Here are some audio and video trends for 2019:
The global Hi-Fi Systems market was valued at million US$ in 2018 and is expected to grow. EISA Awards has selected Hi-Fi product category winners, but I did not see anything really fancy new innovations that would excite me there. The Hi-Fi speaker market has seen considerable consolidation over the years but is expected to grow. The global Hi-Fi speaker system market is highly competitive. Various established international brands, domestic brands and as well as new entrants form a competitive landscape. The market is expected to have higher growth rate as compared to the previous years due to the booming electronic industry globally. It is due to the rising income of individuals globally and increasing affordability of technology products globally. Due to technological adoption and smart gadgets, North America region is showing steady growth in the Hi-Fi speaker system market. On technology standpoint the Hi-Fi market is mainly based on pretty much stabilized technology as class D amplifiers have been on mainstream for many years.
Smart TVs are everywhere. The vast majority of televisions available today are “smart” TVs, with internet connections, ad placement, and streaming services built in. Despite the added functionality, TV prices are lower than ever. Your new smart TV was so affordable because it is collecting and selling your data. It is clear that TV companies are in a cutthroat business, and that companies like Vizio would have to charge higher prices for hardware if they didn’t run content, advertising, and data businesses. Google wants sensors and cameras in every room of your home to watch, analyze, you, patents show.
Streaming services competition stays high. Apple’s embracing the TV industry for the first time: Vizio and LG TVs will support AirPlay 2 and HomeKit, while Samsung TVs will get an iTunes Movies & TV app, as well as AirPlay 2 support. Google and Amazon are playing are important players on smart speaker markets.
4K video resolution is still as hot as in 2019 – it us becoming mainstream and getting cheaper. Peraso showcases 4K wireless video at CES 2019. LG has produced a market-ready rollable OLED TV. The new 75-inch 4K Micro LED TV announced at CES 2019 proves Samsung is serious about scaling the technology to do battle with OLED. But it seems that even in 1029 “4K” trend remains woefully deficient from a compelling-content-availability standpoint. CES 2019 is already full of weird and wonderful monitors.
But new higher 8K resolution is being pushed to market. The “8K” (resolution) tagline was apparently everywhere at CES this year. Samsung announced a 98-inch 8K TV because why not. LG has come strong to CES 2019 with an 88-inch 8K OLED TV, a 75-inch 8K LED/LCD TV, HDMI 2.1, new auto calibration features, Alexa built in, and many more features. It seems that this ongoing evolution is occurring out of necessity: as a given-size (and -pixel-dense) display becomes a low profit margin commodity, manufacturers need to continually “up-rev” one or both key consumer-attention-grabbing parameters (along with less quantifiable attributes like image quality) in order to remain profitable … assuming they can continue to stimulate sufficient-sized consumer demand in the process. I am not sure if they can stimulate 8K to mass market in next few years.
Wall size TVs are coming. Samsung announced a modular TV at CES. Samsung first showcased this MicroLED TV technology at CES 2018, showcasing how the screens were composed of millions of individual LEDs. Individuals screens could be combined to create massive displays, which the company calls The Wall TV. The wall-sized displays shown in recent years at CES are, in my opinion, quite ridiculous, at least for the masses.
HDMI updates are coming. At present, the HDMI equipment uses the 2.0 standard (adopted in 2013) tht provides support for example for 4K video. HDMI Forum announced a new 2.1 standard already in November 2017, but it just starter showing in CES in January 2019. 8K fiber-optic HDMI cables seen at CES 2019. The 2.1 standard is a big change in technology at the bus bandwidth increases from 18 gigabit to 48 gigabits per second. This enables up to 10K video transmission and up to 120 frames per second.
Bendable displays are really coming to PCs and smart phones. LG’s “rollable” display shown this year neatly showcased the technology’s inherent flexibility while also addressing the question of how to hide a gargantuan display when it’s not in use. Several foldable smart phones have been shown. Chinese company Royole was showing off the FlexPai at CES in Las Vegas.
