Blog

Late last year, we reported that Amazon and Roku faced a major cheap TV competition in the form of Vizio, whose new 4K Quantum Pro TVs claimed to compete with the top 4K TVs on the market. But it sounds like that was only a warm-up. According to a new story in the Wall Street Journal, retail giant Walmart is in talks to acquire Vizio’s TV business.

According to the WSJ, such a transaction would provide Walmart a significant boost in the inexpensive TV market, where it presently offers its own Onn brand, as well as access to a large amount of user data and ad revenue from Vizio’s smart TV platform.

The cheap TV market is growing very the conflict, and both Amazon and Roku have begun producing their own TVs, streaming devices, and dongles. And they’re very good: for example, we evaluated the Roku Plus series last year and discovered it to be an excellent affordable 4K QLED TV.

This is not Walmart’s first smart television rodeo

Walmart’s smart TV adventures extend beyond its own-brand TVs; it previously collaborated with Roku to produce “shoppable ads,” which allow you to buy real things from your TV, and it has also collaborated with marketing agency Innovid to expand Walmart Connect to new tech platforms.

However, Walmart’s purchase of Vizio would open up a new front in the smart TV conflict, as well as provide a new revenue stream. According to The Verge, Walmart may begin selling ad spots on its in-house TV displays to marketers, as it already does with other TV brands.

For US TV customers, the purchase of Vizio would most certainly result in lower-priced Vizio TV sets, which is obviously enticing – but it would also imply even more of a drive towards data collection and advertising sales, which is where the money is; profit margins at the lower end of the TV market are extremely narrow.

Currently, neither Walmart nor Vizio are ready to comment on the report; if there If there is a sale, it will be several months before we see any changes on the Walmart retail floor. In the meantime, if you want to buy a nice TV without breaking the bank, check out our guide to the top TV bargains, which includes some excellent budget options.

Yashica is a 75-year-old brand of traditional analog cameras that stopped manufacture in 2005 and has since tried its hand at Kickstarter projects with varied results. Its most recent crowdfunding campaign is for 4K night vision binoculars, which are a break from its traditional analog roots.

Yashica Night Vision, similar to the Sigweis Night Vision Binoculars, claims better full-color 4K video and clear 58MP stills even in complete darkness, thanks to a 0.0037lux sensitivity, three-level 850nm IR (infrared) illuminator, and f/1.0 aperture lens. In brief, you can see in color in the dark, with visibility up to 600m.

According to the Yashica Night Vision Kickstarter campaign, which launched in January 2024, full-color photographs display “more natural color reproduction and a higher dynamic range’ and are produced using artificial intelligence to improve image signal processing.

There are a few sample films on the page that give you an idea of what’s possible, but the Yashica Night Vision video advertisement does not include actual footage recorded with the product.

These are not the first night vision binoculars with full-color and infrared capabilities. The Sigweis model appears to feature the same design and most of the same gear, including a 3x optical and 5x digital zoom, a 4-inch TFT display with a 960×400 pixel screen, IP65 water and dust resistance, backlit controls, a compass, and up to 16 hours battery life.

The Yashica Night Vision, on the other hand, has greater specifications to existing binoculars, including 4K video and 58MP stills, as well as a bigger aperture f/1.0 lens, which should provide clearer images, and its manufacturers claim that the 600m viewing distance is twice that of existing rivals.

The Yashica Night Vision’s list price of $252 (about ₹20882.76 / AU$387) is therefore quite surprising. That looks a bit low for such a great sounding piece of nocturnal equipment. Furthermore, at the time of writing, the early bird Kickstarter price is only ₹14,517.7 (about ₹11,593.29 or AU$214).

Is the Yashica Night Vision too good to be true for nocturnal travelers? Dig a little deeper, and some of those headlines begin to unravel. The GalaxyCore CMOS sensor does have a Full HD 1080p resolution, not 4K; the higher resolution is reached through upscaling.

That being said, we’ll have to wait and see how successful the Yashica Night Vision is in practice, especially if Yashica is using AI to improve image quality.

Global shipping is available, with pricing based on the post-campaign supporter survey, with an estimated delivery date of May 2024. As with all crowd-funding projects, backing the project does not ensure receipt of the product or adherence to the expected timeline.

