Next week Sony will launch the follow up to their much applauded wireless noise cancelling headphones, the MDR-1000X. The MDR-1000XMk2 will feature a bunch of improvements over the old model including improved noise cancelling processing, better battery life, but most importanty it is hoped, a fix to the troubled plastic headbands. Its been discovered by users worldwide that due to a design weakness in the headband, the plastic has been snapping prematurely. It is hoped the Mk2 will address this major concern. Time will tell.

Sony's MDR-1000X headphones do it all. They have got best-in-class noise-cancelling, impressive sound, a sleek design, and loads of app-powered goodies. That's precisely why I was excited, when Sony showed me the new WH-1000xM2. They're just like the old 1000X headphones but better. Much to my dismay, they're also cheaper.

Now I wouldn't say all these nice things about the 1000X headphone family if I didn't mean it. Having tested dozens of different wireless headphone models, I can confidently say that the original MDR-1000X really are an excellent set of cans. Any upgrade seems like icing on an already delicious cake, but the things Sony chose to tweak are particularly appealing to me.

First, there's improved noise cancelling. Not only does Sony claim that its made the noise cancelling on the new 1000X headphones more powerful, but it's also more adaptable thanks to improved ambient noise control as well as Sony's so-called Sense Engine. The ambient noise control essentially means you've got different settings so you can block out loud sounds but still hear voices, for instance. The Sense Engine actually uses feedback microphones on the inside and outside of the ear cups as well as a new atmospheric pressure sensor to offer personalised noise cancelling that's especially great on aeroplanes. I have not used the new 1000X headphones on an aeroplane, but all the buzzwords sound neat.

Next, there's the sound and design. While Sony doesn't mention any big improvements to the audio hardware in its announcement, the company does talk a lot about the accompanying app. As with other wireless headphones in this class, the new Sony app offers a built-in equaliser as well as different preprogrammed scenarios, like outdoor concert or sound studio. One new feature called Listening Position, let's you control which direction you want the sound to come from. So if you're sitting down with a friend to the left and you want to move the music to your right, you can with two taps in the app. All these tricks, and Sony says the new 1000X headphones have a battery life of 30 hours.

And last, the price. The original MDR-1000X were $US400. The new-and-improved WH-1000xM2 cost $US350 and will be available in September. Cheaper and better is always a good combo as far as gadgets are concerned. And aside from our initial excitement, we'll reserve final judgment for when we get to spend more time with the new 1000X headphones for a review. Until then, we can only assume they're just as good as the old 1000X headphones but $US50. That alone is great news.

The parent company of the Channel 10 TV network is going into voluntary administration. The move means one of Australia's major commercial TV broadcasters is on life support — but it's a move that may end up dragging it into the digital age and provide competition against streaming-only services like Netflix.

The announcement was made in a statement to the ASX. It has apparently been a long time coming, with the network's $60 million share value relatively underpriced for its potentially lucrative TV licence.

According to B&T, Ten has agreements that cost it around $150 million yearly with major US content providers CBS and 20th Century Fox — deals that make it uncompetive in Australia's fast-changing media landscape. The announcement suggests that nearly half could be cut from that overhead long-term.

Ten had previously attempted to secure a $250 million line of funding, but failed after shareholders quashed the deal.

The announcement to the ASX says that, where possible, it'll be business as usual while Ten gets its house in order.

Lest you’ve forgotten, back in 2008 Sony launched the world’s very first OLED TV. The XEL-1 was lovely too, delivering breathtaking picture quality from a gorgeous design. There was a problem with this OLED ground-breaker, though: its screen was just 11 inches across.

Now, a mere nine years later, Sony has finally returned to the OLED fray - and this time it’s packing something much, much bigger. Its new A1 OLED series is out now in 65-inch and 55-inch sizes - which gives them plenty of room for squeezing in 4K pixel counts.

Add to this new-found abundance a unique sound system that uses the screen as the speakers and Sony’s most powerful picture processing engine, and it’s easy to see why AV fans have been buzzing about the A1 range from the moment Sony first announced it at CES.

Before we dive too deep here, though, keep in mind that OLED is still expensive and Sony's take on the technology is no different. The 55-inch version, the one we'll cover in depth here will run you around AU$5,300.

Sony has been putting extra effort into the design of its products for the past couple of years, and this effort is writ large all over the 55-inch 55A1.

