HDMI’s new spec improves 8K, HDR and gaming

You’re about to feel better if you’ve been holding back on buying a new TV. The HDMI Forum has unveiled a new specification for its namesake video connector, HDMI 2.1, and there’s enough here to make enthusiasts happy. It now supports both very high resolutions and high frame rates. In particular, you can get 4K at a speedy 120Hz, and 8K at 60Hz (when 8K sets are ready). You’ll even see 8K with high dynamic range, although you’ll need new 48Gbps cables to experience this and other high-bandwidth features in all their uncompressed glory. Thankfully, there are some upgrades that shouldn’t take years to reach your living room.

For one, there’s a smarter take on HDR. New Dynamic HDR support optimizes colors per scene, and even per frame — you should get the best picture possible at any given moment, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Gamers will also like Game Mode VRR support, which introduces variable refresh rates to cut back on lag, screen tearing and other visual artifacts. Audio mavens, meanwhile, will appreciate support for object-based audio (that is, sound given a position in 3D space).

HDMI 2.1 and the new cabling are both backward compatible. The gotcha: the spec won’t be released until the second quarter of 2017, and you likely won’t see displays that use it until sometime after that. It’s not clear that the TVs being announced at CES will support 2.1, although LG has mentioned a form of dynamic HDR in its 2017 sets. If you insist on having it, you might want to wait for detailed specs on this year’s TVs before deciding when to buy.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Source: HDMI Forum

ASUS’ ZenFone AR handles both virtual and augmented reality

While ASUS’s ZenFone AR might have been leaked days early, it’s nonetheless a phone that’s trying to drag us into the future — whether that’s virtual reality or augmented reality. ASUS says its ZenFone AR will be compatible with both Google’s Daydream VR platform as well as Google’s Tango augmented reality tech.

While this is the first smartphone capable of both VR and AR, it’s also only the second-ever Tango-compatible Android handset. Even when it comes to Daydream, the phone joins a small group of devices that are compatible with Google’s VR platform.

The phone itself is pretty unassuming, with a large camera module that looks like something from Nokia’s now-gone Lumia smartphone series. There’s an important reason for that: Augmented reality requires plenty of camera and sensor smarts. ASUS’s own TriCam system that clusters three camera sensors (a 23-megapixel sensor, alongside motion-tracking and depth-sensing cameras) to reduce the space it takes up, keeping the phone lighter and thinner than it should be.

There’s also a lot of power inside: Not only does it have Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 821 processor, but it’s also the first smartphone to cram in 8GB of RAM to keep your augmented (or virtual reality) running smoothly. The ZenPhone AR also crams in a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display — a good size for a VR headset — and a new five-magnet speaker for improved sound, to boot.

How does it fare in practice? We’ll be handling one for ourselves at the end of ASUS’ big press conference, so stay tuned for more.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Wacom’s new Intuos Pros bring its powerful stylus to pen tablets

Wacom has already equipped its Cintiq Pro pen displays and hybrid tablets with a more powerful stylus. Now, at CES, the company is bringing the Pro Pen 2 to its pen tablets as well. Wacom’s latest stylus packs in over 8,000 levels of pressure sensitivity for more accurate response and a more natural feel. With the Intuos Pro, the design accessory sits on your desk and allows you to use the display setup you already have in place or easily connect to a laptop.

Like previous versions of Inutos pen tablets, the new Intuos Pro comes in two sizes with those handy programmable ExpressKeys, Touch Ring and multi-touch gestures to help streamline your workflow. The new model also connects to your computer via Bluetooth, so you don’t have to add one more cable to your work space.

There’s also an Intuos Pro Paper Edition that allows you to digitize a sketch on paper while you’re drawing. That pen tablet comes with a clip and a special gel pen, the Wacom Finetip Pen, that won’t mess up the pen tablet’s touch-sensitive surface. With the help of Wacom’s Inkspace app, artists no longer have to sketch and scan before refining a piece with design software. Captured drawings are stored inside the company’s cloud service for safe keeping.

