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SRS TruVolume debuts in Vizio's XVT HDTV and soundbar
We should've seen this one coming, because whatever Dolby can do, SRS can do one better -- something like that. Anywho, SRS is debuting its own volume controlling technology today by way of Vizio's snazzy new 55-inch XVT HDTV and VSB210WS soundbar / wireless subwoofer kit. In SRS' words, the tech is an "advanced, intelligent volume control solution that delivers a remarkable TV viewing experience by eliminating irritating fluctuations in volume." Oh, and if you're not exactly looking to buy either of those products, don't be shocked to see this stuff flooding across Vizio's line in short order; Ken Lowe, the company's VP and co-founder has been quoted as saying that he believes "all of [Vizio's] TVs should have SRS TruVolume going forward." And we all know the VP gets what he wants.
SRS Labs' iWOW adaptor for iPods changes the way we think about portable audio
You might not know this, but life as you once knew it is over. No, we're not talking about crises economic or environmental, the Red Menace, or the count down to the year 2012. Much larger than all of this, SRS Labs has announced its iWOW adapter for the iPod. This device is a hardware-based version of their "award winning" iWOW plug-in for iTunes, bringing the same "expansive sound stage" experience that you've been enjoying on your home computer to your iPod Classic, iPod 5G, or iPod nano 3G. Surely, one can't put a price tag on this sort of revolutionary, immersive audio technology, but if we did we're guessing it would be listing for $99 or so. What are you waiting for? The only real danger, as far as we can see it, is that the aural experience turns out to be so mind-blowing that you wind up as some sort of comatose vegetable. But you know what? It's probably worth the risk.
Sony announces four new desktop speakers and a choir of angels rejoice
Sony has announced that it will be manufacturing and selling at least four more products, contradicting rumors that the company has "packed it in," because "we have enough money, don't you think?" The four new desktop speaker systems will find their homes in the SRS line, consisting of the SRS-M50 (the 5W travel speakers that we first saw last week), the SRS-Z50 (a two piece system featuring a 38mm Neodymium driver unit and "rich bass reproduction"), the SRS-D25 (a 25W three piece set featuring a stylish "hatbox" subwoofer) and the crème de la crème, the SRS-Z100, whose 25W speakers boast "enhanced bass response" and "detailed and crisp high frequencies." Capping off this stunning news, the speakers will be available in a number of stylish colors, including "urban black," "luxury pink," and "blazing red." But not so fast! Pricing and availability will be announced at a later date
Toyota develops rear-collision airbag
We've got airbags in the front, airbags to the side, even airbags on the hip -- and now Toyota's installing the first rear-collision airbags into its Japan-only iQ minicar. The bags are designed to protect rear seat passengers, and inflate from above the rear window to blanket your noggin and reduce impact force to the head by half. The new system will be installed in iQ's by the end of the year, no word on whether it'll come to the States anytime soon.
SRS Labs, CSR team up for better Bluetooth audio quality with PureSpeech
Getting Bluetooth headset voice quality good enough to prevent the occasional "come again?" is a never-ending challenge, giving rise to devices like the Jawbone and the perpetually-delayed Nextlink / Motorola Invisio Q7. Most headsets these days bundle some form of noise reduction and echo cancellation, but SRS Labs and chipset manufacturer CSR want to make it easier for companies to bundle the technologies out of the box (or out of the chip, as the case may be) with a minimum of fuss. The partnership has produced PureSpeech, which bundles SRS' VIP+ software for local voice quality with CSR's CVC technology for improving what your callee hears. The one-two combo will be available starting in the first quarter of next year as an option on CSR's BlueCore silicon.[Via Slashphone]
Analog Devices' SoundMax chips bring 5.1 to the TV speaker masses
Claiming that 85% of HDTVs won't be hooked up to external audio equipment, Analog Devices is trying to convince flat panel manufacturers to fit its technology behind the only two speakers many people will ever use. SoundMAX audio processors are built to match plasma and LCD high definition video quality with support for Dolby, SRS and BBE Sound. "Now available", don't be surprised if the ADAV4622, ADAV4601 and ADAV4322 sneak into a flat panel HDTV near you very soon -- if you're the kind of person who needs them, or the kind of person who laughs at folks still listening to audio from their television.
