HomeToys Articles, Stories and Products

Dolby Announces World's First Implementation of Dolby TrueHD 5.1 in Online Music Distribution Service

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:57:17 -0700

Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:DLB) announced today that e-onkyo music, the high-quality music distribution service managed by Onkyo Entertainment Technology Corporation, a subsidiary of Onkyo Corporation, will be the first online music distribution service to feature Dolby® TrueHD 5.1-channel surround sound. Expected to launch on May 30, 2012, in Japan and in fall 2012 elsewhere in the world, this service will enable users to download music from 100 album titles (about 1,000 tracks) in Dolby TrueHD 5.1-channel surround sound. The new Onkyo® A/V receivers (AVR) TX-NR818 and TX-NR717 will support the service.

The e-onkyo music service began in August 2005, with DRM-free music (music without digital copyright protection technology) and DSD format music distribution added in 2010, and featured a high-quality distribution of music by the rock group Queen in 2011. Now, with lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1-channel surround sound, the music service will provide consumers with high-quality audio at reduced download times and file sizes.

Casio still leading the way for high brightness lamp free projectors

Fri, 11 May 2012 13:18:10 -0700

CASIO Projectors incorporate a HYBRID LIGHT source which combines Laser and LED lighting with DLP technology for high brightness and performance. With no mercury lamp to replace, CASIO projectors are eco-friendly, have a lower cost of ownership and are covered by a 5 year light source warranty and a standard 3 year warranty for parts and labor. The full line of CASIO Hybrid projectors deliver up to 4000 lumen brightness and include comprehensive connectivity and features. Go lamp free and save!

Nest Learning Thermostat Now Available at More Than 500 Lowe's Stores, Lowes.com

Thu, 10 May 2012 09:47:44 -0700

Nest Labs, Inc. (nest.com) announced today that the Nest® Learning Thermostat™ is now available in more than 500 Lowe's Companies, Inc., (NYSE: LOW) stores across the country, as well as on lowes.com. Lowe's - the second-largest home-improvement retailer in the world - will feature Nest in its new Innovation merchandising displays in-store, which bring the best new products in home improvement to life with interactive end caps. To purchase or check local availability, visit lowes.com.

"There's a natural affinity between Lowe's and Nest," said Erik Charlton, Nest vice president of sales and marketing. "Both companies are committed to supporting DIY-minded customers seeking quality products. Most Nest owners choose to install the Nest Learning Thermostat themselves - and complete installation within 30 minutes - so it makes sense for them to buy from Lowe's, a great retailer that supports its customers' ingenuity and pride in their homes."

AT&T making big investment in home monitoring

Mon, 07 May 2012 10:37:46 -0700

AT&T Inc (T.N) is making a big investment in a nationwide wireless home monitoring service that could potentially add $1 billion to its annual revenue as part of the No. 2 U.S. mobile operator's ongoing effort to expand beyond cell phones.

It is planning a service called "Digital Life" to monitor homes for everything from water damage to burglaries and to let customers remotely do things like adjust temperature or unlock doors, using an Internet connection.

The service, of which AT&T will start trials this year, involves sensors and cameras linked to a central home system that connects wirelessly to AT&T monitoring centers, said Glenn Lurie, the AT&T executive spearheading the project.

Parks Associates reports over 50% of U.S. Households want to connect pay-TV services to YouTube

Thu, 03 May 2012 09:47:13 -0700

According to international research firm Parks Associates, 59% of U.S. broadband households want access to on-demand YouTube content through their pay-TV service, with the growing number of smart TVs and connected devices driving interest in online video options. Parks Associates will present new smart TV and connected consumer electronics research, with new content strategies to capture consumer interest and new revenues, at CONNECTIONS™ at TIA 2012, June 5-7 in Dallas, Texas.

Parks Associates reports over 80% of viewers interested in YouTube opt for a free, advertising-based offering, leaving few willing to pay to view YouTube content. However, the research firm notes, YouTube is investing in more original and professional content, with a growing lineup of channels and new functions such as Channel Search. By creating a more TV-like experience, YouTube enhances its value proposition to viewers, advertisers, and pay-TV providers.

HomeOS: Microsoft Works on Bringing Smart Homes to the Masses

Tue, 01 May 2012 11:22:02 -0700

HomeOS aims to be a “PC-like abstraction,” where connecting a new light or ceiling fan to the system is as simple as plugging a new mouse into your computer. Users would have an app store for device controls and for finding new devices compatible with their set-ups.

Microsoft Research isn’t the first group to focus on a centralized system for home controls. Standards groups such as Z-Wave and Zigbee Alliance already offer common systems for controlling lights, thermostats, security alarms and other devices. But as Microsoft argues, these systems still don’t allow enough communication between devices, so for instance, you might have a conflict where an energy management system wants to open your windows, while a security system wants to close them. The alternative is to buy a line of products from one company that are designed to work together, but then you’re locked into that company’s devices.

Demystifying Wi-Fi Roaming: What You Need to Know to Avoid Costly Mistakes

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:09:58 -0700

Building a Wi-Fi network that delivers uninterrupted coverage to mobile or “roaming” devices can be a significant challenge—especially as coverage requirements increase. This challenge becomes considerably more manageable when the issue and the deployment alternatives are well understood

When to Bring a Theater Designer on Board

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:09:32 -0700

All too often, the contractors leave and there's a "room" in the basement for the home theater. The drywall's, up; the floors are down; then you get stuck. All too often, this is the (too late) point the home theater designer gets the call. See how it should be done.

Choosing a Display for Digital Signage

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:08:04 -0700

This is Mark's second article in a series at AVSystemsMag about the Digital Signage process - a look at display technologies.

Smart Appliances - Have they come of age?

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:07:40 -0700

Many manufacturers are now producing Smart Appliances. Are they useful, or just gimmicks?

Digital Signage in a Manufacturing Environment

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:07:23 -0700

A manufacturing company was in search of a method for displaying shift assignment information (on multiple screens) for up to 300 temporary workers a day across 49 resources. After a rapid evaluation of several products, Noventri was chosen as the solution and it blew away many much more expensive solutions.

Are You Driving a Car or a Computer?

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:07:05 -0700

Cars are getting smarter by the year. Are we at the point where we're now driving computers?

CEDIA Unveils Highlights and Changes for CEDIA EXPO 2012

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:37:05 -0700

The new offerings will provide electronic systems contractors (ESCs) with access to the information they need to remain relevant in the rapidly diversifying industry, with a strong focus on both business and technical education.

CEDIA has added more opportunities for peer-to-peer business discussion with the introduction of two roundtable series. One roundtable series will be broken out into small and mid-size business owner discussions. These moderated sessions will give ESCs an opportunity to discuss common concerns in a non-competitive environment. The second roundtable series will offer six different topics that ESCs identified as "hot topics" such as HDMI, hiring sales staff, and retrofit technologies. Additional information about the roundtables can be found here.

CEDIA has also expanded technical education offerings centered around IP and networking. Three new advanced IP and Networking courses have been added to the roster: EST353 Advanced Wireless Networking, EST423 Remote System Access; Methods, Security, and Best Practices, and EST443 Tailoring Network Performance with VLANS and QoS. Lab space has been expanded and a total of eight half-day courses will be available, each of which will be offered twice in addition to a full-day workshop.

