The new Minibar is a compact soundbar tuned by THX and designed for use by Pay-TV operators.
SEI Robotics will be showing its latest innovation at IBC 2023 in Amsterdam. SEI’s Minibar is the world’s first Compact 5.1 Soundbar and is based around an Amlogic chipset featuring Dolby Atmos and with audio tuning by THX.
This new soundbar has been specifically developed for the global Pay-TV market using top-tier audio and video experts. The first client to sign up for Minibar will be Latin American Pay-TV operator América Móvil.
SEI has partnered with Homatics, an international smart home theater brand to develop the Minibar. The company’s smart home theater products range from 2.0 to 5.1.4 channels, delivering stereo sound and panoramic surround sound. Homatics prides itself on plug-in-and-play products with wireless and seamless connections to make it simple for consumers to enjoy theater-quality entertainment using voice or remote control.
According to SEI, Minibar is a unique solution designed for Pay-TV subscribers who want to upgrade their home theater with better sound and vision. Minibar supports Dolby Atmos, 5.1 channel audio, and runs Android TV OS. The soundbar’s audio has been specially tuned by THX.
At only half the length of a typical soundbar, the device supports 4K UHD output, including Dolby Vision. Different models and configurations can be tailored to suit the needs of different Pay-TV regions, depending on what an operator wants.
Despite its small size, the SEI Minibar promises 5.1 sound straight out of the box with support for … [+]
Mahesh Balakrishnan is the vice president of consumer entertainment at Dolby Laboratories and had this to say about Minibar’s pedigree: “Dolby experiences have transformed how consumers enjoy their favorite entertainment. With support for Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision, SEI’s latest integrated soundbar and set-top-box is a one-stop shop that will provide Pay-TV operators around the world a turnkey solution for delivering incredible audiovisual experiences to their customers.”
THX has tuned the sound of the SEI Minibar to maximize its sonic performance. Consumers can experience the moviemaker’s true vision and enjoy theater sound straight out of the box regardless of the type of content and format they choose to watch.
“We are pleased to bring the THX audio calibration expertise to this dynamic and innovative product. This partnership with SEI allows us to further the THX mission to ensure more people can enjoy high-fidelity content the way the creators intend entertainment to be enjoyed,” added Jason Fiber, chief executive officer of THX Ltd, during a briefing I had with him a week or so ago.
The SEI Minibar can be extended with rear speakers and a sub if the user wants an even bigger sound.
Jeff Yin is the chief executive officer of SEI Robotics: “We are honored to collaborate with first-class partners in achieving product innovation, transforming your TV into a plug-in and play Dolby Atmos sound system, providing Pay-TV consumers with an immersive audio-visual experience.”
The Minibar has an Amlogic S905X4 chipset, incorporating quad-core Cortex-A55 architecture made with a 12nm process and having the processing power of 24 DMIPS. Alongside Dolby Vision, the chipset can support HDR10+ / HLG and an HDMI2.1a 4K UHD video interface. Dolby Atmos, Dolby Audio and eArc.
The first rollout of the SEI Minibar will be with Latin American Pay-TV operator América Móvil. The company’s Claro operations will be the first to take the SEI Minibar to Central and South America customers by the first quarter of 2024.
A spokesperson for América Móvil said: “The Minibar will integrate all the services that consumers expect today into a compact, all-in-one product, extending this home theater option to Pay-TV customers. We are proud that América Móvil and their Claro operations will be the first launch, bringing this to our valued customers in Central and South America as early as the first quarter of next year.”
Pricing & Availability: No pricing has been announced for the SEI Minibar. The Minibar will be available as part of a Pay-TV subscription package as operators roll it out in various global regions from next year.
More info: seirobotics.net
