortion than an audiophile could tolerate.
A bewildering diversity of research papers has sprung up in the last few years on the subject of PALs, and most of them are very specialized and very heavy on math and calculus.
Ultrasound Beaming 101
The basic principle uses ultrasound beams as “carriers” of an audio signal. Suppose you have two closely spaced ultrasonic transducers directing ultrasound beams of frequencies f1 and f2 in the same direction, with f2 > f1. At low signal levels, the resultant beam, which is the linear superposition of two waveforms of frequencies f1 and f2, would exhibit the phenomenon of beats
That is to say, the amplitude would be modulated at the rate f2-f1. However, as you increase the signal strength, something very different happens. The air starts to respond nonlinearly to the acoustic pressure waves, and this so-called propagation distortion leads to the generation of a distinct additional frequency f2-f1 which is unrelated to the phenomenon of beats (a sum frequency is also generated, but that is not of much utility). At this point it will no doubt occur to you that the frequency f2-f1 could be designed to correspond to the acoustic signal that we are trying to capture.
Tomi Engdahl says:
MPEG-2 HL to H.264 HD Transcoder
http://www.eeweb.com/company-blog/socionext/mpeg-2-hl-to-h.264-hd-transcoder/
The Socionext 360° Wrap-Around View System synthesizes images from multiple cameras to create a 3D, hemispheric view of the area around a vehicle. In addition to regular passenger vehicles, the technology is appropriate for heavy or specialized vehicles such as buses and construction equipment.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sony’s new innovation combines LEDs and bluetooth speaker.
Technology was introduced in fact as early as last September in Berlin at IFA.
LED lamp speaker will be on sale in Japan later this month. Its price has been told a couple of hundred dollars.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2815:sony-teki-ledilampusta-kaiuttimen&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qualcomm Bolsters AllPlay Smart Media Platform with New Features for Streaming Music Wirelessly Throughout the Home
New features include Bluetooth® to Wi-Fi streaming, custom audio settings and optimized synchronization
https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2015/05/14
Qualcomm Connected Experiences, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) has announced major feature additions to the Qualcomm® AllPlay™ smart media platform including Bluetooth® to Wi-Fi re-streaming, custom audio settings and optimized synchronization. Additionally, Hitachi America, Ltd. today announced the launch of three Wi-Fi speakers powered by AllPlay.
“The range and capacity of Wi-Fi coupled with the ubiquity of Bluetooth is a game-changing combination for manufacturers and consumers alike,” said Sy Choudhury, senior director of product management, Qualcomm Connected Experiences, Inc. “AllPlay device manufacturers like Hitachi and Monster, which introduced its SoundStage line of AllPlay-powered speakers at Best Buy last month, can now offer their customers more connectivity options and access to myriad streaming services throughout their home with this new capability.”
The Hitachi Wi-Fi speakers offer seamless streaming of high-quality local and cloud-based audio content – with the high performance and versatility of Wi-Fi and the convenience of Bluetooth. They will be available nationwide at a US retailer later this month at three affordable price points.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Leica Monochrom (Typ 246) DNGs can “destroy” Apple Photos library
http://www.slashgear.com/leica-monochrom-typ-246-dngs-can-destroy-apple-photos-library-13383473/
Remember that new Leica Monochrom camera? If you’re an OS X user, beware: a new advisory warns that a serious bug could result in your entire Apple Photos library being destroyed. In the advisory, Leica Camera says that the new Monochrom’s DNG files are not compatible with Apple Photos, and the result is that trying to open them will cause the Photos library to crash and, maybe if you’re super unlucky, it’ll destroy all the photo files that already exist.
It’s a pretty serious bug, and though the camera model is still rolling out, Leica is trying to make sure customers know not to try to load DNG files with Apple Photos. If you do, the “library will crash continuously on loading”. As a result, the library could be “destroyed”.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Reading Resistors With OpenCV
http://hackaday.com/2015/05/14/reading-resistors-with-opencv/
If automation and computer vision is more your thing, [Parth] made an Android app that will automatically tell you the value of a resistor by pointing a camera at it.
The code uses OpenCV to scan a small line of pixels in the middle of the screen. Colors are extracted from this, and the value of the resistor is displayed on the screen.
https://github.com/thegouger/ResistorScanner
Tomi Engdahl says:
Record Labels Sue ‘New’ Grooveshark, Seize Domains
By Ernesto on May 15, 2015
http://torrentfreak.com/record-labels-sue-new-grooveshark-seize-domains-150515/
A few days after music streaming service Grooveshark shut down and settled with the major record labels, the site was ‘resurrected’ by unknown people. While the reincarnation bears more resemblance to a traditional MP3 search engine than Grooveshark, the labels are determined to bring it down.