Samsung has issued an official response in regards to the firmware update earlier in March that bricked the HW-Q990D soundbar — the best soundbar currently available — as well as some other Samsung models, including the HW-Q800D and HW-S801D. The following is the official response sent to Digital Trends by Samsung:
“Samsung Electronics has identified a software update error as the cause of the operational issue affecting certain 2024 soundbar devices. We are taking immediate action to resolve the situation. Samsung is offering free repairs for all affected units—regardless of warranty status.”
Earlier in the month, Samsung released firmware update 1020.7 that rendered the Q990D soundbar inoperable. Reports from users on the r/soundbars on Reddit, Samsung forums, and AVS Forum were posting about the update causing the soundbar to get stuck in eARC mode with no way to get it working again. (The story was originally reported by The Verge.)
A moderator on the European Samsung forums messaged saying that Samsung AV Product Specialists were aware of the issue and an OTN (Over the Network) update was the cause of the bricking, and that the OTN update was suspended. Apparently the firmware update did not affect users that initiated the update over USB.
That original post from the Samsung forum moderator continued, “If your issue is the result of an OTN update, then it will be necessary to arrange an engineer’s inspection and repair in order to get this resolved.” Samsung’s official statement above doesn’t specifically indicate that non-working units will need to be sent in for repair instead of a new firmware fix being forced to resolve the problem, but if they do, at the very least it sounds as though Samsung will cover the cost.
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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