The Intuos Pro 2 will be available in medium and large sizes this month for $350 and $500, respectively. That Paper Edition adds real ink to the equation for an extra $50 on each size ($400 and $550) and both of those will also be available in January.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Panasonic follows LG with its first OLED TV

You don’t have to opt for LG to get OLED anymore, now that Panasonic has announced the EZ1002. Its first OLED TV, the display is probably still the same one you’d get from LG, but Panasonic has tied this to its Studio Colour HCX2 processor, plus it has ISF calibration settings and is CALMAN compatible to help pros get the picture exactly right. Panasonic has applied for (but apparently not yet received) THX Certification and Ultra HD Premium certification and says the TV supports HDR 10 as well as Hybrid Log-Gamma HDR.

Unfortunately, Dolby Vision support isn’t mentioned anywhere, for the new TV or for the pair of Ultra HD Blu-ray players Panasonic announced. We’ll see if a software update changes any of that, but with more Dolby Vision content on the way it could be an important line dividing these from other OLED or UHD Blu-ray options.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Source: Panasonic – OLED, Panasonic – Ultra HD Blu-ray

Microsoft released the wrong version of ‘Forza Horizon 3’ for PC

Forza Horizon 3 players on Windows PCs just got a lot more than they bargained for. When Microsoft and Playground Studios posted the January car pack update, they briefly released the wrong version (likely a developer build) of the racing game. This not only prompted a massive 53GB download — basically, re-downloading the entire game — but created havoc with your saves. If you started a new profile in this version, it wouldn’t be playable in any other release.

The Forza team has since rolled back to the previous build and is working on a fixed update. And if you stuck to your profiles from an earlier version, you should be safe even if you used them with the flawed software. However, you’re in for some headaches even then: you have to reinstall the game to get back on track. Suffice it to say that you won’t be happy this month if you’re using an internet provider with data caps.

There is one upside for players. The release appears to have leaked some of the Porsche cars coming to the game through an add-on, including everything from the iconic 550 Spyder through to the Cayman GTS. Consider it the silver lining on an otherwise dark cloud.

Via: Eurogamer

Source: Forza Motorsport Forums (1), (2)

ASUS finally has mesh routers of its own

After years of being clunky concepts, mesh wireless routers are finally becoming viable options for your home, thanks to the likes of Eero and Google WiFi. At CES, ASUS finally unveiled its own mesh solutions, the HiveSpot and HiveDot routers. HiveSpot, the more powerful of the pair, is a tri-band AC2134 router, whereas HiveDot is a dual-band option with slower AC1300 speeds. They look like fairly simple pods, similar to Google WiFi, though it’s unclear how big they are from the press photos.

You’ll need at least three HiveSpot or HiveDot nodes to get a system up and running, and ASUS notes that any of them can be configured as a “master” device connected to your modem over a gigabit LAN port. But if you’re just looking to spread out WiFi around your home, you can also connect the master device to an existing router. ASUS says each system will support up to five separate nodes, which should allow them to cover large homes and offices. At this point, it’s unclear if you can mix and match HiveSpot and HiveDot devices in a single home.

Under the hood, the HiveSpot packs in seven smart antennas. Both routers also use ASUS’ “AiRadar” beamforming technology to point wireless signals towards devices using them. On top of typical 802.11ac 5GHz and 2.4GHz networks, the HiveSpot also has a third 5GHz band that provides an 867-Mbps connection between its nodes.

We don’t yet know how much the HiveSpot and HiveDot systems will cost, but hopefully they’ll be competitive with Eero, which costs $200 for a single node and $500 for three.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

LG at CES 2017: Everything you need to know

Welcome to Las Vegas and CES 2017. Today is press day, with all the big tech companies hosting hour-long media events to show off the major products they’ll be releasing over the next 12 months. First up is LG, but we’ll also hear from Panasonic, Intel, Samsung and Sony by the end of this very long day.

So what was LG showing this year? More TVs and washing machines?

Well, this year was a little bit punchier than recent years. Sure, LG had to mention its home appliances but its new smart fridge was actually pretty intriguing. It houses Amazon’s Alexa AI assistant for delivering awkward jokes and — more importantly — taking Prime Pantry grocery orders with a simple voice command.

Why not just have an Amazon Echo in the kitchen?

