Dolby is hoping pay-TV operators and consumers will create demand for set-top boxes with Dolby Vision, Chief Financial Officer Lewis Chew told an investor conference Wednesday. Growth in the segment has been relatively flat in recent quarters compared with three years ago, he said. The first Dolby Vision-enabled set-tops are expected to begin rolling out this year (see 1905020062). On why U.S. household penetration of Dolby Vision isn’t broader in TVs, Chew called it “still a relatively new technology,” comparing it to anti-lock braking systems that appeared first in luxury vehicles and are now standard. Availability of more content in Vision will drive more TV adoption, he suggested: “It’s very encouraging to see big players like iTunes, Amazon Prime and Netflix adopting Dolby Vision as a way of putting out their content.” The company sees “lots of opportunity ahead.” Samsung adopted Dolby Atmos in the latest Galaxy smartphones after some years ago taking Dolby out, Chew noted. Apple adopted Vision, though not Atmos, for iPhone 8 and later phones, and recent iPads.
The FCC OK'd General Motors pulling the company's waiver bid to not provide some real-time texting functions (see 1904260002), via an order Friday by Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Chief Patrick Webre. It's in docket 15-178. Some dozen groups backed the automaker's reversal to not seek exemption of providing some RTT in Cruise shared autonomous vehicles (see 1905080055).
Sony Mobile will launch the Xperia 1 July 12 on Verizon at Best Buy, Amazon, B&H Photo, Focus Camera and other retailers, it said Thursday. The $949 smartphone will be the first to include a 4K OLED display, said Sony. The 6.5-inch phone has a 21:9 widescreen display, a three-lens camera and will be the first smartphone to have Eye auto focus, it said. The camera offers 10 frames-per-second shooting and auto focus and auto exposure tracking. Additional features include Master Monitor color reproduction from Sony’s pro side, a “creator” mode, Dolby Atmos sound and a game enhancer feature that optimizes performance and blocks unwanted notifications.
Summit Wireless Technologies embedded licensable software has been demoed for about 15 companies under nondisclosure agreements, said CEO Brett Moyer on a Q1 call Wednesday. The audio tech's IP version is designed to hit the "sweet spot" of good enough to “penetrate the broad market” -- the 1.3 billion smartphones, 200 million smart TVs and 200 million tablets sold each year, he said. Summit will secure an “alpha customer this year and launch with them,” he said.
Sprint’s first two 5G devices -- the LG V50 ThinQ 5G and HTC 5G Hub -- launch in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Kansas City May 31, with pre-orders beginning Friday, said the carrier Thursday. The devices will roll out to Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Washington in the next few weeks. Limited-time pricing for the LG V50 is $24 per month, with $0 down -- half off -- on a Sprint Flex lease. The HTC 5G Hub, advertised at half off for $12.50 a month over 24 months, includes 100 GB of high-speed data on a $60-per-month plan. On a news-media tour in New York last week, a company spokesperson told us at launch, Sprint plans to cover about 1,000 square miles initially in its 5G footprint. Commenting on the different flavors of 5G carriers have promoted, the spokeswoman said, “We’re launching the real 5G, not fake 5G.” Data speeds will improve by 100 times, she said, with “much improved latency times” enabling vehicle-to-vehicle communication for autonomous driving, remote surgery and mobile gaming. The HTC hub, a Sprint exclusive at launch, is targeted to homes and small businesses, and can enable non-5G devices such as laptops, tablets, phones and TVs to “experience the speed of 5G,” delivering “smooth” 4K video streaming, “virtually buffer-free” gaming, and advanced 4G LTE hotspot connectivity for up to 20 users. In a home, the compact Hub could display a recipe in the kitchen while simultaneously powering a laptop, the spokeswoman said. As an entertainment device -- equipped with a gigabit Ethernet port, 7,660mAh battery, Qualcomm Snapdragon 855-powered Hub and X50 5G modem -- the Hub can replace a Wi-Fi router and eliminate unnecessary cables, said Sprint. It’s capable of delivering up to 60 frames per second 4K video on compatible TVs and supports Android and PC games. Sprint’s “robust” Unlimited Premium data plan, designed to get the most from mobile 5G, includes unlimited data, talk and text nationwide; Hulu, Amazon Prime, Twitch Prime, Tidal HiFi, and 100GB LTE mobile hotspot services. The $80-per-month service, for each line, carries a $150 value. A three-month subscription to the Hatch Premium cloud gaming service is included on Sprint 5G phones, offering unlimited on-demand access to more than 100 Hatch Original mobile games. It enables social gaming with competitive leaderboards in shared game sessions, voice chat, live tournaments and the ability to connect with friends.
