Sep 30, 2017

Cheapest and Best 4K HDR Smart TVs You May Like


Those in the market for a new television face a tough choice. It’s not a gadget that you upgrade often, so you want something future-proof. With that in mind, what do you get?

While we still think smart TVs are mostly useless, it’s a bare minimum now. No matter which decent TV you get, it will come with a smart operating system to watch movies on Netflix or YouTube videos.

What you need to look for in a future-proof TV is 4K resolution and HDR (High Dynamic Range). In fact, it should ideally support both the popular standards of HDR: HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

With that in mind, what are some of the cheapest and the best budget 4K HDR smart TV you can buy today?

Cheapest With HDR10: TCL 55S405


The S405 is the cheapest HDR TV we would suggest right now. For less than 500 bucks, you’ll get a TV that meets all the requirements except support for Dolby Vision. Unfortunately, you will only get HDR10 in this, but that’s not a bad compromise.

TCL also uses Roku for its smart operating system. That means you don’t need to buy a Roku streaming device separately. It comes with a standard remote control though, not the nice Roku one.
Obviously, there’s a reason the 55S405 is so cheap. Multiple complaints bring up overly dark picture quality, even on HDR. And the speakers aren’t too powerful, so you might need to get a soundbar. FakeSpot adjusts the TCL’s rating down to 3.5/5 stars, which means it’s solid, but not amazing — which is what you’d expect for this price point.

Best and Cheap: TCL 55P607


Without breaking the bank, the TCL 55P607 gets you everything you could want from a future-proof TV, and more. It supports both HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and has full-array LED backlighting for excellent picture quality.

The Roku operating system also comes with the Roku remote control. That means you get voice-activated search, as well as the coolest feature: headphones. You can plug in a pair of headphones into the remote to not disturb anyone else around you.

This is the best TV for most people, according to The Wirecutter. CNET calls it the best value TV of 2017. Every reviewer is nuts about this one, so who are we to argue?

The only negative we could find is the F-rating from FakeSpot due to a high number of low-quality reviews and possible use of paid reviewers.

For Gamers: Sony XBR55X900E


Among the current generation consoles, the new PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X support 4K HDR gaming. And the next generation of consoles definitely will support it too. If you won’t upgrade your TV before 2021, get something that supports HDR gaming well.

With an input lag of 34ms in HDR gaming, the Sony X900E is all you’ll need to enjoy your favorite games at their best. It pushes out two solid alternatives: the LG SJ8500 and the Samsung MU8000. The Sony television has better blacks and handles motion better than the LG. And it renders colors more accurately than the Samsung.

The one big problem with the Sony X900E is that it doesn’t support Dolby Vision. Now, that shouldn’t be a problem with gaming anyway. But if you also plan to watch HDR movies at their best possible quality, you’ll want this feature. We should also mention that it scores a C from FakeSpot.

So if you want Dolby Vision, the LG SJ8500 and the Samsung MU8000 are your choices. LG partnered with Harman Kardon to install powerful 20+20W speakers for rich sound. Samsung made a new clean slot for input wires, making your home entertainment setup clutter-free.

Cheapest OLED: LG OLED55B7A


For the best picture quality today, you need an OLED television. And that means spending quite a lot of money. At present, your cheapest option is the LG B7 model.

OLED screens don’t need backlighting. Each pixel individually lights up and switches off, giving you deeper black levels than anything on LCDs or LEDs.

Purists should know that there’s a sound problem here. Sure, this TV also has 20+20W speakers for loud audio. But it encodes to Dolby Digital, not Dolby Atmos. So if you’re watching anything through Dolby Vision, make sure you are using an Ultra HD Blu-Ray player that can handle it for the TV. However, its F rating from FakeSpot on five reviews might turn you off it.

Also, get the older LG B6 if you find it. It’s pretty much the same TV with no noticeable losses, and costs about $300 to $500 less depending on where you look.

You Can Go Cheaper Too…


Remember, these are still TVs that support 4K and HDR. You can still buy cheap smart TVs for a much lower price. But the question to ask, as always, is how long you plan to keep that TV.

And no matter which model you get, make sure you calibrate it for best home viewing. TVs don’t come attuned to your needs out of the box. A little bit of tuning will make them look far better than you ever thought possible.

Source page: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/cheapest-best-4k-hdr-smart-tv/

More 4K HDR Tips


Sep 25, 2017

How to Play Spotify Music on Google Chromecast Audio


It’s extremely easy to stream and play your Spotify music on TV or speakers from phone or tablet if you have a Chromecast or Chromecast Audio device. If you are looking for the complete guide to cast Spotify to Chromecast, you should follow the content here which will provide you the top 2 most popular ways to play Spotify music on Chromecast or Chromecast Audio step by step.

Method 1. The Most Popular Way to Cast Spotify Songs to Chromecast Audio


To connect Spotify with Google Chromecast Audio, all you need is the Spotify Music app and a Chromecast Audio device hooked up to your TV or speakers.

You should be well noted that currently only Spotify premium users have the right to stream Spotify music to Chromecast. If you are using the free account of Spotify, then you should turn to the other method.