Well, you need a fridge anyway, right?

I didn’t open this post to read about fridges.

Hush. How about robots then? Or slender giant OLED TVs that attach to the wall with magnets?

Now you’re talking.

LG’s Hub Robots behave like an Amazon Echo with a face. Music controls, smart device connectivity — you know the drill. It’s not the first company to run with this concept and call them robots, but the company also made a giant bot to guide confused airport visitors.

Let me guess, Airport Bot.

Close: Airbot. LG didn’t mention any thing about prices or where each member of its robot family will be launching, but this is CES — this is how it goes. But how about this TV?

Are you expecting me to click that link and read? Fine… BRB.

So that’s huge and thin.

Yep. This is LG’s W-series, and will be landing in 65- and 77-inch sizes — both just a few millimeters thick. (That’s why they attach to walls with magnets.) However, we reckon they’re likely to cost more than $5,000. We are happy to be proven wrong, LG.

Hot take: LG announced a smart fridge and giant skinny TV we actually want.

Don’t mention: The dalek in the room.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Medium can’t make money from blogging, so it’s cutting 50 jobs

When Ev Williams left Twitter to build Medium, it was with the intention of building “the best writing tool on the web.” It’s up to you to decide whether he succeeded, but it looks as if his efforts weren’t enough to make the company a success. In a blog post, the CEO revealed that he’s firing 50 people and radically redefining its business. Long story short, it looks as if Medium needed to change, or risk running out of money.

2016 saw the company make a big push to become the publishing platform for brand-name media businesses. Bill Simmons’ The Ringer, The Awl, The Bold Italic and Think Progress all signed up to use Medium as their backbones. In order to support these names, Medium began building an ad platform to pull in enough cash to keep the lights on. Williams explained that “the strategy worked in terms of driving growth,” but couldn’t solve the issue of “driving payment for quality content.”

Williams is also disdainful of the current ad-supported model that drives so much of the web publishing we see today. He wrote that the existing system is paid for by “corporations who are funding it in order to advance their goals.” He added that people are “dissatisfied with what they get from traditional news and their social feeds.” You can interpret his words as an indirect indictment of Facebook, which has profited from fraudulent news created to drive click revenue with little regard for truthfulness.

As a consequence, Williams is pushing Medium to devote what time and resources it has left to finding a way to get people to pay for “good” content. So it’s shutting its New York and Washington DC offices, shedding executives and generally going into siege mode. But, as so many other industries whose ability to make money was harmed by the internet have learned, it’s hard to wean people back off free stuff when they’re hooked.

Source: Medium

Hisense’s laser projector promises a 100-inch 4K screen for $13K

After a few years of absence, laser projectors are back: First LG announced one, and now Hisense has too. Unlike LG’s 1080p beamer, however, this short-throw projector can display a 100-inch 4K image from just a few inches away, and 2,700 lumens that will make it usable in the daytime. Dubbed 4K Laser Cast TV, the package is HDR compatible and will include a 5.1 audio system when it goes on sale this summer.

If you prefer standard televisions, Hisense is delivering its first 4K Roku models, including a Dolby Vision-ready 75-inch model with a price tag of just $2,000. Its other 4K televisions will range in size all the way up to 86 inches, with a $6,000, for a standard 4K model, while the high-end ULED technology with local dimming tops out at 75-inches for $6,000.

Hisense isn’t the most well-known TV brand at CES (although now that it owns the Sharp name and technology you might already have one and not know it), but announcing prices along with new products is certainly one way to stand out.

Hisense 100H10D Series – 4K Laser Cast TV

• HDR compatible
• 5.1 Sound Channel
• 82% NTSC
• Motion 120
• Ultra short-throw projector technology
• 5.1 Channel Sound (wireless rears and subwoofer)
• $12,999.99

Hisense H10D Series – 4K Smart ULED® TV

• Ultra HD Premium™
• Quantum dot wide color gamut
• Full array local dimming
• Motion 480
• UHD upscaler
• Smart TV with full web browser
• Dbx-tv® award winning sound
• Bluetooth 4.0 audio output
• 70″ $2,999.99
• 75″ $5,999.99

