If you’ve read my previous review about the NVIDIA SHIELD, then you know how much I love it. The ability to watch YouTube, DirecTV Now, HBO, Netflix, as well as play games, makes it a must-have device not just in my home but also when I travel.
The annual IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin covers about 160,000 square meters and almost 2,000 exhibitors. Whether it was on the floor, at a press conference, at the media-only Showstoppers event, or in private meetings, we scoured IFA to find the latest and greatest to make up Gear Diary’s Best of IFA 2018 list.
We have more and more ways to enjoy cinematic experiences right at home. Streaming services are offering better and better content, soundbars and other speaker system enhancements bring the audio to life, and televisions just keep improving. Samsung is intent on taking this to the next level with their new Q900FN TV with an absolutely futuristic 8K resolution.
Sony takes great pride in their television quality, and they continue to push it to new levels. Their newest Master Series TVs take all the great things about Sony and add in a new feature-specially optimized Netflix modes!
This is a sponsored post; we received compensation from VIZIO, but all opinions are the author’s. In September 2016, I reviewed the Vizio M50-D1 Home Theater Display, which I still enjoy using. When Vizio invited me to review their 65” 2018 E-Series Smart TV, I was thrilled. It’s now in our living room, and I can’t believe how impressive a value this smartTV is. I’m writing this review as a #VIZIOPartner.
Cable and satellite television companies have long had the practice of setting high rates for their services because they had no one to compete with. But now that online streaming services are growing swiftly in popularity, the situation is changing. These trends threaten the kingdom that cable companies have reigned over for decades.
Remember the 6-Series televisions that TCL announced back at CES? Those 2018 4K models pack in Dolby Vision HDR, NBP Photon technology, a new iPQ Engine, and increased Contrast Control Zones, which all add up to a TV display that offers incredible detail, color contrast and picture quality that is so realistic, it almost seems 3D.
At the IFA Global Press Conference in Rome, Sascha Lange, Vice President Marketing and Sales at Sharp, was present to announce that their AQUOS 8K LV-70X500E television will be available in Europe at the end of April. This television offers an insane 7680×4320 pixels, and it was previously only available in Asia.
This week Vizio announced their 2018 fleet of products, giving substantial upgrades to their E, P, M & D Series lines. Starting at $350, the higher end models can go upwards of $2,599.99 depending on the features you desire. However, no matter which model you get, you know that Vizio won’t let you down.
Free HDTV channels are a must for any cord cutter. Many new channels are becoming available over the air which greatly expands viewing options. These channels are free, and they have fantastic picture quality. Winegard, who is known for their antenna solutions as you can see in my review here, has released an app to help find the towers.
Back at CES, TCL unveiled their 6-Series of TVs, a successor to their popular and affordable P6 series. The new 6-Series improves on its predecessors with stronger bright whites and deeper blacks, HDR Pro Gamma for even better HDR performance, Dolby Vision HDR, and TCL’s new iPQ engine for more precise color reproduction.
Television technology seems to come in spurts. There are years where it is hard to justify upgrading, and then there are times when your jaw drops and your wallet shudders in fear. It looks like 2018 is going to be the latter thanks to Samsung’s latest QLED TVs.
As a cord cutter, finding streaming sources of television has become important. One thing many streaming services ignore is over the air locals. Most local channels have 3 or 4 channels packaged together, and the HD quality is much better than what is found on a satellite. The Winegard Elite 7550 is an excellent streaming option for those local channels.
After years of dragging my feet, I recently cut the cord and freed myself from satellite costs. Sports coverage options held me back for years, but I have learned to adjust and find the games I want to watch. With the Super Bowl airing on CBS, all you really need is a decent antenna. Here are some options.
Shopping for a new TV to watch the Super Bowl on? Well here is a TV deal that rivals even some of the best Black Friday deals. TCL has dropped the price on their S Series 55-inch 55S405 model to $369.99. The 49-inch 49S405 has also been dropped and is now just $329.99. The TVs both feature a 4K Ultra HD Resolution, HDR, a 4K Creative Pro upscaling engine, a 120Hz CMI effective refresh rate, dual-band Wi-Fi, and an ethernet port. And of course they come running the awesome Roku TV interface.
With more than 4,000 companies exhibiting at CES, choosing the best of CES was a challenge. Even so, we want to recognize the products we saw that are truly innovative, take technology in new directions or, in one case, make something great accessible to every consumer.
TCL might be known for being a budget TV brand, but their product announcements at CES indicate that they are focused on bringing even more premium features to their TV series, and that includes a major focus on HDR. To that effect, today they announced two new series of 4K UHD TVs with HDR and Dolby Vision.
TCL has just announced that they’re expanding into the world of audio with their new Alto Family of products. The first release in the product line is the TCL Roku Smart Soundbar, of course, a soundbar is a natural product progression for the growing TV brand.
Think that a 100 inch LED TV is impressive? Well, 146 inches would wipe the floor with 100 inches any day. And Samsung has just stepped up the game by introducing a 146-inch MicroLED TV, AKA The Wall at CES.
Ahead of CES next week, LG is introducing a new smart TV line up, and not only do these TVs come with an advanced image processor, but they come with artificial intelligence as well. The ThinQ artificial intelligence technology will be rolled out into LG’s 2018 OLED and SUPER UHD TVs.
The Xbox One X has been a long time coming, and now that it has finally arrived, is it worth paying a premium over the Xbox One S? If you’re a serious gamer – absolutely.