Xming at the 2024 International CES showcased their latest smart projectors. The Episode One and Page One are aimed at mid-segment short-throw projection in a domestic environment, where you take advantage of its smart features to cut out the need for a HT receiver, and directly pair it with a Bluetooth speaker set. Episode One is at the entry level, with 250 CVIA Lumens brightness, Full HD (1080p) resolution, 1000:1 contrast ratio, and Google TV with Netflix. Page One is a step up from Episode One, and is claimed to be the world's first Google TV with Netflix certified projector. The Page One features a brighter 500 CVIA Lumens light source, superior photosensitive glass lenses, and is meant for screens as large as 120-inch. The resolution is still Full HD (1080p), but with 2000:1 contrast ratio. The projector encloses a pair of high-grade speakers by Boston Acoustics.

The Xming V1 is the company's flagship compact home projector series, powered by an S60 LCD engine, with the same Full 1080p resolution as the others, but with an 800 CVIA Lumens brightness, 2000:1 contrast ratio, the ability to throw onto 120-inch screens, and motion enhancement technologies. It encloses a more capable Boston Acoustics internal speaker set than the one with the Page One. The V1 Ultra is a premium version claimed to be the world's first single-panel LCD-based 4K Ultra HD projector.

BenQ, the global leading DLP 4K projector brand and innovator of digital lifestyle devices, today unveiled three all-new 4K HDR smart projectors. Designed specifically for AAA console gaming, each projector offers players unparalleled audiovisual experiences tailored to various rooms within the home.

Following closely after the success of the BenQ X3000i, 2022's best 4K LED gaming projector, the new models X3100i, X500i, and X300G showcase BenQ's revolutionary detail enhancement engine. They set new standards by integrating the projector-tailored HDR-PRO, CinematicColor, and CinematicSound technologies, offering a richer and more immersive gaming experience than ever before.

We've been focused on creating a great gaming experience for our members since 2021 when we added mobile games to Netflix. Our goal has always been to have a game for everyone, and we are working hard to meet members where they are with an accessible, smooth, and ubiquitous service. Today, we're taking the first step in making games playable on every device where our members enjoy Netflix - TVs, computers, and mobile.

We are rolling out a limited beta test to a small number of members in Canada and the UK on select TVs starting today, and on PCs and Macs through Netflix.com on supported browsers in the next few weeks. Two games will be part of this initial test: Oxenfree from Night School Studio, a Netflix Game Studio, and Molehew's Mining Adventure, a gem-mining arcade game. To play our games on TV, we're introducing a controller that we already have in our hands most of the day - our phones. Members on PCs and Macs can play on Netflix.com with a keyboard and mouse.

BenQ, the internationally renowned innovator of digital lifestyle devices, today premiered a new edition to its portable projector series. GV31 elevates home entertainment to new heights with Full HD 1080p ceiling projection and built-in Android TV with Netflix. "The brand-new GV31 gears you up to be moved in a new way," said Conway Lee, President of BenQ Corporation. "Combining unique ceiling projection capability, certified Android TV, and true enthusiast-level audiovisual performance, BenQ ceiling projectors revolutionise the way people enjoy their favourite content at home."

Distilling decades of DLP projection technology leadership, BenQ ceiling projectors provide guaranteed audiovisual quality with critically acclaimed CinematicColor expertise. Following on from the previous generation model, the GV30, the brand new GV31 is upgraded to Full HD 1080p resolution, with rotating angle projection design, autofocus, and an auto vertical keystone to unfurl breathtakingly immersive panoramas on the ceiling or other novel niches at home with maximum comfort.

It's time to head to Camena. Today, OXENFREE II: Lost Signals is now available on mobile via Netflix, as well as Steam, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. In the small coastal town of Camena, unnaturally occurring electromagnetic waves are suddenly causing interference with electrical and radio equipment. Equipped with a radio, walkie talkie, and climbing gear, Riley Poverly sets out to uncover what's lurking in the static. Here's everything you need to know for launch day...

Do I need to play OXENFREE before playing OXENFREE II?
It's up to you. OXENFREE II features a new cast and story in a familiar setting. We think you'll enjoy making connections between both games but you can jump right in without playing the first game. If you want to catch up on what happened on OXENFREE before playing the new game, here's a quick recap and a refresher.

