Monitor

TCL has announced that the new displays to be shown off at the next CES by this company will feature mini-LED technology. This next-gen form of backlight may prove a viable alternative to OLED. TCL asserts that its version are capable of "unrivaled contrast and brilliant clarity".

LG's upcoming line of soundbars will be unveiled at CES 2020. However, the OEM has offered some details on these new products ahead of this event. They have been developed with Meridian Audio, while also supporting Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and an AI Room Calibration feature to optimize sound based on their surroundings.

DISH, a source of paid TV that also integrates apps such as Netflix, has announced that some Google Nest products can now co-ordinate with its "Hopper" or "Wally" receivers. As a result, users of both products will gain the abilty to see video from their Nest doorbells on their big screen. This update should be available from now.

YouTube has developed a panel of controls that come into effect when it is being used on a smart TV or Chromecast-enabled device. Now, it may have also added voice commands and new remote-style buttons in this menu. They have been reported as existing in a server-side update thus far.

GoPro has released a new product that is compatible with its pre-existing mounts. However, it is not an action-cam: it is instead a mini LED floodlight intended to be used with one of them, the HERO8 Black. It can also clip onto this device, although it needs a 2nd accessory to do so.

LG unveiled several new monitors today. The flagship is a 38-inch UltraWide that boasts a 3840x1600 resolution, a 144 Hz refresh rate, and a 1 ms response time. The UltraWide connects via Thunderbolt 3 and covers 98% of the P3 colorspace, according to LG. Other monitors announced today are detailed below.

The latest firmware update for Nikon Z-series cameras allows them to use CFexpress, a new memory-card format associated with faster transfers compared to XQD. This new software also allows the Z 6 or Z 7 to record 4K UHD or full-HD video in RAW. However, this can only be done with Atomos recorders and may not be available for free.

LG has announced that the next generation of Signature OLED and NanoCell TVs have "exceeded" the requirements for the 8K Ultra HD designation. This new spec has been developed by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) in order to define the next-gen resolution standard. Therefore, the Korean giant may be the first to use buzzwords such as "Real 8K" when marketing new products.

Get ready for what could be the most expensive cheesegrater in your life: the new Mac Pro is here. It is now available to pre-order from Apple.com and retailers such as B&H. This new PC has configurations that go from 4- to 6-figure USD prices.

Magewell is a company that makes the components that connect video and audio output with the applicable software. Its latest M.2 video capture card is of its 'Eco' line-up, and is capable of single-channel operation at up to 4096x2160 at 60 frames per second over 12G-SDI. It will be launched in 2020 at the ISE exhibition.

OnePlus released its first smart TV series (the Q1 and Q1 Pro) this year. Now, it has unveiled a new accessory for it: an alternate remote control with a Netflix-branded button. However, existing customers can get it for free.

The panel-maker Vizio has reported that it "exceeded expectations" over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday period just gone, having sold 500,000 or more units of its smart TVs between these days in 2019. For example, it sold 87% more premium 4K UHD big-screens year-on-year (YoY) compared to the same event in 2018.

Nokia's first-ever smart TV will be released in India on December 10th. The TV features a 55-inch 4K panel and runs Android 9.0. It will be available on Flipkart for ₹41,999($590).

Lepow has announced a 30% discount on its portable monitor as of tomorrow (November 30, 2019). This product is a 15.6-inch display with a built-in stand-cover and dual speakers. It has USB type C and mini HDMI ports so as to be compatible with mobile devices, PCs and consoles.

LG has unveiled what it calls the "best prices of the year" on its OLED TVs sold through its site and authorized dealers in the US. It includes no less than US$2000 off one 77-inch model, and a 55-inch SKU that now goes for just $1199. These deals take effect today (November 27, 2019) and last until December 2.

Nvidia GPUs already support AMD's FreeSync monitors, but AMD's GPUs are still not compatible with Nvidia's G-Sync screens. However, Nvidia recently unveiled that these issues are to be eliminated, as 2020 G-Sync screens will provide compatibility for all non-Nvidia GPUs. This is especially beneficial for the upcoming AMD-powered PS5 and Xbox Scarlett consoles.

Canon has unveiled its Black Friday 2019 week deals, which include a number of high-end cameras, on its own website. This store also offers discounts on some lenses, as does Amazon at present. These listings also include Tamron or Sigma attachments.

