Posted Mon Jul 24, 2017 at 09:30 PM PDT by Steven Cohen
We've compiled the latest gear news, including the launch of Samsung's LED theater screen, new smartphones from LG, and more.
From product announcements and streaming app updates to general industry news and recent gear trends, keeping up with the latest tech news can be a daunting task. With that in mind, we're here to offer you a roundup of some of the latest gear and consumer electronics news that you may have missed.
For this edition, we're covering the launch of Samsung's LED Cinema Screen for movie theaters, LG's newest smartphone models, and the arrival of Hulu live streaming on Amazon Fire TV products.
So, without further ado, here's a rundown of some of the latest gear and tech news:
As previously reported, Samsung has developed the world's first commercial Cinema HDR LED Screen for movie theaters, and now the company has installed its first display at the Lotte Cinema World Tower in Korea.
"Through sharper and more realistic colors, complementary audio and an elevated presentation, our Cinema LED Screen makes viewers feel as if they are part of the picture," said HS Kim, President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. "We are excited to partner with Lotte Cinema to bring this technology to theater-goers, and look forward to continuing to shape the cinema of the future."
Designed for a variety of movie theater configurations as an alternative to digital projector systems, the Cinema Screen measures 33.8ft wide and offers a 4K (4,096 x 2,160) resolution. The screen uses direct-lit LED technology and is capable of High Dynamic Range (HDR) at a peak brightness level nearly 10 times greater than standard cinema projectors (146fL versus 14fL). Likewise, the display is said to provide improved uniformity without optical distortion or interference, along with a nearly infinity:1 contrast ratio and highly accurate color, exceeding the DCI specifications.
In addition, Samsung has paired the new display at the Lotte Cinema with audio tech developed by JBL by Harman, including powerful speakers bordering the screen, proprietary audio processing, and JBL's Sculpted Surround system.
Source: Samsung
LG has announced the latest additions to its mobile lineup. The new mid-range Q6 and Q8 smartphones offer many of the same features found on the company's more expensive flagship models.
"The LG Q6 is a blend of premium features, great performance and attractive pricing, a combination that is extremely important to us as we look at the way consumers are using smartphones around the world," said Juno Cho, president of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. "The Q series is our way of getting the superb experiences with the essence of the LG’s premium line-ups to more consumers’ hands and pockets."
The Q6 features a 5.5-inch FHD+ FullVision display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. Variants will include the Q6+, Q6 and Q6α. Meanwhile, the Q8 features a 5.2-inch QHD IPS Quantum Display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440, along with a customizable always-on Second Screen on top of the main display.
Here's a rundown of key specs for each series:
LG Q6
Chipset: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 435 Mobile Platform
Display: 5.5-inch 18:9 FHD+ FullVision Display (2160 x 1080 / 442ppi)
Memory: Q6+: 4GB RAM / 64GB ROM, Q6: 3GB RAM / 32GB ROM, Q6α: 2GB RAM / 16GB ROM
Camera: Rear 13MP Standard Angle / Front 5MP Wide Angle
Battery: 3,000mAh (embedded)
Operating System: Android 7.1.1 Nougat
Size: 142.5 x 69.3 x 8.1mm
Weight: 149g
Network: LTE / 3G / 2G
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n / Bluetooth 4.2 / NFC / USB Type-B 2.0
Colors: Q6+: Astro Black / Ice Platinum / Marine Blue, Q6: Astro Black / Ice Platinum / Mystic White / Terra Gold, Q6α: Astro Black / Ice Platinum / Terra Gold
LG Q8
Chipset: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 820 Mobile Platform
Display: Main 5.2-inch QHD IPS Quantum Display (2560 x 1440 / 570ppi), Secondary IPS Quantum Display (160 x 1040 / 570ppi)
Memory: 4GB LPDDR4 RAM / 32GB UFS ROM / microSD (up to 2TB)
Camera: Front: 5MP Wide (F1.9 / 120°), Rear Dual: 8MP Wide (F2.4 / 135°) / 16MP Standard (F1.8 / 78°)
Battery: 3,000mAh (embedded)
Operating System: Android 7.0 Nougat
Size: 148.9 x 71.9 x 7.9mm
Weight: 146g
Network: LTE / 3G / 2G
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac / Bluetooth 4.2 BLE / NFC / USB Type-C
Color: Urban Titan
Others: Water and Dust Resistant (IP67) / Steady Record 2.0 / High AOP Mic / Second Screen / 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC / Fingerprint Sensor / Qualcomm Quick Charge™ 3.0 /Hi-Fi Video Recording / HD Audio Recorder / Studio Mode /
The LG Q6 will launch in Asia next month and will then expand to Europe, Latin America, and North America. The LG Q8 will first launch in key European markets this week and then expand to Asia next month.
Hulu has announced the expansion of its new Hulu interface and Hulu Live TV Beta to the Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick. The live service previously launched on the Apple TV, Xbox One, iOS and Android mobile devices, and Chromecast in May.
The Hulu with Live TV beta costs $40 per month and combines a live and on demand TV service with Hulu's standard streaming collection. The platform includes access to content from ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, with local live broadcast affiliate programming immediately available in many markets; live sporting events from top pro and college leagues on channels like CBS Sports, ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports and TNT; regional sports networks in many markets; news channels like CNN, CNBC, Fox News, Fox Business and MSNBC; lifestyle programming from Bravo, E!, Food Network, HGTV and Travel Channel; additional networks like A&E, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Disney Channel, Freeform, FX, HISTORY, Lifetime, National Geographic, TBS, USA Network, Viceland, and more; and Hulu's existing $8 premium streaming plan with limited commercials and more than 3500 TV and film titles. Likewise, users can also subscribe to add-on packages for HBO, Cinemax, and Showtime.
In addition, Fire TV and Fire TV Stick users also now have access to the standard Hulu platform's updated interface and personalization features.
Source: Hulu
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