Dangbei, a global leader in the home projector market, today announces the launch of its new ultra-bright laser home projector with native Netflix, the Mars. Building on the popularity of the Emotn N1 projector, officially licensed by Netflix, the new model brings even more improvements to bring the cinema experience home. By incorporating laser technology into the Mars, it makes it the brightest and clearest Netflix viewing experience on the big screen.

Enabling users to watch the best movies on Netflix in 1080p Full HD, the Mars utilizes ALPD (Advanced Laser Phosphor Display) technology, which is commonly used in cinemas, offices and home entertainment systems. By incorporating ALPD technology, the Mars offers a remarkable 2100 ISO lumens of brightness, powered by an ultra-bright laser light source that can last up to 30,000 hours. Unlike RGB lasers that may produce a speckle effect, the Mars prioritizes the comfort of viewers and a speckle-free experience to take home entertainment and movie nights to another level.

Samsung Electronics today announced the global launch of its full 2023 Smart Monitor lineup. The new M8, M7 and M5 Smart Monitors (Model Name: M80C, M70C, M50C) from Samsung enable users to tailor their monitors to their unique styles and needs, as they watch, play and work.

"We are raising the bar for Smart Monitors globally with our new lineup and especially our enhanced M8 model," said Hoon Chung, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. "Within a single monitor, users can enjoy the best of entertainment and gaming, productivity, design and personalized convenience and comfort."

Dangbei, a leader in innovative home entertainment solutions, is today proud to unveil the Dangbei Neo, an all-in-one mini projector with native Netflix. Officially licensed by Netflix, the DLP projector delivers 1080p FHD visuals on a screen up to 120" and immersive surround sound powered by Dolby Audio. The Neo also packs advanced features in a sleek, compact design that is sure to impress.

One of the outstanding features of the Dangbei Neo is its native and officially licensed Netflix. This means that users can enjoy the same streaming experience for their favorite Netflix shows and movies without the need for any additional devices or software, and all on the big screen. With hotkeys for three popular streaming apps - Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube - navigating through their favorites has never been easier.

It's time to tune into the next chapter. OXENFREE II: Lost Signals will launch July 12, 2023! Make sure it's on your wishlist so you can be among the first to play. This game has been a labor of love and we've been fueled by the passion of our community. We're counting down the days until you have the game in your hands. We cannot wait for you to finally meet Riley and make life altering choices while overcoming supernatural challenges that threaten to destroy her future.

Five years after the events of OXENFREE, Riley returns to her hometown of Camena to investigate mysterious radio signals. What she finds is more than she bargained for. In the small coastal town, unnaturally occurring electromagnetic waves are suddenly causing interference with electrical and radio equipment. Reluctantly, Riley Poverly, an environmental researcher, returns to her hometown to investigate the mystery. As you go on this journey with Riley, you'll shape every step of the story through your choices. How you choose to deal with the supernatural events at hand will forever alter the future.

Terra Nil is now available now!
Terra Nil is a game about transforming barren lifeless landscapes into thriving, vibrant ecosystems. Turn dead soil into fertile grassland, clean polluted oceans, plant sprawling forests, and create the ideal habitat for animals to call home. Then recycle your buildings and leave no trace that you were ever there. Terra Nil is an intricate environmental strategy game about transforming a barren wasteland into a thriving, balanced ecosystem. Bring life back to a lifeless world by purifying soil, cleaning oceans, planting trees, and reintroducing wildlife, then leave without a trace.

A reverse city builder
Use advanced eco-technology to purify the soil, creating plains, wetlands, beaches, rainforests, wildflowers, and more—then efficiently recycle everything you've built, leaving the environment pristine for its new animal inhabitants.

It's been a little more than a year since we launched games on Netflix to bring even more entertainment to our members as part of their Netflix subscription. In this short time, we've released 55 games, with about 40 more slated for later this year and 70 in development with our partners. That's in addition to the 16 games currently being developed by our in-house game studios. Our goal is to develop a broad portfolio of games - in different genres and formats - because we believe everyone can find joy in games if they discover the one (or many!) that is right for them.

This year we're going to continue building our portfolio - and that means new games every month. Members will discover indie darlings, award-winning hits, RPGs, narrative adventures, puzzle games and everything in between, and we're working with the world's leading studios to bring you these games.

