Kaleidescape is shipping its largest movie server, the 72-terabyte 4K Ultra HD Terra 72 ($23,995), which stores over 1,100 4K movies and can serve up to 10 simultaneous 4K playbacks, said the company Monday. The Terra 72 works with a Strato C movie player. A feature-length 4K movie downloads in 10 minutes on a 1 Gbps connection, said the company. Kaleidescape offers 12,000 titles for purchase and more than 8,000 for rent, including nearly 400 4K UHD titles not available on Blu-ray Disc, it said.
Valens Semiconductor, originator of the HDBaseT high-speed connectivity standard for home theater and autonomous vehicles, said the SEC declared effective its registration statement to combine with special purpose acquisition company PTK and take itself public on the New York Stock Exchange. A special meeting of PTK's shareholders is Sept. 28 to ratify the $1.16 billion combination, which was first announced in May (see 2105250023). Valens still expects the transaction to close by fall, it said Monday.
Legrand Building Control Systems introduced a wellness-oriented lighting system for the residential market that combines lighting control, motorized shading and color-tunable lighting fixtures. Vantage Lhuman harnesses natural light when it’s available, or renders it artificially when it’s not, to improve the physical, emotional and mental well-being of occupants, said the company Thursday. A new software release, Design Center 4.2, coincides with the introduction and is said to simplify programming for installers while providing new levels of flexibility. The company is collaborating with light fixture manufacturers, it said.
Panasonic announced at gamescom 2021 a 4-watt speaker system for gamers that’s designed to be worn on the shoulders. The SoundSlayer immersive gaming speaker system, due in October, was designed with Square Enix for gamers, with a wide sound field and three modes -- first-person shooter, role-playing and voice -- to enhance the gaming experience, said the company Wednesday. Price wasn’t given.
Audio-Technica bowed wireless headphones for gaming and music, said the company Wednesday. The over-ear ATH-S220BTs ($59) have cushioned earpads, up to 60-hour battery life and can be charged up to 3.5 hours on a 10-minute rapid charge, said the company. The Bluetooth headphones also come with a 3.9-foot cable for wired listening. Controls are compatible with Siri and Google Assistant for access to voice recognition, messages and map navigation; a voice guidance function can be used for notifications about battery level and pairing status, it said.
Samsung is doing a “thorough investigation” into reports a Galaxy A21 smartphone caught fire aboard an Alaska Airlines flight Monday, the company emailed Wednesday, calling safety a “top priority.” A Tuesday Verge article reported the incident, said to involve a Galaxy A21, though a spokesperson for the Port of Seattle said the phone was “burned beyond recognition.” An Alaska Airlines spokesperson told The Verge the plane’s crew used fire extinguishers and a battery containment bag to “stop the phone from smoking.” Passengers were evacuated from the plane via slides “due to hazy conditions inside the cabin,” and two were treated at a local hospital, said the report.
Leviton’s Decora Smart Wi-Fi lighting controls can now integrate with Schlage’s Encode Smart deadbolt, said the companies Tuesday. With Leviton’s My Leviton app, users can trigger lighting activity to coincide with a lock action. User-set scenes could have all or certain lights turn on when the unlock code is entered on the deadbolt's touch screen, they said.
In a promotion beginning Sept. 1, customers who buy a Trinnov Altitude16 or Altitude32 processor and a Kaleidescape Strato C + Terra movie player will get a Trinnov-selected package of 4K Dolby Atmos- and DTS:X-mastered titles at no extra cost, emailed the companies Monday. The promotion runs through year-end 2022.
Haier’s GE Appliances (GEA) signed a multiyear partnership with Google Cloud to “elevate the consumer experience” in the kitchen. It will integrate AI and machine learning into its appliance development process, said the company Thursday. GEA will benefit from Google Cloud’s integration with other Google platforms and technologies such as Android and Google Assistant, it said. As a result of the partnership, appliance owners will get personalized features, insights and energy-saving recommendations. The platform will help commercial customers manage fleets of appliances, decrease unplanned downtime and extend product life, it said.
Virtual MVPD fuboTV bought exclusive rights for Coppa Italia and the exclusive English language rights in Canada for Serie A in multiyear agreements, said the company Thursday. The agreements are part of fuboTV’s strategy to differentiate its sports-focused programming with exclusive soccer rights, it said.