Eclectic Electronics » Home Theater

SUMOpix photo mosaic: Fusion of art and acoustic/sound treatment never looked better

blued888 — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:00:55 +0000

These photo mosaic acoustic treatments, by SUMOpix, are certainly miles away in aesthetic quality compared to traditional acoustic materials simply wrapped in fabric. Sometimes even if you wrap acoustic treatment materials in different types and colors of fabric, it’s still pretty hard to integrate them into your home as they would still certainly look somewhat out of place.

With SUMOpix.com’s idea of joining artwork with acoustic treatment, just judge for yourself how photo mosaic sound treatments (below) look compared to normal acoustic panels wrapped in various types of fabric (above). The difference is just astounding.

I’m not sure if SUMOpix, a Denmark-based company, ships internationally. I’ve already e-mailed them and I’m waiting for them to give me an answer.

If you’re US-based, you can try GIK Acoustics’ ArtPanel™ or Acoustimacs AcousticART Panels. You have to weigh on deciding between the limitations of each. GIK Acoustics seems to offer only 2ft by 4ft sized panels (either non-wooden frame or wooden framed) and they don’t seem to mention the maximum number of panels per artwork. Acoustimacs on the other hand, has various sized panels but art can span only to a maximum of 3 panels. As for SUMOpix, I don’t think they have a limit because on their page, they use as much as 13 square sized panels so I assume the possibilities are limited by your creativity.

SUMOpix.com Launches Innovative Acoustic Improvement to Use at Home

SUMOpix.com launches innovative acoustic improvement to use at home. SUMOpix offers a new kind of professional acoustic improvement, which is markedly more decorative than the alternatives: sound absorbing pictures.

SUMOpix.com launches innovative acoustic improvement to use at home.

SUMOpix is widely known in Europe for its canvas foto print pictures.
One of the major challenges about decor in especially modern houses, where minimalism is in focus in architecture and decor, is poor acoustic. Due to all the hard, unbroken surfaces; glass surfaces, granite floor and smooth walls, non-absorbent materials and high ceilings it can be difficult to avoid bad acoustics.

Standing waves are sound waves, which is thrown around in the room and therefore takes longer to disappear. It feels like the room resounds, that there is an echo or that there in general is a raised sound level.

There are many solutions to this problem but they often appear heavy to the room’s aesthetics; e.g. raw Rockwool-looking sheets, large carpets or acoustic-panels with strange shapes or perforations hanged on walls or ceilings.

From now on the Danish company SUMOpix offers a new kind of professional acoustic improvement with canvas foto, which is markedly more decorative than the alternatives: sound absorbing pictures.

During the last couple of years, SUMOpix has build a reputable company in the canvas foto print industry, by offering customers a print with either their own pictures on canvas or the opportunity to choose for free between more than 6 million motives in ultra-high solution.

With starting point in these canvas foto print SUMOpix has through cooperation with producers of sound absorbing material and specialists for acoustics, developed a new, innovative product. The product is called sound absorbing pictures. The sound absorbing pictures combine the creative and artistic opportunities for photo print on canvas with the acoustic benefits concerning sound absorbing panels; inside the frame there will be placed a sound absorbing sheet, which absorbs the majority of the sound waves that hits the picture. SUMOpix also produces and sell fotobog.

The sound absorbing pictures effect has been tested – and proven – by the company VM-acoustics, whose test-result you can see in a report on SUMOpix website, where you also can read more about canvas foto print.

[via PRWeb]

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Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD Media Player gets 1080p capability, HDMI port, network connectivity and DTS 2.0 decoding

blued888 — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:30:59 +0000

Seagate, well-known hard drive manufacturer all over the globe, has updated its FreeAgent Theater HD Media Player in the form of the FreeAgent Theater+ HD Media Player. Subtle change in product name but definitely some worthwhile addition in feature set.

Seagate’s FreeAgent Theater+ HD Media Player plays pretty much all files you can illegally download over the internet think of, including popular formats such as DivX, DivX HD, XviD, XviD HD and MKV.

Also a step up from the Seagate FreeAgent Theater HD Media Player are 1080p capability, network connectivity and DTS 2.0 decoding.

It has composite, component and HDMI ports for video along with stereo L/R, optical and HDMI audio output. The device also has 2 USB ports — one on the front, one on the back — to connect more hard drives in addition to functioning as a FreeAgent Go dock (think VHS or Betamax tapes but inserting a FreeAgent Go instead).

The Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD Media Player is readily available via various shopping channels and retails for $149.99 barebones (media player only) or $289.99 with a 500GB FreeAgent Go. A WiFi adapter is set to ship on October for $69.99.

