Thankfully a number of companies including television manufacturers such as Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sharp and Sony have banded together to define a single specification so you can be sure that your next TV will contain all the technology it needs to be completely future-proofed.

That standard is called UHD Premium. Think of it as being the ‘Full HD’ to 4K’s ‘HD Ready’, a supercharged group of technologies that goes beyond mere resolution to revolutionise image quality.

One standard to rule them all

Once a television set has been judged to include all the technologies defined in the standard, it is awarded a UHD Premium badge which it can then wear with pride.

In an ideal world, this would mean that the next time you’re looking to buy a new TV you can just look for the UHD Premium logo (after having perused our best 4K TVs buying guide naturally) and be safe in the knowledge that your new hardware isn’t going to become outdated anytime soon.

But what exactly are these technologies that the standard includes, and what will they mean for your viewing experience?

Resolution

Resolution changes are nothing new for TVs. First we had the jump from standard definition (SD) to 720p ‘HD ready’ resolution, which included 720 horizontal rows of pixels and 1280 vertical columns. Then came the jump to 1080p ‘Full HD’, which had 1080 horizontal rows in addition to 1920 columns.

4K, or Ultra HD, brings this total resolution up to 3840×2160. For those keeping track that’s roughly four times the resolution of 1080p, meaning if you were to tile four 1080p screens then you’d be left with enough pixels for a 4k screen.

What this means for you is even more detail than your existing HD set. Don’t expect the upgrade to be in the same league as the jump from SD to HD, but the jump should be especially helpful for those with behemoth sized TVs.

HDR

We have a full HDR guide for anyone who wants to really get into the nitty gritty of the new technology, but in summary HDR is all about making the maximum brightness of your TV brighter and the maximum darkness…darker.

In effect this results in more detail in the bright and dark areas of images. Rather than everything below a certain level of darkness (ie. outside of the standard dynamic range in the image above) turning into a milky grey mess, HDR means you should be able to perceive the detail even in very dark and light areas of the image.

TV brightness is measured in ‘nits’ where 1 nit is equal to the light from a single candle. To be classed as HDR, an LCD TV must be capable of outputting a nit range of 0.05 and 1000 nits of brightness, while an OLED panel needs to go even further and offer between 0.0005 and 540 nits of brightness.

Color depth

Now we’re getting nerdy! Color depth refers to the amount of different colors which a panel is capable of displaying. The current standard for HD is 8-bit, which means that a standard HD TV is able to display 256 shades each of red, green and blue, or 16,777,216 colors total combined.

UHD Premium increases this to 10-bits.

Due to the way binary works, increasing this to 10-bit results in an exponential increase to 1,024 shades of the three primary colors. In total this means that 10-bit color offers a total of 1,073,741,824 colors.

What does this mean for you? A larger range of more vibrant colors essentially, which should allow images to really pop.

Color space representation

BT.2020, aka Rec.2020 (so called because it’s supposed to be adopted by the year 2020) is actually a collection of standards, including the aforementioned 10-bit color depth, and like color depth it refers to the breadth of colors a panel is capable of displaying.

We won’t go into the details of how BT.2020 differs from the currently used Rec.709 standard, but suffice it to say that its use results in a larger span of colors being available to TV viewers, which more accurately capture the colors we can see in the real world.

Updated: Microsoft has launched pre-orders for the Xbox One X and at this year’s Gamescom we got up close and personal with the limited edition Project Scorpio edition of the console which will only be available to pre-order customers who get in there fast enough. 

The Project Scorpio edition of the console will do everything the standard Xbox One X does (and it won’t cost any more, either). What it does do is give a nice nod to the fans who have followed the console from the very start with the codename Project Scorpio engraved on the front and on its matching controller. Rather than space grey, the Project Scorpio edition is a more matte black with a subtle grid pattern. They’re taking the matte black so seriously the controller’s buttons have even been blacked out. Take a closer look at the controller below:

As well as getting a closer look at the console we got to hear a little more about the process of transitioning between the old Xbox One and the new X.Microsoft said it aims to make this process as simple as possible and there are a couple of options for those making the upgrade. 

