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Visualized CES Edition: Behringer's iNuke Boom speaker dock, a 10,000-watt altar for your iPod
No word on whether it goes to eleven. Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.
FCC tells advertisers to CALM down, lowers the volume on commercial breaks
Pretty soon, you won't have to scramble to lower the volume during noisy commercial breaks -- that's if you even watch live TV. After making its way through Capitol Hill, the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (or CALM) -- which aims to keep the sounds coming out of your flat panel even-keeled -- has just been adopted in a ruling by the FCC. Starting next December, ads and promos will have to remain in-step with the audio levels of scheduled programming. While the affected parties have a full year to get their acts together, the main burden of enforcement lies with broadcasters and MVPDs like Comcast and Verizon FiOS. So, come next holiday season, you'll be able to tune in and tune out without being blown away.
Nokia X1-00 is ultra cheap, ultra loud
Nokia's just-announced X1-00 candybar has exactly two claims to fame: first, at €34 ($47) unsubsidized, it's one of the cheapest phones that the company has ever offered. Second, it's got a gigantic loudspeaker mounted on the back that promises 105 phon of perceived loudness (no, we didn't know that was a unit of measurement, either) -- apparently enough to rattle glass without distortion. As with many other devices targeted at emerging markets, the X1-00 featured an integrated LED flashlight, FM radio, and five distinct contact lists, good for sharing the phone among multiple members of the family. It's also got a microSD slot good for up to 16GB of expansion, a color display, and Nokia's entry-level Series 30 operating system. Look for it in April in your choice of flashy colors.
Corsair SP2500 review
Corsair is sending out another raiding party into gaming audio waters today with the introduction of its very first set of speakers, the SP2500. Priced at $249 and boasting 232 watts of floor-shaking power, this jumbo 2.1 package is an unabashed play for PC gamers' hearts. We've spent some quality time with the SP2500s hooked up to our own desktop and can tell you that the company's boasts about these speakers' full volume range being usable is no lie. They're basically designed to be loud ... really, really loud. Check out the gallery to see just how massive they are and hop, skip, jump, or leap past the break for our fuller impressions. Spoiler: we'll be discussing loudness a lot. Additionally, lest your wallet's not padded enough or your aural needs not quite so extreme, today sees the debut of Corsair's more modest SP2200 2.1 set for $99 alongside the introduction of an HS1A gaming headset, the latter being an almost carbon copy of the well received HS1 from last year, save for the replacement of the USB connector with a more conventional analog one. %Gallery-112261%
CALM Act approved by Congress, should make TV commercials slightly less obnoxious
We did say it'd take an Act of Congress to lower the volume on televisual commercials and, shockingly enough, that's exactly what we've got now. The House of Representatives has given its nod of approval to the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, which, having already cleared the Senate, is now on its way to President Obama's desk for final validation. Once signed into effect, the new legislation will require that all advertisers modulate their volume down so it's no higher than that of the program you're watching, and it'll be the FCC's duty to ensure that they all adhere to the new rule. A year's leniency will be allowed for all those who struggle with figuring out how to turn it down from 11, but after that we should all be able to watch the dying medium that is live television without dreading the commercial breaks.
EU seeks to make 'cranking it to 11' on DAPs happen less often
Love that brain-pounding sensation when you jack that volume past the sensible limit? If so, you best hop on the next flight to somewhere not within Europe, as the almighty European Commission is fixing to peg the default volume limit on portable media players at 80 decibels. If you're stricken with an awful case of déjà vu, you're not alone. You may recall that a similar French law forced Apple to limit the volume level on its iPod family to 100dB, and at that time, it decided to make the limit apply to all units shipped within Europe. Now, the EU is seeking to bring that ceiling down to 80dB on all portable music players in an effort to protect the precious hearing abilities of its citizens, though we should note that said level would only apply to the default setting, not overall maximums. In other words, you can override the recommended listening level if you please, but don't bet on that socialized healthcare taking care of you if The Man finds out. Kidding. Maybe.[Via Telegraph]
Shhhh: PLAYSTATION is now PlayStation
You can finally pull the cotton out of your ears (and please throw it away, that stuff's been in there forever). The keen eyes over at PS3 Fanboy noticed that the latest PS3 firmware update added support for not only Flash 9, but a softer voice as well, replacing "PLAYSTATION" with the less obnoxious "PlayStation" when referring to the console's online service and store. It's unknown if this will be reflected across the PLAYSTATION PlayStation brand, but for now both our virtual ears and shift keys welcome the change. And while we're on the subject of welcome changes, if you could stop poking us with pointy sticks sometime soon, that would be great too. Thanks.