Technical Specifications

The Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player now supports even more Audio/Video and sound formats including MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (VOB/ISO), MPEG-4 (DivX® /Xvid formats), DivX HD, Xvid HD, AVI, MOV, MKV, RMVB, AVC HD, H.264, WMV9, VC-1, M2TS, TS/TP/M2T, JPEG files up to 20 megapixels, BMP, GIF, PNG and TIFF. Audio formats supported include 5.1 channel surround sound, where available, and popular digital audio formats including: AAC, MP3, Dolby Digital, DTS, ASF, FLAC, WMA, LPCM, ADPCM, WAV and OGG. The FreeAgent Theater+ player also offers support for SAMI (smi), SRT and SUB subtitles. To download and transfer content to a Seagate FreeAgent Go portable drive using a Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 operated PC, a 256MB RAM and an available USB port is required. Mac computer users must be running Mac OS X 10.4.11 or 10.5.6 or later and have an available USB port. FreeAgent Theater connects to any TV with composite, component video or HDMI connection and stereo, optical S/PDIF or HDMI audio connection

Though visually minimalistic looking, the Popcorn Hour is a much better investment, considering you can use a standard 3.5-inch hard drive (which definitely costs a lot less than a similar-sized FreeAgent Go) in addition to having Blu-ray expansion capability.

[via Seagate]

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Pioneer BDP-09FD: World’s first THX-certified Blu-ray Disc Player

blued888 — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:30:45 +0000

Constructed with the highest-grade components and electronic circuitry, the Pioneer BDP-09FD THX-certified Blu-ray Disc Player surely can put a dent on your wallet. The device is certainly no slouch in the weight department, coming in at a whopping 30 lbs.

The enclosure is mostly made from solid steel and aluminum, which should be a given because of the price tag. The BDP-09FD is also BD-Live ready, has a rear ethernet jack, and features the company’s KURO linking technology.

“Pioneer recognizes THX as the industry benchmark for rigorous, unbiased testing and endorsement of high performance home theater products,” said Russ Johnston, executive vice president of home entertainment business solutions group at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. “As true A/V specialists, our engineers have worked relentlessly to craft a full line of products that rival the movie theater experience, which not only meet Pioneer’s strict principles for faithful reproduction of content, but now feature THX certification.”

I hardly believe that the $2,200 MSRP for a BDP-09FD will make Blu-ray movies look and sound a lot better. Without a doubt, this would definitely look great in tandem with Pioneer’s current top-of-the-line A/V receivers.

[via Business Wire]

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Toshiba BDX2000 Blu-ray Disc Player hammers the final nail onto the HD DVD coffin

blued888 — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:00:44 +0000

After finally admitting defeat to Blu-ray and filing an application with the BDA, Toshiba is announcing the availability of its first ever Blu-ray disc player which is set to debut on November.

Toshiba’s BDX2000 will feature BD-Live(TM) (Profile 2.0), 1080p/ 24 fps Full HD Video Output, AVCHD Playback, Toshiba REGZA-LINK(R) (HDMI-CEC) and is fitted with a SD card slot.

The Blu-ray player also has support for enhanced audio formats such as Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

MSRP for the Toshiba BDX2000 Blu-ray Disc Player is set at $249.99.

[via PR Newswire]

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Sony PS3 Slim can bitstream Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA

blued888 — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:00:33 +0000

Aside from having a 120GB hard drive, Sony’s PS3 Slim is also able to bitstream high definition audio codecs such as Dolby Digital TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

Bitstreaming passes Dolby Digital TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio to the receiver for decoding. The first generation Sony PlayStation 3 internally decoded high definition audio codecs and sent them to the receiver as LPCM.

While it is arguable that there is a difference in quality when the audio codec is decoded by the PS3 itself or passed to a receiver for decoding, probably 99% of people won’t notice the difference or even care.

The main difference will just be seeing “Dolby Digital TrueHD” or “DTS-HD MA” on the front of your receiver display instead of it showing just LPCM.

[via AV Watch]

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SVS SB13-Plus SB16-Ultra (SB-Series) sealed subwoofers pre-final specifications sheet?

blued888 — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:00:32 +0000

SVS appears to be finalizing the specifications sheet of their highly anticipated family of sealed subwoofers which joins the SB12-Plus with the all-new SB13-Plus and SB16-Ultra.

The entry level SB-Series SB12-Plus still retains its normal pricing amidst the introduction of the higher models. All SVS SB-Series sealed subwoofers will come in a front-firing cubed box design.