The fastest way to transfer games from one console to another will be, as you’d expect, using an external hard drive. However, for those that don’t have a drive big enough, there will also be option to move games via your home network. This will take a little longer but it means you don’t have to set up a brand new console and re-download all of your games from scratch. You won’t have to move them one by one either as a new ‘bulk transfer’ feature allows you to select all of the games you want to move at the one time and then leave the console to do its thing.

When setting up the new console it’ll be possible to back up the settings from your original console and transfer them over, as well as select a ‘prepare for 4K option’ which will mean that as soon as an enhanced patch becomes available for a game, your console will start downloading it and have it ready for you to play. 

Cut to the chase

• What is it? A new 4K-equipped Xbox One
• When is it out? November 7, 2017
• What will it cost? $499 (£449, €499, CA$599 or AU$649)

Vudu on Apple TV

This is not the complete Vudu experience that some had been hoping for. It does not allow you to rent or buy movies via your Apple TV (or iPhone/iPad) as Walmart – the company who owns Vudu – has opted not to share a cut of revenue with Apple.

Instead, you gain access to your library of purchased movies. You can also rent movies through a PC web browser and then watch on Apple TV. Furthermore, you have access to Vudu’s library of free movies with commercials.

– “The Vudu Player for Apple TV lets you play all your movies, and over 4,000 free Movies On Us titles, natively on your Apple TV,“ the company announced.

You can still browse the catalog, use Siri to search for content, and use the Wishlist to save any title for later viewing.

– “The Vudu Player lets you play without Airplay, swipe and tap your way through over 100,000 titles with the Apple TV remote, and even ask Siri to search Vudu and your collection for the movie or TV show you want to watch.”

Movies are available in Full HD resolution and 5.1 Dolby Digital. Vudu already offers 4K and HDR quality but the current Apple TV4 does not support these video formats. The next hardware refresh of Apple TV is believed to add support.

In the resolution department HDMI 2.1 supports 8K at 60 pictures per second as well as 4K at 120 pictures per second. The latter is also referred to as HFR (High Frame Rate) and can be relevant for future generations of game consoles. In the small text supports for 10K resolution is highlighted but it is not mentioned in the press release, so it is unclear if there are some limitations.

In the HDR (High Dynamic Range) department, HDMI 2.1 is adding support for ”Dynamic HDR”. This means that HDMI will be capable of passing dynamic metadata for HDR content on a scene-by-scene or even frame-by-frame basis. This is one of the components that make the Dolby Vision HDR format unique but today it requires a DV composer at both the transmitting and receiving end. HDMI 2.1 will be able to transmit it in a standardized fashion.

Adaptive frame rate & better audio support

There is also a new “Game Mode VRR”, which is short for ”variable frame rate”. This is similar to AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-sync in the PC ecosystem.

With adaptive frame rate the transmitting and receiving device can synchronize the frame rate on the fly in real-time. This is relevant for gaming, including game consoles that have fluctuating refresh rates. Future game consoles could support this feature.

Lastly, a new “eARC” features is highlighted. This is an extension of ARC – audio return channel – to enable support for object-based audio formats such as Dolby Atmos and DTS-X. So if a streaming service offers Atmos sound via the built-in app in your TV you can passthrough the Atmos sound to a receiver via HDMI.

Coming out later in 2017

HDMI 2.1 is backwards compatible with earlier versions, meaning that you can connect any player based on for example HDMI 2.0 or HDMI 1.4.

Some components of HDMI 2.1 will be available via firmware upgrades but other components obviously require new hardware. We have yet to encounter any TVs at CES with HDMI 2.1 ports. The HDMI group says that partners can start implementing the specification in early Q2 2017.