NVIDIA has a new driver update for its more recent GPUs. This version (Game Ready Driver 441.20 WHQL) makes 1 more Asus monitor and 2 more Acer displays G-SYNC compatible. It may also improve gameplay in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and the VR title Stormland.

The Mi Surface is a recently-released gaming-focused monitor from Xiaomi. Now, a new leak has pointed toward an additional variant of this display line. It is to measure 29 inches rather than 34 as in the original, yet retain this device's 1500R curvature and 144 hertz (Hz) refresh rate.

The two-year old Surface Pro 5 offers essentially the same display experience as the latest Surface Pro 7 down to colors, contrast, brightness, response times, and more.

At a measured brightness of 868 nits on the center of the screen, the UBook Pro is nearly 90 percent brighter than even the Surface Pro 6. It's not everyday that a cheaper Chinese clone offers something better than the "proper" authentic version.

The European "responsible vulnerability disclosure" specialists Swascan claim to have discovered that the popular virtual conference service GoToMeeting may be subject to various common weakness enumerations (or CWEs). They may affect the ability to set up meetings with the privacy normally expected of these online events.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has conferred a number of CES 2020 Awards on some OEMs ahead of this event. They include OnePlus, LG and Acer, who have won recognition for their latest flagship devices, (or, in some cases, upcoming releases) in various categories. The actual show will run from January 7, 2020 in Las Vegas as usual.

Canon USA has unveiled its inaugural 8K broadcast lenses, the UHD-DIGISUPER 51 and 7x10.7 KAS S attachments. The company is pitching them at the capture of live TV in this UHD resolution. They also have an image format size that could become standard for the same.

Home theaters brought in a total of US$7.7 billion last year. However, this market value is thought to be capable of growing by up to $5.7 billion more over the next 6 years. The sound bar sector may grow at the greatest rate over this period.

A new rumor claims that the OnePlus 8 Pro will feature a 120Hz display. While this rumor comes seemingly out of left field, it's not out of the question for OnePlus to continue to push high-refresh rate displays in its handsets. Considering the success of the OnePlus 7 Pro's 90Hz panel, a 120Hz display may give the OnePlus 8 Pro the edge it needs over the competition.

Samsung's Developer Conference (SDC) 2019 contained numerous interesting announcements, not the least that Tizen OS for TVs can be ported to third-party devices. In addition, there are now additional developer-friendly facilities for this part of the OEM's ecosystem. They include more granular user opt-outs for ads.

Xiaomi also promised details on a fifth generation of its smart TVs during the Mi CC9 Pro debut. The OEM made good on this - less expectedly, it introduced 2 new variants of the same during the event. The Mi TV 5 Pro is the one that gets the leaked 4K QLED panel, as well as some other impressive specs.

AOPEN calls its new Chrome OS PC the "Commercial 2" as it asserts it is ready for demanding business environments. Besides its fanless, solid-state design, it is rated to withstand temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius. It can run 2 4K displays and is powered by the Intel Celeron 3865U.

Dell announced a new professional grade monitor. The Dell UltraSharp 27 4K PremierColor Monitor features a 4K resolution at 27-inches, full AdobeRGB color coverage, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, and a pop-up colorimeter. The monitors will be priced at $2000 and will be available January 15th.

Xiaomi has been dropping more spec-related hints as to what the Mi TV 5 will be capable of in the run-up to its launch. According to the OEM, it will be 4K and have 108% of the NTSC color gamut. It will also have a faster processor, as well as more RAM and storage compared to the average Android TV.

The new NVIDIA SHIELD TV and TV Pro have been released, and they come with an interestingly-shaped new remote. The manufacturer has partnered with Netflix to include a button that summons this app directly on it. However, Reddit users have found that it can also be turned to other uses.

The new and elusive 17.3-inch 4K UHD 120 Hz AU Optronics display can only be found exclusively on the Razer Blade Pro 17 at the moment. We don't know when it will begin shipping on competing laptops, but we do know that it offers the best 4K UHD gaming experience on a 17.3-inch laptop due to its significantly faster response times and refresh rates than any existing 17.3-inch 4K UHD IPS panel. 17.3-inch OLED panels have yet to become widely available.

NVIDIA now stocks the new Pro and non-Pro variants of the SHIELD TV on its official site. As projected, the latter is a 4K streaming stick with HDR 10. Both new Android 9.0 devices support Dolby Audio, can access GeForce NOW and have Google Assistant built in.

