Zotac has revealed the brand’s new Magnus One (ECM73070C) mini-PC. The compact system is an all-terrain PC aimed at conventional users, gamers, content creators and business users.
Enclosed in a case that measures 265.5 x 249 x 126mm (10.45 x 9.8 x 4.96 inches), the Magnus One comes equipped with an Intel Core i7-10700, Comet Lake processor that flaunts eight cores and 16 threads. The 65W octa-core chip features a 2.9 GHz base clock and a smashing 4.8 GHz boost clock. Zotac pairs the processor with the company’s own Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card to offer a sweet gaming experience. The Magnus One has is armed with a 500W 80 Plus Platinum power supply so power won’t be a concern.
The mini-PC provides two DDR4 SO-DIMM slots that support both DDR4-2933 and DDR4-2666 memory modules. By default, the Magnus One is outfitted with 16GB of memory, but it can be expanded to 64GB. On the storage side, the mini-PC has space for one 2.5-inch hard drive or SSD, one M.2 2280 SSD and one M.2 slot for Optane drives. Zotac’s base configuration includes a 512GB M.2 SSD and a 1TB 2.5-inch hard drive.
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The Magnus One offers several video outputs with support for up to four displays at once. The mini-PC supplies one integrated HDMI 1.4 port, one HDMI 2.1 port and up to three DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. Bear in mind that you’ll need an ultra high speed HDMI cable to get that 8K/60FPS or 4K/120FPS experience.
There are two Ethernet ports onboard the Magnus One. One standard Gigabit Ethernet port, while the other is a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port based on an unspecified Killer Ethernet controller. Don’t fret if cables aren’t your thing. The mini-PC also has Wi-Fi 6 connectivity along with Bluetooth 5 functionality.
On the connectivity end, the Magnus One features four USB 3.1 ports and four USB 3.0 ports with one of them being a Type-C port. A 3-in-1 card reader is also present for you to connect your SD, SDHC or SDXC microSD cards to the Magnus One. For audio, there’s only one 3.5mm audio jack. However, you can get access to eight-channel audio through the HDMI port.
Zotac didn’t reveal the Magnus One’s availability or pricing. Nevertheless, B&H Photo Video has already put the mini-PC up for pre-order at $1,899.99.
If people tuned into the Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints game on CBS, they may have missed all the slime. In a play for a broadcast aimed at a younger audience, the NFL aired the Wild Card matchup simultaneously on Nickelodeon, with its own announcers, goofy on-screen animations, and touchdown celebrations featuring SpongeBob SquarePants characters and, of course, green slime.
From the minute the game kicked off at 4:40PM ET to the second it ended, Nickelodeon’s broadcast was chaotic absurdity and a total delight. Whenever a player scored a touchdown, slime cannons would erupt in the end zone. Digital art, like clouds appearing at players’ feet or lighting across their chest, appeared often during replays. Nickelodeon stars — including 15-year-old Gabrielle Nevaeh Green — reported from the sidelines, making references to the network’s shows. Everyone involved seemingly embraced the utter silliness of it all.
Part of the novelty was the spectacle of it all; Nickelodeon doesn’t air NFL games (this was a special effort organized by ViacomCBS, which owns Nickelodeon) and its characters are so well known that seeing Squidward and Patrick Star emerge from a dog pile works across a number of different audiences. Part of it, however, is also a testament to how technology can do more than just enhance the visual quality of games (yes, the 8K camera footage was unsettling) — it can make them way more fun.
Like something out of a fever dream, the broadcast walked a fine line between feeling like a video game simulation of an NFL Wild Card game and an actual NFL Wild Card game. It was more colorful than a standard NFL game, and having Young Sheldon appear to explain the rules quickly to viewers managed to stay cute instead of creating an abysmal, eye-rolling experience. As Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr wrote, “To have the game stripped of all its self-importance and hubris was an absolute delight.”
Despite the zany graphics and color overload not typically present in an NFL match, the broadcast succeeded because it never talked down to its audience. It didn’t feel dumber on Nickelodeon, or even more immature. The game felt vibrant, fun and — for people who spend their Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays hunkered down in front of a television set to catch whatever games are on — refreshingly new.
Technology doesn’t just have to provide the clearest or sharpest viewing experience. It can also create the most innovative, inventive, and downright fun. A quick Twitter search reveals that I’m not the only person who enjoyed seeing the end zone splattered with slime when Drew Brees hit Michael Thomas for a touchdown.
Here’s hoping that ViacomCBS figures out a way to do it again in the 2021-2022 season, or at the very least, continues experimenting. Also, just tossing it out into the universe, but considering that Disney owns ESPN and has experimented with simulcasting games on its ABC network, why not find a way to broadcast a game on Disney Channel? Elsa and Olaf can provide live commentary! Captain America and Iron Man can represent the two opposing teams and fight! Lightsabers can light up in the end zone when touchdowns happen!
NFL games don’t have to be serious all the time. Nickelodeon proved there’s an excited audience, of kids and adults, who would take a little SpongeBob throughout the four quarters.
At the top of the range we will find two families of 8K TVs, with OD Zero Mini-LED technology, which eliminated the gap between the LED backlight layer, the Quantum Dot layer and the LCD panel. In this way the TVs can be very thin compared to the Full Array Local Dimming models and on the wide diagonals it is possible to drive more than two thousand backlight zones
by Roberto Colombo published on 11 January 2021 , at 17: 23 in the Audio Video channel TCL 4K 8K HDR Dolby Atmos Dolby Vision
For TCL on 2020 is It was a very positive year for TV sales: if at the beginning of p Covid andemia – 19 the forecasts had been adjusted to a – 10%, the rest of the year has gone in a totally different direction. The new normal, made for much longer at home, has seen TV return to being the center of home entertainment: subscriptions to streaming video services have experienced a very high growth and with it people’s need for a Latest generation TV to enjoy the contents to the fullest.
TCL has practically emptied its warehouses and in hindsight, probably, if it had had more models and more copies, it would have sold those too. The challenge facing the 2021 is quite difficult; on the one hand, keeping up with the last part of the 2020 will be hard, also considering the cycle of life of about 6 years of televisions: who has changed the TV in 2020, certainly will not be new customers in 2021.
