[musicday]

Panasonic GZ2000, 4K OLED TV 2019 flagship.
55 inch and 65 inch.
Best TV for the Realiser A16?
What do you guys think?

 

[travis-bickle]

Panasonic GZ2000, 4K OLED TV 2019 flagship.
55 inch and 65 inch.
Best TV for the Realiser A16?
What do you guys think?

a realiser deserves a projector
i am thrilled about the announced xgimi rs pro 4k model at ces. for the moment theres only information stating a china release in the first quarter.

 

[musicday]

a realiser deserves a projector
i am thrilled about the announced xgimi rs pro 4k model at ces. for the moment theres only information stating a china release in the first quarter.

Link? Nothing can match the real black of OLED.

 

[raband]

Definitely a projector.

Wall of sound deserves wall of vision

 

[illram]

Ha. One of my "preparing for the Realiser" purchases was an LG OLED... that is now 2 years old.

 

[m8o]

Ha. One of my "preparing for the Realiser" purchases was an LG OLED... that is now 2 years old.

Which if like my LG OLED is only HDMI 2.0 not 2.0a, so only does UHD HDR via WI-FI from the likes of Amazon Video, not HDMI or ever wired LAN (the latter surprised me, in a bad way). :facepalm:

 

[illram]

Which if like my LG OLED is only HDMI 2.0 not 2.0a, so only does UHD HDR via WI-FI from the likes of Amazon Video, not HDMI or ever wired LAN (the latter surprised me, in a bad way). :facepalm:

Hmm? I get 4k Dolby Vision via Netflix, wired. I'm not aware of this limitation. I never really use HDR10, mostly just 4k DV.

It is out of date in other ways with it's inability to pass through Atmos. That's a big problem for the Realiser I've found, it's hard to find a replacement streaming source that can do all HDR formats plus Atmos.

 

[Got the Shakes]

Hmm? I get 4k Dolby Vision via Netflix, wired. I'm not aware of this limitation. I never really use HDR10, mostly just 4k DV.

It is out of date in other ways with it's inability to pass through Atmos. That's a big problem for the Realiser I've found, it's hard to find a replacement streaming source that can do all HDR formats plus Atmos.

Your options here would basically have to be an Apple TV 4K or Xbox One X, no? Both do DV (and obviously HDR10) and Atmos.

 

[raband]

I've found, it's hard to find a replacement streaming source that can do all HDR formats plus Atmos.

Amazon Fire Tv Stick 4K?

 

[illram]

Your options here would basically have to be an Apple TV 4K or Xbox One X, no? Both do DV (and obviously HDR10) and Atmos.

Apple TV is the only one. Xbox One X DV doesn't work on 2016 LG OLED models.

There was some limitation with the Fire stick but I forget what it was. Maybe app selection. But yes recently the options have been improving. Still sucks I can't just use my TV for it all and keep it simple.

 

[m8o]

Hmm? I get 4k Dolby Vision via Netflix, wired. I'm not aware of this limitation. I never really use HDR10, mostly just 4k DV.

Don't have NetFlix UHD but Amazon publishes some shows in UHD w/o an up-charge. I base my belief on, if I watch say the Grand Tour in 4K the TV will show a banner when the program starts reading "HDR mode is enabled". I do not see that banner if I watch the same show when I use the wired ethernet connection. (You can switch HDR support on/off in the settings, but HDR mode isnt activated and actually turned on until it sees the signal)

Something to consider perhaps is to run a parallel signal to the Realizer (assuming audio/video lip sync doesn't become an issue)? I own three HD Fury 4K Integrals, to split hdmi, force Stereo from the source when I want to drive a dac for 2-ch headphones via toslink cloned from hdmi provided by this device, or when I want to force v1.4 HDCP, or to force a particular resolution and color depth... magical devices. But maybe I dont get it: not sure how it plays with Atmos.

 

[m8o]

Oops, meant to edit last post but clicked reply.

 

[musicday]

I want to believe that things are going smooth for Smyth Research and this month we can get an update with the shipping date, hopefully before the Brexit 29 March..We have to stay positive all the time and have great patience to be kindly rewarded.

