Comcast’s Netflix-on-X1 beta test starts rolling out today
It seems odd to hear, but it’s real: this week Netflix will start to become available on Comcast cable boxes across the country. Announced a couple of months ago, the partnership is rolling out slowly as a beta test, so interested Comcast customers with the X1 platform can go to the Comcast Labs section on their cable box and opt-in.
If you don’t see the app right away, don’t worry, as it will become available to more people over the next few weeks. A formal launch that will put the app in the usual X1 listing for millions of customers will come later this year, and Netflix shows and movies will appear in the video on-demand and search results too.
We haven’t exactly been hurting for ways to watch Netflix, but making it a part of the cable experience is a big move.While Netflix’s app has appeared on set-top boxes before, the possibility of Comcast opening the doors to its customers seemed unlikely, despite Reed Hasting’s positive comments about the X1 platform.
Earlier this summer Comcast used X1 boxes to stream live NBC Olympics coverage to its cable customers, and now that same infrastructure is underpinning Netflix. According to the companies, that will include support for X1 features like the voice remote, Spanish and talking guide that Comcast has rolled out recently. The voice control features have also been updated so that saying something like “Continue watching Daredevil” works correctly.
Source: Comcast
iPhone 7’s ‘Best LCD Display Ever’ Marks ‘Major Upgrade Over iPhone 6’
DisplayMate Technologies has declared iPhone 7 has the “best LCD display” it has ever tested, calling it “truly impressive” and a “major upgrade” over the iPhone 6 based on a series of advanced viewing tests and measurements.
iPhone 7 achieved the highest color accuracy, peak brightness, and contrast rating in bright light of any smartphone display, the highest contrast ratio of any IPS LCD display, and the lowest screen reflectance of any smartphone display.
Apple’s latest flagship smartphone also has image contrast and intensity described as “visually indistinguishable from perfect,” and the smallest color variation when viewing the screen at an angle of any smartphone display.
Color Accuracy and Power Efficiency
iPhone 7 has two color gamuts, including a new 26% larger DCI-P3 Wide Color Gamut, as found in 4K TVs, and a traditional, smaller sRGB / Rec.709 gamut. DisplayMate said both gamuts have been implemented with absolute color accuracy that is “visually indistinguishable from perfect,” which is “truly impressive” and a “major competitive advantage” over other smartphones.
DisplayMate said the iPhone 7 has “the most color accurate display” that it has ever measured, adding that the smartphone’s display is “very likely considerably better than any mobile display, monitor, TV, or UHD TV” that consumers have. In technical terms, the iPhone 7 has a “Just Noticeable Color Difference” (JNCD) rating of 1.1, which is the best result of any smartphone it has ever tested.
Despite having a much wider color gamut, the iPhone 7’s display is 7% more power efficient than the iPhone 6’s display.
Wide Color Gamut LCDs like the iPhone 7 instead use specially tuned Red and Green phosphors to optimally transform the light for the chosen saturated Red and Green primaries, which improves their light and power efficiency.
Brightness
The measured peak brightness for the iPhone 7 is 602 cd/m2 (nits), the highest of any smartphone DisplayMate has ever tested.
The measurement increases up to a record 705 nits when Automatic Brightness is turned on under brightly lit conditions.
On the iPhone 7 the Maximum Screen Brightness can go much higher when Automatic Brightness is turned on, so that users can’t permanently park the Manual Brightness slider to very high values, which would run down the battery quickly. High Screen Brightness is only needed for High Ambient Light, so turning Automatic Brightness On will provide better high ambient light screen visibility and also longer battery running time.
Contrast Ratio
DisplayMate said the iPhone 7 has a record-breaking contrast ratio among IPS LCD smartphone displays.
The iPhone 7 has a measured Contrast Ratio of 1,762, which is Very Good for a mobile display, and the highest we have measured for any IPS LCD display. It is also 26 percent larger than the 1,400 that Apple lists as Typical. However, Contrast Ratio is only meaningful in low ambient light, which is seldom the case for mobile displays.
iPhone 7 also has the highest contrast rating (137 to 160) in high ambient light of any smartphone.
