Here’s the thing about projectors: They are, generally speaking, not all that great to look at. And because they’re a projector, they, by necessity, tend to be fairly conspicuous. The new LG CineBeam Qube aims to change that.
The Qube (model HU710PB, if you’re keeping track of such things) fires out a 4K image at up to 120 inches in diagonal, thanks to an RGB laser light source. LG boasts a 450,000:1 contrast ratio here and 154% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, as well as support for HDR 10. It’s a little lacking in brightness, though, at just 500 ANSI Lumens. So you’ll want to keep that in mind if you’re considering the Qube in any well-lit room.
The Qube also sports a 1.2 throw ratio, meaning it’ll need to be a good way away from the screen (or wall or whatever) to hit that full 120-inch image size. (The minimum size is 50 inches, by the way.) So that’s another thing to keep in mind. It’s not an ultra-short throw projector. But it will automatically adjust for the keystone effect, which is nice.
But, really, that’s less of a concern given what the Qube looks like. It’s sort of a throwback to old-school projectors or even film cameras. And it looks smart enough in the press images, though there’s a good chance your home isn’t lit quite so moodily.
“Great for spaces large and small, LG CineBeam Qube is a unique lifestyle projector possessing all the qualities consumers look for when choosing a new projection solution,” YS Lee, vice president and head of the IT business unit of LG Electronics Business Solutions Company, said in a press release. “LG’s upgraded projector lineup offers a range of lifestyle-enriching devices that present outstanding spatial integration and versatility as well as immersive, cinematic viewing experiences.”
Other stats of note: The Qube weighs in at about 3 and a quarter pounds. It’s running webOS, of course, which should give it access to the wealth of streaming apps LG has at the ready. But it also will handle Chromecast and AirPlay just fine. And it has inputs for HDMI (and eARC, at that) and USB-C.
No word on pricing or availability, but we’ll be able to get a look at it for ourselves at CES 2024 in Las Vegas.
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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