Internet Archive
Audio News for January 20, 2017
Schools Dive Into Video Stream – Two national companies – National High School Sports Network and The Cube, have been joined by WSN – a new streaming technology in 38 classrooms so far. Unlike the other two, who offer only the software, WSN offers a turn-key package of hardware, software and technical support. The other two streaming companies charge $10 per view, but WSN charges more to bigger high schools which typically have a bigger budget. Coverage of high school sports produces income beyond ticket sales and fund-raising efforts. The Video Encoding and Transcoding Market – The demand for video streaming services is increasing due to proliferation of online media services on the Internet and mobile platforms globally. Encoding and transcoding equipment plays an important role in enabling baster delivery of media contact to end users. A video encoder converts an analog-based video content to digital format to make it compatible to run on Internet and mobile devices. Sometimes a video transcoder is use to convert an existing digital video content to another digital format for smooth functioning. Both encoder and transcoder must retain the video quality while converting to a different video format. However, there is considerable loss of […]
Audio News for November 22, 2016
Biggest Tech Turkeys of 2016 – according to Cnet, first Microsoft’s Surface tablet. Second, Google’s messenger overload; Third, watching sports in VR; Fourth, NFL draft prospect Laremey Tunsil smoking weed with a grass mask on Twitter – it went viral; Surface went offline during the AFC championship game in January; Twitter unceremoniously dumped Vine – a new service for sharing six-second videos; Uber is losing money; smartwatches are so 2015 – nobody is buying them; McDonald’s Un-Happy Meal, which has had a recall for burns and rashes; Microsoft would like you to forget about Tay, an AI they let loose on Twitter – she turned into a horny racist; Facebook declared war on the Philippines; Kanye asked Zuckerberg of Facebook for a load; Hulk Hogan slams Gawker in a privacy lawsuit; Snapchat filters draw ire; Computers blamed for missed flights with several airlines; Tesla’s autopilot led to a fatal car crash; T-Mobile moved to a single unlimited data plan and angered many customers; Verizon added fees to avoid fees; The FBI backed down from pushing Apple to unlock their iPhone; Apple eliminated the standard headphone jack in their new smartphones; BlackBerry goes nowhere and outsourced their phone business; The founder […]
Audio News for August 23, 2016
Sennheiser Coming to the Big Apple – Headphones will take center stage in October when Sennheiser opens two retail outlets in New York. Both a flagship Soundscape showroom in Westfield World Trade Center and a pop-up store in SoHo will stock Sennheiser’s audiophile range of headphones, including the new HE 1 electrostatic reference headphone system, and demonstrate the AMBEO 3D audio technology. Starting in Chicago on September 27, Sennheiser is planning a series of special “HE 1 Listening Experiences” in selected U.S. and Canadian locations, continuing on to other cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver and Toronto. Bryston Introduces New Digital Music Player – The BDP-π (yes, that’s the Pi symbol) is currently available for a $1295 suggested retail. The device is built upon the Raspberry Pi and HifiBerry platform, with a chassis that’s one-third the size of Bryston’s BDP player. The BDP-π will playback a range of digital files — from MP3 to lossless 24/192 — and can be connected to virtually any digital-to-analog converter, according to the company. It can also be connected to a network-attached storage drive and access Internet radio and Tidal streaming. The player features four USB 2.0 and one Ethernet (10/100 Mbps) input; […]
Audio News for June 28, 2016
Consider a Home Theater Makeover If: You can’t tell the color orange from the new black on your favorite prison show; there’s motion blur when people are running; the speakers aren’t loud enough to hear Simon Cowell’s insults; there are more remote controls on the coffee table than people in your home. First, two things you should know about 4K TVs: If you sit close enough, the four times greater resolution provides so much picture details it’s almost like being there. Due to more 4K content now becoming available and falling prices, this could be a good time to invest in a UHD TV (not really 4K), provided it has HDR, high dynamic range brightness, to bring greater color and contrast to the screen. Some have “quantum dots” whose tiny nano crystals are laid out in sheets in front of the backlight source, producing a wider color palette and better brightness. Sound bars are becoming more popular because they are less expensive than 5.1 or 7.1 surround speaker system, and easier to set up, and take up little room so become ideal for smaller rooms and apartments. A horizontal soundbar typically sits just under the TV screen. Many ship with […]
