It looks like the friends at Redmond will be hosting a special unveiling of next-gen Xbox. Current Xbox Live users can tune in via the soon-to-be-old-news XBOX360, everyone else can find it on Spike TV.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/24/microsoft-announces-xbox-event-for-may-21st/

joec@audiovideointeriors.net

Now available for streamers and Cord-Cutters alike, the new Roku 3 launched a few weeks back and boasts a new interface, remote audio, and a more powerful CPU. For fans of Roku, you’ll find all of your favorite features, but with a new AppleTV-esque tiled layout to the menu system, making it easier to find your favorite channels. The upgraded CPU means better stability and extra horse-power for those of you running the Plex media server to pipe your own content to the device. For newbies, the Roku is the “other” streamer out there, that allows access to all of the major and many of the obscure video streaming services out there. New for the Roku 3, the remote now includes a headphone jack, so that you can plug in your favorite set of Bowers& Wilkins headphones to listen to your favorite shows without disturbing those around you. The Roku 3 can be had for $99, and includes HDMI and WiFi. Unlike the predecessors however, the Roku 3 does NOT offer any connections for analog TVs. For more info, call, email, tweet at us, or just stop on by.

Joe C.

joec@audiovideointeriors.net, @TechManJoe

A post today is adding fuel to the fire that the new Xbox will not only be a kick-(butt) gaming system, but will be even more part of your media universe. The new box is rumored to include enhanced media streaming building off the highly successful XBOX360, and a GoogleTV-like set of features, making the new XBOX your cable-box / media streamer / game system / web browser box. Check out the link, or call, email, tweet @AudioVideoInt, or stop by for more.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/10/xbox-rumor-hdmi-passthrough/

Joe C.

For those of you who have followed our “Cutting the Cord” blogs, there is a new service on the horizon to assist you technology vanguards. Aereo has been providing service to many New Yorkers for the last few months, and they’re taking their talents to Cleveland (and 21 other cities). The service facilitates the free OTA (over-the-air) broadcasts for those of you who don’t have, cant, or want to use a terrestrial antenna. The channels will be available via the web, and can be watched through the any of the five major browsers, through iOS devices, and through your AppleTV or compatible Roku. The service also allows you to use their cloud based DVR, allowing you to record as much as 40 hours of HD television to their servers and play them back on your device. The service is set to launch this year in Cleveland, and is available on monthly or yearly plan. The mere fact that it includes an EPG (electronic program guide) may almost make it worth it if you have an antenna already. As always, for more info, call, email, tweet at us, or just stop on by.

As posted in engadget By Richard Lawler posted Jan 7th, 2013

Walmart Entertainment launched its in-store disc-to-digital UltraViolet conversion early last year, and now it’s making the process a bit simpler by letting customers do it by themselves at home. Powered by the Vudu To Go app for Mac and Windows PCs that already lets viewers stream or download movies in up to 1080p, they can search for previously purchased movies from participating studios (DreamWorks Animation, Lionsgate, MGM Studios, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) and then convert them: DVD to SD or Blu-ray to HD for $2, DVD to HD for $5. Like the beta feature recently launched by Best Buy’s CinemaNow, the app authorizes the copy and then you can watch it through any of the numerous Vudu / UltraViolet-ready devices and services merely by logging in.

One other new feature on the way is the ability for Vudu users on iOS to download copies to their devices for viewing offline. We first saw the feature on mobiles when its Android tablet app launched last month, and it will come to the Apple family of hardware in mid-February. One other note as Walmart attempts to expand its “Entertainment” brand is a Facebook app that will let its fans read and submit reviews and also vote on which movies will be offered for sale in-store and online. Still need a reason to give UltraViolet a try? Vudu is tossing new users 10 free pre-selected movies just for linking their account or signing up.

