Software giant Microsoft and consumer electronics manufacturer Onkyo have entered into a patent cross-licensing agreement that will enable each company to leverage some of the other’s patented technology to produce high-quality home entertainment hardware and software products. Although neither company disclosed the specific patents covered by the deal—or the specific terms—Onkyo will be sending some money Microsoft’s way, in addition to patent licenses.
“We’re very excited about this new collaboration with Microsoft,” said Onkyo business development executive Nobuaki Okuda, in a statement. “We think a mix of technology, communication, and entertainment enables greater technology solutions. These agreements strengthen our collaborative relationship, which is of immense importance and will further help us address our customers’ needs.”
Onkyo is presumably interested in licensing Microsoft technology to tie forthcoming home entertainment products into Microsoft’s digital media technology, likely including acting as a media server and adding the capability to play back and stream Windows Media content over home networks and between devices.
Onkyo also announced it has joined Microsoft’s Windows Rally program, which will provide Onkyo streamlined licensing of Microsoft technologies along with technical guidance on setting up secure and reliable connections between PCs and other media devices.
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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