In terms of peak brightness, Samsung is reportedly claiming a new “HDR 1500” standard for their new 2017 SUHD TV replacements and this alone gives us plenty of reason to be excited due to the HDR display potential it offers. The 2016 SUHD TV lineup of models like the flagship KS9800 and the remarkably identical KS9500, KS9000, KS8000 and KS8500 all promised what Samsung called “HDR 1000” display brightness technology, referring to these TVs’ ability to put out 1000 cd/m2 of peak brightness and in all fairness, Samsung more than delivered on this promise for the 2016 models. They not only managed 1000 nits, but actually even surpassed it, with every single one of the KS-Series SUHD TVs being capable of reaching as high as 1400+ nits of peak brightness in sections of their display. This made them some of the very brightess HDR LCD TVs of 2016 and it greatly contributed to their overall ability to deliver a stunning HDR picture quality for high dynamic range content.

Thus, if HDR 1500 is just the promised specs of the 2017 Quantum Dot TVs, we hope to see these new models over-deliver just like their 2016 cousins did.

Additionally, the expectation is high that the QLED TVs offer even further wide color gamut coverage enhancements thanks to their more refined quantum dot display technology and other factors and even if they can’t deliver deeper blacks than their 2016 SUHD cousins, superior brightness and color performance will definitely go a long way towards creating perception of rich black levels. One other thing we’d also love to see in the new Samsung premium TVs is full-array LED backlighting across the board. In both their 2015 and 2016 SUHD TVs, Samsung installed full-array LED backlighting in only the priciest flagship models, opting for edge-lit displays in the rest of each year’s SUHD TVs. With Full-array backlighting, a 4K TV can deliver a much stronger level of local dimming for onscreen content and as a result also offers superior picture quality and black level performance.

Our first indications of a new and dramatically improved line of 2017 flagship TVs from Samsung came from the Korean website ETNews, which reported that Samsung Electronics had applied for several trademarks whose names are distinctly revealing to say the least. These consist of the aforementioned “HDR 1500”, “Q HDR” and “Real Black”.

Quantum dots in a liquid solution. They will see more sophisticated use in 2017’s Samsung 4K TVs

The specific technical details of what these names mean are still open to interpretation but with HDR 1500 we can assume a bigger, literally brighter version of HDR 1000, which is already well-known.

And as for the Q HDR, it obviously refers to the use of quantum dot technology in a more involved and refined way as a means of delivering HDR color gamut in the new TVs. “Real Black” is pretty self-explanatory in what it covers but we are curious about how the technology behind the name will actually affect real, extremely accurate and practical black levels in these new 2017 LCD TVs. The wording of “Real Black” suggests the ability to deliver genuine perfect blacks of the kind found in OLED 4K TVs but we’ll see if Samsung can actually deliver such a thing with LCD display technology regardless of the technical wizardry it uses. Currently, even the very best LCD TV displays with full multi-zone local dimming can manage black levels of about 0.015 cd/m2 or slightly deeper but this still doesn’t compare to the outstanding genuinely real black levels managed by OLED display, which sit at 0.0005 nits or even lower (almost unmeasurable and imperceptible brightness for the human eye).

The reporting from ETNews also claims performance boosts of as much as 50% in the Quantum Dot TVs over their 2016 SUHD cousins. This is a major improvement claim indeed and we suspect that it’s mostly based on the peak brightness these new TVs are expected to have.

“At Samsung, one of our top priorities is ensuring that we are closely in tune with what consumers want and need from their smart devices and electronics,” said Won Jin Lee, Executive Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “With that in mind, we continue to innovate our Smart TV offering in order to provide the content experiences that our customers have come to know and expect from Samsung.”

Samsung’s Smart TV ‘Sports’ service will provide sports fans with information on when their favorite teams are playing, where they can watch it as well as scores – all in one navigation page. Instead of having to flip through dozens of channels to find the big game, all details will be curated by the customized ‘Sports’ user interface.

Samsung plans to further expand the range of content offered through the ‘Sports’ service with additional content partners including NBC Sports, UFC and more.

