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Sony’s 8K and OLED TVs adapt their sound to your room

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The Z8H and X950H also boast a Sound-from-Picture-Reality feature that delivers directional sound based on what’s happening on screen.

Don’t worry, there are visual upgrades. All of the TVs offer Triluminos Display to produce “more shades of red, green and blue” than before, while every set except for the X900H is running on a Picture Processor X1 Ultimate chip. OLED sets (using LG panels, we’d add) now support X-Motion Clarity’s high refresh rates to improve the picture in fast-moving scenes, while the X950H brings upgraded wide-angle viewing to 55- and 65-inch sets. The X900H itself is an upgrade as a mid-range model with Full Array LED (read: local dimming).

Beyond that, many of the updates come from software. Sony’s TVs are now running Android 9 Pie, with “enhanced” Sony-made interfaces. If you use the Z8H or X950H, you’ll also have hands-free Google Assistant voice control (all sets integrate with Assistant and Alexa devices). Those who live in Apple-focused homes will also be happy to hear that AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support are making their return, although the Apple TV app is still a no-show.

You’ll have to wait until this spring to learn about pricing, but sizing is available now. The flagship Z8H is unsurprisingly available only in 75- and 85-inch sizes (8K would be hard to notice otherwise), while the Z9S stands out as a 48-inch OLED model — you don’t have to opt for a large screen just to get those perfect black levels. The A8H comes in 55- and 65-inch sizes for more expansive spaces. The X950H and X900H cover the widest range of sizes with 55-, 65-, 75- and 85-inch sets (plus 49 inches for the X950H) on hand.

Sony X950H 4K TV

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TCL’s 8K Roku TV should come out this year

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In the future, TCL TVs will ship with a new form of Mini-LED technology (not to be confused with Micro-LED) called Vidrian. The company says it’s the first TV backlight with “the driving semi-conductor circuitry and tens of thousands of micro-meter class mini-LEDs directly infused in a crystal-clear glass substrate.” In practice, that should mean better contrast and luminance. It’s not clear what TV models will use Viridian, though, or when our eyeballs will be able to appreciate it in our living rooms.

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Tumblr’s digital literacy campaign targets fake news and bullying

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Tumblr is partnering with the UK nonprofit Ditch the Label, and their campaign will focus on six topics. Each topic will get a short explainer video, as well as an expert-guided discussion.

“We recognize that toxicity and negativity happen everywhere online, even on Tumblr,” the company said in a press release. “We are constantly striving to learn and utilize new ways to create a safe place for our communities.”

While the videos are pretty basic, they could help educate some users. The campaign also suggests that Tumblr isn’t dead under its new ownership, and like all other social media platforms, it’s concerned with misinformation and toxic online behavior.



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Hisense unveils a $5,000 short throw laser projector

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The projector can display a 100-inch image and comes with embedded speakers and Android TV with over 5,000 apps and games. However, it’s a full year behind Optoma’s P1 Cinemax ultra short throw laser projector and a lot more expensive too, at $5,000 compared to $3,000. It’ll arrive in April.

Hisense will also show off the R8F ULED 4K Roku TVs announced in November 2019. Those models feature a ULED image that’s a quantum dot answer to OLED, complete with Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG. Those models cost $500 and $700 for the 55- and 65-inch models, and are now available at Walmart.com. The company also has a cheaper LCD Roku models in the R6E3 series starting at $228 for the 43-inch model and going up to $798 for the 75-incher.

Hisense bragged that it’s now the number six TV manufacturer in the US, and it’s easy to see why based on the prices. For instance, it now has an 85-inch TV in the H65G series that costs just $1,500, compared to multi-thousands for the same size with other brands.

Hisense H9G 4K quantum dot TVs

Also of note are its H9G and H8G quantum dot models with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos tech built in. The H9G also has a Google Assistant and a few extra features, so it costs a bit more at $700 and $1,000 for the 55- and 65-inch models, with shipping in April. The H8G series, meanwhile, arrives in March and starts at $400 for the 50-inch TV and goes up to $1,400 for the 75-inch TV.

