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Last month, Sonos debuted its latest premium soundbar in the midst of a difficult year. The company initially delayed launching the $999 Arc Ultra, devoting more time to fixing the major issues that plagued its app since a botched update in the spring. Now that the soundbar is here, Sonos has rolled out its first product to feature its Sound Motion technology that offers increased bass performance from smaller components. This new transducer allowed the company to make other improvements to the Arc Ultra versus the original Arc, so its not just a matter of more low-end tone. So, what is Sound Motion exactly, and will it be available in other Sonos products? What is Mayht? The Sound Motion story starts with a company called Mayht. In April 2022, Sonos bought Mayht Holding BV, an audio company based in the Netherlands, for approximately $100 million. At the time, Sonos said Mayht invented a new, revolutionary approach to audio transducers. More specifically, the company re-engineered that foundational component of speakers to be smaller and lighter with no sacrifices to overall audio quality. In a January 2022 interview with TechCrunch, Mayht CEO Mattias Scheek said the company began working on its speaker technology in 2016. He explained that the company would defend and license the tech rather than manufacture the drivers itself. Early potential use cases ranged from soundbars to compact subwoofers and smaller smart speakers. The companys new approach would become the foundation for Sonos Sound Motion. What is Sound Motion? The first implementation of Mayhts technology in a Sonos product via Sound Motion is inside the Arc Ultra soundbar. Sound Motion is a flat, brick-like driver where the motors are positioned at the sides and the membrane in the middle, allowing a greater range of movement for twice as much bass as the first Arc, by Sonos calculations. The four lightweight motors can displace more air inside the soundbar, which leads to increased low-end tone. By replacing one large motor with four compact units, the Sound Motion transducer is up to three times smaller than a comparable conventional driver. But again, it still produces the same amount of bass. Those four motors power four voice coils, two moving in one direction and two in the opposite direction, enabling dual opposing diaphragms that cancel force and minimize vibrations. Sonos replaced cloth components with injection molded plastics for stable, linear travel. It also designed aluminum ribs to connect the motors to solidify the structure. The motors themselves have a unique design. Sonos opted for dual magnets inside of each one to create increased force that gives the company more options when it comes to product design. Sonos' Sound Motion driverSonos Particularly when were talking about soundbars, we are always constrained by the size of the products, Sonos vice president of audio Chris Davies explained to Engadget. Being able to squeeze the profile down to this opens up opportunities for us to create something thats new and different. Even with twice the bass output of the Arc, the Arc Ultra is nearly the same size as its predecessor. Not only is that due to the fact that the Sound Motion transducer is smaller than a conventional woofer, but also because the performance is so improved that Sonos only needed one to double the bass output. That difference is immediately apparent when you play some thumping, chaotic rock tunes from Better Lovers or Kaytranadas electronic hip-hip, as I experienced first-hand during my review of the Arc Ultra. The Sound Motion tech sits on the right side of the soundbar while the amplification electronics occupy the same space on the left. Due to this location, I could hear the bass coming from one side of the Arc Ultra if I stood up close, but at a comfortable sitting distance from my TV, the low-end blends seamlessly. Were able to get more bass out of a small package, Davies explained. Were also able to do that in a way that gives us other flexibility around the design of the product, the architecture of the product and so on. Sonos' Sound Motion inside of the Arc UltraSonos That flexibility is what led to improved overall audio performance on the Arc Ultra thats a lot more than just adding bass. Since Sound Motion is designed to create a lot of bass from a compact component, Sonos then had the freedom to redesign the mid-range and high-frequency architecture as well. The company used multiple sizes of both mid-range drivers and tweeters for more positioning options, which allowed it to enhance the sound beamed out across a room. This is an evolution of what we've done, he continued. For Atmos content were doing a 9.1.4 rendering. This really is an augmentation of what we've done in the past, but it's adding a higher channel count by having all of these different elements now that we can play with. Sonos was able to employ two wide front channels to keep the sound stage immersive and use four separate height channels so that front and rear spatial sound wasnt crammed together. The reconfiguration inside the Arc Ultra, again thanks to Sound Motion, also enabled the company to expand its speech enhancement feature with three levels of augmentation based on your needs. We've put a lot of energy into really trying to do a better job in terms of dialog clarity, he said. As a result, Davies said, the company was able to deliver clearer dialog than in any of its soundbars ever. Will Sound Motion be in future Sonos products? The short answer: absolutely. You dont spend $100 million on something to only put it inside one product. Im willing to bet Sonos wont just use it inside soundbars either. The company has already confirmed in its press materials that it anticipates introducing more inovative products with Sound Motion in the future. Sonos further explained that the use of the technology will depend on the sound profile, design needs and price point of any future speakers, and noted that each of its acoustic architectures are designed for the intended customer experience. Its easy to see how a small component capable of producing enormous amounts of bass would benefit Sonos more compact speakers. The company has consistently lacked deep low-end tone in products like the Era 100 and Move 2, despite the excellent clarity and detail these speakers exhibit. It would massively improve overall fidelity if Sonos could somehow cram a Sound Motion driver in future versions of these products. Additionally, the companys most compact soundbar, the Ray, would be a much more compelling product for small spaces if it didnt immediately require a separate subwoofer for adequate bass performance. With the Arc Ultra, for example, you can just use the soundbar for music since it has ample thump when a track demands it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/what-is-sonos-sound-motion-technology-183313680.html?src=rss