Some ideas are simply bad. There are numerous options available, ranging from “shall we bring back dinosaurs from fossil DNA?” to “shall I go down into the cellar of this spooky house to investigate those noises alone?”. But smart heads don’t always triumph, so when Moondrop decided to bring back the portable CD player, it made sure to hire an engineer who had previously worked on Sony’s first Discman. This time around, it’s called the DiscDream, and it’s far more advanced than the classic portable CD players you might recall.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen outdated audio technology revived. Fiio brought the Walkman back to CES last month. But, while I appreciate vintage technology, I’m also old enough to have firsthand experience with its drawbacks, such as portable CD players, which were useless because CDs and motion don’t mix. We do not have vinyl decks in our vehicles for similar reasons.

The DiscDream is unique, in part because it is more than just a CD player. It also contains an SD card, allowing you to use its built-in digital audio player, which is similar to one of the top MP3 players, to play your digital audio files without skipping. The CD player here is designed for stationary use, and it is far more advanced than any music player that used to be tossed around on the school bus.

What the DiscDream Brings to the CD Player Party

The DiscDream was apparently created by a 30-year Sony Discman veteran who modified the player to fit the more stringent needs of modern audiophiles. There’s a 32-bit MasterHiFi Cirrus Logic decoder and three audiophile-spec oscillators for precise timing, as well as what the company claims is a high-quality motor drive and a shock-absorbing laser head. The 3,500mAh battery powers six independent power supply chips, while the headphone output has its own amp with a claimed 115dB output and 0.00037% harmonic distortion.

The digital audio player can play many of the most recent high-resolution audio codecs from a memory card, including APE, FLAC, LL-AAC, MP3, OGG, and WMA. Moondrop’s DiscDream can also stream up to 384kHz PCM and 11.2896MHz DSD from your computer via USB-C.

The price isn’t bad – it’s $199 in the US – but if you want one, you’ll need to provide your own set of headphones and be patient: some pre-order customers are apparently still waiting for delivery of DiscDreams they ordered in September, and MOONDROP’s retail partner Shenzhen Audio is not currently accepting new orders until “all pre orders [are] shipped out”.

We’ve entered a new year, and with the arrival of 2024 comes a new set of games to look forward to.

From Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to GTA 6, there are plenty of titles to look forward to, whether you play on console or PC. However, some are considerably closer to release than others.

We’ve compiled a list of the biggest confirmed titles for 2024 and beyond, along with their release dates and periods. So, whether you play on PC or consoles, you’ll want to note at least one of these games on your calendar. Here are some upcoming events to look forward to in 2024 and beyond!

Upcoming games 2024: this year’s major games

• Foamstars: February 6 (PS5, PS4)
• Helldivers 2: February 9, 2024 (PS5, PC)
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: February 29, 2024 (PS5)
• Dragon’s Dogma 2: March 21, 2024 (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC)
• Princess Peach: Showtime, March 22, 2024 (Switch).
• Avowed: TBC 2024 (XSX|S, PC).
• Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga, TBC 2024 (XSX|S, PC)
• Star Wars Outlaws: TBC 2024 (PS5, XSX|S, PC)

FEBRUARY

---

February continues the fun with a Rocksteady game and a new Final Fantasy game for the PlayStation 5. Here’s what you’ll play in February 2024:

• Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, February 2, 2024 (PS5, XSX|S, PC)
• Helldivers 2: February 9, 2024 (PS5, PC)
• Persona 3: Reloaded – February 2 (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC)
• Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden – February 13 (PS5, Xbox Series X| S)
• Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered: February 14, 2024 (Switch)
• Skull & Bones: February 16, 2024 (PS5, PC, XSX|S)
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong: February 16, 2024 (Switch)
• Pacific Drive: February 22, 2024 (PS5, PC)
• Open Roads: February 22 (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Switch, and PC)
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: February 29, 2024 (PS5)

MARCH

---

Princess Peach gets her own Switch game in March, and the long-awaited sequel to Dragon’s Dogma is finally here. Here are the games releasing in March 2024:

Homeworld 3: March 8, 2024 (PC)
Alone in the Dark: March 20 (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC)
Dragon’s Dogma 2: March 21, 2024 (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC)
Rise of the Ronin: March 22, 2024 (PS5)
Princess Peach: Showtime, March 22, 2024 (Switch).
South Park: Snow Day – March 26 (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and PC).
Acolyte of the Altar—March 25, 2024 (PC).