Shouting vase muffles outbursts, doubles as flower holder
We genuinely hope you don't have a need for this thing, but after standing in one of the many iPhone lines for hours on end, only to hear Apple tell you to come back in the morning and try again, we can certainly see how it would come in handy. Best we can tell, the shouting vase is just a sophisticated (or not) muffling utensil, which enables tempestuous individuals to unleash incredible roars that no one will be forced to endure. Still, at €51 ($80), this thing better produce thoughtful alternatives to our maddening rants for it to be even close to worthwhile.[Via Engadget Chinese]
Loud commercials actually not that loud, just startling
Whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. Is this report really saying that those obnoxiously loud used car commercials aren't any louder than the programs they accompany? In fact, yes. Tom Feran has taken the time to actually explain how loudness works in television here in the US, and the resulting report is pretty fascinating. In essence, a typical drama will have moments of loudness and moments of quiet, and commercials that follow the show have to respect the same maximum as the show. However, unlike the program, commercials can simply max out the volume from start to finish, causing a "perceived" or "inconsistent" loudness that's just barely lawful. As you well know, British regulators are stepping in to make sure no ad is "excessively noisy or strident," but the situation in America could get worse post-2009. You see, digital broadcasts have a wider dynamic range (or loudness spectrum), leaving more room for annoying salespeople to totally invade your eardrum. Nevertheless, the article linked below is a must-read for anyone who has ever been enraged by a "ridiculously loud commercial."[Image courtesy of Derrick Logan]
Dolby Volume to keep levels consistent on Toshiba HDTVs
If you'll recall, Dolby Technologies actually introduced its Dolby Volume solution last fall, but now the firm has announced that it'll be a built-in component of several Toshiba HDTVs. The REGZA ZH500 and ZV500 families, which launch in Japan next month, are both set to include the outfit's audio-processing technology, and in case you couldn't tell, it specializes in keeping volume levels consistent regardless of audio source. Finally, a simple method to overcome those blaring commercials -- just buy a new TV!
QKphone 911 sports deafening ringtone speakers
If you think a 7.1 surround system on the rear of a smartphone is hot stuff, we've found a Taiwanese device that simply puts it to shame. Not much is known about the relatively stylish QKphone 911, but it does appear to sport Bluetooth, a touchscreen QVGA display, some form of "Windows Mobile," a built-in media player, and a piercing array of speakers (count 'em, five) on the rear. Of course, we're sure you're most interested in actually hearing what this bad boy can do, and while YouTube clips don't exactly replicate its power per se, it's certainly better than leaving it to your imagination, right? You know the drill, click on for the videoed demonstrations, but check those volume knobs beforehand![Via Technabob]
Shutting up your Xbox 360
It's no secret that the Xbox 360 is one loud machine. On a decibel scale, ours ranks right below a plane tanking off, and just above a jackhammer. The culprit is the DVD drive inside the machine. If you fire up the Dashboard without a disc inside and visit the Marketplace, download things, play Xbox Live Arcade games, and stare at your theme packs, then you'll notice how quiet the thing is. The Night before Christmas made more noise. The fans ain't that loud, folks. However, slip a disc inside, and it's like a team of hamsters decided to go on a stampede.ExtremeTech has posted a DIY guide to keeping it quiet. It doesn't require hauling out the soldering iron, but you have to get into the guts of your console, and yes -- violate your warranty. Although we'd gladly trade our nearly one-year old warranty at this point for a quieter gaming experience. That grinding ka-chunka chunk of the optical drive makes us nuts at times, especially when the other Joystiqers are sleeping (which hardly ever happens anyhow), and we have to crank the sound down. For those of you brave enough to give this a whirl, we salute you. Let us know how it goes. Off the record, on the QT, and very hush-hush.