It’s a funny thing to brag about being a solid number five, but we’ll give Hisense credit for one thing. It’s at least told us how much the TVs will cost, and is shipping them shortly after CES 2020 while it still has some buzz. Most other manufacturers don’t reveal the price at CES, and by the time the TVs ship, we’ve often forgotten all about them.

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You can actually buy Origin’s new ‘Big O’ console and PC monster

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The 2020 ‘Big O’ puts a custom gaming PC and a single console — a PlayStation 4 Pro or Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, depending on your preference — inside a dual-chamber Corsair Crystal Series 280X case. (Yeah, we would have preferred an Xbox One X too.) The new machine uses original console hardware, though you can choose to upgrade the Xbox or PlayStation’s stock hard drive to a faster SSD. Both ‘halves’ of the Big O have their own power connections and HDMI ports so that you can run them simultaneously and, if necessary, on separate TVs or monitors.

2020 Big O

In addition, you can opt for an Elgato 4K60 Pro capture card which, as its name suggests, can capture 4K resolution and 60 frames per second gameplay from your compartmentalized console. How much will all of this cost? It depends. The cheapest 2020 Big O will set you back an already eye-watering $2,499. The final price will depend on the PC components you choose — Origin is promising a range of Intel Core and AMD Ryzen processors, as well as different motherboards, RAM, storage and GPU options including “the latest GeForce RTX graphics.” It will also increase if you opt for the PlayStation 4 Pro and aforementioned Elgato capture card.

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Elgato’s new capture card will let you stream 4K 60FPS footage

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The 4K60 S+ is more substantial than Elgato’s previous external cards, the HD60 S and HD60 S+, and includes an SD card slot so that you can record footage without first connecting the device to a PC. With support for HEVC encoding, running out of space shouldn’t be too much of an issue — as long as you have a decently sized card. That said, if you do end up using a PC to take advantage of a bigger hard drive, you’ll also get access to Elgato’s software, which has a couple of handy features. For example, one allows you to retroactively capture footage if you forgot to hit the record button, while another lets you record microphone audio through a separate channel.

All that versatility and functionality comes at a cost, however. At $400, the 4K60 S+ is the most expensive capture card Elgato currently offers. You can get much of the same functionality with the company’s more affordable 4K60 Pro ($330), but that requires giving up a PCIe slot inside your computer, making it not ideal for every setup. Of course, for streamers who already plan to buy one of the next-generation consoles at launch, $400 is probably a small price to pay to get the best possible streaming experience.

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Whistle nixes GPS to make a more affordable health tracker for dogs

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Combined with Whistle’s smartphone app, the Fit gives dog owners recommendations for daily activity based on breed, age and weight; data it shows includes calories burned, distance traveled and active minutes per day. It also will alert owners to potential health problems based on activities it can recognize like unusual or excessive licking, scratching or sleeping. Whistle says the device can collect over 50 samples of a dog’s movements every second, and the company analyzes that data to detect behavior patterns that owners may need to know about. Whistle says that thanks to the data it collects, it can add more features in the future.

One example of a health-related tracking feature Whistle can add is its new “nutrition” feature, which will work on the new Fit tracker as well as the existing Go and Go Explore trackers. This feature is built off of Whistle’s database of 3,000 different kinds of dog food. Combining your dog’s dog food with its pet’s age, weight, breed, and typical calories burned will give you personalized recommendations for ho9w much you should be feeding your dog.

Whistle Fit

As for the new Fit tracker, Whistle says it’ll be available for pre-order on January 21st for $79.95. Unfortunately, you’ll also need a subscription plan ($2.95/month), which gives you access to Whistle’s database to enable all the personalized recommendations, wellness reports, and so forth. At this point, all of Whistle’s products require a subscription, and the company even admits in its press release that it considers itself a services company. That’s tough considering how many subscriptions we’re all inundated with these days, but three bucks a month isn’t too bad to keep your dog healthy — assuming that the Whistle Fit lives up to its promises.

