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Audio / Video Features

lg thinq ces 2018

Why learn to use gadgets when they can just learn to help us? Exactly, says LG

The problem with so-called smart products is that they really aren’t. But LG believes AI is the key, and is investing in new research labs. Digital Trends sat down with LG Electronics’ president and CTO, I.P. Park, to discuss the company’s plans.
nokia ozo concert

Nokia is on a crusade to make your cell phone videos sound as good as they look

While cell phone cameras have enjoyed numerous upgrades over the past decade, very little has been done to improve audio quality. With its software-based Ozo audio platform, Nokia looks to change that, one mobile manufacturer at a time.
imax with laser tour projector feat

How laser projection is taking IMAX even further over the top

We recently traveled to IMAX’s Toronto, Ontario headquarters to see the company’s brand-new, single-projector laser system. Set to be utilized in IMAX’s smaller theaters, the new system offers a spectacular viewing experience on an 80-foot screen. We’ve seen the future of big-screen theaters, and it’s brighter and more colorful than ever.
samsung onyx 34 foot led screen theater 3d cinema 2

Samsung’s 34-foot Onyx LED TV looks to change movie theaters forever

Samsung’s biggest LED creation yet, the Onyx Cinema LED screen, is a massive display designed to power the movie theater of the future. With 10 times the brightness of standard projectors, perfect black levels, and 4K resolution, could this 34-foot big-screen TV make projectors obsolete?
HBO

AT&T wants to make HBO more like Netflix, and it could be a disaster

After acquiring HBO parent company Time Warner, AT&T is pushing HBO to become more like Netflix. For those who remember HBO from its initial glory days, this could mean the end of an era, and for all of Netflix’s success, this plan might not be great for everyone else either.
Live TV Streaming Services

We all cut cable, and now we’re just as screwed on streaming

As live TV streaming services like Sling TV and PlayStation Vue raise prices in tandem, it raises questions about whether these services were ever a viable alternative to cable in the first place. After all, if it costs nearly the same as cable, and offers lower quality, what’s the point?
Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless

Why I still won’t wear wireless headphones

Wireless headphones promise liberation from cords, tangles, and snags, but there’s just one issue holding them back: battery life. And until manufacturers figure it out, sales numbers prove consumers aren’t yet biting.
qualcomm qcc3026 fully wireless headphones bluetooth

Qualcomm’s new fully wireless in-ear chip makes banded Bluetooth buds obsolete

Qualcomm's new QCC3026 chip will take fully wireless headphones to the next level, offering up to 50 percent more battery life, more powerful audio processing, and the potential for lower price points, a move that could make banded wireless in-ears obsolete.
The Jetsons Technology Instant Food

How close are we to living in ‘The Jetsons’? Checking in on our smart-home future

From video calling to robot maids, The Jetsons made many bold predictions of what daily life could be like in the year 2062. We took a look at the technology featured in the cartoon to see how close (or how far off) the cartoon was in predicting the technology of the future.
Marvel's Luke Cage Season 2

‘I ain’t going nowhere.’ Season 2 of ‘Luke Cage’ does Harlem’s hero proud

The second season of Luke Cage brings Mike Colter back as the steel-skinned hero of Harlem with a host of new enemies and allies joining the series along with some familiar faces, but can it top the critically acclaimed first season? Here's our review of Luke Cage season 2.
Best Vinyl Setups

Is laser-cut ‘HD Vinyl’ the Holy Grail for audiophiles, or just a gimmick?

Austrian music distributor Guenter Loibl wants to revolutionize the way vinyl records are made, using a precise industrial laser in the pressing process with an aim to offer increased fidelity and play time. We asked the experts: Can HD Vinyl deliver on such lofty promises, or do records already sound as good as they ever will?
smarthome by savant behind the scenes feature

How Savant makes a complex smart home run like a Swiss watch

Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri may be able to talk to a bunch of different devices, but so far they aren't proven to be as good at making multiple devices work together in concert. In order to fully automate a home, it helps to enlist home automation services from a company like Savant.
dolby atmos nhra 11000 horses in your living room dolbyfeature feat

How do you re-create the air-ripping launch of 11,000-hp dragsters? Dolby Atmos

Dolby and the NHRA have been working together on something special. The two entities have been producing live drag races in spine-chilling Dolby Atmos. Digital Trends recently went behind the scenes at a race in Las Vegas to check out this newly forged partnership in action.
google pixel buds headphones news feat

5 things Google’s Pixel Buds 2 need to outdo Apple’s AirPods

That Google is all but certainly working on a second generation of its failed Pixel Buds doesn’t come as a surprise, but the company faces an uphill battle. We decided to do Google a solid by outlining five things the company must do to make the Pixel Buds 2 viable, let alone successful.
meridian dsp8000se