Reflectance
DisplayMate said iPhone 7 has 4.4% screen reflectance, which is a record low among smartphones it has ever tested.
However, the iPhone 7 doesn’t come close to the record low 1.7% screen reflectance of the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, which has a special anti-reflective coating.
Unfortunately, AR coatings still can’t be used with smartphones, which have much higher abrasion and scratch issues than tablets and other touch screen displays because they are small enough to be carried in pockets and bags that have all sorts of scratchy things inside. A number of companies are working on technologies that can produce both low screen reflectance and high abrasion and scratch resistance […] but it’s challenging and also has to be cost effective. Since peak brightness can’t keep increasing due to battery power limitations and thermal issues, developing a low reflectance screen will be the key to improving display performance in high ambient light.
Viewing Angle
DisplayMate said the iPhone 7 has “excellent viewing angle performance” with no visually noticeable color shifts. The display had the smallest color variation when viewed at an angle, earning a JNCD rating of 2.1 or less.
With its Dual-Domain Pixels, the iPhone 7 Contrast Ratio remained close to 1,000 at 30 degrees for both the Portrait and Landscape modes, which is the highest we have measured for LCDs. However, all LCDs do have a strong decrease in Brightness (Luminance) with Viewing Angle, and the iPhone 7 showed (as expected) a 55 percent decrease in Brightness at a modest 30 degree Viewing Angle.
DisplayMate shared more in-depth analysis in its iPhone 7 vs. iPhone 6 display shootout.
Related Roundup: iPhone 7
Tag: DisplayMate
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Ceramic Apple Watch Paired With Milanese Loop, Classic Buckle, and More
The Apple Watch Series 2 didn’t change much visually from the original version of the device that launched in 2015, but Apple did introduce one new version of Series 2 that could be immediately distinguished from earlier iterations: the Ceramic Apple Watch Edition. The Ceramic model comes packed in with a Magnetic Apple Watch Charging Dock and a Cloud Sport Band, so many users were curious about what the color would look like with other Apple bands, and one Redditor has posted an extensive collection of photos to showcase just that.
Sold for $1,250 (38mm) and $1,300 (42mm), the high-end model of Series 2 is definitely expensive, but still far below the first generation’s $10,000+ “Edition” models that were made in pure gold. In vvedge’s Imgur album, the Ceramic Edition is paired with a few Woven Nylon bands, including Gold/Red, Gold/Blue, Yellow/Light Gray, Space Orange/Anthracite, and Black.
Higher-priced bands also got paired with Ceramic, in a variety of colors. Vvedge showed off the Space Black and Silver Link Bracelet, the Space Black and Silver Milanese Loop, and the Marine Blue and Saddle Brown Classic Buckle. Because the silver aluminum of the lugs and bands are visually in opposition to Ceramic’s smooth white surface, some users might not like the look of the more costly bands paired with Ceramic.
The Stone and Storm Gray Leather Loop pair better with the device, as do a few of the basic Sport Bands Apple offers. Sport Bands in White, Black, Turquoise, Light Pink, Midnight Blue, Lavender, and Red are all displayed in the album. Apple’s intended paired band with Ceramic — dubbed “Cloud” — caps vvedge’s image collection, and remains the only Sport Band with matching white pin.
Apart from the Ceramic Edition, Apple introduced a number of new collections for the Apple Watch Series 2 and Series 1, as well as a few new colors of the Sport Bands, Woven Nylon, and Classic Buckle. Most users began receiving their Series 2 models on Friday, but a few late pre-order customers still have a few weeks to wait until their Apple Watch comes in the mail.
Check out vvedge’s full Imgur album to see all of the Ceramic Apple Watch Edition band combos.
Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
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Five reasons the LG V20 may be your next phone
Why the LG V20 might be your next daily driver.
