Apple Computer Inc is expected next month to tighten its hold on the multimedia market with launch of the AudioVision 14 Display, a 14 monitor with sound at less than $800, MacWeek reports. Expected at Macworld Expo in Boston, the display is said to be designed to take advantage of multimedia features of the upcoming Centris 660av and Quadra 840av, but it is compatible with all modular Macs. It is expected to integrate a variety of audio and video technologies, using a 14 Sony Corp Trinitron tube with resolution of 640 by 480 pixels, and having stereo speakers mounted on the front of the unit. Sound-enhancement technologies to improve bass response and make the near-field listening environment appear to be three-dimensional are expected. Sounds generated by the speakers should dissipate rapidly, reducing office noise. There is also expected to be a unidirectional microphone below the monitor designed to reflect ambient sounds and pick up only the user’s voice so that users can take advantage of Apple’s planned Casper speech-recognition software. To improve ease of use when connecting the AudioVision to a Mac, a single cable between the back of the display and the CPU will replace five, the paper hears, noting that the cable is compatible with a new interface designed for upcoming Macs, while an adaptor will offer backward compatibility with existing CPUs. It will ship with software that controls the functions of the monitor’s front-panel buttons, so that telephony products can disable audio from external sources when an incoming call is received, but all sound sources will be able to be combined so that if a user is listing to an audio CD-ROM, alert sounds can be mixed into the music.
