Jon Grodem and Jyri Jokirinta of Optoma stopped by the Digital Trends’ CES 2018 booth to show off its UHD51A projector, as well as the NuForce BeFree 5 true wireless headphones.
Grodem began by detailing the UHD51A .The projector features voice control thanks to Alexa voice, and includes 12 of the most common TV commands, such as switching inputs, adjusting the volume, or launching content. This entirely removes the need for a remote, and solves a real problem — no longer are you left powerless if your remote gets lost. By using Alexa to oversee everything from the TV to the content you’re streaming, you’ll be able to control your entire watching experience with just your voice.
This is part of Optoma’s plan to eventually allow you to control your entire room or home through their products. In the future, something as simple as a single voice command could dim the lights, draw the shades, fire up your projector, and play a movie automatically.
But what about picture quality? The UHD51A can project an ultra-high-definition 4K picture of 120 to 130 inches, and can even get up to 150 inches in an appropriately dark room. Plus, you’ll have two HDCP 2.2-compliant HDMI ports, allowing you to have two 4K, HDR-supported devices plugged in at once. No more port juggling necessary.
We also get some solid information on pricing: It will be available for $1,700 this spring. Not only is it rare to get such a straightforward answer on that question at CES, it’s also remarkable that you’ll be able to get a 4K picture at 120-plus inches for such a low price.
We then got the lowdown on the NuForce BeFree 5 true wireless headphones from Jokirinta. The earphones use Bluetooth 4.2 for connectivity, are IPX5 sweat- and water -resistant, and have some novel designs that enable a strong ear seal for passive noise isolation. It also has bonus features, such as voice controls via Google Assistant, and a charging case for prolonged battery life.
Be sure to watch the full interview for all the info on both the UHD51A and the BeFree 5.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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