Dynamic smart projector brand, Emotn, a sub-brand of Dangbei, is thrilled to announce the launch of its first and latest Netflix officially licensed projector in Europe, the Emotn N1. Packed with native 1080p full HD clarity, 500 ANSI Lumens and a maximum projection size of 120 inches, the Emotn N1 instantly enters the extensive Netflix library after booting and presents its rich content in a crisp, clear and vibrant way. Combined with Dolby Audio and dual 5 W speakers, the Emotn N1's excellent picture and sound quality makes viewers feel as if they've stepped inside the movie.

Officially licensed by Netflix, the Emotn N1 offers new ideas and viewing locations for easier, clearer, enjoyable viewing of Netflix films, TV shows and more. The Emotn N1 transports users to Netflix immediately upon power-on, exposing them to a world of their favorite content. Unlike watching Netflix on smartphones and tablets, the Emotn N1 gives users the freedom to choose from a large screen size of 60" to 120". Different from watching on a normal TV, the dedicated light, rich color and crystal sound of the Emotn N1 provide viewers with more immersion and a cozy vibe. The Emotn N1 comes with a remote control that features hotkeys for the three main video services - Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube - allowing consumers to access their go-to apps with a single press.

Dynamic smart projector brand, Emotn, is thrilled to announce the launch of its first and latest Netflix officially licensed projector, the Emotn N1. Packed with native 1080P full HD clarity, 500 ANSI Lumens and a maximum projection size of 120 inches, the Emotn N1 instantly enters the extensive Netflix library after booting and presents its rich content in a crisp, clear and vibrant way. Combined with Dolby Audio and dual 5 W speakers, the Emotn N1's excellent picture and sound quality makes viewers feel as if they've stepped inside the movie. The Emotn N1 is now available at the price of $399.99 on Amazon US. To celebrate the launch, Emotn is offering a $50 discount coupon.

Officially licensed by Netflix, the Emotn N1 offers new ideas and viewing locations for easier and clearer enjoyable viewing of Netflix films, TV shows, award-winning originals and more. The Emotn N1 transports users to Netflix immediately upon power-on, exposing them to a world of their favorite content. Unlike watching Netflix on smartphones and tablets, the Emotn N1 gives users the freedom to choose from a large screen size of 60" to 120". Different to watching on a normal TV, the dedicated light, rich color and crystal sound of the Emotn N1 provide viewers with more immersion and a cozy vibe. The Emotn N1 comes with a remote control that features hotkeys for the three main video services - Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube - allowing consumers to access their go-to apps with a single press. From films to educational documentaries geared for kids, from anime to TV shows, there's something for everyone.

Encoding video is one of the significant tasks that modern hardware performs. Today, we have some data of AMD and NVIDIA solutions for the problem that shows how good GPU hardware encoders are. Thanks to Chips and Cheese tech media, we have information about AMD's Video Core Next (VCN) encoder found in RDNA2 GPUs and NVIDIA's NVENC (short for NVIDIA Encoder). The site managed to benchmark AMD's Radeon RX 6900 XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPUs. The AMD card features VCN 3.0, while the NVIDIA Turing card features a 6th generation NVENC design. Team red is represented by the latest work, while there exists a 7th generation of NVENC. C&C tested this because it means all that the reviewer possesses.

The metric used for video encoding was Netflix's Video Multimethod Assessment Fusion (VMAF) metric composed by the media giant. In addition to hardware acceleration, the site also tested software acceleration done by libx264, a software library used for encoding video streams into the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC compression format. The libx264 software acceleration was running on AMD Ryzen 9 3950X. Benchmark runs included streaming, recording, and transcoding in Overwatch and Elder Scrolls Online.Below, you can find benchmarks of streaming, recording, transcoding, and transcoding speed.

Since we launched mobile games to our members around the world just four months ago, we've been expanding our games catalog bit by bit as we build out our in-house creative development team. So today, we're excited to announce that Boss Fight Entertainment is joining Netflix. Boss Fight Entertainment was founded in 2013 by David Rippy (CEO), Bill Jackson (CCO), and Scott Winsett (COO), whose work I've long admired. This studio's extensive experience building hit games across genres will help accelerate our ability to provide Netflix members with great games wherever they want to play them.

"Boss Fight's mission is to bring simple, beautiful, and fun game experiences to our players wherever they want to play," said the founders of Boss Fight Entertainment. "Netflix's commitment to offer ad-free games as part of members' subscriptions enables game developers like us to focus on creating delightful game play without worrying about monetization. We couldn't be more excited to join Netflix at this early stage as we continue doing what we love to do while helping to shape the future of games on Netflix together."

