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Forget long HDMI cable headaches in your home theater setup β€” there's a new wireless HDMI connector for 4K 60Hz video at up to 75 feet through walls, making it way easier to beam images around the home

17 September 2026 at 02:00
  • The Nyrius Phoenix Home is a new wireless HDMI adapter with 500ft line-of-sight range, 75ft through walls or floors
  • Delivers 4K resolution with Dolby Atmos, DTS and 7.1-channel surround support
  • Launches for $199.99 for the basic transmitter and receiver

The Nyrius Phoenix Home is a true 4K wireless streamer that takes an HDMI source such as your games console, Apple TV 4K or Blu-ray player (or any combination through an AV receiver) and sends it to your TV, projector or desktop monitor.

It's designed to be simple, so there's one HDMI input on the transmitter and one HDMI output on the receiver β€” and it promises a 500-foot range in plain air, or 75 feet through walls and floors.

This means it could be used as part of a home theater setup, beaming video from your source to your projector or TV across the room without cables, or it could be used as an alternative to running and HDMI cable through your walls so you can send video to other parts of the house.

This isn't the first such streamer by any means, but it's very aggressively priced for a 4K wireless HDMI adapter and delivers an impressive specification for its relatively low price.

Image of the Nyrius Phoenix Home wireless HDMI being set up in a neutrally decorated room

(Image credit: Nyrius)

Nyrius Phoenix Home: key features and specifications

With the Phoenix Home's 500-foot line-of-sight range, I'm thinking it could be good for movies or sporting events with friends outdoors with a projector or outdoor TV.

Transmitting up to 75 feet through walls and floors means you can use it to stream from a computer in one room to a TV in another, provided the computer has an HDMI output or an HDMI adapter: the Phoenix Home only supports HDMI input.

The Phoenix Home also features USB-C that you can use to remotely control a computer by connecting it to the transmitter and using a keyboard and mouse with the receiver. There's also an IR extender for remote controllers.

The Phoenix Home transmits up to 4K resolution at up to 60fps, and it supports DTS, Dolby Atmos and 7.1-channel surround.

I think there are multiple applications for this kind of device at home as well as in business or educational spaces: it's a good solution for renters who can't start drilling cable runs everywhere, and for rooms that weren't made with AV systems in mind.

A few TV companies have been thinking about rooms where you want to mount the TV above the fireplace or another feature and have your AV receiver, consoles or other home theater gear somewhere else. If you saw Samsung's Wireless One Connect Box or LG's Zero Connect and wished you too could have a wire-free TV, you don't need to splash your cash on one of this year's best TVs to cut the cables: this will provide a similar option for $199.

Our one worry would be what the latency is like for gaming, which we'd have to test to be sure about. But if you're looking to cut the cables for making it easy to move movies around the home, this looks like a very affordable and effective way to do it, and is available now.

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Panasonic is launching a new 4K Blu-ray player! Okay, it's very niche and is coming to Japan only so far β€” but it's the second new player this year, and I'm just happy we're getting new hardware

16 September 2026 at 23:31
  • Panasonic launches new DMR-4X1010 4K Blu-ray player in Japan
  • Also includes 4K tuners, 10TB of local storage for recordings, Blu-ray recording, and support for cloud storage
  • About $2,800 / Β£2,080 / AU$3,930

Blu-ray fans should be feeling blessed this month: with new players decidedly thin on the ground, September has brought us news of not one but two 4K Blu-ray players β€” though neither is really aimed at the average movie enthusiast.

The new Panasonic DMR-4X1010 is a flagship 4K player with a bunch of other neat tricks up its sleeve, and while it's likely to stay as a Japan-only release, we're still happy to see new players being made.

A 434,500 yen, which works out at about $2,800 / Β£2,080 / AU$3,930, it's a fair bit cheaper than this month's other new Blu-ray player, the Magnetar Ultima: that costs a cool $12,000 (about Β£8,895 / AU$16,687).

Panasonic DMR-4X1010 Blu-ray recorder rear view on white background

(Image credit: Panasonic)

Panasonic DMR-4X1010: key features

The Panasonic DMR-4X1010 not plays 4K Blu-rays, regular Blu-rays and DVDs, it also features 4K broadcast tuners and includes a giant 10TB hard drive for recording shows and movies. There's also the option of cloud recording of up to 10TB via Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive, so you can access recordings on your phone or store Blu-ray disc images in the cloud.

