Tech Roundup

Currently, there are about 8.4 billion connected devices worldwide, up 31% from 2016, according to estimates from Gartner’s. The consumer segment is the largest user base of these devices with 5.2 billion units being utilized in 2017. These devices represent 63% of the overall number of present applications. "We can only expect these numbers to continue growing exponentially," the Association of National Advertisers notes.

The allure of smart speakers continues to attract the attention of consumers, bucking the wider audio market's slowdown and even reinventing Amazon as the world's largest audio equipment vendor. However, that's just the beginning of a wider market transformation, with voice personal assistants (VPAs) at the heart of a new CE land grab, according to a comprehensive new market report from Futuresource Consulting.

multiCAM Systems, a supplier of integrated video production systems serving the broadcast and professional AV markets, is launching a new IP interface feature, compatible with its comprehensive line of products, that receives IP video streams directly from the local area network.

What is being billed as the broadcast media industry's inaugural how-to guide designed for the newsroom that seeks to use its own camera crews for drone-based story gathering has been released.

The "only media data hub with integrations, CRM, intelligence, forecasting, OMS capabilities, reporting and analytics that is ready to use, ready to go," is now available from a Pittsburgh-based media ad technology firm.

SMPTE has opened registration for its SMPTE 2017 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition, scheduled for Oct. 24-26 in Los Angeles. At the same time, the entertainment industry tech association has set its SMPTE 2017 Symposium, preceding the technical conference and exhibition, for Oct. 23. 

In April, RBR+TVBR reported on the late spring 2017 launch of a new streaming TV service that “eliminates the need for set-top boxes and revolutionizes how customers enjoy their favorite content.” That service — C Spire TV — went live earlier this month.

The FCC's Incentive Auction Task Force this morning calculated the aggregate amount of the estimated costs of reimbursement-eligible TV stations and MVPDs faced with new post-incentive auction channel assignments. The figure is upward of $2.1 billion.

Much has been said, and criticized, about Microsoft President Brad Smith's goal of bringing broadband connectivity to rural America via the use of free "white space" -- that buffer zone on the spectrum that is found between broadcast TV stations. The Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance (ATBA) commends Smith’s goal of broadband to all of rural America in the next five years. But, the way Microsoft seeks to do it is flawed, ATBA argues, and it has a better solution.

Anyone who has been involved in Hispanic media over the last decade recognizes the name Joe Uva. Now, it is time for the rapidly growing podcast business to get familiar with Uva, who has been appointed non-executive chairman of the board of reVolver Podcasts.

In a Wednesday midday webinar, Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs and Amplifi Media CEO Steve Goldstein teamed up to talk about how new in-home technologies are affecting radio listeners. They shared insights from Jacobs Media’s Techsurvey13, and we listened in for you to provide the key takeaways on why radio's place in the home is going retro.

A content delivery network and streaming media provider has added itself to the list of entities that wish to help broadcast stations bring radio back into the homes of today's connected audiences. The first station to work with the company: A fabled New Orleans noncomm that's the official station of the annual Jazz Fest.

One of the top wireless, over-the-air content delivery solutions providers for both radio and TV broadcast companies has selected the successor to its retiring CEO.

A specialist in cloud-based, enterprise-level content monitoring and analysis is nearly ready to unveil the latest addition to its Vision cloud-based monitoring portfolio. With this release, Qligent hopes it will be the perfect "Match" for MVPDs and broadcasters alike.

Alpine Electronics of America has made available to all the first aftermarket in-dash receiver dedicated to wireless Apple CarPlay.