On the inside, the LG V20 is a souped-up version of its flagship sibling, the decidedly lackluster G5. But on the outside, it’s equipped with dual 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel rear-facing cameras that are meant to be used by serious content creators. And I don’t mean serial Snapchatters.
There’s a reason Cool Indie Filmmaker™️ Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the face of the V20. LG wants you to think of this device as mobile camera equipment, but is that realistic? The ultimate verdict will come down to our review of the device, which is coming soon. For now, here’s a look at some of the features that come standard with the V20 and why you might want to consider it as your next Android smartphone.
Note: I’m using a preview version of the LG V20. Its software hasn’t yet been finalized. Take heed that some of the features mentioned here might not be part of the final version.
It has a myriad of creative camera features
Do you like making photo and video collages? Do you rely heavily on vintage filters to spruce up your vacation photos? Or perhaps you’re a fan of shooting slow motion video? The LG V20 offers a myriad of fun and practical camera features such as these.
In Auto mode, both the V20’s 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel wide-angle cameras can shoot a panorama, a slow-motion video, and a time-lapse. There’s also an option to shoot a Popout photo, which lets you customize the photo background with various effects, as well as an option to record a Snap, which is comprised of up to a minute of sequential three-second vignettes. It’s a kooky feature to use and while it doesn’t translate entirely well to Instagram, it’s fun to make personal stories that you can share with Facebook and Twitter.
The V20 also offers eight different vintage filters, which you can easily choose from the main camera interface. They’re passable as Instagram filters and you can use them while recording video.
It offers manual controls for photos and videos
There’s no doubt that manual controls have helped somewhat in legitimatizing smartphone photography, and LG was one of the first manufacturers to implement manual controls for both audio and video recording.
The manual controls are just as easy to use on the V20. The option to manually shoot photos or videos is readily available at the top of the main camera interface, and both modes offer full control over the exposure, ISO, and white balance. The video mode also offers an audio readout and manual audio controls, while the camera mode features an on-screen histogram.
It features Hi-Fi Audio
The LG V20 is equipped with 32-bit Quad DAC. What does this mean? Well, to audiophiles it’s literal music to their ears because it means the sound quality of headphone audio output is stellar. For everyone else, it means that what you record with the V20 will sound better than most other smartphones out there, especially considering it can record up to 132 decibels — essentially, it can handle recording loud concerts. Your bootleg of Santana’s duet at the county fair won’t sound muffled and distorted.
It comes with a removable battery
A removable battery may not seem like much in this day and age, but it’s become a rarity as unibody smartphones have become the status quo. Fortunately, the LG V20 lets you easily pop off the back cover to reveal a removable 3200mAh battery. LG also managed to keep the V20 chassis thin enough while offering a large battery pack to fuel all that content creation throughout the day. And unlike the G5, which ruined my manicure at MWC, the button to release the V20’s back panel is completely nail friendly. You can easily push in the side button to release without much resistance.
It’s already loaded with Android 7.0 Nougat
It’s unfortunate that we’re still at a point where we’re lauding Android phones for running the latest software, but you can count on the V20 — until the next Android update, that is. The V20 is the first non-Nexus smartphone to come equipped with Nougat and it has all the offerings of the stock version, including Multi-window multitasking, direct reply messaging, and smarter battery consumption.
Your turn
We’ve heard from a lot of people that the V20 is their next phone. Is it yours? If so, tell us why!
LG V20
- LG V20 preview
- LG unveils the V20
- LG V20 specs
- LG V20 vs. Galaxy Note 7
- Discuss the V20 in the forums!
Xiaomi debuts a $330 mirrorless camera
The latest out of Xiaomi’s ecosystem partner XiaoYi is a $330 mirrorless camera dubbed the Yi M1 that looks awfully familiar. The Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera features a 20.16MP Sony IMX269 imaging sensor, offering a mechanical shutter, 4K video recording at 30fps, ISO up to 25600, and ability to shoot in RAW.