It even records to BD-R/RE discs of up to 100GB, if you prefer. Recording from live broadcast isn't that popular worldwide, but evidently it's popular enough in Japan to make this the ultimate 'own your copies' machine.

The player uses an AVC encoder for high-definition recording, and Panasonic says the encoder can compress 24Mbps signals to around 1.6Mbps to maximize recording space… though, again, it does come with 10 terabytes.

The DMR-4X1010 also works with Panasonic's AI Viera system, which can automatically adjust the picture quality to fit the scene β€” so bright and vivid if you're watching sports, and richer contrast if you're watching a noir movie. AI can also adjust the audio to make it more immersive.

The new player launches through authorized dealers on October 22, 2026, and exclusively to the Japanese market.

There have been worries about the future of 4K Blu-ray, and whether the companies are still interested in producing them β€” the current models have been around for a long time, and Panasonic just increased the price of its options.

But the release of this model and the Magnetar show that companies aren't blind to the desire for new options β€” I just hope we might get something more affordable and mainstream than these at some point.

Sorry, 4K Blu-ray fans β€” Panasonic's players just got a price hike, and the best 4K player on the market got a rough deal

9 September 2026 at 16:50
  • Panasonic 4K Blu-ray players are now more expensive in the US
  • Some retailers have stock at the previous price
  • Tariffs and the ongoing component crisis strike again

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you've been putting off buying the Panasonic DP-UB820 Blu-ray player β€” our pick of the best 4K Blu-ray players on the market β€” its price, along with other Panasonic players, has rocketed.

The eagle-eyed Harrybalzac71 on the r/4kbluray subreddit spotted the new prices in Panasonic's updated US shop listings. And in those listings, our favorite Blu-Ray player has gone up by $100, reaching a new list price of $649.

The player has also had an increase in recent months in the UK to Β£429, having been listed at Β£349 for some time, so while the price isn't as high as the US still, it's still notably higher.

When the DP-UB820 launched, it was priced at $499 / Β£349 / AU$769, though the price people have expected to mainly find it at has fluctuated over time, and it's had price rises before β€” it was $549 most recently.

Panasonic: new prices for US Blu-ray players

The new prices have caused bafflement on the subreddit: as WorryTurbulent3924 recalls, "I price matched my 820 for $349 at best buy slightly over a year ago. Wtf happened?" Other redditors shared similar stories.

There are six US models, and their new prices are:

  • DP-UB450: $299.99
  • DP-UB420: $369.99
  • DP-UB820: $649.99
  • DP-UB9000: $1,299.99
  • DP-UB154: $299.99
  • DP-UB150: $209.99

There is some good news: some Panasonic players are still in retail at the older price, so at the time of writing a third-party seller has the DP-UB820 is on Amazon for $539.99 and it's on Best Buy for $549.99. Both are showing as stock available, but when that stock runs out you're likely to see higher prices afterwards β€” the main official Amazon sales page is already showing $649.

It's a shame, but unfortunately it's something we've gotten used to – not just in Blu-ray players but in PCs, PlayStations, Steam Machines and other electronics too. The triple whammy of AI-related shortages, inflation and (in the US) tariffs is sending prices into orbit.

From now, it looks like buyers will have to hope we get deals that take it back to the previous price of $549.

The Panasonic UB820 has been the sweet spot of 4K Blu-ray players available today, which is why this one is such a focus for us and the 4K Blu-ray community. It's the only player available today that has total format support and isn't priced like a high-end reference machine.

Thinking of buying a new TV?

Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices.

McIntosh’s new AV processor can handle 9.4.4 channels of Dolby Atmos and 7x 4K 120Hz HDMI ports for β€˜today’s most advanced home cinema systems’ – but you’ll need to add your own amps for all those speakers…

16 July 2026 at 10:56
  • McIntosh MX124 AV processor launches for a cool $15,000 (about Β£11,079 / AU$21,423)
  • 13.4 audio channels to 7.4.6 or 9.4.4 speaker configurations in Dolby Atmos and DTS:X Pro
  • 7x 8K HDMI inputs and extensive additional connectivity, plus Dirac Live

If you're looking for an AV processor so future-proof that your grandkids will want to inherit it, McIntosh Labs may have just the thing. The new MX124 A/V Processor is designed for "today's "most advanced home cinema systems" according to the company, and comes with extensive connectivity options, as you'd expect.