Attention Movie Fans: Walmart Gives You More Ways to    Love your Favorite Films    Walmart Expands Digital Entertainment Offering with New Disc-to-Digital In-Home Service and Facebook Entertainment App
LAS VEGAS, Nev., January 7, 2013 – Walmart is making it easier and more enjoyable for movie fans to watch their favorite movies when and where they want. Today at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the retailer announced it is expanding its in-store Disc-to-Digital service to provide customers with digital versions of their previously purchased movies from the comfort of their home. Walmart will also be launching a new Facebook app that will give people access to exclusive movie content and the power to influence and shape what movies are sold in-store and online.
“From Smartphones to Smart TVs, our customers are consuming and sharing content more than ever,” said John Aden, executive vice president for general merchandising, Walmart U.S. “We see a great opportunity to provide our customers with accessible and affordable tools to help them bring their movie collections into the digital age. In addition to Disc-to-Digital, Walmart’s new Entertainment Facebook app will give movie fans a starring role by serving as place for them to share, interact with and choose the movies they want to see in our stores and online – ultimately enhancing the way people watch and enjoy movies.”
Walmart Entertainment’s Disc-to-Digital Service, Powered by VUDU    Starting this month, watching DVD and Blu-ray movies from compatible Internet-connected devices will get even easier. Walmart’s industry-leading video streaming service, VUDU, will soon have the capability to convert previously purchased DVD/Blu-ray movies to UltraViolet digital copies. UltraViolet is a free, cloud-based digital library that gives users greater flexibility with how and where they watch the movies and TV shows they purchase.

Customers need to simply take the following steps:

· Visit http://www.VUDU.com and download the VUDU To Go App for Macs and PCs.

· Search for previously-purchased movies from participating studio partners – DreamWorks Animation, Lionsgate, MGM Studios, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

· Select how you would like the movies converted:

o Convert a standard DVD or Blu-ray movie for $2; or,

o Upgrade a standard DVD to an HD digital copy for $5.

· The VUDU To Go App will authorize the digital UltraViolet copies and place them in your VUDU account. No upload is necessary, and customers get to keep their physical discs.

· Log onto VUDU.com to view movies any time, any place from any of the more than 300 Internet-connected devices supported by VUDU.

Walmart recently enhanced the VUDU experience by providing the ability to stream and download more than 100,000 movies and TV shows on a growing list of select Android tablets. While the capability to stream on iOS devices is already offered, these users will have the capability to download their collections starting mid-February. The free app is now available for download in the Google Play and iTunes stores.
As an added incentive to try Disc-to-Digital, powered by VUDU, Walmart is giving customers who sign up for a new VUDU account 10 free pre-selected movies when they sign up for an UltraViolet account or link to an existing account.
Walmart Facebook Entertainment App    Developed in partnership with Hollywood’s largest studios, the Walmart Entertainment Facebook App will enable Walmart’s more than 26 million Facebook fans to read and submit kid friendly movie reviews, watch exclusive behind-the-scenes film content and even vote on what movies the retailer will feature – everything from limited releases to Walmart $5 movie bin offers.
Customers that use the Walmart Entertainment Facebook App will have the ability to:    · Vote for popular movies to be sold in-store and online;

· Personalize movie recommendations and fan picks and share with friends;

· Redeem and share special promotions and offers, such as free movies via VUDU;

· View mom-approved movie ratings and recommendations; and

· Gain access to exclusive content for highly anticipated theatrical and DVD releases and video games – trailers, sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes, polls, photos, interviews and more.

Walmart’s Entertainment App will be available just in time for the highly anticipated The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 Blu-ray and DVD pre-sale in February.
“The concept behind Walmart’s Entertainment app is to create an innovative approach to shopping,” said Tom Arrix, VP of Global Marketing Solutions, Facebook US. “Connecting social activity to Walmart stores across the country will empower fans to change and personalize the store experience.”

as posted in engadget By Ben Gilbert posted Jan 7th, 2013

LG just gave a price to its entry level 55-inch OLED TV: $12,000. That’s the starting price, mind you. There are three different OLED sizes to choose from, but we’re only seeing 55- and 65-inchers — no word on pricing for the larger set, but we’d wager it’ll be a pretty penny over that initial $12K. You can put in an order now, and LG’s saying it’ll arrive in March. The South Korean electronics company also mentioned partnerships with Activision, Verizon, Google, and Disney for its OLED line, and teased a third size for launch in 2013. Presumably that largest size will require a second or third mortgage, but we’re hoping to hear more specifics during CES this week.

