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JBL's first Dolby Atmos soundbar has detachable speakers
Ahead of CES this week, JBL has unveiled its first Dolby Atmos-compatible soundbar. The JBL Bar 9.1 features four Dolby Atmos drivers that point upwards to bounce audio around the room.
Vizio's 2019 4K TVs arrive with promise of AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support
Vizio has released its 2019 4K TV lineup to the market and announced that Apple's AirPlay 2 and HomeKit will be coming to current and older models. While the company is best known for budget 4K TVs with impressive image quality, this time it's going after the premium market with its flagship P-Series Quantum X. The new 65-inch ($2,200) and 75-inch ($3,500) sets are pricier than you'd expect from Vizio, but feature quantum dot displays with 384 or 480 local dimming zones. That enables black levels nearly on par with OLED displays, but with brightness levels up to 3,000 nits.
iOS 12.3 is out now with overhauled TV app
Just seven weeks after rolling out iOS 12.2, Apple has released iOS 12.3. The biggest update this time around is a major refresh of the TV app ahead of the Apple TV+ streaming service debuting later this year. Through the new-look app, you can subscribe to various TV networks through Apple TV Channels and watch their shows all in one place.
Everywhere we found AirPlay 2 at CES 2019
As is tradition, Apple was once again infamously absent at the biggest technology show of the year, CES. The company hasn't actually stayed out of the headlines over the past week, however. Apple didn't do any announcing of its own, but it was name-checked in practically all press conferences held by the biggest consumer tech brands at CES. The reason? AirPlay 2.
Sony's new 8K and 4K TVs will have Apple AirPlay too
AirPlay is everywhere at CES 2019, at least when it comes to TVs, and Sony's latest TVs are no different. The company announced that its Z9G Series 8K LCDs, A9G Series OLEDs and X950G 4K LCD TVs will all add support for Apple's AirPlay 2 and HomeKit protocols later this year. Similar to what we've seen from others like LG and Vizio, that will let users easily integrate them with other smart home devices that are compatible with Apple's protocols, and use AirPlay 2 features like synchronized multiroom audio. On Sony's TVs, this means blending Apple's tech with the Android TV platform they're based on. There's no technical reason why that can't happen, but it's an interesting wrinkle, and means that, like Vizio, users will have a bevy of options to choose between Google's Cast protocol and the Apple tech. Of course, a full-on iTunes app is still exclusive to Samsung's smart TV platform for now, but this is a start. So far there's no word on exactly when the feature will appear, or if it will extend to any older models, but we'll update this post if we get any more information.
Watch LG’s CES press conference in 8 minutes
Considering LG began its CES hype campaign in early December, the company's obscenely early press conference today -- the first of the show -- was unexpectedly short and sweet. LG is committed to releasing a 5G smartphone this year, and promises its ThinQ AI home appliances will get progressively smarter, suggesting how to better manage your home rather than just blindly obeying your conversational commands. LG also gave an appropriate amount of airtime to HomeBrew, its new capsule-based craft beer system for nurturing easy, homemade batches.
LG's new TVs will support Apple's AirPlay 2 and HomeKit
First Apple partnered with Samsung to bring AirPlay 2 TVs, now it's doing the same with LG. The TV maker revealed today that its latest WebOS-powered sets, including the stunning rollable OLED, its revamped OLED line and even standard LEDs, will support AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. Unfortunately, there won't be an iTunes app for LG, something that will make Samsung's sets almost like pseudo-Apple TVs. But at least you'll finally be able to stream content from your iOS devices without splurging on an Apple TV. HomeKit support could also be useful for controlling certain smart devices right from your big screen TV. It's not surprising why Apple is finally opening up its ecosystem: It needs help if it wants to succeed in the entertainment world.
Vizio's SmartCast will work with Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit this year
Part of Vizio's big news for CES 2019 is the reveal of SmartCast 3.0. This edition of its smart TV platform's big addition is support for Apple AirPlay 2, as well as enhancements for tie-ins with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. The new software is coming to all SmartCast TVs eventually, after a beta test in Q1 of this year before rolling out widely in Q2.
Vizio works on making its 4K TVs even better in 2019
While many other manufacturers chase new technology with 8K and HDMI 2.1, Vizio is enhancing its 4K TV lineup, starting from the lower-priced V series all the way up to its top-of-the-line P-Series Quantum X. The V series steps in where Vizio's E line of TVs used to reside, with smart TV features, Dolby Vision HDR and up to 16 zones of local dimming, with models ranging from 40- to 75-inches.
Apple's TV service can't succeed without outside help
"Hell froze over." That's what the somewhat hyperbolic ad announcing that iTunes, and by extension the iPod, would now run on Windows said. In the earliest of days, the iPod was purely for the Mac faithful. But the move to Windows meant that the music player went from niche delight to mainstream success, and 300 million sales later, it was clearly the right decision.