TCL in 2021 will expand its product ranges, both on premium and budget products, but always trying to bring to as many customers as possible. The new range will debut in March, but at CES 2021 the Chinese brand took a quick look at those which will be the cornerstones of the offer.
At the top of the range we will find two families of 8K televisions , of course with Mini LED technology, which this year can count on the new generation Mini-LED OD Zero , which eliminated the gap between the backlight LED layer, the Quantum Dot layer and the LCD panel. In this way the TVs can be very thin compared to the Full Array Local Dimming models and on the wide diagonals it is possible to drive more than two thousand backlight zones.
The Mini-LED technology will land in 2021 also on the C series , where hundreds of backlight zones will be piloted, depending on the diagonal of the display. This family will also see more products on the market than last year. In addition, video profiles will also land on the C series IMAX Certified .
The ‘budget’ series, the P family, will instead receive the Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos , while premium products will also use the brightness sensor environment to offer Dolby Vision IQ .
On TVs we will find the port HDMI 2.1 , with eARC and ALLM (Auto Low-Latency Mode) and on premium models support 4K UHD 120 p VRR, with attention therefore also to the interesting market represented by gamers. The new TVs will bring the new version of the Google TV operating system, which takes the place of Android TV.
TCL technicians are also working hard to get ready for launch with the automatic calibration functionality via app CALman’s Autocal : in any case, by the end of the year the premium TVs will be equipped with it via firmware update.
As regards the further technological step, in particular for the printed OLED panels , the build factory has been kicked off 8.5, which will be able to churn out panels up to 2.5 meters. For commercial products, however, it will be necessary to wait a few more years, with the first ones scheduled for 2023 / 2024.
TCL will introduce its first Google TV models this year, the company has announced. The Hong Kong-based budget TV maker said at CES 2021 that it will roll out a series of TV sets toting the Google TV smart platform, starting in the US and expanding to other parts of the world later in the year.
As well as offering the Google TV interface – with all the apps and entertainment offerings that encompasses – TCL’s Google TVs will boast cutting-edge display technologies like Mini-LED, 8K and QLED.
Sony is the first big partner for Google TV this year but TCL appears to be not far behind with its choice of smart TV UI for 2021. Google TV was introduced with the most recent Chromecast streaming dongle at the end of 2021 has proved to be an excellent and intuitive option, helping the media streamer earn a perfect five stars in our review.
Google TV comes with over 6500 apps and supports more than 30 streaming services. It’s slick, highly usable and has one of the best recommendation engines we’ve ever tested.
There’s no word yet on pricing or availability of TCL’s Google TV sets. We’ll bring you more when it’s announced.
Affordable TV brand TCL has announced a new TV tech, at CES 2021, that allows its sets to be slimmer and better performing than ever. The TCL OD Zero Mini-LED TVs eliminate the optical distance (OD) between the Mini-LED backlight layer and the LCD screen, creating an ultra-thin build and imaging advantages.
The Hong Kong-based firm claims that the tech delivers striking brightness with “even richer colours, precise contrast, and smooth uniformity”. The idea is that by reducing the distance between the light source and the diffuser plate, it reduces refractive errors, helping to minimise haloing and increasing precision.
TCL has, so far, stopped short of announcing any TVs featuring this tech, though. These will be detailed later in the year. It also hasn’t said exactly how slim we should expect this new generation of TVs to be.
TCLs Mini-LED TVs use thousands of mini LED backlights, local dimming zones (adjustable in real time) and a brand new lens design in what the company hopes will be a more nuanced and contrast-rich viewing experience.
It showed off its first Mini-LED TV in 2018, and launched the first consumer model the next year. In 2020, it launched the very affordable 6 Series Mini-LED TV.
The company has reiterated its commitment to 8K and quantum dot technologies which it will develop along with Mini LED.
MORE:
Catch up on CES 2021: all of the news
Sony teases new microLED displays on YouTube ahead of CES 2021 reveal
Samsung announces 2021 ‘Neo QLED’ TVs with Mini LED backlight tech
Samsung 2021 TV lineup: everything you need to know
TCL makes some of the best under-$1,000 TVs you can buy, and it was also early to adopt the Mini LED technology that TV makers like Samsung and LG are only starting to use in their 2021 lineups. (TCL’s 8-Series and 6-Series both already include Mini LED backlighting.) For 2021, the company is hoping to combine its aggressive pricing strategy and technological head start on Mini LED for a new 6-Series that also goes all in on 8K resolution.
“In the year ahead, all 2021 6-Series TCL Roku TV models being launched will feature 8K resolution,” TCL announced in a press release today, noting that last year’s models will remain available as well. TCL’s AiPQ engine will be able to upscale 4K content to higher clarity and sharpness on the new 6-Series. The main problem facing 8K is a dearth of native content at that resolution — and that situation isn’t going to change anytime soon. But it seems like TCL is intent on at least pushing 8K TV prices down. Now the question becomes how much more expensive this 6-Series will be over its predecessor. We don’t know yet.
TCL thinks it’s well ahead of competitors in LCD TV technology, and that’s because of the company’s vertical integration and manufacturing expertise. This year, it’s introducing a new panel branded as “OD Zero” because the gap between the display and backlight system is zero millimeters. The result is what TCL describes as an “ultra-slim display with tens of thousands of Mini LEDs and thousands of contrast control zones.”
After LG announced it would start making LCD TVs with Mini LED, TCL published a prickly blog post that criticized OLED’s low overall market share. “There are TVs with a display technology that hasn’t notably changed since it was first used in TVs in the early 2010s and still only accounts for less than 3 percent of global TV sales,” TCL’s Aaron Dew wrote before talking up the faster evolution of LCD sets and benefits of Mini LED. “To those brands excited to introduce Mini LED in 2021, my only question is ‘what took you so long?”
TCL’s most recent 6-Series received strong reviews and was also a great choice for gamers — though it couldn’t quite pull off 4K resolution at 120Hz. Presumably, that’s something TCL will look to resolve with this upcoming model.
