Sean Captain

[Tom’s Guide]
After introducing a slew of mirrorless cameras recently, Sony returned to DSLRs this month with the Alpha a77 II. This $1,200 camera’s headline feature is the ability to shoot 12 photos per second, for up to five seconds — making it one of the fastest DSLRs available. Key to that speed is a rapid autofocus (AF) system based on Sony’s “translucent mirror” version of DSLR technology. Meanwhile, Canon introduced last summer its $1,999 EOS 70D camera with an AF innovation called “dual pixel” to lock focus on video subjects.
[Read more of Camera Wars: Why Autofocus is the New Megapixel]

[Tom’s Guide]
Samsung’s new NX30 sports a DSLR-like design, but this mirrorless camera offers several advantages over digital single-lens reflex cameras. These include a continuous-shooting mode of 9 frames per second and the ability to switch seamlessly from shooting stills to 1080p video and back again. The unique feature of the NX30 ($999, with 18mm-55mm lens) is its electronic viewfinder. The bright LCD eyepiece can tilt upward 90 degrees, which saves you from crouching if you are shooting something low to the ground. Plus, with its professional-quality photos, the camera’s image quality rivals that of challengers like the Canon Digital Rebel T5i and Nikon D5300.
[Read the rest of Samsung NX30 Review: Mirrorless Camera Mimics DSLR]

[Tom’s Guide]
Yahoo’s painfull puppet parody, “The Fuzz.”It’s no secret that Yahoo will be launching a new original-video strategy, possibly with four new comedy shows, at an event at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 28th. And the launch can’t come soon enough.
[Read the rest of Why Yahoo Desperately Needs Better Original Shows]

[Tom’s Guide]
Think of the Roku Streaming Stick less as a Chromecast challenger and more as a new way to enjoy all the advantages that the company’s set-top boxes offer in a more compact design. This includes a vast array of content and apps and an intuitive remote. If you have a Roku device and are happy with it, the new Roku Streaming Stick won’t offer much new. But if you are thinking about getting an online streaming device, or you’re just sick of all those boxes attached to your TV, the $50 Roku stick is an excellent — and inexpensive — way to go.
[Read the rest of Roku Streaming Stick Review: A Mighty Mini Media Machine]

[Tom’s Guide]
To the TV buzzwords “OLED,” “4K” and “Ultra HD,” you can now add the humble word “curve.” All of these options will be available to TV buyers this spring and summer. Manufacturers like Samsung are betting that you’ll pay a lot more for a slightly curving TV screen. But there are other ways to spend that money that may get you more entertainment.
[Read the rest of Why Curved TVs Will Leave You Flat Broke]

[Tom’s Guide]
The winners are in. After collecting viewer feedback on 10 new pilot shows, Amazon has picked four that will go on to a first season: the dramas “Bosch” and “The After” and the comedies/dramedies “Transparent” and “Mozart in the Jungle.”
None of the shows are groundbreaking — though some of the people behind them, like “The X-files” creator Chris Carter are. But they have subtle quirks and charms that help define the new genre of online TV.
[Read the rest of Amazon Greenlights 4 Edgy TV Pilots for First Seasons]

[GeekBeat.TV]

[See original CESLive Panel Talks 4K]