SRS Labs sneaks TruSurround XT into Sharp, Olevia HDTVs
SRS Labs is on the warpath, and it's not showing any signs of slowing down. Just days after syncing up with Vizio, it now has two more partnerships to brag about: one with Sharp, one with Syntax-Brillian. As for the former, you can now sleep easy knowing that (most) AQUOS LCD HDTVs will come with TruSurround XT built right in. As for the latter, this deal ensures that the all new Olevia 2 Series and 6 Series LCD HDTVs have the same technology, which will supposedly make owners "feel as if phantom speakers are placed around them." We're getting chills just thinking about it.Read - Sharp agreementRead - Syntax-Brillian agreement
Vizio, SRS partner up to wow you
Turns out that not everybody is lawyer-angry with Vizio right now. The company has entered a partnership with SRS Labs that will give it access to SRS's portfolio of audio technologies. Fruits of the partnership will start showing up in Q2 of 2008, when Vizio starts making SRS TruSurround XT available in three models: a 42- and 46-inch LCD, and a 50-inch plasma. Not exactly new, TruSurround XT is all about virtual surround sound; that audio we sometimes find phasey and unnatural to the point where it decreases our involvement with the content. But Vizio and SRS have data to back up their strategy: a Consumer Electronics Association poll showed that 76-percent of all flat panels are used without any external audio. We're used to being a minority opinion, but we don't understand the widespread fear over multiple discrete speakers in the room, especially with the rash of stylish HTIB systems now available. If you're in that 76-percent crowd, we suppose virtual surround is better than mono; but you're missing out.
China-bound Philips M600 touts SRS WOW technology
Not that we haven't ever seen a mobile get that mildly interesting SRS WOW badge slapped on it before, but Philips is becoming the next to do so with its M600. This oh-so-sleek candybar makes a play for the music lovers heart -- well, so long as said adorer is in China, anyway. Aside from providing one click access to your stored tunes (not to mention easy access to volume / track controls), the handset packs a 2-inch 220 x 176 resolution display, 1.3-megapixel camera, microSD expansion slot, Bluetooth, a very welcome 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, support for MIDI / MP3 / WMA / AMR files, USB 1.1 connectivity, dual-band GSM / GPRS connectivity and a number of preset equalizer settings to boot. Best of all, Philips keeps its tradition of providing ultra-longevous phones alive by giving users up to 40-hours of music playback on a single charge. 'Tis a shame there's no information on pricing just yet.
SRS Labs looking to infiltrate your next set-top-box
Apparently, SRS Labs is really lookin' to get its name out there. Barely a week after we heard that it was looking to bring surround sound to mobiles, the audio processing firm has now created a business unit with the sole purpose of developing "solutions for set-top-box applications worldwide." Apparently, the outfit will be working hand in hand with cable operators and STB manufacturers -- not to mention the likes of Conexant Systems, Broadcom, NXP and STMicroelectronics -- in order to "integrate SRS technologies into set-top box platforms." Of course, we've no idea how long it'll be before boxes start hitting cable carriers and store shelves with an SRS Labs emblem on 'em, but it certainly looks as if the wheels are already in motion.
Dolby and SRS Labs bring surround sound to mobiles
With all these companies honing in on bringing HD capabilities to handsets, we were beginning to wonder when someone would step up and lend a hand on the audio front. Thankfully, both Dolby and SRS Labs have come forward at Mobile World Congress to announce separate enhancements to mobile audio, so we'll touch on the former first. Dolby Mobile, hailed as an "audio processing technology platform that brings rich, vibrant surround sound to music, movies, and television programs on mobile phones and portable media players," is available as we speak on the FOMA SH905i and FOMA SH905iTV in Japan, but will hopefully float out to other handsets in due time. As for SRS Labs, it's boasting its own SRS CS Headphone technology, which reportedly "takes stereo or surround encoded 2-channel audio and processes it using an ultra-low-power Circle Surround decoder to create 5.1 highly accurate channels." Granted, we're still wondering exactly how 5.1 channels make their way though stereo earbuds, but we'd be up for a listen, regardless. Read - Dolby Mobile Read - SRS CS Headphone technology
Hitachi Maxell unveils Bluetooth iPod dongle, stereo headset
Though Hitachi Maxell didn't see fit to dole out any images to accompany its newest duo of products, at least they're pretty self-explanatory. Up first is the Audio Transmitter / Dongle, which plugs into any iPod's dock connector input and enables audio to be "processed with SRS WOW HD audio enhancement before being transmitted via Bluetooth to any BT-enabled headset or speaker accessory." For those who aren't exactly wowed, you can flip off the process with a button on the appendage. Next up is an apparently unnamed Bluetooth 2.0 stereo headset, which doesn't seem to do anything out of the ordinary. Continuing the ambiguous trend, we're also left sans a price or release date -- thanks, Hitachi Maxell.
