Microphone Maker Anything But Blue at 2010 CES

The big buzz at the 2010 Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas this month was all on 3D television, with manufacturers, entertainment technology companies and Hollywood studios making major announcements on getting the format into the home. Blue Microphones created some buzz of its own with some new model microphones compatible with the iPhone and iPod. The Mikey, now in its second generation, has proved popular enough that Westlake Village-based Blue Microphones has been asked about creating a version that can be used with a Blackberry, the Droid phone and other high-tech gadgets. As for Apple devices, Blue Microphone isn’t finished yet. “There are a lot of fun possibilities we can develop down the road,” said John Maier, the company’s chief executive. Founded as a designer and manufacturer of microphones for professional recording studios, the company branched out into consumer models about three years ago. After being purchased by a private equity firm, the company kicked its development of consumer models into high gear to the point that they now offer six. Having been in the consumer space for such a short period, having a presence at CES is very important for the company and is a jumping off point for the year for the consumer business, Maier said. (The big professional show is NAMM taking place in Anaheim this month for music products retailers.) Debuting at the show was the second generation of the Mikey, a microphone that attaches to an iPhone or iPod. Improvements to the Mikey include a pass-through allowing synching and charging at the same time; an input for recording other devices; gain control to better record at low-volume or high-volume events; and three more angles at which the microphone can be directed. The other new consumer model was the Yeti, a USB microphone for professional recording that is a step up from an earlier model, Snowball, and incorporates features requested by customers. For instance, Yeti has three capsule assemblies that give more recording flexibility. It is like having two microphones in one, Maier said. Both the Mikey, to be available in the spring, and Yeti received a good response from show attendees, Maier said. iLounge, an independent website providing information and reviews of iPhone and iPod products, named the Mikey among its 15 high profile products worth seeing. (iLounge is not affiliated with Apple.) “It seems we were doing as much press stuff as product stuff,” Maier said. Walking around the show floor, Maier said he detected a more positive feel than he had last year. That was an opinion shared by Marty Shindler, chief executive of Oculus 3D in Sherman Oaks. A year ago Shindler found the show much quieter as the recession had just begun to sink in. This year showed a big improvement, Shindler said. Although 3D stole the show at CES it is not as though consumer electronic manufacturers have not displayed product there in past years. Televisions with 3D capability were shown by LG, Samsung, Panasonic, and Sony. “This year it was them and many others,” Shindler said. “They all had it front and center at their booths.” Technicolor joined in on the 3D bandwagon with demonstrations of Blu-ray discs in 3D, automated 3D subtitling technology; expertise in authoring and compression to bring auto-stereoscopic content to mobile devices; and providung updates on the deployment of its 3D on film technology using a special lens that attaches to conventional movie theater projectors. 3D Film Awards Films using the stereoscopic imaging technology developed by TrioScopics earned awards from entertainment industry website 3DHollywoodinHiDef. The online publication named “Coraline” as the best overall 3D experience on Blu-ray disc and the best animated film on Blu-Ray. “My Bloody Valentine 3D” earned best live action Blu-ray disc, with “B.O.B’S Big Break,” from DreamWorks Animation SKG as the best short on Blu-ray having been included on the release of “Monsters vs. Aliens.” TrioScopics, based in Burbank, developed a color encoding system to turn two-dimensional content into three dimensions. The release of “Coraline,” “Valentine” plus the 3D version of “Journey to the Center of the Earth” resulted in sales of 50 million pairs of anaglyph glasses to watch the films at home. The awards show that audiences appreciate 3D images delivered through the TrioScopic process, said company founder John Lowry. “Great 3D entertainment home is available now, without waiting for a new generation of television displays or playback devices,” Lowry said. The TrioScopic process can be used to view content on television broadcasting, video-on-demand, home entertainment, and mobile devices. 3DHollywoodinHiDef was started by Scott Hettrick, a veteran industry journalis who has worked at Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. This is a Test Elsewhere in Burbank, Testronic Laboratories will open early this year a lab to test 3D versions of Blu-ray discs. The company has been working for the past with the major studios, broadcasters, hardware manufacturers, and authoring facilities to prepare test plans and procedures. Now that the Blu-ray Disc Association has finalized specifications for 3D releases it is expected there will be more Blu-ray discs in that format released for viewing in the home. Testronics had to be ready to meet the needs of its clients by deepening the knowledge base about 3D and getting the test lab in place, said company President Seth Hallen. Equipment in the lab will include pre-release 3D players and monitors. “Testronic Labs has been on the forefront of every technology shift in home entertainment from the day that these new things called DVDs were unloaded off the truck, to the launch of BD-Live,” said Chief Technology Officer Adam Lesh. “In that sense, 3D is no different. We will continue to lead the industry in safeguarding the consumer experience for our clients.” Staff Reporter Mark Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or by e-mail at [email protected]. He’s seen the 3D version of “Avatar” twice.