Micro displays for VR and AR glasses have developed. MicroLED is better looking, more efficient and more versatile than any previous display tech. Now all Samsung, Sony, LG and others have to do is figure out how to manufacture it affordably.Nanoco Technologies and Plessey Semiconductors have partnered to shrink the pixel size of monolithic microLED displays using Nanoco’s cadmium-free quantum-dot (CFQD quantum dots) semiconductor nanoparticle technology. Microchips and organic LEDs that deliver 4K-like high resolution displays a quarter of the size and half the weight of existing virtual reality (VR) headsets have been developed under a European Union project. Marc Andreessen says VR will be “1,000” times bigger than AR even though VR seems to be the popular whipping boy amongst the tech community.
There seems to be no shortage of angst with the current (and unfortunately burgeoning) popularity of usage of the term artificial intelligence (AI). Intelligence has been defined in many ways which makes it hard to get good picture on what is going on. I am still waiting for sensible intelligent AI to do something useful. But the ability for a sufficiently trained deep learning system to pattern-match images, sound samples, computer viruses, network hacking attempts, and the like is both impressive and effective.
Potential problems related to the coming of self-driving car technologies and cameras are expected. A man at CES in Las Vegas says that a car-mounted lidar permanently damaged the sensor in his new $1,998 Sony a7R II mirrorless camera. Man says CES lidar’s laser was so powerful it wrecked his $1,998 camera because the LIDAR laser power rules ensure lasers are safe for human eyes—but not necessarily for cameras. Is this something that camera and car manufacturers need to figure out together?
2019 Will Be the Year of Open Source from software and even hardware. Open source video player app VLC has now reached 3 billions downloads.
When almost all AV products are pushing more and more features, it seems that almost Everything is too complicated for an average Joe.
1,491 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
The chip shortage is driving up tech prices–starting with TVs
Some high-end televisions already cost 30% more than they did last summer.
https://www.wired.com/story/chip-shortage-electronics-prices-tvs-displays/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.acousticfields.com/wavelengths-in-our-rooms/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bet they got that job done in a record setting pace!
Although intentionally burned down, the quote from the project people was heartwarming.
https://www.michiganradio.org/post/another-fire-destroys-house-detroits-heidelberg-project
Tomi Engdahl says:
Giant Subwoofer Video
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f6j703wMQTI
This was a demonstration built by graduate students at the University of Wisconsin -Madison in 2011. It’s purpose was to be physically large so elementary school kids could look inside while it was running and illustrate the how a speaker works on a grand scale (hence a transparent cone). Although powerful, it was not designed to be competitive with state of the art sub woofer systems or be high audio quality. Documentation of the build process may be found at: http://ludoislabs.com/giant-speaker/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kimppakivaa virtuaalisohvalla: yhteiskatseluominaisuudet yleistyvät, mutta miksi kukaan ei tunnu käyttävän niitä?
https://karihaakana.medium.com/kimppakivaa-virtuaalisohvalla-yhteiskatseluominaisuudet-yleistyv%C3%A4t-mutta-miksi-kukaan-ei-tunnu-8aa204106930
yksinkertaistaen second screen -ratkaisuissa on yleensä kyse vuorovaikutuksesta (useimmiten suorana lähetettävän) sisällön kanssa (äänestykset, kilpaileminen, kommentointi) ja watch partyssa vuorovaikutuksesta kavereiden kanssa sisältöön liittyen. Jos second screen on studioyleisön laajennus, watch party on kotisohvan laajennus (tai korona-aikaan sen korvaaja).