The Samsung ‘Music’ service will allow Smart TV customers to easily search and identify songs on live TV or directly from television programs. ‘Music’ will also make recommendations in the ‘Preview’ section of Smart Hub’s user interface for customers to discover new music and play songs as they please.

The Samsung ‘Music’ service currently offers content from eight music app partners including Spotify, iHeartRadio, Napster, Deezer, Sirius XM, Vevo, Melon and Bugs. The service will be available starting in France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and the U.S.

Lastly, ‘TV Plus’ will offer IP-based channels focused on premium content services through a new Smart Electronic Program Guide (EPG) solution. Samsung customers will no longer have to wait for cable services to offer marathon sessions of their favorite TV shows and can watch immediately just by turning on a TV Plus channel.

Samsung first launched ‘TV Plus’ in South East Asia, is now also available in the U.S., and will be available in Europe in April, 2017. Samsung will partner with Fandango and Rakuten to provide premium T-VOD content in the U.S. and Europe, respectively, and with Funke to A-VOD content in Germany.

The 2016 LG SUPER UHD lineup comprises three series (UH9500, UH8500, UH7700) with nine models in 55- to 86-inch class screen sizes. Beginning later this month, 55-, 60- and 65-inch class models from the new UH8500 and UH7700 series will be available for purchase at retail stores nationwide. Additional LG SUPER UHD TV models will be available, including a 75-inch class model from the UH8500 series and the entire UH9500 series 86- and 65-inch class models, will be available later this spring.

Display and colour performance advancements for a superior picture
The entire LG SUPER UHD lineup boasts LG’s advanced IPS 4K Quantum display technologies, which enhance color reproduction. For example, Color Prime Plus creates vivid images with greater depth and realism by magnifying the range of colors that can be displayed on the screen. With the IPS 4K Quantum Display, the picture stays the same from any viewing angle, so viewers can sit anywhere in the room without experiencing picture distortion.

Another LG innovation, “Billion Rich Colors,” uses 10-bit processing power to give LG SUPER UHD TVs the capability to render more than one billion possible colors for an impressive level of realism.

Similar to its 2016 LG OLED TVs, LG teamed up with premium audio manufacturer harman/kardon to give the LG SUPER UHD TV a deep, rich sound system.

All LG SUPER UHD TV models come with the newest generation of LG’s acclaimed webOS Smart TV platform. LG’s webOS 3.0 adds advanced new features to make finding and switching between LG’s expanded content options – including broadcast TV, streaming services and external devices – simple and fast. With enhanced mobile connectivity, remote features and more content options – including those offering streaming HDR – LG webOS 3.0 makes it even simpler and more fun than ever for users to find and enjoy the content they want to watch.

Complementing LG SUPER UHD TV’s picture performance is its sleek design, which blends in naturally with any living space. The top-tier models feature the new UniScreen design that seamlessly integrates the panel and body. With a bezel so thin, a more immersive experience is possible because the viewer perceives that the TV screen is floating.

LG’s Ultra Slim design makes LG SUPER UHD TVs incredibly thin. For example, the 65-inch class 65UH9500 model measures 6.6 millimeters (about a quarter of an inch) at its thinnest point. The modern Ultra Slim design provides excellent space efficiency for today’s living environments.

The first complete HDR experience with the most content choices
LG SUPER UHD TV series feature Super HDR technology, enabling these sets to show next-generation HDR content that has been specially mastered to reveal brighter brights and darker blacks with greater shadow detail for a more cinematic experience. Super HDR combines LG’s ULTRA Luminance technology to boost peak brightness and improved black level performance along with LG Color Prime Plus technology to heighten HDR performance and incorporates Dolby Vision technology, making them the first sets compatible with all HDR formats currently available.*

“Dolby Vision brings images to life on the new LG SUPER UHD TVs with a combination of brighter highlights, increased contrast, ultra-vivid colors and sharper details,” said, Roland Vlaicu, Dolby Laboratories vice president, consumer imaging. “With a robust slate of Dolby Vision titles already available through streaming service providers, consumers are guaranteed an unparalleled HDR experience in their living room, where watching TV is now more like looking through a window.”

