The best entertainment tech for a pandemic, from a TV you can watch in your garden to surround sound headphones
- Samsung’s latest QLED TV with 4K resolution is purpose-built for use outdoors and can handle direct sunlight and any kind of weather
- JVC’s Exofield headphones deliver a sophisticated surround sound experience that would otherwise require a dozen speakers
Whether intentional or not, the latest tech from hi-fi manufacturers slots perfectly into the new household normality during the pandemic.
To make a night in more appealing, there are new cinematic headphones so you can finish the film while others are sleeping, while a garden TV screen makes sure you get some fresh air while you binge Netflix.
“When people spend more time at home, then the demand for technology that makes life more productive, more entertaining and more pleasant increases,” the organisers of IFA, one of the world’s biggest tech trade fairs, said at the recent event in Berlin.
At the event, Samsung launched an outdoor TV fit for your garden, terrace or balcony.
Protected from light water splashes and dust (it has an IP55 rating), The Terrace is a QLED TV with 4K resolution (available in 55, 65 and 75 inches) that should be able to withstand outdoor weather as well as temperatures between plus 50 and minus 30 degrees Celsius (122 to minus 58 Fahrenheit).
The South Korean company’s indoor counterpart for cinema fans is a short-distance projector called The Premiere. You can put it almost directly in front of the wall and, depending on the model, it will still manage to display a massive 120- or 130-inch 4K picture, which corresponds to a diagonal width of up to 3.3 metres (11 feet). Surround sound and bass box are already integrated.
Prices have not yet been announced, but the TV is set to launch in North America, Europe and Korea.
When large families are stuck at home together during colder months, you’ll want to be considerate of others but still don’t want to compromise on volume and sound. JVC has developed the Exofield (XP-EXT1) wireless headphones for this exact scenario.
They produce three-dimensional surround sound in 7.1.4 format, the kind of sound that would normally require a dozen speakers and force the whole house to listen to what you’re watching. The sound field is calculated individually for each listener based on the shape of their ears. This is done with the help of microphones in the headphones and a smartphone app.
Up to four user profiles can be saved. With a battery that lasts for up to 12 hours, the headphones come with a charging base with a digital signal processor and will be available in September for €1,000 (US$1,180).
The thought of wearing a face mask all evening in the cinema or when watching a film at a friend’s house might not seem that appealing, but LG says it wants to make face coverings more comfortable with its filter technology.
At the annual IFA tech fair, the South Korean electronics company unveiled its new Puricare mask, a hi-tech device designed for gadget nerds who spend lots of time in cinemas, on public transport or have to work long hours while wearing a mask.
The electronic face covering is equipped with two H13 HEPA filters and two fans that match their rotation speed to how fast you’re breathing.
Unlike everyday fabric and surgical face masks that minimise the risk of you infecting others with the coronavirus, the use of HEPA filters in LG’s mask means you yourself are still inhaling clean air in crowded environments.
LG says the battery can power the fans for between two and eight hours of clean airtime, but hasn’t confirmed whether the mask can indeed filter out the coronavirus.
An accompanying app – yes, a face mask with its own dedicated app – also sends status updates and tells you when you need to replace the filters. Puricare is expected to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2020. LG hasn’t yet specified a price or launch countries.
