At CES this year, many products on the show floor, from microwaves to automobiles, had either Alexa or Google Assistant (or both!) built in. And from what we saw, multiroom, Wi-Fi speakers were no exception. Since Amazon unveiled their flagship voice-activated smart speaker, Echo, in 2014, the audio industry has been drastically shaken. Although they don’t generally produce the best sound quality, smart speakers have become hugely popular. And now, many smart speakers are gaining hi-res audio abilities, like Google Home Max and Apple’s HomePod. And that’s got audio manufacturers worried. In a market dominated by smart speakers (in addition to the roll-out of smart speakers with enhanced audio abilities) CE companies have no choice but “to stay relevant in a Wi-Fi speaker market dominated by Amazon- and Google-branded smart speakers” by designing products that “feature microphones to detect voice commands and come with either Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant built in” (Sound and Vision).

While most audio manufacturers begin to launch multiroom Wi-Fi smart speakers that either incorporate or compete with Google and Amazon’s technology, here are a few key concepts to keep in mind:

Buffering Bummer

Most popular wireless speakers run on conventional Wi-Fi protocols which have to queue the data. This means that it takes several seconds for the first song to fill the buffer before it begins to play. While the first song plays, the system is already buffering the next song to minimize gaps. This is fine until you change the queue before the system can re-buffer. This certainly poses a problem for folks who want to use these wireless, smart speakers in a multiroom set up. Enter Real-Time Packet Management (RPM): the Blackfire solution to buffering. RPM uses a special multipoint, real-time feedback signal from each speaker to monitor the effects of noise on the audio data stream, which allows a much shorter queue and much less buffering.

Get In Sync

Regardless of how “smart” a Wi-Fi speaker is, problems will always arise when it comes to synchronizing multiple speakers in a multiroom set up. Problems facing a standard method of synchronization include: 1) performance that is tied to the performance of the network environment and 2) the more devices you have on a given network, the slower it runs, producing an extended lag between speakers and between your TV and the speakers – even total dropouts. Traffic Independant Synchronization (TIS) is Blackfire’s patented synchronization technology that can be used to sync any number of wireless devices, from multi speaker 5.1 audio systems, stereo systems, smart speakers, and even your entire home theater. Blackfire’s TIS technology always maintains latency between audio and video pairings and among the speakers themselves. And with TIS, the sync of the speakers will remain undisturbed by heavy network traffic.

Interfere Interference

Wireless, multi-speaker systems that use conventional Wi-Fi protocols are more susceptible to interference and heavy network traffic, which causes music to break up and for speakers to go out of sync. Dynamic Stream Balancing (DSB) is the way Blackfire makes the best use of the available Wi-Fi bandwidth. 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 uses the available Wi-Fi bandwidth to selectively, and predictively, resend data to the most vulnerable speaker before interference can cause any audible drop out.

The Blackfire Realtime Entertainment Distribution (RED) framework

Combining individual entertainment systems to work together (to create a truly connected smart home) is non trivial – it requires precise synchronization, low latency for lip sync and a general reliability over standard Wi-Fi (the best and most commonly used communication protocol for the home.) With The Blackfire Realtime Entertainment Distribution (RED) framework embedded into wireless smart speakers, users can finally enjoy a truly connected home. With voice commands, you can ask any Blackfire enabled device to play music, wirelessly and synchronously throughout the home, in groups, and on multiple devices. The Blackfire RED framework also supports low latency and multi-channel, which other wireless solutions do not.

Voice service solutions require a high performance, multi-room solution like the Blackfire RED framework, which can allow multiple devices to respond to voice commands, simultaneously, and can be integrated into a broad spectrum of high quality voice service applications.

The Blackfire RED framework enhances the performance of smart speakers and does what no other solution has done before. Our partners have already stepped into the future, leveraging Blackfire’s technology in their products. Now is your chance, too. Join the Blackfire revolution today.