Watch party -konsepteissa yhdessä tapahtuvaan, synkronoituun katsomiseen liittyy yleensä myös jonkinlainen kommentointi joko tekstimuodossa tai äänen tai videoyhteyden avulla. Yleisö on myös yleensä rajattu: yhteiskatsomolla on isäntä tai emäntä, joka kutsuu katselutapahtumaan mukaan rajatun määrän ihmisiä. Oman watch party -ratkaisunsa suurista suoratoistopalveluista ovat tehneet Hulu, Disney+ ja Amazon.
Mutta käytetäänkö näitä palveluita? Palvelut eivät itse kerro vertailukelpoista dataa, joskin ensimmäisenä koronakeväänä Hulu kertoi miljoonista kimppakatselukerroista. Silti lienee turvallista sanoa, että mistään merkittävästä käyttötavasta ei ole kysymys. Palvelut eivät tuo watch party -ominaisuutta näkyvästi esiin palveluidensa kuvauksissa tai markkinoinnissa ja yhteiskatselumahdollisuuden löytäminen on usein työn takana. Kun kysyin ominaisuuksien ja palveluiden käytöstä Twitterissä, oli tulos selvä: yhteiskatseluominaisuutta ei käytetä käytännössä lainkaan.
Facebook on jo ehtinyt lopettaa oman Watch Party -ominaisuutensa.
“Ihmiset eivät halua kokea asioita tuntemattomien muiden kanssa. Tärkeää on, että lähellä ovat omat kaverit, merkitykselliset ihmiset”, Sami toteaa. Toinen huomio liittyy reagointiin ja kommentointiin: juttelu ja reagointi on vaikeaa, varsinkin tekstimuodossa, kun samaan aikaan yrittää seurata esimerkiksi nopeatempoista peliä tai mukanaan vievää kohtausta.
“Voi olla, että tällaista tarvetta ei vain yksinkertaisesti ole”, Sami huokaa. “Tai sitten on ja sitä tehdään ja me ei vaan huomata sitä.
Ominaisuuden puuttuminen Netflixistä saattaa kertoa siitä, että yhtiö on laskenut ominaisuuden hyödyn rajalliseksi: ryhmäkatseluominaisuus ei ehkä lisääkään käyttöuseutta ja palvelun tilaajauskollisuutta tarpeeksi, jotta siihen kannattaisi panostaa.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Huippukaiuttimen suunnittelussa viiveellä on merkitystä
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2021/06/10/huippukaiuttimen-suunnittelussa-viiveella-on-merkitysta/
Aalto-yliopiston akustiikan tutkijat selvittivät kaiuttimia valmistavan suomalaisen Genelecin kanssa, miten pieniä viiveitä ihmiskorva pystyy erottamaan kuulon herkimmällä alueella. Tuloksissa on merkitystä sillä ”kaiuttimien kyky tuottaa tarkka stereoäänikuva on tärkeä ominaisuus, ja ajallisesti tarkan äänisignaalin tuottaminen on keskeinen osa tätä”, kertoo Genelecin tuotekehitysjohtaja Aki Mäkivirta.
Tomi Engdahl says:
World’s FIRST CD Player – The Sony CDP-101 from 1982!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bujOWWTfzWQ
We take a look at the first CD player from Sony!
Tomi Engdahl says:
Four Mini Monitors | Polk, Pioneer, Proac and Neumi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anCpe-dx8wY
Tomi Engdahl says:
Time arrival,sound stage, and ambience sounds good
TANNOY Westminster GR | Hayley Westenra – Lascia Ch’io Pianga
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A7q454UDjY
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.looperman.com/free-music-software
Tomi Engdahl says:
The TOP 5 reasons NOT TO BUY new speakers!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5t3GCy94lQ
Just because a new speaker is earning rave reviews, that’s not reason enough to buy it!
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Sound Works (In Rooms)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPYt10zrclQ
Tomi Engdahl says:
Try different networking equipment to get different sounds.
