Performing under the name Vagabon, Cameroon-born recording artist and New York City transplant, Laetitia Tamko, has given us a preview of her debut album,“Infinite Worlds,” (out February 24th on Father/Daughter Records) with the release of “Fear and Force.” The song is a reworked version of “Vermont II” off her 2004 “Persian Garden EP.” Vagabon softens her voice and instrumentals in this updated version, relying on haunting simplicity to extract more weight from her lyrics of lost love.
Blackfire ImmersionXD delivers a low-latency, multi-channel audio solution for TV and set top box manufacturers
SAN FRANCISCO – December 27, 2016 – Blackfire Research, the leading developer of wireless solutions for home entertainment, today announced the availability of Blackfire ImmersionXD – the industry’s first low-latency WiFi surround sound software solution for television and set top box (STB) manufacturers. Blackfire ImmersionXD (IXD) enables smart TVs and set top boxes to deliver the ultimate home theater experience.
Built on patented technology, Blackfire IXD streams stereo, multichannel 5.1 or 7.1 audio from the TV or STB – including OTT streaming services and connected devices such as BluRay disc players. Blackfire IXD also supports multiroom media streaming, transforming the smart TV or set top box into a whole home media center.
“Instead of creating yet another proprietary wireless network in your living room, we use a standard WiFi network”, said Ravi Rajapakse, Founder and CEO of Blackfire Research. “By utilizing standard WiFi together with our patented technology, Blackfire IXD mitigates network interference and delivers exceptional performance and improved reliability.”
The Blackfire IXD solution includes software integrated into the Smart TV or set top box motherboard and Blackfire IXD enabled speakers. Blackfire IXD reference modules and speakers are available.
Blackfire IXD will be available for demonstration from January 5-8, 2017 during the CES Show in Las Vegas. Contact Blackfire Research for more information at info@bfrx.com
About Blackfire Research
Blackfire Research (www.bfrx.com) develops wireless software and hardware solutions for high-performance, wireless home entertainment systems. Blackfire Research is built on patented Internet Protocol technologies designed to wirelessly stream media to multiple devices simultaneously over standard Wi-Fi. Through partnerships with global, industry leaders, Blackfire creates products that allow movie, TV, and music lovers to wirelessly build the home entertainment experience they desire.
Media Contact: Stephen Lambright slambright@brfx.com
58 years ago today, The Chipmunks skyrocketed to #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 with their Christmas-comedy classic, “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late).” The song was written and performed by Ross Bagdasarian (aka David Seville) using a tape recorder that would allow him to vary the speed of his audio, creating the high-pitched vocals we now know as “Alvin,” “Simon,” and “Theodore.” The single won Bagdasarian 2 Grammys…no word whether or not Alvin ever received his beloved hula hoop.
Blackfire Research is proud to partner with Harman/Kardon – a leading global manufacturer of audio systems – to make the best wireless speakers on the market. Blackfire’s technology can be found in any of Harman’s wireless Omni speakers. Previously, we discussed the Harman/Kardon Omni 10 Wireless HD Loudspeaker. Today, we’ll take another look inside a Harman/Kardon speaker, powered by Blackfire’s patented technology. This time: the Omni 20, a wireless HD stereo loudspeaker.
With a weight of 2125 grams, the Omni 20 is much larger than its predecessor, the Omni 10, and is a more powerful speaker for larger rooms, with a rated power of 4 x 15W. Compared to the smaller, circular shape of the Omni 10, the Omni 20 is an oval, with a width of 260mm.
Like the Omni 10, the Omni 20 allows for multi-room and multi-channel wireless surround sound with a multi-speaker setup. Harman/Kardon’s user-friendly design allows you to enjoy your music from anywhere in your home, all with the touch of a button: enjoy the same song throughout the entire home through “Party Mode,” or Press “Link” on the speaker to continue playing your music on another device. Multi-room and multi-channel wireless audio also lets you play different songs in different rooms.
You can stream music from your smartphone or tablet through the Harman/Kardon controller app, or, take advantage of the Omni 10’s Bluetooth capability by streaming music from your tablet or phone. While using Bluetooth, “the speaker will automatically translate the signal to Wi-Fi…all over your house for a truly flexible whole home audio experience”so you never have to worry about range limitations, dropouts, or low quality audio.
The Omni 20 supports superior, lossless HD audio without synchronization issues, playback lag or dropouts between multiple speakers, and streams up to 24bit/96kHz studio quality sound, all through Wi-Fi.
Harman/Kardon’s Omni 20 wireless HD Stereo Loudspeaker powered by Blackfire comes in either black or white and can be purchased for $299.95 each.
A newly reissued, deluxe edition of Fleetwood Mac’s 13th studio album, Mirage (1982), features a remastered version of the original, plus 13 live tracks, outtakes, and songs picked up from the cutting room floor. Stevie Nicks has never sounded better, her lyrics of loss and joy, never more poignant, than on this remastered version of “Gypsy.” The band’s high profile, personal turmoil (and subsequent struggle to come together to create this album – an attempt to break the chain of hostility that plagued them) although less apparent in Mirage, still pulses through the album’s veins, almost 35 years later.