According to research firm Parks Associates, 45% of U.S. broadband households own a Smart TV, “making it the most commonly used platform for streaming video content among this group.” Additionally, roughly 60% of the those surveyed said that the device display on a Smart TV is easier to navigate and easier to find content than other connected devices, such as a set top box (STB).

Despite the high praise from devoted users, overall sales of Smart TVs, including those with 4K/Ultra HD resolution, have plateaued in recent years. “As a result, we are seeing new partnerships among device manufacturers focused on ways to improve or refresh the UI [user interface] of the smart TV, to make the device easy to use and a single point of content in the living room,” says Jennifer Kent, Director of research quality and product development at Parks Associates.

Additionally, streaming services are only gaining in popularity. Thanks to engaging, original content and an abundance of mainstay classics, streaming services like Netflix and Hulu are gradually killing cable. Data from financial services company Raymond James “shows that 31 percent of Internet users polled in November cited a streaming service such as Netflix or Hulu as their primary source of video content, up from 24 percent a year ago and only a few percent behind the 35 percent of survey respondents who named cable as their primary video source.” (Sound and Vision) That means, now, more than ever, entertainment device manufacturers need to start designing their products with streaming at the forefront.

Another feature that has been gaining traction over the last few years is voice control, and we should expect to see more entertainment devices, such as Smart TVs, unveil voice control functionality in 2018. Research from Parks Associates shows that “consumer demand is pushing voice control into the connected entertainment area” fueling it’s growth in the market.

This study proves that instead of having many disparate devices that play media throughout the home, consumers want to have access to all their entertainment content – such as music and video streaming services – from one central place. And what better place than the living room TV? Establishing the living room TV as a central hub from which all entertainment content can be easily accessed (and sent out to other devices in a multi-room setup) cuts down on the confusion for what can be played from which device. It’s time the TV stepped into the 21st century…

Implemented into the home’s central Smart TV, Blackfire’s revolutionary new protocol, The Blackfire Realtime Entertainment Distribution (RED) framework, allows users to to create a wireless, whole home entertainment system. With the Blackfire RED framework embedded in wireless speakers and the Smart TV, users can finally enjoy a truly wireless, connected home. The Blackfire RED framework is the most synchronous, reliable, and cost effective wireless solution on the market, and can be integrated into a broad spectrum of high quality voice service applications as well. Many companies have already stepped into the future by leveraging Blackfire’s technology. Now is your chance. Join the Blackfire Revolution today.

As smart speakers like the Amazon Echo and Google Home gain popularity, users are discovering more and more use cases for the technology in their homes. Besides the obvious music listening, what else are smart speaker owners using the technology for? The answer may (not) surprise you.

NPR and Edison Research conducted a study called The Smart Audio Report, which was based on a national online survey of 1,620 American adults. Out of the 800 respondents who said that they owned at least one smart speaker, 709 had an Alexa-enabled device, 160 owned a Google Home, and 69 owned both. No surprises, Amazon is dominating the smart speaker market.

52% of smart speaker owners responded that they keep their primary smart speaker in the living room, with the kitchen being the next highest placement for the smart speaker at 24%. This indicates that the living room is still being used as the main entertainment space, even as technology changes over time. Therefore, CE manufacturers should still view the living room as the epicenter for home entertainment systems. In terms of whole-home entertainment systems such as wireless speakers, the living room serves as great placement for a central hub that can control wireless speakers positioned throughout the house.

If you don’t have a smart speaker yet, you may be asking yourself, what’s the draw? What’s the main reason for even wanting a smart speaker in the first place? According to the report, respondents did not list listening to music as their number one reason for wanting a smart speaker, but rather, the top reason was to have the ability to ask questions or look up information without needing to type it into a phone or computer. This is pretty big news in favor of expanding voice control technology across various entertainment and service devices. Currently, we live in a tactile, app-based technological age: the modern smartphone was designed for viewing, touching, and engaging with a multitude of apps. But that may shift considerably within the next few years. Even though voice AI and voice control are still in their infancy, this study proves that many people want the ability to interact with their devices through their voice.

