Harman's new audio tech is meant for in-car concerts

Source: Harman

Live shows have ground to a halt because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A way that musicians are trying to earn some revenue during this time is by hosting live streams or socially-distanced, drive-in shows. Samsung subsidiary Harman takes advantage of the situation and has developed new in-car audio technology to improve these live show experiences. Aptly called the Live Interactive Virtual Experience (L.I.V.E.) platform, Harman claims it can bring "remote and socially distant concertgoers the ability to directly interact with the venue, the artist and the music," whether from their cars or their homes.

It has a two-way setup that can even let fans "cheer, make song requests, vote for the next song played, or request that a specific instrument be featured in the next solo," so the interactive experience of live shows is still somewhat intact. Performers can respond accordingly as there is a "fan space" hub that can give them a sense of the "energy, enthusiasm and applause from fans directly to the artist via in-venue screens and lighting elements."

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Ford and Harman look to transform in-car audio with B&O Play

According to a recent Ipsos 2016 Automotive Audio Branding study, one-third of new car buyers take into consideration the audio brand included into their next vehicle purchase. Whether you believe that or not, we don’t discount the necessity of a good audio system in a car. And that’s what both Ford and Harman are championing with their new partnership. The two companies have joined forces to unveil B&O Play, a new audio system that will debut exclusively on Ford’s global lineup starting next year.

“Customers tell us they value consistent, high-quality audio experiences, and our collaboration with HARMAN is helping provide that,” said Raj Nair, Ford‘s executive vice president, product development and chief technical officer. “This is just one of the ways we are creating richer, more engaging in-vehicle experiences for customers.”

Harman creates individual zones for car audio

Are you and your family always arguing about who gets to play their music on the car stereo? Now, Harman’s going to make you a bit more anti-social with its new in-car setup. It lets drivers create “individual sound zones,” which won’t interfere with the different sounds played in the other areas. It breaks down the interior into “virtual, simultaneous in-car entertainment systems.” It will be created using the car’s current setup as well as the addition of twin 50mm directional units added to the headrests and flat electrodynamic planar loudspeakers in the car’s headlining.

The zones can be controlled individually by the passengers but, of course, it doesn’t offer complete isolation. It does limit it so you wouldn’t be distracted to what your sister is listening to beside you. It can be integrated into any Harman audio system through an amplifier or be tailored to fit a specific vehicle layout. And it can be paired with Harman’s HALOsonic active noise cancellation technology, which is created to combat road and engine noise.

Source: Gizmag

CES 2015: Neil Young plans to bring Pono Music to cars

Aside from the triangular music player, Neil Young is looking to expand Pono’s reach to the automotive industry. Young announced at CES that he is partnering with Harman, an infotainment and in-car audio maker, to create better compressed audio for cars. If you opt in to the ecosystem it’ll cost you around US$400, which is a competitive price for high-resolution audio. Of course, you’ll need to have a Harman stereo installed.

Source: Engadget