The "Mi Watch" is the likely name of Xiaomi's next wearable. The OEM has indicated that it is to be released on November 5, 2019, alongside the Mi TV 5 and Mi CC9 Pro. This new product is also projected to be a Wear OS device.

The Canon RF lens series has now added its 9th and 10th members, in the form of the 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM and 85mm F1.2L USM DS products respectively. The former is described as the most compact device in its class, whereas the latter debuts the novel feature of Defocus Smoothing. The OEM asserts that either would be an asset to those with EOS R or RP cameras.

Recently, Amazon may have accidentally spoiled the launch of the NVIDIA SHIELD TV Pro, an upcoming update to the 2017 streaming machine. A new leak indicates that the OEM has indeed prepared a 4K HDR streaming stick as well as the usual full-scale box. It apparently has 8GB in internal storage, whereas the SHIELD TV Pro has 16.

DeX is Samsung's proprietary facility that converts one of its Galaxy flagships into a desktop PC on connection to a monitor. One environment supported by the mode in Android 9.0 (Pie) is GNU/Linux. Unfortunately, its beta program will come to an end with the roll-out of Android 10.

Olympus has unveiled its newest Micro Four Thirds digital camera, the OM-D E-M5 Mark III. This mirrorless unit is based on a 20.4MP Live MOS sensor and a TruePic VIII Image Processor. The OEM asserts that it also packs a wide range of features into a relatively compact form-factor.

The QD-OLED technology promises to lower production costs by three times and improve color gamut along with light output over conventional OLEDs. Samsung has been against the adoption of OLEDs in large screen devices for over 5 years now, but the QD-OLED technology somehow changed the company's perspective, as it plans to heavily invest in OLED panels and eventually convert most of its LCD lines into OLED.

Xiaomi has announced the existence of the Mi Surface via its Weibo channel. It is a 34-inch 1500R-curved monitor with a 21:9 aspect ratio. This new panel is also rated for AMD FreeSync and 121% of the sRGB color space. The Mi Surface is to be released on October 21, 2019.

Nikon has launched the new and expansive NIKKOR Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct lens. This product name may sound familiar as it has been chosen to honor an iconic lens of the past. The new S-series lens has manual focus and an aperture of up to a whopping f/0.95.

TCL's 2019 8-series of TVs are based on QLED technology and integrate the Roku streaming platform. They are 4K HDR panels that support Dolby Vision and 100% of the DCI-P3 color space. The new TCL 8-series will become available through Best Buy in the US.

New research has shown that the market for semiconductors is estimated to grow to US$573 billion in 5 years. This may be driven by a demand for these materials in wireless communications, vehicles and online connectivity. However, the common-or-garden integrated circuit will continue to influence the market into the next decade.

Eve, the company behind the crowdfunded V tablet, has finalized the panel that will go into its crowd-developed gaming monitor, the Eve Spectrum. The Spectrum will use the same panel found in the LG UltraGear 27GL850-B IPS display, which is a 1 ms 144 Hz IPS panel. Eve will announce the final design of the Spectrum on October 18th.

Sony has launched its latest alpha-series flagship, the a9II. This new 24.2MP premium unit is distinctly pitched at professional photographers in sports reporting and other fast-moving fields. It is designed for continous shooting while still delivering top-flight auto-focus and auto-exposure.

The NVIDIA SHIELD TV is due an update soon. The most likely candidate to fit this bill has gone through registration with the FCC, and has also just secured Bluetooth SIG approval. Therefore, there may still be time for it to be released this year

Visionox is a company involved in the manufacture of flexible display panels. Its latest trick has been the Mi Mix Alpha, Xiaomi's new limited-edition wraparound-screen phone. It has recently opened a new assembly line on which similar screens measuring up to 18 inches can be produced.

Canon has released a new mirrorless camera that can record 4K vertical videos and then share them directly to social media. The EOS M200 has a 24.1MP APS-C sensor and CMOS auto-focus. It can also record in 60fps FHD and has a lightweight, convenient build.

You'll no longer have to choose between resolution and refresh rate soon enough. 4K laptop displays with fast refresh rates are finally here for both ultra-smooth movements and crisper images. Previously, panels with native 120 Hz, 144 Hz, or 240 Hz native refresh rates were limited to a native resolution of only 1080p.