CEDIA has unveiled the winners of its highly coveted CEDIA Awards

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:35:47 -0700

In a record-breaking year for entries, which saw over 100 projects from more than ten countries battling out for the top prizes, this year's Award winners included a series of remarkable installations across all Media Room, Home Cinema, Integrated Home, Marine and Property Developer categories. These stunning projects represent the crème de la crème of smart home installations from across CEDIA Region 1 which covers the UK and Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Africa, India and Pakistan.

In Media Rooms the winners were London-based Olive AV for delivering an impressively modern twist on an 18th century period property renovation and Spanish installer, Smart Business for a stunning and multi-functional media room paradise, appropriately entitled All-in-One.

Full Press Release:

Who Says There's No Money in TV Sales?

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 06:25:47 -0700

While Japanese and Korean TV manufacturers either struggle to make a profit, or in some cases, report the biggest losses in their history, 25% of US consumers and 30% of UK consumers surveyed say they would buy an Apple HDTV, according to a survey by KAE. Some analysts believe an Apple branded device will sell for almost double the price of competitors’ models. Lowest estimatest are a 25% price premium. Clearly price is not the only reason for lack of, or profit from, TV sales

Top anticipated features were internet connectivity, ability to run apps, and to sync with other iOS devices.

Sony’s About-Face on OLED

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 06:08:31 -0700

It seems Sony has had a change of heart about OLED. After stating it was dropping OLED several months ago when it’s $2,500, 11” OLED TV (XEL-1) failed to sell (no surprise there), Sony is now reportedly in talks with Taiwan's AU Optronics Corp to jointly produce next-generation OLED televisions, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

The move allows Sony to position itself for the post-liquid crystal display (LCD) TV market. At CES Sony showed a competing technology to OLED: CrystalLED. Sony were very tight-lipped about the technology behind LED, but many believe it be OLED.

New Samsung super luxury TV in the works, details to be revealed at IFA 2012

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:04:27 -0700

Samsung today confirmed that it will be launching a new luxury TV in August, at the IFA press conference to be held in Berlin, 31 August to 5 September.

Michael Zoeller, European marketing director of Samsung Televisions, said that the new super-luxury set would sit above current models in Samsung's line-up, but joked "don't ask me anything about it", keeping tight lipped on any real details.

Zoeller teased the details at the IFA Global Press Conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

With Samsung's current flagship set, the ES8000, packing in a huge range of feature - such as gesture and voice control, face recognition, AllShare wireless content sharing and the Smart Hub offering a huge range of services and content - we're not quite sure exactly what else their new set will include.

WarpiaTV Review

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:01:57 -0700

There are a number of WirelessHD streaming players on the market. I unleashed the WarpiaTV Wireless Edition - SWP550 with my 50” Pioneer Kuro and got somewhat mixed results.

Proactive AV and Home Automation Monitoring

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:01:38 -0700

Break fix is perhaps the worst service model a custom installer can employ. An inexpensive pro-active monitoring system can be an installer's best friend.

The Diversified Business Model of Leviton

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:01:18 -0700

We talked with Leviton about their expansion in to automation technologies

Inside a Hi-tech Luxury Yacht

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:00:27 -0700

Yacht building company De Scheepsbouwers Maritiem (The Maritime Shipbuilders) has reason to celebrate: They have finished building yacht number 1,000! As this was a special project De Scheepsbouwers went overboard (not literally!) and designed and built a rather special vessel, named the Stevenvlet 1500.

TempZone™ Electric Radiant Floor Heating Installed in a Universal Design Living Laboratory

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:00:07 -0700

Recently, WarmlyYours had the unique opportunity of providing radiant floor heating for a Universal Design project with Dr. Rosemarie Rossetti and husband, Mark Leder. Dr. Rossetti, herself, with physical disabilities, and her husband constructed a Universal Design Living Laboratory (UDLL) home so they can live in a place that is accessible and comfortable.

Founder of Commodore Business Machines, Jack Tramiel, dies at 83‎

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:04:36 -0700

Polish Auschwitz survivor Jack Tramiel, who created one of the first home computers, the Commodore 64, has died aged 83.

The entrepreneur revolutionised computer technology and lived the American dream after making his fortune.

He will be best remembered for creating the Commodore which was bought by nearly 17 million people after its release in 1982.

Inspired after visiting Japan, Mr Tramiel started producing cheap calculators. He then moved his business out to the Silicon Valley in California, at the beginning of the PC revolution.

Mr Tramiel was a fierce business competitor.

In 1977 Commodore became first to produce a digital watch for less than $10 (£6.30). This forced his rivals Texas Instruments to slash their digital watch prices in half to $9.95.

"Business is not a sport. It's a war," he said.

Full Article:http://news.sky.com/home/technology/article/16205820

Mr Tramiel introduced the home computer VIC-20 in 1980 for under $300 (£189).

$200/month for Pay-TV by 2020 – Bridge Too Far

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:59:17 -0700

According to research group NPD, the average pay-TV subscription for basic pay-TV service and premium-TV channels in the U.S. reached $86 in 2011. NPD expects the average pay-TV bill to reach $123 by the year 2015 and $200 by 2020. Also notable is that 16% of US households do not currently subscribe to pay_TV services.

Cable companies are losing subscribers every quarter and with consumer spending power remaining flat, we’re likely to see an increase in cord-cutters if prices rise as indicated. For those interested in cutting the cord, read our earlier article: A Year Without Cable

One Foot in the Grave for Optical Discs?

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:10:05 -0700

I'm a movie fan. I love Blu-ray and my Home Theater, and I want 4K. But I'm worried: all the signs point to the death of the optical disc.

10% of Canadians now have Netflix accounts. These are all streamers, as Netflix has no disc by mail service in Canada.

In separate news, Dolby's CEO Kevin Yeaman said Dolby generated 52% of its $790 million 2011 license digital audio revenue from non-optical media (movie and music discs), including digital TVs, set‐top boxes and mobile phones — up 27% from 2010. During the year the company licensed its Dolby Digital-Plus with streaming providers Amazon Prime, HBO Go, Netflix and Vudu. William Blair analyst Ralph Schackart commented "We decreased the optical business [outlook] by 25% in fiscal 2014, 15% in fiscal 2015, and 10% in fiscal 2016”

IHS's screendigest says "In 2012 Americans will pay to consume 3.4bn movies online. This equates to over 1bn movies per year than are consumed on DVD and Blu-ray combined - putting the final nail in the old idea that consumers won't accept premium content distributed online."

4K TV's will ship this year. There are already projectors and AV receivers in the market that support 4K, but I fear 4K for the consumer is just a pipedream. Are we really ready for another optical disc format war and is there a mass market for 4K? It pains me to say: "I don't think so". I really can't see Hollywood and the Consumer Electronics industry seeing a new optical format as a viable proposition.