Voxx CEO Pat Lavelle took heat on a fiscal Q4 earnings call Wednesday from investors angered over the company’s mounting losses, low stock price and pattern of burning cash on its EyeLock iris-authentication security technology venture that has yet to yield a commercial product after years of trying. Several hammered Lavelle with questions about why Voxx doesn’t liquidate its real estate holdings and premium audio assets, which they said would fetch more than the company is worth as a going concern. A restructuring is nearly complete that included elimination of 9 percent of the workforce in the past year, said Lavelle. Operating losses widened 116 percent in the year ended Feb. 28 to $41.2 million. Revenue declined 12 percent to $446.8 million “Obviously, we’re not pleased with the past performance or the valuation of the company,” said Lavelle. “But we’ve not stood by idly as we continue to make the changes we believe will result in a stronger Voxx.” Losses will continue in Q1 and Q2, but that won’t be “the case thereafter,” he said. “I know this has been a long road,” said Lavelle. “It’s been equally frustrating for me personally as CEO. “Possibly doing a divestiture” is an idea that’s “on the table” and that the board “has discussed,” responded Lavelle to a question.
Smart-lighting company Sengled expanded its product line and cut the starting price of its smart LED bulbs to $24.99 for multicolor and extra bright versions to spur customer adoption, it said Wednesday. It also added a 1-meter LED light strip extension for $19.99 and a smart 2-meter light strip base for $49.99. A company survey of 1,000 Americans showed 42 percent believe smart lights are too expensive.
Fitbit is offering the Charge 3 tracker as a buy-up option to participants in the UnitedHealthcare Motion walking program, it said Tuesday. The employer-sponsored wearable device walking program encourages participants to move more and to monitor activity levels, with the potential to earn more than $1,000 per year by meeting specified walking goals, Fitbit said. In 2017, the company's Charge 2 tracker was the first wearable offered as a purchase option for the program.
Some 22 percent of U.S. broadband households use an antenna to watch broadcasts, said Parks Associates Tuesday. Households with both antennas and pay TV subscribe to multiple over-the-top video services and are more likely to own connected entertainment devices than average broadband or pay-TV-only households, it said. Parks identified two camps of TV antenna users: those who use them exclusively for TV viewing as a no-cost way to get entertainment, live sports and news, and a second group that uses antennas and over-the-air content to supplement a larger entertainment portfolio. The second group is driving demand for universal discovery across multiple content sources to simplify the process of finding content they want to watch, said analyst Brett Sappington.
Control4 is holding its third C4Yourself Day June 13, it said Monday. It gears the event to homeowners, architects, builders and design professionals to “get hands-on” with smart home technology in at-home settings, it said. CEO Martin Plaehn said it's a way for dealers to show a smart home can “juggle more than feature at a time,” while highlighting the value of a customized, professionally installed system. Host showroom dealers can demonstrate integrated smart home with scenes that lock down the house, change lights from cooking to dining mode and set a scene for watching a TV show in vignettes depicting kitchens, living rooms and outdoor spaces, with lifestyle scenes tailored to their market. Homeowners are increasingly familiar with smart products such as light bulbs, door locks and cameras, but they need an introduction to the idea of a professionally installed, integrated system, said Parks Associates analyst Brad Russell: “Consumers need to experience them ‘out of the box’ and in “real-life settings." Control4 has certified 210 Control4 dealer showrooms to date.