Audio News for July 6, 2010

by | Jul 6, 2010 | Audio News | 0 comments

HDMI to be Replaced Soon by HDBaseT – Many of us are just getting used to the pros and cons of the HDMI cable standard for the wired distribution of both video and audio content, but it looks like soon that single-cable solution will be obsolete – replaced by a new technology for whole-home distribution of uncompressed HD multimedia content known as HDBaseT.  A cross-industry alliance was formed to standardize and promote the technology, and has announced the HDBaseT 1.0 base specification. It is designed to transform digital media systems, allowing unparalleled, uninterrupted HD distribution of premium content without a tangle of cables, and is poised to become the unrivaled next-generation home networking transport in the digital media market. The unrivaled feature-set of HDBaseT converges full uncompressed HD video, audio, 100BaseT Ethernet, high-power-over-cable, and various control signals thru a single 100m CAT5e/6 LAN cable. Its bandwidth supports full HD 1080p as well as 3D and 2Kx4K formats, and it is the first to provide all-in-one connectivity. Difference sources can be connected directly to video displays in multiple locations in the home. The transfer distance of uncompressed HD multimedia contact is also increased, expanding distribution and also simplifying installation. The demand for in-home converged distribution of HD multimedia and the lack of existing technologies drove the industry to develop HDBaseT to address consumer needs.

Death of the Big Screen?
– is what some proponents of new mobile technologies are predicting, due to the advanced video capabilities of the new smart phones such as the iPhone 4G. One even inquires how long it will take until a feature film is produced entirely on an iPhone!  With the iMovie app, users now are able to both film and edit on the new iPhone, but do serious filmmakers want their work to be degraded to a tiny 3-inch screen? Sure, it may be available for watching anywhere, any time, but what will it do to quality big-screen cinema? It won’t be the great experience it once was anymore. There was even a Pocket Film Festival in Paris last weekend devoted to celebrating various mobile technologies.

Inexpensive Digital SLRs Being Used for Professional Movie-Making – We may wait a bit for a feature film shot entirely on an iPhone, but there are right now features and documentaries in production being shot entirely on combination still-and-video digital cameras costing as little as $1700!  The Canon EOS 7D is the most popular for this use. In addition to advanced still photography with its 18-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, film speeds up to ISO 12800 and speeds up to 8 fps, it also captures full HD video at 30 fps or at 24 fps, and allows manual exposure during movie shooting and ISO speed selection. Its Intelligent Viewfind provides approximately 100% coverage and displays user-selected AF modes. Storage is no problem – the camera can record as much as 48 minutes on a 16GB memory card.  Some of the challenges are that it can only shot for 12 minutes at a time, the viewfinder is difficult to see if not level with your eyes, getting an acceptable hand-held image is difficult – an image-stabilised lens is suggested, and there is no power zoom as on other video cameras. The codecs used must be transcoded before the footage can be edited, but the economies of scale will encourage a new generation of filmmakers to produce work using this format.  Professional motion picture cameras are terribly expensive because they are a niche market, whereas 40 million SLR digital cameras have been sold since 1987 by Canon alone, making the new HD SLRs relatively cheap and accessible to more filmmakers. The images look superb.

Pioneer Launches Six New AV Receivers – Pioneer Electronics has introduced six new Elite AV receivers ranging from $2200 down to $450. All models work with iPhone and iPod Touch, have Bluetooth audio streaming, a front USB input, Ethernet connectivity, RS-232C port, dual HDMI inputs, and Pioneer’s Wide Surround – supporting wide front speaker arrangements as well as a virtual height option. The top-of-line SC-37 has Sirius satellite radio and Rhapsody streaming music services, and a Home Media Gallery which pulls up music and photos from PCs around the home.

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