Dolby Vision combines two powerful capabilities  – high dynamic range and wide color gamut – resulting in astonishing images that, compared to standard pictures, deliver brighter highlights, more light-to-dark contrast, and colors never before seen on TV. Dolby Vision-enabled devices deliver images that take advantage of the full capability of the display to provide images that most closely match the artistic intent of the director.

Using technology that analyzes content on a scene-by-scene basis in real time, LG SUPER UHD TVs with Dolby Vision optimize HDR content to render images that achieve natural contrast and vivid color. As a result, this “dynamic metadata” can optimize the bright and dark areas of each frame allowing the TV to achieve overall improved color reproduction for a more realistic picture throughout the duration of the content.

LG is working with leading global content providers, including Amazon Video, Netflix and VUDU, to offer LG SUPER UHD TV owners HDR streaming content on LG TVs through its webOS Smart TV interface.

Amazon Video currently has titles available in HDR on LG TVs and will soon begin offering a Dolby Vision enhanced experience. “Amazon Video provides customers with HDR content today, and we’re thrilled to work with LG to extend our premium offering to include a Dolby Vision enhanced HDR experience on LG SUPER UHD TVs,” stated Jim Freeman, Vice President of Digital Video at Amazon. “We can’t wait for our customers to have even more ways to enjoy a premium movie and TV viewing experience.”

“The combination of LG SUPER UHD TV’s picture quality and high dynamic range compatibility enables Netflix to deliver an even more visually stunning experience,” said Neil Hunt, Chief Product Officer, Netflix. “We look forward to delivering the potential of HDR across a growing number of titles over the coming years.”

Most major studios have announced support for Dolby Vision and Dolby estimates as many as 100 titles could be available by the end of 2016. Currently, VUDU offers more than 30 Dolby Vision titles for consumers to enjoy at home.

“VUDU UHD provides customers with Dolby Vision-enabled televisions a cinematic experience at home,” said Scott Blanksteen, vice president of product, VUDU. “We’re excited to team up with LG to offer this premium experience to more customers.”

Series, models and suggested pricing for LG SUPER UHD TVs include:

• UH9500 – SUPER UHD TV
  • 86-inch class (85.6 inches diagonal) model 86UH9500: $9,999
  • 65-inch class (64.5 inches diagonal) model 65UH9500: $3,999
• UH8500 – SUPER UHD TV
  • 75-inch class (74.6 inches diagonal) model 75UH8500: $4,999
  • 65-inch class (64.5 inches diagonal) model 65UH8500: $2,999
  • 60-inch class (59.5 inches diagonal) model 60UH8500: $2,299
  • 55-inch class (54.6 inches diagonal) model 55UH8500: $1,999
• UH7700 – SUPER UHD TV
  • 65-inch class (64.5 inches diagonal) model 65UH7700: $2,799
  • 60-inch class (59.5 inches diagonal) model 60UH7700: $2,099
  • 55-inch class (54.6 inches diagonal) model 55UH7700: $1,799

Yamaha today elevated the state of the art in audio and video entertainment design with the introduction of the premium AVENTAGE RX-A 60 Series network AV receivers, offering the ultimate in immersive ultra high-definition home theater entertainment and wireless multiroom audio capabilities.

Born from the Yamaha legacy of tonal quality and craftsmanship with musical instruments, the premium AVENTAGE series of network AV receivers is built from the ground up with the latest advances in acoustical science and engineering design. These AV receivers are crafted with the highest-quality components that are obsessively matched and engineered using short signal path runs, painstakingly grounded circuit boards and secure anchoring by a sturdy frame-and-beam chassis design, all to provide the ultimate sonic excellence.

