Audio News Nov. 9, 21012

by | Nov 9, 2012 | Audio News

Composer Elliott Carter Dies at 103 – Iconic American composer Elliott Carter passed away in New York Nov. 5. His career spanned over 75 years and he composed 158 works, including the latest—Instances—which will get its world premiere in February 2013 at the Seattle Symphony. Charles Ives first encouraged the composer toward a career in classical music, and he studied with Walter Piston and Nadia Boulanger. He is one of a handful of composers elected to the American Classical Music Hall of Fame. The range and diversity of his music has had an influence on countless composers and performers worldwide.
Vizio 21:9 Display Makes Consumer Reports’ List of Ten Standout Electronics Products – The 58-inch LCD CinemaWide XVT3D580CM has the ultrawide 21:9 aspect ratio to mimic the shape of 2.35:1 movies on the home screen (but with huge side borders for 4:3 sources). And it is 3D. SRP is $2000.
Heterogeneous System Architecture Foundation – Another new term to get our brains around. Yes, there is such a foundation, the HSAF. Heterogeneous architecture in the next generation of mobile, embedded and consumer devices will enable smoother user experience for computer vision, image processing and graphics-intensive application in small consumer devices. LG Electronic is a new member, giving the foundation greater depth in the smartphone, tablets, TVs, digital cameras and even e-book reader space. The entire ecosystem of consumer electronics can be enhanced via a common heterogeneous systems architecture.
Sony, Sharp and Panasonic All Report Significant Losses – Japan’s consumer electronics giants are showing signs of faltering. All three companies make good quality products, but so do their overseas competitors, usually at lower prices. None have had the brand loyalty of Apple or the marketing muscle of Samsung. Sales with China have been hurt by Japan’s territorial dispute with them. Sharp has had the biggest stumble. Although outsourced manufacturing became the norm in Japan, Sharp built a huge new factory which has never turned a profit. There has been a crash in the prices of flat-panel TVs. Panasonic’s new president promises to shift the firm away from money-losing TV and gadgets. Sony’s CEO says “We intend to hunker down and build a profitable business.”
Samsung To Revamp Corporate Identity –  Samsung plans to change everything from its messaging to customers to developed a new logo. Their new identity will be unveiled at the January CES Show in Las Vegas, but it will link to lifestyle activities “just like Nike.”  They have become one of the biggest and most powerful companies in the technology world. They are the world’s leading headset seller, top TV maker, and they have boosted sales in their home appliances sector, generating billions of dollars in profits.
Sony Steps Into High-End Home Audio – One of the hopefully profitable new markets Sony is tackling is that of offering quality home theater components and premium price televisions. They have introduced new AR and ES speaker system to complement a 4K home cinema experience. Their latest Bravia Blu-ray player and ES AV receiver are all compatible with 4K ‘Ultra HD’ video.

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