Of all the TVs in Samsung's flagship line-up for 2017, one model stands out head and shoulders above the rest. The Frame might have a strange name, but its combination of wafer-thin display technology and picture-frame styling make for a TV that most of the time doesn't look like a TV. Indeed, the idea is that you can hang it on your wall and tell people it's actually fancy artwork.
Apple TV may have gone from hobby to Apple's barely-better-than-hobby, but the Cupertino firm has ambitious plans for homegrown content after co-opting a pair of Hollywood execs from Sony. The move comes after rival tech firms like Amazon and Netflix, each with their own streaming TV products, have seen great success with their own, self-funded content.
Netflix has cancelled Sense8, with the show becoming the latest in the on-demand streaming TV service's growing list of axed series. Two seasons of Sense8 were produced, focusing on an eight-person group who discovered they had interlinked mental connections through which they could share emotions and more. It was the creation of Lana and Lilly Wachowski, along with J. Michael Straczynski.
Plex is adding Live TV support, adding the ability to stream content worldwide to iOS and Android devices. The system joins Plex DVR, the company's TV recording service, that has already won the hearts of cord-cutters looking to escape their monthly cable bill. Now, they'll be able to stream what's being broadcast live.
Apple's Siri speaker may well show itself at WWDC 2017, the company's annual developer conference, next week, it's reported, though it won't ship until later in the year. The device, which will take on Amazon Echo and Google Home, will give Siri a physical embodiment within the home. However, it'll also take on other tasks to help distinguish itself in the increasingly crowded smart speaker market.
DISH is looking to end "where's the remote?" hunting with an update for its Hopper and Wally set-top boxes that adds Amazon Alexa support. The new feature works with Amazon's Echo, Echo Dot, and Amazon Tap, with voice control for everything from navigating between channels, search, and the basics of pause, fast-forward, and rewind. It's the first official integration of this sort between Alexa, Amazon's virtual assistant, and a third-party TV provider's hardware.
The official House of Cards Season 5 trailer has landed, and it seems Netflix's hit series has had to crank up the tension just to compete with real politics. The show, which returns to the on-demand service on May 30, is already multi-award winning and one of Netflix's biggest draws. Now, as it enters its fifth season, critics are waiting to see whether Frank Underwood & Co. can keep the pace going.
Samsung's 2017 QLED TVs have hit shelves, with the super-skinny Ultra HD sets that wowed back at CES in January also joined by a new digital picture frame. Priced from $2,799 (MRSP), the QLED TVs use Samsung's Quantum dot display technology for 100-percent color volume along with broader viewing angles than before. A new sound bar and Blu-ray player complete the 2017 line-up.
Sonos has revealed its latest streaming speaker, the Sonos PLAYBASE, designed to slot underneath your TV and deliver better audio than your flatscreen's integrated speakers. While the company already has a speakerbar, the PLAYBAR launched a few years back, PLAYBASE is being described as a reaction to how the majority of people actually install their televisions. Rather than hang them on the wall, almost three-quarters of homes have them standing on a table, sideboard, or other piece of furniture.
Sonos' next wireless speaker, the Sonos PlayBase, has leaked, with the streaming music company's upcoming product apparently intended to sit under your TV. Speculation about the PlayBase has been circulating for some years now, after Sonos filed the name at the USPTO back in 2014. Now, courtesy of a - since pulled - BH Photo listing and some Twitter leaks, we have a better idea of what it looks like and how much it'll cost.
Remember Blu-ray? While streaming services may be hitting 4K resolution these days, there's nothing like physical media for the best quality visuals, and Sony's UBP-X800 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player is pulling out all the stops. Hitting pre-sale today, it's the company's first 4K Ultra HD model, and joins a set of brand-new TVs from the company that are also hoping you open your wallet.
Sonos has given its first public demonstration of Amazon Alexa integration, though the streaming speaker company says the actual roll-out of voice control is still some way off. The two companies announced a partnership back in August 2016, which will see Amazon's virtual assistant supplant the current iOS, Android, and desktop remote apps for Sonos' popular speaker line-up. Still, according to Sonos it's not ready for primetime yet.