Sony’s idea with the A1 (or A1E as it's known in the States) was to focus 100% on the TV’s picture, keeping the bodywork around the image to an absolute minimum. The result is a TV with nothing more than an incredibly thin black frame around all four sides of its screen. There’s no hint of any speakers, a stand or even a Sony logo to distract you from what you’re watching.

The screen is supported in picture frame fashion by a leg that angles out from its rear, while sound duties are performed by the screen itself rather than normal speakers. Yes, you read that right: the screen itself delivers the sound.

How? By using rear-mounted ‘exciters’ to vibrate the TV’s flat screen surface. We’ve seen flat speakers before, of course. However, no TV has ever applied this technology to its own screen - and nor, so far as we know, has any brand ever managed to deliver a stereo effect from a single flat surface like Sony has with the patented audio solution it’s created for the 55A1.

You can argue that the way the supporting leg juts out from the rear runs starkly counter to the ultra-skinny design ethic so dominant in the TV world at the moment. You can, though, fold the leg in if you want to wall mount the TV and, actually, from a typical viewing angle, the way the ‘lean-to’ design enables Sony to limit structure from directly around the picture makes the 55A1 look less cumbersome than almost any other TV.

Connections are found at the base of the lean-to leg, and are plentiful. Highlights include four HDMIs, three USBs, an RS-232 port so you can add the TV to a wider home automation system, and an Ethernet port for people who would rather hardwire the TV to their network than use the built-in Wi-Fi system.

Screen Sizes available: 65-inch and 55-inch now, 77in later in the year | Tuner: Freeview HD | 4K: Yes | HDR: Yes (HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG) | Panel technology: OLED | Smart TV: Yes/Android | Curved: No | Dimensions: 1228 x 711 x 86mm (W x H x D) | 3D: No | Inputs: Four HDMI, three USBs, Wi-Fi, RS-232, satellite and terrestrial RF inputs, headphone jack, audio line out, subwoofer line out, optical digital audio output

Source: www.techradar.com

There has been a bit of a wait since LG launched their first OLED TV's 2 years ago, but finally the other big TV manufactures are catching up and launching their own varieties. Both Panasonic and Sony are set to release the ground breaking OLED TV's later this year.

The Panasonic in particular looks very appealing due to their superior image processing technologies similar to that of their famous plasma screens.

Starting in July, screen sizes in 55", 65", and a huge 77" will be hitting stores near you. All will be 4K UHD and guarantee the pictures will be stunning!

Follow the link here for the full details on these exciting new products from Panasonic launching later this year.

So you got a new TV, but you're not sure how to wall mount it correctly?

There are many different types of TV brackets for different jobs and TV types on the market. Some are good, others are cheap and nasty. If you get the wrong one, the results can be catastrophic and also very dangerous. You also must ensure the bracket is securely attached to two studs in your wall to ensure your TV is mounted safely.

There's a right way, and many wrong ways!

If you're not sure about any of these points above, DON'T RISK IT. Call the professionals at TV Solutions and we'll get it done right the first time. If it's not safe, we wont mount it!

We also fix and install Digital TV antennas', and setup all your Audio Visual essentials around the home. Servicing all of Brisbane North suburbs.

WE’VE never had more choice in how we consume entertainment content at home and one of the benefits of advancing technology is how television picture quality has markedly improved in only a few short years.

Two of the high-end display options for the latest in 4K or ultra-high definition TV involve technology known as OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) or ULED (Ultra Light Emitting Diode), depending on how it works.

It’s tempting to think of LEDs as those little red or blue indicator lights on common household electronics, but the LEDs found in flat panel TVs are an entirely different kettle of fish.

A “standard” LED TV uses a liquid crystal display (the liquid is sandwiched between two polarised layers of screen) and is lit from behind using a matrix of many LEDs to provide a high-definition picture.

OLED TVs have organic material in the screen that displays colours after receiving an electrical current — every single LED in an OLED TV can be turned on or off this way, unlike in a standard LED TV.

The advantages of an OLED unit include much darker blacks, brighter whites and a higher contrast ratio than an LCD or plasma screen TV. OLED TVs are much thinner than their predecessors and — most importantly for gamers and sportsball fans — the refresh rate on an OLED TV is higher than on a standard LED/LCD TV, meaning in practical terms it offers a smoother image when motion is involved.

Electronics firm LG are one of the major manufacturers of OLED TVs and LG Home Electronics Australian marketing manager Tony Brown said it was a special category the business continued to innovate.

“Ultimately, the category sets a new standard for cinema-like TV viewing in the home,” he said.