Try also this kind of magnetic field “microphone”
https://youtu.be/hvQGcrLcOEI
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bloomberg:
Japan Display, which sold its smartphone screen factory last year, is pivoting to VR; LCDs are projected to dominate the VR headset market over the next 5 years
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-16/fading-iphone-lcd-screen-maker-pivots-to-virtual-reality
Tomi Engdahl says:
TOP 5 Home Audio Trends that SUCK + Home Theater Trends We Don’t Need!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELOgpbJRKng
If you’re into hifi and home theater, it’s easy to see some truly great setups from around the world thanks to social media. You get a real sense of what people are into and you quickly start to see the trends. Some trends are good, trends like restoring old gear for example, but not every trend needs to stick around for the long haul. So, in the spirit of having a bit of fun, here are five hifi trends and home theater trends that need to go away -at least according to me.
Intro: 00:00
LED Lighting: 00:32
Sound Demos on YouTube: 01:42
Sound Format Wars: 03:17
Do Everything Products: 04:37
The Obsession Over Nits: 06:54
Tomi Engdahl says:
Modern Music’s Death By Auto-Tune
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNXg5dIVC1M
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Deep Dive Into The Legendary Nakamichi Dragon Cassette Deck – Full Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAAtFlELShU
Tomi Engdahl says:
All mixed up with Thomas Edison, analog audio, digital audio, tubes, solid-state and….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0SO1JabURg
The Audiophiliac ponders the long arc of audio history….and highlights an Audiophiliac viewer’s system!
Tomi Engdahl says:
John Koblin / New York Times:
Nielsen announces a new metric, The Gauge, to measure streaming viewing in ~14,000 US homes via hardware that watches internet traffic passing through a router — The company known for measuring television ratings said Netflix and YouTube are far ahead of their digital competitors in time watched on TVs …
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/17/business/media/nielsen-streaming-metrics-netflix-youtube.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
What are IMPOSSIBLE COLORS?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41H7kKwUlHo
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg hosts first test of Live Audio Rooms in US
https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/15/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-hosts-first-test-of-live-audio-rooms-in-u-s/
In April, Facebook announced a slew of new audio products, including its Clubhouse clone, called Live Audio Rooms, which will be available across both Facebook and Messenger. Since May, Facebook has been publicly testing the audio rooms feature in Taiwan with public figures, but today the company hosted its first public test of Live Audio Rooms in the U.S. The event itself was hosted by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who chatted with fellow execs and creators.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/technology/new-ultrathin-film-tech-could-turn-regular-glasses-into-night-vision-goggles/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_digital_interface
Tomi Engdahl says:
KASVIT JA MUSIIKKI – AUTA VIHREITÄ YSTÄVIÄSI KASVAMAAN!
https://www.thomann.de/blog/fi/kasvit-ja-musiikki-auta-vihreitae-ystaeviaesi-kasvamaan/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://media.info/radio/discussions/radio-chatter/understanding-krone-blocks
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2021/06/10/huippukaiuttimen-suunnittelussa-viiveella-on-merkitysta/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://en-us.sennheiser.com/sennheiser-he-1
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.belden.com/blogs/smart-building/13-common-bnc-connector-installation-mistakes/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.mojo-audio.com/blog/the-24bit-delusion/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://archive.assembly.org/2017/real-wild-demo/fader-abuse-by-byproduct-scenesat
Tomi Engdahl says:
Live Q&A! Tiny livestreaming rig with graphics! DJI Pocket 2 + Lightstream Studio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92smYIU6uxo
share some updates about how my livestreams from there went! I brought as little gear as possible, no checked bags, and everything fit in one small backpack.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Secret Life of the Videorecorder – Remastered
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1JlUcFKm5o
So if you’re interested do try my new ‘Secret Life of Components’
These old films were remastered and upscaled by Norman Margolus from a 1987 PAL tape made directly from the 16mm print, using machine learning software from Topaz labs.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wind-up Gramophones – better than you don’t remember.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYn7aZZBMRA
Tomi Engdahl says:
DACs are a solved problem, there are many that are essentially perfect (all performance parameters better than the threshold of human ability to detect) at low cost.