Eclipse offering up CD7200 mk II in-dash head unit
Just in case you haven't had your fill of in-car audio news tonight, Eclipse is hitting us up with a brand spankin' new head unit of its own. The CD7200 mk II should slide right into any single-DIN gap, and it comes HD Radio / SAT radio-ready in case you grow tired of listening to those MP3 / WMA discs of yours. Additionally, this unit features a built-in USB port, eight-volt pre-amp, E-iSERV technology, iPod support and SRS Circle Surround to boot. Your guess is as good as ours when it comes to a price and release date, though, but we'd bet this one won't remain in the shadows for too much longer.
IOGEAR intros SRS WOW-equipped Bluetooth Audio Transport
It looks like SRS Labs has found yet another outlet for its sound-enhancing technology, with the company today announcing that it's signed up IOGEAR as its latest partner. What's more, it seems that IOGEAR isn't wasting any time in getting its first piece of gear out the door, as it's also taken the opportunity to introduce its new Bluetooth Audio Transport device, which promises to "dramatically improve the audio performance of content played on any Bluetooth-enabled audio device." The unit also boasts a microphone to let you get in some SRS-enhanced calling, and it should last you around six hours before it needs a recharge. If that's enough to get you to ditch your current headset, you should be able to grab one of these right now for $80.
ViewSonic unveils 42- and 46-inch 1080p NextVision LCD TVs
While ViewSonic already hit us up with a duo of LCD monitors sporting Vista compatibility and HDMI ports, the company isn't done yet, as now we've got two new LCD HDTVs to gawk at, both touting 1080p. The pair of displays also brings along a myriad of inputs, including HDMIATSC / NTSC TV tuners. The 42-inch N4261w offers up a 1,500:1 contrast ratio, 450 cd/m2 brightness, and 178-degree viewing angle, while the larger sibling touts an 800:1 contrast ratio, 500 nits of brightness, and a 176-degree viewing angle. The 42-inch N4261w should hit shelves just in time for March Madness at a cost of $1,799, while the N4661w's price and availability is being withheld until the second quarter of this year.
Norcent readies new plasmas / LCD HDTV for CES
While it seems we really only hear from Norcent when CES is approaching, the California-based outfit is kicking it up a notch this year as well, as it plans to showcase a duo of new plasmas and a flagship LCD HDTV as well. Both PDPs will feature integrated ATSC / NTSC tuners, HDMI, component / S-Video / composite, VGA, 160-degree viewing angle, SRS-enhanced stereo speakers, and a "3D digital comb filter" for color processing. Additionally, the 50-inch PT-5045HD plasma will sport a 1,366 x 768 resolution, 1,000 cd/m2, and a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, while the 42-inch PT-4246HD gets stuck with a 1,024 x 768 resolution and 8,000:1 contrast ratio, but picks up a Clear-QAM tuner and a 1,200 cd/m2 brightness rating. Over on the LCD side, the 37-inch VION LT-3790 one ups the LT-3725 we saw just recently by touting a larger panel, 1,366 x 768 resolution, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 500 cd/m2 brightness, 176-degree viewing angle, built-in ATSC / NTSC (Clear-QAM) tuners, HDMI, component / S-Video / composite inputs, VGA, and the same SRS-enabled speakers as on the plasmas. For those interested in picking one up, the PT-4246HD is on the streets right now for a very reasonable $1,199.99, while the 50-inch flavor will land next month for $1,899.99, and the $1,199.99 VION LCD will hit stores sometime Q2 2007.Read - Norcent's 42- and 50-inch Plasma displaysRead - Norcent's 37-inch VION LCD HDTV
