Category: Technology

This year, LG Display came to CES 2024 with something to prove. It had multiple sizes of transparent OLEDs (the show’s theme appears to be transparent displays) and a gaming monitor capable of 480Hz refresh rates – double what we’re used to seeing. Perhaps the most interesting things at its showroom were LG Display’s most advanced OLED panels yet, featuring its META technology 2.0. While it sounds like promotional fluff (and there’s some of that here), the company is trying to address arguably OLED’s biggest weakness.

While the company revealed its META technology last year, version 2.0 features advanced microlens arrays (now called MLA+). These are micrometer-sized lenses with a Dragonfly eye design that improves the viewing angle of OLED displays up to 160 degrees. These lenses (and there are 42.4 billion of them in LG Display’s 83-inch 4K prototype), combined with new algorithms result in an OLED far more brighter than its predecessors – 42 percent brighter than conventional OLEDs, according to the company.

META 2.0 could address one of the biggest criticisms of OLED compared to rival screens- whether Mini or MicroLED – that it can’t get bright enough. LG Display says its META 2.0 OLEDs can hit 3,000 nits of brightness.

Why would you want an even brighter OLED? Combining MLA+ with a new brightness-optimizing algorithm analyses scenes in even more detail, to enhance both peak and also color brightness. These next-gen OLED displays can reach color brightness of up to 1,500 nits — 114% brighter than conventional OLEDs. A new detail-enhancing algorithm will also attempt to accurately render bright and darker images, where detail is sometimes lost. It’s not just a matter of image quality either — the technology offers power savings too.

LG Display’s 83-inch 4K META 2.0 OLED demonstration display will apparently be joined by 55-, 65- and 77-inch options, as well as 8K OLEDs as big as 88 inches. These will reach consumer TVs, monitors, and the rest – just in time to go head-to-head with the latest, brightest MicroLED rivals.

We’re reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lg-displays-next-gen-oled-panels-address-the-techs-biggest-weakness-001551026.html?src=rss 

NASA is delaying its return to the Moon with the Artemis program. “To give Artemis teams more time to work through the challenges with first-time developments, operation and integration, we’re gonna give more time on Artemis 2 and 3,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told reporters on a call.

As such, Artemis 2, which had been scheduled for a November 2024 launch, is now targeting September 2025. That four-person mission is set to fly around the Moon, in a similar fashion to the uncrewed Artemis 1. As for Artemis 3, which will take humans back to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972, that’s now targeted for September 2026, marking a nine-month delay.

Those are the only delays NASA has announced for now. Nelson said “Artemis 4 remains on track for September 2028.” Along with a lunar landing, that mission will mark the delivery of a habitat module to the Lunar Gateway, a space station that’s planned for lunar orbit.

The delays are for safety reasons. “For Artemis 2, there are new capabilities being on-ramped for the mission,” Amit Kshatriya, deputy associate administrator of the Moon to Mars Program said. Those include propellant loading, crew loading and egress and fresh abort and life support systems.

Kshatriya said NASA is learning from both the data it obtained from Artemis 1 and the production of components for future missions. “From the test flight in particular, we had one major finding that we need a little bit more time to work [on] and that is the performance of the thermal protection system on the spacecraft, on the heat shield,” Kshatriya said.

While the heat shield performed well overall during the Artemis 1 landing in terms of thermal protection, it experienced “some unexpected phenomena we need to make sure we understand perfectly,” namely some charred material. NASA doesn’t want to leave anything to chance when it comes to astronauts’ safety and it spent “the bulk of 2023 investigating” that concern, Kshatriya noted. NASA hopes to identify the root cause of the issue in the spring.

Meanwhile, among other concerns, NASA encountered some issues with the life support system. “During the acceptance of some components for Artemis 3, we noticed a failure in some motor valve circuitry,” Kshatriya said. “These components passed acceptance testing for Artemis 2, but did not pass them for Artemis 3. That gave us pause to stop and look at that circuit in a more detailed way.” As such, NASA found a design flaw in the circuit. 

Given its importance to the life support system, the agency deemed the system unacceptable as is. “We have to replace it to guarantee the safety of the crew,” Kshatriya said. It’s likely to take quite some time to resolve the issue as NASA will have to carefully test every change, but Kshatriya added the agency knows how to solve the problem. 

The Artemis delays follow the failure of a mission that sought to transport the first US commercial payload to the Moon. Astrobotic had hoped to make a soft landing on the lunar surface with its Peregrine lander. However, due to some post-launch issues (in particular, a propellant leak) the soft landing is no longer possible.

