Electronics manufacturers have announced interesting new products that are already or soon will be on the market. They are also working on research and development of new devices that are in the prototype or study stages.
Once again, we select a few interesting products and concepts that have been developed by some of the world’s best electronics manufacturers.
A Modern Audio System
Technics has just added the Ottawa S SC-C50 wireless audio system to their portfolio and provides it with the most modern technologies available, bringing top sound performance. With relatively small dimensions (375 x 220 x 197 mm) it can handle filling even larger spaces with sound. It’s compatible with various streaming services; music can be played from all kinds of sources and is controllable by voice. In addition to playback from an analog or optical input or USB, you can use Bluetooth, Google Chromecast, Spotify, Tida or network playback, too. The system has 7 built-in speakers (three woofers and three tweeters as well as a subwoofer.) and provides 3.1 Hi-res sound (for ex. FLAC with quality up to 384 kHz/24-bit or DSD 2.8 MHz; 5.6 MHz. It can also adjust the sound based on the room it’s placed in, using the built-in microphone. It will be available this fall.
A New Top Smartphone Reveal
LG has introduced the new LG G7 ThinQ, which will reach Europe this summer. This device belongs among the most powerful out there, boasting the 8-core, 3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor. It has 4 or 6GB of RAM, and a choice of 64 or 128 GB of storage. Other specs include a 6.1ˮ screen with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and QHD+ (3120 x 1440 pixels). Another addition is the 16 Mpx and 8 Mpx cameras.
The Highest Quality from AUO
At SID Display Week 2018 Taiwanese company AU Optronics introduced the highest resolution and full colour TFT driven MicroLED display tech. This technology is used for self-emitting MicroLED displays. The displays give high brightness, great contrast and a wide colour gamut. They also have wide viewing angles, are thin and light, lower power consumption and quick response time. AUO has shown a full colour 8ˮ TFT driven MicroLED display using LTPS-TFT backplane technology. AUO states that the display has 169 PPI using micro LED smaller than 30 micrometres. The AUO TFT Driven MicroLED Display awaits further development. Multiple manufacturers expect this kind of technology to replace LCD or even OLED panels.
More Universal Headphones
Master & Dynamix has unveiled some interestingly stylized headphones, the MW50+. What makes them special? They offer 2-in-1 listening options, with replaceable on-ear and over-ear earpads. The 40 mm drivers have an impedance of 32 Ohms and guarantee frequencies from 5 to 30 000 Hz. With Bluetooth 4.1 and aptX they can stream music for 16 hours. The headphones can also be connected to a music source with a cable.
8K Broadcast Tests
Towards the end of May, global satellite Luxembourg operator SES introduced the first 8K satellite broadcast during the SES Industry Days conference in Luxembourg. The test signal was cast with a 36 MHz transponder on the Astra 3B Satellite, using the new DVB-S2X standard. The video had a resolution of 7680 x 4320 pixels and multiple partners worked together on the broadcast to get all the technologies needed. This tech is expected to come into homes in a few years, but for now SES wants to work on expanding 4K UHD and HDR formats.
Flexible and Transparent
LG Display showed off their 77-inch flexible transparent OLED display at SID Display Week 2018 in Los Angeles. The flexibility of the concept lies in the ability to bend it at up to an 80-degree angle. This allows for all kinds of placements and uses. Bent into a circle, it allows for a diameter of 160 mm. And while we’re talking about transparency, here it is 40%, letting you partially see things behind it. It has 4K Ultra HD resolution – 3840 x 2160 px. This technology still needs time to develop, so it’s not known when it will be made available.
A New External SSD
Sony has unveiled their SL-E line of external USB-C SSDs. They are 80 x 47 x 11 mm in size and connect to Mac and Windows computers or Android smartphones and tablets with USB-A or USB-C cables. The SSD disk always has a USB-C connector and supports USB 3.1 Gen 2. It’s available in three capacity variants – 240 GB (SL-EG2), 480 GB (SL-EG5) and 960 GB (SL-E1). Maximus transfer speeds are 520 MB/s write and 540 MB/s read. Stored data can be secured with 256-bit AES encryption (ENC DataVault software).
An “All-in-Oneˮ System
New on the Hi-Fi system market is the Pioneer NC-50 DAB, which supports online radio, streaming from the Internet or a home NAS storage device, or even playing music from a smart Bluetooth device. The AMP has an output of 50 W (there is also a preAMP and Phono in for connecting a phonograph). The system also includes a CD player, radio tuner, Wi-Fi (both 2.4 and 5 GHz), ethernet and USB for connecting external storage media. In addition to the analog inputs, there is also coaxial in and optical in. The price is set to 699 euro.
Text: Peter Stano, photo: brand archives
