Unveiled at IFA 2023, Sony’s Xperia 5 V is a smartphone aimed at creators that also happens to be an entertainment powerhouse. Features include a 6.1-inch OLED HD+ screen, Bravia X1 mobile image engine, and a front stage sound system with “powerful deep bass” that Sony says eliminates the need for external speakers. Building on the preceding model, upgrades include the Video Creator app, which edits select video content into a finished clip in about a minute. This new iteration shoots 4K video at up to 120fps in HDR and features optical image stabilization. A dedicated microphone can isolate and capture the main vocal amidst environmental noise and other voices. Continue reading Sony Xperia 5 V Phone Is Built for Creators and Entertainment

Dolby Laboratories wants to make it easier for viewers to experience immersive TV sound with Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, a new product that enables seamless pairing of accessory wireless speakers with the TV’s onboard sound system to heighten the Dolby Atmos surround-sound technology. TCL is the first to announce it is adding Dolby Atmos FlexConnect to its 2024 television lineup and says it will also launch a line of purpose-made accessory wireless speakers to complement its FlexConnect TV offerings. With FlexConnect, a soundbar isn’t mandatory to optimize TV sound. Continue reading Dolby Atmos FlexConnect Intelligently Optimizes TV Speakers

The rise of virtual production stages has elevated the importance of finding a solution to echoing and sound distortion on the set. A company called Kardome that has created a sound isolation technology and “Spatial Hearing” solution for automobile cabins may have a solution applicable to the virtual stage. At CES, the company was demonstrating targeted speech and voice tech that brings clarity to speech recognition devices. According to Kardome, its “AI-driven Spatial Hearing and noise reduction technology facilitate a seamless voice recognition experience in any acoustic environment, from the quiet to the chaotic.” Continue reading CES: Kardome Audio Solution Could Serve Virtual Production

Razer introduced its latest plug-and-play webcam at CES, the Kiyo Pro Ultra, a $300 4K device that features AI-powered face-tracking and an HDR mode. The company claims its first 4K webcam touts the “largest image sensor ever used in a webcam” and promises “DSLR-like video quality.” The new device — which records 4K at 30 fps or 1080p at 60 fps — has a dust cover similar to that of its predecessor, the Kiyo Pro, but Razer has introduced additional protection with a built-in physical privacy shutter. It has also added an omnidirectional microphone, which should help it compete in the webcam market. Continue reading CES: Razer Updates Kiyo Pro to Launch Its First 4K Webcam

Google is looking to help developers create real-time captioning for long-form conversations in multiple languages. The company recently open-sourced the speech engine used for Live Transcribe, its Android speech-to-text transcription app designed for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, and posted the source code on GitHub. Live Transcribe, launched in February, is a tool that uses machine learning algorithms to convert audio into captions. Live Transcribe can transcribe speech in more than 70 languages and dialects into captions in real-time. Continue reading Google Open-Sources Technology For Real-Time Captions

News site 9to5Mac reported that Apple’s FaceTime app, which places audio/video calls over the Internet, had a significant bug: an iPhone user could call another iPhone user and eavesdrop on that person’s conversation through the phone’s microphone — even if the call recipient doesn’t answer the call. The bug was actually discovered a full week before Apple disabled Group FaceTime and stated that it was working to fix it. In that gap, a developer discovered the bug, which was reported in 9to5Mac. Security researchers have dubbed the glitch FacePalm. Continue reading Experts Question Apple’s Security in Light of FaceTime Bug

The advent of smart TVs connected to the Internet has opened up new ways to gather data about the viewing of TV shows and ads. Three companies — Sorenson Media, Alphonso and Verance — are getting ready to leverage new technologies. The first, which is known for its video compression and coding technology, has a way to detect and analyze what’s on a smart TV screen and play the ad best targeted for a specific household. The company has created deals with smart TV manufacturers to have access to the data necessary to do so. Continue reading Preparing for Targeted Ads and Better Metrics With Smart TVs

Amazon will soon introduce two new Fire TV models, both of which will playback 4K HDR video at 60 fps. The first is a dongle that hangs off a permanently attached HDMI cable, similar to Google Chromecast, and the second is a new Fire TV shaped like a set-top box that will be the new flagship model. The dongle is positioned between the existing Fire TV Stick and a new high-end model. The new Fire TV cube has far-field microphones, a built-in speaker and LED light bar, with functionality similar to an Amazon Echo. Continue reading Amazon to Debut Two New Fire TVs, One With Built-In Alexa

Nvidia’s new Shield TV features 4K HDR streaming and improved gaming capabilities — and now, many of the new hardware benefits are also available for free on the original Shield TV via an over-the-air software update. Users can access 4K HDR streaming from Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and 4K support from Google Play offerings and additional sources. The update also features “support for upgraded GeForce Now game streaming, and the new Nvidia Games app which centralizes all the various gaming endpoints,” reports TechCrunch. To add Google Assistant interaction, users will need to purchase the new $60 Shield Controller with built-in microphone. Continue reading Nvidia Updates Shield TV to Offer 4K HDR Streaming and More

At CES last week, Emotech, a UK-based startup, introduced a desktop robotic assistant named Olly that develops a unique personality depending on individual users and their interactions with it. The doughnut-shaped, voice-controlled personal assistant is similar in function to the other smart lifestyle assistants. It will play you music or tell you the weather like Amazon’s Alexa, but the company hopes Olly’s personality will set it apart. The device has two cameras and a microphone array, allowing it to face the user, and will use a combination of AI techniques to decipher a user’s state of mind and respond accordingly. Continue reading Emotech Demos Olly: Your Lifestyle Assistant with Personality

The VR, AR and Robotics Pitch Competition at CES in Las Vegas included three drone-related entertainment tech startups. The Fotokite, from Zurich-based Perspective Robotics, is a tethered drone camera system. The $249 consumer version unfolds from an easy-carry tube and flies like a kite, but unlike a kite it works to maintain its position and camera angle relative to the handheld ‘kite’ tether. Dotterel “takes the drone out of drones” with technology that was developed to make it possible to record audio from a drone without the loud background buzz. And Boxfish Research showed a simple-to-operate submarine ROV with two universal camera mounts for capturing 360-degree video. Continue reading Tech Startups Pitch Innovative New Drone Concepts at CES

During CES, Montreal-based Bluewave privately showed the first Bluetooth aptX HD wireless headphone amplifier. The high-powered, high-fidelity, 24-bit portable solution allows any standard headset to receive near wired quality of the new aptX HD methodology. It also features an onboard MEMS microphone to add telephone conversations to a favorite production headset with the added boost of Bluetooth portability. The $100 GET is truly portable and ultra-compact (45mm x 22mm x 10mm) and weighs only 30 grams. Continue reading Bluewave Showcases GET: 24-Bit Hi-Fi Headphone Amplifier

MEMS & Sensors: Personalizing Consumer Technology, a CES 2017 conference track presented by the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group, featured leading MEMS manufacturers who discussed the latest developments in the industry. Similar to how the media and entertainment industry now leverages data to personalize the entertainment experience, so MEMS and sensors are helping the wearables industry create more personalized devices. That puts pressures on MEMS and sensor manufacturers to innovate. Continue reading MEMS & Sensors: Still Evolving Capabilities, Not Commodities

Nokia just debuted OZO, its $60,000 virtual reality camera and the first hardware product the company has made since it sold its mobile phone business to Microsoft in 2014. OZO was productized by Dolby Laboratories veteran Ramzi Haidamus, hired by Nokia in July 2014 to figure out the future of its hardware division. When Haidamus saw an early prototype of the virtual reality camera, he says, he was sold on the idea of developing it. He declined to say how many OZOs Nokia has sold thus far. Continue reading Nokia Reimagines Hardware with OZO Virtual Reality Camera

Livestream announced a new product at CES called the Movi that helps budget-conscious videographers create the illusion that they have been shooting with multiple cameras instead of a single pocket-sized device. The product is designed for those shooting footage that can quickly appear dull when there is only a single viewpoint, such as a concert, school play, press conference or sporting event. Livestream will launch Movi as its own brand. Although it will integrate with the current livestreaming services, users can also simply record their video and share at a later time. Continue reading CES: Livestream Debuts the Movi, its First Consumer Camera