In 2021, TCL will also debut The XL Collection, a lineup of 85-inch displays at different price points and resolutions. Here’s what the company says you can expect:
Three different models will make up the XL Collection this year and each 85-inch TV will feature performance levels for every kind of home theater. From a simply smart 85-inch 4-Series TCL Roku TV that delivers the easiest way to enjoy 4K HDR streaming and an 85-inch 4K HDR TCL Roku TV with QLED picture quality to the ultimate 85-inch Mini LED powered 8K TCL TV with QLED wide color technology, the XL Collection will fit any budget and exceed the highest performance standards to deliver larger-than-life home entertainment.
The 4-Series will be first out of the gate among the XL Collection: it’s coming this quarter for $1,599. Not bad for a huge 4K display. The pricier XL sets with better QLED (quantum dot color) picture quality will come later in the year. Pricing on those is to be announced — and the same goes for the 8K 6-Series.
The engines start for the presentation of CES products 2021 , and it is that although recently we have seen some manufacturers drop some products that they have prepared for this week, LG has been among the first companies to start announcing new products under the framework of the fair. On this occasion, the new televisions with OLED Evo panels make an appearance, new generation panels with higher quality.
Anyway, these new LG televisions do not live only on their OLED panel, and as we can see, We found a new fourth generation LG A9 processor that is capable of improving the image compared to the original source , at the same time that it allows resizing content up to 8K for higher image quality.
Its artificial intelligence capabilities are not limited to image quality, and that is we also find what LG calls AI Sound Pro , a system that converts stereo audio information into surround for a superior experience , in addition to normalizing the volume of our viewing sessions detecting the volume of each channel and adjusting automatically to it.
How could it be Otherwise, with a more powerful processor, we find improved Smart functions, and with them, a new Magic Remote, compatible with Google Assistant and Alexa, in addition to having an area capable of receiving NFC signals.
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Jordi Bercial
Avid technology enthusiast and The electronic. I mess around with computer components almost since I learned to ride. I started working at Geeknetic after winning a contest on their forum for writing hardware articles. Drift, mechanics and photography lover. Don’t be shy and leave a comment on my articles if you have any questions.
LG has unveiled its next generation of top-tier TVs at CES 2021, with OLED very much remaining the flagship technology in the Korean company’s TV offering.
Say hello to the LG G1 and C1 OLED TV ranges, which span seven panel sizes and offer more gaming features than anywhere else, meaning plenty of choice for OLED TV buyers this year.
The C1 series OLED TVs come in the same 48in, 55in, 65in and 77in panel sizes as before, with the addition of a 83in variant for 2021. They’re 4K, as are the G1 OLEDs which come in 55in, 65in and 77in. While the 48in model was introduced last year as the new smallest size of OLED available, it seems LG is going even smaller this year with the development of a 42in OLED panel – although it doesn’t appear in the G1 or C1 OLED line-up (yet anyway).
Those looking to head up to 8K, meanwhile, will want LG’s Signature Z1 series TVs, available in 77in or an 88in. Until now LG’s 8K OLED sets have been at something of a premium. We won’t know how consumer-friendly this year’s will be until pricing is announced, but needless to say anything ‘Signature series’ usually means eye-watering price tags.
And while the company is yet to reveal many detail, it has confirmed its customary, ‘step-down’ B-series OLED TV range in the shape of the LG B1 series. As for the recently announced LG QNED MiniLED TVs, these are positioned just below the 2021 OLEDs.
Of the two ranges of premium OLED sets announced today, it’s the G1 that is the headline stealer. They are the only models to come fitted with LG’s OLED evo panel – the pinnacle of LG’s panel engineering for the year. Previously, the more affordable C series have been given OLED evo panels too, but not this time around. The 2021 LG OLED evo panels contain a new luminous element that promises higher brightness, clarity, detail and punch.
If you’d rather not wall-mount or have to put up with a TV table, then you’ll be pleased to note that LG has launched a separately sold, attractive-looking, three-legged Gallery stand for the G1 OLED to add a little home decor elegance to its top-end sets, too.
Both G1 and C1 OLEDs are powered by the new ‘Gen 4’ version of LG’s Alpha 9 (a9) processor, which brings a scene detection system to the party as well as an improvement to the Object Enhancement feature. Both enable the TV to quickly identify the important elements within each frame and adjust brightness in those areas for a better exposed image. Although unconfirmed, it’s likely that the B1 will feature the Gen 3 processor from 2020.
Gamers have plenty to smile about, too. LG partnered with Xbox and Nvidia so that its G1, C1, Z1 and B1 OLEDs could be fitted with G-Sync anti-tearing, stuttering and juddering technology, as well as AMD’s FreeSync Premium equivalent. HDMI 2.1 features such as VRR are also correct and present. LG will also be the first brand to have the Google Stadia app available on its TVs in the US, UK and much of Europe.
All of these gaming modes and settings will be available for tinkering through LG’s Game Optimizer panel to make sure you’re getting the best experience. These include motion smoothing, input delay, game genre selection, fine tuning of light levels, blue light reduction, AI Sound modes and low latency controls.
For LG’s AI Sound Pro system, the highlights are Auto Volume Leveling (which works to ensure the sound levels are the same when switching between sources) and the up-mixing of stereo and 5.1-channel audio to a virtualised, multi-dimensional and height-inclusive 5.1.2-channel effect.
One step beneath LG’s OLED TVs come the LG QNED MiniLEDs, as previously announced, which marry both NanoCell and quantum dot technologies with Mini LED backlight control. There will also be some plain NanoCell TVs, too, which will come with many of the gaming features, including the Google Stadia app, in addition to non-NanoCell LCD TVs for the budget end of the market.
As previously reported, LG’s TV UI for the year is webOS 6.0, which comes with a usability facelift with results similar to the Google TV platform found on recent Chromecast devices. There are also updates to the LG Magic Remote control.