Netflix, today announced that it has entered into a combination agreement to acquire Next Games. Under the terms of the agreement, Netflix will commence a tender offer process to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Next Games. Pursuant to the offer, Next Games shareholders would receive EUR 2.10 in cash per share of Next Games, for a total value of approximately EUR 65 million. The Board of Directors of Next Games has unanimously decided to recommend that the shareholders accept the tender offer.

"Next Games has a seasoned management team, strong track record with mobile games based on entertainment franchises, and solid operational capabilities," said Michael Verdu, Vice President of Games, Netflix. "We are excited for Next Games to join Netflix as a core studio in a strategic region and key talent market, expanding our internal game studio capabilities. While we're just getting started in games, I am confident that together with Next Games we will be able to build a portfolio of world class games that will delight our members around the world."

As business professionals continue to navigate new work environments - in an office, at home, or a mix of both - having proper technology and display tools are essential for maintaining team productivity and collaboration. Dedicated to delivering top-quality projection that is also versatile for a range of professional environments, today Epson introduced the new Epson 880X 3LCD 1080p smart portable projector. Compact and equipped with a convenient carrying case, the 880X meets a variety of on-the-go business display needs. Additionally, with Android TV and built-in Chromecast, users can easily switch it into a streaming machine for epic entertainment virtually anywhere.

"As the dynamics of work environments continue to shift, it's important that business professionals have the proper tools to set them up for success in any space," said Kenny Tang, product manager, projectors, Epson America, Inc. "The demand for bigger displays has continued throughout the pandemic for both business and home entertainment. The 880X smart projector is ideal for video conferencing and presentations with the added versatility to transform spaces into entertainment hubs."

Netflix seems to be closer to coalescing its gaming vision, as the company just hired former EA and Oculus exec Mike Verdu as Vice President of game development. Netflix aims to offer not only streaming video content, but also a gaming pass subscription that ties into its monthly subscription philosophy. Bloomberg says that Netflix might add game streaming to its library as soon as next year - just as if they were another content category, and at no extra charge, which would make sense from a market penetration perspective.

Netflix is still in the hiring process for its gaming team, even though the company prefers to list job openings without employing the word "gaming", choosing instead to market it as "interactive experiences". It remains to be seen what will come from these efforts; another games developer with deep pockets such as Netflix would surely be welcome into this space, especially considering the breadth of Netflix-developed IPs. However, as we've seen with Google's gaming development efforts, deep pockets don't solve all the problems related to delivering compelling gaming experiences. But who would say no to a good Stranger Things interactive experience?

AMD late Thursday released the latest version of Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 graphics drivers. Version 20.7.1 beta adds optimization for "Disintegration." The software also introduces an improved AMD Bug Report Tool. A number of bugs were fixed with this release including stuttering observed on machines running RX 5000 series GPUs with Radeon Replay enabled; "Vega" based graphics cards experiencing performance loss with Performance Metrics enabled; an error switching between apps while previewing your stream; custom fan- and clock- tuning settings not applying in Radeon Performance tuning tab or retaining after reboot; and display resolution failing to stretch with display scaling enabled in CS:GO. Bugs related to Valorant, DOTA2, and DOOM Eternal were also fixed. Grab the drivers from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 20.7.1 Beta

Popular video streaming sites YouTube and Netflix have reportedly started rationing their bandwidth by limiting video quality, as online traffic to their services surge to record levels. With COVID-19 lockdowns forcing people to take to online entertainment, the sites are reporting an unprecedented strain on their finite Internet bandwidth. In Europe, the two sites have capped their video quality to 480p, or slightly worse than DVD quality.

Despite the mighty backing of AWS, the world's largest CDN, Amazon's Prime Video is also finding itself having to cap quality based on regional bandwidth constraints. Google is already engaging with governments and ISPs to minimize strain on available Internet bandwidth. Streaming video remains the number one bandwidth consumer. Governments would want to prioritize bandwidth for companies operating remote- or virtual desktops for their employees working from home. Perhaps there's no better time to upgrade online video codecs to newer bandwidth-efficient ones like AV1.

At The National Association of Broadcasters Show (NAB Show) today, Intel and Netflix announced a new high-performance video codec that is available as open source and royalty-free to content creators, developers and service providers. Scalable Video Technology for AV1 (SVT-AV1) offers performance and scalability in video processing.

