Work with me here. I'll try my best to explain. The gist of it is this: Millennials are going to move out of cities and start buying home theaters. Lots of home theaters.
Ground control to Major Tom. Ground control to Major Tom. Take your protein pills. And put your helmet on. Your roadster is washed and waxed. Turn your stereo on. That's earth in your rear-view mirror.
How important is internet connectivity? In a poll of 18- to 25-year-olds in the U.K., they valued a good internet connection more highly than trifles such as a healthy diet, hot water, daylight, and the welfare system. Now, I admit that vegetables have never been high on my favorites list. Hmm....
I once observed that the business of running a recording studio was like renting out a Gutenberg Bible for parties. Your upfront costs are enormous, the anticipated income is relatively slight, and the potential downsides can be tragic. Largely because of that terrible business model, the studio business has changed dramatically.
It's perplexing, that's what it is. In fact, it is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma — that sound in Havana that is said to have sickened or deafened diplomats there. No one can explain what it is. Here — you listen to it, and see if you can identify it.
“The Quality Goes in Before the Name Goes On.” If you are of a certain age, that trademarked slogan is imprinted in your brain. It was marketed relentlessly. And it was a darn good slogan. It assured you that any product with the company’s name on it was of high quality. It also redirected your attention to the importance of the name of the company itself; you didn’t need to know anything else about the product; the company’s name ensured that it was good. My, how times have changed.
The plan was straightforward. Founded on the overwhelming popularity of the iPod, and then boosted by the dominance of the iPhone, iTunes was ready to own audio and video downloads and streaming. The executives in Cupertino probably had a calendar on the wall, with the exact date of achieving world domination circled in red. That hasn't worked out.
I know, I know. You read Sound & Vision to learn about audio and video topics. It’s a welcome refuge from the political furor that has engulfed every other facet of our lives. But, of course, ultimately, nothing is immune from politics. So, let me ruin your day by telling you about the latest political hot potato: hearing aids. You heard me right. Hearing aids.
With relatively unrestricted size, weight, and budget, and given enough time to tinker, it's not that hard to build a good-sounding loudspeaker. But when size, weight and budget are tremendously restricted, good sound becomes incredibly difficult to achieve, if not impossible. Now, Dolby is taking on that challenge.
The message on the Fraunhofer website was concise: “On April 23, 2017, Technicolor’s MP3 licensing program for certain MP3- related patents and software of Technicolor and Fraunhofer IIS has been terminated. We thank all of our licensees for their great support in making MP3 the de facto audio codec in the world during the past two decades.” And just like that, it was over.
The smart speaker market is big and getting bigger. That's because voice control is a killer app whose time has come. Amazon currently owns the market, with Google a distant second. Apple will soon launch, with much fanfare, its HomePod. But what about Samsung? Well, rumors are starting to swirl.
It’s a paradox, that’s what it is. Technology, by nature, charges forward. Its unstated goal is to obsolete itself as fast as possible. If you’re into technology, the only real place to be is on the cutting edge. You must be an early adopter, own the latest and greatest, and camp overnight at the Apple Store. The paradox is that if you are one of those people, you might be envied, or even admired. But you are not cool.
I crossed my fingers. I carried a rabbit's foot. I went out in the backyard and found a four-leaf clover. I started eating Lucky Charms for breakfast. I rearranged the furniture in my home theater according to feng shui (good for luck, not so good for sound). I did everything I could. But now I see that I have failed. People like the Amazon Echo Dot. They like it a lot.