Latest digital trends

The streaming world continues to consolidate, but that’s not necessarily lessening the confusion over where to watch what. The latest move is with Showtime becoming a part of Paramount+ . While parent company Paramount didn’t directly announce the change, it long had been in the running before Variety reported the news via an internal memo from Paramount CEO Bob Backish. The end result? “Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.” That’s the official name, clunky and capitalized as it is. The change itself isn’t immediately — “later this year” was all Backish had to say in the memo about the timing — but it’s part of a larger sea change that actually started a few years ago. CBS All Access was the first iteration of the Paramount-owed streaming service (back then it was all a part of ViacomCBS). But the broadcast company we know as CBS doesn’t have a presence outside of the U.S., and so the Paramount name took over in 2021. Further consolidation was in the cards, and that brings us to this … [Read more...] about Showtime is being merged into Paramount Plus | Digital Trends

The Marshall Middleton ($299) is the company’s latest addition to its lineup of guitar amp-inspired Bluetooth speakers , and it’s available starting January 31 at marshallheadphones.com . The Middleton, as its name somewhat suggests, sits in the middle of the Marshall portable family — it shares the same rectangular shape as the Emberton II but is heavier and more powerful than the Stockton II. What makes the Middleton stand out is its unique quad-driver configuration, which places speakers on all four sides. There are two full-range drivers, each with its own 20-watt amplifier, and two tweeters, powered by a pair of 10-watt amps.  The Middleton uses the same “true stereophonic” system as the Emberton II to achieve what the company calls multidirectional, 360-degree stereo sound. Previous Next 1 of 4 Inside is a rechargeable battery that Marshall claims will power the Middleton for more than 20 hours, and it can also do … [Read more...] about Marshall’s latest Bluetooth speaker has four drivers for 360 sound | Digital Trends

Netflix Premium subscribers are getting an enhancement to their service starting today. The streaming company has increased the number of devices that can download content for offline viewing from four to six. It’s also expanding the spatial audio feature it launched in 2022, making spatial audio available on its top 700 titles. The new features are included in the current price of a Premium plan. Spatial audio on Netflix is similar to Dolby Atmos — it creates a much more immersive, 3D-like audio experience where sounds feel like they’re moving independently of the rest of the soundtrack. However, unlike Dolby Atmos, Netflix’s spatial audio can be experienced on any device that has stereo speakers whether they are Dolby Atmos-capable or not. Netflix says that while the effect should be noticeable on any stereo device, especially when using headphones, the feature has been primarily optimized for laptops and tablets. Some examples of titles that now use Netflix spatial audio … [Read more...] about Netflix Premium adds more spatial audio, more device downloads | Digital Trends

New York-based prestige audio brand McIntosh this week launched the MHT300, an $8,000, 7.2-channel home theater receiver that boasts a monstrous 120 watts to 150 watts per channel of power. That’s right: up to 1,050 total watts. But what’s impressive about this is that all that legendary McIntosh power is distributed to all seven channels, making for some serious movie-watching sound from all directions. Well, kinda. The McIntosh MHT300 Home Theater Receiver will let you hear “every explosion, car chase, and high-speed fighter jet flyby,” according to a press release, at 120 watts per channel into 8-Ohm speakers or 150 watts per channel with 4-Ohm speakers, with all seven channels driven. And while this setup is sure to deliver pristine McIntosh sound, which may be great for most people, there’s a potentially expensive compromise when it comes to adding the height channels for Dolby Atmos surround sound. By default, those seven powered channels represent the front-left, center, … [Read more...] about McIntosh’s new $8,000 AVR: big power, with a Dolby Atmos catch | Digital Trends