Technology - Google News

Sony finds a home for Crystal LED screens: virtual set backgrounds - Engadget
JBL’s Bar 5.0 Multibeam is an all-in-one soundbar with Virtual Dolby Atmos - The Verge
Samsung's $550 Galaxy Chromebook 2 Rocks a Gorgeous Paint Job and QLED Display - Gizmodo

Sony finds a home for Crystal LED screens: virtual set backgrounds - Engadget

Posted: 06 Jan 2021 10:49 PM PST

Sony Crystal LED displays used as background screens for TV and film. — Sony

The first time we saw Sony's Crystal LED display in 2012, it looked amazing but still wasn't on track to compete with OLED. Since then Sony has returned to CES with Crystal LED panels similar to Samsung's MicroLEDs, advertising it as a way to build up wall-sized screens piece by piece, and execs have said they were committed to developing the displays for additional uses.

Now, for 2021 Sony seems to have found a perfect niche for the modular bezel-free tiles of Crystal LED — background screens of virtual sets like the ones used in production of The Mandalorian.

Its professional display arm unveiled two versions of the screens, a C- and B- series, that are turned for either 1,000,000:1 high contrast or high brightness, respectively. The 1,800 cd/m2-capable B-series was developed with Sony Pictures specifically for use as a studio backdrop without showing reflections, while the C-Series is more for installation in lobbies or showrooms. They use the same processing as Sony's TVs, with the ability to handle HDR, 120 fps and 3D video sources.

There's no word on pricing, but a massive 4K display Sony brought to CES to play PS4 games on in 2019 would've cost about $800k. Still, finding more uses for the technology, which uses ultrafine LED elements mounted to each color for practically unmatched contrast, could make it slightly more realistic for installation in a home theater setup.

Follow all of the latest news from CES 2021 right here!

In this article: backdrop, Crystal LED, virtual set, ces2021, Sony, news, gear

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JBL’s Bar 5.0 Multibeam is an all-in-one soundbar with Virtual Dolby Atmos - The Verge

Posted: 07 Jan 2021 07:40 AM PST

JBL's Bar 5.0 Multibeam is a new soundbar which is its first to offer Virtual Dolby Atmos thanks to its Multibeam technology. It will be available for $399.95 (£349.99) starting later this spring.

The announcement of the JBL Bar 5.0 comes a year after the company announced its first Dolby Atmos soundbar, the JBL Bar 9.1. The previous Atmos soundbar used upward-firing drivers to bounce sound off the ceiling to give the impression of it coming from above. In contrast, the new JBL Bar 5.0, which costs less than half the price of its predecessor, uses virtualization to achieve what JBL claims is a similar effect. It's unlikely to sound as convincing, but the result is a much more affordable soundbar.

The JBL Bar 5.0 uses five drivers (three forward-facing and two side-facing), and four passive radiators to create its sound. It supports streaming via Bluetooth, Alexa (including multiroom audio), Apple AirPlay 2, and has Chromecast support built in.

The JBL Bar 5.0 isn't the only new device the company is announcing today. There's also the JBL Charge 5, which is a new Bluetooth speaker costing $179.95 (£159.99) that will be available beginning in March. It offers 20 hours of playback and contains a 7,500mAh battery that can be used to charge external devices.

Finally, JBL also has a collection of headphones to announce. There's the $129.95 (£119.99) JBL Live 460NC noise-canceling on-ear headphones that have up to 50 hours of battery life and will be available from March. The JBL Reflect Mini NC true wireless earbuds are also releasing in the US this spring, where they'll cost $149.95. The JBL Live Pro Plus noise-canceling true wireless earbuds cost $179.95 (£169.99) and will go on sale in April.

Next are the over-ear JBL Live 660NC noise-canceling headphones that feature up to 50 hours of battery life and will cost $199.95 (£159.99) when they go on sale in March. The JBL Tour Pro Plus noise-canceling, true wireless earbuds will also cost $199.95 (or £179.99 in the UK) and release in May. JBL has also announced US pricing and a March 14th release date for four headphones in its Tune series.

Finally, the most expensive new headphones being announced today are the $299.95 (£279.99) JBL Tour One noise-canceling over-ear headphones that feature up to 50 hours of playback. They'll go on sale starting in May.

Update January 7th, 11:09AM ET: Updated with additional headphones announced by JBL today.

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Samsung's $550 Galaxy Chromebook 2 Rocks a Gorgeous Paint Job and QLED Display - Gizmodo

Posted: 07 Jan 2021 06:00 AM PST

Illustration for article titled Samsungs $550 Galaxy Chromebook 2 Rocks a Gorgeous Paint Job and QLED Display — Image: Samsung

Last year's Galaxy Chromebook was one of the slickest laptops announced at CES, and now for CES 2021, Samsung is returning with the Galaxy Chromebook 2 which sports a more affordable price tag and the first QLED display available on any Chrome OS device.

Starting at just $550, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 has retained many of the original $1,000 Galaxy Chromebook's best qualities while coming in at almost half the price. The Galaxy Chromebook 2 still has a 360-degree 2-in-1 design with a premium aluminum chassis, a backlit keyboard, an included stylus with 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, and even the same eye-catching red (or gray) paint job.

However, instead of the OLED display Samsung used on the previous model, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 comes with a 1920 x 1080 13.3-inch QLED touchscreen, which borrows the quantum dot tech used in many of Samsung's TVs to hopefully produce rich, vibrant colors. And to enhance the laptop's entertainment and movie watching credentials even further, Samsung has included what it's calling Smart AMP sound, which Samsung claims is 178% louder than an average laptop amplifier.

On the inside, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 comes in two configurations starting with an Intel Celeron 5205 U CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage, with the option to upgrade to an Intel Core i3-10110U CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. And to round out the Galaxy Chromebook 2's specs, you also get support for Wi-Fi 6 along with two USB-C ports (both of which can be used for charging), a microSD card reader, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

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So even though the more expensive and fancier original Galaxy Chromebook isn't going away, for those looking to put less stress on their budget, between its very similar design, its new QLED display, and its included stylus support, the new Galaxy Chromebook 2 seems like a much better value.

The new Galaxy Chromebook is slated to be available sometime in Q1 2021.

And if you want to see more new gadgets and devices from CES 2021, click here to read our complete coverage.

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