We’ve all been there: You’re watching one of your favorite TV show when suddenly the dialog goes quiet and you can’t understand what’s being said. So, you crank up the volume when suddenly an action sequence commences and you’re now getting blasted out of the room. When did watching TV become a game of riding the volume buttons on your remote? AfterMaster TV aims to fix that problem while improving your TV’s sound quality across the board, and it’s going to use celebrity power to do it.
Owned by a group that includes Justin Timberlake, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Shelly Yakus and Larry Ryckman, the AfterMaster TV device has been developed by “legendary audio engineers, producers, technology leaders and a multi-billion dollar semiconductor manufacturer,” which happens to be ON Semiconductor.
The device itself is a fairly small box which the company hopes to scale down even further to roughly the size of an iPhone . It has a “state-of-the-art” digital signal processing (DSP) semiconductor chip co-developed by AfterMaster and ON Semiconductor that delivers AfterMaster’s proprietary algorithms. It connects to an audio/video source, like a cable box, game console, or directly to a TV via HDMI.
The process helps amplify dialogue to sound clearer no matter what the show or movie is, while boosting the rest of the frequency range for better overall sound quality without distortion. The goal is for dialog to pop out from between the left and right speakers in use.
AfterMaster isn’t going after users with solid outboard audio system, rather those who rely on their TV’s built-in speakers. The device will work with any audio or video source, and the first run of the product will reportedly have a headphone jack and battery power to make it portable enough to use with mobile devices, laptops, and wireless speakers — basically, anything with a 3.5mm jack would be compatible with the AfterMaster TV.
The company’s 30-day Kickstarter campaign has already kicked off and will run until Dec. 20, with device roll-out slated for February 2016, if successful.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.