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Live from Sony's CES 2019 press event!
Just when you thought the pre-CES press event deluge was over, Sony is wrapping up a busy day with some evening festivities. The company's annual Las Vegas soirée is happening tonight, January 7th at 8PM ET/5PM PT, and we'll be there to bring you all the news live. We're sure to hear about Sony's new TV lineup, as well as new additions to its home theater stable of soundbars, speakers and more. There's typically some headphone and personal audio news as well, with a dash of cameras for good measure. Whatever Sony has planned, keep your browser locked here for all the details from the event. You can also stream the event live right here.
Dolby Dimension review: Excellent sound, exorbitant price
Dolby has been delivering 3D sound to people's living rooms through other companies' Atmos-equipped soundbars and systems for years. So it's no surprise the company is harnessing some of that expertise for its first piece of consumer hardware. Its first product is aimed at two very popular activities: binge watching and listening to music. The Dolby Dimension headphones pack in a lot of features and tech to power your marathon Netflix sessions, but at $599, they're a serious investment.
The best TVs for dorm rooms
At the end of the school day, you'll probably want to wind down and watch a movie or show, but sooner or later, your laptop screen just won't cut it. There are lots of choices when shopping for TVs, so here are the best options that fit a variety of dorms and apartments. For the purposes of our back-to-school guide, we focused on models that came in at $500 or less. While there are even less expensive models out there, we recommend spending a bit more for a 4K TV, as there's now more content available for it. Samsung's 43-inch NU7100 Smart 4K UHD is a solid choice that won't take up too much space. If you're not short on room, consider Vizio's 50-inch E-series 4K HDR, or even going for the less feature-heavy but lower-priced Hisense 55-inch 4K UHD. Any of these will be welcome choices that are likely to hold up for years -- well past graduation, even.
Samsung's Dolby Atmos soundbars are ready for your living room
After announcing a pair of Dolby Atmos-equipped soundbars at CES, Samsung is finally shipping the duo in the US. The HW-K950 and HW-K850 are both available now, so long as you're willing to part with either $1,499 or $999, respectively. What are you getting for the extra dough? Samsung's HW-K950 is a more a complete sound system with a soundbar, two satellite speakers and a subwoofer. The whole group is wireless so you won't have to worry about hiding any unsightly cables. What's more, both the soundbar and the pair of smaller speakers project sound upward for any overhead effects the Dolby Atmos tech employs.
Philips' Fidelio E6 system has surround sound when you need it
When it comes to home theater speakers, they're mostly meant for one purpose: audio from your television. Sure, you can connect a mobile device and listen to music, but you're pretty much stuck with the same speaker layout. Philips is looking to offer a solution that's more modular while still keeping the 5.1 surround sound abilities. With the €899 Fidelio E6 (no US pricing yet), the company's solution is detachable speakers. Yes, really. The concept isn't new to Philips, as it already launched a soundbar with removable speakers on the ends. The Fidelio E6 goes a bit further than that.
Bang and Olufsen's BeoSound 35 is an 'all-in-one' soundbar
If you're familiar with Bang & Olufsen, you're well aware of its high-end audio gear for the living room. At CES, the Danish company is showing off its latest speaker: the BeoSound 35. Taking on the design and speaker layout we typically see in soundbars, B&O has far greater aspirations for the BeoSound 35. Rather than only serving as a means of boosting audio from your television, this speaker is meant to be what the company calls an "all-in-one integrated music system." What does that mean exactly? Well, support for streaming services like Spotify and Deezer is integrated into the unit, so you don't have to futz with your phone to get the tunes going. It also supports Google Cast, AirPlay and Bluetooth connectivity.
Upgrading my living room with the Sonos Playbar and Sub
For a long time now, I've been reading (and writing) about Sonos' audio devices, filled with jealousy toward anyone who could afford to spend more than just a few minutes with them. Sure, I've briefly tried them at trade shows, but to really judge the merits of audio gear like the Playbar and Sub, you need the proper amount of soak-time. Well, I finally got my chance. Over the last two months, I've been using the basically $1,400 pair ($699 each) in my living room to handle audio from my TV and also play a little music. With an easy setup and stellar sound quality, it's easy to become smitten with Sonos. Indeed, it didn't take long before I was hooked.
A closer look at Dish's Sling TV service
If you've been looking to give cable the boot, Dish's announcement of a $20-a-month service that brings you TV channels over the internet may be the most exciting news of CES. Sling TV doesn't quite have the robust network lineup as Comcast, Time Warner and others, but big names like ESPN, CNN, TNT, TBS, Food Network have signed on. What's more, the subscription includes a movie rental feature, and it'll be available on a handful of smart TVs, Roku players, Amazon Fire TV (and Fire Stick), Xbox One, Nexus Player, Android TV and both Android and iOS mobile platforms when it arrives later this year. That means that if you're already itching to opt in, it won't be too difficult to find a compatible device. Read on for a quick walkthrough of the interface, and for all the details, consult more of our Sling TV coverage.
