Livin' la vida larger

LG CineBeam HU85L

First seen at CES in January and again at LG Innofest in March, LG's newest CineBeam 4K projector lineup consists of two models: HU85L and HU70L. While both tout native 4K resolution, their light source is different: the HU85L uses a laser + LED hybrid light source, while the HU70L uses an LED light source.

Either way, you get a very long lifespan - up to 20,000 hours for the HU85L and 30,000 hours for the HU70L. Also, LG claims its "wheel-less" implementation "practically eliminates distracting visual artefacts such as the rainbow effect, clouding and colour distortion".

To delve into the nitty-gritty, the HU85L employs a 3-channel laser system with two individual lasers for the red and blue colours. The green is generated by the wheel-less laser and LED technology and another blue light source. According to LG, this system is what enables the HU85L to achieve 97 per cent coverage in RGB colour space and 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

The 2,700-ANSI lumen HU85L is also an ultra-short throw projector - all you need is 10cm between the unit and the screen to get a 100-inch image. On the other hand, the more compact HU70L sports maximum brightness of 1,500 ANSI lumens and offers a 100-inch picture when placed just 2.7m from the wall.

Both the HU85L and HU70L support HDR10 and use the same engine to upscale Full HD content to 4K-like quality. They also both have two USB-A ports, one USB-C port, and one Ethernet port. Like LG's TVs, they run webOS and come pre-installed with apps to work with streaming services such as Netflix and YouTube.

In the US, the LG HU85L is priced at US$6,000. Price elsewhere and the price of the HU70L are unknown at the moment.

By Ng Chong Seng

Nikon D6

Nikon has announced it's developing the Nikon D6 professional DSLR camera and a new AF-S NIKKOR 120-300mm f/2.8E FL ED SR VR telephoto zoom lens that's compatible with the Nikon FX format. And... that's about it. No specs of the camera were revealed and the only thing we can tell from Nikon's image of the D6 is that it looks just like the D5.

The new NIKKOR lens, meanwhile, is a fast, 120-300mm pro-grade zoom lens designed for sports photography. It has your usual Nikon Silent Wave Motor, fluorite elements, extra-low dispersion glass elements, and in-built vibration reduction.

Considering that the 2020 Olympic Games are happening in Tokyo in July next year, it's a safe bet that both camera and lens will hit the market a few months prior.

By Ng Chong Seng

Razer Blade Stealth 13 ultrabook

Razer's original Blade Stealth was a slightly strange creature, since its integrated graphics couldn't really handle much even though the laptop was made by a company that was all about gaming. With the Blade Stealth 13 though, Razer actually has an ultrabook that you can game on, and it'll come with Intel's new 10th Gen Ice Lake processors. The Blade Stealth 13 can be equipped with up to an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 with 4GB of GDDR5 memory, making Razer the first to stuff that GPU into a tiny 13.3-inch laptop.

The base model has been replaced with a Mercury White edition with integrated graphics, while the GTX models will be available in both FHD and 4K flavours. The display on the 4K model also supports touch inputs and is covered by Gorilla Glass. Razer says all its screens have been individually calibrated at the factory and offer 100 per cent coverage of the sRGB colour space. While the GTX models take advantage of NVIDIA Optimus technology for some power savings, you might want to opt for the Mercury White if battery life, as opposed to gaming performance, is a bigger priority for you.

The connector layout remains unchanged, featuring one Thunderbolt 3, one USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type-C, and two USB 3.1 (Gen 1) Type-A ports. Other things that haven't changed include the tiny right Shift key, which some of you might find quite a hassle to get used to. Also, the Blade Stealth has a single-zone Razer Chroma RGB keyboard, a Windows Hello IR camera for easier sign-ins, and a large glass precision trackpad.

The Blade Stealth 13 in Mercury White starts at US$1,499 and will be available in the US at the end of September. Razer says it'll be coming later to other countries, including Singapore.

By Koh Wanzi

This content first appeared on hardwarezone.com.sg