 

[Lamerhouse]

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR ALL BACKERS OF YARRA 3DX!

You're receiving this newsletter because you backed the Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign for the YARRA 3DX 3D audio sound bar developed by San Diego-based Comhear. The information below is provided to bring you the latest information about the product, the company behind it, the backer community, and options/actions you might want to consider. This newsletter does not come from Comhear.

As a former consultant for the company and the individual largely responsible for conceiving and producing the campaign (however, I did not manage it), and a backer myself (Backer #6 for two units), I feel an obligation to keep other backers informed about what happened, what is happening, and what the realistic chances are that everyone will receive their sound bars.

Former Audio Consultant to Comhear
Mark Waldrep (mwaldrep@aixmediagroup.com)



The Backer Community Steps Up!
Led by some talented and smart individuals, YARRA 3DX backers can find all sorts of valuable information at BackerClub.co. You can click this link or the image above to visit the site immediately -HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! Get the latest information, see templates for actions, and be able to communicate directly with other backers.

Comhear needs to hear from the backer community! The company has not gone out of business.

An Update from Comhear CEO Gerry Chastelet - 12/17/2018
The CEO directed campaign manager and consultant to Comhear - Bob Picunko - to post the following update to both the KS and IGG campaign pages. If you have not read it, you should.

"Since the company’s formal communications in early November regarding the status of YARRA 3DX, there has been some unauthorized mis-direction/communications and speculation about the roll-out of this product and the company’s planned fulfillment of crowdfunding backer pledges.

To set the record straight, the company fully intends to deliver YARRA 3DX to the backer community and the market as a whole as soon as we are able to do so. Delays encountered in producing this new, consumer electronics 3D soundbar include both unanticipated design/engineering challenges and longer than expected production lead times due to industry-wide component shortages. As a result, we have experienced increased development costs, delays in time to market and, obviously, we have missed the 2018 holiday season sales/revenue opportunities. This in turn has affected the company’s financial results.

Unfortunately, despite what our backers might believe, the development, production and roll out costs of a functionally rich, industry-first, consumer electronics 3D soundbar like YARRA 3DX are far from covered with only backer pledge support. YARRA 3DX, like many consumer electronics products offered to early backers on crowdfunding platforms are significantly more costly to develop, produce and deliver than funds generated through crowdfunding alone. The internet is littered with the remains of crowdfunding backed initiatives that never make it to market. The company has invested significant additional capital to get YARRA 3DX to this pre volume production stage and as some select backers who had the opportunity to hear the product first-hand in August can attest, it’s a remarkable product.

The YARRA 3DX product roll out delay has impacted company 2018 projections and financial results. In the last few months we’ve been engaged in a number of strategic discussions with different parties. I am pleased to announce that on November 29th,the Comhear Board of Directors approved a new proposal led by one of the company’s independent directors intended to finance the company. The intent of the new proposal is for a recapitalization of the company to support the business growth in both the commercial and consumer electronics markets, including the roll out of YARRA 3DX, and the production and shipment of YARRA 3DX to our crowdfunding backers.

Now that the strategic direction of the company is clear and the YARRA 3DX development is completed, I am confident once the new capitalization is in place we can get back to launching YARRA 3DX to the market and producing the initial production run for the backer community.

I apologize for the gap in communications, but as you can understand until such time that the Comhear’s strategic direction was approved by the Company’s Board we were unable to make any definitive statements.

Now that we have an approved plan, we will strive to provide more frequent YARRA 3DX updates.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Gerry Chastelet
Gerry.Chastelet@comhear.com
Chief Executive Officer,
Comhear Inc."


An Insider Response
The company would very much like to deliver YARRA 3DX units to the backer community but without a minimum of $1 million in new investment (the CEO has stated that they are looking for an additional $4-5 million), it will be virtually impossible to meet that goal. The funds raised during the campaigns on both Kickstarter and Indiegogo, while sufficient to meet the development costs and initial mass production run, were spent on normal company operations rather than reserved for the manufacturing phase of the product.

