Four out of five (81 percent) of all U.S. smartphone users now stream video on their devices, according to a new report from the NPD Group’s Connected Intelligence division. The streaming is being driven primarily by users who are 25 and younger, who spend twice as much time watching video content on YouTube and Netflix mobile apps compared with users who are over the age of 25.
Color TV became commercially viable in the early 1950s but didn’t really take off until the mid-1960s when the big three (and only) television networks made a concerted effort to significantly increase the amount of color programming, broadcasting classic shows like Gilligan’s Island, My Favorite Martian, and Lassie in “brilliant, true-to-life color” for the first time. An epic event if you were around to experience it and arguably more dramatic than the transition to HDTV.
It looks like 3D surround-sound headphone listening may be heading to smartphones. DTS recently announced that its DTS Headphone:X technology is included in the new Helio X20 flagship smartphone processor from MediaTek, a Taiwan-based semiconductor company that makes chips for wireless communications.
Recent success with streaming trials of live 4K sporting events, including the first live North American soccer broadcast in 4K by Univision Deportes on February 10, will lead to more live 4K streaming events through the summer, according to Sony. The game/test event, which took place at Marlins Park in Miami, was streamed live to audiences in Florida, New York, and California via late model Sony HDR-capable 4K Ultra HD TVs, which have NeuLion’s 4K streaming platform integrated.
Minfort’s crowdfunded Min7 wireless speaker is off and running, having exceeded its $15,000 goal by nearly $68,000 with two months left on the Kickstarter funding clock.
Pioneer’s latest headphone has an unusual twist. The “Hi-Res-capable” SE-MHR5 ($300) includes a four-pole balanced 2.5mm cable in addition to a standard 3.5mm cable. The cable is designed to provide greater signal separation when used with an amplifier that has a balanced output.