Technology

• LG discontinues all 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray players
• It last released Blu-ray players (the UBK80 and UBK90) in 2018
• 2024 has been a wild year for 4K Blu-ray fans

LG has officially discontinued its range of 4K Blu-ray players and Blu-ray players, with units only available as stocks last going forward, according to FlatpanelsHD.

LG's most recent 4K Blu-ray players, the UBK80 and UBK90, were released back in 2018, coincidentally the same year that Panasonic released one of the best 4K Blu-ray players, the Parnasonic DP-UB820, and the same year Oppo stopped production of its wildly popular 4K Blu-ray players.

In FlatpanelsHD's report, LG Korea didn't fully confirm its exit from the optical player market, leaving the door open for a return to making the devices if the demand was there but for now, only LG players already in stock will be the last remaining units available.

In what has been a rollercoaster year for 4K Blu-ray, with reports of 4K Blu-ray sales rising according to one major UK retailer, but Best Buy and Disney's decision to stop selling 4K Blu-ray also impacting availability, LG's announcement to stop production is another blow to physical media fans as its another major brand that has pulled out of the Blu-ray player market.

2024 has been a tumultuous year for 4K Blu-ray

(Image credit: Future)

As a 4k Blu-ray fan, it's been a year of ups and downs. While I believed earlier this year that home theater fans were being starved of the releases they want, with acclaimed movies or other classics only made available through smaller distributors such as Criterion Collection and Arrow Video, 4K Blu-ray always seemed to be in a state of flux.

Every time there has been some bad news, such as Disney's decision to move away from home physical media, there has been som better news to follow, like when Sony came in and saved the day by agreeing to distribute Disney and its associated properties – Marvel, Star Wars, Fox – physical media releases. Indeed, there always seems to be another piece of worrying news waiting in the wings.

With LG leaving the Blu-ray player market, it's another major name that has exited after Oppo in 2018 and Samsung in 2019. Only Panasonic and Sony remain in the broader market (with more premium brands such as Reavon and Magnetar still around but a much higher price) and it's a worry for 4K Blu-ray fans as more brands seem to be severing ties with the physical media world.

This follows on from another worrying sign where gaming consoles, which some people use as their Blu-ray player, are now having cheaper models offered without the disc drive such as the new Xbox Series X which could lead people away from discs, including 4K Blu-ray, in favor of saving money.

While there have been signs that physical media sales are slowly on the rise, once again in retaliation to ad-riddled streaming services raising their prices, having a big name like LG leads to more vulnerabilities in an already tumultuous market. I'm just hoping as a 4K Blu-ray fanatic that brands like Panasonic and Sony continue to fly the flag for 4K Blu-ray and all other physical media.

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• Final's flagship D8000 headphones have been dramatically re-engineered
• Two models: one for laid-back listening and one for listening loud
• From £3,999 / $4,299 / around AU$7,959

Let's get this out of the way first: the new Final D8000 DC and DC Pro headphones cost four grand at least in the currency of your choice. So if you're looking for the best budget headphones, you might want to skip the rest of this bulletin.

However, if you have the funds to drop between $4,299 and $4,799 on a set of headphones without blinking – and if you are, are you single and looking? Did anyone ever tell you how clever and funny and hot you are? – then these audiophile over-ears promise to deliver astonishing audio.

Final D8000 DC and DC Pro headphones: key features and pricing

(Image credit: Final)

The two models of D8000 headphones are very similar, but they're tuned differently. The D8000 DC "has tuning that is intended to be enjoyed" for relaxed music listening, while the DC Pro model is aimed more at audio professionals and those of us who like to listen loud. That means it has been tuned to deliver more prominent bass as the listening volume increases.

The original D8000 planar-magnetic headphones were launched seven years ago, and the DC and DC Pro are the latest evolution of that winning formula. The DC, Final says, stands for "Da Capo – symbolizing a return to the beginning, a complete reconstruction of Final's flagship headphones with a fresh, innovative approach."

There's a new version of Final's proprietary Air Film Damping System, which was developed to regulate the movement of the diaphragm and deliver richer, distortion-free bass. Final says it overcomes the magnetic constraints of other planar headphones for superior accuracy and a "deep, balanced soundstage".

In the new DC models the AFDS has been re-engineered: every bit of the metal mesh around the diaphragm has been redesigned. The diaphragm they surround is ultra-light etched aluminum which reduces the weight of the vibration system by roughly one-third, delivering faster response and improved high frequency clarity.

Both models are available from selected UK retailers now; US customers can pre-order for mid-December shipping. The prices are $4,299 / €4,299 / £3,999 for the DC model and $4,799 / €4,799 / £4,499 for the DC Pro.

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• Managers want decision-makers to trust AI even when human judgement is better
• Report claims we need to remember human expertise is essential in navigating complexities
• Workers should have more freedom to share concerns and experiences about AI

A report from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management and ESMT Berlin has revealed workers are now being penalized for ignoring AI recommendations, even when they know better.

The study specifically highlights how organizations can implement AI-based systems to streamline their work processes, weighing up those benefits against unintended consequences of excessive dependence on these tools.

In a controlled experiment, the researchers found that managers wanted decision-makers to follow AI advice even if the advice is sub-par.

Managers want us to follow AI’s advice

In this particular study, decision-makers who deviated from artificial intelligence-driven advice and instead used their own human knowledge and judgement were given lower bonus payments, even though they put in more effort and critical thinking, leading to a better decision and outcome.

“This behaviour from managers causes employees to overly rely on the AI's recommendations and ignore their own expertise and intuition, even when these are superior to the AI, out of fear of being punished," the report concludes.

