Archives for September 23, 2019

Tech industry sets official standard for 8K TVs

by

There’s even a logo to reassure buyers.

The tech industry just took another step to nail down the specs for 8K TV. The Consumer Technology Association has unveiled the official display definition for 8K sets, including a logo TV makers can use. Any model needs to output at a minimum 7,680 x 4,320 resolution, support 24, 30 and 60 frames per second, produce 10-bit color, support key HDR functions and use HDCP 2.2-level content protection. It also has to upscale any video to 8K.

Devices can start using the logo on January 1st, 2020.

The definition isn’t a great stretch when early 8K TVs already meet the definition. This is, to a degree, a formality. It does set baseline expectations for what 8K TVs can do, though. You shouldn’t have to worry that a given screen will fall short on key specs, and you could see more brands keen to tout 8K than they have been in 2019.

TiVo gave its unannounced Edge DVR to a customer

by

It’s not quite the worst-kept secret in tech, but it’s getting there.

TiVo might be competing with Google’s Pixel 4 for the worst-kept tech secret of 2019. When Community Forum member Coold8 complained about particularly thorny technical problems with his existing boxes, he received the Edge — you know, the DVR it hasn’t even announced yet. It appears to be an iterative design based on initial impressions (it even has the familiar remote), but that still means a device that’s smaller and faster than the Bolt while adding newer Dolby technologies.

The particular unit Coold8 received is a six-tuner version with 2TB of storage. Earlier leaks suggested TiVo would also have two Edge over-the-air models with different tuner counts and storage levels.

It’s still not certain just when the Edge will be made official, although it likely won’t be too much longer if there are fully functional models ready to ship. The timing of the release may be less than stellar, mind you. It comes just a few months before TiVo is poised to release a $50 Android TV stick, and right as it’s roiling users by introducing pre-roll ads for recorded shows. The Edge could be a tougher sell as it’ll neither be the most affordable device nor the ad-free machine many TiVo users would like.

IKEA will produce more energy than it consumes by 2020

by

It hopes to be ‘climate positive’ by 2030.

Many companies are pouring money into renewable energy, but how many can say they’re producing more than they need? IKEA thinks it will, at least. Its holding company Ingka revealed that IKEA will generate more renewable energy before the end of 2019 than the energy its stores use. The firm only expected to draw even by 2020. The furniture chain added that it had invested about $2.8 billion in solar and wind energy over the past decade, and told Reuters that it intended to continue funding that renewable tech, including two stakes in American solar farms this week.

The retailer expects to offer home solar panels in stores across all its markets in 2025. Ultimately, it plans to be climate-positive (reducing more emissions than it puts out) by 2030.

IKEA’s timing isn’t a coincidence. Like Google, Amazon and other companies, it’s using both the Global Climate Strike and the UN’s Climate Action Summit to build goodwill and avoid controversy. This isn’t a selfless act. With that said, the move could illustrate the next step for companies hoping to burnish their ecological credentials. Instead of merely striving for neutrality, more companies might try to counter the effects of climate change. There’s no guarantee they’ll act in a timely fashion, but it might be more a question of “when” than “if.”

Erica’s modular synth helps you make music with preset cards

by

You don’t have to hook up patch cables every time you recreate a sound.

Modular synths are incredibly flexible, but convenient? Not so much — switching sounds frequently means wiring up patch cords, and that makes it harder to use for live gigs and other on-the-fly uses. Erica Synths has a straightforward solution to that: put everything on a card. Its upcoming Pico System III uses “voice cards” with preset patches — you just plug in and go. There are five pre-configured cards in the box, but you’ll also get five DIY cards if you’re handy with a soldering iron.

The system is otherwise highly flexible with 31 inputs, 20 outputs and seven switches. It includes a 2-3-4 step sequencer, a pair of VCOs (with a controller and VCA module), several mixers, a modulator, two ASR envelope generators, a lowpass gate and a BBD delay. You can also snag it in both a desktop version (above) as well as a Eurorack module.

You can order the Pico System III ahead of its October 1st release at prices of €400 ($441) for the Eurorack edition and €450 ($496) for its desktop counterpart. That’ well above the $200 for the Korg Volca we recently reviewed, and certainly not a budget option. It’s still solid for a modular synth, however, and it could be justifiable if you like the idea of bringing a modular synth to a concert.

Stocks to Watch: Csl Ltd (CSLLY)

by

Watching the signals on shares of Csl Ltd (CSLLY), we note that the PPO is currently below the signal line. Technical traders might be watching for the stock to display signs of a bearish move.

Investors who are new to picking stocks may find themselves tempted to buy shares that have been recently rising the most. Although the traditional advice is to buy low and sell high, novice investors often do just the opposite. Buying a particular stock just because it has been rising recently may end up leaving the investor shaking their head down the road. Expecting that a stock will continue to ride the wave higher can lead to disappointment when momentum suddenly shifts. Studying the fundamentals of a certain company can help the investor gauge if the stock is a worthy buy at current levels.

At the time of writing, the 14-day Commodity Channel Index (CCI) is -30.71. Developed by Donald Lambert, the CCI is a versatile tool that may be used to help spot an emerging trend or provide warning of extreme conditions. CCI generally measures the current price relative to the average price level over a specific time period. CCI is relatively high when prices are much higher than average, and relatively low when prices are much lower than the average.