Pacific Media's End User Survey Finds Consumers' Interest in Home Theater Projectors Up by Two-Thirds in Last Two Years

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:39:59 -0700

Pacific Media Associates (PMA), the worldwide market information experts on front projectors, has released their findings on the current use and future purchase intentions of consumer projector users.

This is the final set of important results from PMA's sixth biennial large-scale (1000 responses) and statistically-representative survey of United States users and intenders of front projectors, both individual consumers and organizations. The survey focused on topics of timely interest, including requests for additional or modified questions from PMA's extensive client base of front projector manufacturers. This set of findings focused on end-user consumers who own, or plan to buy, a home theater projector.

"Our 2011 survey showed an increased interest in front projector use in the home, compared to our previous survey, conducted in 2009," says Dr. William Coggshall, President of PMA. "In 2009, 11% of the survey respondents expected to buy a projector vs. another type of large screen display. Our recent 2011 survey showed that figure has increased to 18%."

Full Press Release:

The Era of Big Box Retail Dominance Is Coming to an End

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:17:31 -0700

When Best Buy Co. (BBY) said yesterday it was closing 50 big stores and opening 100 smaller ones, the world’s largest electronics retailer was adjusting to reality: The era of big-box retail dominance is coming to an end.

The new mantra is small box. While Best Buy, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) and Target Corp. (TGT) are still opening large stores, all are putting increasing emphasis on smaller ones. Best Buy plans to double the number of its smaller Best Buy Mobile stores by 2016. Wal-Mart is building as many as 100 small-format stores this year, while Target is opening five CityTarget locations.

After 50 years of putting mom and pops out of business, big-box retail is having a mid-life crisis. A slow economy has hurt same-store sales, narrowing margins at big stores. Meanwhile, consumers, armed with price-comparison technology, are visiting more stores seeking deals or exclusive merchandise rather than making one-stop, fill-the-cart excursions.

Full Article:

QDEF - A Stepping Stone or Alternative to OLED?

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:20:30 -0700

A new LCD backlighting technology from material science company, Nanosys Inc, delivers the promises of OLED displays at LCD prices.

Crestron and Kinect

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:20:10 -0700

After seeing Crestron’s Kinect demonstration at CES, we asked Crestron’s Director of Software Products and Enterprise Solutions, Kor Baydurcan, about the integration and future plans.

Mirage MMS-2 Media Server Review

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:19:16 -0700

We took the cloud-connected MMS-2 media server for a spin for a number of weeks. It turned out to be a well-preforming, well-connected device.

Cooling the (almost) impossible enclosure

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:18:09 -0700

Active Thermal Management's CEO, Frank Federman, explains how to deal with challenging cooling projects

Content Insider # 217 - Protect Your Own

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:17:45 -0700

While it’s impossible to avoid the cloud with all the web services that are out there, it’s not a place we want to store anything we feel is important or private. Our new home cloud is a 16TB RAID that we hope will be enough storage and backup for a year or so.

Is Your Head in the Clouds?

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:16:46 -0700

Basically cloud computing is a data center on-demand. It is an unstructured infrastructure owned and operated by someone outside of its customers’ company that accepts and runs workloads created by its customers. Previously, if a company needed more computing power, it added more servers, but for a small company, this is not cost effective. Using cloud computing, a company can plug into the Internet to access more computing power, which is scalable; meaning that as the demand changes, the cloud system will scale up or down.

The hottest tech of 2015 and beyond

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:52:31 -0700

When you walk into the home, you're greeted by "Grace," a disembodied voice named after computer pioneer Grace Hopper. Grace gives you a rundown on what's happened since you left, including the news that your electric scooter will be charged in 37 minutes, your daughter got an A on her math test, and you have four voicemail messages.

Microsoft envisions a near-future where everything is connected to the cloud. That means your home will learn a lot about you, including your routine. It can remind you to take your medicine and automatically send a message to your relatives if you do anything out of the ordinary like come home early or leave your doors unlocked.

Hundreds of tiny sensors are located throughout the home, tracking everything from whether your suit is at the cleaners to when a plant needs more light. Knowing what's in your fridge and pantry, the home suggests a suitable recipe, which Grace can read out while you cook.

Full Article: CNN Money

Home Routers Increasingly Installed in Livingrooms

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:52:01 -0700

Eight in ten US broadband households have installed a home network, with nearly 40% of home network routers located in residents’ primary living rooms, more than twice the number installed in home offices, according to a new report from TDG, The Diffusion Group.

The number of broadband-networked US households installing home network routers in their living rooms increased 26% in the last year, from 30% in 2010 to 38% in 2011. Conversely, the number installed in home offices declined 30%, from 26% in 2010 to 18% in 2011, according to TDG’s “The CE and PC Ecosystem of the Broadband Household: 2012.”

“The migration of home network hardware from the ‘home office’ to the primary living space offers both functional and figurative insight,” notes Michael Greeson, TDG founding partner and director of research. “TDG noted in 2005 that, driven by the incessant desire to optimize their entertainment experiences, consumers would progressively place their network access point adjacent to key net-enabled video entertainment platforms such as game consoles, disc players, and DVRs. In 2012, this is precisely what we observe and most would acknowledge. The meaning of this shift, however, remains lost on the majority of observers.”

Full Article:

TV Watching Role Reversal

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:51:45 -0700

For decades, people have slumped on the couch and watched TV. Well that role is about to be reversed. Samsung’s new 2012 top-end models are bristling with surveillance gadgets including HD camera, twin microphones, face tracking and speech recognition. Coupled with a vast array of apps and these always-connected cameras and microphones, it won’t be long before people start forgetting and unintentional living room (or worse, bedroom) footage makes it onto the web. Samsung’s own privacy policy is unclear as to what data it collects. It seems George Orwell was only 28 years off. My sister had a cover for her budgerigar at nighttime, maybe you should get one for your TV!

Atlantic Technology Debuts WA-5030 Wireless with Power Amp

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:27:24 -0700

The Atlantic Technology WA-5030 Wireless Transmitter/Amplifier System combines a brand new WA-5030-r zone amplifier and wireless receiver with the company's proven three-zone WA-50-t wireless transmitter. The WA-50-t transmitter can be sourced from any RCA analog audio line outputs or to a Mac or PC via a built-in USB connection. It broadcasts lossless, uncompressed CD-quality digital audio with a 48 kHz sampling rate over on the 2.4 GHz radio band. The wireless technology is highly robust with no data drop issues and essentially no time delay over distances of 150 to 300 feet depending on intervening structures. A three-position zone switch on both the transmitter and receiver allow up-to three separate WA-5030 systems to be used in close proximity to each other.

The system's WA-5030-r receiver/amplifier contains a matching 2.4 GHz RF section, digital-to-analog converter, and a high-quality 30-watts per channel stereo power amplifier. The receiver is is suitable for driving most compact bookshelf or in-wall/ceiling 8-ohm speakers to high sound levels with low distortion. The WA-5030-r also comes with an infrared wireless remote control, to allow users adjust volume and to mute the system. WA-5030-r can also be programmed to drive speakers in the bi-amp mode or to drive speakers in a commercial or distributed audio system.

