Podcast #965: New Samsung UST Projector, Optimized 4K Encoding, and Hue Outdoor Lights

On this week’s show Samsung introduces two new Ultra Short Throw Laser Projectors, Netflix starts streaming 4K content with shot-optimized encoding using a 4K VMAF model to reduce the bandwidth load on networks. We also include a discussion of Ara’s new outdoor lighting using Hue Outdoor lights. Video included! We have listener emails and a voice comment along with the latest news.

Samsung Launches a 130-Inch 4K Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced The Premiere, its new 4K Ultra Short Throw laser projector, at its virtual press conference event “Life Unstoppable” on September 2nd. The new 4K laser projector provides a big picture cinematic experience in the comfort of one’s home. The Premiere is the new anchor product in Samsung’s award-winning Lifestyle product portfolio that is set to transcend the display experience – without the display.

The Premiere will be available in up to 130” and 120” inch models – LSP9T and LSP7T respectively – that support a laser powered 4K picture resolution. The Premiere LSP9T is the world’s first HDR10+ certified projector with triple laser technology and delivers revolutionary contrast details as the user watches from bright to dark scenes with a peak brightness of up to 2,800 ANSI lumens. The Premiere also supports Filmmaker Mode for the first of its kind as a projector allowing users to enjoy watching movies as director intended. The smart projector comes equipped with Samsung’s Smart TV platform and experience full of streaming video apps from major content partners and mobile connectivity features such as Tap View and mirroring.

Samsung will begin to rollout The Premiere globally starting in the U.S., Europe, Korea, and other regions later this year. No other details are available at this time. Full Press Release here...

Optimized shot-based encodes for 4K: Now streaming!

As the number of 4K titles in our catalog continues to grow and more devices support the premium features, we expect these video streams to have an increasing impact on our members and the network. We’ve worked hard over the last year to leapfrog to our most advanced encoding innovations — shot-optimized encoding and 4K VMAF model — and applied those to the premium bitstreams. More specifically, we’ve improved the traditional 4K and 10-bit ladder by employing:

shot-based encoding dynamic optimization (DO) similar to that applied on our catalog-wide 8-bit stream profiles improved encoder settings.

Details of how this new compression scheme work and visual examples provided in the original article found here

Compression Improvements Results

Analysis shows 50% gains on average over the fixed-bitrate. Meaning, on average we need 50% less bitrate to achieve the same quality with the optimized approach. The highest 4K bitrate on average is 8 Mbps which is also a 50% reduction compared to 16 Mbps of the fixed-bitrate approach. The optimized technique entails a smaller storage footprint compared to the fixed-bitrate technique.

Benefits 

For members with high-bandwidth connections we deliver the same great quality at half the bitrate on average. (Help with Data Caps) For members with constrained bandwidth we deliver higher quality at the same (or even lower) bitrate Most streaming sessions start with a higher initial quality. The number of rebuffers per hour go down by over 65%

Next Steps

Netflix has started re-encoding the 4K titles in their catalog to generate the optimized streams and they expect to complete the process in a couple of months. Netflix continues to work on applying similar optimizations to their HDR streams.

Philip Hue Lighting

It's no secret that we are fans of Hue lights. Ara has over thirty hue lights and fixtures all throughout his home. He recently installed some of their outdoor lighting in his front yard. The video below shows the end result.

It was easy to install once power was supplied. For that an electrician was called out to provide outdoor sockets. Each socket cost about $125 to install. If you are handy you can avoid this cost and just pay for the lights.  The lights are expensive but as you will see in the video much better than the garden variety low voltage lights. 

If you already have a Hue Hub adding each light is very simple and takes a few minutes per light. In Ara’s case he had a light that was stubborn but did eventually add after a couple of attempts. If you don’t have the hub you will have to also buy one and add it to your network. 

 

The spot lights were purchased as part of a kit that included a power supply for $340. The path lights were bought individually for $130 each. If you need a power supply the cost goes up to $150, but you only need one of those. 

To install the lights it's as simple as connecting the lights to each other and then plugging the lights into power. Ara buried the wires under gravel but that is optional and can be skipped if the lagscaping does not require it.

The lights illuminate the entry so beautifully it's really impressive. Plus there are different scenes that can be created through the hue app. The video shows one created for Halloween and Christmas. 

The lights are expensive but are unmatched as far as quality goes and are highly recommended by the HT Guys.

Hue Outdoor Lights Video