[Tom’s Guide]
This year sees the emergence of tiny 3D printers smaller than the proverbial breadbox, silent and stink-free 3D printers and — especially handy — printers with 24/7 tech support. These home printers, and far fancier ones in factories, are turning out toys, tools and clothes that weren’t possible before, including scale models of users themselves made from 3D scans.
[Read the rest of 8 Awesome 3D Printing Trends to Watch]
[Tom’s Guide]
This is an exciting time for cord cutting — dropping cable or satellite TV service in favor of online video sources. Online doesn’t mean free, though.
You might be wondering, “Is cord cutting really going to save me money?” To find out, let’s consider what you like to watch, what each service offers and the price for each one.
[Read the rest of Your Guide to Cable TV Cord-Cutting]
[Tom’s Guide]
Samsung really wants you to buy a UHD TV — which has four times as many pixels as HD — because that’s where the money is. UHD sets account for 60 percent of Samsung’s TV revenue, even though they are a small fraction of the total number of TVs sold, said Bill Lee, Samsung’s vice president for TV marketing.
[Read rest of HDTVs Left Behind in Samsung’s 4K Push]
[Tom’s Guide]
Pay TV is broken, many people agree (cable companies are among the least popular of all US corporations). And Apple has a knack for fixing broken businesses, such as music downloads and smartphones. But that might not be the case for online TV, which would be Apple’s greatest challenge yet.
[Read the rest of It Might Be Too Late for Apple’s Online TV Service]
[Tom’s Guide]
The Olympus M5 MII is one of the best cameras for candid shooting, and certainly the smallest, as long as the lighting is good. Autofocus is quick in most conditions; five-axis image stabilization keeps photos and especially videos steady as you move around, and the alloy body with weather sealing means this camera is ready for all conditions. Its rotating screen with tap-to-shoot and quiet shutter (with a silent option) are ideal for keeping a low profile.
[Read the rest of Olympus E-M5 Mark II Review]
[Tom’s Guide]
Despite comedian John Oliver calling a Federal Communications Committee meeting on Net neutrality “the most boring thing I have ever seen,” the notion that the government should prevent ISPs from favoring some Internet traffic over others has hit pop-culture consciousness — thanks to Oliver’s own comic tirade last June, a speech by President Obama in November and general anxiety over Netflix buffering. The drama — such as it is for bureaucratic deliberations — peaked on Feb 4 with an article in Wired by FCC chairman Tom Wheeler announcing his intention to regulate ISPs as public utilities, using a legal provision called Title II of the Communications Act of 1934.
[Read the rest of Net Neutrality and the ‘New’ Broadband]
[Tom’s Guide]
Sling TV is the first service to offer a cord-cutter’s alternative to premium cable packages. This $20-per-month, no-contract video-streaming service runs on smart TVs, set-top boxes, computers and mobile devices. It currently streams 12 live cable channels, including ESPN, TBS, Food Network, CNN, Cartoon Network and the Disney Channel — along with the full load of commercials.
[Read the rest of Sling TV Online Video Review: Cable TV for Cord Cutters]
[Tom’s Guide]
Once an esoteric concept for technologists and online-rights activists, net neutrality is now among the top headline memes in the United States. The rise of data-intensive streaming media services such as Netflix, and the concentration of power in large Internet service providers such as Comcast and Verizon, have raised the questions of how Internet access will be parceled out and paid for among content providers and consumers.
[Read the rest of What Is Net Neutrality? An FAQ]
[Tom’s Guide]
Hot off two Golden Globe wins for its dramedy Transparent, Amazon today (Jan. 15) is carpet-bombing the online TV world with 13 new pilot shows for members of Amazon Prime ($99 per year) to watch and vote on. And if big names are a factor in success, these pilots are will go big-time.
[Read the rest of Amazon Packs Every Star It Can Find Into New TV Pilots]
[Tom’s Guide]
LG has become the OLED company, or at least the remaining OLED company, after Samsung more or less dropped out of the game. But look beyond the stunning organic screens, as I did today, and you’ll find some great LED-LCDs using the nanocrystal technology that Samsung and Sony are talking up big time.
[Read the rest of LG’s UF9550 Nanocrystal TVs Rival OLEDs]