Step 1. Insert Chromecast or Chromecast Audio to TV HDMI port or a speaker input port. Make sure your Chromecast or Chromecast Audio is configured using the Chromecast/Chromecast Audio app on your phone or tablet

Step 2. Start the Spotify app on the same WiFi network as your Chromecast/Chromecast Audio.

Step 3. Within Spotify, select a track that you want to listen to. At the bottom of the screen, select “Devices Available”.

Step 4. Select your Chromecast or Chromecast Audio from the devices listed. Then you’ll be able to play the Spotify music track right from your TV or speaker via Chromecast.

Method 2. Alternative Tips for Free Subscribers to Stream Spotify to Chromecast


Firstly you should know the reason why free users can’t directly stream Spotify music to Chromecast Audio is that the free accounts don’t have the authority to download Spotify music for offline listening. And that’s all because of the DRM protection inserted by Spotify. So the key point to make free subscribers stream Spotify music to Chromecast Audio is to find out a solution to remove the Spotify DRM permanently. In this case, we meet TunesKit Spotify Music Converter, a smart all-in-one program for Spotify specialized in stripping DRM and converting Spotify tracks to common formats, such as MP3, WAV, AAC, FLAC, etc. Once the DRM is cracked, you can freely sync the unprotected Spotify songs to Chromecast or other devices even if you are using the free Spotify account or cancelling the premium account.

Part 1. How to Remove DRM from Spotify Music


Before syncing Spotify songs to Chromecast, please follow this part to get rid of DRM lock from Spotify music with TunesKit Spotify Music Converter.


>> Download Mac Free Trial | >> Download Windows Free Trial

Step 1. Open TunesKit Spotify Music Converter, and then Spotify app will be launched automatically. Access to Spotify app and choose any song or playlist that you want to convert. Then drag the files into TunesKit conversion window. You can also add the songs or playlists by pasting the links to the converter interface.

Step 2. When the Spotify music is added successfully into TunesKit, click the top-right menu > Preferences and choose the output format as you like. Currently it supports multiple output formats, including MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, M4A, and M4B. You can also adjust output audio quality, conversion speed and directory, etc. according to your own requirements.

Step 3. After the settings are well adjusted, simply click “Convert” button at the bottom right to start converting the DRM-ed Spotify music to common formats. Once the conversion finished, you’ll find the well-converted Spotify songs that can cast to Chromecast for listening everywhere.

Part 2. Stream Converted Spotify Music to Chromecast vis Plex


Plex is a media server runs on Windows, MacOS, Android and iOS, with which you can create your own music library and sync to mobile devices. After import the Spotify music from computer, a Cast button will let you stream the music songs to Chromecast. No need for iOS or Android controller apps.

Sep 19, 2017

TunesKit DRM Media Converter All Support iTunes 12.7 Perfectly

TunesKit, the top leader in DRM removal field, officially upgraded its featured DRM removal products for Mac, including DRM Media Converter, DRM Audio Converter, and Apple Music Converter by adding the perfect support to iTunes 12.7 on macOS 10.12 Sierra or lower. Till now, all TunesKit DRM media converter for Mac and Windows would work perfectly with the latest iTunes v.12.7 when removing DRM protection from iTunes M4V videos, Audible audiobooks, as well as Apple Music songs, etc.


Along with other new world-shocking products like iPhone 8, iPhone X, Apple TV 4K, Apple also launched the new version of iTunes 12.7 on the occasion of its tenth anniversary. Once it’s released, iTunes users can download the new upgrade for both Mac and Windows. However, TunesKit DRM removal product users, especially those using the Mac versions must have found that those tools can’t work as expected once the iTunes was upgraded to v.12.7. As a professional and customer-oriented iTunes DRM removal solution provider in the world, TunesKit R&D team began to seek for the fix as soon as the error occurred. Thanks to persistent hard work and continuous tests, they finally made a breakthrough on this issue and found the ultimate solution, making TunesKit the first developer that fixed the iTunes 12.7 incompatibility error in DRM removal area.

“Apple has strengthened its DRM encryption method with the release of iTunes 12.7. Therefore the old decrypting core used by TunesKit DRM removers can’t suppose to work any more.Fortunately, our programmers invented a new advanced DRM cracking technique completely different with the old one and it apparently turns out to working pretty well.” said Lee, TunesKit R&D director. “We also received some customers’ concern about converting the new 4K iTunes movie content with TunesKit. As a result, we’ll keep testing the program on our end and try our best to support those 4K movies in the near future.”

To sum up, no matter you are using the Mac or Windows version of TunesKit DRM media converting software, you can go ahead to upgrade your iTunes to 12.7 without worrying about the compatibility at all. However, Mac users should be well noted that the solution for iTunes 12.7 on macOS 10.13 High Sierra is still under development. Therefore those newly released TunesKit DRM removal products for Mac can only work well for iTunes 12.7 under macOS 10.12 or earlier.

To get the latest versions of the upgraded TunesKit Mac products, please either use the built-in auto upgrading or download the latest setup files from TunesKit Download Center.