FlatpanelsHD

Amazon is launching a new Fire TV Stick HD, which is more energy efficient allowing it to be powered through a TV's USB port. The Fire TV Stick HD supports only 1080p – no 4K or HDR here – but is 30% slimmer and 30% faster, according to the company. It does not appear to support Dolby Atmos either. - "We’re launching our newest and most portable ever streaming device, the Fire TV Stick HD, that comes with our new Fire TV user interface and Alexa+ built in.

Hisense is expanding its focus on RGB LED and miniLED. The new TVs will be among the first to feature Dolby Vision 2. You can also expect higher refresh rates, four HDMI 2.1 ports and a more streamlined design. Here is Hisense's 2026 TV lineup. to expand the view). We are also introducing an interactive TV compare tool (use We have redesigned our TV line-up overview to include more data and technical information (under TV models click on to add TVs to compare tool).

to expand the view). We are also introducing an interactive TV compare tool (use We have redesigned our TV line-up overview to include more data and technical information (under TV models click on to add TVs to compare tool). It's all powered by the TV Database. The flagship OLED951 and OLED911 both feature the 2nd generation Tandem WOLED panel. This means significantly higher brightness and deeper colors than the more affordable OLED models.

Would you be willing to let your Smart TV crawl the web for AI training and other purposes to save money, see fewer ads – or nothing in exchange? It may already be doing it. The practice was documented in a report by Lowpass.

You can now dive into PC games on the micro-OLED screens of Apple Vision Pro, as Steam Link is now available, though initially limited to 2D games. The announcement came from Valve this week, and Steam Link is now available in beta via Apple's TestFlight app. Steam Link lets you stream purchased games from a PC with Steam over your home network wirelessly to other devices.

Google and Samsung have reached an agreement to bring Google Cast – formerly known as Chromecast – to the company's Smart TVs, making it easier to share content from your phone. All Google TV devices have Google Cast built in, and LG began rolling out Google Cast to new and some older TV models with webOS in 2024. Many Smart TVs now has the feature built in, allowing you to 'cast' movies, series and other content wirelessly to TVs from your Android or iOS phone or tablet.

An update changes the video player in the Netflix app on Apple TV, making it more cumbersome to rewind and access useful features. Some features are removed entirely. After testing the change for some time, Netflix has now started rolling it out widely, according to reports shared on Reddit and cited by Pocket-lint. FlatpanelsHD has also received the app update. Specifically, Netflix has replaced the built-in tvOS video player on Apple TV with its own custom player.

Your Smart TV is no longer an Xbox. Neither is your phone, tablet or headset. Microsoft is shifting strategy, stepping back from the idea that every device can be an Xbox via cloud gaming. You have probably seen the 'This is an Xbox' messaging used to promote the Xbox app on platforms such as Smart TVs. You may also remember how Microsoft talked about reaching billions of gamers through cloud gaming via the Xbox app.

The home entertainment market continues to surge, fueled by streaming, and last year in the US home entertainment grew to almost eight times the size of the cinema market. Home entertainment was already expanding rapidly, but the pandemic ignited a massive boost. In 2017, home entertainment revenue was roughly double that of US box office. By 2021, as cinemas struggled, home entertainment had grown to 3.5 times the size of the cinema market. By 2023, the gap had expanded to a factor of five.

In addition to its RGB miniLED flagship models, Hisense is also launching a more affordable U7S Pro with Dolby Vision 2 this year. Here are the new mid-range TVs for Europe. At CES 2026 in January, Hisense unveiled its new RGB miniLED flagship models UR9S and UR8S, which will be available in both Europa and North America, with the difference being Vidaa versus Google TV. It also introduced new technology such as 'RGB miniLED evo'.