Step inside the home of LG’s new audio partner in crime, Meridian Audio

South Korea’s LG Electronics is raising the stakes in the quest for sonic supremacy, adding hi-fi features to its latest lineup and a new audio partner in Britain’s Meridian Audio. We crossed the Atlantic to go behind the scenes with the flagship speakers to find out more.
wireless charging over distance barriers energous feat

When will your phone charge wirelessly in your pocket? We asked an expert

The idea that our smartphones might charge in our pockets, or smartwatches might charge up on our wrists, is appealing, but how close are we to a world without wires? True wireless charging is creeping closer, but there still some big barriers to overcome. We spoke to experts at Energous and Ossia to find out more.
the handmaids tale season 2 samira wiley joseph fiennes interview unwomen

The Handmaid’s Tale cast on why only Gilead’s powerful men get to use technology

The Handmaid's Tale stars Samira Wiley and Joseph Fiennes, and the show's executive producer, Warren Littlefield, reflect on how technology is a form of oppression in the hit show, as well as the scenes too gruesome to shoot, and what we might see in a potential season 3 of Hulu's award-winning series.
nextvr nba league pass writing future of vr nbafeature 15

How NextVR and the NBA are bringing VR from the sidelines to center court

NextVR and the NBA have been working together to broadcast dozens of live games inVR. We went behind the scenes to find out how it’s done.
sonarworks-desktop-app-true-fi

Can this app make EarPods sound like studio-grade cans? We tested to find out

Sonarworks' True-Fi headphone app promises a revolutionary way to modify the sound signature of your favorite headphones for a more accurate, linear response. But is it right for you?
Cambridge Audio CX

Cambridge Audio’s Edge line spearheads the company’s next British invasion

Cambridge Audio talks to Digital Trends about the company’s 50th anniversary, its impressive new Edge audio line, the British sound, and how it all comes together in some exciting new products.
Pamu

For $29, the PaMu truly wireless earbuds are a no-brainer

Can these true wireless buds, which cost just 29 measly dollars, really live up to their potential as a worthwhile asset in your workout routine?
Studio 19 Solo EQ speaker

The Solo looks unlike any speaker you’ve ever seen (and a lot like an ashtray)

Studio19 just launched a crowdfunding campaign for its Solo wireless speaker, and we took it for a quick spin. Here are our thoughts.
iphone to android lg v30

Audiophiles belong on Android. Here’s what I learned from switching over

After 9 years with the iPhone, I switched to LG’s V30 to keep my precious headphones. It’s always scary trying something new, but taking the leap isn’t as hard as you might think.

How the ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ FX team created a realistic ape army

'War for the Planet of the Apes' visual effects supervisor Dan Lemmon explains how monkey business raised the bar for visual effects in the Planet of the Apes trilogy's final chapter.
star wars the last jedi visual effects starwars thelastjedi snoke2

How the ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ FX team crafted its skin-crawling villain

How the Oscar-nominated visual effects in 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' brought Supreme Leader Snoke to terrifying life and created the saga's quietest collision.

Where Baby Groot’s dance moves came from, and other FX secrets from ‘Guardians 2’

It took some complex mathematics and a lot of sweet dance moves to create the groundbreaking visual effects that earned 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' an Oscar nomination.
oscar effects kong skull island octopus after

How the ‘Kong: Skull Island’ FX team built a bigger, better King

The visual effects supervisors on 'Kong: Skull Island' explain how they brought the biggest version of King Kong ever to the screen with Oscar-nominated effects.
DirectTV 4K HDR Pebble Beach

DirecTV wants to make 4K HDR sports par for the course. Here’s how it’ll work

4K HDR TVs deserve live sports in 4K HDR, and DirecTV is doing its best to deliver more of that content to its subscribers while pushing an industry forward.
CES 2018 Show Floor

CES 2018 is over, but these hot products and trends will shape the year ahead

From new TVs to audio gear to self-driving cars and more, CES 2018 revealed trends that will shape the year ahead in gadgets. Here’s what you need to know.

TVs want to be the center of your smart home, but does that really make sense?

TV manufacturers like Samsung are pushing their new digital assistant-enabled TVs as the future hub of your smart home. Will that bear out?
MicroLED vs OLED

MicroLED is the new hotness in TVs. But OLED isn’t going anywhere

Samsung wowed the crowds at CES 2018 with its 146-inch display using MicroLED technology called “The Wall.” But it’s OLED that will soon land in your living room.
control 4 smart home with alexa theater video two feature

Gutting this A/V rack was just the start of our home-theater overhaul

Digital Trends, Control4 and Technology Design Associates partnered with Sony and Audio Control to renovate an aging home theater.
control 4 smart home with alexa theater video one control4 installation feature

We took a dumb home and made it smart. Here’s where we started

Watch as Digital Trends, Control4, and Technology Design Associates transform a technologically outdated home into a smart home marvel.
best new shows and movies to stream fences marvels runaways 2

Best new shows and movies to stream: ‘Marvel’s Runaways,’ ‘Godless,’ and more

Need something to watch this weekend? Check out our list of the best new shows and movies to stream this week.