You can see a convenient listing of tested DACs at http://www.audiosciencereview.com where they can be sorted by feature and performance and price.
Tomi Engdahl says:
My best test tracks ,and what I am listening for.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN8E4pRety4
Tomi Engdahl says:
Take a behind the scenes sneak peak of how car commercials are shot in Hollywood with BMW and Oscar winner Hans Zimmer
https://fb.watch/6gilm7pCB3/
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Speakers Make Sound
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxdFP31QYAg
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dipole Bass vs Monopole Bass
http://elias.altervista.org/html/Dipole_vs_monopole_bass.html
Dipole bass vs monopole bass in a small room. Performance analysis with wavelets.
This analysis is based on the impulse response measured at the listening position in the room.
It has been shown with modulated ERB wavelet and modulated constant Q wavelet that dipole bass reproduces the modulation better than monopole bass.
Thus in the bass range a dipole loudspeaker is better suited for music reproduction in a small room acoustic space than a monopole loudspeaker.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Super Sound 12 inch woofer
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/71927-super-sound-12-inch-woofer.html
On a whim I just picked up a cheap (30 euro) 12 inch woofer, thinking it would be good for experiment at least. Specs as follows:
“Supper Sound” 12 inch woofer 8 ohms 300 watts. (Or so it says on the back)
The shop (Bebek Elecronics, Helsinki) supplied the following measurements with it, apparently made with LMS Ver 3.61:
Re 7.5 Ohms
Fo 24.6 Hz
Zo 56 Ohms
Sd 0.055 sqM
BL 13
no 0.866%
SPLo 91.4dB
Qms 2.96
Qes 0.45
Qts 0.39
Vas 270
Cms 635.6 Litr
Mms 65.7g
Mmd 58.3g
So far so good, but when I plug these numbers into WinISD it suggests a sealed box of 119 Litr (3db down at 45Hz) or a vented box of 244 Litr. (3db down at 27Hz) Thats 1.0m x 0.6m x 0.4m
http://www.bebek.fi/kauppa/lisatiedot.php?&tuote_id=16400
KAIUTINPARI 12″. HUIPPUTARJOUS ! – Supersound 12″ bassokaiutin, 2 kpl: n paketti. Max. 300W/ 8 ohm. Polypropyleeni kartio, kumiripustus. Valurunko, naparuuviliitännät. Hyvin soivat bassot älyttömän halvalla. ERIKOISTARJOUS/ NOUTOTUOTE MYYMÄLÄSTÄ !
25,00 €
(20,16 €)
Tomi Engdahl says:
Audiophile or Audio-Fooled? How Good Are Your Ears?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgEjI5PZa78
In this video, we explore the differences between MP3s, WAV, FLAC (lossless), AAC and whether you can tell the difference? or if it even matters? Discussion on mixing, listening, monitors and audion file formats.
Tomi Engdahl says:
I loved Steve Guttenerg’s definition of an audiophile…”An audiophile is someone who listens to music without multitasking”. Just listen!
Tomi Engdahl says:
BAD GUY but on Google Translate and Song Maker!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UaYMPfOMGI
everyone: billie eilish saves pop music
google: hold my translate
Eilish fans: no one sings better than her
Google translate: and I took that personally
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Song-Maker
Tomi Engdahl says:
#OnThisDay in #TechHistory, Kodak announced plans to end production of #Kodachrome color film #EDNMoments #photography
https://www.edn.com/kodak-announces-plans-to-end-kodachrome-june-22-2009/?utm_content=bufferfed94&utm_medium=social&utm_source=edn_facebook&utm_campaign=buffer
Kodak announced plans to end production of Kodachrome color film on June 22, 2009. In doing so the company said it would continue to process leftover film until it was gone. Less than three years later in January 2012, Kodak filed for bankruptcy, before reinventing its business.