For further review, we can take a look at another popular technical indicator. In terms of moving averages, the 200-day is currently at 72.00, the 50-day is 78.71, and the 7-day is resting at 80.00. Moving averages are a popular trading tool among investors. Moving averages can be used to help filter out the day to day noise created by other factors. MA’s may be used to identify uptrends or downtrends, and they can be a prominent indicator for detecting a shift in momentum for a particular stock. Many traders will use moving averages for different periods of time in conjunction with other indicators to help gauge future stock price action.

Taking a quick look at technical levels and trend lines, we see that the stock has a 14-day ADX of 15.11. For traders looking to capitalize on trends, the ADX may be an essential technical tool. In general, and ADX value from 0-25 would represent an absent or weak trend. A value of 25-50 would indicate a strong trend. A value of 50-75 would indicate a very strong trend, and a value of 75-100 would signify an extremely strong trend.

The RSI, or Relative Strength Index, is a widely used technical momentum indicator that compares price movement over time. The RSI was created by J. Welles Wilder who was striving to measure whether or not a stock was overbought or oversold. The RSI may be useful for spotting abnormal price activity and volatility. The RSI oscillates on a scale from 0 to 100. The normal reading of a stock will fall in the range of 30 to 70. A reading over 70 would indicate that the stock is overbought, and possibly overvalued. A reading under 30 may indicate that the stock is oversold, and possibly undervalued. After a recent check, the 14-day RSI is currently at 53.60, the 7-day stands at 50.88, and the 3-day is sitting at 53.25.

Csl Ltd (CSLLY)’s Williams Percent Range or 14 day Williams %R is currently sitting at -68.38. In general, if the reading goes above -20, the stock may be considered to be overbought. Alternately, if the indicator goes under -80, this may show the stock as being oversold.

When examining current stock market levels, investors who have been staying on the sidelines may be wondering if now is a good time to get back into the ring. Nobody can say for sure if momentum will continue to push to the upside, and investors may be overly cautious at this stage. Studying company financials and paying attention to pertinent economic data can help the investor make more educated decisions when it comes to the stock market. It is obviously very hard for a new investor to become highly successful in the stock market right out of the gate. Doing all the homework and dedicating the proper amount of time can help the investor get on the right track to accumulating profits down the road.

Stocks to Watch: Analyst Price Target Watch on Shares of 1st Source Corporation (NASDAQ:SRCE)

by

Keeping an eye on shares of 1st Source Corporation (NASDAQ:SRCE), we see that the current average price target is $50. Wall Street analysts have the ability to produce price target estimates for where they think the stock is heading. Because price target projections vary from one analyst to another, they may span a wide range of values. Many investors choose to monitor target prices, and they will pay extra close attention when there are updates. Investors might choose to lean heavily on analyst reports and target projections when doing their own stock research.

Investors might be searching high and low for the next great stock to trade. Professional investors may have their game plans honed and ready to roll, but amateurs may be fighting to stay above water in the markets. Leaping into the equity markets without any preparation may lead to quick losses. Keeping track of all the ins and outs of daily market activity can be exhausting, and investors may be best served if they are able to focus on the essentials and rise above the noise. Although successful trading might be measured differently from one person to another, the general principles of winners are generally the same. Snatching profits from the market may seem like an easy task when stocks are soaring, but things can always snap back in the blink of an eye. Investors who are able to prepare for any situation may find themselves ahead of the game when the inevitable bear market scenario rears its head.

Looking at some recent stock price activity for 1st Source Corporation (NASDAQ:SRCE), we have spotted shares trading near the $47.17 level. Looking at some popular historical levels, we note that the 52-week high is presently $54.82, and the 52-week low is currently $38.44. When the stock is trading close to the 52-week high or 52-week low, investors may pay extra attention to see if there will be a move through that level. Looking back over the last 12 weeks, the stock has moved 3.94%. Heading back to the start of the year, we can see that shares have moved 16.93%. Over the past 4 weeks, shares have seen a change of 6.24%. Over the last 5 trading sessions, the stock has moved -0.9%.

Covering analysts are looking for 1st Source Corporation (NASDAQ:SRCE) to report a current quarter EPS of 0.88 when the company issues their next earnings report. This is the consensus estimate using analysts taken into consideration by Zacks Research. This estimate includes 2 sell-side analysts. For the previous reporting period, the company posted a quarterly EPS of 0.91. Investors will be closely tracking how close the actual comes to the consensus estimate. Analysts covering the stock are usually very busy during earnings periods. Before the release, they might be revising estimates. After the earnings release, they will closely review the information and update accordingly.

Street analysts often provide stock recommendations for companies that they track. According to analysts polled by Zacks Research, the current average rating on shares of 1st Source Corporation (NASDAQ:SRCE) is 2. This average rating includes analysts who have given Buy, Sell and Hold ratings on the name. This rating uses a numerical scale from 1 to 5. A 1 would indicate a Buy recommendation, and a score of 5 would point to a Sell recommendation. Out of all the analysts offering recommendations, 1 have rated the stock a Strong Buy or Buy.

Some traders may be using technical analysis to try and beat the stock market. There are many different indicators that traders have at their disposal. The sheer amount of indicators may leave the trader wondering which ones to use. Studying different technical indicators and signals may be worthwhile and educational, but the average investor may only end up focusing on a couple different indicators that actually work. Finding which indicators to follow and trade on may take some time and effort. Scoping out the proper signals and figuring out which ones tend to work the best may be on the minds of many traders. Trying to follow too many technical indicators might not be the best idea, and it may even cause more confusion. Once the signals have been chosen, traders may spend a lot of time back testing strategies before diving into the market.