To the delight of Amazon, surely, 57% of respondents indicated that they have ordered an item through their smart speaker. Considering that retail is the driving force behind smart home innovations like Amazon’s Echo smart speakers powered by their voice AI, Alexa, we consider this a huge win for Amazon.

Overall, the study found that all types of smart speaker users (ranging from “heavy,” “medium,” and “light”), use their voice activated smart speakers regularly to play music, find out the weather, ask general questions, and set timers or alarms. As popularity for smart speakers increase, functionality will as well, and the smart speaker will likely become the central hub for the smart home of the future.

A new neural network AI from MIT CSAIL has been making headlines recently for using machine learning to solve some issues associated with buffering. We’ve all experienced buffering before, either in the form of pixilation, long wait times while loading a video or audio file, and everyone’s favorite nemesis: the spinning pinwheel of death. Buffering occurs because it’s impossible for your computer (or TV) to receive data all in one lump for immediate playback. Therefore, data is broken up into smaller packets and sent to its destination, sequentially. So while you’re enjoying your favorite Spotify playlist played to wireless speakers throughout your home, or streaming the latest episode of Game of Thrones in your living room, your entertainment media will always be sent bit by bit. If all goes well, you’ll never notice this is even happening. But more often than not, you’ll experience some sort of indication of file buffering. If there isn’t enough bandwidth, you’ll either experience pixilation, longer buffering times, or drop outs because your network can’t transmit data fast enough to maintain a sufficient “buffer.”

Essentially, what MIT CSAIL’s AI, dubbed the “Pensieve” neural network, does is use machine learning to switch between pixilation and buffering so your videos aren’t over buffering when they don’t need to, or pixelating when they don’t need to. According to MIT, the neural network will tune itself over time based on a system of rewards and penalties, allowing streaming services to customise this for their content—with priorities for buffering or resolution. If the streaming service is able to predict that a user watching a video on a handheld device is about to walk into a poor connectivity area, the system will be able to reduce the streaming resolution sufficiently, creating enough of a buffer for (potentially) stutter-free streaming (livemint). This is all fine and good, but it’s essentially like putting a Band-Aid on a festering wound: it may cover up the problem, but it by no way solves the underlying issue.

The real problem with buffering lies with your WiFi network. Conventional WiFi runs on TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), designed in the 1960’s for transferring files down wired Ethernet lines – certainly not for streaming real-time video and wireless audio throughout the Smart Home. (For more information on the shortcomings of TCP, check out this blog post). As long as your WiFi runs on this outdated protocol, it doesn’t matter what techniques are being innovated to combat the annoyance of buffering – the cause of the issue still needs to be addressed, not the symptoms.

Blackfire Research understands this. That is why we developed Real-Time Packet Management (RPM), the Blackfire Research solution to buffering. For whole home, wireless audio, RPM uses a special multipoint, real-time feedback signal from each speaker to monitor the effects of noise on the audio data stream, allowing for a much shorter queue and much less buffering. RPM is part of the Blackfire Realtime Entertainment Distribution (RED) framework, a revolutionary new protocol designed to stream both HD 5.1 audio and 4K video, simultaneously, across multiple devices around your home- all over the standard WiFi – with precise synchronization, low latency for lip sync, and overall reliability.

RPM can be found in any Blackfire powered device. Partnering with Blackfire Research means you’re ahead of the pack, and most of all, one step closer to defeating your nemesis: that darn spinning pinwheel of death.

With the announcement in late July that Apple is officially retiring the iPod Nano and the iPod Shuffle (the last of the pre iPhone iPods) we can safely say that “video killed the radio star” or rather, the rise of online/app-based streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, and Apple Music, have essentially wiped out the need for music file downloading on portable devices (and the products that were designed for that sole purpose.) When the iPod debuted in 2001, Steve Jobs promised 1,000 songs in your pocket. Today, through streaming, you can play almost any song in existence, instantaneously and fairly cheaply, without bogging down your smartphone or tablet’s storage. Thus, it’s not surprising that Apple is finally saying goodbye to the standalone MP3 player (although it does pierce a knife right into the heart of my childhood.)