“The AVENTAGE RX-A 60 Series AV receivers put the home theater enthusiast in the center of the action as never before. It provides the absolute cutting-edge in advanced audio technologies, truly lifelike musicality and the best wireless multiroom audio solution in the industry,” said Bob Goedken, general manager, AV division, Yamaha Corporation of America. “This new line of premium AV receivers provides the ease and accessibility for control of multi-zone audio installations that custom integrators will applaud.”

For skin-chilling home theater sound, Yamaha leads the industry by placing DSP processors throughout the AVENTAGE RX-A 60 Series line enabling out-of-the-box support for a wide assortment of surround sound formats including the latest Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object-based sound formats. These formats provide immersive theatrical experiences with over-head height channels that will have the audience ducking from roaring dragons flying overhead.

Like the growing family of Yamaha wireless speakers, sound bars and Hi-Fi gear, AVENTAGE RX-A 60 Series AV receivers include the ability to play and distribute the exclusive MusicCast wireless multiroom audio system that has turned ears since its arrival last fall. MusicCast offers more flexibility than other wireless multiroom audio solutions with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® for added connectivity to music services and to smartphones or tablets to easily stream music through the AV receiver.

Additionally, all models support high-resolution audio music files including: ALAC at 96 kHz / 24 bit, WAV, AIFF, FLAC up to 192 kHz / 24 bit, DSD to 5.6 MHz. Vinyl music aficionados will find that AVENTAGE AV receivers, starting with the RX-A760 through the RX-A3060, have a phono input with preamp support for turntables with cartridges. With MusicCast, these AV receivers can even send music from a turntable wirelessly to MusicCast-enabled products in other rooms in the house. The MusicCast app ties it all together with simple-to-use operation using iOS or Android smart devices.

All AVENTAGE RX-A 60 Series AV receivers include the proprietary YPAO sound optimization system, which has garnered growing acclaim for its ability to automatically analyze speaker placements, then tune and calibrate sound levels to the dynamics of the specific listening environment. AVENTAGE AV receivers ensure the sound experience is tailored to the unique conditions of each home. Subwoofer equalization (EQ) is supported in all AVENTAGE RX-A 60 Series models and the RX-A760 model on up benefit from subwoofer parametric EQ down to 15.6 Hz. Further, the Yamaha Compressed Music Enhancer is now optimized for Bluetooth® audio transmission to ensure wirelessly delivered music remains clean, crisp and complete with a full range of sound.

For those who have long coveted a network AV receiver with the technical sophistication and craftsmanship in the AVENTAGE series and are looking to step into the series, Yamaha has created the RX-A660 as a high-performing, base-level model this year. Featuring 7.2-channel surround, the network AV receiver includes four HDMI inputs and one output with HDCP 2.2 copy protection supporting 4K Ultra HD video resolution with HDR and BT.2020; Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object-based surround sound speaker setups of 5.1.2 channels; built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® wireless connectivity and YPAO sound optimization. The AV receiver outputs 80 W per channel and includes Extra Bass to enrich sound even with small speakers and high-resolution audio playback.

The AVENTAGE RX-A760 features 7.2 channels with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X set up to 5.1.2 channels or can output 5.1 channels plus Zone 2 with auto switching. The AV receiver steps up to 90 W per channel; six HDMI inputs (three with HDCP 2.2); one HDMI/HDCP 2.2 output and includes: phono input; Rhapsody and SiriusXM Internet Radio; YPAO with Reflected Sound Control (R.S.C.) and intelligent assignable amps.

The AVENTAGE RX-A860 is a 7.2-channel network AV receiver that enables Dolby Atmos and DTS:X setups of 5.1.2 channels or a 5.1 channel plus Zone 2 with auto switching. The AV receiver steps up to 100 W per channel; eight HDMI inputs (three with HDCP 2.2) and dual HDMI/HDCP 2.2 outputs. The receiver includes: YPAO R.S.C. with multipoint measurement and a vanity door front panel. Also included are intelligent assignable amplifiers with the user’s choice of surround back or front presence channels.

