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Netflix brings HDR and surround sound to the Razer Phone this month
If you're a fan of mobile entertainment, the Razer Phone is about to get better. At CES, the company just announced that it's entering a partnership with Netflix and that the handset will be the first mobile phone to offer Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound. That's in addition to HDR10 video. Basically, it's the highest-quality Netflix experience you can get that still fits into your pocket.
'Stranger Things 2' basically gives everyone a cellphone
The second season of Stranger Things takes place in 1984, in a carefully curated world of mullets, muscle cars and arcades. Pick any scene, study it closely, and the obsessive attention to detail becomes clear: Yard signs proudly read, "Reagan/Bush '84;" Family Feud plays on a bulbous TV screen beneath rabbit-ear antennae; soda cans are scrawled with the era-appropriate logos. The clothes are right, the hair is right (yet so, so wrong), and Stranger Things 2's universe works perfectly as a 1980s nostalgia bomb. It all makes sense. However, some of these details serve a purpose beyond world-building. The communication gadgets in Stranger Things 2 -- walkie-talkies, a police radio and a video camera, specifically -- aren't simply clever nods to a bygone 8-bit time. These pieces of technology drive the story and shape the main characters on a fundamental level. They're not just nostalgia. They're necessary. And, taken together, the walkie-talkies, radio and camcorder serve as a handy stand-in for a contemporary mode of communication: the cellphone. While we've tried to avoid any spoilers in this story, the following article does refer to scenes and themes throughout the season.
How Netflix keeps ‘Stranger Things’ lo-fi in a high-tech world
Netflix is still surprised that Stranger Things, a science-fiction series starring five young kids, became a worldwide sensation immediately after it was released. Unlike some of its biggest hits, like House of Cards (which is based on a British series), Stranger Things was an unknown property when it premiered in July of 2016. But it quickly captivated audiences, thanks to its '80s nostalgia and the perfectly executed homages to Hollywood classics from the likes of Stephen King and Steven Spielberg.
Netflix is getting more expensive in the UK
Some Netflix subscriptions have just gotten a tad pricier in the UK, reflecting a similar hike announced over in the US. The most basic, £6 per month plan remains unaffected, but the price of the "Standard" tier, which adds HD streaming and the option of watching on two screens at once, has risen from £7.50 to £8 per month. The "Premium" option, which includes 4K content and lets you watch on four screens simultaneously, has also increased from £9 to £10 per month. New subscribers are being asked to pay these prices from today (after their free trial period, that is), while existing members will be formally notified later this month before the hike kicks in this November.