“Given the propellant leak, there is, unfortunately, no chance of a soft landing on the moon. However, we do still have enough propellant to continue to operate the vehicle as a spacecraft,” Astrobotic wrote on X. “The team continues to work to find ways to extend Peregrine’s operational life.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nasa-delays-its-first-crewed-artemis-mission-until-september-2025-195019383.html?src=rss 

Netflix’s long-anticipated sci-fi series 3 Body Problem finally has a full trailer, following a short teaser released last year. This new trailer is over two minutes long and absolutely filled with exciting moments and tantalizing clues. Watch it below.

The show’s based on a hit book series by Chinese author Liu Cixin. The showrunners include David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, formerly of Game of Thrones. Yes, everyone hates them because of the ending of HBO’s fantasy epic, but here’s the thing. 3 Body Problem is the first novel in the finished Remembrance of Earth’s Past series, and the earlier seasons of Game of Thrones, when working from pre-existing material, were absolutely iconic. So this could be very good, though it has suffered from delays.

As for the plot, well it’s complicated and hard to even discuss without getting into spoilers. The books are out there if you can’t wait until the show’s March 21 release date. As a clue, the clunky title actually refers to a common problem with both classical physics and quantum physics involving Newton’s laws of motion and universal gravitation. In other words, it’s hard sci-fi, but the books have plenty of action and mystery set-pieces, and the show looks to follow suit. Expect plenty of advanced technologies and otherworldly weirdness.

3 Body Problem stars Benedict Wong, Eiza González and several Game of Thrones alums including Jonathan Pryce and John Bradley. Besides Benioff and Weiss, screenwriter Alexander Woo is on-board as a co-showrunner. Woo’s best known for his work on True Blood and The Terror, among other well-regarded series.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflixs-sci-fi-adaptation-3-body-problem-finally-gets-a-full-sized-trailer-200027248.html?src=rss 

EcoFlow has arrived at CES 2024 in Las Vegas to show off its largest and most useful home battery backup solution, the Delta Pro Ultra. It’s calling the hardware a “smart hybrid whole house battery generator and backup” that will draw power from a wide variety of sources. You’ll be able to charge it from either high or low-output solar panels, from the grid, or even juice it up from a gas powered generator. (But also, don’t do that unless lives are on the line, please, the planet can’t handle it.) The Delta Pro Ultra also vastly increases how much power you can keep on hand at any one time. The existing Delta Pro can scale — with additional batteries — up to 25kWh but, if your wallet is thick enough, you can equip the Ultra with 90kWh of batteries, which the company says should be enough to keep your home’s essentials running for up to a month.

In fact, the theme of this hardware is supersized capaciousness since every element of it has been built to service the most extravagant McMansions. For instance, the solar input can take up to 16.8kW of power at a time, letting you wire up to 42 400W panels at a time. Combined with the ability to draw extra power from the grid when energy costs are low and you should see the initial outlay paid back fairly quickly. And the company says output runs from 7.2kW — enough to run a Central Air unit — all the way through to 21.6kW with enough additional gear, which should be enough to power most key appliances in your home.

On its own, the Ultra is plug-and-play, although if you want to take advantage of its higher outputs and deeper integration with the home, you’ll have to buy its Smart Home Panel 2. That will of course require the services of a qualified contractor but, even so, the company says that installation is pretty clean and tidy. Not to mention that it’s nice and quiet when outputting less than 2,000W to help avoid complaints from the neighbours.

If you’re looking to splash out on a new whole house battery backup system, the Delta Pro Ultra is available to order starting today. For the first month, the inverter and battery will set you back $4,999, while the Smart Home Panel 2 costs an extra $1,599 when bought separately. Not to mention you can snag both in a bundle for $6,399 until February 9, when prices for all three will leap up to their RRP of $5,799 (Ultra), $1,899 (Panel 2) and $7,499 (bundle).

We’re reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-ecoflow-delta-pro-ultra-is-a-home-battery-that-can-harvest-power-from-42-solar-panels-190032452.html?src=rss 

The modern classic mystery game Immortality is finally coming to PS5 on January 23 and it’ll cost $20, which is in line with the price on other platforms. It already exists on PC, Xbox Series X/S, Android and iOS. The game was originally released back in 2022.

For the uninitiated, Immortality is more of an interactive film trilogy than a video game, recalling full-motion titles from the 1990s. The surreal narrative tasks you with solving the disappearance of an actress named Marissa Marcel. You do this by scrubbing through video clips and gathering clues. Creator Sam Barlow has likened the gameplay to a “mental Metroidvania”, in that you return to previously-viewed clips once you have a new understanding of some aspect of the mystery.