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Weber’s grilling hub equips any grill with WiFi smarts

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Back in November, grilling giant Weber joined the WiFi-connected pellet grill game when it announced its upcoming SmokeFire grills. A fancy pellet grill is a nice thing to have, and while they’re versatile, not everyone wants to pay several hundred dollars, or even over a thousand or more, to buy one. At CES, Weber is introducing another tool that will bring wireless connectivity to any grill. With the Weber Connect Smart Grilling Hub, you can use four food and ambient temperature probes with the grilling gear you already have.

Weber Connect Smart Grilling Hub

Like the SmokeFire pellet models, the Grilling Hub works with the Weber Connect app: a step-by-step sous chef that will let you know how to prep the grill, when it’s time to flip a steak, how long to rest your food and more. It can even provide an estimate for how long it will take something to cook. The software component is powered by JuneOS, from the company behind the June smart oven. Additionally, the Grilling Hub packs in both Bluetooth and WiFi, so you can choose the connectivity that best suits your needs on a given day.

The Grilling Hub sends real-time temperature info to the Weber Connect app on either and Android or an iOS device. There’s also a display on the Hub itself that will show the temperature data for the selected probe. The app also houses a library of grilling info, and Weber says it will continue to add more over time. The company plans to continue to add new features to the software as well. Alexa integration is in the works for later this year.

Weber Connect Smart Grilling Hub

This isn’t Weber’s first time offering temperature monitoring on your phone. The company has the iGrill line of devices that sends grilling info to your phone via Bluetooth. It allows you to pick the type of meat your cooking and your desired doneness, or you can choose to simply cooked to a specific temperature. Those devices are handy (I use the iGrill Mini often), but the companion app doesn’t provide anywhere near the detailed guidance that the Weber Connect app will offer. This new Hub is the logical evolution of the iGrill devices, and it gives aspiring pitmasters some of the tools of the SmokeFire grills without having to make a big investment.

The Weber Connect Smart Grilling Hub will be available in over 30 countries when it goes on sale “in early 2020.” When it does, you can expect to pay $130 to equip your favorite grill with WiFi smarts.

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Roku makes it easier to connect soundbars and receivers to its TVs

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It’s not surprising why Roku would go this route: Making its own audio products isn’t exactly easy, and it also limits choice for consumers. With TV Ready, less tech-savvy consumers also won’t have to worry as much about making sure all of their audio settings are correct.

So far, Roku has Sound United (the parent company of Polk, Denon, Marantz, Class A and Boston Acoustics) and TCL signed up for the program. Both Denon and TCL plan to start their integration in upcoming soundbars. And we’ll likely see more supported devices throughout the year, since Roku says it’s relatively easy (and free) for manufacturers to implement it in soundbars and receivers that support HDMI ARC.

Of course, nothing is stopping you from plugging in any other audio device into your TV. But I’m sure even hardcore audiophiles could appreciate controlling their systems right from Roku TV remotes.

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Bosch’s Virtual Visor is a smarter way to block out the sun

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At CES 2020, I stepped into a makeshift ‘car’ that comprised of an office desk, laptop and webcam, Bosch’s so-called Virtual Visor and a tiny tarpaulin roof. It wasn’t the most immersive experience, but I did my best to ignore the convention hubbub and pretend I was driving down Route 66 in a classic Ford Mustang. A Logitech webcam recorded my imaginary driving and some algorithms correctly deduced which parts of the image contained my face. The tracking was perfect and the LCD panel darkened the correct areas to ensure a nearby torch never reached my retinas.

Bosch Virtual Visor

The experience wasn’t flawless, though. The “transparent” sections of the LCD panel, for instance, are actually 50 percent transparent. I could make out objects just fine — it was like looking through a light fog or a windscreen that hadn’t been washed in six months. Still, that level of transparency is better than most sunglasses, a Bosch spokesperson told me, and increases your overall visibility of the road dramatically. I didn’t have a pair of Ray-Bans to hand, so I had to take his word for it. I can confirm, however, that the Virtual Visor is better than a piece of plastic.

For now, it’s just a prototype. Bosch said it’s talking to car manufacturers and commercial fleet operators, though, to see if the concept can be taken further. The upsides are obvious, though I would miss those tiny sun visor mirrors that let you check whether you still have crumbs on your face.

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