“Unlike LED/LCD TVs which have backlight technology, LG OLED technology is built with self-lighting pixels. This means there is no backlight leakage and light is only shown where it is required, producing perfect black on the screen.

“Take a night scene as an example; the stars will shine brightly on a perfect black screen — just like what you would see if you were camping out in nature. “

Mr Brown said that combined with High Dynamic Range technology, LG’s OLED TVs provided a full dynamic range in lower black levels than LED/LCD TVs due to the OLED’s self-lighting pixels.

“It’s really a technology you need to see to believe,” he said.

The downsides to OLED mostly relate to higher cost and potentially shorter screen life — some estimates place the life of an OLED screen at roughly three to five years before it begins to dim, depending on how much use it gets.

LG claim a much longer lifespan, saying users could OLED TV for eight hours a day for 10 years.

OLED sets also use a bit more power than conventional TVs, but if you can afford the higher price tag of an OLED TV you’re not likely to be worried about that.

ULED stands for Ultra Light Emitting Diode, a term referring to several technologies developed by appliance manufacturer Hisense and used in its top-end televisions to provide ultra high-definition display images.

Hisense marketing head Andre Iannuzzi said the goal in developing ULED had been to provide the very best picture quality using core LCD TV technology.

“4K ULED encompasses 17 different patented technologies with regard to colour, brightness, resolution and motion, that all come together to create a truly immersive and unique viewing experience,” he said.

Mr Iannuzzi said there was a lot of “very smart, very hi-tech wizardry” involved in both OLED and ULED technology.

“I think what consumers will notice the most (about ULED) will be the sheer vividness of the colour, the detail available in darker scenes, and the crisp, fluid motion that brings all the action on screen to life,” he said.

“The best thing is, consumers will get to experience it for longer. The brightness on an OLED display might begin to fade after three years, but a ULED screen will shine bright for up to 10.”

So which one should you buy? As with most things in life, it comes down to money.

A side-by-side comparison of an OLED and a ULED TV gives the edge to OLED in terms of picture definition and contrast, but it really must be stressed the image quality from both technologies is fantastic — it’s like trying to decide which luxury supercar is better.

If you’re a videophile or home entertainment enthusiast seeking the absolute best, then you’ll probably find yourself looking at OLED offerings.

On the other hand, if you want to be able to watch or play ultra-high resolution entertainment without breaking the budget, ULED is the more attractive option of the two. Either way, both technologies offer cutting-edge visuals that will bring your home entertainment to life.

Source: news.com.au

ABC will finally switch its primary channel to HD in December, with a full schedule in HD by December 31st.

But the move comes six months after ABC initially pledged HD availability.

“We said we would be HD ready by mid year but we didn’t actually specify a time. We will make it just before the end of the year. We will be HD from December and the first major TV event in HD will be New Year’s Eve fireworks,” Richard Finlayson, Director of TV told TV Tonight.

ABC is mindful that it has many viewers who will need some technical advice as it switches to HD.

“There’s a rollout that will happen and a number of people will probably have to adjust their sets.

“We need to make sure that when we go HD it’s a service that can be accessed by all Australians.”

Once completed this will leave Seven viewers in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth as the only primary channel not available in High Definition.

Viewers will have to wait a little longer for iview to switch to HD.

“We’re working on it,” Finlayson said.

“It’s a project that’s on the list and we will get to it as soon as we can. It won’t be too far away.”

Source: TV Tonight

MILLENIALS are leading the drive to ditch buying music and tuning in to the cloud, with new research showing nearly three quarters of Australian millennials now stream their music.

Market research firm GlobalWebIndex reveals that 70 per cent of Australians aged 18 to 32 have used a streaming service in the past month, putting Australia up with the biggest users of music streaming services in the world.

The GlobalWebIndex research shows that 34 per cent of Australian millennials have used Spotify in the past month, making it the biggest player in the streaming market while SoundCloud (14 per cent), Pandora (10 per cent) and Apple Music (10 per cent) battle it out for the minor placings.

Spotify’s own figures show millennials globally are responsible for 72 per cent of all weekly streams on the streaming music service.

Millennials are also more likely to stream their music to their smartphone. About two-thirds of Spotify’s millennial customers play their music through their smartphone rather than though their computer.

As for their music tastes, millennials are less likely to listen to rock and more likely to listen to hip hop and pop.

Telco comparison site WhistleOut released figures this week that show that the launch of Spotify in 2012 was a major turning point for mobile data consumption in Australia, sending the typical mobile data usage skyrocketing.