The camera doesn’t offer an electronic viewfinder or built-in flash, but you do get a 3-inch touchscreen with an interface similar to that of a phone’s camera app. The M1 will be available in black and white color options. According to Engadget, the camera also offers Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing you to transfer images to your phone with ease.
The camera is available with two lens options: the first one includes the body with a 12-40mm f/3.5-5.6 lens and will set buyers back ¥2,199 ($330), and the second option features the camera body and a 42.5mm f/1.8 lens for ¥2,999 ($450). The camera and lenses will go on sale from September 23 at JD.com.
Much like XiaoYi’s other wares, like the Yi action camera, the M1 mirrorless camera will likely be limited to China. You should be able to buy it from third-party stores in due course of time, but as of now there’s no information to suggest the camera will make its way outside the country.
Grab this 3-port travel charging hub for $6.50 right now!
Ugreen is currently offering its USB travel hub with cradle for just $6.50 with coupon code JR958YZF, which happens to be the lowest price the company has offered it at. Normally priced at $11, you’ll save $4.50 on the purchase. It offers 3 USB ports to plug in the cables of your choice, as well as a cradle to place your phone for safe keeping while it is charging. You’ll have a single 2.1A charging port, as well as two other 1A charging ports, and it has its own on/off switch to prevent wasting power.
If you are looking for a portable way to charge more than one device, this may be your best bet. Remember, you’ll need coupon code JR958YZF for the full savings.
See at Amazon
Digital Offers: Grab the complete Machine Learning Bundle for just $40
Ever wish you could take some of your extra money and double or even triple it on the stock market? Unfortunately, the market is tricky, it can be hard to know what to do, how to read the trends and figure out where the money is to be made. Luckily, you can get started with all you need to know for only a small investment.
With this complete Machine Learning bundle for just $40 you can get access to 64 lectures, 11 hours of content and more at anytime you want it. You can set up historical price databases in MySQL using Python, learn Python libraries and even access the source code any time as a continued resource.
Some of the other benefits of the bundle include:
- Access 64 lectures & 11 hours of content 24/7
- Get a crash course in quantitative trading from stocks & indices to momentum investing & backtesting
- Discover machine learning principles like decision trees, ensemble learning, random forests & more
- Set up a historical price database in MySQL using Python
- Learn Python libraries like Pandas, Scikit-Learn, XGBoost & Hyperopt
- Access source code any time as a continuing resource
You’ll want to take advantage of this $40 bundle to get yourself started down the right path. Whether it is something you want to turn into a career at some point or just a way to try and make a few extra bucks, this bundle is worth checking out.
You’d normally pay just under $800 for it, making the $40 price tag a 94% savings through Android Central Offers.
See at Android Central Offers
Long awaited Sony A99 II now official, 4K video and 42.4MP sensor
Sony has finally announced a successor to the A99, more than three years since it released the flagship DSLR.
The Sony A99 II is a powerhouse of an SLR, with a 42.4-megapixel 35mm full-frame Exmor R CMOS sensor, hybrid phase detection autofocus system which combines 399 phase detection points on the sensor, paired with 79 phase detection points on a separate sensor that work continuously together., and optical 5-axis in-body image stabilisation.
Its natural ISO range is 100-25,600 but can be expanded to ISO 50 – 102,400.
It is effectively Sony’s push to wrest pro control from Canon and Nikon, with their 5D Mk IV and D810 cameras respectively. It is also capable of recording 4K video in XAVC-S format, which can save footage to card at up to 100Mbps.
- Photokina 2016: All the best new cameras for 2016 from the show
- Sony Alpha A99 review
Video can be shot at frame rates from one to 120fps, including quick and slow motion capture.
There are dual SD card slots, a newly designed grip and a magnesium allow body. It is also 8 per cent smaller than the previous model.
The camera has Bluetooth connectivity to hook it up to a compatible mobile device, with most Android and iOS smartphones and tablets supported.
The Sony A99 II ships in November priced at 3,600 euros. A UK price is yet to follow.