Oppo Universal 3D Blu-Ray Player BDP-105D SRP: $1299
Oppo Universal 3D Blu-Ray Player BDP-105D SRP: $1299 Specs: Firmware Version: BDP10X-38-1220 (Jan. 2, 2013) Dimensions: 16.8” W x 12.2” D x 4.8” H Weight: 17.3 pounds Voltage: 120/240 (for use anywhere in the world) Passive Cooling (i.e., no fan) Power Consumption: 55W, .5W (standby) Warranty: 2 years Rating: ***** Full Specs: https://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-105/blu-ray-BDP-105D-Overview.aspx Oppo Digital 2629 Terminal Blvd., Suite B Mountain View, CA 9404 (650) 961-1118 (650) 961-1118 https://www.oppodigital.com ——————————————————————— Audiophile Audition has already published an excellent review of the Oppo 105 player. I will be reviewing the 105D version of the player. The main difference is the addition of the Darbee video enhancement chip and the USB asynchronous DAC. I will also give my opinions of the sound and video quality of the unit. For features and special abilities, you should read the above review or go to the Oppo web site above. Oppo is an audio company that has my highest regards. They always produce quality equipment at a very good price. I did my first Oppo review in 2007 on their DVD-970 DVD-based universal player. In some areas it out-performed players costing up thousands of dollars more. Its price was $149. Now you see Oppo players in systems of […]
Audio News for March 18, 2016
UK Audio Company Pure has Three All-In-One Music Systems; WBIR.com Has Feature on a $200 Home Theater; Stewart Filmscreen Introduces Acoustically Transparent Material; Wireless and Hi-Res Audio Grabs Market Share; Nielsen Company’s Year-End Report on Music
Audio News for November 10, 2015
Important Audio News; Hi-Def TV Concerns; Classical Music House Call
Audio News for November 6, 2015
Mohu Expands Into Audio with BeBox; Smart Homes Skew Young; Older Households Buy More Devices; Will Smart Homes Soon Be As Common As Smartphones?; ViewSonic Ships Two Sub-$1200 HD Video Projectors
Rotor DR1, Blu-ray (2015)
An interesting post-apocalyptical sci-fi film made originally in ten pieces for the Internet by drone fans.
Audio News for August 21, 2015
Walmart & Sam’s Club CE Sales Still Sluggish; Apple’s Music Festival to Stream for Free; Bluetooth Smart Technology Powers the Internet of Things; Three Tips for Making the Best Home Theater; Oculus Cinema Delivers Virtual Movie-Watching Experience
Editorial for August 2015
Our August drawing is for one set of the huge Mercury Living Presence Vol. 3 set of 53 reissue CDs (issued by Decca Records), including ten never before released. Here is our review of the set, and here are details on all 53 discs. All you have to do to be considered as the winner of this huge set is to register this month using our simple non-intrusive form (and be sure to list your accurate address and email address). The lucky winner will be announced in this space next month. The two winners of the 7-CD set of all nine symphonies of Antonin Dvorak conducted by Jose Serebrier – our July drawing – are: Mark Brauer, St. Paul MN, and Lawrence Schulman, Mount Desert, ME. The sets will be shipped out soon. Congrats to both! [audaud-hr] EDITORIAL AUDIOPHILE AUDITION began as a local program in San Francisco and then in 1985 as a weekly national radio series hosted by John Sunier, and aired for 13½ years on up to 200 public radio and commercial stations. In September 1998 its web site for program listings was expanded to this free Internet publication. August 2015 is our 197th issue. All disc reviews are added […]
Audio News for March 24, 2015
Consumers Not Satisfied with Audio System Quality; Panasonic Comeback – Best Profit in Seven Years; Common Chemicals in Home Electronics and Furniture May Contribute to Obesity; “Stringquest” Takes Classical Music on a New Turn
Editorial for February 2015