With online/app-based streaming swiftly becoming the norm, home A/V and speaker manufacturers are adapting as well by offering products with built-in streaming services like Spotify Connect and Chromecast built-in, allowing music lovers to stream their music wirelessly from their phone or tablet to their speakers. But this shift comes at a price because they are exposing major flaws, not just in their products, but in the wireless protocols their products are built on.

Conventional Wi-Fi runs on TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) which was designed in the 1960’s for transferring files down wired Ethernet lines, not streaming real-time, wireless, audio. Unfortunately, most products out today that boast wireless streaming capabilities still use these outdated protocols and therefore, can’t properly support wireless streaming.

This has posed a huge problem for manufacturers who want to stay on trend, but are unwilling to invest in new, wireless infrastructures. As we’ve seen with Apple’s retirement of standalone MP3 players, products that support app-based streaming are the future. And yet, manufacturers continue to release products that are fundamentally unable to support the future of wireless home entertainment.

So what can be done? Well, Blackfire Research has an answer for that.

It’s called the Blackfire Realtime Entertainment Distribution (RED) framework, and it’s the industry’s only wireless and entertainment-centric infrastructure software framework built from the ground up to both overcome the limitations of Wi-Fi and meet the needs of wireless, entertainment-related apps and products. Top global audio brands, such as Harman Kardon, Onkyo, Pioneer, and Integra have already licensed the Blackfire RED framework, and are currently shipping products that leverage its capabilities: reliable multi-room, multi-channel, low latency, wireless audio and video over Wi-Fi. With the Blackfire RED framework in products such as home A/V systems, wireless speakers, smartphones, and TVs, home owners can finally become Smart Home owners – enjoying all of their digital streaming services wirelessly, synchronously and seamlessly throughout the home.

With the original iPod, you could carry 1,000 songs in your pocket. Today, the Spotify song collection alone boasts over 30 million. We’ve been adding more and more music into our pockets, but after all this time, we’re still trying to figure out how best to get it out.

Blackfire Research partner, Harman Kardon, recently released an updated version of their Omni Wireless Speakers, which they are calling The Omni+ Series. Like the first generation, the new series features the same lightweight, portable design of the Omni 10 and Omni 20, but this time, they’re trading in the glossy exterior for a more sophisticated matte finish (in both black and white.) Additionally, Harman Kardon has added another speaker to the series: The Omni 50+, a wireless HD indoor/outdoor speaker with a rechargeable battery, perfect for your next backyard BBQ. And of course, all speakers in The Omni+ Series feature Blackfire wireless multiroom technology built-in, so your favorite song can follow you from room to room.

One of the most exciting updates in the Harman/Kardon Omni+ Series is the addition of built-in Spotify Connect which lets you play your Spotify library through the Omni+ wireless speakers directly from the internet – freeing up your phone to take calls and do other things. But what if you have one or more of the first generation Omni wireless speakers and want to play music from your Spotify account throughout your home? With the addition of one or more Omni+ wireless speakers to your home, re-broadcasting Spotify Connect to your existing Omni collection is as easy as pressing a button. Literally.

Whether you have an Omni 10, an Omni 20, or Adapt, the process will be exactly the same. After you add any speaker from the Omni+ Series to your collection, initiate normal setup (make sure you have the latest version of the Harman/Kardon App first):

1. Place the speaker in your desired location
2. Connect it to a power source
3. Open the Harman/Kardon app and follow the easy setup instructions
4. Make sure you have added the new speaker to the same Wi-Fi network as your other speaker(s) and your source device(s)

Now that you have chosen a location, a name, and the correct network for the new speaker, you can begin to re-broadcast Spotify Connect throughout your home!