MORE:
Take a look at the full Sony 2021 TV line-up
And here’s the Samsung 2021 TV line-up for your perusal too
According to LG, 2021 represents a major leap for its OLED TVs thanks to a new “OLED Evo” panel that outputs a brighter picture. Brightness has remained a winning factor for LCD TVs over many years; despite perfect blacks and amazing viewing angles, sometimes an OLED set just won’t get the job done if you stick it in an ultra-bright room. But LG says the Evo panel found in its new G1 series — succeeding 2020’s GX lineup — can crank higher than any of its previous OLED TVs for improved luminosity and HDR. LG likens this achievement to past OLED milestones like 4K HDR and the introduction of 8K.
The G1 series will come in 77-, 65-, and 55-inch sizes. It shares the same brains — the fourth generation of LG’s alpha9 processor — with the C1 series. Both lines feature improved image processing and can now “analyze the type of scene being shown and improve the picture accordingly.”
Last year, LG’s CX OLED was picked by many as the best TV for next-gen consoles like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. LG is following up on the CX with the C1, and there’s a new supersized 83-inch model in the lineup. (This is a strong indicator that LG and Sony, which announced an 83-inch OLED last week, are using the same panel from LG Display.) The 2021 lineup still supports VRR, G-Sync, and FreeSync, and it gets a brand-new “Game Optimizer” area of settings that brings together all the options most important to gamers, like refresh rate / VRR, low latency, and more. You can pick the genre of game you’re playing to have presets applied or customize everything to your own liking. Samsung is offering a similar concept on its 2021 TVs.
But now LG is putting a superior, brighter panel in the G1 series to help distinguish it from the more affordable C series in more ways than design alone. (The G1 has the “gallery” design that helps it fit flush against a wall when mounted.) Both the G1 and C1 series support LG’s new Gallery Stand (seen above), which might appeal to people who don’t want to mount their OLED.
On the audio front, these latest TVs are capable of virtual 5.1.2 surround sound, and LG says they’ll now level out volume levels to keep things consistent when you’re switching between inputs and streaming apps — and to prevent blaring ads on TV services.
At the bottom of the line, LG has the new A1 series, which can really be thought of as the next evolution of last year’s BX. It’s the cheapest way to get into OLED, and you still get all of the most important features — Dolby Vision, HDMI 2.1 (with VRR, ALLM, etc.) — if you can live with fewer HDMI ports and an older LG a7 processor inside. It sounds like a fair bargain, but we’ll need to wait for final pricing on the G1, C1, and A1 lineups closer to the spring to know which is the best buy for TV hunters this year.
As the company announced in December, it’s also introducing a new “QNED” lineup of LCD TVs that use Mini LED backlighting for improved contrast and less blooming than past full-array local dimming sets. The QNED series slots in between OLED and LG’s standard NanoCell LCD sets.
The Consumer Electronics Show officially begins this week. Thankfully, the Consumer Electronics Association capitulated in July and switched the whole thing over to being online-only. But it’s hard to know what CES is even supposed to be without giant convention halls filled with ostentatious displays, blinking lights, and hordes of exhausted and smelly people in off-the-rack suits. Whatever happens, you will be able to find all our coverage right here.
The chief executive of the CEA Gary Shapiro told the Wall Street Journal that his organization did its best to try to translate some of the experience online. I can tell you that many on our staff here at The Verge are absolutely dreading being made to click through 3D software models of booths like we’re playing the worst Myst remake ever.
But my guess is that it’ll be a lot smoother than that and really the thing we’ll miss the most is that it will be harder to serendipitously stumble upon some strange or clever new gadget at a tiny booth in the back reaches of the Sands convention center.
The CEA has smartly limited official keynote presentations to 30 minutes a pop. That should mean we’ll get to the announcements more quickly and have to spend a little less time hearing vague hand-waving about innovation. We’ll be covering those live (though without liveblogs), so stay tuned starting today and through the first half of the week.
The main CES keynote will come from Verizon (so expect 5G talk), but the usual suspects like Sony, Samsung, LG and others will have their own presentations. One consequence of moving the entire show online is that companies seem to be stretching out their announcements to fill the suddenly larger virtual space. So although CES’s official start is this week, many of the biggest announcements have already happened. This year’s TV announcements are essentially half-finished thanks to Samsung and Sony going so early.
This year, there will be a few trends to watch for. In TVs, 8K will continue to be everywhere but the real showdown is going to be between more traditional OLED TVs and Mini LED. But the real thing to watch for is HDMI 2.1, the new iteration of the spec that has the necessary bandwidth for more advanced gaming features. It ought to be everywhere this year. Oh, and LG has already shown off its weird concepts this year — transparent TVs are cool.
There will be plenty of 5G talk, but since this isn’t a phone show much of it will amount to more promises. Verizon is doing the keynote, however, so perhaps it will have something to say about improving its lackluster 5G network, which can often be slower than LTE. (Verizon’s 4G LTE network remains great, at least.)
Laptops and PCs will likely show up with their usual mix: a few weird concepts and a lot of decent spec bumps. I’m going to keep an eye out for two things: whether AMD can pick up more models from Intel and whether Intel can get a critical mass of “Evo” laptops with decent battery life. Because like it or not, the stunningly good Arm-based MacBooks are going to loom like a shadow over the whole proceeding. Perhaps a few companies will take a shot at making a better Arm-based Windows laptop, too.
As for smart home stuff, there’ll be the usual mix of oddities like smart toilets and improvements to the basics like fridges, ovens, and smart lights. I do wonder if there will be a small lull this year as we await the new CHIP industry standard that should reduce fragmentation in how these things communicate with each other.
One thing we’ll definitely keep an eye out for is health gadgets — and that eye will be extremely skeptical. CES is always the place where quackery and technology team up, but this year my worry is that more than a few overzealous companies will try to make COVID-specific pitches for their gadgets.
Last and perhaps least: phones. CES is rarely a phone show, and this year the fact that Samsung will be announcing its flagship Galaxy S21 just afterwards will tamp those announcements down further. I suspect we’ll see a lot of low and mid-range phones that bring down the cost of access to 5G, but I doubt anybody will try to front-run Samsung.
There may be surprises, too! You never know. We’ll be covering it all from the safety of our homes, so stay tuned. I’ll send out more newsletters than usual this week to try to keep up. And speaking of keeping up, below are the CES and CES-adjacent announcements that have already happened.