An Earlier Update from Comhear - 11/7/2018
There have been very few official updates and responses to comments from Comhear over the past 6 months. They sent out letters and stickers promising that delivery was right around the corner. And then everything stopped. I was directed by the campaign manager to post the following update in early November:

"Having demonstrated and tested YARRA 3DX production prototype product with a limited group of crowdfunding backers in late summer, there have been numerous queries and speculations about what is happening with YARRA 3DX product production. As we have mentioned previously, Comhear has met with several setbacks in the development and production of YARRA 3DX. For the last few months, we have been engaged in various capital raising and other strategic discussions intended to allow us to reach a positive result. The results and timing of these initiatives have affected company operations and delayed YARRA 3DX new product production. Although we hoped to announce the outcome of these initiatives earlier, we continue to work diligently on ways to fuel the growth of our business and bring this new consumer product to market despite the challenges facing an early stage technology comp any. We apologize for the delay and understand our backers frustration. We will do our best to keep you informed of further developments."



Photos of the YARRA 3DX

Production Delay — Shipping Date Unknown!
Zylux Corporation, the manufacturing facility and an investor in Comhear, is responsible for manufacturing the YARRA 3DX product. They have worked closely with the engineering staff in the design and validation stages of the product, have developed the tooling, stockpiled all required parts, delivered EVT units, and were prepared to begin mass production (MP) in mid September. However, without receiving a required — and substantial payment — from Comhear and at the direction of the company CEO, they stopped the planned manufacturing run. According to a Zylux representative, until the remaining tooling invoice and manufacturing costs for the first 3000 units are paid the YARRA 3DX will not be produced.

The amount of money required to pay for the tooling, manufacturing, and shipping to backers is substantially less than the money raised during the KS and IGG campaigns — $1.1 Million. Of course, there were additional development costs for the industrial design, electrical engineering, software, app, etc. But the path forward does not require millions of dollars!


Front Page Article in SD Tribune Asks Tough Questions


Last November, Mike Freeman wrote a front page article in the San Diego Tribune magazine about the local company behind the YARRA 3DX and asking important questions about the current status of the product. You can read the entire article at: Where' My YARRA 3DX Sound Bar?

He was able to contact company CEO Gerry Chastelet by phone who stated,

“It is a brand new, very complex product,” he said. “A product of the complexity of the YARRA 3DX you cannot build simply with the amount of money raised in crowdfunding.”

Comhear is seeking to raise additional capital to finish production and fund other business initiatives, said Chastelet.

“We have raised money in the past, and I am currently actively looking at raising another $4 million to $5 million,” he said. “Obviously we are doing everything possible to honor the commitments as soon as we can.”

“We appreciate their patience and the support we have gotten from our backers,” said Chastelet. “It is foremost on my mind to get the product out to them.”



AIX and Partners YARRA 3DX Acquisition Declined
I was — and remain — a strong supporter of the YARRA 3DX design and product. I wrote about it in my book and recommended it to my blog readers, friends, students, and other associates. A substantial percentage of backers made pledges based on my personal recommendation. If Mark "Dr. AIX" Waldrep said the product was worth the investment, the company honest, and the people creating it trustworthy, many pledged. I'm upset that things haven't turned out like I believed they would. Current company management has demonstrated repeatedly to be untrustworthy and unwilling to live up to its promises. The CEO has refused to pay for work he approved back in August of 2018 despite repeated promises to "pay with first dollars received" and "by the end of December". Now he's holding the payment hostage to my returning the YARRA 3DX that I have in my possession (which I paid for TWICE!).

The current situation is more than just disappointing. It has damaged my personal reputation (as well as others) and resulted in substantial financial loss to a community I care about. Until last May, I managed the backer comments, wrote regular updates, and tried to keep everyone informed about the development of the sound bar. Communication and timely updates since then have been few and far between. Confidence in Comhear management has declined and the promised sound bars have still not been manufactured in spite of comments to the contrary. It is anyone's guess whether the company can raise the needed funds to ultimately deliver the units. And they can't deliver the Mac iOS app until the developer receives a final — and substantial — payment.

In an attempt to make things right, I reached out to Comhear's CEO and the board with an offer to acquire the YARRA 3DX, fund the manufacturing, and deliver them to ALL backers. I traveled to London and Santa Monica to demo the unit to potential investors and business partners. I presented a viable and realistic option to Comhear's CEO.

