First, watch the below Livestrong commercial without sound.
Then, watch it again with the volume turned up.
A good audio track can make or break a video.
{ 0 comments }
Posts tagged as:
Audio
Zoom has been well known in the video crowd (and most recently in the DSLR video segment) for its killer H4n Handy Recorder, which features X/Y stereo condenser mics, four channel recording, and dual XLR inputs, among other features. The only real downer about the H4n is its price of $300.
Enter the H1. It’s $99.
While the H4n is a bargain to those who require pro-audio results, it’s a bit out of reach for many enthusiasts. The $99 H1 should remedy that problem. While the H1 doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the H4n, it takes your $100 for a heck of a ride with a similar pair of X/Y mics, WAV recording at 96kHz/48kHz/44.1kHz at 16-bit or 24-bit, and 10 hours of recording time out of a single AA battery.
It’s got no XLR inputs, but you can attach an external mic with a 1/8″ input. That should work well with a shotgun mic situated atop your Rebel T2i or other DSLR video camera.
You should be able to find the Zoom H1 at popular retailers by July 30 for $99.
More details and pics below. [click to continue…]
{ 0 comments }
We all know that most built-in laptop speakers leave a lot to be desired when it comes to audio performance. Logitech is no different and has slung out the Laptop Speaker Z205, a lightweight speaker with a portable clip-on design allowing laptop junkies to rock their favorite tunes in some decent quality. Logitech made the Laptop Speaker Z205 lightweight and small enough to take anywhere a laptop goes. It measures approximately 1.35 inches thick and 2.5 inches tall. To me the coolest thing about the Laptop Speaker Z205 is there is no need for external power. The included USB cable takes care of the power and audio transmission. Logitech even throws in a carrying case to store the Laptop Speaker Z205 in while in transit. The Logitech Laptop Speaker Z205 should be available in the U.S. and Europe for $39.99 beginning in March.
Editors Note: The clip-on mechanism may cause interference with built-in web cams. The fix may be as easy as offsetting the speakers from center slightly. Just be aware before purchasing.
Check B&H Photo for availability.
Press Release
FREMONT, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Laptop and netbook computers are portable and powerful enough to do everything you love such as enjoying music, movies and video calls. But as computers have gotten smaller, audio quality has often been sacrificed. To enhance the audio quality of your favorite tunes and movies, today Logitech (SIX:LOGN) (NASDAQ:LOGI) announced the Logitech® Laptop Speaker Z205 — a lightweight speaker with an easy-to-attach clip-on design that lets you pump up the volume wherever you take your laptop.
“While people love the portability of their laptop computer, they are often missing out on the immersive listening experience that external speakers provide”
“While people love the portability of their laptop computer, they are often missing out on the immersive listening experience that external speakers provide,” said Mark Schneider, vice president and general manager of Logitech’s audio business unit. “When designing the Logitech Laptop Speaker Z205, we wanted to help people get better audio while enjoying their favorite shows or music without sacrificing portability. The Laptop Speaker Z205 is tiny enough to toss in your bag, but delivers big sound.”
Whether you use a Mac® or a Windows®-based laptop or a netbook, the Logitech Laptop Speaker Z205 securely attaches to the top of most laptop screens. The Laptop Speaker Z205 is also small — approximately 1.35 inches thick and 2.5 inches tall — which means you’ll always be able to take it with you. And the included carrying case protects your speaker while inside your briefcase or backpack.
Now, when you’re watching your favorite show, listening to Pandora™, or making a video call, you’ll enjoy rich, full stereo sound thanks to two high-performance drivers, a built-in amplifier and an acoustically tuned enclosure. And you can easily adjust the volume as well as turn the speaker on and off using the buttons located on the top of the speaker. The included USB cable is all you need for power and audio — there’s no need for an external power supply — so simply plug the Z205 into your computer and start enjoying your entertainment.
Pricing and Availability
The Logitech Laptop Speaker Z205 is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe for a suggested retail price of $39.99 (U.S.) beginning in March.
About Logitech
Logitech is a world leader in personal peripherals, driving innovation in PC navigation, Internet communications, digital music, home-entertainment control, gaming and wireless devices. Founded in 1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI).
Logitech, the Logitech logo, and other Logitech marks are registered in Switzerland and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information about Logitech and its products, visit the company’s Web site at www.logitech.com.
{ 0 comments }
Today, Monster has flown out a new ear bud called “Butterfly, ” designed by hip fashion designer Vivienne Tam. These days fashion is no stranger to just about every consumer product in the market. Monster recognizes this fact and is no stranger to the game. Monster brings a full line of earbuds and over-ear headphones for the fashion minded without suffering audio quality.
Monster is thoughtful enough to include multi-sized soft eartips for a comfortable fit and with the built-in ControlTalk remote on Butterfly headphone cable, you get on-cable control of your music, as well as easy, high quality hands-free calling. Enjoy quick-access music playback control, like volume, play/pause and tracking, without having to dig for your digital music player. A list of supported MP3 players and phones can be found at monstercable.com. The list price is set at $199.95. Check B&H Photo for avalability and a full line of Monster headphones. [click to continue…]
{ 1 comment }
Sennheiser just dropped a new pair of “travel” headphones that use a single AAA battery to help cut out noise with Sennheiser’s NoiseGard feature. The PXC 250-II folds flat for easy storage in you luggage and comes with a carrying case that also has enough room for a small MP3 player. The Sennheiser PXC 250-II runs about $260 retail. Check availability B&H.