We loved the title upon release and it made our list of the best games of 2022. The script, penned by writers behind films like Wild at Heart and TV shows like Mr. Robot, is not just good for a video game, but engaging throughout. The atmosphere is moody and tense, recalling the cinematic stylings of Alfred Hitchcock and, especially, David Lynch. Immortality is geared more towards cinephiles than mainstream gamers, so don’t expect a lot of action. The acting performances, however, are excellent.

Sam Barlow made a similar game called Her Story, which was also well-received, and the less popular Telling Lies. He’s been involved with several entries in the Silent Hill franchise, including Silent Hill: Origins and Silent Hill: Shattered.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cinematic-mystery-game-immortality-comes-to-ps5-on-january-23-191054771.html?src=rss 

SAG-AFTRA, the union representing thousands of performers, has struck a deal with an AI voice acting platform aimed at making it easier for actors to license their voice for use in video games. Under the deal, which was announced during a press event at CES 2024, SAG-AFTRA members will be able to work with Replica Studios to license their voice to game studios.

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s top negotiator, said that the agreement “paves the way for professional voiceover artists to safely explore new employment opportunities for their digital voice replicas.” The agreement comes as Hollywood is still grappling with the use of AI. Last year, SAG-AFTRA reached a deal with Hollywood studios that included AI protections following a months-long strike. As a result, studios are now required to pay actors (and obtain their consent) before using an AI-generated version of their likeness.

SAG-AFTRA’s latest agreement with Replica Studios seems to follow a similar framework. According to Crabtree, the agreements cover the creation of so-called “digital voice replicas” and how they can be used by game studios and other companies. The deal has provisions for minimum rates, safe storage and transparency equirements, as well as “limitations on the amount of time that a performance replica can be employed without further payment and consent.”

Notably, the agreement does not cover whether actors’ replicas can be used to train large language models (LLMs), though Replica Studios CEO Shreyas Nivas said the company was interested in pursuing such an arrangement. “We have been talking to so many of the large AAA studios about this use case,” Nivas said. He added that LLMs are “out-of-scope of this agreement” but “they will hopefully [be] things that we will continue to work on and partner on.”

SAG-AFTRA’s deal with Replica only covers a sliver of the game industry. Separately, the union is also negotiating with several of the major game studios after authorizing a strike last fall. “I certainly hope that the video game companies will take this as an inspiration to help us move forward in that negotiation,” Crabtree said.

We’re reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sag-aftra-strikes-deal-for-ai-voice-acting-in-video-games-at-ces-2024-191533846.html?src=rss 

A promotion at Sling TV is taking 50 percent off your first month of service. Sling divides its offerings in two: Sling Blue and Sling Orange, with different channels in each package. Those go usually for $40 per month separately or $55 monthly combined, but are now down to $20 and $27.50 after the discount. Unlike a cable subscription, you can cancel whenever you’d like with no penalty. Sling TV is one of the many ways to watch live TV channels, including sports and news stations, without having the commitment or higher price of cable. We named it a top pick in our live TV streaming guide. 

Sling TV is our recommendation for the most customizable live TV streaming service, letting you get just the channels you want without paying for too many you won’t watch. Sling Orange includes six exclusive channels like the ESPN stations and the Disney Channel, while Sling Blue gives you 14 exclusive channels including FS1, MSNBC and Fox News. Both options come with 24 other channels such as CNN, BET and TNT. In addition to the two packages, you can choose from a number of add-on bundles that go for between $6 and $11 per month. Those include blocks of sports, kid-friendly fare, lifestyle channels and news packs. Premium extras include Starz, Showtime and Acorn which will add $2 to $10 to your monthly bill. In larger market areas (such as Los Angeles, Seattle, Dallas, NYC and Miami), Sling TV will also grant access to local NBC, ABC and Fox affiliate channels for no extra charge. 

We liked the way the menus were organized and found them easy to navigate. The service also does a good job of recommending stuff to watch based on your history. We had a little trouble with the service freezing occasionally and felt the 50 hours of DVR allowance could be more generous, but if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to cable and don’t want to pay for channels you don’t need, Sling is a good way to go. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sling-tv-subscriptions-are-half-price-for-your-first-month-174537428.html?src=rss 

It’s official. The Mandalorian and his little green buddy are coming to the big screen, and before Dave Filoni’s long-anticipated crossover film event. The movie, appropriately titled The Mandalorian & Grogu, will be helmed by Jon Favreau, who created the Disney+ streaming TV show.

