Jon L. JacobiFreelance contributor, TechHive
Jon is a Juilliard-trained musician, former x86/6800 programmer, and long-time (late 70s) computer enthusiast living in the San Francisco bay area. jjacobi@pcworld.com
Synology DS216play NAS review: Great media streaming and 4K transcoding for the price
Synology's DS216play NAS is a middling performer, but there's no better NAS box available for media streaming and 4K transcoding.
QNAP TS-251A NAS review: More media features than you can shake a stick at
QNAP's TS-251A NAS has the ability to output video directly to an external 1080 display and is a great media streamer. The advertised on-the-fly 4K transcoding, on the other hand, proved to be weak.
Seagate Personal Cloud 3TB NAS review: Incredible bang for the buck
Seagate's Personal Cloud 3TB NAS is only a single-bay NAS, but $140 for 3TB of storage and advanced software features is a steal.
WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra review: Excellent features and performance at a very nice price
For a NAS box with a boatload of software features and top-notch performance, the WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra is amazingly affordable.
Dash cam review: The Cobra CDR895D Drive HD offers affordable dual-channel video
Cobra's CDR895D Drive HD is a dual-channel dash cam with near 360-degree coverage and a surprisingly affordable price.
Dash cam review: The Thinkware F770 works with your smartphone
Thinkware's F770 is unique for shifting its video viewing and settings largely to your smartphone. For the price, it offers the full list of features and is easy to use.
Dash cam review: The Viofo A119 is a surprisingly good bargain
The Viofo A119 is an incredible bargain: just $100 for a simple dash cam including GPS, with high-quality daytime and nighttime video and other handy features. It asks only that you bring your own storage card.
Dash cam review: Garmin's DriveAssist 50LMT is first-class almost all the way
Garmin's DriveAssist 50LMT is really a high-end navigation accessory with dash-cam features, and it offers many nice perks—plus a puzzling limitation.
Philips jumps on the Dolby Vision bandwagon with new TVs and a 4K UHD Blu-ray player
With Philips incorporating Dolby Vision support into its 2017 TVs and 4K UHD Blu-ray players, the HDR tech scores another big win.
LG's first Ultra HD Blu-ray player will support Dolby Vision
The LG UP970 is the second Ultra HD Blu-ray player to support Dolby Vision, following Oppo's UDP-203. However, it won't ship with the feature enabled.
Sony will embrace the dark side in 2017 and launch a series of consumer-grade OLED smart TVs
Dolby Vision will be enhancing the HDR of Sony's new XBR-X930E and XBR-X940E TVs, and the new XBR-A1E series are OLED.
Panasonic announces three new Ultra Blu-ray players for 2017, plus a new HDR OLED for Europe
The only reliable way to enjoy 4K video at home is via an optical disc, and Panasonic is offering up three new Ultra Blu-ray players to oblige.
The new Hisense and Sharp TVs will feature Roku, quantum dots, and Dolby Vision
With a ton of TVs new to North America, and a handful featuring cutting-edge tech, Hisense continues its efforts to establish its own name and rehabilitate Sharp's.
TCL continues push into North America with 25 new TVs, many with Dolby Vision HDR
TCL has become a household name in TVs almost overnight. With 25 new models, including two whole series sporting Dolby Vision, its newfound reputation should be bolstered even further.
LG’s new OLED TVs are real wall huggers
Spectacularly thin, LG’s Signature OLED TV W series also offers the broadest support for HDR content we’ve heard of, including HDR10, Dolby Vision, Hybrid Log Gamma, and Advanced HDR.