Comment Safety Profile? (Score 2) 228
What about adverse events and side effects?
Submission + - Marines testing real-life aimbot (twz.com)
timeOday writes: The U.S. Marines are testing a system for standard service rifles that automatically fine-tunes the point of aim with the help of a powered buttstock as a new option to help shoot down drones. The service is in the midst of a broad push to acquire new capabilities to help every Marine better protect themselves from ever-growing uncrewed aerial threats...
ZeroMark’s system is not the first automated small arms targeting system the Marines have looked into in recent years with a particular eye toward helping engage drones. The service has also at least been evaluating SMASH 2000-series computerized optical sights from Israeli firm Smart Shooter. SMASH-series sights have the ability to detect and lock onto targets of interest, even ones on the move, and calculate an optimal aim point for the shooter. Depending on how the system is configured on a particular gun, it can even prevent the trigger from being pulled until the weapon is properly aimed at the target...
The targeting system in ZeroMark’s FCS is similar, in some very broad strokes, to that of the SMASH family. It uses an array of sensors, including electro-optical cameras and LIDAR, coupled with machine vision and advanced software algorithms, to acquire targets, according to the company. Where ZeroMark’s offering differs most substantially is in its motorized articulating buttstock, which uses the data from the sensors to help physically move the gun’s point of aim. This, in turn, helps the shooter engage the target with greater precision and speed...
“[The mechanized buttstock] doesn’t move the soldier’s arm, it creates a virtual pivot between shoulder pad and handheld positions that creates angular change of the bore axis (ultimately where the gun’s pointed),” ZeroMark CEO Joel Anderson said in an interview earlier this year, according to TechCrunch. “The control systems for it are modeled to compensate for all the human factors (proprioception, noise, movement, torque, etc.) as well as the drone’s movement. So if you point in the general direction of the drone such that you’d be in the vicinity of a drone, the system does the rest.”
Zeromark says it is also easy to install and uninstall as required on a wide variety of different rifle types. A promotional video seen earlier in this story shows prototypes or mock-ups of the system installed on rifles in the AK-47/AKM, AR-15/M16, and Tavor families...
Overall, ZeroMark says its FCS “makes hitting a small drone at 200 yards as easy as hitting a 60-foot-diameter circle” at the same range, per TechCrunch. At least for now, the company has said work on its targeting system is focused on the counter-drone role, but has acknowledged that its system could be adapted for use against a wider array of target types in the future.
ZeroMark’s system is not the first automated small arms targeting system the Marines have looked into in recent years with a particular eye toward helping engage drones. The service has also at least been evaluating SMASH 2000-series computerized optical sights from Israeli firm Smart Shooter. SMASH-series sights have the ability to detect and lock onto targets of interest, even ones on the move, and calculate an optimal aim point for the shooter. Depending on how the system is configured on a particular gun, it can even prevent the trigger from being pulled until the weapon is properly aimed at the target...
The targeting system in ZeroMark’s FCS is similar, in some very broad strokes, to that of the SMASH family. It uses an array of sensors, including electro-optical cameras and LIDAR, coupled with machine vision and advanced software algorithms, to acquire targets, according to the company. Where ZeroMark’s offering differs most substantially is in its motorized articulating buttstock, which uses the data from the sensors to help physically move the gun’s point of aim. This, in turn, helps the shooter engage the target with greater precision and speed...
“[The mechanized buttstock] doesn’t move the soldier’s arm, it creates a virtual pivot between shoulder pad and handheld positions that creates angular change of the bore axis (ultimately where the gun’s pointed),” ZeroMark CEO Joel Anderson said in an interview earlier this year, according to TechCrunch. “The control systems for it are modeled to compensate for all the human factors (proprioception, noise, movement, torque, etc.) as well as the drone’s movement. So if you point in the general direction of the drone such that you’d be in the vicinity of a drone, the system does the rest.”