APRIL

---

We don’t have many games scheduled for April yet, but that will probably change in the next weeks. Here’s what we know so far:

• Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes – April 23 (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, and PC)
• Stellar Blade: April 26 (PS5).

REST OF THE YEAR

---

After April, the number of game releases has remained quite low. Here are the major games scheduled for the remainder of 2024:

• Destiny 2: The Final Shape – June 4 (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC)
• Black Myth: Wukong – August 20 (PS5, Xbox Series X | S, PC)

TBC 2024

• Battle Crush – Spring 2024 (Switch)
• Contra: Operation Galuga, Early 2024 (Switch)
• Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, TBC 2024 (Switch)
• Indiana Jones – TBC 2024 Avowed – TBC 2024 (XSX|S, PC)
• Replaced: TBC 2024 (PC, XBO, XSX|S).
• Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy – Early 2024
• Penny’s Big Breakaway: Early 2024.
• Sonic X: Shadow Generations – Fall 2024 (PS5, PS4)
• Silent Hill 2 Remake: TBC 2024 (PS5, PC)
• Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon – TBC 2024
• Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga, TBC 2024 (XSX|S, PC)
• Earthblade, TBC 2024 (PC)
• Rise of the Ronin, TBC 2024 (PS5).
• Neva: TBC 2024 (PS5, PC)
• Cat Quest: Pirates of the Purribean (TBC 2024) (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Switch)
• Towers of Aghasba: TBC 2024 (PS5, PC)
• Ultros: TBC 2024 (PS5, PS4, PC)
• Baby Steps – TBC 2024

TBC

Finally, here is a list of games that have been announced but have yet to receive a release date. They are currently TBC, but this page will be updated once each game has a release date:

• GTA 6 (2025) and Death Stranding 2 (2025) on PS5.
• Assassin’s Creed Infinity: Codename Hexe, TBC (PS5, PC, XSX|S)
• Assassin’s Creed Infinity: Codename Red, TBC (PS5, PC, XSX|S)
• Beyond Good and Evil 2: TBC
• Marvel’s Blade – TBC
• BioShock 4 – TBC
• DokeV: TBC (PC, PS5, XSX|S, PS4, XBO)
• Dragon Age: Dreadwolf – TBC.
• Dune: Awakening, TBC (PS5, XSX|S, PC)
• Everwild – TBC (XSX | S, PC)
• Fable: TBC (XSX|S, PC).
• TBC for Fallout 5 and Hades 2 (PC).
• Haunted Chocolatier – TBC
• Hollow Knight: Silksong – TBC (PS5, XSX|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch)
• Judas – TBC 2024.
• Marvel’s Wolverine: TBC (PS5)
• TBC titles include Kingdom Hearts 4 and Mass Effect 5.

In the world of high-end home theater, two brands tend to dominate the AV receiver market: Denon and Marantz, so when either one debuts a new flagship product, home theater lovers tend to rise up and take notice.

This week, it’s Marantz with the new theater 30, which is jam-packed with all of the newest features you’d expect to power an elite home theater, including compatibility for 8K video, surround sound formats like Dolby Atmos, and Wi-Fi for watching the best streaming services.

The revelation follows the arrival of Denon’s new 8K AV receiver with Dolby Atmos, which is another extremely stunning product that we thought was the peak of elite home theater gear. But now that the Cinema 30 has come, we might need to reconsider.

How does the Marantz Cinema 30 compare to the Denon AVC-X6800H?

Marantz and Denon are both owned by the same company, Masimo (the firms joined in 2002 before being sold), but they have long histories before to that.

While their respective AV receiver lineups appear to be extremely similar at first glance, when compared side by side, there are some very subtle design differences. The most prominent is the famous Marantz porthole, which is enhanced by a fold-down panel that conceals a display and controls.