Samsung's 2019 smart TVs will support iTunes and AirPlay 2
Until now, using Apple's services on your TV has meant... well, buying an Apple TV. No more: Samsung has revealed that its 2019 smart TVs (plus updated 2018 sets) will offer both iTunes Movies and TV shows as well as AirPlay 2 casting. Yes, you can buy or rent videos from iTunes and watch them in 4K HDR glory without buying extra Apple hardware or otherwise bending over backward. The iTunes app will even play nicely with Samsung's ecosystem, too, supporting the Universal Guide, search features and the latest version of Bixby.
B&O's pricey Google Assistant speakers go on sale next month
When we saw Bang & Olufsen's Google-Assistant enabled BeoSound speaker at CES in January, they didn't have a price or street date. Seven months later, that's changed. Now we know the Google Assistant-enabled, 360-degree speakers will be available starting mid-September for the portable BeoSound 1, and early October for the BeoSound 2.
AirPlay 2 makes Sonos the best audio option for most iPhone owners
For a long time, Sonos was only capable of streaming music to its speakers through a proprietary app, but that's changed in the last few years. After working with music services like Spotify and Pandora, users can stay in those apps and stream music straight to your Sonos setup. That hasn't been the case if you're an Apple Music user, until now: as of today, Sonos supports Apple's AirPlay 2 protocol. After spending a week or so testing out a beta version of the software, I can say that pretty much all Sonos owners who use iOS devices will get a lot out of this update.
AirPlay 2 arrives on Sonos
AirPlay 2 has arrived on Sonos. From today, any app on your iOS devices can be streamed directly to Sonos speakers including Sonos Beam, Sonos One, Playbase and the second generation Play:5. Plus, Siri is on board with an extensive set of voice controls. Not only can you ask Siri to play songs on Apple Music, you can also specify which room or devices you want them to play on. The roll out comes a week ahead of the new Beam living room smart speaker, which ships with AirPlay 2 support as standard.
Sonos' public filing shows the challenge of relying on Alexa
With little fanfare, smart speaker company Sonos has just announced it plans to go public. Sonos plans to raise $100 million in its IPO, but noted that amount was "estimated as a placeholder." Along with the announcement, the company released the requisite S-1 form through the SEC, and that contains a host of other info about the state of the company. In it, the company starts by making it clear why it thinks it can be a long-term success: "The proliferation of streaming services and the rapid adoption of voice assistants are significantly changing audio consumption habits and how consumers interact with the internet. As the leading home sound system for consumers, content partners and developers, Sonos is poised to capitalize on the large market opportunity created by these dynamics."
Sonos Beam review: Smart features trump minor audio compromises
Sonos has earned itself a dedicated army of enthusiasts. And with good reason, too: The company pretty much defined the multiroom/connected speaker space, bringing home audio into the internet era. So, it's no surprise, then, that when rumors of a new product appear, forums and fan pages start to fill up with theories.
A closer look at Sonos Beam: Smaller, smarter and more connected
Sonos just announced the Beam, a smaller, smarter Playbar. It's all good and well to see it on stage, but what does it sound like? Luckily I just got to spend some time with it to find out -- and on first pass it feels like a winner. Not just for the rich, cinematic sound (which it appears to have) though. The Beam is also an all-around tantalizing prospect: a compact soundbar, Alexa replacement, that could also replace your regular music system. This all-in-one configuration won't be for everyone, but for those without a lot of living space that want to avoid the clutter of multiple speakers, it's definitely appealing.
Sonos is adding AirPlay 2 support to its speakers in July
Smart speaker and home audio company Sonos is holding an event in San Francisco today, and the first bit of news is that AirPlay 2 support is coming in July. As previously announced Apple's latest streaming protocol will work with the Sonos One, Playbase, and Play:5 speakers -- anything older than that won't be supported, unfortunately. The update will come via software update, and it'll let you group together multiple Sonos speakers through Apple's apps. This means you can start up songs in Apple Music and send them directly to Sonos without having to use the dedicated Sonos app.
Apple lists speakers that work with AirPlay 2 streaming
Today, Apple released iOS 11.4, bringing with it AirPlay 2, Apple's latest standard for streaming audio, video and games to your speakers or TV. One of the key features of AirPlay 2 is the option to play audio through two HomePod speakers in stereo -- that's the only speaker which supports AirPlay 2 right now. But there are a number of third-party speakers you can also soon use with AirPlay 2, with the option to chain them together to set up groups and multi-room playback.
iOS 11.4 will add multi-room and stereo audio to the HomePod today
Apple will release iOS 11.4 today, which, with the inclusion of AirPlay 2, brings more functionality to the HomePod. Though other speakers, like the Amazon Echo and Google Home already feature multi-room audio, the HomePod didn't launch with that capability. It also hasn't yet supported stereo pairing. But with today's update, the HomePod now supports both features. Users can sync their HomePods with other AirPlay 2-enabled speakers and play audio throughout multiple rooms. They can also pair two HomePods to create a stereo system. HomePod will launch in Canada, France and Germany on June 18th.