Zeromark says it is also easy to install and uninstall as required on a wide variety of different rifle types. A promotional video seen earlier in this story shows prototypes or mock-ups of the system installed on rifles in the AK-47/AKM, AR-15/M16, and Tavor families...
Overall, ZeroMark says its FCS “makes hitting a small drone at 200 yards as easy as hitting a 60-foot-diameter circle” at the same range, per TechCrunch. At least for now, the company has said work on its targeting system is focused on the counter-drone role, but has acknowledged that its system could be adapted for use against a wider array of target types in the future.
Submission + - Restoring a 1986 DEC PDP/11 Minicomputer - Will it boot?? (youtube.com) 1
Shayde writes: I've been working on a PDP/11 I basically got as a 'barn find' from an estate sale a year ago. The project has absolutely had it's ups and downs, as the knowledgebase for these machines is aging quickly. I'm hoping to restore my own expertise with this build, but it's been challenging finding parts, technical details, and just plain information.
I leaned pretty heavily on the folks at the Vintage Computing Federation (vcfed.org), as well as connections I've made in the industry — and made some great progress.
The latest chapter in how it's going was just posted, check it out if you're keen on retrocomputing and old minicomputers and DEC gear.
I leaned pretty heavily on the folks at the Vintage Computing Federation (vcfed.org), as well as connections I've made in the industry — and made some great progress.
The latest chapter in how it's going was just posted, check it out if you're keen on retrocomputing and old minicomputers and DEC gear.
Submission + - Underocean desalination resolve many problems (latimes.com)
Bruce66423 writes: Locating desalination plants at the bottom of the sea:
Reduces energy consumption because the sea itself provides the necessary osmotic pressure
Reduces brine production because it only removes 10% of fresh water from the salt water
Reduce land usage
Reduces energy consumption because the sea itself provides the necessary osmotic pressure
Reduces brine production because it only removes 10% of fresh water from the salt water
Reduce land usage
Submission + - The 33rd First Annual Ig Nobel Prizes (improbable.com)
Thorfinn.au writes: CHEMISTRY and GEOLOGY PRIZE [POLAND, UK] — Jan Zalasiewicz, for explaining why many scientists like to lick rocks.
LITERATURE PRIZE [FRANCE, UK, MALAYSIA, FINLAND] — Chris Moulin, Nicole Bell, Merita Turunen, Arina Baharin, and Akira O’Connor for studying the sensations people feel when they repeat a single word many, many, many, many, many, many, many times.
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PRIZE [INDIA, CHINA, MALAYSIA, USA] — Te Faye Yap, Zhen Liu, Anoop Rajappan, Trevor Shimokusu, and Daniel Preston, for re-animating dead spiders to use as mechanical gripping tools.
PUBLIC HEALTH PRIZE [SOUTH KOREA, USA] — Seung-min Park, for inventing the Stanford Toilet a computer vision system for defecation analysis et alia
COMMUNICATION PRIZE [ARGENTINA, SPAIN, COLOMBIA, CHILE, CHINA, USA] — María José Torres-Prioris, Diana López-Barroso, Estela Càmara, Sol Fittipaldi, Lucas Sedeño, Agustín Ibáñez, Marcelo Berthier, and Adolfo García, for studying the mental activities of people who are expert at speaking backward.
MEDICINE PRIZE [USA, CANADA, MACEDONIA, IRAN, VIETNAM] — Christine Pham, Bobak Hedayati, Kiana Hashemi, Ella Csuka, Tiana Mamaghani, Margit Juhasz, Jamie Wikenheiser, and Natasha Mesinkovska, for using cadavers to explore whether there is an equal number of hairs in each of a person’s two nostrils.
NUTRITION PRIZE [JAPAN] — Homei Miyashita and Hiromi Nakamura, for experiments to determine how electrified chopsticks and drinking straws can change the taste of food.