This month we are awarding a single huge package of 51 CDs – the recorded legacy of the great pianist Sviatoslav Richter. It will go to one of our readers who registers this month using our simple form. A wide range of Richter’s huge repertory is covered, spanning nearly forty years of music-making (1956-1992), so the majority of the discs are stereo. He died in 1997, and this set of his enormous recorded legacy honors the 100th anniversary of his birth. There are three categories: Solo, Chamber, and Concerto recordings, plus his acclaimed Sofia Recital. Hundreds of treasures are to be found in this stylish set. The lucky winner will be listed below early in March. And here are the six lucky winners of the two-CD set of jazz albums – our January drawing – Such Sweet Thunder & Lonely City: Brent Adler, Bexley OH; Ed Cameron, Buffalo Mills PA; Bruce Scheiner, Levittown NY; Joe Spatafora, St. Petersburg FL; Susan Alles, Bernalillo NY; John Walker, Dallas TX. EDITORIAL AUDIOPHILE AUDITION began as a local program in San Francisco and then in 1985 as a weekly national radio series hosted by John Sunier, and aired for 13½ years on up to 200 […]
Editorial for January 2015
This month we are awarding a pair of great jazz albums to a half dozen readers who register using our simple form on the site. Allegra Levy is a New York-based vocalist and composer who has created a collection of 11 harmonically adventurous originals in the tradition of the Great American Songbook. The Vance Thompson Five Plus Six perform works by Ellington, Strayhorn and Monk plus some country and folk gems. The six lucky winners of the two CDs will be chosen from among those who register using our simple form this month, and they will be listed in this space next month. Here is the lucky winner of the only all-SACD set of Wagner’s top operas, including the Ring Cycle, on 32 PENTATONE SACDs plus a DVD, our December drawing: Thomas Mowrey, NYC NY. EDITORIAL AUDIOPHILE AUDITION began as a local program in San Francisco and then in 1985 as a weekly national radio series hosted by John Sunier, and aired for 13½ years on up to 200 public radio and commercial stations. In September 1998 its web site for program listings was expanded to this free Internet publication. January 2015 is our 190th issue. All disc reviews are added thru the month […]
Audio News for December 26, 2014
iSimple Bluetooth Upgrades for Vehicles; “4K” Streaming Service Adds Seven Movie Classics; Hi-Res Logo Collaboration of CEA and Japan Audio Society; Neil Young’s Pono Player Coming to a Car Near You
Audio News for December 23, 2014
“The Road to 4K” Panel at January CES; Russound Adds Spotify Service; Walmart Lowest in CE Prices According to Report; LG to Enter Wireless Multiroom Market
Audio News for November 21, 2014
Director Nike Nichols Dies at 83; NativeDSD.com Offers Nearly 400 Albums from 18 Labels in DSD; Promates Offers Highest-Res Downloads in DXD; Gold Note Ultimate Turntable
Audio News for October 10, 2014
New Marantz AVR Preamp Has Dolby Atmos Surround; Best Buy Adds Home-Automation Departments; Sinclair and Technicolor ATSC 3.0 UHD OTA Telecast; Pair of B&W Dada Baby Speakers Auctioned for $3,277
Audio News for October 3, 2014
Late Deliveries Spur Online Shopping Now; SiriusXM Streaming Added to DTS Play-Fi; SOL Republic Expands Bluetooth Speaker Line; Home Technology Specialists Foresee a Strong Q4; Casio Bluebook Smart Watch
Home Page for September 2014
Our drawing/giveaway for September will be for a pair of special Erato CD collections by two great operatic voices for five AUDIOPHILE AUDITION readers. In the first, Stella di Napoli, Joyce DiDonato explores the birth of bel canto in Naples with a selection of rarities and world premiere recordings. The beloved American singer brings her flair, power, intelligence and taste to little-known arias of Mercadante, Carafa, Valentini and Pacini. Three bel canto greats—Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti—are included. The second CD is a special 18-track sampler for the complete 69-CD Maria Callas Remastered Collection, for which all the original studio recordings have been reprocessed at Abbey Road Studio at 96K/24-bit. Here is the TrackList. All you need do to be considered as one of the five winners to be selected is to register using our simple form this month. (Those who don’t completely fill out the form will not be considered for the drawing, including those who have registered previous months.) The five lucky winners will be listed on our Editorial Page next month, where this month you’ll find more details on the drawing.
Audio News for August 22, 2014
CyberLink/John Schneider Studios Partnership to Support Independent Filmmakers; The Internet of Things = Big Brands; Monitor Audio System Does AirPlay, DLNA, and Hi-Res; Two Points to Keep in Mind When Downloading Hi-Res; Best Connection From Computer to DAC
Audio News for August 8, 2014
Dealer Drive for UHD TV Adoption; Alpine Launches Third In-Dash 9-inch Nav System; OTT Video Market to Grow 21%
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