TVs
┏ Samsung’s 2021 TVs have dramatically better picture, thanks to Mini LED. Samsung’s big bet on Mini LED continues, including more dimming zones. Not having the chance to see Samsung’s TVs in person is one of my bigger regrets this year, because it is doing so much to try to innovate with LED tech instead of just going to OLED like everybody else.
But to me, the best thing Samsung did was tout a whole new set of accessibility features. In particular I like that its TVs will give users the option of enlarging the ASL bubble that appears on the lower-right of the screen. But it’s doing much more than that.
┏ Samsung made a solar-charging Eco Remote for its latest TVs. Samsung also made a lot of noise over the environment and here I was less sympathetic. If one were to do a study of the extra carbon cost of building this remote with its solar panel and integrated battery versus just letting users replace a couple of AA cells every so often, I wonder which would come out ahead.
┏ LG imagines a bed with a hidden see-thru OLED TV set. I dunno LG, a semi-transparent TV is cool enough on its own that adding a motorized gimmick and suggesting it go at the foot of a bed is just gilding the pixel lily.
The screen achieves 40 percent transparency, LG Display says, which is an improvement over past transparent LCDs the company claims achieved only 10 percent transparency. … LG imagines the screen sitting at the foot of a bed, where it can rise up partially or in full to show information or videos while retaining a view of the other side of the screen.
┏ Watch this flexible LG gaming TV bend from flat to curved. Okay I dig this.
┏ Sony’s 2021 TV lineup runs Google TV and fully embraces HDMI 2.1. Sony’s TV lineup is a little less flashy but a lot more functional this year. It’s switching over to Google TV from Android TV, for one thing. And I love this bit about the legs:
Sony has also focused on small touches, like adjustable legs that can be configured to allow enough space for a soundbar in front of the TV without obstructing the picture. Going down the lineup, you lose certain niceties (like an antireflective coating exclusive to the 8K set), but all of the TVs support Dolby Vision HDR.
┏ Roku says Roku TV was best-selling smart TV OS in North America for 2020.
Other very good big screens
┏ Acer’s latest gaming monitors include its first with HDMI 2.1. At some point, I am going to need to figure out a way to play PS5 games without using the main television for hours on end — there’s other people who want to watch TV. This looks like a great, overkill solution for that which could also serve as a really solid gaming monitor. Not cheap, though, and as Cameron Faulkner points out it is getting awfully close to “just buy an actual TV instead” territory.
In terms of specs, the standout product is the new Nitro XV28, a 28-inch 4K monitor with an IPS display and a 144Hz refresh rate with FreeSync Premium. It’s Acer’s first gaming monitor to use HDMI 2.1 ports, giving it the spec (assuming you’re using an HDMI 2.1-compliant cable) to support up to 4K gaming at 120 frames per second with variable refresh rate (VRR). … So, not only is this a solid option for PC gamers hoping to squeeze the most out of their Nvidia RTX 3080 or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, it’s an option about which PS5 and Xbox Series X owners can be equally excited.
┏ Mercedes-Benz unveils its absolutely massive 56-inch ‘Hyperscreen’ display. CES is nothing if not a show about screens, and I am sad that I won’t have a chance to go behold this screen (which is technically three screens) in person.
┏ Sony is going to start selling its Mandalorian-like virtual set displays. I’ll take two.
Audio
┏ These are Sony’s first 360-degree audio speakers. These speakers look really interesting! I do wonder how they sound, of course. I also wonder just how much content is really going to support 360-degree audio.
┏ Sony’s 360-degree audio is coming to streaming video.
┏ JBL’s new stereo amplifier pairs retro looks with modern connectivity. Click through and look at this thing. It’s very pretty!
The JBL SA750 is a new stereo amplifier pairing modern streaming technologies like Airplay 2 and Google Chromecast with a design that wouldn’t look out of place in a hi-fi rack from the ‘60s or ‘70s. It’s got a set of reassuringly chunky-looking dials and switches as physical controls, an understated display, and its sides are covered with wood veneers. The amplifier, whose release coincides with JBL’s 75th anniversary, will cost $3,000 when it goes on sale beginning this May.
┏ JBL’s Bar 5.0 Multibeam is an all-in-one soundbar with Virtual Dolby Atmos.
┏ The JLab JBuds Frames are open-ear headphones you clip to your glasses.
PCs
┏ LG’s 2021 Gram laptops feature Intel’s 11th-Gen processors. There are “Evo” laptops, Intel’s badge for devices that meet certain benchmarks for battery life and included features. As Monica Chin notes, LG might have exceeded those benchmarks in at least one category:
LG claims you could see up to 19.5 hours from the Gram 17, Gram 16, and 16 2-in-1. That’s a claim I’d usually be skeptical of, but I will say the 2020 Gram 17 had some of the longest battery life I saw from a laptop last year. It lasted around 10 hours of my daily workload (which is fairly intense). So LG knows what it’s doing when it comes to efficiency, and there’s reason for optimism.
┏ Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 hands-on: promisingly boring. Last year Samsung and Google did their level best to steal the CES show with a very red, very pretty Chromebook that ended up being very disappointing. This year Samsung is retrenching — this laptop is not a successor at all. As Monica Chin calls it, it’s a “regular-ass Chromebook.” Nothing wrong with that as long as it’s executed well. We’ll see.
┏ Lenovo’s new IdeaPad 5 Pro includes AMD Ryzen mobile processors. Lenovo is joining the 16:10 aspect ratio club, which is the hottest laptop screen club even though it’s not quite as fancy as the 3:2 aspect ratio club.
┏ Lenovo’s new Yoga all-in-one has a rotating display for better TikTok videos and Twitter scrolling. Sure, the monitor rotates and that’s rare in AIOs, but I am jealous of the feature that lets you plug in your laptop and make the two computers a little more symbiotic.
Of particular note is how Lenovo is taking advantage of USB-C with the Yoga AIO 7. Plug in your laptop with a USB-C cable, and you’ll be able to use the Yoga AIO 7’s hardware — including the display, speakers, mouse and keyboard, power supply, and even the integrated hard drive — directly with your laptop.
