AV NEWS
|
This AudiophileReview.com
story highlights the expert skill of
Stirling Trayle.
I met Stirling back in the 1990's in his stint with T+A audio. People like
Stirling inspire the rest of us to reach
higher.
Keith Yates has
been a local Northern California legend
since the 1980's.
This CEPro story
presents his latest award winning
installation. Check it out.
Listening & Hearing When does an earphone morph into a hearing aid? Jon Kiachian of Knowles audio technology outlines potential profitable paths for AV pros. Select
this LINK
& GO
TO PAGE 8 at Twice --
"Listening And Hearing: The Convergence
Is On."
Electrostatic
Graphene Speaker
GraphAudio's CEO outlines how graphene will lead to a more efficient "low" cost electrostatic speaker. TV Screen
Resolution Limit?
Your brain can interpret an image beyond 8K resolution. That's the claim of this story at EFTM.com AI
Upscaling
This story from techradar outlines the history of upscaling lower resolution video to display on HD, UHD, and 8K televisions. The recent addition of artificial intelligence is also explained. Select this link to techradar. Grounding This CEPro story discusses the importance of good grounding. Although the focus is on a higher-end installation, much of this discussion can also apply to more modest projects. Select this link
to CEPro.
Read this CEPro story.
What is QNED? Is this say goodbye to QD-LED before it reaches the retail floor? Maybe not -- but QNED will substitute QD-LED organic LEDs for inorganic LEDs. The story doesn't refer to the new 'Nano-Rod' LEDs as inorganic. Check out this story at IANDROID.EU. Goodbye OLED? The better take is goodbye LCD. In any case, Samsung's QD-LED will take us to the next generation of television technology. Check out this Tom's Guide story. HDMI Guide Audioholics the online AV magazine has published an HDMI 2.1 guide. Check out this story at Audioholics.com. HDMI 2.1 Link Training Your HDMI cabling may trigger Link Training, which downgrades video resolution. DPL Labs recommends you prepare customers for probable required upgrades. Select this LINK for the story. H.265/HEVC A new video compression standard is officially on its way. VCC reduces data requirements by around 50%. VCC will provide faster video transmission. But you will need to upgrade your video source devices. Select these links for more information: Fierce Video and TVTechnology. The Promise of HDMI 2.1 HDMI 2.1 components chain Read this story from audioholics.com for the details. Another NextGenTV Launch Pittsburgh joins Las Vegas. The ATSC goal is 40 markets by the end of 2020. Keep NextGenTV on your radar. Select this LINK to TVTechnology for more informatiopn NextGenTV Lauches ATSC 3.0 branded as NextGenTV goes live in Las Vegas. This IP based over the air broadcast television can be integrated with 5G and other internet networks. Oh yeah, it delivers UHD TV broadcasts too. Read the story at FierceVideo. HDCP 2.2 is Coming The next generation of content copy protection is coming. And it's not backward compatible. Your new UHD 4K TV may not work with HDCP 2.2 UHD 4K video sources. Read this story at c|net. "Cocaine & Rhinestones" If your music interest lie in Country, Americana, Folk, Rock; then you have to check out this podcast. Tyler Mahan Coe's "Cocaine & Rhinestones". It's described as a history of country music. But the podcast is more than history. It's back stage almost abandoned true stories told by the son of country musician David Allan Coe. These are stories that extend way beyond popular documentaries. Here's the Link. Goodbye LCD TV. Hello Quantum Dot OLED. Samsung is discontinuing LCD production and switching to Quantum Dot OLED. This is not the LG color filtered (stacked RGB LED) white light technology. QD-OLED uses a blue LED layer to illuminate red and green quantum dots; blue light passes as is. Some refer to this as color by blue. QD-OLED offers brighter and even more accurate color. Select the following links, AnandTech & TechSpot, for the story. UltraHD Dobly Atmos Home Theater Demos Sean Killebrew of HomeTheaterReview offers a his list of his go to home theater demos. Check it out. Home Network Guide Integrating streaming audio/video sources with the AV system via a computer network router has become common. Wireless WiFi is the 'buzz'. Yet hard wire connection is often more reliable. This HomeTheaterReview story offers an introductory network qualifying guide. Put A Hold On HDMI 2.1 Products are hitting the shelves labeled "Ultra Rev 2.1 8K 48Gbs". HDMI Rev 2.1 is not ready for prime time. This CEPro story explains. 5G vs NextGenTV? This Audioholics story outlines how NextGenTV ATSC 3.0 may become an internet streaming alternative. FCC Changes Off-Air Channels Frequencies This story will affect many markets. Some will view this as a negative situation. But this an opportunity to show why your customers need you. Select this Link for this CEPro story. Thorens Reel to Reel If your of my vintage, you're going to like this story. And apparently reet-to-reel and cassette recordings are having a successful run. Check it out at this link CEPro. 