Dolby is talking with content providers about encoding its digital 3D technology into Blu-ray movies. Dolby is already a player in digital 3D cinema, now used on more than 400 screens in 24 countries.
Dolby's home 3D technology is designed so viewers would not be required to buy additional hardware. It would work on any 3D enabled TV(like Mitsubishi and Samsung) with a standard Blu-ray player.
Most 3D entertainment requires the use of glasses, but Dolby says its technology would support any glasses the TV maker specifies.
Home 3D so far lacks a unifying tech standard. Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) are working on ways to help standardize 3D home entertainment.
Go Dolby
Dolby Plans to Bring 3D Home
- 02. 03. 2009
- Bob Snyder
- Home Theater
Avega Hooks Up Cisco, Maybe Apple
- 02. 03. 2009
- Bob Snyder
- Control and Home Media Systems
![](http://www.ftp-sgpartners.net/tdceu/uploads/uploaded/Avega.jpg)
Avega (the Australian Company who developed the next-gen of audio wireless technology now being used by Cisco) will roll out a video wireless system that will stream HD content over a normal 802.11n wireless network without a set top box.
Avega Systems is now a US entity. With the development team still based in Sydney this start-up could become a major CE player in the wireless audio market after investments of $7 Million last year by Cisco Systems, JAFCO Asia and Technology Venture Partners
The core of the Avega offering is an 802.11n-based hardware platform and "skeleton" user interface that clients such as Cisco can customize. Other partners could offer different features, such as gesture recognition.
Go Avega Systems
First TV with Control4 Automation Built-In
- 02. 03. 2009
- Bob Snyder
- Home Theater
LG is the first to incorporate the Control4 OS into TV sets. LG's commercial division intends to sell these TVs into hotels and boardrooms. The home automation wants to become the "home OS" and expects this deal to eventually carry over into consumer products..
With the success of the LG deal, Control4 launches its new Control4 Partners Program to sign up additional 3rd-party makers to design products that easily integrate with the Control4 platform.
The Control4 Partners Program offers four key designations representing the most effective methods of product integration for every company:
- Control4 Powered means Control4 core technology is embedded in third-party products;
- Control4 Ready denotes that Control4 software is embedded in third-party products
- Control4 Certified indicates the partner’s products employ plug-and-play technology with two-way drivers
- Control4 Compatible shows the product is compatible with Control4 through IR connectivity.
Blu-Ray Stops Singing the Blues
- 02. 03. 2009
- Bob Snyder
- Home Theater
If the Blu-ray Player market in Germany is any indication, finally Bu-ray sales may be kicking in. With average prices at the 300 Euros barrier, GfK reports more than 30,000 units sold in Germany in December (out of 110,000 for the year).
![](http://www.ftp-sgpartners.net/tdceu/uploads/uploaded/Little_Miss_blu_ray.jpg)
Blu-ray suffers from competition from online delivery but also from upscaling technology. With more than 11 million HD-ready or Full HD TV sets on the market in Germany, the market potential is there but buyers penalized Blu-Ray for the prolonged standards war and high hardware prices.
Already 17% of standard DVD players sold (and even 53% of the DVD Recorders in December) has the ability to upscale standard DVD signals to nearly HD quality.
The average price of 95 Euros for a standard DVD Player (with upscaling functionality about 200 Euros) is far below the average price of a Blu-ray Player. Even DVD Recorders with an integrated HDD were on average only marginally more expensive than Blu-ray Players.
At Futuresource Consulting, senior market analyst Mai Hoang says, “Last year in the U.S. alone, BD video retail sales increased by a whopping 320% to 24 million units; and we’re going to see momentum continuing in 2009, with over 80 million disc sales forecast.” The uptake of BD in Western Europe is still at the early-adopter stage, but it continues to gather momentum.
Go GfK on Blu-ray in Germany
The Master of the (Accessories) Universe
- 22. 02. 2009
- Bob Snyder
- Cables and Accessories
The Master of Accessories was next to me, standing on the ultimate accessory, a Segway, further emboldened by a red Porsche logo.
Noel Lee, president and CEO of Monster Cable, doesn’t need a Porsche Segway to highlight his status. After all, Noel invented the category of cable accessories for audio. He needs the Segway for transportation because of a medical condition. And the Porsche logo serves to warn you that this is a man in motion, a man moving in High Gear down the autobahn of life.
Imation Gets Serious about AV Cables
- 20. 02. 2009
- Bob Snyder
- Cables and Accessories
Imation signs a strategic relationship agreement in which AudioQuest (developer of high-end audio/video cables) will develop a line of high quality, differentiated cable products that Imation will market under several of its retail brands.
Imation expects its first new cable products, Memorex-branded designs for home audio/video use, to be available in early 2009.
James Ellis, VP Strategy, Mergers, and Acquisitions for Imation Corp., says "As global demand for high-quality audio and video accessories intensifies with the adoption of high-definition television, Imation is expanding its accessories portfolio to address this growing need.”