Amazon’s Fire TV Cube gets even more hands-off with enhanced voice control
Navigation menus with a remote is just plain old fashioned at this point, which is why you can now control almost anything with enhanced Alexa voice controls on the Amazon Fire TV Cube, including third-party apps like Netflix, Hulu, and ESPN, with support for even more apps coming in the future.
Google Play Movies & TV users’ 4K libraries are about to grow on their own
If you’ve been using Google Play Movies & TV for a while, you’re about to get a major upgrade, as the service is now upgrading any movies you already own to 4K, regardless of whether you originally bought them in HD or SD resolution. The service is also adding even more ways to watch.
Budget TVs are finally worth buying, and you can thank Roku
Not all that long ago, budget TVs were only worth looking at if, well, you were on a budget. Thanks to Roku and its platform, not only are budget TVs now a viable option for anyone, they might even be a better buy than more expensive TVs, depending on what you're looking for.
How to watch Blu-rays on the Xbox One S and Xbox One X
While the Xbox One S and Xbox One X boost the visual fidelity of your games, they also can pull double-duty as Blu-ray players -- and pretty good ones at that, but there’s a little set up needed before you can start watching. We’re here to show you how to watch Blu-rays on the Xbox One S and Xbox One X.
Facebook might be planning a streaming box for your TV that watches you back
Facebook is reportedly working on a piece of hardware for your living room meant to compete with the likes of the Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Chromecast. This one has an extra feature in the form of a camera for video calls, something people may not want given the company's recent controversies.
Google Translate busts out of Pixel jail, now works on any Assistant headphones
Google’s Pixel Buds were an attempt from the company to replicate the success of Apple’s AirPods, and while they weren’t great, they had a handy feature in Google Translate integration. Now that incredibly useful feature is available on all Google Assistant-enabled headphones.
Apple Music recommendations could get superpowers thanks to latest acquisition
Apple Music is currently beating rival Spotify in the U.S., and Apple is set on making sure it stays ahead. Following the approval of its Shazam acquisition, a new report has surfaced saying that the company has acquired music analytics firm Asaii, with its founders now members of the Apple Music team.
Dish Network vs. DirecTV: Battle of the satellite TV titans
So, you’ve chosen to go with a satellite television provider, but it comes down to Dish Network vs. DirecTV. What do you pick? Check out our quick rundown of what both offer in terms of content, hardware, and pricing, and why you might choose them over the streaming services they offer.
Free original content is coming to Apple devices, but only if it’s rated PG
Apple has been teasing its own video streaming service for a long time, and has been slowly moving with its own original shows. Now new reports say that the company will bring free original content to its devices next year, but don't expect any blood and gore, as the company will only show PG content.
Sennheiser’s Ambeo AR One in-ears blur the line between the real and the virtual
For a few years now, Sennheiser has been all-in on virtual reality and augmented reality when it comes to its Ambeo line of audio gear, and now it's taking things even further with the Ambeo AR One in-ears, the first product of its kind to be certified by AR pioneer Magic Leap.
AT&T takes aim at Netflix with HBO-led streaming service set for a 2019 launch
HBO fans have worried for some time that parent company AT&T was looking to turn it into Netflix. But after its acquisition of Time Warner, the company is looking to instead launch a new, separate streaming service with programming from HBO, as well as Warner properties like Cartoon Network.
Brainwavz Blu 300 wireless earbuds deliver major water resistance at a low price
Brainwavz is known for its midrange offering like the quad-driver B400 or the 3D-printed B200, but that's not all the company does, as proved by its latest product, the Blu 300 wireless earbuds, which offer IPX7 water resistance at a price low enough to make them an impulse buy.
House of Marley’s corked-back No Bounds XL speaker is waterproof and even floats
Sure, you'll find plenty of waterproof Bluetooth speakers out there, but House of Marley's No Bounds XL takes a unique approach, with a cork-backed design that aids the company's sustainability goals and also helps the speaker float if you happen to drop it in the pool while you're rocking out.
Devialet’s downsized Phantom Reactor speaker still promises huge sound
Devialet's original Phantom speaker was capable of producing an enormous amount of sound, but it wasn't exactly ultra-portable, with a fairly large footprint and the weight to match. Now the company has unveiled the Phantom Reactor, a new take on the speaker that shrinks the size but keeps the sound.
Sony’s gold-plated music player comes to the U.S., along with new in-ears
Sony’s Signature Series is the line it reserves for some of its best of the best when it comes to audio gear, and at the 2018 Rocky Mountain International Audio Fest, the company announced new products coming to the U.S. in the DMP-Z1 digital music player and IER-Z1R in-ear headphones.
Focal’s Elegia headphones quietly make a loud impression
Until now, all of Focal’s higher-end models like the Utopia, Clear, and Clear have used open-back designs, but the company’s new Elegia headphones are its first high-end model to opt to use a closed-back design instead, which makes for better isolation from outside sound.
RHA goes full golf tee with the AirPod-like TrueConnect earbuds
Earlier this year, RHA debuted the CL2, the company's first planar magnetic in-ear headphones. Now it’s following up with another first, which comes in the form of the new TrueConnect, which is RHA’s first set of true wireless earbuds, keeping the brand’s signature style.
Plex’s new web series feature helps take the sting out of its plug-in removal
In September, Plex removed features it said users weren’t using, including plug-ins, which could be used to watch web content. Now Plex is adding built-in support for web series, and the good news is you don’t need a Plex Pass subscription to make use of the new feature.
Amazon packs UHD and HDR in a tiny form factor with the new Fire TV Stick 4K
If you’ve been waiting for a Fire TV in a small form factor that supports 4K Ultra HD content and high dynamic range, that day has finally come, as the company has unveiled the Fire TV 4K. It ships with an all-new Alexa Voice remote at a price that puts it within impulse purchase range.