On the connection front, the Cinema 30 is just as good on paper as the AVC-X6800H, with 8K support for seven HDMI inputs, three HDMI outputs, and 11 channels of amplification, which Marantz claims can be expanded to 13.4 channels in pre-amp mode if an external amplifier is added. There are also HEOS, Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2, and Bluetooth built-in.

With 140 watts per channel, the Cinema 30 can handle all of the latest spatial audio codecs, such as Dolby Atmos, IMAX Enhanced, DTS:X Pro, and Auro 3D. It operates on a Sharc Dual DSP processor and has a 32-bit ESS Sabre DAC, so it can decode whatever you throw at it.

It’s too early to determine which of the brand’s 2024 flagship models has the upper hand, but in terms of features, they’re both fighting for the top spot. Denon presently tops our list of the finest AV receivers, but that may not last much longer.

The Marantz Cinema 30 is available for purchase now (January 30) at a premium price of $4,500 in the United States and ₹410969.13 in the UK.

Fonts and typefaces have existed since 1588, when the Gutenberg Bible was printed with moveable type. There are now tens of thousands of fonts available, with new ones being generated on a daily basis.

Times New Roman, Arial, and the infamous Comic Sans are among well-known fonts. However, there are situations when you require a certain option that is not available in Microsoft Word or LibreOffice Writer’s drop-down list.

It is simple to download and install new fonts, and there are plenty to pick from. Our step-by-step guide will show you how to select the ideal font.

How to Install Fonts

The screenshots in this guide show Microsoft Word running under the Windows operating system. These instructions will also work on Macs, Chromebooks, and Linux distributions such as Ubuntu. We tried this with Microsoft Word and LibreOffice Writer, but fonts can be installed on any word processing product that accepts OTF and TTF font files.

1.Check the current typefaces

Microsoft Word and other word processors, such as Libre Office Writer, already have a selection of pre-installed fonts. So, before installing a new font, make sure you already have one that will do the job.

I would want to utilize a calligraphy-style font on the party invitation shown in the screenshot above. Because none of the pre-installed fonts on the list are exactly what I’m looking for, I’ll install a fresh one.

Caution: For this guide, we used a well-known and respected third-party website. The procedures outlined in this post can be used to different font websites, but be sure you’re downloading from a reliable source.

2.Use a Font Website

There are various websites where you may install free fonts. I am using dafontfree.io.

This website allows me to search for a specific font name or explore by category. Choose the category that most closely matches your search criteria. I’ve chosen calligraphy.

3.Choose the typeface

You can now browse all available fonts and decide which one to download. This might take a while. Dafontfree.io boasts over 2000 typefaces, and it’s easy to get lost while browsing all of the options!

I used Bridgerton Script Font for my party invitation. When you’ve decided on a font, click the name to get to the download page.

4.Download fonts

On the font download page, click Download. This will download a zip file containing your font file. Your font file will be in either OpenType (OTF) or TrueType (TTF) format. Both formats are suitable for Word, LibreOffice Writer, and most other word processors.

5.Install fonts

Navigate to your downloads location, then open the zip folder and the OTF or TTF file. This will launch a window that displays font information and text examples. Select Install.

6.Select a new font from the dropdown list

Once downloaded, your font will display in your word processor’s font drop-down list. When I did this, I discovered that while I could see the new font right away in Word, I had to close and reload my project in LibreOffice Writer to see it.

Select your new typeface. As you can see in the screenshot above, I changed the main heading of my invitation from Calibri to Bridgerton Script.

If you’re still not satisfied with your new font, you can start the procedure over. There are, after all, thousands upon thousands of fonts to select from!

Many different font websites provide both free and premium fonts for you to download. Keep in mind that most free fonts are strictly for personal use.

---

If you intend to use a typeface for commercial purposes, such as in your company’s logo or branding, review the website’s content and, if applicable, the Electronic User Licensing Agreement. The dafontfree.io website includes a link to purchase fonts for business usage where applicable.

However, if you’re utilizing a free font for personal projects like invitations, labels, place cards, scrapbooks, or simply cleaning up your Word documents, you’re all set!

There are plenty of fascinating fonts out there, ranging from 1930s Art Deco to a pirate font formed of bones. Check out the alternatives and have fun trying out different styles.