EDUCATION PRIZE [HONG KONG, CHINA, CANADA, UK, THE NETHERLANDS, IRELAND, USA, JAPAN] — Katy Tam, Cyanea Poon, Victoria Hui, Wijnand van Tilburg, Christy Wong, Vivian Kwong, Gigi Yuen, and Christian Chan, for methodically studying the boredom of teachers and students.
PSYCHOLOGY PRIZE [USA] — Stanley Milgram, Leonard Bickman, and Lawrence Berkowitz for experiments on a city street to see how many passersby stop to look upward when they see strangers looking upward
PHYSICS PRIZE [SPAIN, GALICIA, SWITZERLAND, FRANCE, UK] — Bieito Fernández Castro, Marian Peña, Enrique Nogueira, Miguel Gilcoto, Esperanza Broullón, Antonio Comesaña, Damien Bouffard, Alberto C. Naveira Garabato, and Beatriz Mouriño-Carballido, for measuring the extent to which ocean-water mixing is affected by the sexual activity of anchovies.
LITERATURE PRIZE [FRANCE, UK, MALAYSIA, FINLAND] — Chris Moulin, Nicole Bell, Merita Turunen, Arina Baharin, and Akira O’Connor for studying the sensations people feel when they repeat a single word many, many, many, many, many, many, many times.
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PRIZE [INDIA, CHINA, MALAYSIA, USA] — Te Faye Yap, Zhen Liu, Anoop Rajappan, Trevor Shimokusu, and Daniel Preston, for re-animating dead spiders to use as mechanical gripping tools.
PUBLIC HEALTH PRIZE [SOUTH KOREA, USA] — Seung-min Park, for inventing the Stanford Toilet a computer vision system for defecation analysis et alia
COMMUNICATION PRIZE [ARGENTINA, SPAIN, COLOMBIA, CHILE, CHINA, USA] — María José Torres-Prioris, Diana López-Barroso, Estela Càmara, Sol Fittipaldi, Lucas Sedeño, Agustín Ibáñez, Marcelo Berthier, and Adolfo García, for studying the mental activities of people who are expert at speaking backward.
MEDICINE PRIZE [USA, CANADA, MACEDONIA, IRAN, VIETNAM] — Christine Pham, Bobak Hedayati, Kiana Hashemi, Ella Csuka, Tiana Mamaghani, Margit Juhasz, Jamie Wikenheiser, and Natasha Mesinkovska, for using cadavers to explore whether there is an equal number of hairs in each of a person’s two nostrils.
NUTRITION PRIZE [JAPAN] — Homei Miyashita and Hiromi Nakamura, for experiments to determine how electrified chopsticks and drinking straws can change the taste of food.
EDUCATION PRIZE [HONG KONG, CHINA, CANADA, UK, THE NETHERLANDS, IRELAND, USA, JAPAN] — Katy Tam, Cyanea Poon, Victoria Hui, Wijnand van Tilburg, Christy Wong, Vivian Kwong, Gigi Yuen, and Christian Chan, for methodically studying the boredom of teachers and students.
PSYCHOLOGY PRIZE [USA] — Stanley Milgram, Leonard Bickman, and Lawrence Berkowitz for experiments on a city street to see how many passersby stop to look upward when they see strangers looking upward
PHYSICS PRIZE [SPAIN, GALICIA, SWITZERLAND, FRANCE, UK] — Bieito Fernández Castro, Marian Peña, Enrique Nogueira, Miguel Gilcoto, Esperanza Broullón, Antonio Comesaña, Damien Bouffard, Alberto C. Naveira Garabato, and Beatriz Mouriño-Carballido, for measuring the extent to which ocean-water mixing is affected by the sexual activity of anchovies.
Comment Re: Interesting (Score 1) 76
Ben Shapiro is quite vocally against the RESTRICT act.
Comment Re: What kind of a name is "Lecanemab" FFS ? (Score 1) 48
Yes, in fact they do âoejust make the upâ, but they do have to follow some rules to designed to prevent confusion.