Cooling the Mid-size Enclosure

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:10:41 -0700

One feature common to stand-alone and built-in enclosures is the presence of a door, ensuring that the audio and video components inside the cabinet will have very little (meaning "no") ventilation unless the designer or installer "makes it happen"

TCL Unveils 110-inch 4K LCD TV

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:50:48 -0700

Beijing - Television manufacturer TCL said Friday that its Shenzhen-based China Star Optoelectronics Technology subsidiary has developed the world's largest 110-inch 4K HD 3D LCD screen.

The company formally launched the technology at a recent ceremony here by donating two of the mammoth screens to the Great Hall of the People for public display.

"The successful launch of the world's largest 110-inch screen once again proved TCL's research and development capabilities," Li Dongsheng, TCL chairman and CEO, said. "Not only will TCL benefit from the development of this breakthrough technology, all TV manufacturers in China and overseas, will be able to capitalize on this revolutionary product design."

There was no word yet on plans to introduce the LCD in the U.S. or how much the set will cost.

Read Full Article here:

Kaleidescape in breach of contract with DVD Copy Control Association

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:25:22 -0700

Kaleidescapes movie servers allow user to copy DVD (but not Blu-ray) content to their server’s hard disk for playback with the Media Server. Even though this content cannot be copied to another location, the DVD CCA claims this is in breach of its contract with the DVD CCA. Kaleidescape and its agents and distributors cannot continue to sell the product and the courts agree. Moreover, Kaleidescape cannot provide any support related to the Content Scramble System (CSS) copy-protection scheme.

If this becomes a legal precedent, the DVD CCA could go after any vendor that creates a product allowing the ripping of DVD’s. This could be the shot in the arm that Project Phenix and UltraViolet need. Ultraviolet allows a digital copy to be freely copied and played on registered players and the new Project Phenix will create and license solutions that secure high definition and other premium copyright-protected content on local and portable hard drives, and flash memory products such as USB flash drives, SD™ cards and solid state disk drives (SSDs). Of course, industry-wide buy would be required and two big players (Apple and Disney) are not on-board.

In related news Walmart today announced its new Disc to Digital service for UltraViolet: http://hometoys.com/news_detail.php?pr_id=19998617

Best Buy snags Starbucks tech guru

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 13:40:56 -0800

Stephen Gillett, the Starbucks chief information officer who revamped the retailer's technological approach to selling coffee, is joining electronics giant Best Buy. The 36-year-old former college football player is charged with no small task: helping Best Buy go up against Amazon while continuing to sell products in brick-and-mortar stores.

Gillett joins Best Buy (BBY) Monday as president of the company's digital business, including its online stores, as well as replicating the information-systems responsibilities he held at Starbucks (SBUX). At the Seattle coffee company Gillett was instrumental in offering free wireless Internet service to customers as well as allowing payment by smartphones. The moves were credited with being a part of the rejuvenation of the customer experience at Starbucks under CEO Howard Schultz. In recognition of his efforts, Fortune named Gillett to its list of 40 top executives under age 40 in 2010.

Divergence of Content and Display Technology

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:43:41 -0800

Current and emerging TV technologies have the capability to display a color gamut far beyond that available in consumer content. Movie studios are not delivering better content that takes advantage of these new technologies and the world seems to be rushing headlong towards lower quality streaming as the preferred deliver method. Surely there’s something wrong with this picture?

Affordable Digital Cinema

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:43:16 -0800

Startup project company, BryteWerks' CEO tells us why a filmaker decided to build a projector and revolutionize digital cinema in the process.

Is Your TV Smarter than a 5th Grader?

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:42:55 -0800

3-D did not take off as the industry thought that it would, so the manufacturers are putting emphasis in developing a Smart TV, which has been on the back-burner for years. The concept is to make it easy to surf the Web, check the weather and locate news pages, as well as using other apps, all while watching TV.

Using WiPNET to Connect the Home With the Existing COAX Network

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:42:34 -0800

WiPNET at its simplest is Ethernet over coax. This means we can provide high speed Internet access to every location in a home with little more than the replacement of existing coax cable wall plates with WiPNET ports.

Digital Audio Formats

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:41:58 -0800

Robert Altmann is Senior Vice President, Business Development & Operations, and co-founder of Olive Media Products. Robert is directly responsible for Olive's revenue generation efforts as well as its day-to-day operations. As a lifelong music and technology fan, Robert is following his passions to drive the full potential of music in the digital home.

Comcast Aims for Larger WalletShare with Cloud-Enabled Thermostats

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 08:21:33 -0800

Just when you thought your cable bill couldn’t get any higher, Comcast are planning to add a further offering—Cloud Enabled Thermostats—to their Infinity Home service.

Building on their foray into home automation and security, they recently entered into an agreement with EcoFactor, a provider of energy management solutions, to create a new service that optimizes the heating and cooling patterns of a home and integrates with the Xfinity Home platform.

"Through our Xfinity Home service, we've created a broadband and cloud-based platform for security, remote home control and energy management and we're always looking to collaborate with innovative companies like EcoFactor," said Mitch Bowling, Senior Vice President and General Manager of New Businesses for Comcast Cable. "With EcoFactor, we see an opportunity to bring new and exciting technologies to our customers through an automatic energy management solution that works in real-time."

Adding Xfinity home with a thermostat will add $40 to your monthly bill and will require an initial investment of $350.

No Surprises - Aereo Sued

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:07:07 -0800

In a move that should surprise no-one, Aereo is being sued by not one, but two groups of broadcasters (including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the local PBS station) for allegedly rebroadcasting their content without permission.

Subscribers pay $12/month to access 27 locally broadcast TV stations that Aereo streams via the web. Billionaire owner Barry Diller's, who was previously CEO at Fox, believes the company is not infringing copyright because each user does have their own antenna.

The way Aereo works is that instead of rebroadcasting the signal from a single antenna, each watching subscriber is assigned a remote Aereo mini antenna. They just happen to be watching the channel with a remote antenna.

Aereo is due to launch its service on March 14th, exclusively in New York city.

AVSystemsMag.com, the new eMagazine has a greater focus on Commercial AV, Automation and Digital Signage

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:42:19 -0800

HomeToys.com, a leading Home Technology and Automation eMagazine, went live today with a freshly revamped website. The new look is designed with increased white space and easier to navigate features that will improve the reader's overall experience. Not to worry though, it's 16 years of archived articles, news and product information remains intact. It's just easier to find.

Along with the revamped look for HomeToys, the developers also formally announced the launch of their newest eMagazine, AVSystemsMag.com. Following the same mission and format as its sister publication AVSystemsMag.com will have a stronger focus on the Commercial side of AV & Automation as well as the digital signage industry.

Click here to visit AVSystemsMag.com:

Z-Wave Snowballs to 600th Certified Product

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:42:56 -0800

Six months ago, saw the 500th certified Z-Wave product: a goal that took almost 6 years to reach. Today, the announcement of a 600th product indicates rapid growth in Z-Wave. What are the primary factors for the growth?