1. With all your Omni and Omni+ wireless speakers on and connected to the same Wi-Fi network, open the Spotify App from your phone, tablet, or desktop
2. With the Spotify App open, click on “Devices Available” at the bottom of the page
3. Find the name you’ve given to your new Omni+ Wireless Speaker on the list of available devices. Since the Omni+ speakers all have Spotify Connect built-in, it will show up as an available device on the Spotify App automatically
4. Choose your Omni+ Speaker from the list as your playback device
5. Test the connection by choosing a song to play from your Spotify account – music should now be playing from your new Omni+ speaker

While music plays from your new Omni+ speaker, you have two options of how to re-broadcast Spotify Connect from you Omni+ speaker to your Omni speaker(s). You can either:

Press and hold down the “Slash Button” on the top of your Omni+ speaker until all of the Omni speakers in your collection start playing the same song

OR

Press the “Slash Button” on each individual Omni speaker so you can control which specific speaker(s) to re-broadcast to (in case you don’t want to re-broadcast Spotify Connect to all of your wireless speakers.)

These same steps apply if you want to stop re-broadcasting Spotify Connect to your Omni speakers: simply press and hold down the “Slash Button” on your Omni+ speaker, or, press the “Slash Button” on each individual Omni speaker to stop the re-broadcasting.

And that’s it! Re-broadcasting Spotify Connect from an Omni+ Wireless Speaker to your first generation Omni collection is as easy as pressing a button. Now you can enjoy music from your Spotify account played from any speaker, throughout your entire home. Did someone say “Party?”

On Saturday July 22, the hugely successful and highly acclaimed hip-hop duo, Run the Jewels, are taking the stage at San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. In the wake of their third album, “Run the Jewels 3,” they’ve been selling out venues and headlining summer music festivals. With their political lyrics, they’re widely viewed as the future of hip-hop. For ticket information, click here.

On Sunday July 30, legendary folk rock singer, Neil Diamond, will be performing at San Jose’s SAP Center as part of his 50th Anniversary World Tour. Presented by Live Nation, the world tour is in celebration of the artist’s astonishing career: from selling over 125 million albums worldwide, to multiple Grammy wins and being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Neil Diamond and his music has helped shape the American landscape over the past half century. For more information, check out this link.

The Band Perry will be coming to the Bay Area and performing at two different outdoor venues this summer. The first, at Mountain Winery in Saratoga on Tuesday August 1st; and the second, at Wente Vineyards in Livermore on August 3rd. Both venues will serve as a perfect background for an evening with the unstoppable pop-country trio. Their popularity and massive industry success leaves other country stars shaking in their cowboy boots.

At the Oracle Arena in Oakland on Friday August 4th, the most talented and sought-after rapper in the business, Kendrick Lamar, will be gracing the stage to what is sure to be a spectacular night of hip-hop. Lamar is coming to the Bay as part of THE DAMN. TOUR, celebrating his latest album, which went straight to No. 1 and was certified platinum. For more ticket information, click here. And check out my review of DAMN. here.

Finally, Hans Zimmer, the Academy Award winning composer behind over 150 film scores including “The Lion King,” “The Dark Knight,” “The Pirates of the Caribbean” series and “Inception” has been on tour this year. To the surprise and delight of many music and movie fans, he was even a headliner this year at the largest summer music festival, Coachella. Now, Zimmer is scheduled to take on the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on Wednesday, August 9th. Get your tickets now before they sell out! And don’t forget to bring some popcorn.

What concerts or events are you most excited for in July and August? Comment below!

For us at Blackfire Research, April is shaping up to be a music lover’s dream. From newly-minted breakout stars to the return of 60’s psychedelic rock, the San Francisco Bay Area is playing host to a number of highly anticipated concerts this month.

On Saturday, April 15, English indie pop group, The xx, comes to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in downtown San Francisco as part of their North American tour promoting their latest album, “I See You.” Accompanying them is breakout artist, Sampha, who just recently released his debut album, “Process” to rave reviews and stunning critical acclaim. For tickets, click here.

