New Atlas

Home Entertainment Audio available

Samsung quits Blu-ray players: Are we witnessing the slow death of physical media?

Rich Haridy February 20, 2019

Last week Samsung revealed it would cease production on Blu-ray players for the US market. Despite 2018 recording all-time high home entertainment spending, sales of physical media such have been dramatically declining over the past few years. Is this the beginning of the end for physical media?

While books and vinyl records seem to have won the battle as physical media of choice ...

Computers

Incredible video demonstrates Houdini's state of the art in CGI physics

Loz Blain January 2, 2019

A few months ago, Canadian company SideFX quietly released an update to its bleeding-edge Houdini procedural animation software, which handles the physics behind CGI. This stunning video pulls back the curtain on the process behind so much of today's cinema and gaming.

Houdini's extraordinary procedural CG physics make for some stunning destruction and mayhem scenes

VR

Feelreal multi-sensory VR mask lets you smell the virtual roses

Michael Irving December 26, 2018

Our sense of smell is now being used to help sell the illusion of virtual reality with the FeelReal VR Mask, which not only wafts certain scents your way but can also simulate rain, heat and wind on your face.

The FeelReal Multi-Sensory VR Mask is designed to add a sense of smell to VR videos ...

Science

To classify movies objectively ... just test the air?

Ben Coxworth October 22, 2018

Movies can receive Adults-Only or Adult-Accompaniment ratings for a number of reasons, although quite often it's due to scenes that are too upsetting for younger viewers. According to a new study, it may soon be possible to arrive at such ratings simply by testing the air in a theater.

These people are likely giving off a whole lotta isoprene

Automotive

Lego's newest license is for James Bond's classic Aston Martin DB5

David Nield July 18, 2018

In recent years, licensing deals with the likes of Star Wars, Harry Potter, and others have helped Lego stay relevant, and the block-making company's latest product taps into another world-famous franchise: James Bond. The spy's classic Aston Martin DB5 is now available to buy in Lego form.

Build a piece of James Bond history with the Lego Aston Martin DB5

Around The Home

Amazon's Fire TV Cube brings voice control to your whole entertainment setup

Michael Irving June 7, 2018

Amazon has announced the latest in its line of Alexa-enabled streaming devices, the Fire TV Cube, which lets you bark voice commands at the TV and other devices from across the room, and access other Alexa mainstays like weather and sports updates.

Amazon's Fire TV Cube lets you bark voice commands at your TV and other devices

Computers

"Synthetic human" CGI demonstrates eerie photorealism generated in real-time

Rich Haridy March 22, 2018

Epic Games recently unveiled a remarkable demonstration of its latest real-time digital rendering system called Unreal Engine. The demonstration showed a completely digital copy of actor Andy Serkis reciting lines from Macbeth illustrating the rapid evolution of photorealistic digital effects.

A computer-generated Andy Serkis demonstrates the latest advance in photorealistic digital avatars

Home Entertainment Feature

Netflix, MoviePass and how technology is radically redefining the movie business

Rich Haridy February 15, 2018

As Netflix steps into the blockbuster movie territory and MoviePass brings new disruptions to an old model, we witness a transformative moment for the movie business. What can theaters do to rekindle their dwindling audiences? Is the answer in the same technology that is threatening its existence?

With Netflix encroaching on the blockbuster movie turf, how can movie theaters fight back?

Music

Fender taps movie classic for pinball-inspired guitar and amp

Paul Ridden January 25, 2018

We've seen some incredible instruments from Fender Custom Shop's Yuriy Shishkov in the last couple of years. And now the Master Builder has teamed up with Jim Dolmage to create a guitar and amp which pay a not-so-subtle homage to The Who's iconic 1975 rock opera, Tommy.

The Pinball Telecaster from Fender Custom Shop's Yuriy Shishkov, and the Wizard amplifier from Jim Dolmage

Reviews

The best future-focused sci-fi film and TV coming in 2018

Rich Haridy December 28, 2017

Sci-fi is now the mainstream and we’re seeing millions spent bringing stories to the screen that are gloriously weird and fantastically futurist. Here are our picks looking forward to 2018 on both the big and small screens, from blockbuster sci-fi spectacle to compelling hard science speculations.

Coming to Netflix in February, the cyberpunk sci-fi Altered Carbon is reportedly one of the most ...