HTML 5 and Digital Signage

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:34:41 -0800

One of the most significant aspects of HTML 5 for digital signage is dynamic content. HTML 5 makes it very easy to display real time information such as stock prices, weather, news headlines, sports scores, etc. Much of this can be accomplished with technologies such as JQuery, and there are companies such as GeckoBoard who specialize in delivering business intelligence via the web. Mark Anderson is a long-time home theater enthusiast and lives on the bleeding edge of Home Automation. He will be covering everything related to Home Automation and AV. He is also a regular contributor to avystemsmag.com, where he covers commercial AV and automation.Please welcome Mark to the HomeToys team.

The Rise of the Personal Cloud

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:11:29 -0800

From the starting point of data backup and synchronization, personal cloud services over the next few years will increasingly focus on media access and storage.

Merging Thermal Storage with Load Shifting for Efficient Cooling

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:08:31 -0800

Reprinted with permission from AutomatedBuildings.com The theory behind load shifting is to use more power when it’s cheap and less power when it’s expensive. The overall system costs are quite low. The insulated holding tank is just a re-used water heater tank, and the thermal battery tank is a store-bought cooler priced at $80. The off-the-shelf copper coils were priced at $20 apiece, and the small circulating pumps each cost around $50. The total cost of the sensors, the Barionet, and the MBus_Io10_LCD is under $350. The WattNode demand meter and the water meter are optional components and economically priced.

Discovering Your Process

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:58:15 -0800

One of my most recent adventures was just doing this rediscovering. First off we organized a Team having expertise in the various Departments – Sales, Project Management, Procurement, System Engineer, and Operations. They provide a great detail look into their day-to-day operations regarding how changes should occur. Things we first identified…too many E-Mails going around, Items not getting ordered correctly based on changes, things falling through the cracks, Changes not truly being managed, and Multiple Change Request currently.

Here a Tablet, Everywhere a Tablet

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:55:32 -0800

Consumers are using tablets for emails, checking on the news, social networking, gaming, reading books and watching videos. But, how are businesses using tablets? Just as the notebooks have replaced the PC, we can expect the tablet to replace the notebook, as they are smaller and lighter. The usage of tablets in business is multifaceted; and we will see more creative uses in the future, but the future of tablets in business will depend on software development, which is in a growth stage right now.

Trends of 2011 and the Storylines for 2012

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:41:24 -0800

Many thanks to our friends at Parks Associates for this great summary of what happened last year and what to expect over the next.

A 3D Printing Primer

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:35:11 -0800

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship "Enterprise". Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before. Do these words sound familiar? Well, today man has gone where no man has gone before. On the star ship Enterprise, there is a device known as a “replicator.” The concept was to have a 23rd century technology that could replicate anything by reconstituting raw material into the object desired.

What Are the Characteristics of a Good-Sounding Room?

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:23:17 -0800

No matter how well treated, there is no such thing as a perfect-sounding room. Second, no matter how good a room might sound on its own, every room can be improved with intelligently-applied acoustic treatment.

A Year Without Cable TV

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:21:11 -0800

A little over a year ago, I went cold turkey with Cable. I had literally everything that one of the big providers could offer (as my sister-in-law worked there, and we owned a two-flat with her). In this article, I’ll share my experiences and the current state of play with TV in my house. Mark Anderson is a long-time home theater enthusiast and lives on the bleeding edge of Home Automation. He will be covering everything related to Home Automation and AV. He is also a regular contributor to avystemsmag.com, where he covers commercial AV and automation.Please welcome Mark to the HomeToys team.

NFC coming to a smart phone near you

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:16:55 -0800

NFC stands for Near Field Communication. So, what does this mean? If you attend a trade show and meet someone, whom you would like to exchange business cards, you both can touch your NFC smart phones to the other’s show badge and the information is exchanged. You no longer have to carry a pocket full of business cards, or have to sort cards after the show.

Z-Wave Announces 600th Certified Product

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:07:25 -0800

The Z-Wave Alliance, the consortium behind the world's largest ecosystem of interoperable wireless control solutions, today announced that it has certified its 600th product. This major milestone solidifies its position as the leading consortium dedicated to Home Control and Smart Energy development. The 600th Z-Wave product is a Whole House Energy Meter designed to provide timely and accurate consumption data.

Six months ago, saw the 500^th certified Z-Wave product: a goal that took almost 6 years to reach. Today, the announcement of a 600^th product indicates rapid growth in Z-Wave. What are the primary factors for the growth? Read Mark's take on this here.

Spotlight on Ultraviolet

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 02:19:48 -0800

Spotlight on Ultraviolet Ultraviolet promises to be the digital movie locker in the cloud. Momentum seems to be gathering with a few major players (Samsung, Amazon and Paramount) signing up recently. I decided to take it for a spin and see if the reality matched the PR hype.

2012 will be the year of Home Automation

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 02:18:45 -0800

I know what you’re thinking: another “year of X” prediction that has as much chance of coming to fruition as I have of winning the lottery. (I’m still waiting for smell-o-vision.) So, why am I so keen to stake my reputation on this? One reason: the number of entry level systems appearing on the market. We’ll be reviewing some of these over coming months, but for now we’ll just list some of the major contenders. Mark Anderson is a long-time home theater enthusiast and lives on the bleeding edge of Home Automation. He will be covering everything related to Home Automation and AV. He is also a regular contributor to avystemsmag.com, where he covers commercial AV and automation.Please welcome Mark to the HomeToys team.

Is Windows Media Center Alive?

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:00:00 -0800

Windows Media Center is one of the best and most underrated products produced by Microsoft. As a cord-cutter, I use it as my TV guide, DVR and a whole lot more. In the last few months, I’ve attempted to find three key plug-ins. Not one exists. It seems developers interests lie elsewhere these days. So is this a nail in WMC’s coffin. I hope not.

Speaker Impedance, Your Amplifier And You.

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 04:58:39 -0800

In the audio world, simple spec numbers rarely adequately describe real-world performance. When a speaker is specified as being "8-Ohms," that is really an oversimplification of a complex issue. A speaker's impedance is different at different frequencies!

PARKS ASSOCIATES FORECASTS OVER 60% OF U.S. HOUSEHOLDS WILL HAVE AN ENERGY MANAGEMENT NETWORK BY 2022

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:32:04 -0800

Retailers, service providers, and utilities are all entering the U.S. market for energy management, which will help drive annual subscription revenues from these systems to over $180 million by 2015, according to Parks Associates. The international research firm hosts Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer in Austin, Texas, February 28-March 1, an annual event focusing on new technologies, partnership opportunities, and consumer-oriented energy management solutions.

“Energy management is being bundled with home monitoring and control, security, broadband, and video services,” said Tom Kerber, Director, Research, Home Controls and Energy, Parks Associates. “Next week, we will hear insights into partnership opportunities that can generate recurring revenues, reduce customer attrition, develop value-added services, and engage consumers in new ways with energy management solutions.”

AVC Group Launches Global Training Program

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:51:30 -0800

The AVC Group, in a effort to provide its international distributor network with a new level of training support, has begun a comprehensive training program that combines trade show, Internet, and field-based classes into one global training initiative.

