Voice + is CTA’s new name for the dialogue enhancement feature that the Dolby AC-4 audio codec enables in ATSC 3.0-certified TVs that qualify for the NextGenTV logo, said the association Monday. CTA’s Video Division board approved Voice +, authorizing licensed TV makers to begin using the name on their 2021 model lines, it said. Dialogue enhancement scored high grades when demonstrated for consumers in Pearl TV’s Phoenix Model Market focus groups two years ago, said Magid Research, which did the studies (see 1904110037). In one demo, Dolby recorded loud cocktail party conversations and played them through speakers in the back of the viewing room, toggling the enhancement feature on and off to show how it makes pleasurable TV watching possible, even in noisy environments. AC-4 also enables consistent audio volume across all channels, a benefit highlighted at Pearl’s new WatchNextGenTV.com. CTA applied for the Voice + trademark Oct. 21 (see 2010290016). CTA also announced Monday the availability of the test suite TVs will need to pass to qualify for the NextGenTV logo. The suite includes more than 135 tests covering 150 "unique requirements across audio, video, captions, interactivity, service changes and more," said the association.
Paul Gluckman
Paul Gluckman, Executive Senior Editor, is a 30-year Warren Communications News veteran having joined the company in May 1989 to launch its Audio Week publication. In his long career, Paul has chronicled the rise and fall of physical entertainment media like the CD, DVD and Blu-ray and the advent of ATSC 3.0 broadcast technology from its rudimentary standardization roots to its anticipated 2020 commercial launch.
Q3 revenue in DSP Group’s SmartVoice segment increased 45% from a year earlier and 82% sequentially from Q2, said CEO Ofer Elyakim on a Monday investor call. "Accelerated" demand for devices incorporating DSP’s proprietary voice user interface (VUI) SoC helped drive the segment to record-high quarterly revenue, he said. Interest in VUIs for work-from-home and remote-learning PCs and tablets is “robust,” he said. “We expect this trend to continue as the pandemic lingers.” VUI growth in connectivity products “is felt everywhere as every person needs a screen, whether it's for work, for studying, for any other activity,” he said. “In this market segment, we're seeing a much greater adoption.”
Q3 revenue in the communications “end market” at On Semiconductor declined 7% from the 2019 quarter, said CEO Keith Jackson on a Monday investor call (also see Q3 here.) The chipmaker experienced strong growth in its 5G infrastructure sector, but “our smartphone business declined year over year, in part due to geopolitical factors related to a customer,” said Jackson, obviously referencing Huawei. Communications revenue growth in Q4 likely will be flat or down quarter over quarter, “due to an expected revenue decline from customer-specific geopolitical factors,” he said. “In Q3, there certainly was an impact” from the mid-September halt of shipments to Huawei due to the Commerce Department’s tightened export restrictions on the Chinese smartphone OEM, said Jackson. In Q4, until Commerce grants export licenses authorizing the resumption of shipments, “there is no business at all” with Huawei, he said. “They were one of the top customers.” Jackson thinks “there will be more reluctance” next year among Chinese smartphone OEM customers “to accept sole-source positions from U.S.-based companies as a result of the trade tensions” between the U.S. and China: “They’re very wise economic buyers, and they’re going to do the best thing for their company, but they certainly don’t want to be completely reliant on a U.S. supplier.” The Huawei business that On lost shifted quickly to European competitors, he said.
About two months into the Edge Networks launch of Evoca, the ATSC 3.0-based content service in Boise (see 2008210021), consumer reaction is “going great,” CEO Todd Achilles told us. “We’ve got many times more people on our wait list than we’re letting into the service at this kind of early stage. We’re learning a lot.” Edge is getting mixed messaging from shopping Evoca in markets where it might try expanding, said Achilles.
The Pearl TV-led consumer-facing website WatchNextGenTV.com went live Friday to promote ATSC 3.0 technology and services to the public (see 2010260022). “The future of television has arrived,” trumpets the site. “Immerse yourself in stunning video with brilliant color, sharper images and deeper contrast that will make you feel like you’re really there.” The site lists 11 TV markets where 3.0 service is “on the air,” with 11 more “coming in 2020.” It lists 75 markets where 3.0 services are “coming in 2021.” A link to the Sony page features eight TV models with 3.0 functionality, including four derivative models sold exclusively through Costco.