Two years ago, the average amount of data people downloaded on their mobile phone was 0.63Gb a month, with that figure jumping a year ago to 1.14GB and now up to nearly 2GB a month.

Source: news.com.au

Looking for something a little different and with a bit more class than the usual boring black box? Samsung have introduced their Pure & White range of UHD LED TVs now available through Harvey Norman. Coming in 49" and 55" curved screen sizes, they are designed to blend in with your existing furniture and not stand out like an ugly sore tooth in the corner.

Prices start from $2095 which isn't too bad for a 4K UHD Smart TV, considering these fancy sets are manufactured in Europe unlike the rest of the Samsung range.

Last known VCR maker stops production, 40 years after the format was launched

GROWING up in the 90s meant you would have been well acquainted with the video cassette recorder.

While you might have thought the VCR was a thing of the past, it actually turns out a Japanese manufacturer Funai Electric is still making the retro tech product.

Well, at least it will be until it closes down its production lines in August.

According to Japanese newspaperNikkei, the company will give up on the format after 30 years of production.

Not surprisingly, Funai Electric blames a decline in sales — so many lols — for having to cease production.

It also attributes difficulty in obtaining the necessary parts as part of the demise of the VCR.

Following the unsuccessful launch of its own CVC format in 1980, Funai Electric began production of VCRs in 1983.

The company sold as many as 15 million VCRs annually at the peak of its production efforts, operating under the more familiar Sanyo brand in China and North America.

Ever resilient, the VCR company outlasted chief rival Betamax players, which were discontinued back in 2002.

Surprisingly, Funai Electric sold 750,000 VCR units last year — a fall from its peak, but still impressive given we’re talking about the sales of VCRs in 2015.

While most people are jumping on board the streaming revolution, some classic VCR tapes are fetching a mint online.

Source: cnet.com

Rio Olympics 2016: guide

The Opening Ceremony of the XXXI Olympiad will be held in Rio, screening at 9am AEST Saturday August 6th on Seven.

Rio is the first city in South America to host the Games.

An estimated 10,500 competitors will take part in 41 disciplines across 28 sports. There are 306 medal events in Rio. There are 28 sports, two more than London 2012, with Golf and Rugby both returning.

The 37 competition venues are divided into four clusters around Rio; Barra Olympic Park, Deodoro Olympic Park, Copacabana and Maracanã, plus five cities outside Rio which will host some football matches; Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Salvador, São Paulo and Manaus.

Seven will present Live coverage for up to 16 hours each day. NB: Rio is 13hrs behind Sydney (9am AEST = 8pm Rio).

Seven will be undertaking the most extensive coverage of an Olympic Games ever, for the first time across Seven, 7TWO and 7mate. More than 1,000 cameras will capture the action.

Sourced from: TV Tonight.

The Rio 2016 Olympics are now only 2 weeks away, starting on 6 August. So if you don't want to miss any of the live action, now is the time to get that TV reception fixed once and for all. Channel 7 will be broadcasting live and free sport across all of it's channels for the duration of the games.

Call TV Solutions and we will get your TV reception working at it's best so you don't miss any of the live free action!

Call us today on 0418 888 649.

source: TV Tonight

The next generation of Free To Air broadcast TV is currently being developed, and it's going to be a massive change!

Plans to bring 4K UHD TV content free to your home via your roof antenna are underway with the new ATSC 3.0 being developed in the US. Resolutions up to 3840 x 2160, 120FPS, HDR and improved audio will all be part of the new standards.

The new standards are expected to be completed by Q2 next year, and we can expect to see TVs with these new tuner capabilities not long after that.

Unfortunately we see this happening far to often. Wall mounting your TV is the best way to secure it up out of reach of kids and toddlers.

We can help you out with safe and secure TV mounting in your home. Call us today!

TEN will switch on TEN HD today at 3pm AEDT on Channel 13.

The channel uses MPEG4 technology meaning some older sets may not be able to access the channel, but an SD simulcast will remain on Channel 10.

TEN HD will be available in metro markets in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and the Gold Coast plus overlap markets, where TEN and Southern Cross signals overlap, eg, Wollongong and Gosford. Southern Cross is not planning to launch TEN HD in the markets it covers meaning other regional viewers will miss out for now.

It will be available to Foxtel cable subscribers, but not satellite subscribers.

TEN SD Channel 10 ONE Channel 1 and 12 ELEVEN Channel 11 TEN HD Chanel 13 TVSN Channel 14 Spree TV Channel 15

Source: TV Tonight

We've seen a rise in people having trouble trying to watch the new channel 76 (7Flix) which was launched on Sunday this week. So here are some tips to help you get setup for it.

