Podcast #1183: CES 2025

On this week’s show we cover the Home Theater announcements that we found interesting. It's not an exhaustive list of what was shown but things we wanted to share with you. We also read your email and take a look at the week’s news.

News:

• Disney to Merge Hulu + Live TV With Fubo, Taking on YouTube TV and Ending Venu Lawsuit
• RadioShack Returns To U.S. As Product Brand
• Roku tallies 90 million streaming households at start of 2025

Other:

• Samsung and Google's Eclipsa Audio is here to take on Dolby Atmos

CES 2025

Up until now, CES has primarily showcased laptops, gaming, TVs, and smart home technology, excelling in these traditional areas. However, this year's event has shifted its focus to include some emerging, trendier categories. We are seeing AI announcements across the board and numerous innovative concepts aimed at making augmented reality more accessible.

On this week’s show we cover the Home Theater announcements that we found interesting. It's not an exhaustive list of what was shown but things we wanted to share with you. Next week, since we record before CES closes, we’ll look at products that won awards as well as any announcements you may have found interesting as shared with us.

RCA introduces two new NEXTGEN TV models in 55" and 65" sizes - 

• The 65” RCA NEXTGEN TV up to 1500 nits of peak brightness, 664-zone Mini-LED QLED, suggested retail price of $949.99. 
• The 55” RCA NEXTGEN TV up to 1500 nits of peak brightness, 240-zone Mini-LED QLED suggested retail price of $699.99. 

New for 2025 is the attractive RCA ANTD8E, an amplified, multi-directional indoor antenna covered in a high-tech fabric with a diamond shape design. Equipped with SMARTBOOST advanced technology and dual-stage amplification and built-in 4G/LTE/5G filter to improve reception, the ANTD8E can be positioned on its included stand or mounted on a wall and includes nine feet of coaxial cable to connect to the TV at a suggested retail price of $59.99.

A full line-up of RCA Outdoor Televisions is also planned in a range of screen sizes and price points, with a “spirit of wilderness” and Mossy Oak camouflage design. Built with a sleek, modern design in a weatherproof and durable dust-free case, RCA Outdoor TVs are designed to work in extreme temperatures – from minus 22 degrees to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Our Outdoor RCA line includes an exceptionally bright 2000 nit display for crystal-clear viewing even in bright sunlight. Full Press Release

RCA Outdoor TV 

• 43-inch ($3,999, suggested retail price),
• 55-inch ($4,999, suggested retail price) 
• 65-inch ($5,999, suggested retail price)
• 75-inch ($7,999, suggested retail price).

Google Home hubs now work locally with Matter

This week, Google announced the integration of Home Runtime into its Google Home hubs, allowing for full local control of Matter devices. With this update, Google Nest hubs, speakers, Chromecasts, Google TV devices running Android 14, and certain LG TVs can now connect to and manage Matter devices locally. This change enhances reliability, privacy, and reduces latency for users controlling their devices