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LG's 75-inch 8K LCD TV arrives in May for $4,999
LG detailed its 2020 LCD TV lineup this week. In all, there are 12 new sets, including two 8K models.
LG's 48-inch gaming OLED TV arrives in June for $1,499
If your idea of sticking it out at home involves catching up on games and movies, LG might have some good news. The company has started rolling out its 2020 OLED TVs, complete with US pricing and release dates for the collection. The highlight for many may be the smallest of the bunch -- the gaming-oriented 48-inch model in the CX series will arrive in June for $1,499. That might be more expensive than you were expecting, but it could hit the sweet spot if you either intend it as a gaming PC monitor or just want something better-suited to a small space.
Canon confirms that its 8K EOS R5 camera is not 'a fantasy'
I had no reason to doubt that Canon's upcoming EOS R5 camera would feature 8K video and up to 20 fps shooting speeds, but apparently some folks were skeptical. That's why the company has issued an unusual press release in Australia that aims to "shut down speculation that some of its revolutionary specifications are 'a fantasy,'" it wrote. Canon also revealed a few more details about how the autofocus and 8K video will work.
Japan's public broadcaster sets its 8K schedule for the Tokyo Olympics
The Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic games are still on schedule to take place this summer, and Japan's public broadcaster has been planning for years to make sure its an 8K showcase event. If you're in Japan, 8K broadcasts with 22.2 channel audio are available to home viewers, although it's a little less clear how the rest of us can catch it in the highest level of detail available. As far as the events available, NHK says it will have both the opening and closing ceremonies in 8K, including the first live broadcast at that resolution shot from a helicopter. Specific events will also be available in 8K, including track and field competition like the 100m and 200m men's finals, women's 200m finals and the men's 400m relay final. The women's soccer and volleyball finals will also be broadcast in 8K, along with selected events from badminton, judo, table tennis and swimming. A few weeks later in late August, the ceremonies for the Paralympics will also air in 8K, along with events like wheelchair rugby, swimming and track and field. Wherever 8K viewing is available it seems likely we'll get a similar set of things to watch, so stay tuned for any details from NBC or well-connected event spaces that can put a Super Hi-Vision broadcast on the big screen. I've seen an 8K broadcast from the 2012 Olympics in London streamed over Internet2, and it was a one-of-a-kind experience. In 2016 NBC streamed 4K video from Rio that was downconverted from NHK's 8K capture, but with 8K TVs on shelves and more bandwidth to go around maybe you'll get a chance to see it in your living room.
Samsung unveils its latest 4K and 8K QLED TVs for the US
Samsung's 4K and 8K TV launch is one of the more controversial in years, because Samsung appears to be saving high-end features for the much more costly 8K models. We first saw signs of it in January at CES 2020, when Samsung failed to show off any mainstream 4K sets, while displaying a plethora of 8K models. The company has now effectively confirmed that situation with the US launch of its new lineup.
Canon's powerhouse EOS R5 will be its first mirrorless camera with 8K video
Canon is fixing everything critics didn't like about the EOS R -- and then some -- by annnouncing the development of new full-frame mirrorless camera, the EOS R5. To start with, it will shoot up to 8K video and downsample 8K to create crisp 4K video, strongly addressing complaints about the limited 4K video capabilities of the $1,800 EOS R.
Galaxy S20+ leaks show 8K video, 120Hz display
The leaks for the Galaxy S20 keep on coming, and the latest could be good news if you're a shutterbug. XDA-Developers claims to have leaked details of the S20+ variant's camera app, including some of its hardware capabilities, along with hands-on looks and a picture showing a toggle for its 120Hz display. In line with earlier rumors, at least some versions of the S20 will support 8K video recording -- only at 30 frames per second (no 24FPS or 60FPS options here), but enough for many people. The main camera on the S20+ would be a 12-megapixel Sony-made sensor, although it would need a much higher-resolution sensor like the rumored 64MP shooter to make 8K video an option.
8K at CES 2020: The future or a waste of time?