Samsung's 'Ring Radiator' speakers look strange, but sound pretty good
When Samsung announced a trio of audio products ahead of CES, the two egg-shaped speakers immediately grabbed my eye. Obviously, these don't look like regular in-home gear, and while Bang & Olufsen has been making said audio tech more decorative for quite some time, an affordable entry would certainly be welcome. As a part of that oval design, the WAM7500 and WAM6500 have so-called Ring Radiator technology that blasts sound in 360 degrees, rather than a single direction. If you're familiar with the compact UE Boom or Megaboom, this concept is similar. While that latter model is an on-shelf option, the former is meant to be used with a stand, or more awesomely, hung from the ceiling like a light fixture. Keeping with the home accent theme, Samsung is showing off not only black and white versions, but also wood and metallic models.
Sony's soundbar combo offers another high-definition audio option
Headphones and music players aren't all Sony had on tap in the audio department for IFA, as the company has also announced a new soundbar/wireless subwoofer combo. Having already outed two of the devices earlier this year, the HT-ST5 offers the option of 380 watts of 7.1 surround sound across seven digital amps and nine total speakers with support for both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HS formats. There's a Bluetooth option that touts one-touch NFC connectivity and handles aptX and AAC audio codecs. For hooking up all of those living room gadgets, a trio of HDMI jacks with 4K passthrough connects to your TV with a single cable. And a mobile app for both Android and iOS streams music from places like Pandora and Spotify while providing remote control for the system as well. Ready to upgrade your flat's theater setup? Well, the pair will hit your wallet for $1,000 when it arrives later this month.
HDBaseT 2.0 spec makes the all-in-one home theater cable better, cheaper
We haven't checked on the HDBaseT Alliance in a few years, but now its 5-in-1 Ethernet cable spec is getting a second revision. HDBaseT already crams virtually any HD source and signal -- and power! -- into one connection, and 2.0's biggest addition to the mix is USB 2.0 support. Manufacturers can now remove the multiple interfaces and conversion components the previous spec required, driving down prices and requirements for hardware like Pioneer's $3,000 A/V receiver. Beyond that, this new version brings control point-capability and networking into its single cable-party. Until now, this tech has been aimed primarily at professional installers and dedicated enthusiasts, but the new spec's focus on user friendliness and lower cost could bring more of us to the whole-house media bandwagon. Finally, surround sound for the bathroom delivered by a single network cable is within our reach.
Epson adds the Home Cinema 750HD to its line of home theater projectors, ships in March for $899
Looking to finally convert that guest bedroom into an in-home movie theater this spring? If so, you're in luck as Epson has announced the 3LCD Powerlite Home Cinema 750HD projector here at CES 2013. The home theater unit offers 2D and 3D 720p capabilities for viewing at up to 120 inches or larger. Touting up to 3,000 lumens of both color and white brightness, the 750HD sports Bright 3D Drive tech and Easy-Slide image correction to power viewing sessions from DVD / Blu-ray players, cable boxes, gaming consoles, PC, Apple devices and smartphones -- without the need for an additional format converter. Of course, HDMI and USB connections are here as well alongside five color modes for adapting the picture to each viewing environment. Epson's RF 3D glasses are also along for the ride that boasts 40 hours of viewing or up to three hours after a three-minute quick charge. The Home Cinema 750HD is set to arrive in March, hitting wallets up for $899 in order to procure one. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
MediaPortal posts new beta with new look and CableCARD, teases bigger sequel (video)
MediaPortal is a rare veteran spinoff of XBMC -- a testament to its fan base, but also a sign that it needs a fresh coat of paint. A new 1.3 beta might offer just what home theater PC users have been looking for to keep the front end relevant, at least in the short term. It carries a much more contemporary (and less Windows Media Center-like) skin with minor tweaks to the layout and overall interface. CableCARD support also makes its overdue appearance, although the lack of official CableLabs approval keeps the software from recognizing any copy-protected shows. Don't fret if those additions aren't enough, however -- we've been given a hint as to what the long-in-development MediaPortal 2 will offer through a pair of videos. The clips are largely top-level overviews, but they allude to mobile tie-ins, events, extensions, more skin support, video backgrounds and news. With an Autumn Build of MP2 available "right around the corner" for viewers, it might not be long before we learn what those new additions are like through first-hand experience.
Aereo opens its streaming TV to Mac and Windows web browsers
If you'd wanted to watch Aereo's unique antenna-to-internet TV streaming until today, you had to tune in from an iOS device or Roku box. That's not a lot of choice for placeshifting, is it? A fresh update to the company's streaming service has widened the choices considerably for New Yorkers to include all the major browsers on Macs and Windows PCs. As long as you're using a recent version of Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera or Safari, you can catch up on Ion or Telemundo while you're checking email. About the only restrictions left are the continued lack of Android support and occasional lawsuits from traditionalist broadcasters.
