Did you ever really stop to think about what we call “surround sound”. What exactly is being surrounded? There is a flat image on a screen up at the front of the room or theater and we are attempting to project the sound out into the room. This is incongruous with 2D visuals, but downright disorienting with 3D displays.

The whole point of 3D is to render depth, things going into and coming out of the screen. How does that relate to 5.1 surround sound, or n.m for that matter. There is no sense of immersion or feeling that the sound is coming towards you or receding away from you. If you really listen to today’s surround systems, unless the soundtrack is mixed really well, most of the sound comes from the front with the occasional peep from the rear speakers.

What is needed for 3D is something new. A system that creates a far more immersive surround experience and that includes depth and height cues. Sound that really matches the picture, and makes you feel like you are in the original acoustic environment not in a room with lots of speakers.

Recently discovered techniques make this possible, and SRS Labs as well as others are working on entirely new concepts for sound that accompanies picture, not just an adaptation of the old panning model derived from stereo, but something completely new. So shortly you will be really be able have the “3D” experience both audibly and visually, and you will never want to go back.

There has been a lot of talk in the consumer electronics industry regarding the Three Screens – but what exactly does the term mean? The Three Screens is a term that refers to TVs, PCs and Mobile Phones, collectively. The ‘screens’ portion of the term refers to the fact that each device has an LCD display. The reason that so many industry experts and manufacturers are throwing this term around is basically due to the fact that these three devices are the most demanded consumer electronics in the market and each device plays an integral role in our daily lives.

Since microchip manufacturers are constantly developing smaller and more powerful chips to keep up with Moore’s law – the doubling of the number of transistors that can fit on integrated circuits every two years, the circuitry for devices like TVs, PCs and mobile phones has become so advanced that these new devices are getting smarter and more capable at what seems to be an exponential rate. With Moore’s Law ultimately driving technological innovation, these three devices are inevitably becoming increasingly similar to one another.

By ‘similar’ I am not referring to form factor because, for the time being, the form factor of each of these devices has remained relatively constant, instead I am referring to capability. With the advent of Cloud computing, mobile apps and TV widgets, all Three Screens are capable of accessing the Web, running applications, keeping you in touch with friends and family, streaming content, serving as an entertainment portal and endless other functions. On top of this, the Three Screens are becoming seamlessly connected to one another thanks to wireless networks and cloud computing.

It’s a unique time to be involved in the consumer electronics industry; paradigms are constantly shifting. The phone – a device that was once strictly used to make voice calls, can now surf the Web, book vacation destinations, and turn off lights in your living room from anywhere in the world. TVs, once used strictly for entertainment purposes can now connect you to your family across the world via a Facebook  widget and lastly, the PC, a device that we have come to rely on for many of our daily tasks now shares some if its responsibility with mobile phones and TVs.

Thinking about how the Three Screens have originated and where they are today inevitably leads me to imagine what the future holds for these devices. What do you think each of these devices will be capable of 10 years from now?

This week the Michaels talk about Netflix’s recent announcement about DVD rentals falling behind streaming in 2014.  Yanko Design comes up with a Jetsons-esque mini air plane called the EQP2 Excursion thats all electric and less than 20 ft long. AT&T announces new data plans for new subscribers. Lastly, SRS HD Audio Lab (Beta) was finalized today – check your emails this week

Don’t forget to enter to win 1 of 10 Dell Inspiron Mini Netbooks custom loaded with SRS’ latest audio software – HD Audio Lab.

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 SoundingOff Episode 11 - Netflix Streams Tops Direct Mail DVDs in 2014, Private Planes Get a Little More Private and SRS HD Audio Lab Beta Finalized [8:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 SoundingOff Episode 11 - Netflix Streams Tops Direct Mail DVDs in 2014, Private Planes Get a Little More Private and SRS HD Audio Lab Beta Finalized: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download