8K TV -- So What? 8K is here, no doubt about it. And UHD (4K) has pushed HD to the back of the retail floor. But the real story is the value offered by the array of TV's with HDR and its huge color space. This story by Jerry Del Colliano at hometheater review explains. MicroLED TV Update MicroLED TV -- (Real LED TV as opposed to fake LCD LED TV) -- should be the next leading. TV technology. Each sub-pixel is an individual micro sized LED -- hard to manufacture. It may initially show up on a retail floor as a hybrid quantum dot/LED TV; blue micro-LED stimulated quantum dot film. Some have referred to this 'as color by blue'. So far this product is only available as Samsung's "146 inch Wall". Samsung has shown a smaller prototype, but it is still a couple of years away from landing on retail floors. Check out the updated c|net story here. OLED vs QLED You know the difference -- right? But how do you explain the difference to customers. This CEPro story attempts to show you the way --- this Links to the story. The bottom line is the "Q" in QLED = quantum dots. Quantum dot film is used to correct the blue leaning light of a LCD TV's LED back lighting. It's a better LCD TV. But OLED is still better. For more details select this Link and scroll down the page to 'Quantum Dot Fix'. HD TV Antenna? The big box and many on-line offerings can be amusing. There is no such thing as an HD TV antenna. This story at TechHive is just a reminder. If you're looking for an off-air "TV" antenna, then return to old stalwarts such as Winegard.com. IMAX DTS Certification The once ubiquitous THX symbol seems to have disappeared from home theater shelves. Will the new IMAX DTS certification and licensing program become their successor? Select this Link to FierceVideo for the story. Rare Elements Found Rare elements found in the mud off Japanese island. This find may impact the supply, access, and the price of materials needed for electronic manufacturing. Check out this story from the Consumer Technology Association. Cool Vinyl Story Louisville record store adds another 280,000 LPs and 45s purchased from a Texas dealer. What Every Blank Audio Cassette Needs In a follow up to the news regarding audio cassettes making a come back; here's a story about a NEW Tascam (Teac) cassette deck from ITNews.com. Audio Cassettes Back in Business, What!? I'm not sure what to make of this story. Apparently the old
analog cassette tape is riding on the
coattails of the vinyl renaissance.
I do miss the old analog
stuff. It was fun.
Check out this story at Installation/AVTechnologyEurope.com What is AV1? MPEG's H.265 High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) has another challenger and its free for video programmers to implement. Check out this story at
TVTechnology.com.
Blue LED Light Creates Insomnia? Tech's favorite color is making us miserable. Check out this story at FastCompany.com. Samsung Moving Away From LCD Technology This report outlines how Samsung is implementing a revised mix of quantum dots and OLED's. A base of blue OLEDs energize red and green quantum dot pixels. Blue pixels are produced by the 'base' blue OLEDs. This technology improves on LG's current color filtered white OLED 'stacks'. Select mysmartprice.com for the story. 8K? 16K? 32K? Here's a story to make your UltraHDTV (4K) day. Insight Media's founder Chris Chinnock reported "not only was 8K right on track but that its adoption is essentially inevitable, and they are now thinking about 16K and even 32K." Select this link to Advanced Television.com for the story. HDMI Heads UP HDMI over a long distance can drive installers crazy. Here is some advice and
facts about active HDMI cable runs from Jeff
Boccaccio.
Select this link at CEPro.com for the story.
Free UltraHD Programing It's coming ..... Well, not yet .... But it's coming. Free over the air
High Dynamic Range at 120 frames per second
UtlraHD television is projected to arrive
someday.
Check out the story at C/Net.com
HDR Format War Update High Dynamic Range is the path to stunning UltraHD video performance. HDR format choices currently include HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HGL, and Technicolor's SL-HDR1, 2, & 3. However HDR formats must be paired with compatible sources and hardware to deliver on the HDR promise; this includes the TV, BluRay player, streaming service, and don't forget broadcasters. This story from c/net.com outlines the battle for your TV screen. MQA - It's About Time The human ear is more sensitive to phase (timing) than frequency. This is the weakest link of the Sony/Phillips CD and other digital formats. Bob Stuart's Meridian CD players have included phase band-aids since the 1990's. And now phase accuracy is a foundation of Mr. Stuart's MQA format which is implemented in the recording studio. This is a big deal. Select this Link. AudiophileRevicw.com for the story. How many Shure M91EDs did you mount? This question is aimed at the gray hairs in my audience. Shure will no longer
manufacturer phono cartridges. Time moves
on.
Select this LINK to What HiFi for
the story.
Is Your Audio System Set Up Wrong? As in life, audio facts are often less than convenient. This is a link to a story by Steven
Stone at Audiophile Review.com about where to
place up your gear.
Hint, avoid resonant
peaks.