According to Ken Johnsen, international training manager at The AVC Group, the new program was rolled out last month at ISE 2012 and featured brand specific training on the Elan, Niles, Xantech, Sunfire and Aton brands. "Over a five-day period we trained a large percentage of our European distributor partners and their trainers on every aspect of each brand's product line," Johnsen said. "We are now taking this same integrated approach and bringing it to every part of the world."

The entire focus of The AVC Group's international education effort, Johnsen emphasized, is to "train the trainers" to be complete experts in all of the five brands' product offerings. "Our goal is to provide our distributors with the tools they need to successfully represent any brand within The AVC Group. To achieve this goal, we are combining trade show, internet, and field-based classes into a single comprehensive program that allows for the largest number of trainers to be trained in the most time and cost-efficient way possible. These training courses will culminate in a certificate of completion for various products and techniques unique to the brands of The AVC Group."

It's cool to have rabbit ears again.

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:41:58 -0800

Largely relegated to obscurity decades ago, old-fashioned television broadcasts—over the airwaves and not via cable or satellite—are enjoying an unexpected revival in the digital era.

With an increased array of online-video programming now drawing viewers' attention, companies are starting to pitch consumers on complementing online video streamed from the Web with broadcast-TV signals as a way to save money on cable subscriptions.

If it gains traction, this trend could undercut part of the rationale for selling off TV spectrum in voluntary auctions, approved by Congress on Friday, aimed at freeing up spectrum for wireless broadband.

There are signs that consumers are responding. TV-antenna seller Richard Schneider of St. Louis says sales at his company are soaring. Mr. Schneider's Antennas Direct sold 70,000 antennas in January, and he expects to double last year's sales of about 600,000. That was up from 400,000 antennas in 2010.

Apple TV taken off store shelves; refresh coming soon?

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 06:55:58 -0800

If you're looking to buy an Apple TV, you're going to have an exceedingly difficult time doing so.

As of this writing, BestBuy.com and Walmart.com don't even list the Apple TV on their sites, and Amazon has stopped selling it. Apple's online store is the only major e-commerce Web site CNET has come across that lists the Apple TV, and actually has the set-top box in stock.

AppleInsider, which first reported on the news, says it's a similar story in many brick-and-mortar stores around the country, with one Best Buy sales representative telling the blog that "it doesn't look like we'll be getting [the Apple TV] back."

So, what's going on? All signs point to an Apple TV refresh. Full Article from CNet:

Boxee may launch a DVR subscription service

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 06:59:07 -0800

Boxee is considering the launch of a DVR subscription service for users of its new Live TV tuner, according to a user survey the startup sent out over the weekend. A Boxee-powered DVR subscription service could cost anywhere from $5 to $15 per month if the company follows through with the offering. Boxee recently released its Live TV tuner, which allows owners of the Boxee Box to receive over-the-air TV programming through the device. The tuner currently doesn't support any DVR functionality, but there have been numerous requests to add this to the Boxee Box, and the startup has said that it is looking into such a possibility.

Majority of Buyers Prefer Bigger LED Backlit TV's

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 06:56:00 -0800

TV buyers have shifted away from LCD towards backlit LED over the last quarter. 40-42-inch sets are now the preferred size (source: isuppli).

In Q3 2011, over 50% of buyers opted for TV’s based on LCD or cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL). In contrast, in Q4 of 2011 the pendulum shifted dramatically in the direction of LED. Moreover, 81% of buyers who had previously expressed a preference for CCFL purchased LED models. LCD and plasma both hovered around the low 20% in Q4.

CCFL is a long tube placed behind the LCD (which does not emit any light itself). The CCFL is illuminated and the liquid crystal turns on or off to allow light to pass through or to block it. Because it’s a tube, the entire unit must be on or off. LED sets overcome this limitation as they are installed in arrays and can be turned on and off selectively to provide what is referred to as “local dimming”. Local dimming improves picture contrast as the LED’s can be turned off in dark areas of a scene, whereas CCFL’s are always on. Budget sets will use edge-lit LED’s while higher end models will arrays of LED’s behind the LCD. LED’s do not have a on 1:1 ratio with pixels, so dimming can only be achieved in “blocks”. Organic LED (OLED)

The improved picture quality is an obvious reason for the rapid change. A reduction in price disparity between CCFL and LED has also helped to sway buyers toward LED. The price differential has dropped from over 30% to about 13% over the course of a year. Substantial promotion of LED by retail stores and the media has no doubt had an effect on buying decisions.

32-inch TV’s used to be the most commonly purchased size, but this has now increased to 40-42 inches. Reduced prices mean that larger sets can be purchased for the of a 32-inch set a few years ago. The shift to HD has no doubt driven consumers to larger sizes, as they try to replicate the theater experience at home. Compared to a 4:3 aspect ratio picture, the picture height of a 32-inch 16:9 aspect ratio picture is almost 4-inches smaller (19.2 vs. 15.69-inches). Stepping up to 40-inches results in a 19.6-inch vertical size.

Google working on home entertainment device

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:51:52 -0800

The company behind the Web’s most popular search engine is working on a home entertainment device, according to a filing with the Federal Communications Commission. And reports say that device will stream music wirelessly in people's homes.

Google plans to test 252 of the devices in its employees’ homes in Mountain View, Calif., where it has its headquarters; in Los Angeles; in New York; and in Cambridge, Mass. The device uses wireless home networks and “requires testing outside the laboratory environment,” the filing said.

The device isn’t ready to ship yet. The company says it’s still in the “prototyping phase.”

Google is looking for promising gushers other than its gangbusters search advertising business, which accounts for nearly all its revenue.

Amazon and Viacom close to Web video deal

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:56:29 -0800

Amazon.com Inc is about to announce a Web video deal with Viacom Inc in what sources said was one of the last steps in a plan to launch a standalone subscription service to compete with Netflix Inc. The online retailer will unveil the deal as soon as this week, according to two people familiar with the discussions. Viacom, which owns TV shows and movies from MTV Networks, Nickelodeon and Paramount Studios, would be the latest of several partners Amazon has made deals with for its Prime Instant Video service. So far, major studios such as CBS Corp, Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros, News Corp's Fox, Sony Corp, Comcast Corp's NBC Universal and Walt Disney Co have licensed programming to the retailer.

VERIZON AND COINSTAR'S REDBOX FORM JOINT VENTURE TO CREATE NEW CONSUMER CHOICE FOR VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:40:21 -0800

Verizon and Coinstar, Inc. today announced the formation of a joint venture that will create a new choice for quality- and value-conscious consumers seeking a simple and affordable way to access the video entertainment they crave. The venture's services will offer all of the convenience, simplicity and value of Redbox® new release DVD and Blu-ray Disc® rentals combined with a new content-rich video on-demand streaming and download service from Verizon.
The joint venture plans to introduce the product portfolio in the second half of 2012. It will offer subscription services and more in an easy-to-use, flexible and affordable service that will allow all consumers across the U.S. to enjoy the new and popular entertainment they want, whenever they choose, using the media and devices they prefer. Additional brand and product information will be revealed in the coming months.

Is the Japanese TV Business Facing Extinction?