Radiohead returns to The Greek Theatre in Berkeley for a two night, sold out engagement on April 17 & 18. The beautiful outdoor amphitheater, located at the start of the Berkeley Foothills, adjacent to The University of California campus, is the perfect venue to reconnect with everyone’s favorite 90’s rock band.

Also making an appearance in Berkeley this month: The Zombies. Journey back in time as the iconic 60’s psychedelic rock band performs at The UC Theatre on April 25 as part of the First Anniversary Show celebrating the remodeling and reopening of this historic venue. Tickets are on sale now.

Winner of Best Rap Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards, Chicago native, Chance the Rapper, takes his critically acclaimed “Coloring Book,” on the road, performing to an already sold out crowd at the Oracle Arena in Oakland on April 26. In addition to his massively successful solo career, Chance lends his talents on other influential albums, such as Kanye West’s “The Life of Pablo.” Recently, Chance made headlines when he donated $1 Million to the Chicago Public School system, garnering high praise from another well-known CPS alum, Michelle Obama, who took to Twitter to thank Chance for his generosity, branding him as a leading “example of the power of arts education.”

R&B chart topper, The Weeknd, will be making a stop at San Jose’s SAP Center on Friday, April 28 for part of his first World Tour, Starboy: Legend of the Fall. The award winner’s sophomore album, “Starboy,” was released last November and chronicles the aftermath of the artist’s newfound fame. Tickets are on sale now.

British folk singer, Laura Marling, who just released her sixth studio album, “Semper Femina,” to rave reviews, will be gracing The Fillmore stage in San Francisco on April 30. Marling’s placid stage demeanor, coupled with the richly poetic language of her lyrics, accentuates the hypnotic effect she holds over an audience. Experience the magic, you won’t regret it.

On that same night, iconic American folk singer and two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, David Crosby, will be performing at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. In addition to his classic hits, Crosby will be performing songs from his latest solo album, “Croz,” as well as pieces from an upcoming album titled “Sky Trails.” For more information, click here.  

What concerts or events are you most excited for this April? Let us know in the comments section!

Loving music is a requirement for working at Blackfire Research. As a wireless entertainment technology company, we’re listening to music all day while testing wireless speakers, surround sound systems, music streaming applications, and more. Although we specialize in perfecting wireless home entertainment, there’s plenty of excitement to experience outside the home. One of the best aspects about being located in San Francisco is the immense access to all the live concerts, shows, music festivals, and events that the Bay Area has to offer. And, believe me, there’s a lot. Here’s a list of some upcoming concerts near the City by the Bay we’re excited for this month.

On Friday, February 24, indie rock band and Oakland natives, Rogue Wave, best known for their 2007 song “Lake Michigan,” returns to the Bay Area to host a night full of ‘80’s jams for “Rogue Wave presents Cover Me: A Night of ’80s Classics.” They’ll be teaming with up-and-coming Australian indie band, MIDDLE KIDS, who will be making their San Francisco debut. The event is presented by Bay Area favorites Popscene and Noise Pop at Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco. Click here for ticket information.

Also on February 24, Grammy-winning R&B singer and all around Diva, Chrisette Michele, will grace The Warfield stage in San Francisco as part of The Milestone Tour, in celebration of her fifth studio album, Milestone. For more information, click here.

February 25th marks the Bay Area return of legendary pop rock icon, Bonnie Raitt, whose career spans over four decades, and is most famous for her 1991 hit “Something to Talk About.” Not only is Raitt a nine time Grammy Award winner, she is also an outspoken political activist. She’ll be playing for one night only at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. Tickets are on sale now for what is sure to be an explosive performance.