┏ Lenovo chases dream of making a PC Nintendo Switch with the LaVie Mini concept. Another concept that is unlikely to actually end up on store shelves, as Mitchell Clark notes:
Most, like Alienware’s UFO concept from last year, don’t ever end up making it to market, as these prototypes are often less about making viable consumer products and more about experimenting with new ideas and form factors and getting the requisite press attention during CES. Some do go on sale but don’t end up appealing to enough gamers to really make an impact, like Razer’s Edge or the initial Nvidia Shield handheld.
Gadgets and gizmos
┏ LG’s newest cordless vac automatically empties itself. I don’t know if LG will actually sell this or not — the company loves doing weird concept stuff at CES. I do know that I very much hate emptying out my vacuum so having a stand that does it for me is very appealing. Probably not appealing enough to actually buy the thing, but appealing enough for me to pay attention. That, after all, is the point of weird concept stuff.
┏ Intel launches RealSense ID, facial recognition tech that uses the company’s depth-sensing cameras. As Ian Carlos Campbell, Intel has been trying to make RealSense a Real Thing that gets included in devices for a long time now.
Intel’s RealSense tech has been knocking around for several years, popping up in odd, tech demo use cases like inserting your face into Fallout 4, and more useful ones like unlocking a laptop with Windows Hello. Intel suggests this new application of RealSense could be used in a variety of settings, like ATMs, registers, and smart locks. What the company doesn’t mention is the other popular use of facial recognition: governments and law enforcement agencies tracking and profiling people.
┏ I hope to someday sit in Kohler’s new voice-activated smart bath. If your bathtub doesn’t have color-changing lights and a literal fog machine built in, well, Kohler has the solution for those pressing problems.
┏ The 2021 Moto G Stylus, Power, and Play focus on big batteries, bigger screens, and low prices. Of all of these, the one I’m most interested in is the Power. At these price points, it seems unlikely that these phones could compete with flagships in any way. That’s true except in one case: the Power might have battery life that’s hard for any phone to beat.
┏ Kensington’s SD5700T Thunderbolt 4 dock has all the ports you could need. Monica Chin:
Thunderbolt 4 is here, and so is the first fully powered Thunderbolt 4 docking station. Kensington’s SD5700T includes a whopping 11 ports, 90W of power delivery, and transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps. It provides either one 8K output at 30 Hz or two 4K outputs at 60 Hz. … Make no mistake: This is a fancy dock. It’s listed for $289.99 on Kensington’s site.
The first Yoga family laptop with OLED display will be a variant of the Slim 7i Pro, with diagonal of 02 ” , 2.8K resolution and HDR support
by Nino Grasso published 10 January 2021 , at 15: 01 in the Laptops channel Lenovo Yoga
Lenovo announced Yoga Slim 7i Pro with display from 14 inches , which offers the possibility to choose also an OLED display, in addition to the standard rsion with LCD. The new Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro laptop with OLED panel from 14 inches to 90 Hz made its debut at CES, similarly to the version with Intel Evo certified LCD display. It is sold with Intel Core processors of 11th Generation, paired with Intel Iris Xe or NVIDIA GeForce MX graphics 450.
The device is designed to meet Intel Evo standards, and Lenovo and Intel are already working to certify the variant with OLED panel in the second quarter of 2021, pending further optimizations. Also, you can use the built-in microphones to enable Alexa features.
The OLED display is manufactured by Samsung Display, and adopts 2.8K resolution (2880 x 1800) with a refresh rate of 90 Hz in the format of 16: 10. Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro is the first PC laptop of the Lenovo Yoga line to present a display with OLED technology. The panel allows you to have all the benefits of technology: deep blacks, more extensive color saturation, significantly higher contrast ratio: “This combination of the quality of the display combined with the slim design of the laptop, with mobile processors and artificial intelligence (AI) create a premium laptop PC with excellent image quality, fast response times and low power consumption, “explains Lenovo.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro covers the 100% of the DCI-P3 gamut, with support for HDR and Dolby Vision technology. The OLED display is perfect for those looking for perfect deep black and more vibrant colors and is capable of reducing blue light emissions by up to 70% for eye health. Among the remaining technical features we mention a maximum of 16 GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage space on PCIe NVMe SSD, Harman speakers with Dolby Atmos support, an IR camera for Windows Hello and support for Wi-Fi 6.
The notebook in OLED version of Lenovo will be “available in select markets”, but the company has not yet confirmed which countries will receive it and what the introductory price will be.
The 2021 Sony Bravia lineup comes in LED and OLED varieties ranging from 50-inches to 100-inches and features HDMI 2.1, standard Google TV interface as well as the brand’s new Cognitive Processor XR. HDMI 2.1 is a big addition that is essential for PS5 and Xbox Series X owners who want to game in full 4K at 120Hz.
Arguably the biggest new feature with the new TVs is the new Cognitive Processor XR – Sony’s latest image and audio processing chip which analyzes multiple elements on screen simultaneously and adjusts the parameters for the optimal image quality. Audio is another focus of the new chip as it can analyze sound position from the signal and match it to the picture while also upscaling traditional sound elements to 3D surround sound.
While conventional Artificial Intelligence (AI) can only detect and analyze picture elements like color, contrast and detail individually, the new processor can cross-analyze an array of elements at once, just as our brains do.
By doing so, each element is adjusted to its best final outcome, in conjunction with each other, so everything is synchronized and lifelike – something that conventional AI cannot achieve.
The new TVs also come with variable refresh rate support, auto low latency mode and enhanced audio return channel support. They all support Dolby Vision HDR too. The flagship Master Series Z9J 8K LED model comes in 85-inch and 75-inch sizes while the A90J Master Series 4K OLED is available in 55”, 65” and 83” variants. The A80J 4K OLED ranges from 55” to 77” while the lower tier X90J 4K LED model tops out at 100-inches.
Pricing or availability details were not detailed yet but should be made public at CES next week.
