FireCat, Author at Blackfire Research

New on Netflix in April

April 4, 2017

A new month brings a slew of new shows to Netflix. From stand-up comedy, to science, and a revival of a cult classic, April is shaping up to be a disastrous month for productivity. Here’s what the Blackfire Research Team is excited to binge-watch in April.

The sharp wit, self-deprecating, morality skewering comedian, Louis CK, is back on Netflix for a new Stand Up Comedy Special. “Louis CK: 2017,” which begins streaming today (April 4), is on track to be just as clever and entertaining as his earlier work. The “Louie” star has also signed on for a second Stand Up Special to be released sometime later this year.

Robot Roll Call! April 14 marks the triumphant return of cult classic TV show, “Mystery Science Theater 3000.” The relaunch marks the show’s eleventh season, which creator Joel Hodgson funded through a Kickstarter campaign, raising roughly $6 Million to produce 14 new episodes. New host Jonah – who’s been abducted by mad scientists (played by Patton Oswalt and Felicia Day) – joins robots Crow and Tom Servo as they watch and riff on B-list films as their only source of entertainment in Outer Space.

Bill! Bill! Bill! Every 90’s kid’s favorite scientist, Bill Nye, returns to television with an all new Netflix Original Series. “Bill Nye Saves The World,” which premieres on April 21, tackles a different scientific topic in each episode, ranging from Global Warming to GMOs. Accompanying Bill is a pack of celebrity scientists and science lovers, like supermodel Karlie Kloss and Food Network personality, Alton Brown. “Bill Nye Saves The World” looks equally entertaining and educational.

These are just some of the shows debuting on Netflix in April.

For a complete list of upcoming Netflix content for 2017, click here.

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Music Review: Ryan Adams, “Prisoner”

March 31, 2017

Featured Music Friday

FireCat

Prolific singer/songwriter, Ryan Adams, is back for his latest studio album, Prisoner, an anthology of break up songs inspired by the musician’s split from wife of six years, Mandy Moore. Staying true to his style, Adams’ Prisoner is a blend of tragic lyrics and buoyant arrangements. The opening track, “Do You Still Love Me?” starts with a bang, flourishing under Adams’ soft-rock aesthetic. It’s followed by the mellow sorrow of the album’s title track. The “Break up Album” is not a new category, certainly not for Adams who has produced his own fair share of music in the genre, but in Prisoner, earnest lyricism and playful sonance breathes life into bygone love.

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Throwback Thursday: Barbra Streisand, “Color Me Barbra”

March 30, 2017

This Day in Music History

FireCat

On this day in 1966, Barbra Streisand aired her second television special for American audiences. Broadcast on CBS and called “Color Me Barbra,” the program was one of the very first to be filmed in color (hence the title). The special was split into three distinct acts: the first act was filmed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and featured Streisand singing seven songs, including “The Minute Waltz” and “Gotta Move.” Act II was a comedic medley filmed at the CBS studios in New York. The set was designed to look like a three-ringed circus and was furnished with an array of animals, including a tiger, an anteater, a llama, a baby elephant, penguins and more. During this segment, Streisand sang (accompanied by her creature companions) “Animal Crackers in my Soup,” “What’s New Pussycat?” and “Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?” The final act was a traditional studio concert, with her fan club members selected to sit in the audience, singing “C’est Si Bon,” “It Had to be You,” and more. The TV Special was a massive success and was nominated for five Emmys that year.

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Dynamic Stream Balancing (DSB) gets more HiFi through your WiFi

March 28, 2017

The Tech

FireCat

Back in November, we took an in-depth look at Traffic Independent Synchronization (TIS), a Blackfire Research technology which allows precise syncing of your wireless speakers. And last week, we discussed Real-Time Packet Management (RPM), a technology for streaming music to your speakers without excessive buffering. Today, we’re finishing off the series with Dynamic Stream Balancing (DSB).

Dynamic Stream Balancing (DSB) is the way Blackfire makes the best use of your available WiFi bandwidth. If you have a wireless, multi-speaker system that uses conventional WiFi protocols, chances are that some of your speakers may be more affected than others by interference and heavy network traffic, which causes your music to break up and for speakers to go out of sync.

DSB monitors special multipoint, real-time feedback signals from each speaker to identify the effect of noise on the audio data stream. By precisely identifying which packets are statistically most likely to be affected, DSB then uses the available WiFi bandwidth to selectively and predictively resend data to the most vulnerable speaker before interference can cause any audible drop out. So less data is needed in the buffer, which means delays in the audio stream are reduced from 10’s of seconds to 10’s of milliseconds.

This is especially necessary when using a wireless surround sound system to watch video. With DSB, your Blackfire wireless system has minimal lag between the video on your screen and the audio through your speakers; in HD Audio, up to 24-bit/192kHz Studio Quality, and even HD Video can be streamed to any device from any room, losslessly.

DSB, as well as TIS and RPM, is embedded into all Blackfire enabled products. Together, these technologies create FCP: Firecast Protocol – Blackfire’s solution to streaming music and video over your regular WiFi network, flawlessly.

Hear the difference! Firecast is found in all Blackfire enabled products, including The Harman/Kardon Omni Series and Pioneer MRX Series. Happy listening!

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Music Review: Allison Crutchfield, “Tourist in This Town”

March 24, 2017

Featured Music Friday

FireCat

Tourist In This Town is the debut, full-length album by Alabama native Allison Crutchfield. Crutchfield is not new to the music industry, having formed notable bands since her teenage years (P.S. Eliot and Bad Banana) with twin sister, Katie of Waxahatchee. On Tourist, Crutchfield ditches compromising with bandmates and focuses on the self. Accompanying the 80’s inspired rippling synths that sail through the album are Crutchfield’s easy vocals and anxiety-driven lyrics of love, heartbreak, loneliness, and change. Standouts on the album include opener, “Broad Daylight,” “Charlie,” and “Expatriate,” with open, honest lyrics: “I love myself, or I’m figuring out how.”

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