Audio News for July 2, 2013

by | Jul 2, 2013 | Audio News

 

HDMI v. 2.0 Coming Soon – Intended to be compatible the new 4K UHD standard, the latest update of HDMI may be just weeks away.  The current 1.4 spec handles UHD at 24 or 30 frames per second, but 2.0 will support higher frame rates and bit color will be increased to 10- or 12-bit. There will be much stricter copy protection; hope that doesn’t cause more compatibility hassles. It is rumored an upgrade from H.264 to Y.265 will be part of it, allowing for better image quality with a much more compressed file—good news to the cable and satellite services. Apple’s DisplayPort will be used. HDMI will be the needed standard for UHD in both broadcast and Blu-ray areas. The Blu-ray Association never worked out UHD standards before UHD sets were launched, and there is still almost no source material available, so the majority of HT fans will be sticking with their 1080p setups.

Classical News – The Seattle Opera has named a successor to director Speight Jenkins. He is Aidan Lang, from New Zealand Opera, one of 42 candidates from seven countries who were considered for the job.  The Bamberg Symphony Orchestra – Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition, which was launched in 2004 with Venezuelan Gustavo Dudamel taking first prize, has named this year’s winner.  It is Tung-Chieh Chuang. Ricardo Muti has unofficially said he wants to stay on the podium of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra after his current contract there ends in 2015. He said in an interview: “…there is no reason at all to stop this musical relationship.”  The Columbus Symphony (in MD) and its music director, Jean-Marie Zeitouni, will part ways at the end of next season.

Panasonic Lamp-Less Video Projector – The PR-RW330U is part of their Solid Shine Series projectors using a newly-developed LED/Laser-combined light source for superior reliability and long-lasting brightness, unobtainable with conventional lamp-based projectors. Maintenance-free operation is enjoyed without lamps or air filters, and with outstanding picture quality. A single LAN cable can transmit video, audio and control signals up to 328 feet to enhance permanent installation use. WXGA resolution is 1280 x 800 with 3500 Lumens solid state illumination. SRP is $2500.

Gramophone’s Artist of the Year 2013 Awards –  Alison Balsom, Kristian Bezuidenhout, Michael Collins, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Janine Jansen, Jerusalem Quartet, Jonas Kaufmann, Marc-André Hamelin, Andris Nelsons and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Ceremony September 17.

DTS Celebrates 20th Anniversary – DTS has been a pioneer in advancing cutting-edge AV technologies since its founding in 1993. DTS introduced master-quality surround sound with the film Jurassic Park that year. In its first year DTS had 46 patents, and the company now holds 695 patents. It has shipped over 200 million CE products worldwide. It has witnessed substantial changes, including the shift from chemical film to digital cinema, the Internet boom, the rise of Blu-ray, the evolution of CE processing power, streaming media, social media and transition to digital content consumption.

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