On December 17, Roku began the process of automatically rolling out a new feature it had previously announced in October: tighter integration between the platform’s operating system and security cameras. Once the update hits your Roku TV or streaming media device, you’ll be able to:
The slate of devices that will be compatible with these features include all Roku Smart Home camera and doorbells — that comprises the Floodlight Camera, Video Doorbell, Wire-free Video Doorbell and Chime, Indoor 360 Camera, Outdoor Wire-free Camera, and the Indoor and Outdoor Camera SE.
You’ll also need a Roku TV or Roku player for any of this to work together (that includes the newest model of Roku Ultra, which was just announced this fall). And while you’ll still need a Roku Smart Home subscription for more detailed things like detecting people, packages, vehicles, pets and the like — and for storing video clips — you won’t need it for the camera carousel and notifications. If you do opt for the subscription, though, it’ll cost $4 a month or $40 a year for up to two cameras, or $10 a month or $100 a year for up to 99 cameras.
Roku got into the smart home game in 2022 as it partnered with Wyze first for cameras, a doorbell, and lights, and later on a full-home security system.
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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