Podcast #933: Micro LED vs Mini LED and ATSC 3.0 TVs

This week we discuss three articles: Seven of our best tips for your Sonos system - Popular Science, MicroLED vs. Mini-LED: Which display technology will power your next TV? - Digital Trends, and Want free 4K from an antenna? Here's the 2020 TVs with Next Gen TV tuners built-in - CNET

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Today's Show:

News:

• Sonos Backpedals, Says 'All Products Will Work Past May'
• Amazon Music passes 55 million customers as it chips away at Spotify and Apple Music
• FCC unlocks 3.5GHz CBRS band, enables OnGo in Apple and Android phones
• Roku update will deliver surround sound

Other:

• Ara's Woodworking 
• Join the Flaviar Whisky Club and get a free bottle

Seven of our best tips for your Sonos system - Popular Science

1. Pair up your Sonos speakers

2. Wake up to your music

3. Play your music everywhere

4. Customize your speakers to fit their rooms

5. Get chatty with your Sonos speakers

6. Save your Sonos playlists

7. Stream directly from your laptop

MicroLED vs. Mini-LED: Which display technology will power your next TV? - Digital Trends

• Size - Micro LED

• Price - Mini LED

• Brightness, black levels, and contrast - Micro LED

• Availability - Mini LED

Want free 4K from an antenna? Here's the 2020 TVs with Next Gen TV tuners built-in - CNET

Free 4K TV over the air is rolling out this year all across the US. It's called Next Gen TV, aka ATSC 3.0, and it promises a revolution not just in resolution -- for the first time you'll be able to watch 4K via an antenna -- but in how you watch broadcast TV. Over 60 stations in 40 markets already are, or are planning to start transmitting before the end of the year.

TVs

LG

• ZX: 77- and 88-inch 8K OLED TV

• WX: 65-inch 4K OLED TV with "wallpaper" styling.

• GX: 55-, 65- and 77-inch 4K OLED TV with ultrathin profile.

These are all OLED and all relatively high-end. The mainstream-priced CX and BX models won't get Next-Gen TV tuners, and neither will any of the LCD-based (aka NanoCell) TVs LG announced.

Samsung

• Q950TS: A bezel-less 8K flagship model in 65-, 75- and 85-inches.

• Q900: Step-down 8K model without that fancy styling. 

• Q800: Entry-level 8K model.

As of this writing, Samsung has only announced Next Gen TV support in its 8K TVs. None of the company's 4K TVs have Next Gen TV tuners.

Sony

• X900H: 55-, 65-, 75- and 85-inch 4K LCD

Though no pricing was announced at CES, based on the technology and model number, these are Sony's midrange models, and should be cheaper any of the Samsung or LG TVs listed above. None of Sony's higher-end OLED and LCD TVs for 2020 will have Next-Gen TV tuners.

Tuners and set-top-boxes

Most of you reading this probably aren't interested in getting a new TV just for Next Gen TV. Nor should you be. If you don't want to get a new TV, but still want to watch free over-the-air 4K TV, you'll be able to buy an external tuner. There were a few companies at CES discussing set-top-boxes, though neither pricing nor availability were made official. We'll likely get more info along those lines at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) expo in April.

Zapperbox is one of those companies. It's working with BitRouter, a company that's been around since the early ATSC 1.0 days.

Another company is Apollo, a company that works behind-the-scenes with public TV broadcasters. They're working on an Android-based modular system design.

Download Episode #933