Audio News for April 15, 2011

by | Apr 15, 2011 | Audio News | 0 comments

Consumers Ready to Stream – A recent survey by PacketVideo found that 40% of consumers want to stream their music, images and videos wirelessly around their homes, but nearly 20% are unaware how easy it is to do. Free software takes advantage of the wireless capabilities built into every new connected device, and makes smooth trouble-free in-home streaming a reality. The number of web-connected devices is increasing: 62% of the total respondents said they had a laptop, with 61.4% owning a PC or Mac and 33.7% a TV. It seems that web TVs are catching up with smartphone ownership: it was only 4.8% behind smartphone take-up. More electronic devices are becoming wireless Internet-ready, such that using a cable no longer makes sense. But 60% of the survey respondents still consider their laptops the most important connected device in their home.

New free software can make all your music, movies and still images available to you on any device around your home. The barriers have been removed from having many different devices of different manufacture and using different eco systems.  Consumers have become accustomed to accessing the Internet anytime from anywhere, but are not aware that their own music, video and photos can be enjoyed remotely. Free software such as Twonky streams media around your home using your laptop or smartphone as a media server.

Industry Pioneer Sidney Harman Dies – Dr. Sidney Harman – an industry leader who revolutionized the music industry – passed away Tuesday at age 92. He founded Harman Industries, which includes Harman/Kardon, JBL, Infinity, Lexicon, AKG and Mark Levinson brands in audio, and was an inductee of the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame. He was also executive chairman of Newsweek. His career began when he developed the first home audio receiver together with Bernard Kardon. He later expanded the company to the largest conglomerate in the niche high-end audio market. Harman International Professional Group offers system solutions for the processional audio market and the automotive electronics market.

Audio Gear Makers Increasingly Dancing to Apple’s Tune – Next month many new sound systems will debut, using a wireless music-streaming function from Apple called AirPlay (formerly known as AirTunes). The format as been opened up to third-party equipment makers thru licensing agreements with Apple; it could previously only be used with Apple devices such as Apple TV and AirPort Express. Users with an iPhone, iPadm iPod Touch or PC running iTunes will be able to press a button on a song or video and wirelessly transmit it to their home theater system. Pioneer Electronics announced a new receiver for $579 which will be the first of eight devices with AirPlay built in. Denon will have a new receiver line mostly likely with AirPlay built in; they have offered it previously with five of their systems, but only at a $50 software upgrade.  Apple is seriously considering expanding its store inventories to include high-end audio equipment. Most new sound systems, as well as Windows computers and Android smartphones support a protocol called DLNA that can also transmit audio and video over Wi-Fi, but not with AirPlay.

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