“Hi-Fi World” for Everyone: Discussing ELAC History, ATSC 3.0 Standard, Acoustics and Streaming Services

In January, we talked about image tax, vendor locks, and musical easter eggs, and before that we criticized smart TVs, discussed the humming effect, and touched on other topics. Today came the turn of a new collection of materials from the “Hi-Fi World” and this time it turned out to be very diverse: here you can find technical reviews, historical publications, analytical notes on music streaming and discussions about entertainment in the post-like world.

Photo: Free To Use Sounds.  Source: Unsplash.com
Photo: Free To Use Sounds. Source: Unsplash.com

How German engineers learned to animate sound… Stereo.ru journalists have prepared a detailed material about the ELAC brand: from the launch of the enterprise in 1926 and the first scientific works to the line of acoustics in 2020 [cтоит заметить, что в этом году компании — 95 лет]… Here is a detailed breakdown of the post-war period, when the company went into the production of pickups and turntables. Key development stages up to the early 2000s are marked and new developments are considered in detail, including speakers with a volumetric texture of diffusers, coaxial emitters and many other solutions of the engineers of this brand.

New television standard… Another post on technology, namely the situation around ATSC 3.0 – a potential alternative for streaming services and smart TVs. Here, its capabilities and the principle of packet broadcasting are considered, the dynamics of implementation in the regions of the world are analyzed. Spoiler alert: while ATSC 3.0 is still a niche standard.

How to choose studio monitors… Our compact video analysis for those who would like to approach the topic. In simple words, we talk about the tasks of such audio equipment, the band amplification scheme using an active crossover, and accessories for placing acoustics in the workplace. Also – we give examples of the most interesting models of various capacities. By the way, on Habré we have two collections with a slightly more detailed description and links to detailed reviews of monitors for multimedia and real “studios”.

“Playlist” captured the minds of publishers… However, listeners are most likely not interested in the non-stop activity of streaming sites: buying studios for the production of podcasts, the launch of new conversational programs by famous personalities and popularization of playlists. The audience would like to listen to music and programs in the usual way, but the sites are betting on crushing the content – the selection of tracks and excerpts from individual podcast episodes, depending on the recommendatory profile of the listeners. Whether this approach will help change the music industry for the better is a big question.

Maintainability index… As it turns out, in the spring of this year, European regulators will begin to be guided by the requirements for the maintainability of equipment and France will become the first country with the corresponding index. There will begin to label laptops, peripherals and other gadgets, depending on the complexity of the maintenance of a particular model. It is believed that this approach will be a kind of response to numerous scandals and litigation around the so-called “right to repair equipment” [Right to Repair]… One way or another, it is obvious that the process will drag on for years, and the audience will continue to resort to various tricks to upgrade and repair their equipment.

Let’s better in online format“. The epidemiological crisis has shown that many people can easily get by without attending events – for example, sports. The fact is that the level of broadcasts allows the viewer to see a huge number of nuances and know exactly what is happening during a particular event. Live viewing does not yet have such a powerful informational support, so people are in no hurry to return to the stands and auditoriums. But it is worth admitting that even those who have at least once visited the conditional “formula” grand prix experience unforgettable emotions and watch the usual broadcasts in a new way. We are discussing this, giving various points of view and alternatives.

What musicians fear more… It turns out that the rather serious problem of piracy has practically ceased to cause inconvenience to labels and musicians – for the most part, they have switched to streaming platforms, which have decently replaced other ways of listening to music. However, the financial independence of the authors, performers and copyright holders of the tracks is now under threat. Not all of them are happy with the level of payments, and some are taking their music off the online storefronts through the courts in order to return to the distribution of records on discs and vinyl. We are discussing how this situation is developing.


We have on Habré:

  • “From screen to sound”: audio social networks are striving for the audience, but so-so

  • How SoundCloud will redesign monetization to re-engage musicians

  • Audio social networks have just entered the trend, but everyone has already gotten tired of it


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