Audio Video News

When Larry Hornbeck stepped up to the podium to accept an Oscar for inventing the digital micromirror device—the core technology behind DLP video projection—he held up a postage-stamp-sized DMD chip and said: “It’s hard to believe that there are more than 8 million digital micromirrors on this device. Who would ever have believed that [this invention] would change the way the world views cinema.” A couple decades later I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea of 8 million microsopic mirrors tilting at precise angles and reflecting light to create stunning images at home and in movie theaters. So I reached out to Dr. Hornbeck, holder of 38 U.S. patents and winner of numerous awards and honors, to learn more about his crazy invention.

In what has turned out to be a big news week for Hi-Res Audio, a new study from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) found that more than half of consumers who recently purchased audio products are interested in Hi-Res Audio (HRA) and three-quarters spent time researching audio products in physical stores.

Hoping to bring Hi-Res Music to an audience beyond audiophiles, executives from Sony, Best Buy, and three major record labels gathered at Best Buy’s flagship Magnolia Design Center store on New York City’s Columbus Circle this evening to announce that Hi-Res listening stations have been installed in 79 Magnolia Design Center stores across the country.

A number of hi-res music retailers have agreed to adopt the Hi-Res Music logo shown here and integrate it into their websites and branding materials, according to an announcement from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), made in cooperation with The Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) and The Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing.

Look out, Dolby Atmos. Another object-oriented surround sound system is coming to town.

The DTS:X system hit Carmike Cinemas-owned theaters in September with Lionsgate titles American Ultra and Sicario and in November with Mockingjay: Part 2. Carmike upgraded seven theaters in Georgia, Colorado, Illinois, Tennessee, California, and Alabama.

DTS:X and Atmos both enable soundtrack mixes to use metadata to steer objects around a three-dimensional soundfield. In addition to its theatrical debut, DTS:X is also following Atmos into home theaters with compatible A/V receivers and Blu-ray Disc releases.

The guys at BurgerFiction.com have created a video that catalogs every gadget used by James Bond since the beginning.