Finish	SB12-Plus	SB13-Plus	SB16-Ultra
Charcoal Black	$699	N/A	N/A
Oak and Rosenut	$749	$1,199	$1,799
Piano Gloss Black	$749	$1,249	$1,899

Both the SB13-Plus and SB16-Ultra will be powered by 1000W RMS BASH digital amplifiers (with DSP) as previously mentioned.

Weight and frequency response characteristics have not yet been finalized (as indicated by “est“ as in estimate) and there is no particular mention of wireless connectivity for both, so let’s keep our fingers crossed that SVS is staying on track with that.

There is also no confirmation whether the rumored October 2009 release date for the SB13-Plus and SB16-Ultra is set in stone.

[via AVS Forum]

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Onkyo unleashes TX-NR807 and TX-SR707 A/V receivers sporting Dolby ProLogic IIz and Audyssey DSX

blued888 — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:00:32 +0000

Since Onkyo’s TX-SR607 features Dolby ProLogic IIz, it is only natural that receivers higher up the A/V receiver food chain would also inherit the same thing. Yesterday, Onkyo has announced the availability of the TX-NR807 and TX-SR707.

Tabulated below are the differences between the network-capable TX-NR807 (hence the “NR” designation) and non-network-capable TX-SR707.

Feature	Onkyo TX-NR807	Onkyo TX-SR707
THX Select2 Plus Certified	Yes	Yes
Network-capable	Yes	No
Number of HDMI inputs	6	5
Faroudja DCDi Cinema processor chip	Yes	Yes
Audyssey DSX	Yes	Yes
Dolby ProLogic IIz	Yes	Yes
Power rating	135 watts per channel at 8-ohms	100 watts per channel at 8-ohms
Zone 2 capability	Yes	Yes
Zone 3 capability	Yes	No

Both receivers are pretty much the same in many aspects, with the higher model TX-NR807 overtaking the TX-SR707 in the following areas:

Network capability
Higher power rating
Zone 3 capability
One additional HDMI input
Detachable power cord

The Onkyo TX-NR807 and TX-SR707 are already being shipped to dealers as I write this. They are priced at $1,099 and $899, respectively. Amazon is scheduled to get these beefy-featured A/V receivers by the end of August.

[via Gordon Sell Public Relations]

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Logitech Harmony 900 remote uses RF technology to control out-of-sight components

blued888 — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:00:49 +0000

Logitech has announced the successor to their Harmony One universal remote control, the Harmony 900. The main difference between the two is that the latter can control your devices via RF technology (meaning that you don’t have to maintain a line-of-sight with the remote sensor of your equipment in order to control it).

The Logitech Harmony 900 remote also features a capacitive touchscreen which you can use for various commands. Another thing about RF technology is that it allows you to control devices that are inside a cabinet, as long as you put those included IR miniblasters as Logitech calls it, nearby those devices. Frankly though, do many people keep their home theater equipment hidden inside closed cabinets?

The RF module or the gigantic looking miniblaster, is responsible for converting the RF signal into IR commands which your devices can understand. It is also where you connect those two cute miniblasters.

The Logitech Harmony 900 remote becomes available on September 2009 for a retail price of $399.99. Geez! That’s really expensive for a remote, but of course if you have home theater equipment which are much more expensive… Spending $400 on a remote is definitely not a biggie.

Extra RF modules and miniblasters will be available for purchase soon, depending on where you live.

Package contents include:

Remote control
IR blaster
Charging/docking station
USB cable
2 IR mini blasters
2 AC adapters
Lithium-ion battery
Installation CD
User documentation/manual

Gizmodo, ZDNet and CNET got their hands on this sleek looking remote early for review. So far, all of them have been saying that this is the ultimate remote to have in your home theater arsenal. It does everything you want, includes a capacitive touchscreen, can replace up to 15 remotes but… Did I mention it costs $400?

[via BLogitech]

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Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc Player also available in Europe

blued888 — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:30:13 +0000

The Oppo BDP-S83 Blu-ray Disc Player is available in Europe via OppoShop or Amazon UK. CRT Projectors. They are not an official Oppo dealer and their units of the BDP-83 are imports from the US. Price starts at £514.00. [Thanks to Marcus for the heads up!]

They’re priced pretty much the same from both sources, OppoShop is offering it for €403 (inclusive of shipping) and Amazon UK is offering it for £355 (inclusive of shipping). Take your pick, you can’t go wrong either way.

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Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc Player now in stock

blued888 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:00:17 +0000

Oppo Digital’s much awaited BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc Player is now in stock and ready for shipping from either Oppo or Amazon.

Remember that the BDP-83 has the best of both standard definition and high definition playback. It’s like a DV-983H merged with a super-juiced Blu-ray player, all for just $499.99!

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