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:03:54 -0800

You would be forgiven for thinking that TV manufacturers were doing pretty well. After all, for the last few years we’ve seen abundance of new products flooding the market: 3D, ultra-skinny backlit LED, 70”+ behemoths, 21:9 ratio sets and OLED is being released later this year. Despite this, all is not well in TV-land. Several manufacturers have recently issues losses (or warnings of losses) in their TV divisions:

Panasonic warned of $10.2B loss and reduced projected shipments of TV from 19 million to 18 million sets this year.

A few days ago, Sharp announced its worst ever annual loss of $3.8b and said it will cut the output at its largest TV panel factory by 50% to reduce inventory.

Sony is predicting losses in its TV business for the 8th consecutive year.

Hitachi announced that it will stop making TV’s in its Gifu facility by September this year.

In 2011, Philips abandoned TV production.

According to flat panel industry research company DisplaySearch, annual global sales of liquid crystal TV’s will contract by 8% by 2015 and plasma will shrink by 38%. The latter not being good news for Panasonic, who are the major manufacturer in this sector.

Many of the manufacturers’ problems are caused by fluctuations in the Yen, which has appreciated by almost 25-percent in the last 3 years. This makes exports of Japanese products very expensive in relation to other countries’ products (such as South Korea). In an effort to combat this and the effect of exchange rate fluctuations, many are turning to outsourcing and contract manufacturing.

South Korean manufacturers Samsung and LG now produce about one third of all TV’s globally and will ship new OLED products later this year. Vizio has leapt to over 25%. As a result, there has been a lot of shake ups in the Japanese companies while they try and recover. With strong rumors that Apple will launch their TV in the near future, the Japanese manufacturers have little to be positive about.

Happy Chinese workers spell the end of affordable tech

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:06:43 -0800

Recent coverage in the media over worker conditions in the Chinese factories which manufacture Apple's products have "exposed" much of what all of us in the technology industry already knew but were unwilling to accept - that China is the most powerful engine of production for the technology industry, and that the blood, sweat and tears of Chinese workers is what fuels that hungry engine, at a tremendous cost to human rights. The bottom line why all of these manufacturers, Apple included, outsource much of their manufacturing to China is that the labor is cheap, in addition to escaping American taxes and regulatory issues which lower the costs of production. It would be nearly impossible for these companies to stay competitive if they produced electronics in the United States because you would have to pay these workers decent salaries and decent benefits, you would have to conform to American labor laws which significantly reduce the number of hours these people could work, and you could never legally employ child workers. So the sad truth is that in order to feed the world's thirst for the latest and greatest in inexpensive smartphones, tablets, computers and other consumer electronics, a vast number of human beings in China need to suffer.

LG Display in talks with Sony to supply OLED TV panels?

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:02:12 -0800

There are reports that Sony is increasing its LCD panel purchases from LG Display. Sony stopped their partnership with Samsung (Samsung bought Sony's stake in the LCD joint venture). An LGD official is quoted saying that future talks will also cover OLED TV panel outsourcing. LG Display is currently gearing up to start producing 55" OLED TV panels. Their 8.5-Gen pilot line will produce around 48,000 monthly panels - which probably won't be enough to outsource to Sony. But LGD already decided to increase their OLED TV panel capacity (by building a new fab or perhaps converting an LCD line). This will take at least a year and half.

Boxee officially pulls the plug on PC client

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:41:11 -0800

Want to run Boxee on your PC or Mac? Then hurry up; Boxee is removing all copies of its PC-based app from its servers by the end of the day Tuesday to fully concentrate on the Boxee Box. The company announced the move late last year, and Boxee VP of Marketing Andrew Kippen confirmed Monday that the company is going through with its plans, despite some criticism from Boxee's early adopters.

HomeToys.com - Bringing all the news from Integrated Systems Europe 2012

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:33:45 -0800

Being held in Amsterdam this week ISE 2012 welcomes over 750 exhibitors amd will be the largest professional AV and systems integration trade show ever held in Europe, bringing together manufacturers, distributors, integrators, specifiers and technology managers from over 100 countries worldwide.

HomeToys.com will bring you all the breaking industry news and product announcements via our ISE 2012 Newspage.

Click here to visit the ISE Webpage

Stay tuned for our ISE 2012 show report.

Netflix: No plans for games, but 3-D streaming possible

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:28:31 -0800

Remember that expansion into the gaming space that Netflix was talking about when it launched its Quickster DVD rental service last summer? Those plans seem to be canned together with the whole Quikster idea, according to statements by the company's CEO Reed Hastings on Wednesday's earnings call. However, the company may have another interesting product in store for its streaming subscribers: 3-D movies. "On streaming, that is definitely something we can do and we will be looking at," Hastings said. The company is already offering 3-D Blu-rays for rent, but hasn't said how well these titles are doing. Subscription plans for physical discs have been declining sharply, and Hastings said during the call that he expects these numbers to decline quarter-over-quarter "forever."

Kaleidescape vs. DVD CCA: Judge Rules Against Movie Servers

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:50:15 -0800

Kaleidescape, a prominent manufacturer of high-end movies servers, has lost its latest battle in its eight-year war against the DVD Copy Control Association, the organization that licenses the Content Scramble System (CSS) for DVD players. The DVD CCA sued Kaleidescape in 2004, arguing that its products violate a licensing agreement that expressly prohibits the copying (ripping, archiving) of DVDs. Judge William J. Monahan of the Santa Clara County Superior Court in California issued the tentative judgment favoring the DVD CCA on Jan. 9, 2012. The ruling is subject to revision pending input from the two parties. If it stands as written, the DVD CCA can permanently prohibit Kaleidescape from selling DVD movie servers, unless the disc is present at playback (or some other authentication mechanism is in place) -- effectively killing the movie server category as we know it.. The DVD CCA also may collect court costs.

Someday we could all have a home battery

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:46:20 -0800

Amidst the grid-climbing robots, smart thermostats, and electric cars at the smart grid conference DistribuTECH in San Antonio, Texas this week, battery makers were touting their low-cost batteries as energy storage for the grid, for buildings, and some day, homes. It's not so unfeasible that in the future many homes could have their very own battery, likely to be combined with a rooftop solar panel. In Panasonic's booth - the company bought controlling interest in Sanyo back in 2009 - a battery box was featured. The box strings together hundreds of small format lithium-ion laptop batteries in much the way Tesla for its electric car battery. (Note: Tesla also uses Panasonic laptop batteries.) A couple of battery stacks would be enough for a single family home, combined with an inverter already retailing in Germany (one of the largest rooftop solar markets) for less than $5,000. A few years ago there were reports this battery could store a week's worth of electricity.

Boxee rolls out 1.5 software update with Live TV support

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:53:48 -0800

Boxee is rolling out some major updates to its connected television platform today, including a new software update to support the company's Live TV stick product, which goes on sale today. The Boxee Box is a streaming set-top box featuring Boxee's open-source media software, which transforms televisions into internet connected media centers. The company announced back in November it would be launching Live TV stick, a $49 addon that acts a high-powered HD antenna to give Boxee Box owners access to local channels like ABC, CBS, Fox, CW and NBC with no monthly fee. Boxee is betting that the combination of free basic live TV channels with videos from services such as YouTube, Netflix, Vimeo and others will be enough for many people to end their expensive cable subscriptions (a.k.a. cut the cord).

