News Archive 2010
Flashy HDMI cables - are we getting strung along?
By Pat Pilcher
HD TV has to be one of the coolest technological improvements since the advent of pineapple lumps. High definition video is crisp, sharp and so detailed it can border on appearing three-dimensional. With HD, watching the telly is almost akin to being at the cinema. Unfortunately, HD video has a dark side.
If like many, you've just purchased a shiny new piece of consumer electronic goodness, chances are that you've also gone into fiscal-induced shock trauma after finding out how much of your hard earned cash you're probably going to have to fork out to get a "premium" HDMI cable so you can hook it up to your LCD or plasma TV.
Whilst many gadget buyers not in the know have felt the pain but chosen to buy a "premium" the HDMI cable anyway, many are appalled that the HDMI scam has continued for so long.
Don't get me wrong, connecting any one of the growing number of AV appliances available with HDMI is a complete no brainer.
Previous generations of AV gear used SCART, component, composite or S-Video connections.
These were analogue, which meant that a percentage of the signal was lost or distorted before it got to your TV, resulting in less detailed video being displayed. HDMI which stands for "High Definition Multimedia Interface," not only delivers video signals as a digital stream, giving you sharp and crispy video, it can also deliver digital audio and allow for two way communication between HDMI connected appliances (so for instance, your Sony TV remote will also work with your Sony DVD player), greatly reducing cable clutter and simplifying your AV stack in the process.
Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz
Wake up and hear the music
By Mike Rose
Hybrid cars, while still in a very small minority, are no longer a novelty. Hybrid technology in marine diesel engines is also now a reality with several manufacturers offering a version as part of their range.
But a wakeboard boat? A boat where the power-to-weight ratio is everything? Where the idea of lugging around a bank of heavy batteries seems, at least at first glance, to be ludicrous?
Well, that, you see, is the trouble with first glances. They often seem so obvious that there is no need for a second glance, or a well-considered third. And in the case of the 23e that would be a mistake.
Because the fact is that wakeboarders are constantly trying to get weight into their boats, especially at the rear. At first glance, this could be because they are almost invariably young, annoying and stupid. On the other hand, it could be because they like to have a heavy transom. Because this buries the stern of the boat and produces a dirty great wake.
Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz
2010 – The year of flashy 3D tellies?
By Pat Pilcher
It may have taken decades for HD television to finally take hold, but after what seems like the blink of an eye, 3D is about to move from the realm of novelty into the mainstream as US pay TV provider, Direct TV, kicks off a dedicated 3D HDTV channel for 2010.
Broadcast 3D TV mightn't be anything new (TV's inventor John Logie Baird demonstrated 3D TV as far back as 1922), but overcoming the many hurdles to widespread adoption has held 3D TV back for decades.
Most of these obstacles now however appear to have been overcome, and prototype 3D televisions have been making numerous appearances at trade shows throughout 2009.
So is 2010 the year that 3D finally reaches critical mass? Many argue that 3D cinematic blockbusters like Avatar have legitimised 3D on the big screen, driving consumer expectations that they'll be able to get the same 3D experience in their home.
The single biggest driver of 3D however is expected to be consumer electronics manufacturers.Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz
Home Theatre 101: Components
By Pat Pilcher
Having already covered the specs that separate average home theatre amps from AV greats and home theatre speaker configurations, this instalment looks at all the other bits you'll need to deliver music and movies to round off a quality home cinema set-up.
AV amps and speakers may deliver the ear candy, but a good HD capable TV is required for peeper-pleasing video. Choosing the right HD capable telly, however, can be bit of a process and further adding to confusion is the multitude of HDTV specifications and choices.
When shopping for a TV, look out for brightness levels and contrast ratio specifications as these tend to have a big impact on overall picture quality.
Brightness is measured in candelas (which most spec-sheets show as CD/M2). More candelas equal brighter images, more vivid colours. Contrast ratios measure the difference between the TVs deepest black and to the whitest whites. Higher contrast ratios will give you crisper looking pictures.
Equally important is the TV's screen resolution, which is the number of horizontal and vertical pixels the screen can display. The more pixels a TV can display, the more information you're able to see on-screen picture.
Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz
Eastern Hi Fi in receivership
Receivers have been called in to Eastern Hi Fi, with the company directors saying they saw no alternative.
"After all of the steps taken during the past year the company reduced its operating expenses in a satisfactory manner but it has not been able to rid itself of the leases of unused and slightly used premises which are now redundant in the company's hands and cause unprofitable trading," a statement from the directors today said.
"As the issue made by the company during 2009 was not filled, the funds then obtained to give time to turn around the business operation and quit the leases have now been used and so the directors have no ability to continue the company trading in such circumstances."
The directors asked ASB Bank, as the first charge holder over the assets of the group, to appoint receivers to each of the companies in the group. Michael Stiassny and Brendon Gibson of KordaMentha were appointed.
Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz
Yoke Har Lee: Kiwi Phitek Systems makes waves - quietly
Millions of air travellers already know the work of Phitek Systems - even if they don't recognise the name. The company's growth has been based largely on improving the quality of sound in aircraft entertainment systems.
Now Phitek is looking for its next wave of growth, by providing electro-acoustic solutions to mobile phone companies and the makers of portable music players.
Chief executive and founder Mark Donaldson says all the strategic planning carried out to develop Phitek's innovations into products and solutions is now coming to fruition.
Late last month Phitek signed a preferred partner agreement with Hosiden Corporation, a major Japan-based electronics manufacturer, enabling Hosiden to integrate Phitek's Active Noise Rejection (ANR) technology into its electronic devices.
Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz
Review: Sonos S5 ZonePlayer
By Pat Pilcher
Since it launched its first multi-zone network music system way back in 2004, Sonos has pretty much set the benchmark.
Able to be set up in mere minutes after undoing, the Sonos Multi-zone network music player system is also expandable to anything up to 32 unique music zones by adding additional ZonePlayers.
Able to stream music stored on a PC/Mac or network drive from over a wireless or wired network to Sonos ZonePlayers, the whole system can be controlled either via a Sonos wireless touch screen controller or an iPhone/iPod Touch using a free controller application.
Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz
Record companies hail radio royalty hike
By John Drinnan
Radio bosses are singing the blues after a 58 per cent rise in the royalties music stations pay record companies and performers.
The Copyright Tribunal has issued a decision that effectively sets the new performance royalties at 3 per cent.
In addition, the tribunal ordered that the royalty rate payable by talk radio stations increase from 0.25 per cent to 0.75 per cent from November 1, 2008, to June 30, 2014.
That is about 58 per cent more than the old deal and about half what the record industry wanted.
Faced with music piracy and tumbling CD sales, the industry is turning up the volume on licensing fees.
Its collections body, Phonographic Performances New Zealand - dominated by the big four multinational music companies - focused on radio early on.
Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz
Red reign will rise again
By Kerre Woodham
Hopefully, if you're one of the 2 per cent of the global population with a recessive gene on chromosome 16, you survived Hug A Ginga Day on Friday.
This was the publicity stunt organised by the Edge radio station that riled the father of two gorgeous red-headed boys to the extent that he appeared not just once, but twice, on Close Up.
Stephen Simpson was seriously angry, decrying the victimisation of redheads and deploring the Edge for singling out kids on the basis of their red hair.
So enraged was he by the perceived persecution that it seemed to have passed him by that the publicity gave oxygen to the radio station and shone the spotlight on the very kids he was trying to protect.
Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz
More than the Budget to smile about
By John Drinnan
The advertising market is on the mend. But New Zealand On Air may extend a deal giving TVNZ and MediaWorks a helping hand through the recession.
Television bosses heaved a sigh of relief last week when the Budget was released.
The Government maintained the allocation to New Zealand on Air which subsidises TV production to the tune of $74.7 million.
The $50,000 grants to multinational record companies to make albums is also safe.
Even some folk in the Wellington arts bureaucracy were surprised the Nats did not touch subsidies that are often used for commercial TV shows.
Maybe it will hit next year's Budget as the Government looks at ways to fund the switch-off of analogue television signals.
In the meantime, it is business as usual for a television sector dependent on subsidies.
Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz
