High-end audio company Meridian Audio has announced a new one-piece, bookshelf sound system with impressive stats and an even more impressive price tag. The M80 is a 2.1-channel, 80-watt sound system that can play audio from CDs, DVDs, AM/FM...
Many have tried, but few have succeeded in simulating a convincing surround soundfield with conventional headphones. Several years ago, I heard a demo of one such system from UK-based Smyth Research, and it really knocked my socks off. That was a prototype, but the technology, known as Smyth Virtual Surround (SVS), is now available in a commercial product called the Realiser A8.
Outdoor speakers have been around for decades but the main difference today is who’s making them. Some of the finest loudspeaker manufacturer’s are using their unique technologies and sound signatures to elevate outdoor audio performance to a whole new level of design, reliability and high-impact sound. With the recent integration of video screens and LCD TVs into the outdoor environment, it’s conceivable to build a state-of-the-art home theater directly under the stars that will rival your indoor theater. With A/V this good, you may never go back inside.
Many companies seem to have lost sight of the fact that, at the end of the day, their products are supposed to be fun. This is especially true for music servers, which by definition are supposed to serve up enjoyment. But complicated setup and clunky interfaces bog down most models.
Just when you think they're all done adding more channels to sound systems, they add a couple more. The June 18 premiere of Toy Story 3 also marked the premiere of Dolby Surround 7.1, a technology that allows a commercial cinema to add two additional channels of sound to the 5.1 channels they already have. The existing left, center, right, left surround, right surround, and low-frequency effects channels have been augmented with left back surround and right back surround channels.
Not all directors are as enthusiastic about Hollywood's 3D push as James Cameron of Avatar fame. Some are against 3D while others are ambivalent about it.
3D movies have simultaneously reached their apex and nadir. Canadian teen pop sensation Justin Bieber is getting his own feature-length, widespread-release documentary film, and it's going to be in 3D. It gets weirder, too. Paramount is in talks...
Maybe you saw Inception. Maybe you loved those three-dimensional-looking images. Maybe you realized — and appreciated — that those images weren't actually in 3D.Director Christopher Nolan (at right in photo, with Leonardo DiCaprio) digs good...