Hisense H9D Plus Series – 4K Smart ULED® TV

• HDR compatible
• Wide color gamut
• Edge-lit local dimming (50″, 55″, 65″)
• Direct-lit local dimming (75″)
• Motion 240
• UHD upscaler
• Smart TV with full web browser
• 4K media player
• Dbx-tv® award winning sound
• Bluetooth 4.0 audio
• 50″ $999.99
• 55″ $1,299.99
• 65″ $1,999.99
• 75″ $2,499.99

Hisense H9D Series – 4K Smart ULED® TV

• HDR compatible
• Wide color gamut
• Edge-lit local dimming
• Motion 120
• UHD upscaler
• Smart TV with full web browser
• 4K media player
• Dbx-tv® award winning sound
• Bluetooth 4.0 audio
• 50″ $699.99
• 55″ $899.99
• 65″ $1,299.99

Hisense H8D Series – 4K Smart TV

• HDR compatible
• Direct-lit local dimming
• Motion 120
• UHD upscaler
• Smart TV with full web browser
• 4K media player
• Dbx-tv® award winning sound
• 50″ $549.99
• 55″ $649.99
• 65″ $999.99
• 86″ $5,999.99

Hisense H7D Series – 4K Smart TV

• HDR compatible
• Motion 120
• UHD upscaler
• Smart TV with full web browser
• 4K media player
• Dbx-tv® award winning sound
• 43″ $399.99
• 50″ $499.99
• 55″ $599.99
• 65″ $899.99

4K Hisense Roku TV R6 Series

• Runs the Roku OS
• HDR 10 compatible
• 4K spotlight channel
• 4,500+ streaming channels
• 450,000+ movies and TV episodes
• Roku search across 150 top channels
• Live TV pause
• Private listening and voice search via Roku mobile app
• Headphone jack (wired)
• R6 43″ $399.99
• R6 50″ $449.99
• R6 55″ $549.99
• R6 65″ $799.99

4K Hisense Roku TV R8 Series

• All the features of the R6 Series plus:
• Dolby Vision
• Direct-lit local dimming
• R8 75″ $1,999.99

Hisense Soundbars

• Bluetooth (iOS and Android compatibility
• HDMI ARC with CEC
• Optical with cable included/Coaxial
• HS201D 38″ 2.0 Channel Sound (remote, dual bass port design) $79.99
• HS202D 38″ 2.1 Channel Sound (built-in subwoofer, Dolby Support) $129.99
• HS211D 38″ 2.1 Channel Sound (wireless subwoofer, Dolby Support) $159.99
• HS511C 40″ 5.1 Surround Sound (wireless subwoofer and rears, Dolby Support) $299.99

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Source: Hisense (PRNewswire), Sharp

With the Concept-i, Toyota remembers people actually like driving

Toyota says that its Concept-I vehicle is focused on creating a welcoming experience that grows and learns about the driver. But it’s also built to be driven. That’s refreshing for people that actually enjoy being behind the wheel and might be concerned about the concept vehicles that are currently coming from automakers that are more focused on selfies than mountain roads.

That’s not to say the Toyota isn’t also being marketed to the generation that has smartphones grafted to their hands. The Concept-i does get a bit touchy feely. The automaker says that the automobile’s AI will learn about the driver and build a meaningful relationship with them by measuring their emotions.

The AI assistant is called “Yui” and according to Toyota, the more you drive the smarter it gets about where you go, who you are and the situations in which the vehicle will need to take over from the driver.

Digital hugs aside, like nearly every concept car with glowing accents, the Concept-i is an EV that will eventually have autonomous features. But when the car is self-driving the steering will not recess into the dash so the driver can take over at any time.

Inside the car, the displays are hidden within the white panels and emerge when needed. The information that is displayed is based on the situation. Toyota would rather share data when it’s appropriate rather than fill the car with a bunch of tablet-like displays.

It is refreshing to know that unlike other concept cars, the Concept-i will actually make it’s way onto the roads of Japan in a few years for “evaluation.” Hopefully those tests will convince the automaker to bring the car to market in the United States, we could always use a sweet small car with gullwing doors.

Developing.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.