Discover The Latest News From The World Of Audio (supermarket tabloids)
No commentsBy Dominic Donaldson
Every year all of the sectors of the electronics industry gear up for their trade show where they can flex their technological muscle. This year in Berlin it is expected that with HDTV hitting the mainstream, the latest models of HD ready TV sets will dominate the show. There has been some news on other fronts and this article delivers the latest audio news summarising the most recent developments from the IFA.
There have been several additions from Griffin technology the self proclaimed leader in iPod technology covering iPhones, iPods and anything related. Most of the models that have been unveiled are updates on previous models and they include the iTrip Universal, iTrip Auto and WindowSeat for iPhone 3G.
The iTrip universal allows any audio to be played through a 3.5mm connection including portable CD players, FM stereo and of course your iPod. Partnered with the iTrip Auto which has streamlined the process of charging and playing your iPod in car this is a great solution to those M25 traffic jams. For the full set the WindoSeat allows you to mount your iPhone or iPod on the dash board or windshield at eye level to make operations more user friendly and safer.
Although these developments might seem like a bit of an innovative anti-climax Sony has remedied this with the European launch of the Sony Rolly. This unusual piece of audio equipment is a speaker that can move certain parts in a choreographed performance to certain tracks. It has multi-coloured lights which flash as it, well rolls around and flaps extremities. It comes with certain memorised songs such as The Pretender by the Foo Fighters, which will show the Rolly at best.
At around 400 dollars you might be forgiven for thinking what an incredible waste of money, however it is a unique devise and after the initial launch the price might well drop considerably. Something audio with a bit more practical application a considerably lesser amount of flashing lights is the Plantronics Gamecom 777. This is fitted with 5.1 cinematic surround sound allowing the audio to exist in real proximity and gamers can pinpoint enemies via their audio movements.
There is a noise cancelling feature which is designed to lower frustrations when playing multi-player online games and the audio technology is Dolby Pro Logic II and digitally separates and amplifies multiple speakers to create a 360 degree audio effect. This sounds great on paper however it has just been launched and costs around 80GBP which as far as high spec gaming headphones go is not too bad. The IFA continues with most top electronic manufacturers represented so the audio news will continue.
Dominic Donaldson is journalist covering audio news and writes on all aspects of the audio visual industry.
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Explore The Current Audio Visual News
By Shaun Parker
This article explores the weird and the wonderful world of audio visual keeping a finger on the pulse of the latest technological developments. We are entering the realm of seriously scary with what can be done and this article is packed with CGI humanoids and robotic snakes.
Every year natural geometric disasters plague certain parts of the planet and although we cannot prevent this from happening , we can certainly be equipped to deal with the aftermath. This is where the 8 metre robotic snake comes in, which is designed to be controlled by an operator to locate survivors.
The snake uses an internal system of fibre optics which is a series of mirrored fibres that cause total reflection in order to transfer data via light at optimum speed. It can negotiate around complex obstacles and reach places that rescue workers and dogs cannot. The balance between flexibility, size and durability was paramount in the design and the Japanese developers hope that the technology will be developed further to help people all over the globe.
The use of CGI in feature films has thrown the gates of the imagination wide open, allowing directors to stage realistic fantastical effects from apocalyptic explosions to creating strange creatures from other worlds. The latest developments in this technology have seen CGI taken to another level by a company called Image Metrics and is set to revolutionise CGI computer gaming.
Image Metrics, producers of CGI for the cult gaming phenomenon Grand Theft Auto have developed a facial recognition system that builds facial expressions by focussing on individual pixels as opposed to targeted points on the face. The company states that the eye movements and lack of symmetry is what makes this new technique so effective and they have released a promotional video featuring an actress called Emily being interviewed about the technique although she is not really there.
These developments have to be sustained by hardware as previously graphics chips could not cope with this new technology. AMD has produced a chip with the equivalent processing power of a computer that would have filled a whole room twelve years ago, but the chip fits inside a standard PC. Although these images are a step up toward life-like photo imagery, it is believed the line between real and CGI will not be completely blurred until 2020.
CGI is big business and this facial recognition technique in theory could used for other facial recognition purposes such as security. The face has a fingerprint in it that is unique as no one face is the same, so the pixel system could in theory be adapted to monitor the movements of criminals or terrorists.
Shaun Parker is a correspondent covering Video News and all developments in audio visual technology.
Sunday, August 31st, 2008 at 1:15 pm and is filed under news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
