Sarah Tew/CNET It’s probably been a while since you upgraded your AV receiver, right? Receivers, those bulky boxes at the heart of many surround sound systems, tend to last longer than a lot of other gear. However, if you use yours not only to power your speakers, but to switch video as well — that …
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Update 1/2017: There’s been an update that supersedes this one, it’s called HDMI 2.1. HDMI 2.0a is the latest version of the beloved/despised spec that regulates those ubiquitous cables, inputs and outputs that connect pretty much everything in your home entertainment center. It’s a minor update, but a potentially important one for this year and beyond. The most important part …
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Samsung has launched several new, expensive televisions under the “SUHD” name, and we’ve received a few questions from readers wondering what it means. UHD is the official industry term for Ultra High Definition, which is the less-popular way to say ” 4K.” So what is “S” UHD? Super UHD? Spectacular UHD? Sassy UHD? Perhaps just Samsung UHD? Samsung’s official answer …
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There are a lot of reasons why sound bars are taking over home audio, but one of them is increasingly obvious: AV receivers are terrible. I’ve reviewed a lot of them for CNET, and while receivers are fine for enthusiasts who know what they’re doing, they’re a frustrating experience for everyone else. Most technology gets better over time, but AV …
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Audio Return Channel, or ARC, uses a single HDMI connection to send audio from a TV to the sound bar or AV receiver. In theory, this could simplify your setup, and reduce the number of cables you need. Unfortunately it’s not that simple. Here are the good — and bad — aspects of Audio Return Channel. The basics In theory, …
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Thought all you needed to get a 4K TV working is HDMI 2.0? Guess again. The next generation of content protection is called HDCP 2.2, and not only is it not backwards compatible, many new 4K devices don’t even support it. So it’s possible that the 4K TV you bought last year, or even the receiver you buy this year, …
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I’d like to call it H.265, because it sounds cool, but its full name is High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). It’s the new successor to Advanced Video Coding (AVC), also known as H.264, which is one of the compression schemes used by Blu-ray. The idea of HEVC is to offer the same level of picture quality as AVC, but with …
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Today Samsung announced official pricing on its vast array of new 2014 TVs, including numerous curved and 4K/UHD sets first introduced at CES 2014 last January. They ain’t cheap. Samsung’s 4K models start at $2,499 for a 50-inch size. Compare that to Vizio, for example, which is charging $999 for its cheapest 4K 50-incher. On paper, the Vizio even has …
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Which store has the best deals on HDMI cables? Which Web site has the best selection? Which HDMI cable is right for your TV? Answers to these questions, and more, in the definitive (if I do say so myself) HDMI cable buyers guide: First off, cheap cables will produce the exact same picture and sound quality as expensive cables. Check …
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With televisions, HDMI is the most common connector. But if you want to connect a computer to your TV (or you’ve got a new computer monitor), the options tend to be HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, and sometimes old-school VGA. Each connection has its pros and cons, and perhaps the best cable to use with your display is more than just “what …
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