Following the announcement of the Tab P11 tablet, Lenovo is continuing its CES show with several laptops – all of them portable, but some quite powerful as well. The laptops are powered by all sorts of CPUs – from a Snapdragon chipset through an Intel CPU to an AMD Ryzen H-series with Nvidia RTX graphics.
Lenovo IdeaPad 5G
This 14” laptop is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx chipset, a 7nm part with full support for Windows 10. Also, the low TDP allows for a fanless design and perfectly quiet operation.
True to its name, the IdeaPad 5G has next-gen connectivity
The laptop is equipped with an X55 modem, offering fast 5G connectivity (the sub-6 variety), with a potential for a major speed increase if you have a fast 5G network nearby. Somewhat disappointingly, it only supports Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) for at-home connections.
As for the laptop itself, it features a 14” screen with slender bezels. The 1080p IPS LCD panel promises 300 nits of brightness and 100% sRGB coverage. There are also user-facing speakers optimized with Dolby Audio and dual array microphones for voice and video calls.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5G is powered by a Snapdragon 8cx chipset
The laptop weighs just 1.2 kg (2.6 lbs) and measures 14.9 mm thick (0.59”). This is with a 51 WHr battery, which can last 20 hours of continuous video playback (note: local video with the 5G modem turned off). It charges over USB-C using the 65W Rapid Charge Express power adapter.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5G will launch in select markets soon, but will not be available in North America (at least not at first). Prices are TBA and will vary by region.
Lenovo IdeaPad 4G/LTE
If you don’t have 5G in your neck of the woods (or want to save some money), this is a similar 14” laptop, which drops down to the Snapdragon 8c chipset. It only offers 4G connectivity, but that can be fast enough for your needs.
The laptop can be configured with up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and a PCIe SSD with up to 512GB capacity.
Lenovo IdeaPad 5i Pro (with Intel)
If you’re not ready to jump on the “Windows on ARM” train, the IdeaPad 5i Pro uses an 11th Gen Intel Core processor (up to i7). The all-metal laptop is offered in two sizes – 14” and 16”, which weigh 1.45 kg and 2 kg, respectively. Both screens have 16:10 aspect ratio.
The larger 16” laptop has a 2.5K display with an option for 120Hz refresh rate. The IPS LCD panel can go up to 350 nits brightness. The 14” display is sharper and brighter with 2.8K resolution and 400 nits. This one has an option for 90 Hz refresh rate (you can press Fn+R to go into HRR mode).
14″ Lenovo IdeaPad 5i (with Intel Core 11th Gen and Nvidia MX450)
Configuration options include up to Intel Core i7 11th Gen and Nvidia MX450 graphics. The Lenovo Q-Control feature lets you hit Fn+Q to toggle between maximum performance and batter saving mode. You can fit 16 GB of DDR4 RAM into the laptop and an SSD up to 1 TB (PCIe M.2).
The 14” model has a 56.5 WHr battery, the 16” one gets a larger 75 WHr capacity and can be charged over its Thunderbolt 4 port. Oh, and these do have Wi-Fi 6 on board.
Interestingly, the laptops feature a 3D ToF sensor and Glance software by Mirametrix, which keeps an eye on whether you’re paying attention and can automatically pause video if you move away from the laptop.
The Intel-powered IdeaPad 5 Pro models will be available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) from March. The 16” model will start at €900, the 14” one from €700. They will not be available in North America.
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro (with AMD)
You can have these laptops with an AMD Ryzen H-series processor instead (exact configurations will be unveiled soon). These are again available with 14” 90 Hz and 16” 120 Hz displays.
This 16” Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro sets itself apart with optional Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics and up to 32 GB of DDR4 RAM. This makes it something of a gaming laptop and that 120 Hz screen won’t go to waste (the 14” model gets only an MX450 GPU).
The availability of the Ryzen-powered IdeaPads is split. The 16” model is headed to North America, it will start at $1,150 and expected to be in stores in May. The 14” model won’t be found in North America but is going to EMEA instead, launching in March at €800.
Alexa Show Mode for PC
This feature effectively turns your Lenovo laptop in a smart display that can be the hub for your smartphone. It supports voice commands and shows at-a-glance information, it can do everything an Echo Show can.
Show Mode for PC turns your Lenovo laptop into an Alexa smart display
Show Mode will launch in Q2 of this year and will be available to a wide range of Lenovo devices, including select Yoga and IdeaPad laptops.
Sony promises a lot for its upcoming Bravia TVs: The high-end devices from the new XR series include organic displays with higher peak brightness and LCDs with many small light-emitting diodes in the finely dimmable Direct-LED backlight. Sony is joining LG and Samsung, who also presented high-contrast displays with mini LEDs at the CES.
Sony wants the screens apart from with them Improved hardware also helps with artificial and cognitive intelligence: The new XR processor is intended to bring a human perspective into the representation by bringing those parts of the image that people would focus on in reality into focus on the digital screen.
In order to present the picture as the viewer would perceive it in reality, the image is divided into small zones and the focus point is determined using databases.
(Image: Sony)
Similar processes are already being used for the optimization of moving images, Sony now wants to add factors of human perception to them. For this purpose, the image is divided into many small zones in which contrast, colors and brightness are optimized depending on the focus point. In the worse case this leads to a stronger separation of foreground and background, in the better case to a high-contrast representation with more depth – tests will show the result. Sony does not reveal how many segments the image is divided into for analysis.
Mini LEDs for more contrasts The zones for image analysis have nothing to do with the zones in which the backlight of the LCD TVs can be dimmed. Unfortunately, Sony is also silent about this number. Since mini LEDs are used in the XR models, there will certainly be more than the usual Sony ones 16 zones. LG had promised zones for its new high-end TVs 2160, whether Sony wanted to use more or less dimming zones the manufacturer does not disclose.
With mini-LEDs in the finely segmented backlight, the brightness of which can be specifically changed, very bright spots can be achieved next to very dark ones in the picture.
