CES 2016

Resolution is everything when it comes to a surveillance system, and each extra pixel can be the difference between positively identifying a bad guy and just being able to say, “Yep, we got robbed.” Swann is upping the DIY surveillance game with an upcoming everything-you-need-in-a-box surveillance system that will include four Ultra High Def 4K cameras and a 2 Terabyte NVR giving you more than 8 million per camera, all dedicated to keeping an eye on your stuff.

Sennheiser advises that the new and improved version of its HD 800 is “one step closer to perfection.” It’s dangerous for marketing people to throw around the “p-word” but in the case of the HD 800, the claim isn’t entirely specious. The HD 800 is very highly regarded and the new HD 800 S is said to be even better.

Skybuds look like ordinary wireless earbuds, but they have so much more going for them.

Sony showed one of the coolest audio innovations of the Consumer Electronics Show with the debut of the company’s new PS-HX500 turntable. While the HX500 is a fully functional, belt-driven turntable on its own with an analog output that can feed any audio system, it also features a USB output that can be connected to a computer to create ultra-high resolution, exact digital captures of the album including all of the vinyl's signature sound.

For Sony’s CES exhibit, the company put the focus on its proprietary TV technology, rather than trot out an extended lineup of 2016 models. The model it used for the demos, which encompassed its new Slim Backlight Drive, 4K Processor X1, and X-tended Dynamic Range PRO, was the XBR X930D.

Synology makes network attached storage (NAS) servers. If your home entertainment life revolves solely around media you can stream—or you store you entire life in the cloud (on someone else’s remote server)—it’s unlikely you’ll have need of a NAS server. On the other hand, if you have thousands of digital images, movies, and songs in your collection, and you’d like to have easy access to them, a NAS server is one of the most essential digital storage components you can have. Fortunately for people with lots of files to store but not so much money, Synology introduced the DiskStation DS416j—a 4-bay NAS device the company has designed for home and small office use and budgets.