Audio News for December 31, 2013

by | Dec 31, 2013 | Audio News

LG Improves Audio Experience in New SmartTVs – LG’s senior VP of their AV Division said “TV screens may get the majority of consumers’ attention in the showroom but the unsung hero of great home entertainment is sound.” LG has expanded its its offerings in the emerging SoundPlate category with an all-in-one home entertainment unit which may be placed directly under a variety of 32- to 55-inch HDTVs to minimize clutter. They have a 4.1 channel 320watt sound system and an external wireless subwoofer. It delivers room-filling audio due to two forward-facing and two rear-facing drivers, and it employs a Hi-Fi DAC and Class D amp as well as supporting HDMI with Audio Return Channel, and it is Bluetooth enabled. (Audio quality is usually enhanced running a separate optical or digital audio cable instead of using the ARC.) Three new Blu-ray decks are being introducced for 2014, with Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, Pandora, Netflix and YouTube as well as web browsing. Private Sound Mode 2.0 allows users to route the sound from either a disc or streaming media straight to a compatible Bluetooth headphone or smart phone. The LG Magic Remote allows users to navigate the system with easy pointing and wheel-based actions.

New Denon Sound Bar Speaker System – The Denon Electronics DHT-S514 ($599) can transform any TV into a home entertainment system by delivering a wide-range response including deep bass from a wireless subwoofer, and clear midrange and detailed highs from a multi-driver high-fidelity sound bar with 2 x 5-inch hyperbolic high-rigidity drivers. There are also dual half-inch dome tweeters with response extending to 20 kHz. The matching subwoofer uses dual 5.25-inch drivers working in tandem to deliver authoritative bass found in movie and music soundtracks. It may be placed horizontally or vertically.  The system is also equipped with aptX Bluetooth to provide CD-quality audio streaming from any Bluetooth-equipped portable audio device, smartphone or tablet. The sound bar has 175 watts of total system power.

Survey Shows Increasing Consumer Demand for Smart Home Technology – Over 700 consumers were polled by CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association), showing that 91% aspired to having a whole house control/automation system. 65% of respondents said they already have this in their homes. 53% chose to protect their house with a home security system, and 49% had a home cinema. 90% said they would like to have automatically-operated blinds or curtains, and 87% to have outdoor speakers and audio controls.

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