Category: Television
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Google just outed an Ethernet adapter for the Chromecast

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Many competitors have been launched recently, but Google’s Chromecast streaming HDMI stick still rules this market, having netted 10 million sales last year alone. And today the company behind it has revealed an accessory that has the potential to make the Chromecast even more useful.

What you see above is an Ethernet adapter for the Chromecast. Without it, the stick can only connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi. But if you don’t have Wi-Fi, or it simply isn’t convenient to connect your Chromecast to it for whatever reason, this neat little adapter is the solution. Read more »

Sony announces pricing and availability details of its Android-powered, ultra-thin 4K UHD TVs

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Sony has announced the pricing and availability details of its X900C and X910C series 4K Ultra HD TVs. While the former is set to arrive beginning next month, the latter will be available for purchase sometime this summer.

As for the price, the 55-inch X900C model will carry a tag of $2,499, while the 65-inch counterpart will set you back $3,999. On the other hand, the 75-inch X910C model will cost $5,499. Read more »

Amazon brings the price of the Asus Nexus Player below $65

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Amazon brought the price of the Asus-made Nexus Player below $65 in the United States. The online retail behemoth is now offering the set top box for $64.78.

The price is well below the $79 which Google is asking for the device and includes free two-day shipping for Amazon Prime members. Read more »

Razer Forge TV lands in the Google Store

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Razer’s Android TV-running console is now available to purchase from Google’s hardware store in the US and Canada. Oddly enough, though, you can’t get it in standalone fashion – just bundled with the Serval Bluetooth gamepad. For both you need to pay $149.99, the same amount that Amazon has been asking ever since it started taking pre-orders for the Forge in April.

If you want, you can purchase the Serval controller separately, but it’s been priced at an eye-watering $79.99. On the other hand, you can also use it for gaming on your Android mobile device, and it even has a phone clip included. So it’s not limited to serving as the controller for the Forge. Read more »

HTC Sense TV app makes a comeback on Windows Phone Store

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Over a month after both its Android as well as Windows Phone versions were taken down, the HTC Sense TV app is back on the Windows Phone Store.

If you aren’t already aware, the app allows owners of the HTC One (M8) to use their smartphone as a remote control for their TV. At the time the Sense TV app was discontinued, the company said that users will be prompted to download the Peel app, on which the former is based. However, that never happened. Read more »

Sony PlayStation Now support arrives for select Samsung Smart TVs

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As expected, Sony Playstation Now support made its way to Samsung Smart TVs. Sony announced the partnership with Samsung on Playstation Now late last year.

Playstation Now is currently available as a live open beta for a number of the Korean giant’s 2015 Smart TV models in the United States and Canada. Read more »

Apple will not unveil new Apple TV hardware at WWDC

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According to a report in The New York Times, we will not see a new Apple TV at WWDC. Past rumors suggested that the Cupertino giant will unveil a new set top box with the same CPU as iPhone 6.

Apple’s change of hears took place over the past couple of weeks. Read more »

Google now sells the Asus-made Nexus Player for just $79

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Since last fall when it launched, the Asus-made Nexus Player Android TV-running console has been offered for $99 in the Google Play Store. Now, though, it’s seeing its first price cut.

If you’re in the US, you can grab a Nexus Player for just $79. That’s $20 less than before, which doesn’t seem like much. On the other hand, consider that it’s in fact a 20% price reduction. Read more »

WSJ: Apple shelved its plans to launch a 4K TV more than a year ago

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According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Apple shelved its plans to build a 4K TV more than a year ago. Instead, the Cupertino giant will only launch an updated variant of its Apple TV set top box.

Apple has allegedly been exploring the possibility of entering the market for televisions for the past decade. Read more »

Firefox OS-powered Panasonic smart TVs now available for purchase in Europe

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Panasonic’s partnership with Mozilla, which was announced back in January at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), has finally borne fruit, as the electronics company’s latest line of Viera smart TVs (powered by Firefox OS) is now available for purchase in Europe.

The line-up – which includes the following models: CR850, CR730, CX800, CX750, CX700, and CX680 – will be available worldwide in the coming months, Mozilla revealed in a blog post. Although there was no official word on the cost of the TVs, the 50-inch CX700 and the 40-inch CX680 were found selling for £999 (around $1,570) and £657 (around $1,033), respectively. Read more »

Own an older Samsung Smart TV? Now you can update it to Tizen

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Samsung has released a new hardware kit that allows you to update your older Samsung Smart TVs, including the company’s 2013 F9000 series as well as the 2014 HU series, to the latest Tizen operating system. The update claims to offer better performance with a redesigned, smooth, and fast UI.

Dubbed UHD Evolution Kit (SEK-3500U), the hardware includes a new redesigned Smart Hub, a new faster octa-core processor, more RAM, updated Touch Remote with new pointer operation, MHL 3.0 connectivity for connection to mobile devices, HDMI 2.0 ports that support 4K Video @ 60p, as well as support for HEVC and VP9 codecs. Read more »

New set of promotional videos showcase HTC One M9 camera, BoomSound, themes

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No product campaign nowadays is truly complete without a few good clips, which is why HTC often hits YouTube to showcase various features of the One M9 flagship.

The videos are quite a few and touch upon such features as HTC Connect, HTC BoomSound and the new and improved HTC Sense. The phone’s new theming engine is also advertised and so is the impressive camera setup and camera app, which just recently received RAW photo functionality. Read more »

LG reveals G4 video ads, coming to a TV near you

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If anyone still hasn’t hear, although we highly doubt that with all the fuss, the LG G4 is official. The announcement was made on April 28 and there are even preorders, already available for the device in both its leather and plastic back variants.

Naturally the Korean company is now launching a PR campaign to promote its new flagship. TV commercials are a large part of any such undertaking and just a few days after the launch, LG is already showcasing the clips it will be running. Read more »

Google to end support for YouTube on older Apple TV and iOS devices

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Google has announced that YouTube apps running on select devices manufactured in 2012 and earlier will no longer be supported after this month. These devices include Sony TVs & Blu-ray Discs, Panasonic TVs & Blu-ray Discs, older iOS devices, and devices running older versions of Google TV.

“As we upgrade the YouTube Data API to bring more features, we’ll begin shutting down the old version on April 20, 2015. This will result in the current YouTube app not working on certain device models from 2012 and older,” the Mountain View, California-based company said in a blog post. The upgrade also affects the 2nd gen Apple TV. Read more »

Next generation Apple TV tipped to lack 4K video support

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According to a new report, the soon to be revealed, next generation Apple TV will lack support for 4K video streaming. The successor of the currently available TV console is expected to debut in June this year.

The upcoming fourth generation Apple TV won’t support 4K video streaming initially, because Cupertino believes that the high resolution is “still in its infancy.” Read more »