Research for a multimedia lifestyle
July 28, 2005Listening, viewing, mobile activity – nearly everybody uses digital technology every day without even realizing. At the IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin, researchers present the latest developments in picture and sound quality and almost unbounded access to information.
New digital solutions for contemporary forms of listening, developed by Fraunhofer researchers, are being presented in Hall 5.3 of the IFA consumer electronics fair (Berlin, September 2 to 7). Ensonido®, for example, combines two elements that were long regarded as irreconcilable: surround sound and portable music players. A new audio system enables 5.1 surround sound to be output through conventional stereo headphones. This makes it the ideal companion to MP3 Surround, the multi-channel extension for MP3 files. At the opposite end of the scale, impressive acoustics are created in movie theaters or other large venues by the IOSONO® sound system, which provides flawless natural sound in all seats. In the RadioMondo project, various DRM transmitters and receivers have been designed, including a complete software radio receiver. This heralds the revival of the classic shortwave radio.
There are new delights for the eyes as well: The digital advertising pillar projects distortion-free images, films as well as 3D objects and panoramas onto curved surfaces from the inside. The 3D effect even persists as the observer walks round the column wearing stereo goggles. The 3D kiosk and “Free2C” display systems are able to create a similar illusion even without the need for goggles. The objects appear to hover in front of the displays and can be moved around using simple hand gestures. This is made possible by a integrated video-based system that tracks the eye and hand movements of the observer.
The third area of the Fraunhofer exhibit is devoted to “mobile activity”. Can cinema films with brilliant pictures and powerful sound be viewed in real time on a mobile phone or PDA? The pocket cinema makes time-consuming downloads of film data unnecessary. The data stream can be transmitted directly from the network or via WLAN thanks to a combination of two compression techniques. Scaleable video coding enables multimedia content to be processed according to the type of application or the resolution of the terminal device, making optimum use of the bandwidth available for data transmission.
Computers will shrink to the size of a grain of wheat. The tiny computers form networks and communicate by radio. Engineers around the world are developing these electronic grains, or e-grains. At the trade show, scientists will present an e-grain which at present is still the size of a sugar cube. Fitted inside a golf ball, it registers the tee-off angle and the ball’s acceleration, and transmits this data to a display. The player receives instant feedback on the nature and quality of his stroke.
Source: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (31) |
30
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
3.9 / 5 (23) |
8
-
Of microchemistry and molecules: Electronic microfluidic device synthesizes biocompatible probes
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
More news stories
Anonymous knocks CIA website offline (Update)
The website of the Central Intelligence Agency was inaccessible on Friday after the hacker group Anonymous claimed to have knocked it offline.
15 hours ago |
4.7 / 5 (13) |
21
New error-correcting codes guarantee the fastest possible rate of data transmission
Error-correcting codes are one of the triumphs of the digital age. Theyre a way of encoding information so that it can be transmitted across a communication channel such as an optical fiber o ...
Technology / Computer Sciences
23 hours ago |
4.9 / 5 (9) |
6
|
Small modular reactor design could be a 'SUPERSTAR'
(PhysOrg.com) -- Though most of today's nuclear reactors are cooled by water, we've long known that there are alternatives; in fact, the world's first nuclear-powered electricity in 1951 came from a reactor ...
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
23 hours ago |
4.4 / 5 (14) |
27
|
New power source discovered
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and RMIT University have made a breakthrough in energy storage and power generation.
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
22 hours ago |
4.7 / 5 (34) |
8
|
Advanced power-grid model finds low-cost, low-carbon future in West
(PhysOrg.com) -- The least expensive way for the Western U.S. to reduce greenhouse gas emissions enough to help prevent the worst consequences of global warming is to replace coal with renewable and other ...
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
23 hours ago |
4.2 / 5 (5) |
11
|
The power of estrogen -- male snakes attract other males
A new study has shown that boosting the estrogen levels of male garter snakes causes them to secrete the same pheromones that females use to attract suitors, and turned the males into just about the sexiest ...
Fool's gold may prove an unlikely alternative to overexploited catalytic materials
Catalytic materials, which lower the energy barriers for chemical reactions, are used in everything from the commercial production of chemicals to catalytic converters in car engines. However, with current catalytic materials ...
Could Venus be shifting gear?
(PhysOrg.com) -- ESAs Venus Express spacecraft has discovered that our cloud-covered neighbour spins a little slower than previously measured. Peering through the dense atmosphere in the infrared, the ...
A frank discussion of the power law and linking correlation to causation
(PhysOrg.com) -- Michael Stumpf a mathematics professor at Imperial College in London, and Mason Porter a lecturer at Oxford have teamed together to write and publish a perspective piece in Science regarding the in ...
Google users warned of threat to smartphone wallets
Users of Google smartphone wallets were being warned on Friday that there is a way to crack pass codes intended to thwart thieves from going on illicit shopping sprees.
Employers feel no love for unscrupulous practice of 'service sweethearting'
A new study led by two Florida State University marketing professors finds that some frontline service employees who are rewarded for hikes in customer loyalty and satisfaction also may engage in "service ...