Fans have been speculating why there hasn’t been a renewal announcement regarding a new season of The Mandalorian, and this could be why. The film’s going into production this year, which is likely when a new season of the show would have been created. Beyond Favreau, the producers include franchise luminaries Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni. There’s no plot synopsis, but Kennedy says the “new story is a perfect fit for the big screen.”

Director Jon Favreau not only created The Mandalorian TV show, but kickstarted the entire MCU when he directed a little film called Iron Man. He also helmed Elf, Swingers and live-action remakes of The Lion King and The Jungle Book.

Disney has offered no information regarding where in the timeline this film would take place, but one assumes it would be set directly following the events of both The Mandalorian season 3 and the first season of Ahsoka. This means that Mando and his ridiculously cute ward could become involved with Grand Admiral Thrawn’s attempts to rebuild the empire.

In a short span of time, we’ve gone from wondering if there would ever be another Star Wars movie to there being, well, a whole bunch of them. The Mandalorian & Grogu will likely lead to Dave Filoni’s unnamed crossover movie that features characters from across ‘The Mandoverse’, including Ahsoka, Boba Fett, Ezra Bridger, CGI Luke Skywalker and more.

There’s also a movie in the works chronicling the further adventures of Rey, directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and a film exploring the origins of the Jedi and Sith directed by James Mangold. On the TV side of things, Ahsoka has been greenlit for a second season. Before that, however, there’s the Jude Law vehicle Skeleton Crew and a show set hundreds of years before the Skywalker Saga called The Acolyte. Star Wars: The Bad Batch is also getting a third and final season.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-mandalorian-and-grogu-are-coming-to-theaters-with-series-creator-jon-favreau-directing-174732996.html?src=rss 

In the last few years, Google has used CES to show off new ways for Android, Chrome and all manner of non-Apple products to play nice with each other. At CES 2024 in Las Vegas, the company is also bringing updates to Chromecast, Fast Pair and Nearby Share, alongside some new features for cars. If you’ve always wanted to cast TikTok to your TV, because you’re one of the handful of people from the TV generation that uses the app, you can now do that on Chromecast-enabled screens. Soon, though Google doesn’t specify when, you’ll also be able to cast livestreams from TikTok. 

In line with the theme of greater inter-device performance, this year Google is rolling out the ability to move what’s playing on Spotify and YouTube Music from compatible Pixel phones to docked Pixel Tablets when within range. That’s reminiscent of an Apple feature between Homepods and iPhones.

More devices with Chromecast built-in will also be launching this year, including the 2024 LG TV series. Later this year, LG Hospitality and Healthcare will also be getting Chromecast support so you can cast to TVs in, say, your hotel room without having to log into your own Google accounts. The company is also expanding Fast Pair support to Chromecasts with Google TV, which will make it easier to connect headphones to TV dongles. Google added that Fast Pair is coming to more Google TV devices later this year.

One of the best features on Apple devices is AirDrop, which allows different iPhones to easily transfer photos, files and contact information in person. Google’s (attempt at an) answer to that since 2020 has been Nearby Share, though proximity-based versions of a file sharing tool on Android have existed for much longer. Samsung also introduced its Quick Share system in 2020, offering a very similar experience to Google’s. 

In a move that should make things less confusing and more unified on the Android ecosystem, Google announced it’s “collaborating with Samsung” to bring “the best of our sharing solutions together into a singular cross-Android solution under the Quick Share name.” In a press release, Google said it’s “integrated the experiences and created the best default, built-in option for peer-to-peer content sharing across all types of devices in the Android and Chromebook ecosystems.” 

Google also said it’s working with LG and other “leading PC manufacturers” to make Quick Share a pre-installed app on most Windows PCs. When Quick Share rolls out to current Nearby Share-enabled devices next month, you should see a new icon. Tapping it will show a list of devices available around you, and allow you to select who to send your media to. Like you can with Apple devices, you can go into your Android’s settings to choose if you can be seen by everyone, contacts only or just your own devices.

It’s worth noting that with last year’s release of iOS 17, Apple upgraded AirPlay to make it possible to share files simply by putting the heads of two phones together. 

In addition to everything covered in this post, Google is also updating Android Auto and making more devices act as hubs for the Matter smart home standard to enable better uptake and integration. We have separate articles on each of those topics, so check them out for all the finer details.

We’re reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/you-can-now-chromecast-tiktok-videos-to-your-tv-180006853.html?src=rss