On the Lookout for HDMI 2.1 HDMI 2.1 48Gbps bandwidth has many AV Pros nervous --- and for good reasons. Fortunately Jeff Boccaccio is a 'go to' source for accurate HDMI news. Select this CEPro LINK. Mr. Boccaccio lays out key issues and a probable time line for the HDMI 2.1 roll out. New Speaker Technology? Since the first decades of the 20th century, there has not been a truly new speaker technology. Although this statmente contradicts the claims by manufacturers and those who repeat their hype -- it's true. However that may change. Check out this story at New Atlas.com. A new technology uses
thermoacoustics via the use of graphene as
opposed to a moving mechanical diaphragm.
Wait --- I forgot about plasmatronics.
Well at least this eliminates the helium
tanks.
ATSC 3.0 Audio Video capability, naturally, has been the focus of the new ATSC 3.0 over the air broadcast standard. But how about the audio? This story at
HomeTheaterReview.com outlines the prospect of
its multi-channel audio future. Will it
be Dolby AC4 or MPEG-H?
Select this LINK for the story.
DTS Virtual: X DTS Virtual:X claims it can deliver surround sound, even the above-effects, with two speakers. However the real news in this CEPro story is fewer than 30% of consumers with Dolby Atmos and DTS-X receivers have connected any height speakers. Even more surprising fewer than 48% have connected any rear speakers. If true, should consumers re-allocate their dollars into purchasing higher power stereo receivers with two larger speakers. Big speakers and more power is more fun than a bunch of small in-ceiling speakers. FREE - 25,000 78 RPM Records This
LINK to
newsworks.com reports on an
interesting source to a musical
'way-back-machine'.
Check out the musical gems that lie in this free site: George Blood/The Great 78 Project Computer Audio for Beginners Michael Lavorgna at AudioStream.com offers help for the computer audio novice with this series of articles: Computer audio
101, Download sites, Files &
formats, Files sizes & storage,
Fixing your metadata, NAS.
Select this LINK. UltraHD Mess 60Hz 18Gbps HDR UltraHD video sources with expanded color volume are arriving. But many so-called UltraHD '4K' products (that consumers have handsomely paid for) will not reproduce it. And here's another wrinkle. DPL Labs discovered that any component in the system, even an UHD HDR disc, may reduce 18Gbps video to 8.91Gbps. Select this LINK to this DLP Labs Jeff Boccaccio story at CEPro. And get ready for some angry phone calls. Mono or Stereo This is a link to a RareRecords.net Blog by Charlie Essmeier. Charlie
reviews and offers classic recordings released
in mono and stereo. This is a must read
for the record collector.
The Loudspeaker Design Cookbook Much as the author of this story (Brent Butterworth), it has been three decades since I first read Vance Dickanson's "The Loudspeaker Design Cookbook". If you're looking for a reference that sums up speaker design choices; then pick up a copy or at least read Mr. Butterworth's outline of the 'Cookbook' at this link to hometheater review.com. Musical Origami This is a must read by Robert Harley of TheAbsoluteSound about MQA " ..... a revolution that comes once in a lifetime". This is a digital audio revolution. He stated that, “By comparison ... conventional PCM is a crude and inefficient method of encoding audio.” Select this LINK Now! Digital & Noise This is a link to an AudioStream.com report by Michael Lavorgna. It is not an easy read for the novice. But it is important to anyone interested in better sound. It deals with EMI and RF noise 'produced' or 'reproduced' by digital cables and digital devices. Mr. Lavorgna stated, "The simple takeaway I'd like to highlight is the fact that digital cables are not immune to noise and this noise can directly impact the quality of an analog signal in an attached analog device." Remove or reduce the noise and your system will sound better. Human
Hearing
Beats Uncertainty Limit Blog Archive Links to previous blogs Keep Pace Keeping pace with our industry and technology is essential. AV Pros need reliable sources of information. Frisson Terms such as audiophile, video-phile, or custom AV pro do not adequately characterize the skill of my late friend Steve. Fidelity without truth? I expect to be lied to by sleazy laywers and politicians, but I draw the line at my high fidelity audio/video world. UltraHD HDR Primer - all 7 Parts Part 1 Set the Table Part 2 Buzzword Noise Reduction Part 3 HDR Format War Part 4 The HD Multimedia Interface Part 5 More HDMI Tips Part 6 UltraHD Sources Part 7 System Compatibility Cloak the Tech Don't be the guy who descends into buzzword laden monologues that cause customers to walk. $20
AV
Hero Adventures
in
AV Land Part 2 'Wipe out the noise' Adventures
in
AV Land Part 1 I
Am A Salesman Hedy
Lamarr,
Lefty Gomez, and David Bromberg Ray
Davies Why
It
Matters
Pet
Peeve Bad
Chili Baseball
and
Selling Audio / 3 Part Blog In
Four
Parts / The Holy Trinity of HiFi Audio |
Ed's AV Handbook Copyright 2007 Txu1-598-288 Revised 2021
Architectural Speaker Tuning System
for
in-wall/ceiling custom installed speakers.
Reclaim
the performance you paid for.
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5 The AV System Sequence
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