Nearly six in 10 consumers plan to spend about the same on electronics this holiday season as last year, reported the Conference Board Friday. Nielsen canvassed 5,000 U.S. homes through mid-October as part of its monthly consumer confidence survey. It found fewer than a third planning to spend less on electronics and 12.6% planning to spend more, fourth behind toys and games (17.7%), gift cards (15.9%) and sporting goods (13.8%). Consumers are entering this holiday season intending to spend on average about $673, on par with last year’s spending estimate of $675, said the board. “The continued inclination to stay at home will bode well for e-commerce,” it said, as 52% said they plan to make at least half of their purchases online, a 10-point increase from last year. That consumers are entering the holidays with intentions to spend about the same as last year is “relatively good news at a time when consumer confidence remains below pre-pandemic levels, unemployment is elevated, and the economy appears to be losing momentum heading into the final stretch of 2020,” it said. “With COVID-19 cases continuing to rise, retailers should prepare for a surge in online traffic and purchases.”
China as a policy won't comment on Tuesday's U.S. election because it's an "internal affair," said a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Friday when asked about remarks by a Joe Biden aide that the Democratic nominee, if elected president, would consult with allies on what to do about the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports. “China's policy on the United States remains highly stable and consistent,” said the spokesperson. “We are committed to developing a China-U.S. relationship featuring non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation.” Biden would seek “collective leverage” against China by bonding with allies to curb Beijing's allegedly unfair trade practices, campaign foreign policy adviser Jeffrey Prescott told Reuters Wednesday. Biden won’t “lock into any premature position before we see exactly what we’re inheriting,” said Prescott when asked if Biden would lift the tariffs unilaterally if elected.
Google remains committed to “investing to build the most helpful, most trusted search experience,” said CEO Sundar Pichai Thursday about DOJ’s Oct. 20 lawsuit over Google’s alleged monopoly in general search services and search advertising (see 2010200058). “We believe that our products are creating significant consumer benefits and will confidently make our case,” said Pichai on a Q3 investor call. “Our company's focus remains on continuing our work to build a search product that people love and value.” Google is “not new” to regulatory “scrutiny,” said the CEO. “What's in our control is our ability to relentlessly focus on users and build great products, and that's where most of our energy will go.” The DOJ lawsuit (see 2010300027) is in its “early days, and we're still reviewing and understanding it all,” he said. “I'm sure we'll update more as time goes by.”
5G is a “once-in-a-decade opportunity” to expand iPhone's "large, loyal and growing install base" and appeal to Android "switchers," said Apple CEO Tim Cook on a Thursday investor call. Apple is supporting the 5G rollout with the strongest iPhone lineup "we've ever had by far," he said. But supply shortages crossed categories. On whether iPhone supply will be able to meet demand through the rest of the year, Cook said supplies “are constrained today,” not surprising for the start of a launch, but it’s hard to predict when supply will free up. Supply is also constrained for the Mac, iPad and Apple Watch. China is ahead of the U.S. in 5G infrastructure rollout, with 600,000 base stations forecast by year-end, Cook said, “so we’re entering the market at a very good time.” The company has been collaborating with 5G carriers globally to ensure iPhone “has great throughput,” coverage, battery life and call quality, he said. On how Apple is preparing for the next wave of COVID-19, Cook said it's prioritizing safety first, turning stores into an “express storefront.” Apple also put more people answering phones “because a lot more people are reaching out to us that way.” The direct-to-consumer online store has remained operational through the pandemic, he noted. Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri referenced uncertainties about the company's decision not to provide fiscal Q1 guidance. Apple posted record fiscal Q4 revenue Thursday for the period ended Sept. 26, despite delays that pushed the latest iPhones into fiscal Q1, said Maestri. Q4 revenue rose 1% year on year to $64.7 billion, with product revenue slipping to $50.1 billion from $51.5 billion a year ago, while services rose to $14.5 billion from $12.5 billion. All product categories grew double digits in the quarter, except for iPhone, due to the phones' delayed launches into October and November. In the quarter, iPhone sales were $26.4 billion, Mac sales grew to $9 billion, iPad sales to $6.8 billion, and wearables, $7.9 billion. Paid subscriptions grew more than 35 million sequentially, up 135 million from a year ago, said Maestri. Apple is on target to reach 600 million paid subscriptions by year-end. The stock closed down 5.6% at $108.86
CTA applied to register VOICE + as a trademark to be used for TVs, Patent and Trademark Office records show. CTA “has a bona fide intention, and is entitled, to use the mark in commerce,” said the Oct. 21 application. The association declined comment Thursday.