If your TV dosn't have a channel 76 listed in the channel guide, you will need to perform a channel rescan on your TV to enable it to be tuned in and picked up. Once that is done you should be able to select and watch 7Flix on channel 76.

If you can select channel 76 on your TV but there is no picture or just a black screen, then your TV is not capable of decoding the new mpeg4 stream. Mpeg4 is a newer standard in Digital TV broadcasts and allows the picture to be encoded at a higher compression rate (smaller size) than the older Mpeg2 which older channels use. All of the new channels that have launced recently in Australia (9HD, 78, 76 and TenHD) use this new mpeg4 encoding. Some older TV's and Set Top Boxes are not capable of displaying channels encoded with mpeg4 and as a result will show only a black screen, or 'picture not available'. To get around this you can either replace your TV with a newer model or just buy a compatible Set Top Box to use on your older TV set.

As always, if you have any issues getting this working, or just need some general help with setting up your TV, please give us a call at TV Solutions on 0418 888 649 and we'll get you sorted :)

Seven will launch its newest channel 7flix on February 28th on Channel 76. The new channel will be high on movie content, but will also feature TV shows and Kids content.

A retune of your TV may be required after Sunday to pickup the new channel 76.

If you have problems picking up the new channel, or any other TV channels, give us a call on 0418 888 649 and we'll help you out.

TV Solutions.

With the new TV ratings season apon us you don't want to be missing your favorite Free to Air shows. If your TV is no longer tuning in, or your channels are showing a broken up picture, you have some problems with your Antenna system or it's cabling.

TV Solutions are experts at diagnosing and resolving all types of TV reception issues.

Call us today for fast efficient service.

Wall mounting your TV not only makes it safer, but can also help to de-clutter the Living Room of those ugly cables.

TV Solutions offers complete wall mounting solutions including a range of bracket styles to suit your lifestyle. You can also supply your own bracket and just let us do the hard work!

Why not pre-purchase a TV Wall Mount Gift Certificate for somone this Christmas?

Contact us now for further information.

You may need to retune your TV tomorrow in order to pick up the new 9HD channel..

Tomorrow morning from 5.00am Nine will begin simulcasting in high definition (HD) on 9HD, located on Channel 90. If you don’t have HD it will still be simulcast on Ch 91 in standard definition.

90 – 9HD 91 – Channel 9 92 – 9Gem 93 – 9Go! 94 – 9Life 95 – Extra

Nine has supplied further information for viewers:

HD gives you exceptionally clear, crisp pictures with vivid colours and double the resolution of standard definition.

All of Australia’s most loved Channel Nine programs and sporting events, including the Third Test between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide (starting November 27), will be broadcast in crystal-clear high definition.

To view 9HD you will need to retune your television. It’s simple and easy. Just go to your TV Menu settings. Select Setup and click on the Auto Tuning Option.

Life will begin broadcasting at 6.00am tomorrow, Thursday, November 26, on Channel 94.

It will feature lifestyle and reality television content including free-to-air firsts, plus some Australian premieres

including Million Dollar Listing, The Real Housewives, Flip or Flop, and House Hunters International.

No retuning is required for this channel.

Source: TV Tonight

Do you have small children in the house? A large screen TV can weigh up to 50Kg and if your TV is sitting on a cabinet or bench top it can easily be reached and pulled over by a child causing significant injuries. Don't risk it, call TV Solutions today and we can assist with the best possible way to secure your TV or wall mount it to get it up out of harms way.

Call us today on 0418 888 649.

At TV Solutions, we specialise in TV Antenna and reception issues. In fact. if we can't fix it, we don't charge you! Call us today, we can replace your tired old Antenna that's dangling off the roof, and fix that flakey reception once and for all!

Call us on 0418 888 649.

Tired of waiting for the wifi to load? You need some data points installed! Today's Smart TV's use a lot of wifi bandwidth to be able to stream video. You can avoid the wifi delays and speed up your entire network by installing a Cat 6 Data point to your Smart TV. Call TV Solutions, we can add them in any room to make your home Smarter!

Follow us on Google+

Don't put up with dodgy TV reception this footy grand final season. Whether you support NRL or AFL you won't want to miss that winning kick when your TV goes pixelated at just the wrong time! TV Solutions uses the latest in Digital Broadcast Analysis to diagnose what the issue is and fix it quick.

Call us now on 0418 888 649