Netflix is planning more interactive storytelling, starting with ‘Black Mirror’
British science fiction anthology TV series 'Black Mirror' is known for its dark tone and less-than-happy endings, but in the upcoming fifth season, fans will be able to choose just how the show ends, at least in one episode, as Netflix is experimenting with interactive programming.
Caavo’s Control Center puts itself at the center of your TV viewing experience
In early 2017, Caavo unveiled its eponymous new device that promised to seamlessly tie together your home theater, but it was pricey and complicated to set up. The company’s new Caavo Control Center slashes the price and cuts some features the original device offered, but it may be better for it.
With growing competition, Spotify’s family plan crackdown could backfire
Spotify is cracking down on users who share their family plans with friends to help everyone save a little money. The service has begun using a controversial tactic to put a stop to this, which could end up being worse for the company than it might be for users over-sharing their plans.
PlayStation Vue adds more than 500 local affiliate stations across the U.S.
While most of the focus of live TV streaming services remains on national networks, local channels are also important, especially if you still like to catch up on local news on your TV, and now PlayStation Vue has upped the number of local affiliate stations it offers to more than 540.
Onkyo’s A-9110 is a no-nonsense follow-up to an acclaimed integrated amplifier
Whether you’re looking to put together a stellar vinyl setup or just want more flexibility than an A/V receiver provides, an integrated amplifier can be a great choice, and Onkyo’s new two-channel A-9110 aims to deliver great audio performance in a relatively affordable package.
A new adapter for Dish’s AirTV Player lets it record two shows at once
Following the launch of Amazon’s Fire TV Recast, Dish is looking to catch up by offering a new adapter for its AirTV Player that lets it record shows on two over-the-air channels at the same time, though unlike the Recast, you’re still limited when it comes to where you watch your recordings.
Plex removes some rarely used features, simplifies using subtitles
Much more than a simple media server and client, Plex has been constantly adding different features over the course of its existence, and not all of them are perfect, which is why alongside making subtitles easier to use, the service is also removing some features that users don’t use very often.
SiriusXM’s $3.5 billion purchase of Pandora just might be music to our ears
If you’re a SiriusXM listener, chances are fairly good that the vast majority of that listening happens in a car. The company is aware of this and aims to expand its customer base through a $3.5 billion deal that will see it acquire streaming service Pandora, in which it already owns a 16-percent stake.
Jaybird’s new Tarah wireless headphones are meant to be as tough as you are
Wireless headphones are great, but they aren’t always as tough as we wish they were. That’s not the case with Jaybird’s new Tarah wireless sport headphones, which are meant to be tough enough to withstand everything athletes can throw at them while they’re in the middle of training.
Roku adds features, subtracts cost with its cheapest 4K streamer to date
It wasn’t that long ago that watching TV shows or movies in 4K resolution meant paying big bucks, but that has changed in recent years, and it now it has gotten even cheaper with the debut of the new Roku Premiere, the cheapest 4K streaming media player the company has ever produced.
Thanks to Dish Network, you can now watch live TV on American Airlines flights
Are you headed on a cross-country flight but don’t want to miss any of the fall TV premieres? Dish Network and American Airlines have you covered, as the two have partnered up to bring 12 live TV channels to 100 aircraft, with the number planned to rise to more than 700 in 2019.
Vizio is bringing Dolby Atmos to your living room without any setup headaches
Dolby Atmos object-based surround sound is great, adding a new dimension — height — to your home theater experience, but it can be tricky to set up. Vizio’s new home theater sound systems offer all of the good parts of Atmos without the troublesome setup challenges of some other systems.
Pandora takes aim at Spotify’s Release Radar with smart playlist The Drop
Music discovery is one of the features listeners care about most in music streaming services, and now Pandora is debuting its own answer to Spotify’s Release Radar in the form of The Drop, a weekly personalized playlist for Premium subscribers full of new music based on what they already love.
Samsung has partnered with AKG to bring new wireless headphones to the U.S.
Samsung is partnering with audio legends to bring new wireless headphones to its customers in the U.S. with the new N700NC, Y500, and Y100, which range from the over-ear noise canceling N700NC model to the lightweight Y100 in-ear model, which weighs in at just 24 grams.
What is DTS:X?
Object-based audio seriously raises the immersion level of your favorite movies with the addition of height channels in addition to standard surround. DTS:X is one of the two most popular object-based audio standards in use today. Here's everything you need to know about this awesome technology.
No cell signal? No problem: Spotify now lets you download up to 10,000 songs
If you’re a Spotify user who frequently uses the service in areas with spotty signal, you probably download songs for offline playback, but until now you were limited to 3,333 songs. Now that limit has been raised to 10,000 songs, and you can download on up to five devices now, up from three.
Plagued by technical issues, Plex Cloud will shut down on November 30
Roughly two years after Plex announced its cloud-based media streaming solution Plex Cloud, which has been plagued by technical issues for months now, the company has sent an email to some users alerting them that it will be shutting down the service for good on November 30.
Sonos speakers are getting a whole lot smarter thanks to IFTTT integration
Sonos speakers might have a lot to offer, but when it comes to smarts, they’re not quite in the same league as smart speakers from Amazon or Google. Now that is changing slightly as the company has announced integration with If This Then That to work with your smart home.
KEF revamps its R series of loudspeakers with six brand-new models
KEF’s R series of loudspeakers has gained a reputation for quality, but the brand hasn’t done that by standing still. The R series has been completely revamped for 2018 with no less than 1,043 changes, resulting in a complete overhaul of the speaker line, making it the best it’s ever been.