Audio Video News

Pioneer showthcased Dolby Atmos-enabled Elite Series receivers and speakers at the CE Week trade show held in New York City.

Onkyo, Integra and Pioneer Announce Atmos-Equipped Products

If you haven’t heard of Dolby Atmos—Hollywood’s attempt at delivering a “powerful new listening experience” that’s more enveloping than the best of today’s Dolby Surround 7.1 theaters—you might want to find an Atmos-equipped theater near you and see (actually hear) what it’s all about now that Atmos is heading home.

Tom Nousaine, former contributing technical editor and columnist for Sound & Vision, died June 8, 2014 in Pinckney, MI. He was 69.

A life-long audio enthusiast, Tom’s work appeared in numerous publications, including Stereo Review (predecessor to S&V, Audio, Sound & Image, Video, Car Stereo Review, Mobile Entertainment, Road Gear, Audio/Video International, The Audio Critic, The $ensible Sound, and Telephony.

Tom was a long time member of the Southeastern Michigan Woofer and Tweeter Marching Society (SWTMS) and served as regional vice president of the Audio Engineering Society and chairman of the AES Chicago Section. He founded the Prairie State Audio Construction Society and the Society for Depreciation Professionals while employed as director of capital recovery for Ameritech, one of the seven regional “Baby Bell” companies that arose out of AT&T’s 1984 divestiture.

Disney Movies Anywhere is the studio’s foray into cloud-based content distribution. Buy a Disney movie title on iTunes, and you can enjoy it on multiple platforms—for starters, iOS devices, Apple TV, and major Web browsers, with others to follow. The digital rights management scheme is Disney’s own long-rumored KeyChest, a notable departure from the UltraViolet cloud DRM supported by other major studios. DMA is launching with 400 titles to start, including Frozen. Those who activate DMA and connect it to an iTunes account get a free digital copy of The Incredibles. If you’ve bought a Disney title on Blu-ray or DVD over the past six years, your disc may include a code for cloud access on the DMA platform.

Having music on or around a patio or deck for barbecues, pool parties and just lounging around is important to S&V readers who responded to last week’s poll question: “What kind of outdoor music setup do you have?” It turns out more than a third of the respondents have hard-wired weatherproof speakers but beyond that it’s very much a mixed bag. Here’s the breakdown...

Lutron Electronics has introduced a wireless lighting and shade-control system for do-it-yourself consumers. The system comprises the Lutron Smart Bridge wireless bridge, which connects the company’s Caséta Wireless dimmers, Pico remote controls, Serena remote-controlled shades, and other third-party devices, and an app for controlling lights and shades inside or outside the home from any iOS or Android-based smartphone or tablet.