More details in the press release below. [click to continue…]
{ 1 comment }
ZVOX just dropped several new sound bar all-in-one speakers in three new flavors, the the ZVOX 575 HSD, $749.99; the ZVOX 550 HSD, $449.99; and the ZVOX 430 HSD, $449.99. The new sound bars offer a variety of input possibilities with optical, coax and analog inputs galore. All three systems use real wood (MDF) cabinets and include built-in powered subwoofers and ZVOX’s PhaseCue virtual surround sound system.
[ZVOX]
{ 0 comments }
TuneBug is a SurfaceSound device that turns hard surfaces in a speaker by using the surface to pass the sound waves from the device. TuneBug comes in a couple of different flavors. The TuneBug Vibe is a SurfaceSound speaker for desktop or tabletop use (or any other hard surface). All you have to do is plug in you iPod, MP3 player or other audio source and set the TuneBug Vibe down on the surface. There’s also a teaser for third flavor, the TuneBug Quake, on the TuneBug website, but no details yet.
The TuneBug Shake is one of the coolest devices that I saw at CES 2010. The Shake straps onto your bike (or skateboard, or whatever) helmet and uses the helmet as the hard surface to hit with sound waves. The Shake lets you rock while you ride your bike, skateboard, snowboard or whatever, but lets you still keep your ears in tune with your surroundings. [click to continue…]
{ 0 comments }
The enTourage eDGe™ is the world’s first dualbook, combining the functions of an e-reader, netbook, notepad, and audio/video recorder and player in one.
Get books wirelessly, move files onto your enTourage eDGe™ using an SD card or a USB flash drive. Use the mini-USB port to move files back and forth from a Windows, MAC, or Linux-based PC.
Photo from CES 2010
enTourage eDGe™ e-reader portion has a spacious 9.7 inch screen and also uses e-Ink® technology allowing the user to take notes on the book being read. Open a journal page and enter drawings with the stylus or text — either by hand or using the virtual keyboard. Save your notes and journals to the enTourage eDGe™, to a server, or email them other people. The enTourage eDGe™ can read both ePub files and PDFs.
The enTourage eDGe™ 10.1 inch color touchscreen is a whole netbook, ready to play movies or MP3s, organize your books, notes, and pictures, or let you instant message your friends. Use the netbook in portrait or landscape mode. View images from the e-book you’re reading on the color display. Open a virtual keyboard and type instant messages or emails. The netbook includes an audio recorder to capture lectures for later playback or sharing. The enTourage eDGe™ also has a video camera to record still images or movies as MP4s or 3GP files. Plug in headphones or a microphone or use the built in speaker and recorder.
The netbook functionality comes with web browsing using the built in WiFi®, audio/video record and playback, an email function and contacts list, a calculator, an alarm clock, and a library function to manage your books and files. The enTourage eDGe™ uses the Google® Android® operating system, so you can add other applications.
At about 3 pounds and with a 16 hour lithium ion battery the enTourage eDGe™ should be able to keep up with any person all day long. Carry thousands of books with the built-in 3 GB of usable memory. Use an SD card or a USB flash drive to add to the storage, or move files to and from an MP3 player, phone, PC, or camera.
The enTourage eDGe™ comes in at $490.00 which is not completely outrageous considering the functionality. If black is not the color of choice expect to hand over an extra $40.00. Preorder now at www.entourageedge.com.
Technical Specs
- Dimensions: 8.25″ x 10.75″ by 1.0″ (closed)
- Weight: approx. 3.0 lbs
- Internal Memory: 4 GB (3 GB for user) up to 3000 books
- E-reader File Formats: ePub, PDF
- LCD Touchscreen Display Size: 1024 x 600 (10.1″)
- E-paper Display Size: 9.7″ e-Ink®(1200 x 825), 8 shades of gray
- E-paper Input: Wacom® Penabled®
- Operating System: Linux with Google® Android®
- Screen Rotation: 90 and 180 degrees
- Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth capability
- Battery Life: 16+ hours utilizing the e-reader screen / up to 6 hours running the LCD screen
- Battery Type: Lithium-ion polymer
- External Memory: SD card slot, 2 USB ports
- Audio and Microphone Jack: 3.5 mm each. Includes internal microphone and speakers.
- Audio playback: MP3, WAV, 3GPP, MP4, AMR, AAC, OGG, M4A
- Video playback: 3GP, MP4, Adobe Flash Lite (H.264)
- Input: Stylus input on e-paper and touchscreen. Virtual keyboard. USB keyboard (optional)
{ 0 comments }
Turtle Beach just announced a couple of new USB sound cards for Mac and PC. The new Amigo II USB card gives you a stereo output and mic input. The Micro II USB card gives you a stereo line out and an optical audio out, which allows you to add 5.1 surround or DTS surround on the most basic of computers.
Hit the read link for the full press release. [click to continue…]
{ 0 comments }
Do you hate it when you’re watching TV and a commercial comes on and blasts you out of your living room? Or, even sometimes between channels the volume will vary widely. GefenTV is launching an Auto Volume Stabilizer that’s supposed to keep your finger off the volume button when a commercial comes on.
Hit up the read link for the full press release from GefenTV. [click to continue…]
{ 0 comments }
