Audio Video News

Sony’s PlayStation TV is a set-top box that partners with the new PlayStation 4 console to play games on a secondary TV. But it’s not just a gaming hub—it also bids to be a media hub by accessing movies and TV shows through the PlayStation Store. It plays PS3 titles through the PlayStation Now service, which made its debut on July 31, as well as older PS2 and PS1 titles. Price is $99 for the PlayStation TV itself or $139 for the box with controller, 8-GB memory card, and digital download code for a game based on The Lego Movie.

Marking the 25th anniversary of the introduction of the world’s first digital loudspeaker, Meridian will demonstrate its Special Edition DSP Digital Active Loudspeakers at a live event in Dallas, Texas.

The event will take place at Dallas Sight and Sound on Tuesday, October 14 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Visit meridian-audio.com for more information on Merdian’s Special Edition Series of DSP Digital Active Loudspeakers.

GoldenEar Technology will demonstrate its flagship Triton One tower speaker at the 2014 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF), the company announced. The showing marks the first time GoldenEar has exhibited at RMAF, which begins Friday, October 10 at the Marriott Tech Center in Denver, CO and runs through Sunday, October 12.

A showcase of GoldenEar’s most advanced technologies, the $5,000-a-pair Triton One is a Sound&Vision 2014 Top Pick, which received accolades for its remarkably open and balanced sound quality and performance-price ratio.

Demonstrations will be ongoing in Room 8021.

High-resolution audio is getting a big industry push, but until now the category has labored without a definition. The Digital Entertainment Group, the Consumer Electronics Association, and The Recording Academy have teamed up to offer one. They define what they call Master Quality Recording in four ways: MQ-P audio comes from a PCM source with minimum 48/20 resolution, but “typically” is 96/24 or 192/24 in today’s download services. MQ-A is from an analog source, and high-quality analog can still be deemed high-res. MQ-C grandfathers in CD-quality 44.1/16 audio. And MQ-D refers to DSD sources. Taken together, these categories define high-res audio somewhat broadly. Even so, they may give the informed consumer a better idea of what he’s buying (for those of us who still buy music).

Pioneer has announced that a free firmware update enabling Dolby Atmos surround sound on three Elite SC receivers is now available for download at pioneerelectronics.com. The update applies to the SC-85 ($1,600), SC-87 ($2,000), and SC-89 ($3,000) 9.2-channel AV receivers.

Consider the humble headphone jack. Whether it welcomes a big quarter-inch plug or a mini-plug, it is the nearly universal analog interface for headphones great and small. Apple is trying to change that with an addition to its Made for iPhone spec. Apple-friendly headphones will use the company’s new Lightning connector to receive 48-kilohertz digital stereo input, or 48-kHz mono for headphones with integrated mikes. Lightning headphones dubbed Standard will include a DAC, while those dubbed Advanced will add DSP and features such as active noise cancellation.

Extra Long Version of Popular 3D Array Soundbar Made for Screens 65 Inches and Up

GoldenEar Technology announced that the new SuperCinema 3D Array XL soundbar will be available in early October at a suggested retail price of $1,599. The XL is a larger version of the SuperCinema 3D Array soundbar—an S&V Top Pick in 2012—intended for TVs with screens sizes 65 inches and up.