Parrot Zikmu Solo reaches US in November, makes a tower of wireless sound yours for $999
Parrot has taken some time trotting out the Zikmu Solo speaker since we first saw it at CES, but those enamored with very vertical audio can rest easy now that the unit has a North American release schedule. Both Canada and the US can buy the Philippe Starck-crafted speaker in November, when it will cost $999 for Americans in its black and white guises (sorry, no red for now). While that's a lot to pay for a 100W speaker, Parrot is counting on the unique acoustic design, a conventional iOS dock and a mix of Bluetooth, NFC and WiFi to tempt people away from the land of horizontal sound. It's undoubtedly one of the easiest ways to make a speaker dock the focus of a room -- and that's part of the point, isn't it?
Behringer iNuke Boom Junior shrinks a giant iOS dock, won't trigger as many earthquake warnings
As enraptured as we might be with Behringer's monolithic iNuke Boom, the 8-foot-long frame and 10,000W output don't really lend themselves to a home installation. Not unless we want to produce false positives on the USGS' earthquake meters, anyway. We're happy to say the company has addressed that domestic oversight with the iNuke Boom Junior. The iOS- and iPod-capable speaker dock won't launch nearly as large-scale an audio assault at 50W, but it's also less than a twentieth of the size of its parent; no one will need a forklift to get Junior into the living room. In spite of the less than ego-inflating dimensions, the smaller system appears balanced with discrete woofer, tweeter and mid-range components as well as separate bass control. We just wish it was slightly more futureproof. As glad as we are that the iNuke Boom Junior's $180 price at Costco spares us from raiding our retirement funds, the speaker is still using a pre-Lightning dock connector and lacks any wireless audio -- iPhone 5 owners will have to turn to an adapter or the aux-in jack. At least we won't be violating any local noise laws in the process.
Zeebox adds Viacom to its list of second-screen partners
We love riffing on TV shows like a latter-day MST3k, which means that companies are desperate to harness our homespun satire to their own ends. Second-screen start-up Zeebox has inked a deal with MTV and Comedy Central owner Viacom, offering exclusive content in exchange for on-screen advertising. That said, we're not sure if the promise of behind-the-scenes clips would be enough to draw us away from just cattily judging the Project Runway contestants on Twitter, where we're less likely to be moderated into oblivion.
Netflix Just for Kids comes to iPad, keeps Dora exploring beyond the TV (video)
Netflix's Just for Kids portal may already be a parent's ticket to saving money on endless Dora the Explorer DVDs without keeping a constant watch on the screen, but it has so far been left to consoles and the web. That's not much help to movie-loving grownups who'd sometimes like to free the PC or TV for their own streaming sessions -- so it's likely a relief to many that the Just for Kids interface is now available on iPads. Like on bigger screens, the mobile app provides a safe zone for the under-12 set that organizes videos into sections that junior viewers will more likely appreciate, such as sing-alongs and talking animals. For now, Android tablet owners and those holding on to first-generation iPads will be left out. It still shouldn't be too long before more adults can be sure their mobile-savvy kids are watching Curious George instead of Chasing Amy.
Slingbox 350 and 500 show up unannounced in Best Buy, flaunt 1080p and built-in WiFi
You might say Dave Zatz just had a happy accident. While he was hunting for the as yet unofficial Logitech Harmony Touch in Best Buy, he discovered the Slingbox 350 and 500 -- two more living room gadgets that have yet to receive an official introduction. The placeshifting hubs both look to be major improvements over the aging Slingbox Pro HD and Solo, making 1080p streaming available as long as the connection is up to snuff. Those who spring for the 500 should also get long overdue support for WiFi without having to use a wireless bridge, although they may miss the Pro HD's ATSC tuner. Outside of the networking, Sling Media is making expansion its upsell angle: the 500 supports USB media sharing and HDMI, while the 350 has to make do with whatever can pipe through its component and composite jacks. Zatz was unfortunately foiled in an attempt to buy one of the new Slingboxes and couldn't get final pricing, but Best Buy's suggestion to try again around mid-October hints that we won't have long to wait for a much-needed upgrade to our remote TV viewing.
Onkyo DS-A5 grafts AirPlay on to existing home stereos, docks older iOS gear
Embracing AirPlay has usually involved a wholesale switch in hardware: years of speaker investment go out the window for the sake of skipping a wire. Onkyo doesn't have a problem if you bring your own equipment to the fray. Its new DS-A5 docking station brings Apple's WiFi media streaming to many home stereos, including those of rivals, as long as there's a wired or 802.11g-capable wireless router to feed the connection. Naturally, there's perks if you do live in an Onkyo universe -- any link using its Remote Interactive cable can both wake the stereo through AirPlay as well as control the dock from a traditional remote. About the only oddities are the vintage composite video output and a 30-pin dock for charging iPads, iPhones and iPods, neither of which will be much help if you live on the cutting edge. Onkyo brings the DS-A5 to American shores in October for $199; that's a lot to pay for playing songs from the couch, but it's a sight more affordable than replacing home audio equipment costing multiple times that amount.
