Audio Video News

Last summer Samsung teased its long-anticipated entry into the bustling smart speaker arena with a peek at the retro-futuristic Galaxy Home. Almost 10 months later, the speaker has yet to materialize but today Samsung CEO Hyun-suk Kim told The Korean Herald that it will launch in the “mid-second half of the year,” which suggests a September/October timeframe.

KEF today announced a software update that brings Apple’s AirPlay 2 streaming platform to the $1,100 LSX wireless speaker system it introduced last fall.

When Dirac Research releases a new product, it always causes our ears to perk up. The company that made great strides in reference room-correction software has just released Dirac 3D Audio, an software solution that delivers 360-degree surround sound via any standard headphone or gaming headset.

Just over half (51%) of those who participated in our recent poll asking “how often do you watch HDR content” said they cue up 4K HDR (high dynamic range) movies and TV shows as much as they can (29%) or between one to four times a week (22%).

Sound & Vision Top Picks for the month of May include a high-performance 4K Blu-ray player that will delight AV enthusiasts, home theater speakers that deliver strikingly good sound for a reasonable price, and a set of powered bookshelf speakers that puts today’s smart speakers to shame. Rounding things out are two topnotch audio components — a surround processor/preamp from a venerable audio brand and an integrated amp/DAC from a lesser known company that has been favored by in-the-know audiophiles for years.

Virgin Media became the first UK TV platform to broadcast in 4K/Ultra HD with high dynamic range (HDR) with its Sunday coverage of the French Open tennis tournament that runs through June 9th in Paris.

Control4’s adoption of MQA technology in its just released OS 3 smart-home operating system marks the debut of the high-resolution MQA format in the world of custom home automation.