The AVENTAGE RX-A1060 features 7.2 channels and enables a Dolby Atmos and DTS:X setup of 5.1.2 channels or can output 5.1 channels plus Zone 2 with auto switching. The AV receiver steps up to 110 W per channel; eight HDMI inputs (seven with HDCP 2.2) and dual HDMI/HDCP 2.2 outputs. The AV receiver also features: symmetrical amp layout; advanced dual ESS SABRE DACs for quieter and more fluid sound and YPAO R.S.C. with multipoint measurement with a 7.1-channel equalizer. Other features include: advanced HDMI zone switching that allows all sources to be output via HDMI to a second zone and Zone 2 features including Zone Volume EQ, Zone Extra Bass and Zone Enhancer.

The AVENTAGE RX-A2060 boasts 9.2 channels in a network AV receiver that enables Dolby Atmos and DTS:X speaker setups of 5.1.4 or 7.1.2 channels. The AV receiver steps up to 140 W per channel and includes dual ESS SABRE DACs and YPAO R.S.C. with 3D, multipoint and angle measurement and 9.2-channel equalizer.

The flagship AVENTAGE RX-A3060 features 11-channel processing in a network AV receiver and enables Dolby Atmos and DTS:X setups of 5.1.4 channels, 7.1.2 channels or 7.1.4 channels (with an external 2-channel amplifier). The AV receiver steps up to 150 W per channel; ESS SABRE 32-bit DAC with the ability to fine-tune ultra-low jitter phase lock loop (PLL) mode to exactly the desired level; and YPAO R.S.C. with 3D, multipoint, 11.2-channel precision equalizer and 64-bit resolution.

Pricing and Availability

The new Yamaha AVENTAGE models will be available exclusively at authorized Yamaha AV dealers with the following MSRPs:

• RX-A660 ($649.95; June availability)

• RX-A760 ($749.95; May availability)

• RX-A860 ($999.95; June availability)

• RX-A1060 ($1,299.95; June availability)

• RX-A2060 ($1,699.95; July availability)

• RX-A3060 ($2,199.95; July availability)

While we do know that the new console will play Ultra HD Blu-ray discs and support HDR through HDR10 (which is the standard), what is not yet known is if it will support Dolby Vision. Furthermore, Microsoft makes no mention of HDR when it comes to streaming video, it only refers to games and movies playing from a disc.

What’s astonishing about the new console is the price. At $300 for a 500GB version and $350 for a 1TB model, it effectively eliminates the notion of paying a premium for the Ultra HD Blu-ray drive. You buy the console, you get the drive free. Microsoft also said it would sell a $400 “limited quantity 2TB launch edition.”

Years ago the PlayStation 3 became a dominant force and helped popularize the HD Blu-ray format. Recently there were whispers that an update to the PlayStation 4 was on its way, but it appears that Microsoft has beaten Sony to the punch with a console that adds significant new capabilities. It’ll be interesting to see how Sony responds to the Xbox One S. The official release date for the launch edition is August 31, 2016 and it is available for preorder now.

Here’s an official video from Microsoft that goes through the key features and offers a good look at the new device:

In the 2000s, developments such as high-definition video, Blu-ray Disc (as well as the now-obsolete HD DVD format) and newer high-definition 3D display technologies enabled people to enjoy a cinematic feeling in their own home at an affordable price. Newer lossless audio from Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio and DTS-HD Master Audio with more audio channels, like 6.1, 7.1, 9.1, 9.2, 10.2, were also introduced for more cinematic feeling.

If you’ve recently bought a high-definition TV, you’re probably enjoying an amazing picture — but odds are that its speakers can’t do full justice to that gorgeous image. To greatly improve your TV’s sound to a home theatre systems Dottmedia Offers a full line of speakers and speaker packages.

Whether you’re thinking of bookshelf, satellite, in-wall, or in-ceiling speakers, we’ve got what you may need. At Dottmedia We offers a wide variety of home theatre speakers .Adding a stereo speaker setup to your TV is a great way to get dynamic, engaging sound in small rooms and tight spaces, but if your looking to moving up to full surround sound system such as 5.1 7.1 or 9.1 we have it all.