It was hard to escape 8K TVs this year at CES. Sony, Samsung, LG and TCL all showed off new 8K models, with the full intention of actually selling them to consumers. That's a big shift from previous years, when it's always seemed like some far-off technology awaiting industry support. So what's the point of buying an 8K TV in 2020? Our TV nerds, Devindra Hardawar and Richard Lawler, have two very different stances on the matter.
Engadget Podcast: CES 2020 and a chat with technologist John Maeda
It's that time of the year again, CES! This week, Devindra and Cherlynn discuss some of the best (and worst) things they've seen at the show, including ultraportables, cars and a variety of truly weird stuff. Plus, you'll hear about a strange Westworld dinner that freaked them both out. And be sure to stay tuned for our chat with the noted designer and technologist John Maeda, who gave his thoughts on CES, the bad design choices companies like Samsung make, and discussed his new book, How to Speak Machine: Computational Thinking for the Rest of Us.
Sony's 8K and OLED TVs adapt their sound to your room
Sony is coming to CES with its customary TV lineup revamp, and this year the focus is as much on sound as it is picture quality. Its newly unveiled Z8H 8K LED (shown above), A9S 4K OLED, A8H 4K OLED, X950H 4K LED (pictured below) and X900H 4K LED sets bring an Ambient Optimization feature that fine-tunes the picture and sound to your viewing space, including an Acoustic Audio Calibration feature that supposedly delivers the "full sound potential" of your TV during the initial setup process. And if you spring for the top-of-the-line Z8H, you'll get a Frame Tweeter that vibrates the frame of the TV itself to generate sound -- if you can't hook up dedicated speakers, this should be more immersive than what you'd normally get from built-in audio.
TCL's 8K Roku TV should come out this year
Roughly 12 months ago, TCL said it was working with Roku on 8K TV sets that would fall under its 8-Series line (which, confusingly, also includes some 4K HDR sets) in the US. They were supposed to come out in 2019, but obviously that didn't happen. At CES 2020, TCL reiterated that these models are still on the way. "TCL intends to launch TVs in North America this year that will exceed the high standards established as part of the 8K Association Certified program and grow the global adoption of this exciting big-screen technology, even partnering with Roku to roll out the first 8K TCL Roku TV later this year," the company said in a press release.
LG's 2020 TVs: Massive 8K screens and the first 48-inch 4K OLED
Prior to LG's CES 2020 press conference this morning, the company had already revealed a slew of "Real 8K" televisions, and announced that the rollable 4K OLED TV we saw at last year's show will be ready to go on sale later this year. Both of those were present in its demo area, and looked impressive. 8K is sharp on LCD "NanoCell" screens, but the 8K OLED really popped, even if it was only playing demo content and hard to compare directly to what we've seen before from 4K OLED screens. Meanwhile, the rollable screen LG is planning on selling still only rolls one way, and won't have some of the features other new TVs have (like ATSC 3.0 compatibility to receive 4K via antenna) when it finally ships. Of course, those aren't the only TVs that LG will put on the market in 2020, and now the company is ready to talk about more of the lineup.
Samsung unveils an extra-large 8K TV for 2020
Samsung revealed its new QLED 8K TV last night in Korea, and now the US unveiling is under way. We already heard about interesting features like its "digital butler" that will control other devices, including older stuff that can't connect to networks using an IR blaster, multitasking with picture-in-picture and the AI ScaleNet tech that streams "8K quality" video by downconverting it to 4K with the TV upscaling it again on the receiving end. To start with, it's working with Amazon Prime to upscale standard-def video to 4K. Naturally, support for AI assistants like Samsung's Bixby is built-in, and starting this year you can choose to use Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa too. An Adaptive Picture feature recognizes the changing lighting in your room and automatically adjusts the display's settings to match. The Tizen OS also supports multitasking, with some 14 different ways to split up the screen, using side-by-side or various picture-in-picture layouts.