Submission + - TSMC Reportedly Looks To Raise a Second Arizona Chip Fab (theregister.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Taiwan's chipmaking giant TSMC is said to be preparing to build another semiconductor fabrication plant in Arizona, alongside the facility it completed this summer, in a move that may be seen as a vindication of the US government’s CHIPS Act funding. According to reports in the Wall Street Journal, TSMC is planning to announce in the near future that it will build a further factory for making cutting edge chips at a site just north of Phoenix, adjacent to the $12 billion Fab 21 plant the company decided to construct in 2020.
The new facility will be used to manufacture 3nm chips, according to the paper, which cites anonymous sources "familiar with the expansion plans." The scale of this project is expected to be comparable to the existing plant. Reports last year suggested that TSMC was already considering constructing up to five additional semiconductor factories in Arizona, on top of the one just completed, which is not scheduled to start up production of chips until 2024. The move to build another plant comes despite the Taiwanese chip behemoth announcing recently that it was cutting back on its capital investment budget in the face of a market slowdown which led to TSMC predicting that Q4 revenue growth will likely be flat. However, the fact that TSMC is still considering further facilities in Arizona could be seen as vindication that the US CHIPS Act, which includes subsidies and other incentives for semiconductor companies like TSMC to build on American soil, is having the desired effect.
The new facility will be used to manufacture 3nm chips, according to the paper, which cites anonymous sources "familiar with the expansion plans." The scale of this project is expected to be comparable to the existing plant. Reports last year suggested that TSMC was already considering constructing up to five additional semiconductor factories in Arizona, on top of the one just completed, which is not scheduled to start up production of chips until 2024. The move to build another plant comes despite the Taiwanese chip behemoth announcing recently that it was cutting back on its capital investment budget in the face of a market slowdown which led to TSMC predicting that Q4 revenue growth will likely be flat. However, the fact that TSMC is still considering further facilities in Arizona could be seen as vindication that the US CHIPS Act, which includes subsidies and other incentives for semiconductor companies like TSMC to build on American soil, is having the desired effect.
Submission + - Meta Begins Mass Layoffs (wsj.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Meta Platforms Inc. will begin laying off employees on Wednesday morning, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg told hundreds of executives on Tuesday. The coming cuts are expected to total many thousands of employees and will likely be the largest of the year to date in the tech sector, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. Mr. Zuckerberg appeared downcast in Tuesday’s meeting and said he was accountable for the company’s missteps, and that his over-optimism about growth had led to overstaffing, according to people familiar with the meeting. Meta’s head of human resources, Lori Goler, told the group that employees who lose their jobs will be provided with at least four months of salary as severance, according to people familiar with the meeting.
Mr. Zuckerberg described broad cuts and specifically mentioned the recruiting and business teams as among those facing layoffs. A general internal announcement of the company’s layoff plans is expected around 6 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, with the specific employees losing their jobs informed over the course of the morning. Following the meeting, company directors in numerous sections of the organization began notifying their subordinates of cuts and reorganizations. Inside Meta, employees have been seeking specifics about the coming layoffs for days and planning for the worst by forming external groups with current colleagues and discussing how to use benefits.
Meta reported more than 87,000 employees at the end of September. Company officials already told employees to cancel nonessential travel beginning this week, the Journal previously reported. The planned layoffs would be the first broad head-count reductions to occur in the company’s 18-year history.
Mr. Zuckerberg described broad cuts and specifically mentioned the recruiting and business teams as among those facing layoffs. A general internal announcement of the company’s layoff plans is expected around 6 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, with the specific employees losing their jobs informed over the course of the morning. Following the meeting, company directors in numerous sections of the organization began notifying their subordinates of cuts and reorganizations. Inside Meta, employees have been seeking specifics about the coming layoffs for days and planning for the worst by forming external groups with current colleagues and discussing how to use benefits.