Finding complementary individual speakers can be a pain–especially in the wallet. Complete home theatre speaker packages take out the guesswork since they include a full set of matching surround speakers. Pair any of these speaker sets with a good AV receiver and Blu-ray player, and you’ll have a home theatre system that’s a step above all. Home theatre sound requires matching speakers for the best experience.

What we offer will put superb performance in your room for far less than you could imagine. We can put together some bundled systems with subwoofers for those looking for home theatre system packages. This way you enjoy the performance that results from the best designs and the best materials for a great price. Settle back with your favorite TV show or DVD. You’ll enjoy it like never before.

Basic Home Theatre Speaker configuration advice

First, you need three front speakers — left, centre, and right: Usually, you will get a pair of bookshelf speakers and combine it with a Centre Channel speaker .These should all be from the same series.

Surrounds: These speakers bring the sounds together, so to speak. Some use satellite speakers for this while others use in-wall or in-ceiling speakers for their surrounds.

Subwoofer: This is the booming bass that everyone loves. Subwoofers provide the rumble of the earthquake or the thunder behind the jet plane. A Subwoofer will compliment all of the above mentioned speakers packages and set ups.

This Basic home theatre can go from Basic 5.1 to 7.1 to 9.1 depending on the suround Sound Reciever you may own.

The Best Surround Sound Speaker Configuration

A surround sound system consists of five to 9 speakers. We can also call it as 5.1,7.1 and 9.1 surround systems. 5,7 and 9 indicates the number of speakers in the surround system. The most common surround system configurations are 5.1, and 7.1.

5.1 surround sound configuration

1. Most commonly used surround sound configuration today is 5.1.

2. This system is the standard for industry right now and most of the films are mixed for this kind of system.5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System

A 5.1 surround system has five different audio channels – left, right, centre, left surround, right surround and the sub-woofer.

1. The left and right speakers are placed at ear height of the listener on the left and right wall.

2. The central speaker is placed either above or below the display.

3. The left and right surround speakers are placed at a height of 2-4 feet above the listener on each side.

4. If you have two sub-woofers, then place them in the middle of opposing wall and if you have one, place it in the middle of front wall.

7.1 Surround Sound Speaker System

A 7.1 surround system has seven different audio channels – left, right, centre, left surround, right surround, left surround back, right surround back and the sub-woofer.

1. The left and right speakers are placed at ear height of the listener on the left and right wall.

2. The central speaker is placed either above or below the display device.

3. The left and right surround speakers are paced to each side, which is nearly 2-4 feet above the listener.

4. The left and right surround back are placed together on the listener’s back wall.

5. Position of the woofer depends on its number. Four sub-woofers are placed in the middle of each wall, two in middle of opposing wall and one in the middle of front wall.

9.1 Surround Sound Speaker System

Ready for surround sound again?

Ready for an improvement over the standard 5.1? How about 9.1?

Dolby’s latest surround sound entry, Pro Logic IIz, introduces two additional channels to the ever growing mix – height channels. This expands the audio stream to 9.1, which means three speakers across the front, two on the sides, 2 in the rear, a subwoofer reproducing the low frequency effects channel (the “.1” of the 9.1), plus the new stereo height channels. The height channels are feed into speakers located in the air above the listener, giving a sense of spaciousness that can’t be had any other way.

Height channels are nothing new actually, as they’ve been around since the beginning of modern surround sound itself (1993 to be exact). Many audiophile mixers, having no use for the .1 low frequency effects channel, used the full bandwidth channel as a height channel for some recordings. Good idea but it never caught on (but surround sound didn’t either).

The problem with height channels is that many times it’s difficult to mount the speakers in the correct locations up in the air (so what else is new?). But a bigger problem is that the standard position of the side speakers in a 7.1 configuration still isn’t settled. Not to mention that there are few recordings available in 7.1, and very few consumer setups at home. 7.1 is having a tough time gaining acceptance, let alone 9.1.