[Frank777]

The original plan was to start the regular 2023 Mac Predictions thread. But since Apple is apparently taking some time to work on itself, I figured we might as well discuss hardware releases that have at least reached the vapourware stage.

Samsung seems to have kicked things off in fine fashion with the announcement of the Viewfinity S9. Pending pricing details, it's a 27-inch Studio Display for the rest of us. It's got a 5K display and a 4K webcam.

While I'm sure people will make smart alec remarks about Samsung copying Apple, the fact is that this display seems to be aimed squarely at MacOS creatives on a budget. So it makes sense for the display to complement Apple's Mac hardware. If it had Windows PC design language, we'd be ragging on them for disrespecting us.

If it's $500 less that the Studio Display, it's an automatic win. If the screen pivots, it's better than the Studio Display.

See anything else interesting previewed at CES this year? Post it here!

[chucker]

$1100 would still be way too much for a monitor, but good to see some competition.

[Matsu]

$1100 isn't really too much for a color-accurate, wide gamut, standalone Retina class display with adequate dimming control. I call them "reference-ish" displays. Remains to be seen if the Samsung has all those things in real life and not just on the spec sheet, but if it does...

It's probably 8bit+FRC like Apple's 27". Not the very best, but in practice this works well enough if the dimming control on the backlight is a good one.

The other spec to see for yourself before you buy is the screen coating. Some matte screens wash out or sparkle depending. Apple's standard coatings are very good and though glossy, strike a nice balance that can be preferable in some most(?) cases - they can look rather brilliant soft proofing photographs, for instance. If it's not optimal, it most likely would affect how contrast is perceived.

[chucker]

People have different priorities, but I imagine the biggest reason people are interested in the Apple Studio Display is that it's basically the only external display with a Retina resolution.

Like, if there were a 21.5-inch display with 4K you could buy, or a 24-inch display with 4.5K, and either of those would be $500-ish, I think Apple would be selling far fewer Studio Displays.

[Matsu]

True. While I think Retina is fantastic for soft proofing photos, I'm not sure I would even go for it otherwise. I guess MacOS also has to contend with resolution scaling/gain issue if you're using multiple displays, and maybe that is an issue mainly for people using iMacs. When I use a laptop I generally don't care about mismatched ppi since I usually set up the displays for different things or ignore the laptop display altogether outside of outlook/teams...

On a new machine, I'd be tempted to go for a dual 4K set-up but up the screen size to a 30-32" range, desk permitting. My eyes ain't what they used to be.

[drewprops]

I saw a consumer projector from Samsung that is shaped like a can. The reviewers seemed to dig it. I really miss the first incarnation of Engadget, back during the era of single-purpose blogging sites. I would haunt that site looking for the latest updates.


...

[Matsu]

A couple of outlets have reported on Dell's new 6K 32" (31.5") IPS display. It's a different panel than Apple's, ever so slightly different resolution (and PPI), and maxes out at 600nits. Seems interesting this. Dell killed their 5K panels some time ago, and has been reducing the price on their flawed 8K panel for some time, sells for about $4,000 now...

[Frank777]

I feel like CES needs to have a follow-up show in March, so we can get the pricing for everything announced in January.

[turtle]

Yeah. I saw this wireless TV that looks amazing but I'm near 100% positive it will not make my budget.

Seeing Qi2 becoming a standard and Apple "sharing" MagSafe2 is interesting news.

I'm also pretty excited to see more Matter support getting pushed out there. This will be huge for privacy with the automation of your home.

[709]

Originally Posted by Frank777 I feel like CES needs to have a follow-up show in March, so we can get the pricing for everything announced in January.

Absolutely. I'm really curious what the pricing will be like on the ViewFinity and UltraSharp monitors mentioned above will be. The Dell's look is kinda bland per usual, but I've found them to be reliable. Not in the market for anything at the moment, but definitely keeping an eye on these. Other than the vaporware auto designs I haven't found anything to really drool over this year.

I still can't decide whether Lenovo's Yoga Book 9i is great or ridiculous.

[Matsu]

This is probably just a little niche, but I have wanted to do some lighting and audio as part of a backyard reno. Pre-pandemic, I'd seen a number of installers charging stupid money for outdoor lighting design and installation. I don't begrudge them their businesses, and actually the good outdoor lighting bits can be a pricey, but as a bit of a DIY addict, I'm curious about what if any new consumer products could make that task easier. I'm thinking layers of dim, warmish, lighting at different heights and spreads, some accents, just enough light to sit out late evening without disturbing people, and ambience a bit like firelight, but in swaths and pools across about 2000 sq ft of yard.

For the audio, ideally, it'd be nice if there were a way to get backyard audio implemented where there is a bit of volume to it, but at the same time that it's somehow confined (focused?) to the yard? Some trick of speaker placements where the noise just doesn't carry too far outside the proscribed area? One option I can think of is to place multiple outdoor speakers in the beds in a way that sound radiates freely into the yard from the ground level, but is somewhat muffled by mounds and greenery where it would otherwise project out of the yard, and I wonder if some of the work that's done with sound projectors can be applied to "confine" the audio in such a way that it's a bit louder than one would expect when in the sweet spot, but lower than expected when one is not.

[PB PM]

An audio setup to do what you are describing would cost as much as a truck.

Speaking of vehicles, EVs seem to be taking over CES this year.

[Matsu]

I wonder how much a brace of ultrasonic speakers cost? And if they would work to produce a "wash" with little spill outside the defined area, as opposed to concentrated "spot".

Now I'm not thinking Millenium Park levels of sonic distribution... but Yamaha suggests you could use a pergola or trellis to focus the sound a bit using just some regular outdoor speakers, smart placement, and some audio processing, here. Again, not trying to contain a rock concert without disturbing the neighbours, but maybe being able to play a bit above ambient noise and have it more or less unobtrusive to them. The weakness I see in what Yamaha is suggesting here is the height would clear a lot of obstacles and help the sound reflect around and "carry"...

What I was thinking is a bit more like the audio that winds through a theme park using in ground speakers though. Many are designed to distribute sound rather than focus it, but there are also directional models, four to six of them, or so, strategically placed, could play at an enjoyable level in the yard, while using the flower beds and back yard structures to muffle what spills out of the yard...

[PB PM]

Outdoor speakers and not disturbing the neighbours just doesn't seem doable with cheap consumer speakers on a smallish urban lot. In ground speakers point upward to the listener, so that isn't going to help. Thus Yamaha's suggestion to have the speakers pointed down towards the listening area.

Your best bet is to, as you thought, use plants and obstacles to reduce the inevitable annoyance to anyone next door. I say inevitable, because clients I have that are on multi-acre plots have those kinds of speakers and you can still hear them an acre away even at modest levels for comfortable outdoor listening. Things like dense leafy evergreen shrubs would help, and an ugly brick wall with sound dampening materials. Avoid hard surfaces, on the ground, that will reflect the sound outward. Grass, or mats that will absorb, rather than reflect the sound would help as well.

[Matsu]

I'm a little lucky, I have neighbours to the left and right, blocked off by 6 ft wooden fence, and the yard opens to park at the back, which only has a chain-link at the moment. My plan was to over-grow it with plantings. I'll need to experiment a little. We might do OK simply pointing a brace of speakers towards the park, mounted on the rear wall of the house, at seated ear level, so that the perimeter and rear plantings/fences provide some muffling...

[Frank777]

Almost 2 months since the Samsung Viewfinity S9 was announced, and we still have no information on pricing or availability.

[camilasaunder89]

I liked the Always Home Cam. Its cost is around $250. It allows you to give a vision of any room you like. It charges itself when the battery is low.