tv

Tue
22
Jan
John Lister's picture

Roll Away TV, Smart Sockets Among New Gadgets at CES

CES (also known as the Consumer Electronics Show) is the biggest annual gadget show in the United States and is the place where top manufacturers show off their new devices for the first time. Many of the offerings seem implausible or unnecessary - ... this year saw virtual reality shoes and a notepad that works underwater - but others catch on and are genuinely useful. Here are some of the highlights from 2019: A "smart socket" power outlet detects the charge level in a plugged-in device and then cuts out once it's fully charged to reduce energy use. For now it's designed for mobile devices such ... (view more)

Wed
03
Oct
John Lister's picture

New Sunglasses Make PC, TV Screens Invisible

A new pair of sunglasses aims to block out screens such as TV sets and computers. It's a real product, though it's as much an art and culture project than a true business idea. The glasses work in a similar fashion to polarized lenses in ordinary ... sunglasses, which block out the most intense reflected lights from the sun. With sunglasses the idea is to block any light that's reflected off a surface such as the ground or sea, thus reducing the overall brightness. Glasses Turn Screens Black With these special glasses, however, the lenses are flat rather than curved and are rotated 90 degrees. ... (view more)

Thu
13
Sep
John Lister's picture

Vizio Smart TVs Spied on Users; Sold Data to Ad Firms

Smart TV sets that passed on user data without permission might have to display a message suggesting users sue the manufacturers. It's an unusual proposal in a class action lawsuit. Last year Vizio agreed to pay $3.7 million in fines to settle ... investigations by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the New Jersey attorney general. The TVs in question used Internet connectivity (providing the TV was connected to Internet access at the home by the user), which then utilized a feature called "Smart Interactivity". Though the feature was enabled by default, users could switch it off ... (view more)

Wed
10
Jan
John Lister's picture

Samsung Unveils 'The Wall' - a Massive 146" MLED TV

Samsung has unveiled a massive 146" television, nicknamed " The Wall " (pic). While the size is clearly too large for most homes, it uses a new approach that could mean more choices about television set size in future. Most TV sets these days use ... liquid-crystal displays (LCD). In simple terms, these TV's shine light through tiny crystals that - depending on their electric charge - either pass through and color the light, or simply show a black background that's behind the screen. Samsung's new screen is currently a prototype only. It instead uses what calls a MicroLED ... (view more)

Wed
12
Jul
John Lister's picture

Microsoft to use TV Airwaves for Internet 'Super WiFi'

Microsoft wants to use unused TV frequencies to provide Internet service in rural areas. It believes its size could help bring down the costs of the technology. The system is known as white-spaces technology and uses wireless frequencies that are in ... the band reserved for over-the-air TV broadcasts but aren't currently being used. While Microsoft plans to use some of these frequencies, it wants the government to reserve at least three frequencies in each local area for use with the technology. (Source: nytimes.com ) Tech Works Like WiFi In principle, wireless Internet signals can be sent ... (view more)

Wed
08
Feb
John Lister's picture

Smart TV Maker Spied on Viewing Habits, Sold Data

Vizio is to pay $2.2 million in fines after tracking viewing habits on 11 million smart TVs without their owners' knowledge or permission. They then sold the details, including personal information, to advertisers. As part of a settlement, Vizio has ... now agreed to inform customers about the practice and promises to always get their express consent before tracking any viewing. It will also have to delete much of the data it has already collected. Vizio had relied on the idea that customers retained enough control because there was a setting named "Smart Interactivity" that could ... (view more)

Tue
09
Aug
John Lister's picture

Hulu Abandons Free Service; to become Subscription Only

Hulu is ditching its free TV service, though it will still be available in a different form. Analysts believe the move was forced on it by the television industry. Up until now, Hulu users had three options for streaming video online. The free, ... basic service let users watch many network and cable shows the day after broadcast - but only if users watched commercials. In most cases, the five most recent episodes of a show were available online. Customers can also pay $7.99 a month for a "limited commercials" option, or $11.99 a month to cut out commercials altogether. Both of these ... (view more)

Mon
21
Oct
Dennis Faas's picture

Giant Asteroid Could Smash Earth in 2032: Report

Astronomers in the Ukraine say there's a small chance that a massive asteroid could slam into the earth in less than twenty years' time. According to researchers, the impact would be roughly equivalent to having 2,500 nuclear bombs explode in one ... location. The asteroid -- which has been named '2013 TV 135' -- was recently discovered by scientists at the Ukraine's Crimean Astrophysical Observatory. The scientists say that, with a width of roughly 1,300 feet, the asteroid is much larger than your average space rock. That's why they suggest that, should the object slam into earth, it would be ... (view more)

Fri
20
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

'Sony Stick' Streams Internet Video to Your TV

Sony is launching its own version of the Google Chromecast plug-in stick for televisions. But Sony's 'Smart Stick' will be substantially more expensive than Google's device and may only work with some TVs. Google's Chromecast launched this past ... July. It plugs into an HDMI port on a TV set and lets users play virtually any online videos using a smartphone, tablet, or computer. The Chromecast uses WiFi to connect to the Internet and stream the video. Ironically, Sony's device actually uses Google technology -- in this case, features taken from Google TV, a range of set-top boxes that aimed to ... (view more)

Fri
16
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

New 'Dual Screen' 3DTV Could 'Save Your Marriage'

Samsung has developed a 3D HDTV set that allows two people to watch different shows -- in full screen mode -- at the same time. The feature uses active 3D glasses, which work by alternating between showing frames designed for the left eye and the ... right eye. The individual lenses have filters that block the light from getting through and these filters switch on and off so that you always see the intended frame at any moment. Your brain then combines the two differing sets of information coming into your eyes to create a 3D picture. Different Glasses Show Different Pictures The Samsung ... (view more)

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