Kodachrome entered the market in 1935 and became the first successfully mass-marketed color film that used a subtractive color method. Used for cinematography and still photography, it was manufactured in formats including 8 mm, Super 8, 16 mm, and 35 mm for movies, and 35 mm, 120, 110, 126, 828, and large format for photography.
Kodak built the bulk of its business model around selling continuously consumed film and prints, not cameras. In the end, the company and its film were disrupted by the consumer market entrance of digital cameras.
Kodak exited a number of businesses and sold its digital imaging patents to tech companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, and Samsung, as a way to recover from bankruptcy. In September 2013, Kodak emerged from bankruptcy protection, and has been focusing on commercial customers, but at CES 2015, Kodak premiered the IM5 Android camera phone, intended for consumers who want to easily print and share photos from their phone, but don’t want the most high-end smartphone.
In 2016, Kodak announced the Ektra, a professional-quality, photography-first smartphone, and plans to create its own brand of Android tablets to be sold in Europe a year later.
Since 2018, the company has been working to update its discontinued Ektachrome 100 film.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Everything You NEED To Know About Custom In Ear Monitors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ1hyaTQ8Ls
In Ear Monitors are becoming the main way most musicians monitor their live performances, but what do you need to know before you go out and spend your hard earned money on a set of custom molded in ear monitors for yourself?
Tomi Engdahl says:
What DJs Actually Do
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN8DfKP2-CE
On today’s video I show what DJs actually do
On this video I use a Native Instrument Traktor Kontrol S5
Tomi Engdahl says:
#IMAX #70mm #Film #Projector #POV Film Thread & Run @The Maritime Aquarium
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uFyp1WS1Fw
The Projector you see and most of the equipment is one of the oldest and still operational out of a hand full of remaining Film theaters in the world that have yet to convert to Digital.
That moment when you realize 30 years ago was the 90’s not the 70’s
Man, these escape rooms and their intricate puzzles are becoming more and more involved. Wow.
Long live 70mm IMAX and it’s 18K native resolution
Tomi Engdahl says:
Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:
EU Court of Justice says YouTube and other platforms are not liable for copyright-infringing content uploaded by users under certain conditions
YouTube wins user copyright fight in top EU court ruling
https://www.reuters.com/technology/eu-top-court-says-youtube-not-liable-user-copyright-breaches-2021-06-22/
LUXEMBOURG, June 22 (Reuters) – Google’s (GOOGL.O) YouTube won its latest copyright-infringement challenge after Europe’s top court said online platforms are not liable for users uploading unauthorised works unless the platforms failed to take quick action to remove or block access to the content.
The case marks the latest development in a long-running battle between Europe’s $1 trillion creative industry and online platforms, with the former seeking redress for unauthorised works that are uploaded.
It is also part of the wider debate on how much online platforms and social media should do to police the posting of unauthorised, illegal or hateful content, an issue that European Union regulators are targeting with tough new rules that could come into force next year.
“As currently stands, operators of online platforms do not, in principle, themselves make a communication to the public of copyright-protected content illegally posted online by users of those platforms,” the EU Court of Justice said.
In response to the court ruling a YouTube spokesperson said: “YouTube is a leader in copyright and supports rights holders being paid their fair share.”
“That’s why we’ve invested in state of the art copyright tools which have created an entirely new revenue stream for the industry. In the past 12 months alone we have paid $4 billion to the music industry, over 30% of which comes from monetised user generated content.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kait Bolongaro / Bloomberg:
Canadian lawmakers pass a controversial bill that would subject tech giants to the same requirements as traditional broadcasters; bill now heads to the Senate
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-22/trudeau-s-party-passes-bill-to-regulate-social-media-streaming
Tomi Engdahl says:
VHS Tapes – Were they as bad as we remember?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P00QS3lXJeI
In this episode, I take a look at VHS tapes and find out if the quality is as bad as we remember.