Tag Archives: hdmi

CNET’s Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and follow the Cheapskate on Twitter! Now playing: Watch this: TCL S405 Roku TV: Great streaming in a cheap 4K …

Amazon added Alexa to its popular TV-connected streaming devices, the Fire TV box and Fire TV stick, way back in 2015, but it wasn’t the Alexa most people know and love.  Instead of being able to say, “Alexa, what’s the weather?” into thin air, you had to speak into the remote while holding a button, walkie-talkie style. It worked, but …

I review many integrated amplifiers and receivers, but it’s been ages since I covered a matching preamp and power amplifier. So when I was offered the PS Audio Stellar Gain Cell DAC stereo preamp ($1,699, £1,700) and Stellar S300 power amp ($1,499, £1,500), I quickly accepted. They’re available in silver or black finishes, both feel substantially built, and they’re designed …

There’s something your favorite old TV shows have in common. “Star Trek,” “Dallas,” even “M*A*S*H” were all shot on film. This may seem old-fashioned, but film was actually a great way to record content. In fact, even in the 21st century, film still has better resolution and dynamic range than 1080p HD. Today, with high dynamic range (HDR), it’s possible …

The Outlaw Audio RR 2160 stereo receiver flat out sounds better than any receiver or amplifier I’ve heard for its $799 asking price. In listening, the RR 2160 really clicked with my KEF LS50, Zu Druid V, Magnepan MMGi and .7 speakers, but its styling is really going to polarize people. While most receivers only come in black, the RR …

I’ve long been an advocate of stereo home theater, but there was one stumbling block: stereo receivers and integrated amplifiers lacked video switching of any kind. For years I’ve asked manufacturers about that and all I got was a lot of blank stares. So, I’m especially happy to report Onkyo’s TX-8270 stereo receiver sports four HDMI inputs and a boatload …

It wasn’t too long ago that the HDMI Forum, the organization in charge of that ubiquitous audio/video connection, announced version 2.0. Then HDMI 2.0a, HDMI 2.0b, and most recently, HDMI 2.1. So what do they mean to you? On one level, HDMI versions shouldn’t matter. In fact, many manufacturers don’t list the HDMI version used on their televisions, video players and …

I love projectors. Let me say that up front. I’ve used a projector as my only “TV” for over 15 years. In terms of picture size for the dollar, they can’t be beat. But even the best of these light cannons lags behind the latest display technologies commonplace in TVs. We’re only just starting to see reasonably affordable 4K projectors, …

Now playing: Watch this: HP’s new gameworthy Omen PCs 2:01 When we reviewed the 2016 model of HP’s Omen gaming laptop, we called it high-performance gaming minus the flashy design. For 2017 HP’s dropping a rethought-out line of its Omen gaming systems updated with the flashy design, just in time for E3. Remember the backpack VR PC prototype from last year? Now …

Ever since 2011, Intel has been trying to get you excited about a high-speed port called Thunderbolt. Unless you bought a Mac or other premium PC, though, you probably didn’t give it a second thought. But that could change with Wednesday’s announcement that Intel plans to build Thunderbolt support directly into its processors. That would mean PC makers get the …