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David Lynch's 'Dune' will be released on 4K Blu-ray in August
On August 31st, Arrow Films will rerelease Lynch's "worst" film on 4K Blu-ray in the US, UK and Canada.
Disney axes 4K re-release of 'The Empire Strikes Back' in UK cinemas
Disney is walking back on its promise to show a 4K version of 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back' in UK theaters.
The best pre-Super Bowl deals for 4K TVs and streaming
With the big game right around the corner -- I mean Super Bowl LIV, in case that isn't clear -- it's once again time to consider making a TV upgrade. If you need a little something extra to make sure football fans stop by your party instead of staying home, a bigger and brighter setup will go further than pushing your array of snacks. Plus, while many of these deals are online, shopping locally can give you an opportunity to see the screen in person, or make for a quick return if you find out that it's just too wide for the stand you wanted to put it on. (I should've measured first.) With prices nearly as low as we saw during the Black Friday push, and likely as low as they'll get until sets start hitting clearance shelves, you have your choice of equipment. Also worth considering is the fact that this year, for the first time, you can watch a Fox Sports 4K/HDR feed. It's upconverted from 1080p, but judging from my experience watching Thursday Night Football earlier in the season, it's sharp and vibrant enough to justify switching over if you can. Fox's plan to capture the game includes eight 4K cameras, as well as three 8K cameras trained on the sidelines and benches -- you'll want every super slow motion zoom-in to look as good as possible.
Panasonic's compact VR glasses see the future in HDR
2020 will be a key year for the future of virtual reality, and if things really take off then we should see a lot more stylish headsets like these goggles from Panasonic. The company says that these are the first VR glasses to support HDR video, and in some of the demo reels I saw the advantages were apparent. One video showed high-res video of a beach captured from a drone, and in HDR a lot of annoying gradation in the sky disappeared and overall quality improved.
Dell's Black Friday discounts include $220 off the Alienware 25 monitor
Dell's Black Friday deals are here a week early. There are discounts on laptops, desktops, smart TVs and all of the accessories you might need. Dell says the supplies are limited, so if you spot a deal you want, it might be best to act fast. Here are a few of the best deals we spotted.
How and why to buy a projector in 2019
A 100-inch 4K screen? To get that the usual way you might be looking at paying close to six figures. Luckily, there's another option that can get you even more, up to a 150-inch screen for a fraction of that price. Yes, film aficionados are increasingly turning their attention toward home theater projectors. You may think of projectors as either expensive, dim or janky, but with the latest technology, that's all changed. It's possible nowadays to find reasonably bright 4K HDR projectors with near theater-quality images for $1,500 or less. Before you start running to the store for popcorn, it's important to learn a few things and beware of the pitfalls, so we're here to help.
TCL is working on 8K Roku TVs
Today, TCL announced that it's working on a range of 8K TVs that will be available in screen sizes of 75 inches and larger. They will fall under the company's 8-Series line which, somewhat confusingly, will also include some 4K HDR options later this year. TCL said its 8K TVs will run Roku's lightweight software and support upscaling for 4K and 1080p content, as well as "the latest HDMI standards," ensuring they play nice with future video game consoles and set-top boxes. They will also use Quantum Contrast, a new backlight technology based on mini-LEDs, and QLED, which uses Quantum Dots to improve color brightness and intensity. Chas Smith, SVP and GM of Roku TV, said: "In designing and delivering 8K TCL Roku TVs we will reach new heights by offering beautiful picture quality combined with America's No. 1 TV streaming platform."
Canon's selfie-oriented point-and-shoot now handles 4K video
With stellar cameras on smartphone models like Huawei's P20 Pro, the end seems nigh for point-and-shoot cameras. Canon hasn't given up on the category yet though, as it's just unveiled the compact PowerShoot SX740 HS, a spiffed-up version of last year's SX730. The new model is a dead ringer for the last one, and has the same 24-960mm equivalent (40x) lens, 20.3-megapixel sensor and pop-up flipable rear screen. However, with a new a Digic 8 processor, it can shoot photos at a speedier 7.4 fps, and video at 4K 30 fps instead of just 1080p.
'PES 2019' hits PC, PS4 and Xbox One on August 28th
If you'd rather not support EA's definitions of "gambling" and "loot boxes" but still want to play virtual soccer football, maybe this year's Pro Evolution Soccer from Konami will tickle your fancy. PES 2019 will be in stores August 28th (US) and August 30th (Europe) for Steam, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It'll feature 4K HDR video across "all capable platforms," too. Hopefully that means support for the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X in addition to PC. Earlier last month it was revealed that the franchise would lose its license for the Champions League teams and players, and Konami hasn't provided any information yet on what will replace them. However, its announcement trailer for the new game features and awful lot of David Beckham, and there will even be an edition of the game named after Posh Spice's husband. The game is up for pre-order right now, and we'll probably get answers to our burning questions about which leagues and stadiums will be featured next month at E3.