Samsung's latest 8K TVs will include 4K over-the-air tuners
Samsung's next wave of 8K TVs are likely to have numerous features to catch your eye, but one of the more important additions may be one of the simplest: an improvement to free broadcasts. The tech giant has revealed that its 2020 QLED 8K catalog will include ATSC 3.0 tuners with NEXTGEN TV to deliver over-the-air 4K programming, multi-channel object-based audio and "enhanced" content to US viewers. Your TV still won't be used to its fullest potential, but this beats having to pay for cable or streaming services to get a live TV picture beyond 1080p.
Samsung's zero-bezel 8K TV is real
Samsung Korea has announced the premium 8K TV it's bringing to CES 2020, confirming that the recently-leaked image is real. The Q950 is not only a super-high resolution TV, it also "sets a new standard" for TV screens with its Infinity Design -- according to the company at least. Other than a small edge along the bottom, there's really no frame to speak of, and Samsung says it measures only 15mm thick. Inside, its AI "quantum processor" powers a revamped UI that's good for upscaling any source to 8K as well as accessing TV over an antenna, or streaming services, with a universal guide that can combine recommendations from several apps at once.
LG delivers 'Real 8K' in 2020 with eight new OLED and LCD TVs
With CES about to start, LG has unveiled some hints about its new top of the line TVs for 2020 without mentioning prices or release dates. In this era that means jumping from 4K to 8K, and the company will have eight new models that it says promise "Real 8K" performance that "exceeds" the CTA's spec for 8K. The way LG sees things, even though Samsung's QLED tech may be certified as 8K, that doesn't make it "real" without surpassing a minimum test for contrast modulation (CM) threshold requirements. Those eight 8K models include two LG Signature OLED sets in 88- and 77-inch sizes (88/77 OLED ZX) as well as six of its NanoCell-branded LCD televisions (75/65 Nano99, 75/65 Nano97, 75/65 Nano95) in 75- and 65-inch sizes. In terms of getting 8K content (whenever and wherever that's available), they can handle YouTube's preferred AV1 codec as well as HEVC and VP9, 8K inputs from USB or HDMI, and finally, 8K 60FPS via streaming as well as 8K 60P via HDMI.
Samsung's QLED 8K TV will be one of the first certified by the 8K Association
Samsung has fired a shot in a brewing 8K standards war by announcing that its 8K QLED TVs will be among the first to be certified by the fledgling 8K Association (8KA) sometime next year. That means the sets will hit a minimum 7,680 x 4,320 resolution (twice that of UHD), while peaking out at 600 nits of brightness and supporting HDMI2.1 and HEVC (H.265) standards. That could include models like Samsung's rumored bezel-free Q950T.
This might be Samsung's upcoming 'zero bezel' 8K TV
You might not have to wait until CES to see Samsung's fabled 'zero bezel' TV. German site 4KFilme has posted what it says are the first pictures of the 8K set, which might be called the Q900T or Q950T. If these are accurate, it's not literally a zero-bezel TV, but it's very close. The most you see is a tiny chin. It would also have a soundbar-friendly stand, and there appears to be a gap-free wall mount like before.
More signs point to Samsung's Galaxy S11 capturing 8K video
It'll likely be a couple of months before Samsung officially unveils the Galaxy S11, but leaks are already starting to paint a picture of what's in store for its next flagship phone. A render that emerged last month offered a peek at what the S11 may look like, while a SamMobile report stokes the flames of rumors it'll be capable of 8K video capture.
The world's smallest 8K 360 camera can fit in your pocket
When it comes to pocket 360 cameras these days, we tend to look to the likes of Insta360, GoPro and Ricoh. The adventurous folks may also tap into the lesser-known KanDao, which has today released its second pocket 360 camera, the QooCam 8K. As the name implies, this $589 device packs the highest video resolution in its class, beating the 5.7K Insta360 One X and the 5.6K GoPro Max. It even does real-time stitching, and afterwards, you can do "8K express edits" on your phone by way of smaller 4K proxy files. It's a cunning way to maximize the user's mobility without sacrificing output quality.
