In switching from a 7-year-old 55-inch LCD to a new 65-inch OLED TV, I’ve been awestruck by the transformation in picture quality. Yet, the upgrade has not been pain free.
The announcement by Netflix that it would stop mailing out DVDs changed my behavior. I now regularly race to a street mailbox before its 9 a.m. pickup to return a disc I received the previous day. The sooner the company gets it back, the quicker it will send out the next title in my ever-expanding queue.
The Netflix red envelope that defined the era between video cassettes and streaming will soon be a relic of the past. Subscribers to the disc-by-mail service were informed by email on Tuesday (April 18) that the company will ship its last disc on September 29, 2023.
Summer is ending. School is starting. Transitioning into a new season is an outstanding opportunity to consider new gear like the equipment that follows. This crop includes a TV with bragging rights, a pair of stylish earbuds that the company terms in-ear computers, a THX-certified home theater in a box, noise-cancelling headphones that let in the outside—or not, and a cool turntable that plugs into the company’s speaker system or your own receiver.
One way to take your mind off the dog days of August is to browse through the latest set of new product offerings in audio and video. As you read up on these projectors, earbuds, speakers, record players, headphones, and outdoor screens, just drop a fistful of ice cubes into a tall beverage of your choice.
The results of the Value Electronics 18th Annual TV Shootout held in New York City over the weekend are in and it’s Sony and LG by a hair in the 4K and 8K test categories, respectively. For each brand, the win is a repeat performance of last year’s Shootout when Sony was crowned king of 4K TV and LG king of 8K TV.
With today’s introduction of its 2023 models, Vizio continues to push value and advanced TV technology at the same time. Among its new 4K smart TV offerings are its premium M-Series Quantum X (MQX) models in three screen sizes and its M-Series Quantum 6 (MQ6) in five sizes. Each series tops out with a 75-inch screen and starts shipping this month (July).
Summer is perfect for sitting back, relaxing and enjoying music and videos. There’s plenty of gear available to enhance the experience, including products that enable letting go on the go or while lounging on the beach or by a pool. Then, there are devices meant for inside use where you might be prone to switch on a fan or power up the AC. Just grab a cool beverage and pick your product!
Cables are the least sexy parts of a home entertainment system, but without them your components may as well be talking to themselves. Enter the new line of SoundPath Ultra HDMI Cables from speaker manufacturer SVS.