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While pretty much every TV is a smart TV these days, you might still want a dedicated streaming box to do the heavy lifting or maybe you'd like to have one for a projector. There a number of Black Friday deals on streaming devices, including the latest Roku Ultra. That box has dropped by $20 to $80, which is an all-time low-price for the streaming box. Roku unveiled the 2024 Ultra in September. It claims that the device is at least 30 percent faster than any of its other players. As such, apps should load quickly and moving around the user interface should feel zippy. This is our pick for the best set-top streaming box. The Roku Ultra offers 4K streaming with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, as well as Dolby Atmos audio. It supports Wi-Fi 6 connectivity and you can plug in an Ethernet cable as well. This model comes with a second-gen Voice Remote Pro, which boasts backlit buttons and USB-C charging, though Roku says it should run for up to three months on a single charge. Other features include hands-free voice control and a lost remote finder function. Roku ditched the headphone jack for wired listening this time around, unfortunately, but you can still connect wireless headphones to the Roku Ultra via Bluetooth. The Roku Channel offers more than 400 free, ad-supported streaming channels, along with on-demand shows and movies. The Roku Ultra is also compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit and AirPlay. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-2024-roku-ultra-drops-to-80-in-this-black-friday-deal-181528897.html?src=rss
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Remedy just announced that Control Ultimate Edition will be released for Mac computers on February 12, 2025. The developer didnt say which Macs would run the title, but its a safe bet that the game will only work on M-series computers. Control Ultimate Edition contains the original game, post-launch patches and season pass expansions. It hasnt been revealed if this version will include the updates for current-gen consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. This information comes from the companys Capital Markets Day, a meeting of investors. Remedy made some other announcements during the gathering, including that its still working on Control 2. The game was first revealed back in 2022 and we havent heard much since that original announcement. The developer did note that the sequel would be an action RPG. This is interesting because the first Control had some RPG elements, with various weapon and ability upgrades, but I wouldnt call it a full-fledged action RPG. Remedy owns the Control IP now, so it can do whatever it wants with the franchise. The developer made an announcement that the original Control would be receiving a free update early next year. This update will unlock some previously released content. It also crowed that the critical darling Alan Wake 2 has sold more than 1.8 million units since launch. The sequel was Remedys fastest-selling game ever. Finally, the developer offered some extremely vague plans to transform both Alan Wake and Control from great games to world-class franchises by 2030. We arent exactly sure what that means, but it likely points to an expanded pop culture footprint.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/control-ultimate-edition-comes-to-macs-on-february-12-181018677.html?src=rss
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Meta is making a pitch to get its AI into the UKs public health system. The Guardian reported on Tuesday that the company held a hackathon in Europe, tasking over 200 developers to use its Llama AI to improve the countrys health services. The company awarded funds for developing AI that shortens wait times in Britains A&E rooms (ERs in the US). The UKs AI minister, Feryal Clark, told The Guardian that the government can adopt AI, such as Metas open-source model, to support our key missions. Earlier this month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave the green light for Llama to work with the US government. Bloomberg reported on the same day that the company was also working with governments and contractors in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and as we can see movement toward now the UK. Given that Britains use of the open-source AI model wouldnt provide a direct or immediate financial pipeline back to the company, The Guardian asked Metas president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, what was in it for Meta. It is in the long run indirectly in our interest to see this ecosystem of Llama-based innovation because it then makes it much easier for us to reincorporate innovations that are out there into our own products, Clegg, a former UK deputy prime minister, said. Mark Zuckerberg said in August that Llama was approaching 350 million downloads, which he credited to the AI models open-source nature. Clegg sounded dismissive perhaps mockingly so of fears surrounding AI infiltrating governments. Who knows, maybe AI will start developing a mind of its own and will start wanting to turn us into paper clips by next Tuesday, he told The Guardian. But I think that right now, the technology is way more primitive than a lot of the fears suggest. To be fair to critics, right now is less of a concern than later. The UK AI minister Clark told The Guardian that the government wouldnt shy away from the significant risk AI represents. Instead, it would make sure that any regulation we introduce is proportionate, supports innovation and does not place undue burden on business.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-wants-its-llama-ai-in-britains-public-healthcare-system-174119281.html?src=rss
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We know that theres been a Squid Game-inspired video game in the works since July. Now, Netflix is announcing Squid Game: Unleashed and dropping a trailer on YouTube. The game will be available on Netflix starting December 17. The multiplayer party royale (think Mario Party) will be available for everyone with a Netflix subscription, and you can pre-register now to get an exclusive skin when the game launches. The games cartoony art style may be eye-catching, but the gameplay will be violent. Fortunately, its not excessive, and there doesnt seem to be any blood. While Netflix has made mobile spinoff titles based on famous franchises or exclusive shows for years now, it did try to branch out into AAA games. Sadly, it shut down its AAA studio, Team Blue, last month. Whether the streaming giant still has ambitions for bigger games remains to be seen. You can play Squid Game: Unleashed on Android and iOS after logging in with your Netflix account credentials. If youre interested in more Netflix games, Monument Valley 3 is a great one. Its a beautiful puzzle game and can be enjoyed without playing the previous two titles in the series. We also have a list of our favorite Netflix games if these two arent enough. These include popular dungeon crawler roguelike Hades, GTA San Andreas and Terra Nil, a peaceful strategy game.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/squid-game-for-your-phone-arrives-on-december-17-170018220.html?src=rss
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