TCL’s rise in popularity has been impressive, but not without reason. The Chinese TV manufacturer had a successful year in 2017, releasing several excellent Roku TV models at competitive price points that put the company in the spotlight of a stage that is only getting more and more crowded. Unsurprisingly, TCL is aiming to keep that momentum, and seem to be positioning itself for even bigger moves in 2018.
At CES 2018, TCL announced it is expanding into the world of home audio with its first line of soundbars — the Alto Family.
The vanguard of this new line, the TCL Roku Smart Soundbar is a collaboration with the Streaming giant, Roku. In terms of specific specs, information is light for now
It is the first device to launch from Roku’s Whole Home Entertainment Licensing program, which sees the company integrating its Roku OS into products beyond just TVs and streaming devices. Users will be able to call on the Roku Entertainment Assistant, Roku’s voice-controlled artificial intelligence assistant, to start video and music streams, and will be able to control and play audio even when the TV is off. Searching content, as well as play, pause, and fast-forward playback controls, can also be done with voice commands. When connected to a TCL Roku TV, voice controls can be used to turn on the TV.
The soundbar can be connected to other Roku devices wirelessly thanks to the Roku Connect feature, which includes all manner of Roku smart TVs and smart speakers.
The TCL Roku Smart Soundbar is just one part of TCL’s full CES 2018 announcements, which also included the new 6 Series and 5 Series of 4K Smart TVs, which are the follow-ups to the company’s P series of TVs. All models in these lines feature support Dolby’s HDR format, Dolby Vision. Like the upcoming soundbar, both TV lines feature Roku OS and Roku Connect, making for some strong synergy.
For more information on the Alto audio line and TCL’s TV announcements, visit TCL’s website, or check out the TCL booth at CES (booth No. 12929 in Central Hall).
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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