Meta reported more than 87,000 employees at the end of September. Company officials already told employees to cancel nonessential travel beginning this week, the Journal previously reported. The planned layoffs would be the first broad head-count reductions to occur in the company’s 18-year history.
Submission + - Lucid Dying: Patients Recall Near-Death Experiences During CPR
InfiniteZero writes: A new study shows that around one in five people who survive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) after cardiac arrest describe lucid experiences of death that occurred while they were seemingly unconscious and on the brink of death.
Survivors reported having unique lucid experiences, including a perception of separation from the body and observing events without pain or distress. They also reported a meaningful evaluation of life, including of their actions, intentions, and thoughts toward others. The researchers found these experiences of death to be different from hallucinations, dreams, delusions, illusions, or CPR-induced consciousness.
Tests for hidden brain activity were also included in the research. A key finding was the discovery of spikes of brain activity, including so-called gamma, delta, theta, alpha, and beta waves up to an hour into CPR. Some of these brain waves normally occur when people are conscious and performing higher mental functions, including thinking, memory retrieval, and conscious perception.
Survivors reported having unique lucid experiences, including a perception of separation from the body and observing events without pain or distress. They also reported a meaningful evaluation of life, including of their actions, intentions, and thoughts toward others. The researchers found these experiences of death to be different from hallucinations, dreams, delusions, illusions, or CPR-induced consciousness.
Tests for hidden brain activity were also included in the research. A key finding was the discovery of spikes of brain activity, including so-called gamma, delta, theta, alpha, and beta waves up to an hour into CPR. Some of these brain waves normally occur when people are conscious and performing higher mental functions, including thinking, memory retrieval, and conscious perception.
Comment Virgin should buy seats from SpaceX (Score 1) 26
Probably less expensive than what theyâ(TM)re doing now and an upgraded experience for passengersâ¦
Submission + - AmigaOS 4.1: Software Development Kit V54.16 Released
Mike Bouma writes: Hyperion Entertainment is pleased to announce the immediate availability of a very substantial and comprehensive update of the Software Development Kit (SDK) for AmigaOS 4.1 54.16. Also Linux: Kernel 6.0 for AmigaOne X1000/X5000 has been released and the biggest Amiga event of the year will be held upcoming weekend in Mönchengladbach, Germany. The Amiga37 event.
Comment No better than existing method (Score 1) 17
So no reason to use it.
Submission + - SPAM: Magnus Carlsen Finally Speaks On Chess Cheating Scandal, Sows Even More Chaos
An anonymous reader writes: Chess’s top-ranked player, Magnus Carlsen, has finally spoken about the ongoing alleged cheating scandal that has rocked the chess world for the last several weeks and was reignited when Carlsen resigned in protest after making one move against Hans Niemann. Niemann, of course, was accused of cheating against Carlsen earlier this month, but no one has been able to prove this, nor has a mechanism for the supposed cheating been proven.
“I think the whole world is wondering, what is the reason you withdrew [against Niemann]?” a newscaster with Chess24 asked. “Unfortunately I cannot particularly speak on that,” Carlsen said. “But, you know, people can draw their own conclusion and they certainly have. I have to say I’m very impressed by Niemann’s play, and I think his mentor Maxine Dlugy must be doing a great job.” “I will not comment on that,” he added when asked if he was accusing Niemann of cheating. He was then asked if he was accusing Dlugy, who is a chess grandmaster, of helping Niemann cheat: “No, I will not say more about that subject ... I hope to say a little bit more after the tournament.” Carlsen was then asked if he thought cheating was a problem in chess. “I think individual people will answer the question differently depending on their own experiences. Regardless of whether it’s a massive problem or not, it’s, I think, fairly easy to cheat. On a general basis, cheaters in the future, it should not be taken lightly neither online nor over the board.”
