AT A GLANCE Plus
Portable
Auto-focus feature
Good-quality built-in audio
Minus
Below-average contrast
Poor HDR performance
Somewhat pricey
THE VERDICT
ViewSonic's X10-4KE is a cool- looking portable projector that delivers underwhelming performance given its $1,500 price tag.
The portable video projector market is packed with options for anyone seeking a convenient, compact beamer to carry from room to room, indoors to outdoors, or home to vacation home. Most portable models top out at 1080p resolution, however, and feature only basic, and usually far from adequate, built-in audio capabilities. With its X10-4KE, ViewSonic is targeting a more discerning portable video viewer—one who expects 4K resolution and high dynamic range, along with better-than-average audio from the projector's built-in speakers.
Quibi was designed for a busy lifestyle—for those times when we are on-the-go and only have short snippets of time to kill. Now that it's launched, I have checked out the app and here's what I found.
Walmart-owned VOD service Vudu has announced that it is being purchased by Fandango, owner of competing digital video online storefront FandangoNow. News of the deal was sent out to registered users of the site on Monday, with details posted on the company’s blog.
Ah, the good old days. Happy crowds coming together in joyful celebration, shopping together for a new TV on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Seems like only yesterday. Oh, wait, it was. But in the greater scheme of things, how the current Wuhan Virus pandemic will affect our small world of consumer audio-video isn’t a big topic on the nightly news. Nevertheless, that’s our gig here, and it’s important to consider the possible consequences. Will this be the end of the A/V world as we know it?
With a global pandemic driving streamed news consumption to record numbers, internet radio has become an essential part of our locked-down lives. To that end, smart speaker-maker Sonos today announced the launch of Sonos Radio, a free ad-supported radio streaming service available exclusively on the Sonos platform for owners of the company’s products.
Prince was determined. While he had made some inroads on both the sales charts and urban radio with his first four hot-button, mostly one-man-show albums of the late-'70s and early-'80s, an opening slot on The Rolling Stones' 1981 tour exposed the narrowmindedness of many concertgoers who outright booed and/or threw things at Prince and his band while they were onstage.
Hollywood has addressed these unprecedented times with an unprecedented act by bringing first-run films directly to the public, forgoing theatrical release altogether or dramatically shortening the three-month window between theatrical runs and home release. Here are 18 recently released movies you can watch in the comfort of your home right now.
Curious about Qobuz? Since its February 2019 U.S. launch, the music streaming service has dramatically ramped up its high-res (up to 24-bit/192kHz) audio catalog and added plenty of exclusive editorial content to its desktop and portable apps. If you haven’t yet investigated Qobuz, the service’s “Gimme Shelter” campaign might be just the nudge you need to make a leap to high-res and lossless streaming.
Q I have a modest home theater in my basement that I have been slowly upgrading over the last two decades. The only component I haven’t upgraded yet is my Polk Audio subwoofer since it was a pretty decent model when I purchased it 20 years ago. Would I benefit from upgrading to a new 12-inch sub? —Cal Rempel, via email
AXPONA, the largest high-end audio event in North America, has been pushed back from April to August for 2020, but you can get a sneak peek at the new products audio manufacturers have in store by “attending” the show’s Facebook Live event this Friday, April 17—the day AXPONA 2020 was originally scheduled to open at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center in Chicago, IL.