As you'd expect from McIntosh, it's a tough-looking thing, and to my eyes it resembles something from a 1960s recording studio or NASA control center. But while it may look a little retro on the outside, what's inside is bang up to date.

Its 13 surround channels with four inividual subwoofer outputs support speaker configurations of up to 7.4.6 or 9.4.4, and it has superb wired and wireless connectivity for your AV components.

Promotional photo of the McIntosh MX124 A/V Processor showing some of the many connections on the rear

(Image credit: McIntosh Labs)

McIntosh MX124 AV processor: key features and pricing

The McIntosh MX124 A/V Processor is designed to sit at the center of a reference-spec home theater system, handling the audio and video sources and routing the audio to the appropriate amplifiers via its balanced or unbalanced outputs.

It has seven HDMI inputs and three outputs, including one with eARC for your TV, and all the HDMI inputs support 8K at 60Hz and 4K at 120Hz. They're compatible with Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG and IMAX Enhanced, and they also support HDCP 2.3, Rec.2020, 4:4:4 Color Spacing, Dynamic Lip-sync, 3D Video Passthrough, ALLM, VRR and Quick Frame Transport.

There are four dedicated digital audio inputs, one balanced and eight unbalanced analog stereo inputs, component and composite video inputs, and dual analog stereo outputs to accommodate two additional listening zones.

For streaming, the MX124 supports AirPlay, Bluetooth, Qobuz Connect, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Roon Ready, supporting hi-res audio streaming at up to 32-bit/192kHz.

The MX124 also features Dirac Live Room Correction and Bass Control, with licenses included for both. It can also deliver Audyssey MultEQ XT32 room calibration if that's your preferred option.

As this is a premium AV product, it's been designed with professional installation in mind, and it's certified Connects With Control4 for simple and efficient setup and pre-configuration. It features RS232 for automation control and is suitable for rack mounting.

McIntosh didn't include pricing details in its official announcement but retailers are listing the new MX124 with a price tag of $15,000 (about Β£11,079 / AU$21,423). And as I mentioned above, that's excluding amplification.

If you're looking for something more affordable, you might prefer to take a look at Denon's two new affordable entry and mid-range AVRs, or Yamaha's two new budget AVR options.

Thinking of buying a new TV?

Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices.

Loewe's new OLED TV wants to be the ultimate AV experience: each panel is 'individually calibrated before leaving the factory', and you can choose custom speaker setups β€” including the TV being the center of a wireless surround system

16 July 2026 at 08:00
  • Loewe's Antares is a 4K OLED TV with triple tuner, HDMI 2.1 and 144Hz VRR
  • Selection of wall mounts, floor stands, rotatable table stands and speakers
  • From Β£2,500 (about $3,350 / AU$4,799)

German luxury brand Loewe has unveiled what it calls its "most individual Smart OLED TV to date," the Loewe Antares. It's a 4K TV with a modular design that enables you to personalize it to suit your particular preferences.

The Antares TV features interchangeable aluminum onlays with a range of fabric colors, and flexible setup options including a universal table stand, multiple floor stands including a motorized stand, and several wall mount options. The table stand can rotate and offers three height positions.

The TV has Loewe's Invisible Sound integrated speaker system, but you can specify it with lots of beefier options. You can add the Loewe Soundbar Antares, which is a front-firing 80W soundbar designed specifically for these TVs, and/or an optional subwoofer.

You can also specify your Antares with other Loewe audio products including the multi.room amp, Klang subwoofer, We.BOOST wireless surround sound system and the we.BOOST center speaker, though the TV itself can be the center speaker in the wireless surround system if you prefer.

Lifestyle image of the Loewe Antares TV in a neutrally decorated living room

(Image credit: Loewe)

Loewe Antaras: key features and pricing

Each Antares TV has a 4K OLED panel that's been "individually calibrated before leaving the factory" according to Loewe. Loewe is one of the few companies that gets raw OLED panels from LG Display and finishes the manufacturing itself, but the company confirmed that this is an OLED EX panel with Double Rate Driving technology, which suggests it's the same panel tech used in the five-star (albeit cheaper) LG C6 OLED TV, plus whatever finishing touches and calibration Loewe has added.

There's support for both Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive when it comes to HDR. There's a dual-channel, triple-tuner setup with USB recording, parallel TV viewing and timeshift functionality, and the OS is a customized version of Vidaa OS, with key streaming apps, Apple AirPlay, Miracast and Matter on board.