Professor Dr Mirko Kremer, Professor of Supply Chain Management at the Frankfurt School, summarized: “It is important to remember that human expertise remains essential to navigate complexities, make nuanced judgments, and adapt to unexpected situations that AI might miss – especially in in sectors like healthcare, aviation or autonomous vehicles, where the implications of blindly following AI advice can have huge implications.”

The researchers acknowledge artificial intelligence can be a powerful tool, however they call for greater transparency from managers and greater trust in human expertise.

Indicative of the fear surrounding AI and its potential effect on the human workforce, the study also calls for clearer communication structures for employees to express concerns and experiences with AI systems.

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• Natural Language Search is now available in HomePods
• Enhanced Dialog is here for Apple TV and HomePods 2 only
• The software should install automatically

iPhones aren't the only Apple devices to get an important software update this week. Your HomePods just got a new feature that'll enable them to ignore and/or disappoint you in new and exciting ways.

There are two new features in the HomePods Software Version 18.2, which is available now for your HomePod, HomePod 2 and HomePod mini.

The first is exclusive to HomePod 2 and gives you the new Enhance Dialog feature, which does exactly what you'd expect from its name when you use your HomePods as Apple TV speakers. And the second is Siri integration with natural language search in Apple Music. And that's potentially much more fun.

What can you do with natural language search in Apple Music?

Natural language search is designed to make your music app more useful by responding to natural queries – so for example you might ask for "songs like Espresso", or "big hits from the 80s".

According to Apple, the feature enables you to use "any combination of categories like genre, mood, decade or activity". So you can ask for upbeat dance tracks, songs about cats, moany-faced emo for rotting in your bedroom, or anything else you fancy. We haven't tested that latter one so we can't confirm if it works.

It's a clever feature but, for me at least, it's a slightly annoying one, because Siri on my HomePods and HomePods mini is still really bad at paying attention and understanding what I'm saying: asking something simple like "play new music by X artist" often produces a sullen silence or music by a completely different artist.

I don't have a particularly strong accent and I'm not mumbling to Siri while using a power drill, vacuuming the living room and poking a baby in the ribs to make it cry, but I still often find myself repeating things increasingly loudly like Siri's an old-time grandmother with an ear trumpet. Hopefully your experiences with the new natural language search are more delightful.

The new software should install automatically, but if you've disabled auto-updates for whatever reason you can manually update individual HomePods and HomePods mini via the Home app on your iPhone, iPad or Mac.

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• Many IT leaders have to just believe vendors on security claims, report claims
• However security remains a top priority for leaders
• Not being able to properly clean devices is leading to waste

New research from HP Wolf Security has revealed many IT decision makers (ITDMs) feel at the mercy of vendors, with 45% admitting they don’t have the means to validate firmware and hardware security claims, so must trust supplier’s claims without question.

The study looks into the attitudes of ITDMs in regards to firmware and hardware, and the implications for cybersecurity concerns. The research shows that platform security is increasingly concerning leaders, with 81% of ITDMs agreeing hardware security must be a priority going forward in order to protect devices from exploitation.

Over half of ITDMs (52%) say they rarely collaborate with security and IT professionals to verify the claims of suppliers, and 48% say their procurement teams are like ‘lambs to the slaughter’, as they must believe vendors' security claims.

An E-waste epidemic

Security was found to be a significant concern for all respondents, which is perhaps no surprise, since more businesses are being hit with security threats than ever, but data security worries are also spurring an ‘e-waste epidemic’, 60% of leaders admit.

Almost a third (68%) say they have a ‘significant number of devices’ which could be donated or repurposed if they could sanitize them, but 59% admit it is too hard to give devices a second life, as data security concerns prevent them from reuse, with many devices destroyed.

“IT teams are hoarding end-of-life devices because they lack the assurance that all sensitive company or personal data has been fully wiped - which in itself can pose data security risks and negatively impact ESG goals.” said Grant Hoffman, SVP Operations and Portfolio, HP Solutions.

“Finding a reputable IT asset disposition vendor that uses the latest industry-standard erasure or media-destruction processes and provides a data sanitization certificate so you can meet compliance requirements, is key.”

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Creating smarter and better-looking documents on Google Docs is set to get a whole lot easier thanks to a host of new upgrades heading to the service.

The word processor tool has introduced new implementations with Google Gemini which look to make creating stand-out work simpler than ever.

But the Google Workspace tool has also revealed a collection of 40 new high-quality, visually modern designs in Google Docs, giving users a selection of new options to make your documents really shine.

Google Docs and Gemini

(Image credit: Google Workspace)

The introduction of Gemini's "help me create" tool follows similar launches in Gmail, and will give Google Docs users the opportunity to craft an entire document with a single prompt.

The tool will then pull the necessary information from a user's Google Drive files, creating, "a long-form document with cover images, in-line images, stylized text, tables, content from your Drive files, and more", the company said in a blog post announcing the news.

Users can click to create at the top of a new document, or go to File > New > Help me create, to start describing the document they want to create. You can also choose from a number of pre-set start prompts to make things quicker, with examples such as creating a meeting template for a daily catch-up, a checklist for planning an event, or a roadmap for a product launch.

"Help me create" in Google Docs is available for Google Workspace customers with Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, Education Premium, and Google One AI Premium add-ons, and only in English for the moment.

(Image credit: Google Workspace)

To make your documents look even better, Google Docs has also launched 40 new templates which include a number of useful new features to ensure your work stands out.

This includes document tabs to keep your documents organized, placeholder chips to make it easy for users and collaborators to add data, and building blocks, pre-set layouts and styles give your document a premium look and feel.

"Docs templates help users save time since they don’t have to build documents from scratch, create more uniform, high-quality, visually-appealing documents, and enable them to be more productive with the latest Docs features in their daily processes," the company noted in a blog post announcing the news.

The new templates are available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts.

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