(Picture: Sony)
There will be three LCD TV series with mini LEDs for full array local dimming (FALD): Z9J, X 95 J and X 90 J. All use the so-called XR contrast boost to improve the peak brightness for HDR playback: The 8K top model Z9J has the highest level 15, it is written with 75 and 85 inches Diagonal be available. The X 95 J with 10 he boost for the FALD backlight comes in 65, 75 and 85 inches , the X 90 J with 5 boost is in 50, 55, 65 and 75 Customs offered. The exact information on contrast, luminance and other technical features will not be announced by Sony until later.
Sony wants the display in a bright environment also improve with a new anti-reflective coating. In addition, the viewing angles of the XR-LCD TVs are said to have been improved, so colors and contrasts remain more constant when viewed from the side.
Higher Peak brightness for OLED TVs OLED TVs have no problems with large viewing angles anyway. With his new OLED models A 85 J and A 80 J Sony has also improved the luminance. For higher peak brightness, all four subpixels should now light up on particularly bright details – explosions, candle flickering in dark vaults, etc., i.e. RGB and white. The manufacturer has laminated an additional aluminum foil to the display back so that the organic layer does not heat up due to the higher current load. It should dissipate the heat better and thus also prevent the possible burn-in of contents.
The colors also benefit from the higher basic brightness, people perceive them as stronger. The contrast of the OLEDs is impressively high thanks to their rich black value. The supposed contrast boost in OLED TVs is therefore actually a luminance boost, while in LCD TVs it is mainly achieved via the reduced black levels of local dimming.
Sony’s model names are not very catchy: The overview only shows the brand new models with an XR processor .
(Image: Sony)
In addition to the devices from the XR series, this year Sony is offering LCD TVs with the 2020 known X1 processor; these are the models from the series X 85 J and X 81 J. There are also LCD TVs with the Android operating system, but only full HD resolution from the W series 800. All other Sony TVs show 4K resolution with 3840 × 2160 pixels or 8K with 7680 × 4320 Pixels in the Z9J.
XR sound and picture In terms of sound, Sony OLED TVs differ from LCDs: With the former, the sound comes directly from the screen surface. Acoustic Surface Audio is what Sony calls the process that LG intends to use for its OLED TVs in the future. At Sony you can already find the acoustic screen surfaces in the previous year’s models. They use small actuators that cause the screen surface to vibrate and thus project the sound directly to the viewer.
The LCD TVs from the XR series should now have additional built-in speakers using 3D surround 5.1. Produce 2-channel sound. In addition to various speakers, the 8K TV Z9J uses small actuators on the display frame.
The XR TVs support Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. They master the Netflix calibrated mode and deliver remastered images with immersive DTS sound with IMAX Enhanced. They are also prepared for automatic calibration with Calman and, according to Sony, provide image settings in the user image preset such as the Filmmaker mode offered by many other TV manufacturers.
The signal inputs should support HDMI 2.1, i.e. 4K / 120 Hz or 8K / 60 Hz including VRR and ALLM as well as eARC. Sony could not say whether this is the case right from the start or whether it will be submitted later via update. It was said that the HDMI specification was being finalized. The same applies to the current Sony TVs.
Design and equipment The design of the Sony has revised the devices slightly, the feet of the massive but slim TVs are now attached to the side. If there is not enough space in the living room, you can move your feet further inwards. If the soundbar is to be placed under the screen, Sony supplies higher feet on stilts.
The so-called Bravia Core, an app from the Google Store for Android TVs, is new. It is available only for the 2021 he TVs and offers depending on the model, different lots of free movies from Sony Picture Universe. For these, Sony promises the best picture quality thanks to higher bit rates. Films from the IMAX library are also offered, with further platforms to be added later. You can read more about this in “Bravia Core”: Own video streaming service for Sony TVs with up to 80 MBit / s
Sony has also added a new 4U tab to its Android TVs. The series and programs preferred by the respective viewer are displayed in the bar and suggestions for suitable content are shown. (uk)
Lenovo Announces New IdeaPads with All Kinds of Processors; AMD, Intel and Qualcomm.
The manufacturer has prepared several models of its IdeaPads in order to offer a wide range of processors, among other things. After being filtered during the summer, indicating that there would be a 5G version of the IdeaPads, now the manufacturer is in charge of announcing them in three variants according to whether they integrate Intel, AMD or Qualcomm processor, the latter being that of said 5G version
Starting with Lenovo IdeaPad 5G , this model integrates the SoC Snapdragon 8cx, a processor solvent that we could see during its departure a few months ago. It is a laptop of 14 “with FHD resolution and a screen of 300 nits of brightness. Can be purchased with up to 8GB RAM as standard and with up to 512 GB NVMe. This model can work with full cooling passive since your SoC is designed for that purpose.
On the other hand we have the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro and 5i Pro , each incorporating AMD and Intel, respectively. In this case the laptop can be purchased at 11 or 16 “, with great differences between them. The screen of 14 “reaches the 75 Hz and 350 nits with a resolution of 2.5K, while that of 16 “goes up to 120 Hz and 350 nits with 2.8K resolution. As a graphics card we will have the possibility of having a NVIDIA MX 450 .
The model with Intel will come with a processor of the 14 3rd Gen, while AMD’s will come with a next-gen Ryzen . Similarly, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5i Pro will come with Thunderbolt 4, 16 GB of RAM and up to 1 TB NVMe SSD, while the IdeaPad 5 Pro loses that Thunderbolt 4 but gains options up to 32 GB of RAM . Finally, the model of 11 “maintains a battery of 56. 5 Wh while that of 16” It amounts to 75 Wh.
IdeaPad 5G: No price or date announced
IdeaPad 5i Pro 14″: Since 699 € in March
IdeaPad 5i Pro 16″: Since 899 € in March
IdeaPad 5 Pro 14″: Since 699 € in March
IdeaPad 5 Pro 21 “: From 1149 € in May
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Pablo López
With 15 years I started overclocking my PC to get every extra FPS that he could in games and scratch a few milliseconds in SuperPi, while he was constantly posting about hardware on the Geeknetic forum as a user and reader. Surely they were so fed up with continually reading me on the forum that I became part of the writing team, where I continue to report on the latest in technology. Astrophysics and PC games are the hobbies that, after hardware, cover most of my free time.
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