Chess watchers believe that by namedropping Maxine Dlugy, Carlsen is putting down more breadcrumbs. Dlugy is is a Russian-born, American chess grandmaster who currently operates the Chess Max Academy in Manhattan. In July, Dlugy posted a photo with “my student Hans Niemann,” congratulating him on “becoming a top 50 player in the world! Go Hans!” After Niemann beat Carlsen earlier this month, Dlugy posted a congratulatory message: “Just 16 months ago or so, I recommended to Hans to really focus on endings. He devoted a lot of time to this pivotal part of the game and today I am proud to say that his endgame play is sufficient to beat the reigning World Champion from a better position. That’s powerful! Hans Niemann — Chess speaks for itself!“
Redditors were quick to point out, however, that Dlugy has his own controversy. Dlugy has been removed twice from a weekly Chess.com tournament called Titled Tuesday, in 2017 and 2020. Benjamin Bok, a chess grandmaster and Twitch streamer, for example, made a whole segment delving into some of Dlugy’s old Chess.com matches and pointing out that Dlugy was suddenly removed from Chess.com with no explanation: “Generally that only means one thing,” Bok said, not elaborating on what it means, but heavily implying that it means he was caught cheating. “Draw your own conclusions. Draw your own conclusions. That’s all I’m going to say.” “Question becomes: Is perhaps Dlugy Hans’ accomplice, in case Hans is cheating? We’ll have to wait and see,” Bok says. “But the fact that Magnus makes that statement and drops his name, it means that he knows something we don’t know. You can’t just drop someone’s name in there without really knowing stuff. I feel like he knows something really big.”
Link to Original Source
“I think the whole world is wondering, what is the reason you withdrew [against Niemann]?” a newscaster with Chess24 asked. “Unfortunately I cannot particularly speak on that,” Carlsen said. “But, you know, people can draw their own conclusion and they certainly have. I have to say I’m very impressed by Niemann’s play, and I think his mentor Maxine Dlugy must be doing a great job.” “I will not comment on that,” he added when asked if he was accusing Niemann of cheating. He was then asked if he was accusing Dlugy, who is a chess grandmaster, of helping Niemann cheat: “No, I will not say more about that subject
Chess watchers believe that by namedropping Maxine Dlugy, Carlsen is putting down more breadcrumbs. Dlugy is is a Russian-born, American chess grandmaster who currently operates the Chess Max Academy in Manhattan. In July, Dlugy posted a photo with “my student Hans Niemann,” congratulating him on “becoming a top 50 player in the world! Go Hans!” After Niemann beat Carlsen earlier this month, Dlugy posted a congratulatory message: “Just 16 months ago or so, I recommended to Hans to really focus on endings. He devoted a lot of time to this pivotal part of the game and today I am proud to say that his endgame play is sufficient to beat the reigning World Champion from a better position. That’s powerful! Hans Niemann — Chess speaks for itself!“
Redditors were quick to point out, however, that Dlugy has his own controversy. Dlugy has been removed twice from a weekly Chess.com tournament called Titled Tuesday, in 2017 and 2020. Benjamin Bok, a chess grandmaster and Twitch streamer, for example, made a whole segment delving into some of Dlugy’s old Chess.com matches and pointing out that Dlugy was suddenly removed from Chess.com with no explanation: “Generally that only means one thing,” Bok said, not elaborating on what it means, but heavily implying that it means he was caught cheating. “Draw your own conclusions. Draw your own conclusions. That’s all I’m going to say.” “Question becomes: Is perhaps Dlugy Hans’ accomplice, in case Hans is cheating? We’ll have to wait and see,” Bok says. “But the fact that Magnus makes that statement and drops his name, it means that he knows something we don’t know. You can’t just drop someone’s name in there without really knowing stuff. I feel like he knows something really big.”
