The March 2015 launch of Tidal. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Roc Nation Is Tidal, the music-streaming service headed by hip-hop mogul Jay Z, the end — or is it the beginning? After a glitzy launch in March, Tidal has a horde of detractors baying for its blood. It’s already been deemed a failure, despite offering …

Sarah Tew/CNET Update (Thursday, May 7, 8:12 a.m. PT): TiVo has confirmed that the special offer has officially ended. TiVo has introduced new pricing for its entry-level Roamio OTA, which is now available for $300 with no ongoing monthly costs. The Roamio OTA is virtually identical to the standard Roamio but it lacks the CableCard slot and so requires an …

Sarah Tew/CNET Qualcomm’s AllPlay multiroom service is officially launching on the Gramafon streaming device today, six months after it was announced as an official hardware partner. The Fon Gramofon is an inexpensive streaming dongle that debuted in 2014, and which is also a Spotify Connect device and Wi-Fi extender. Gramofon joins existing partners Monster and Panasonic in bringing multiroom streaming …

Sarah Tew DTS products bearing its Play-Fi logo are now compatible with the Spotify Connect streaming standard, the company has announced. These include gear from Polk, Definitive Technology, Wren and Phorus. Prices for Play-Fi products start at $149 in the US for the Phorus PS1 speaker and currently culminate in the Definitive Technology W Studio at $1,299 . Spotify Connect …

SiliconDust SiliconDust was a cord-cutting pioneer before it was fashionable. And now the company is taking to Kickstarter with a software update that adds additional TV-recording features to its line of networked DVRs. The company currently offers a trio of HD HomeRun video streamers, which make antenna- or CableCard-based TV programming available on PCs or mobile devices. But the new …

The $800 Sony HT-NT3. Sony Sony has introduced four new sound bars, including two new models — the top-of-the-line HT-ST9 at $1,499 and intermediate $800 HT-NT3 — and the replacement of two existing models. Both new sound bars incorporate Bluetooth headphone support and Wi-Fi music streaming from Google Cast and SongPal Link, yet while the ST9 is a 7.1-channel unit, …

Now playing: Watch this: Jay Z’s Tidal music service makes star-studded splash 1:14 Rapper Jay Z bought streaming service Tidal less than three months ago, and while he has reportedly been taking a hands-on role with customer service, it appears there have also been some staff cuts at the same time. Three weeks after the site’s official launch, Business Insider …

Now playing: Watch this: Vizio announces new audio systems 0:51 Vizio’s new audio lineup comprises seven models, which start at $80 for a 29-inch sound bar and culminate in the 40-inch SB4051 for a premium price of $350. The sound bars have been redesigned and now feature metallic construction, including aluminum end pieces. The 40-inch model goes a step further …

[Updated 4/10 11.55am ET] DTS has officially announced its competitor to object-based surround-sound format Dolby Atmos — a technology it calls DTS:X. Like Atmos, DTS:X isn’t mixed to discrete channels like a traditional soundtrack but supports a large number of simultaneous “objects” or sounds set in 3D space around the listener. The position of these objects is then interpreted by …

Screenshot: Ty Pendlebury/CNET The Denon HEOS 3 is a compact multi-room speaker featuring Spotify Connect which enables users to control the speaker directly from the Spotify app. The speaker promotion began on February 17 and runs until March 19, 2015, or until stock runs out. The range, which also include the HEOS 5 and HEOS 7, is able to be …