"The SVT-AV1 codec offers both high performance and efficiency. And compared to today's most popular codec (H.264 AVC), SVT-AV1 can help service providers save up to half their bandwidth, delivering leading-edge user experiences that can be quickly and cost-effectively delivered at a global scale. This codec makes it possible for services ranging from video on demand to live broadcast of 4Kp60/10-bit content on Intel Xeon Scalable processors, including the recently launched 2nd-Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processor," said Lynn Comp, Intel vice president of the Network Platforms Group and general manager of the Visual Cloud Division.

AVIF is a derivative of the AV1 compressed video format for still images that offer image-quality rivaling the HEVC-derived HEIF, while demonstrating superior compression. Earlier this month on February 19, the format was formally published on GitHub as version 1.0.0, collaboratively edited by engineers employed by Netflix and Microsoft, even as development of the AV1 format itself was largely led by Google. AV1 is sought after by on-demand video service companies for its royalty-free nature compared to HEVC. Netflix eyes AV1 as its key to ramp up to 4K and HDR content. YouTube, too, is looking to phase out H.264 in favor of AV1. AVIF, on the other hand, could challenge HEIC, which is the default image format used by Apple in its iOS devices. Google could propagate AVIF though its Android ecosystem, letting consumers capture photos in the format that saves storage space and data bandwidth.

In what will likely hit more than a few PC gamers hard, Telltale Games- the studio behind The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, Tales From The Borderlands and more- will be closing. The studio currently maintains only a skeleton crew of 25 out of what once was an estimated 250 employees at peak. Sadly, the employees that were let go received no severance pay, while those remaining have been tasked with completing a single final project. Reports as to the final project are conflicting, but it appears to be the Minecraft Story Mode project for Netflix. Either way, it is the studio's last gasp as it attempts to fulfill various obligations. Meanwhile, projects like The Walking Dead final season, The Wolf Among Us 2 and others have been outright canceled.

With the whirlwind of activity surrounding the closure is still ongoing, the hashtag #TelltaleJobs on Twitter has currently begun to take off with offers from various studios letting former Telltale staff know they should apply. These studios include, but are not limited to ZeniMax Online Studios, Sony Santa Monica, PUBG corp, Gearbox and many more. While Telltale Games have been experiencing some troubles over the last year or so, its closing was still unexpected. More pressing is, what happens next for those that purchased the entire final season of The Walking Dead- with only one episode out, there is no word yet on what will happen to those that purchased it.

Update:One of the major reasons behind the closure can likely be traced to falling sales, likely leaving the company in a tough position.

EA's Executive VP of Strategic Growth Matt Bilbey said in an interview to gamesindustry.biz that he expects game streaming to be an unavoidable fact of our lives, replacing traditional consoles and gaming-specific devices with smartphone-based solutions or Smart TV apps. Matt Bilbey spoke on how scaling bandwidth and latency is paramount to this streaming future, and likely one of the reasons streaming services up to now have struggled for acceptance - and even survival.

"(...) today, that [bandwidth and latency issues] is still a challenge. But I think over the next year to two years, that barrier will drop. Not for everyone, but for a lot of people. Bandwidth capabilities will go up so the business model around streaming a game becomes more viable. If you buy into a streaming solution and the experience is laggy half the time, you're going to stop and not do it again, which is the challenge some of the companies previously had. I think there's now a solution where we can deliver on the promise, and we're working with a lot of the companies who create the server infrastructure, and there are a lot of innovative solutions from a lot of big companies we're working with that will actually allow us to bring this to life."

Seems like almost every industry is looking towards transitioning to a subscription model for its goods and services. Netflix may be the most iconic one such company, having acquired millions of subscribers that allow it to have a relatively stable, monthly influx of liquidity (yes, we can also count World of Warcraft on such a scenario). However, many other industries have taken to the same approach (think lootcrates, all kinds of crates, subscription services for online features, etc).

That said, few industries can take the same amount of data from their subscribers such as these media-consumption based ones, where an Internet connection is required, and user data - be it views or, the most interesting metric, engagement rates - are king in determining exactly what the user base expects and craves more of. Netflix's algorithms and view history have been responsible for the selection of its future investments. The base idea for the movie Bright, for example, was developed based on a mash-up of genres Netflix's algorithms indicated as the more captivating to the user base - and Netflix's sci-fi portfolio, for instance, has recently grown towards becoming the single biggest investment from the company, as users seem to gobble-up such content (I'm dully guilty as charged for that one sin as well, I have to admit).