After a few emails, term sheets revisions, and phone conversations, it became obvious that Comhear would not allow AIX and partners to acquire the YARRA 3DX and make it available to backers and new consumers on an exclusive basis. It was worth the effort but unfortunately a deal couldn't be made.

Although, Comhear "has no intention to produce and support a consumer product", the CEO told me that they must reserve the right to offer the core technology to other licensors. As a result, AIX and partners simply can't put up $1M to make the backer community whole, meet Comhear's obligations without any initial profit, and turn around and confront a direct competitor in 12 months.
Travel to London to demo the YARRA at Abbey Road and for a local backer.

Questions and Answers
The comments section of the Kickstarter page has well over 3000 comments. Individual backers have posted a lot of information about the company, the product, and activities that may help rectify the situation. If you have the interest and time, I'm sure you'll find a group of backers anxious to engage with you about the current state of affairs.

1. When will the YARRA 3DX be delivered? - According to the CEO, there is no specific date when the sound bars will be manufactured and shipped. It will only happen if the company is able to raise $4-5 million dollars in new funding.

2. Where did the funds from the campaigns go? - Comhear received about $1 million dollars, which was supposed to have paid for tooling, design, engineering, manufacturing, and shipping. The money was spent on operating expenses, salaries, and travel. A member of the board is funding basic costs and salaries until new investments are made.

3. Are refunds available? -The decision was made by the CEO very early on to refuse ALL refund requests regardless of the reason for the request. Some backers have successfully contested the charges with their credit card companies but there is no Comhear credit card active at KS or IGG so I don't know where the money will coming from. I called AMEX and inquired and they told me the date of my transaction was too old. Regardless, backers are posting refund demands per the terms of KS and IGG. I did this myself and suggest you do the same.

4. What additional steps can be taken? - Several key members of the backer community have initiated the following:

• There is an active BackerClub forum thread - you can join in the conversations — both public and private — there.

•There is an active poll gauging support for legal action against Comhear at YARRA 3DX poll The poll is intended to gauge support to possible legal action against the company and raise awareness of the issues.

• Feel free to reach out to me. I will try to respond but please realize that I have no power to move things forward and am bound by an NDA agreement so I can't divulge much. mwaldrep@aixmediagroup.com

• If you have friends, writers, bloggers, or just want to reach out to your local press, please help spread the word — and let us know.

• Post comments on the YARRA 3DX Facebook page: YARRA 3DX

5. CES Show - Comhear exhibited at the recent CES show in Las Vegas and shared a booth with Stampede. Read the comment.

6. Contact Comhear management and Kickstarter - the email format for ALL Comhear employees is first.last@comhear.com. I'm sure they would love to hear from the backer community.

The End!?
There is no guarantee that Comhear will ever deliver the promised sound bars. Some campaigns manage to deliver their products after many months — even years of delay (I was a year late with my 800 page book!). I know that many of us worked very hard to design and deliver a great product. And thousands of people trusted and believed in the product — and company.

The company has been around for a number of years and raised — and spent — millions of dollars from well-heeled investors and individuals as well as the Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns. They are actively seeking new funding to manufacture their commercial products, pay salaries and operational expenses, meet outstanding development costs, and deliver on the pledges we all made for the YARRA 3DX.

I have a YARRA 3DX sitting under my computer monitor and it does deliver what the campaign promised — although I've been unable to get the APP to work! In one of my previous newsletters, I stated that YARRA 3DX would not become another failed Kickstarter campaign. I believed it at the time. Today, I'm not so sure.

I sincerely hope that CEO Gerry Chastelet and the Comhear board live up to the commitments made to me, to backers, and to everyone else. There is still a chance but the outlook isn't promising.

Sincerely,

Mark Waldrep, Ph.D.
Former Audio Consultant to Comhear
mwaldrep@aixmediagroup.com

 

[musicday]

I feel sad for everyone that paid for the soundbar. To be honest I was tempted too, but luckily, I didn't pay. I believe that the A16 will not have same fate.