Author: Press Room
I’ve been a Roku devotee for about as long as streaming devices and smart TVs have been around. Over the last several years, Roku OS has expanded yet again, giving users access to additional apps, features, and settings. It pays to learn about some of these optimizations, especially if you have a soundbar and Roku device connected to the same TV (or if you own a Roku-branded TV). Roku OS leans on the idea of plug-and-play audio; just hook up the soundbar or external speakers, and the TV takes care of all the processing. It’s foolproof on paper, and most…
I’m an Android user, but I exclusively use Apple earbuds for wireless listening. A trusty pair of AirPods Pro 2 handles everyday wear, while the more specialized Powerbeats Pro 2 stay in my ears for runs, hikes, and everything sporty. While both sets of earbuds are made by Apple, only one of them natively integrates with Android. Beats headphones and earbuds have superb integration outside the Apple ecosystem, complete with an official Play Store app. I can’t say the same about AirPods. At their core, AirPods are still Bluetooth earbuds — or headphones, in the case of the AirPods Max.…
As a PC gamer since childhood, I’ve missed out on a big chunk of console-exclusive games, and one I’ve yearned to play is God of War 3. Emulating a PlayStation 3 title wasn’t an option up until a few years ago because it required top-notch hardware that not everyone had. Though the PlayStation 3 emulator RPCS3 has improved significantly in performance and God of War 3 is now playable on nearly all PCs, there’s still a performance overhead when emulating a console title. Fortunately, that overhead is now eliminated, since the game now has an unofficial native PC port that…
Samsung TVs have long been paired with the Tizen operating system. It isn’t perfect software, but over the last several years, Samsung and Linux (the developers behind Tizen OS) have done a lot to improve usability and app variety. Still, the latter tends to be a drawback for certain individuals; the Samsung App Store simply doesn’t offer the same breadth of software as the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. If you’re trying to download a niche app, chances are good that Samsung isn’t going to offer it. Part of the reason is that Tizen OS doesn’t natively support…
LG OLED TVs are among the best you can buy: stunning picture, range of sizes, excellent webOS smart TV system, and more. But LG smart TVs have an unsung feature that does way more for your screen than you realize: Pixel Cleaning. Also known as Pixel Refresher on older models, LG’s screen protection mode runs automatically as soon as you turn your TV off if it has been on for four or more hours consecutively, or when you power down using the included LG remote. It’s one of the ways modern OLEDs prevent burn-in, and you don’t even need to…
A smart TV should make watching your favorite shows and movies easier, not bombard you with ads every time you turn it on. Unfortunately, that’s been one of my biggest frustrations with Google TV. Every time I open the home screen, there’s something being promoted, often something I have absolutely no interest in watching. Over time, I’ve tried pretty much everything to get around this, from installing ad-free launchers to experimenting with different workarounds. Some helped, but none gave me quite the experience I was looking for. That’s when I decided to try something different. Related You can fill a…
Amazon customers could be owed a payout due to reported issues and delays in receiving refunds. A $309.5 million class action settlement has been reached over allegations that Amazon’s return policies and practices violate Washington consumer protection laws and other laws. The class-action lawsuit claimed that customers who requested a refund did not receive it at all, or were re-charged the amount to their card after the refund had been processed. While the e-commerce retailer denies wrongdoing, Amazon will be paying out a share of the money to ‘among other things, avoid additional litigation burdens and expenses’. Certain customers who…
A lot of my friends are big into physical media; one of my buddies has thousands of Blu-rays that he’s running out of space for. While I can appreciate collecting, it’s just not for me. I live in an apartment that’s packed to the brim with possessions, and buying DVDs and Blu-rays gets awfully expensive. All that said, though, October 2026 will go down in history as one of my favorite spooky seasons of all time. It was the year that I took a good look at all the physical media at the bottom of my entertainment center. Just because…
Watching American football has gotten expensive. YouTube TV now runs $82.99 a month, and this season’s games are scattered across Prime Video, Netflix, ESPN, Peacock, and Paramount+. If you just want your team on Sunday, the bill adds up fast. A lot of people forget that most NFL games still go out over the air, for free, the same way they did decades ago. All you need is a TV with a tuner and a cheap antenna. I picked up an amplified flat indoor antenna on Amazon for about $25, plugged it into my LG smart TV, and had local…
The best Dolby Atmos soundbars should fool you into thinking speakers are mounted above your head. But don’t just assume the Atmos label on the box guarantees immersive audio; many other factors go into building a multi-layered home theater. Everything from the type of HDMI cables you’re using to where you mount your soundbar can affect your movie nights and Spotify listening sessions. And if you don’t know most of this before buying an Atmos soundbar, you could wind up as disappointed as I was. Related I didn’t realize my HDMI cable was blocking Dolby Atmos — the upgrade was…