Link to Original Source
Submission + - SPAM: Google Wants To Take On Dolby With New Open Media Formats
An anonymous reader writes: Google is gunning for Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision: The company is looking to introduce two new media formats to offer HDR video and 3D audio under a new consumer-recognizable brand without the licensing fees hardware manufacturers currently have to pay Dolby. Google shared plans for the media formats, which are internally known as Project Caviar, at a closed-door event with hardware manufacturers earlier this year. In a video of the presentation that was leaked to Protocol, group product manager Roshan Baliga describes the goal of the project as building “a healthier, broader ecosystem” for premium media experiences. The company’s primary focus for Project Caviar is YouTube, which does not currently support Dolby Atmos or Dolby Vision. However, Google also aims to bring other industry players on board, including device manufacturers and service providers. This makes Project Caviar one of Google’s most ambitious pushes for open media formats since the company began working on royalty-free video codecs over a decade ago.
Google’s open media efforts have until now primarily focused on the development of codecs. The company acquired video codec maker On2 in 2009 to open source some of its technology; it has also played a significant role in the foundation of the Alliance for Open Media, an industry consortium that is overseeing the royalty-free AV1 video codec. Project Caviar is different from those efforts in that it is not another codec. Instead, the project focuses on 3D audio and HDR video formats that make use of existing codecs but allow for more rich and immersive media playback experiences, much like Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision do. Baliga didn’t mention Dolby by name during his presentation, but he still made it abundantly clear that the company was looking to establish alternatives to the Atmos and Vision formats. “We realized that there are premium media experiences where there aren’t any great royalty-free solutions,” he said, adding that the licensing costs for premium HDR video and 3D audio “can hurt manufacturers and consumers.”
Dolby makes most of its money through licensing fees from hardware manufacturers. The company charges TV manufacturers $2 to $3 to license Dolby Vision, according to its Cloud Media Solutions SVP Giles Baker. Dolby hasn’t publicly disclosed licensing fees for Atmos; it charges consumers who want to add immersive audio to their Xbox consoles $15 per license, but the fee hardware manufacturers have to pay is said to be significantly lower. Still, in an industry that long has struggled with razor-thin margins, every extra dollar matters. That’s especially true because Dolby already charges virtually all device makers a licensing fee for its legacy audio codecs. A manufacturer of streaming boxes that wholesale for $50 has to pay around $2 per unit for Dolby Vision and Dolby Digital, according to a document an industry insider shared with Protocol. “For lower-cost living room devices, the cost may be prohibitive,” Baliga said during his presentation.
Link to Original Source
Google’s open media efforts have until now primarily focused on the development of codecs. The company acquired video codec maker On2 in 2009 to open source some of its technology; it has also played a significant role in the foundation of the Alliance for Open Media, an industry consortium that is overseeing the royalty-free AV1 video codec. Project Caviar is different from those efforts in that it is not another codec. Instead, the project focuses on 3D audio and HDR video formats that make use of existing codecs but allow for more rich and immersive media playback experiences, much like Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision do. Baliga didn’t mention Dolby by name during his presentation, but he still made it abundantly clear that the company was looking to establish alternatives to the Atmos and Vision formats. “We realized that there are premium media experiences where there aren’t any great royalty-free solutions,” he said, adding that the licensing costs for premium HDR video and 3D audio “can hurt manufacturers and consumers.”
Dolby makes most of its money through licensing fees from hardware manufacturers. The company charges TV manufacturers $2 to $3 to license Dolby Vision, according to its Cloud Media Solutions SVP Giles Baker. Dolby hasn’t publicly disclosed licensing fees for Atmos; it charges consumers who want to add immersive audio to their Xbox consoles $15 per license, but the fee hardware manufacturers have to pay is said to be significantly lower. Still, in an industry that long has struggled with razor-thin margins, every extra dollar matters. That’s especially true because Dolby already charges virtually all device makers a licensing fee for its legacy audio codecs. A manufacturer of streaming boxes that wholesale for $50 has to pay around $2 per unit for Dolby Vision and Dolby Digital, according to a document an industry insider shared with Protocol. “For lower-cost living room devices, the cost may be prohibitive,” Baliga said during his presentation.
Link to Original Source
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