From the Press Release:

LG Electronics USA Announces Availability of Eagerly Anticipated OLED TV

March U.S. Rollout Will Follow Early Launch in Korea

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — LG Electronics USA announced today that the revolutionary new LG OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TV will be available in the United States beginning in March.

The eagerly-awaited 55-inch class (54.6-inch diagonal) WRGB OLED TV went on sale for the first time in South Korea last week with deliveries scheduled to begin there in early February.

The suggested price in the United States is expected to be $11,999, LG Electronics USA said here today at the 2013 International CES®, where an earlier version of the TV previewed last year was awarded “Best of Show.”

 

LG’s 55-inch OLED

   As the first company to announce availability of the next-generation TV technology, LG is prepared to ramp up quickly to take the lead in the OLED segment that is expected to grow to 7.2 million units by 2016, according to DisplaySearch.

“OLED TV will usher in a whole new era of home entertainment,” said Jay Vandenbree , senior vice president, LG Electronics USA Inc. “With its lifelike color, infinite contrast ratio and slim profile, LG OLED delivers an outstanding viewing experience; it’s undoubtedly a premium product worthy of its premium price.”

Havis Kwon , global president of the LG Home Entertainment Company, said: “Not since color TV was first introduced 60 years ago has there been a more transformational moment. When high definition TV was first introduced 15 years ago, the public’s reaction was ‘wow!’ Now, when customers see our razor-thin OLED TV for the first time, they’re left speechless. That’s a clear indicator as any that OLED TV is much more than just an incremental improvement to current television technology.”

Only 0.16 inches (4 millimeters) thin and weighing less than 22 pounds (10 kilograms), LG’s OLED TVs produce astoundingly vivid and realistic pictures thanks to its superior WRGB technology:

LG’s 55-inch OLED

LG’s unique Four-Color Pixel system features a white sub-pixel, which works in conjunction with the conventional red, blue, green setup to create the perfect color output.

LG’s exclusive Color Refiner delivers even greater tonal enhancement, resulting in images that are more vibrant and natural than anything seen before.

The 55-inch OLED TV also offers an infinite contrast ratio, which maintains optimal contrast levels regardless of ambient brightness or viewing angle.

Even before its official 2013 launch, the LG OLED TV has been turning heads all over the world. In addition to being named Best of Show at CES 2012, the influential Industrial Designers Society of America recognized the TV with a coveted IDEA Award. Meanwhile, LG received the European Display Achievement 2012-2013 Award from the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA). LG’s OLED received Korea’s Good Design President Award in October.

Shared from the Kaleidescape Release:

SANUS and Safe Kids Worldwide Launch TV Safety Initiative.  A manufacturer of TV mounts works to spread the word about safe mounting solutions of flat panels and bring awareness of the dangers of improperly installed televisions to children.

Learn how we used Renkus-Heinz Iconyx Arrays to address the architect’s design concerns while adding performance in this reverberant venue.

Gary Matthews, CTS

garym@audiovideointeriors.net

The best security system in the world is only as strong as its weakest link, and for many installations that is the telephone line. You’ve probably seen a movie where someone cuts the phone line and shuts down the security panel; if there is no phone line the panel cannot call out to the police, so even if the alarm goes off it is like a tree falling in the deep forest. It may seem far-fetched but as we are seeing in the headline news, that is actually what is happening these days, or could happen, if you don’t have CELLULAR BACKUP on your system.

Cellular Backup, known as GSM (for Global System for Mobile communications) is a simple solution to this problem. With a GSM module on your security panel, the panel can never be “cut off” from the monitoring company and the police. Many people choose this even when they have a landline, as a true backup connection. Other customers never install a landline at all, and in that case it works just fine as well.

There is no change to the security system, other than the addition of this circuit board inside the panel. But this simple addition can mean the difference between a working alarm system and one that is cut off and useless.

So even if an intruder cuts the phone line, or in case of a telephone company or power outage, the security system remains on guard to protect you, your loved ones and your property.

For more information on GSM and the security systems they backup, give us a call today! We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Doug Gambrell

dougg@safety-technologies.net