Heading into March, San Jose welcomes Rock and Roll icon, Bon Jovi, to the SAP Center as part of his “This House Is Not For Sale” U.S. tour. On March 1st, Bon Jovi fans will be treated to the band’s classic rock anthems, as well as new hits off their latest album. This will be the band’s first tour since 2013.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers take on The Oracle Arena in Oakland on March 12 as part of their World Tour in support of their latest album, “The Getaway.” With a thirty year career under their belt, the band has experienced an epic, Rock and Roll story filled with major musical successes, drug abuse, and fame. In 2012, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

California native and Kanye West protege, Big Sean hits the stage at The Nob Hill Masonic Center on March 23. Big Sean (Sean Anderson) was raised in Detroit and discovered by West on the radio, signing him to his label, GOOD MUSIC, in 2007. Big Sean is touring the U.S. as part of the release of his fourth studio album, “I Decided,” which features verses by big name artists like DJ Khaled, Drake, and Chris Brown. Get in on all the action here.

What concerts or events are you most excited for this month? Let us know in the comments below!

This past November, Japanese electronics manufacturer, Onkyo, unveiled the LS7200 3D Soundbar System featuring FireConnect by Blackfire Research, as part of their growing Envision Cinema product family. The LS7200 is a three-piece, 5.1.2 surround sound system, made up of a slim, 53mm wall-mountable soundbar, a wireless subwoofer, and an AV center control unit, which includes four HDMI inputs to connect all your media devices, such as Blu-Ray players, streaming boxes, and video game consoles.

The three-piece LS7200 offers key advantages over other soundbar systems:  not only does it use FireConnect to perfect multiroom distribution of wireless audio to FireConnect-compatible wireless speakers, the LS7200 will support Spotify, Connect, TuneIn, and Tidal, so you’ll have all your favorite music right at your fingertips. Onkyo’s “AccuEQ Room Acoustic Calibration tailors sound to individual spaces, adjusting essential speaker conditions such as output level, distance, and crossover” (eu.onkyo.com), so you’ll always experience incredible sound in any room or configuration.

Inside the 53mm soundbar, “you’ll find two speakers drivers for each left, right and centre channel as well single height speakers to create 3D sound effects via Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. The LS7200 also boasts a Surround Enhancer mode that creates ‘virtual rear speakers’ to help give the illusion sound is coming from behind you” (pocket-lint.com). Additionally, the LS7200 offers object-based sound for movies, as well as a deeply satisfying stereo performance with a choice of network audio options.

Whether streaming music throughout your home or watching your favorite movie in surround sound, Onkyo LS7200 3D Soundbar System is the perfect addition to your wireless home entertainment system. The LS7200 will be available starting in January 2017.

For more information, check out this Onkyo Press Release, and news from Techradar and Pocket-Lint:

Onkyo Press Release

Techradar

Pocket-lint

Blackfire Research is proud to partner with Harmon/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 Harmon’s wireless Omni speakers. Today, we’ll take a closer look inside the Omni 10, the wireless HD loudspeaker that started it all.

With its small, elegant design, the Omni 10, wireless HD loudspeaker, packs a lot of punch. Powered by Blackfire’s patented technology, the Omni 10 sets the bar for the industry’s best performing small room speaker. (Based on objective performance studies of currently available Wi-Fi speaker technologies as defined by the ITU Indoor Radio Propagation Model.) The Omni 10 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.

A multi-speaker setups allow for multi-room and multi-channel wireless surround sound. Harmon/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” to continue playing your music on another device. Multi-room and multi-channel wireless audio also lets you play different songs in different rooms, so you’ll never have to fight over music tastes again!

You can stream music from your smartphone or tablet through the Harmon/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. If streaming music isn’t your thing, the Omni 10 also has a 3.5 mm auxiliary input that allows you to connect your speaker to almost any audio device.

Harmon/Kardon’s Omni 10 wireless HD Loudspeaker powered by Blackfire comes in either black or white and can be purchased for $199.95 each.

Notes

*Based on objective performance studies of currently available Wi-Fi speaker technologies as defined by the ITU Indoor Radio Propagation Model.
** http://www.harmankardon.com/HKOMNI10BLKAM.html