Hi Fi in the 70's, as predicted in 1961.

P

Pat D

Audioholic
Futurology is interesting, but it is very chancy and it has proved difficult to predict in much detail what the distant future will bring. Still, they did fairly well.

They were already working on the video camera and VCR, so that wasn't a difficult prediction, and the article seems to conceive the sound as stereo rather than multi-channel.

Transistors were also being worked with, so that wasn't terribly prescient, either.

Electronic music was already a reality back then (think Edgar Varese and Hammond organs), so this was just another extrapolation based on things already in process. There is a fair amount of it but it certainly hasn't replaced acoustic instruments, though many recordings are so manipulated nowadays they could be classed as mixed electronic and acoustic.

The article envisaged a compact music playback format, but apparently did not conceive it as digital since it mentions "probably tape wafers."

Light rays to read phonograph records is a reality today, but there are only a few players, and the last I checked, they were expensive.
 
1

10010011

Senior Audioholic
They nailed MP3 players too. Well flash memory based media players would be a better term.

You'll use tiny wafer-like cards containing an entire evening of music; this will be slipped into the little black box
 
Alex2507

Alex2507

Audioholic Slumlord
That dude was recalling an acid trip ... walls changing colors ... sound coming from everywhere ... c'mon. :rolleyes:
 
MidnightSensi

MidnightSensi

Audioholic Samurai
Neat article!

Electronic music was already a reality back then (think Edgar Varese and Hammond organs), so this was just another extrapolation based on things already in process. There is a fair amount of it but it certainly hasn't replaced acoustic instruments, though many recordings are so manipulated nowadays they could be classed as mixed electronic and acoustic.
Yeah, even acoustic music now with voice correction and such is basically electronic, most pop music is sample based. Electronic music, of course, has grown also, and also influenced acoustic music (use of synths, etc.).

Light rays to read phonograph records is a reality today, but there are only a few players, and the last I checked, they were expensive.
Well, that came into being the CD. ;)

...Good thoughts Pat.
 
Pyrrho

Pyrrho

Audioholic Ninja
That dude was recalling an acid trip ... walls changing colors ... sound coming from everywhere ... c'mon. :rolleyes:
In the 1970's, there were little boxes that you could hook up to your TV to display colors and patterns that changed with the music. It could be used with a projector for each of the walls, so he really wasn't too far wrong about that.

The little boxes, of course, never really caught on. They obviously do not improve the sound of anything.
 
Midcow2

Midcow2

Banned
Before most were around !

Like they said in American Grafitti, "Where were you in '62?"

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2008/12/clip_job_wild_h.php

At least they nailed the VCR.

I find it humorous to look back at predictions. The best prediction was a futures committee at GUIDE and a similar one at SHARE. These were mainframe user organizations when IBM was king. The prediction was in the very early 70's, 70 or 71 that soon there would be a breadbox sized device that had the power of a mainframe and would be portable.

You do realize that 1962 was 47 years ago and that from a previous poll the average age of an Audioholic member was ~40 . So in 1962, most Audioholic member were 6+ years pre-conception :D

Actually I well remember the presidential quote at the time "It is not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" That's is even more scarely as we get ready on January 20 to move into the full-socailist society!
 
Rob Babcock

Rob Babcock

Moderator
I want my "molecular electronic amplifiers- the next step after transistors"...and why don't my walls change colors to the beat?
 

Latest posts

newsletter

  • RBHsound.com
  • BlueJeansCable.com
  • SVS Sound Subwoofers
  • Experience the Martin Logan Montis
Top