Rocketboost sound gets iOS and Android apps

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:28:12 -0800

Best Buy gave owners of its Rocketboost wireless audio system a way to steer it independently with both desktop and mobile apps. Both a Windows controller (above) and an iOS app (free, App Store) let users pipe audio from a Rocketboost host device to any Rocketboost audio system on the same local network, including Insignia TVs and soundbars. It lets users mix and match sources and destinations, also giving them a signal strength for each device to give a hint of how reliably it will play. The system depends on having a computer with a USB adapter that makes the RF wireless-based connection to end devices. Rocketboost's main advantage is claimed to be its "HD" audio by using the higher bandwidth RF affords without having to tie the audio to a specific app or using a short-range, narrow bandwidth technology like Bluetooth.

SOPA halted in House

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:20:27 -0800

The Stop Online Piracy Act has officially been put on hold. U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) announced that the House Judiciary Committee, which he heads, "will postpone consideration of the legislation until there is wider agreement on a solution." Smith added that he has taken critics' concerns "seriously." "It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products," Smith said in today's statement. The statement from the House Judiciary Committee does not mention SOPA by name, but a committee representative contacted by phone confirmed that it does indeed refer to the Stop Online Piracy Act.

Net-Connected TV Fuels 3DTV Popularity

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:11:57 -0800

Lackluster 3DTV sales may be getting an unexpected lift. That's thanks to expected growth of Internet-connected TV shipments, according to U.K.-based Futuresource Consulting. The company forecasts such TVs will comprise 80% of all worldwide TV shipments in three years. Right now, connected TVs shipments are at 27% of all TVs shipped globally. When it comes to 3DTVs, shipments of 16 million units are estimated for 2011, growing to represent 50% of the market in 2015. But there might be an asterisk here. Futuresource says: "One of the key reasons behind the growth of 3DTVs is that consumers are purchasing the 3D function by default when looking to upgrade to higher-end models." The firm notes the public is "unaware of the in-built 3D capability at the time of purchase." Right now, Net-connected TVs have the biggest share of the market in Japan, where they represent 59% of all TV shipments last year. Looking at other big markets -- USA and China -- both are getting 29% share of Internet-connected television sets. Europe receives a 24% share.

Samsung Group plans record $41 billion investment in 2012

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:55:04 -0800

Samsung Group, which includes Samsung Electronics Co, said on Tuesday it is raising its 2012 investment to a record $41.4 billion (26.9 billion pounds), underscoring the widening gulf between the dominant South Korean conglomerate and its faltering competitors. Best known for making massive investments in new technologies ahead of rivals, Samsung is now banking on logic chips and OLED displays to repeat its roaring success in flash chips, computer memory chips and LCD flat-screens, even as a gloomy global economic and IT spending outlook forces its peers to be conservative in spending. Samsung Group, South Korea's biggest business group, did not provide a breakdown of the 47.8 trillion won investment. But analysts have widely expected it to raise investment in mobile chips and next-generation OLED (organic light emitting diode) flat-screen displays.

Venture capitalists, startups hope to hit Sin City jackpot

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:55:26 -0800

The world's technology showcase has long been a vibrant meeting place for industry executives, consultants, fund managers, analysts and bloggers. But in the past five years, entrepreneurs, and the venture capitalists they depend on have joined the club. Howard Morgan, a partner at First Round Capital, said CES gives him a chance to connect his portfolio companies with retailers. One of his portfolio companies Ambient Devices, which makes weather forecasting gadgets, reached a deal for Brookstone stores to sell its products after an agreement struck during a previous show. Another deal that Morgan was able to broker at a CES show was with Best Buy. CES has become a mandatory event on the calendar for VCs lured by the promise of connecting fledgling startups with the tech world's biggest companies. Although Apple, the industry's largest company, did not have a exhibit at CES, a source familiar with the company's plans said more than 250 Apple employees registered for the week-long convention.

Home Theater Speakers Getting a Wireless Standard

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:29:19 -0800

Nothing complements a big-screen HDTV like a great 5.1 or 7.1 home theater audio system -- but running wires to connect speakers in all corners of a room can get messy. Wireless speakers address the cable problem, but with no standard in place for wireless home theater audio, you're pretty much forced to buy a complete system from one vendor to be sure everything works. The Wireless Speaker & Audio Association, or WiSA, a group that includes such well-known speaker manufacturers as Klipsch, Pioneer, Sharp, and the parent of Polk Audio, is trying to address that problem. The one-month-old group is working on specifications and a certification testing program for high-performance wireless speakers and the consumer electronics that use them (e.g. HDTVs and Blu-ray players). The idea is that WiSA-certified components would work together, regardless of manufacturer, to deliver high-quality home theater audio over wireless speakers.

SANUS - XF228 Full-Motion TV Wall Mount

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:20:38 -0800

The XF228 is a full-motion wall mount for 42" - 84" flat-panel TVs. The mount features a pre-assembled interface and strong, ultra-light extruded aluminum wall plate for the quickest, easiest installation possible. Featured technologies include the FollowThru™ in-arm cable management channel, Virtual Axis™ fingertip tilt, ProSet™ height and leveling adjustments, an open wall plate and up to 20" of extension.

SANUS - BFAV48 Basic Series Furniture

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:17:58 -0800

The SANUS Basic Series BFAV48 audio video stand is beautifully crafted with hardwood veneers available in a rich chestnut or chocolate finish for a contemporary style that is sure to complement any room décor. The furniture's unique design allows it to be positioned in a corner or flat against a wall. The BFAV48 is easy to assemble with no tools required. Vented shelves allow warm air to escape so heat on AV components is kept to a minimum.

SANUS - VMA302 iPad® 2 Mount Adapter

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:15:20 -0800

The VMA302 Mount Adapter provides an easy solution for iPad 2 mounting anywhere in a home or office. The VMA302 can be attached to any VESA 100 x 100 compatible TV mount. No tools are required to attach or remove the iPad from the adapter - just grab it and go! When paired with a full-motion mount, the adapter ensures the perfect viewing angle is always available.

AVSystemsMag.com - Commercial AV & Automation eMagazine

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:29:26 -0800

From the publishers of HomeToys.com; AVSystemsMag.com is a community website where those of you who work in the Commercial AV and Automation Industry are invited to contribute articles, news and product information for your peers to read and discover. Our philosophy is to create an outlet where the industry can report on itself.

RP32-WIFI Wi-Fi Thermostat with Integrated Web Server. PC, Mac, Tablet & Smart Phone compatible.

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:05:07 -0800

NetworkThermostat, announces the new RP32-WIFI wireless IP thermostat. This is a Wi-Fi programmable thermostat that includes a built-in web server with simple connection from any PC, Mac, smart phone or tablet. Intuitive interface, powerful web engine, and an open API for integrators. There's no need for platform specific mobile apps; it's all built in. Simultaneous connection from an automation system and from any browser. Email & Text alerting included. Direct connection. No service fees.

Nature Could Make SSD the Storage Solution Everyone Will Enjoy Soon