Sony’s A99 II promises fast focus in a full-frame camera
It’s been four years since Sony last introduced a flagship-class full-frame camera, but it’s finally back with more. Sony is launching the A99 II, a 42.4-megapixel pro cam that incorporates many of the upgrades you’ve seen in recent Alpha DSLRs and mirrorless models… and then some. To start, it promises to be an autofocusing champ. This is the first full-frame Alpha to use 4D Focus tech, delivering a hybrid autofocusing system that melds 79 dedicated phase detection points with 399 focal plane phase detection points. Between this and the lack of a moving mirror, Sony is promising “full-time” autofocus that can track fast-moving objects — important when you can shoot up to a brisk 12 frames per second (8FPS in live view).
This is also a big improvement if you like to shoot at night. The A99 II adapts the A7 II’s 5-axis image stabilization to a full-frame body, helping it counter both shifting blur in close-ups and rolling blur in low light. Reportedly, it’s equivalent to a 4.5-step shutter speed advantage. Combine that with a peak ISO 102,400 sensitivity and it may be an easy choice for in-the-dark shooting, although you won’t get the extreme sensitivity options of very high-end DSLRs like the Nikon D5.
You’re getting a newer design, to boot. The magnesium alloy body is about 8 percent smaller than the first A99, and you’ll get both a newer grip, twin SD card slots and seals that make the camera both dust- and water-resistant. The 1,024 x 768 OLED viewfinder should help, too, and you’re getting a redesigned menu that should be easier to use in the midst of a hectic photo shoot.
Other perks? You can finally record 4K video on a full-frame Sony DSLR (without pixel binning, even), and there’s a “Slow and Quick” mode that combines both slow-mo and accelerated video speeds. Pro movie makers may also appreciate better gamma handling (including S-Log2 and S-Log3 gamma for wide dynamic range videos) and a zebra mode that helps with tweaking the exposure.
The A99 II should arrive in November, and it’ll be relatively affordable for the category at $3,199 (€3,600) for the body alone. That’s not trivial, but it’s less than Canon’s EOS 5D Mark IV — and it looks to be more powerful than the two-year-old Nikon D810.
Aaron Souppouris contributed to this report.
Source: Sony, Sony Press Centre
Nikon’s VR-ready camera arrives in October for $499
Earlier this year, at CES 2016, Nikon took camera fans by surprise with its announcement of the KeyMission 360. But, back then, not many details were shared about the newly minted camera. The company only mentioned a few notable features, such as 4K video recording, NFC, WiFi and a waterproof design. Now, we’re learning that the VR-ready shooter comes with two 20-megapixel (1/2.3-inch) sensors, electronic image stabilization, in-camera footage stitching and a swappable battery.
Most importantly, Nikon today announced that the KeyMission 360 is set to arrive in October for $499. That’s a little pricier compared to other similar devices, like Samsung’s $350 Gear 360, but the Nikon camera has much better specs.
What’s more, the manufacturer also revealed the KeyMission 170 and KeyMission 80. The former, as its name suggests, offers a 170-degree field of view with a 12-megapixel, 1/2.3-ich sensor and “Nikon lens quality.” Similar to the 360, the KeyMission 170 shoots 4K and is waterproof, shockproof and freezeproof as well.
Then there’s the KeyMission 80, which is very reminiscent of Cisco’s old line of Flip camcorders. Nikon says the entry-level KeyMission is intended to be a life blogging camera, designed for easy one-handed use. It comes with two cameras, one on the back (12 megapixels, 25mm lens) and another on the front (4.9 megapixels, 22mm lens) — the latter for selfies, of course. The KeyMission 80 doesn’t have 4K capabilities, so you can only record 1080p videos at up to 30 fps.
To bring these all together, Nikon is rolling out a new app for KeyMission cameras. That’ll be a hub to control the cameras remotely, plus transfer pictures and videos from the 360, 170 or 80. The KeyMission 170 and 80 are also hitting stores in October for $399 and $279, respectively.