For gamers there's HDMI 2.1 support, with 144Hz VRR at 4K, and a dedicated low-latency gaming mode. There are multiple sizes here, from the compact 42-inch to the range-topping 77-inch.

As you'd expect from Loewe these are premium priced TVs. Prices start at Β£2,500 (about $3,350 / AU$4,799) and rise to Β£4,000 (about $5,370 / AU$7,675). The Loewe Antares soundbar is Β£300 (about $400 / AU$575).

At the moment this is a UK-only release, though Loewe told TechRadar that a US launch is being considered, but isn't confirmed yet.

Thinking of buying a new TV?

Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices.

Soaring temperatures have convinced me it's time to take my World Cup viewing outside β€” and these cheap projector deals mean garden watch parties are more affordable than ever

24 June 2026 at 11:10

We're nearing the end of the World Cup 2026 group stages, and things are hotting up β€” both metaphorically and literally. A temperatures in my living room soar, I've decided it's time to take my game viewing outside, where I can enjoy the action with the cool evening breeze on my face.

For that, I need a projector β€” and now's a really good time to buy one. We're in the middle of the Amazon Prime Day sale (with retailers like Currys, AO and Very running rival deals events), so there are plenty of discounts to be had if you know where to look.

β€’ View the full Amazon Prime Day sale

Below, I've rounded up the best projector deals I've spotted, including the ones I'm deciding between for my own al fresco watch parties. I've stuck to sub-Β£450 buys here, which means they're more basic options, and most are compact and portable, too. If you're looking for something higher-end that will be more of a permanent fixture, head to our best projector guide for our top picks.

Xgimi's range is worth checking out in particular, as are Anker's Nebula projectors. We haven't reviewed these specific models, but we have tested similar products from those brands, and been impressed. Our Anker Nebula Mars 3 is the larger and higher-specced sibling of the Mars 3 Air Mini featured below, for instance, and scored four stars in our review. We called the Xgimi Mogo 3 "a strong contender for the portable projector crown", too β€” and its successor is included in my deals roundup.

Scroll down for more excellent deals, and happy watching...

World-class projectors

Xgimi Mogo 4 2025 New Portable Projector With Powerbase Stand, 5 Hours of Playtime, Google Tv With Licensed Netflix, 360Β° Adjustable Stand, 450 Iso Lumens, 2 X 6w Harman Kardon

XGIMI
MoGo 4 Projector with PowerBase Stand

Nebula Anker Mars 3 Air 1080p Mini Projector, Smart 400 Ansi-Lumen Portable Projector With Google Tv, Wi-Fi, Dolby Digital, 2Γ—8w, 150-Inch Picture, Built-In Battery With 2.5-Hour Playtime

Anker
Nebula Mars 3 Air Mini Projector

Xgimi Mogo 4 2025 New Portable Projector, Gtv With Licensed Netflix, 360Β° Adjustable Stand, 2.5 Hours of Playtime, 12w Harman Kardon, Outdoor Projector, Bluetooth, Include Magnetic Creative Filter

XGIMI
MoGo 4 Projector

Xgimi Mogo 2 Pro (new) Smart Portable Projector, 1080p Mini Projector, Google Tv With Licensed Netflix, 430 Iso Lumens, 2 X 8w Sound, Autofocus, Intelligent Screen

XGIMI
Mogo 2 Pro Smart Portable Projector

Nebula Capsule 3 1080p Mini Projector, Smart 200 Ansi-Lumen Portable Projector With Official Google Tv, Built-In Netflix, Dolby Digital, 120-Inch Picture, Built-In Battery With 2.5 Hours of Playtime

Anker
Nebula Capsule 3 Mini Projector

Pros

  • Great design
  • Android TV built-in
  • Full-size HDMI port

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Could be brighter
  • Netflix must be sideloaded

The Freestyle Gen 2 - One Colour

Samsung
The Freestyle (2nd gen) Projector

Pros

  • Highly compact design
  • Great smart TV interface
  • Built-in Samsung Gaming Hub

Cons

  • Limited brightness
  • Micro-HDMI for external connections
  • Pricey

Xgimi Vibe One Battery Powered Mini 1080p Smart Portable Projector,google Tv With Licensed Netflix, Sound by Jbl, Built-In Battery, Auto Focus Auto Keystone, Hd Outdoor Movie Projector(blue Spark)

XGIMI
Vibe One Battery Powered Mini Portable Projector

More Amazon Prime Day deals in the UK

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