Vimeo's Mac app simplifies uploads from Final Cut Pro
Vimeo hopes its desktop Mac app will further win over pro users. Specifically, those who rely on Final Cut Pro for their editing, thanks to deeper integration with the filmmaking suite. You can export in the ProRes format and upload multiple files directly to Vimeo simultaneously, as well as 4K Ultra HD with HDR, for starters. The desktop app also makes managing your videos, their metadata and doing things like grabbing embed codes easier as well.
'Doom' is the latest game to get a 4K patch on consoles
The next time you venture a little south of Heaven in Doom it'll have an awful lot more Hellish detail. Developer id Software is pushing out an update tomorrow that'll bump the game's resolution pretty dramatically on PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X hardware, up to 4K. Doom uses a dynamic resolution scaler (which explains how it can run on the Nintendo Switch), but at the moment the resolution is capped at 1080p. So, while the game currently looks better on PS4 Pro than base PS4 hardware, it's not playing in 4K. Unfortunately, publisher Bethesda's blog post doesn't mention HDR or what frame-rates the game will run at in UHD.
LG Display's giant rollable OLED TV is indistinguishable from magic
LG Display showcased its very first rollable OLED screen a few years ago at CES, but it was clearly in the prototype stage: Guy with white gloves, no touching, et cetera, et cetera. Exciting, sure, but also distant. Now, the world's first rollable 65-inch 4K OLED display offers a more realistic (yet still kinda crazy) use for OLED tech that's flexible -- something that we'll probably see in a few premium TVs over the next few years.
TCL's 6-Series Roku TVs sport a metal design, 4K and Dolby Vision HDR
Building off of the success of its budget-friendly P-Series TVs, TCL is teaming up with Roku again on new 4K HDR sets for 2018. First up, the company has introduced its 6-Series premium line, which feature a slim, metal design, Dolby Vision and will be available in 55- and 65-inch models. The 6-Series models also come with a new Roku TV voice remote, 802.11ac WiFI, Ethernet and three HDMI 2.0a ports. TCL says that its latest TVs are designed to be a powerhouse in image quality, with things like a Contrast Control Zone Technology and an HDR Pro Gamma that's meant to reproduce the smallest of details in the darkest and brightest scenes.
Nearly three years later, 'The Witcher 3' runs in 4K on Xbox
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's performance on Xbox hardware has never been what I'd call "great." So, when Microsoft announced that CD Projekt RED's massive single-player RPG was one of the games getting an "enhancement" patch for the One X I got pretty excited. Finally, the game would be playable on the system I got it for. The patch recently arrived, and with it an "advanced" tab in the display options. You can pick from either 4K Mode or Performance Mode. The former gives you 4K graphics at a locked 30 FPS on a UHD display. For 1080p TV owners, that translates to super-sampled visuals and 60 FPS in my brief tests.
Qualcomm has a new 4K HDR feature, but which devices support it?
There was a moment of confusion after Qualcomm announced that the new Snapdragon 845 chipset would enable mobile cameras to record videos in 4K HDR. The promise of smartphone videos with more colors, depth and greater dynamic range was tantalizing, but the question on everyone's minds was obvious: Which screens are capable of rendering such content? This would be useless if no one could see all the extra information being captured. But Qualcomm didn't have a clear answer for the audience.
Aldi’s latest bargain is a 3D printer
When you think of Aldi, you'll likely picture low-priced fresh fruit and veg, cheap alcohol and metal bins full of "Specialbuys". Each week, it's a lottery on whether there's a special on power tools, slow cookers or bedding. But what about a 3D printer? The budget retailer announced today that it will become the first UK supermarket to stock such a gadget with its £300 Balco 3D Printer.
Amazon Prime Video is available on Xbox consoles worldwide
There's more to the Xbox One X than just 4K gaming. Beyond playing UHD Blu-rays, the console will stream media from your provider of choice in 4K, too. That includes Amazon Prime Video, which is now available worldwide on Xbox consoles following its launch last year.
Google Play matches Apple’s $20 price for select 4K titles
Two weeks ago, Apple announced that 4K HDR titles would be available in the iTunes store to go along with the 4K Apple TV. Ultra HD movies were priced at just $20, which led Amazon to recently follow suit. And now Google has done the same -- select 4K movies in the Play store are priced at $20.
Apple TV 4K review: Almost perfect
The Apple TV 4K is the streaming box we've been waiting for. It brings together the excellent interface from the 2015 model and the long-awaited ability to watch movies and TV shows in 4K and HDR. And perhaps most important, it seriously drives down the cost of digital 4K releases. Sure, competitors like Roku and Amazon's Fire TV have had 4K/HDR capabilities for years, but Apple's pricing model makes the format more accessible to consumers. While it's not quite perfect, the Apple TV 4K is a solid step beyond HD video.
Apple TV 4K hands-on: Finally, no compromises
Apple's long-awaited fourth-generation Apple TV was almost a slam dunk. The only problem? It didn't have 4K. That was a notable omission since both Amazon and Roku released streaming players supporting the new format in 2015. Now, Apple is finally ready to enter the ultra-high-definition fray with the Apple TV 4K. But, as usual with 4K hardware, the real star of the show isn't the resolution bump over 1080p -- it's support for high-dynamic range (HDR) video. And in typical Apple fashion, they've also figured out a few ways to make all of this new technology more accessible than the competition.
