Fewer than half of New Zealand`s incorporated community sport organisations have registered under new legislation. Read...

Minisforum has announced two new mini PCs at CES 2026. The two models are: the AI X1 Pro-470 a mini PC for creators, gamers, remote workers, and developers; and the MS 02-Ultra, a 4.8L mini workstation aimed at video editors, photography studios, content production companies, small media teams, and also gamers. The AI X1 Pro-470 is a flagship mini PC for Minisforum. It’s powered by an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX470 processor designed to handle remote work, content creation, and gaming. For its GPU the AI X1 Pro-470 sports a Radeon 890M for smooth gaming performance. It also has an OcuLink port for easy access to external GPUs like Nvidia RTX or Radeon RX series cards for ultra-high frame-rates and 4K/8K gameplay. As well as a kickass CPU and GPU, this mini PC has a dual microphone array with AI noise reduction as well as high-quality speakers for seamless communication. The I/O looks to be very solid too. You can expect USB4, HDMI 2.1, and an SD card slot for seamless multi-device connectivity. Creators will be pleased with the up to 12TB of storage for handling large 4K videos, 3D projects, or AI data sets. The AI X1 Pro-470 will be available worldwide next month. Pictured: The AI X1 Pro-470 mini PC. Minisforum The other new model, the MS 02-Ultra is an Arrow-Lake refresh. The top configuration features a high-performance Intel Core Ultra 9 285 HX processor making it powerful enough for engineering design, video editing, and 3D modelling applications. The PC’s tiny chassis supports up to 256GB of ECC memory, plus it includes four M.2 slots and three PCIe slots for storage. It also utilizes a pull-out structure for easy upgrades and maintenance. The mini PC’s ports include two USB4 V2 (80Gbps) ports and dual 25 Gigabit Ethernet ports, ensuring very quick throughput for tasks like 4K/8K video editing, color grading, rendering, and content distribution. This new version of the MS 02 Ultra expands its versatility further by supporting high-performance gaming GPUs. Its robust PCIe bandwidth and enhanced cooling capacity means users can expect high frame rates and immersive graphics while also enjoying workstation class stability. The Minisforum Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 285 HX/275HX MS-02 Ultra is available worldwide at the company’s brand shop, priced at $1,199 for the 285 HX Barebone and $949 for the 275 HX Barebone. Roy Jiang chairman of Minisforum had this to say about the two new models of mini PC. “With AI X1 Pro-470 and MS-02 Ultra, we set out to prove that ‘mini’ no longer means ‘compromise,” said Jiang. “By combining serious AI compute, 4K/8K-ready performance, and enterprise-grade connectivity in ultra-compact designs, we’re giving creators, gamers, and modern businesses the freedom to build full production and workstation workflows without sacrificing space, flexibility, or power.” Read...

As live sports becomes a bigger focus for the Peacock streaming service, so does the picture and sound quality. To that end, the NBC-owned service plans to support Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos object-based surround sound for sporting events. Peacock will roll out these formats for its Sunday Night Football, MLB, and NBA coverage over the course of 2026, including support for Dolby Vision 2 and Dolby AC-4 audio. Dolby Vision upgrade Compared to standard dynamic range video, high dynamic range allows for greater color detail, particularly in highlights and shadows, making the picture look more vibrant overall. Dolby Vision is a proprietary HDR format that can further optimize the picture on a scene-by-scene basis, while also taking into account the properties of the TV. While Peacock has already offered some content in HDR, including NBA games and its 2024 Summer Olympics coverage, it’s now committing to support Dolby Vision across a wider range of sporting events. That support will also extend to Dolby Vision 2, which offers further optimizations based on the type of TV and other factors such as room lighting. The upshot is that sports on Peacock should look more realistic, at least on compatible TVs. While many current TVs offer Dolby Vision support, none with Dolby Vision 2 are available today, although we’ll likely see a bunch of them announced at CES this week. On the audio side, Dolby Atmos takes advantage of the upward-firing speakers on some soundbars and multi-channel home theater systems to bring a dimension of height to surround sound. Peacock has already offered Atmos for its Olympics and NBA coverage, but now it’s committing to the format for football and baseball as well. Sports focus The Dolby Vision announcement fits with Peacock’s recent pivot toward live sports. It’s now a major source of NBA and WNBA coverage, and it will begin carrying MLB games on Sundays this year. That’s in addition to the streamer’s existing sports coverage, which includes English Premier League, Notre Dame Football, and some Big Ten football and basketball. (There’s no word on Dolby Vision and Atmos reaching those sporting events.) The infusion of live sports was one of Peacock’s justifications for a major price hike in July, from $8 to $11 per month for the ad-supported plan, and from $14 to $17 per month without ads. At least now you’ll get a boost in picture and audio quality to go with the higher prices. Read...

Micro RGB is shaping up to be the TV industry’s overriding theme at CES 2026, and Samsung is going all in. The new technology resides in the middle ground between increasingly mainstream mini-LED TVs and still ludicrously expensive micro-LED sets. Where micro-LED TVs use self-emissive pixels that can be turned on and off individually–much like an OLED TV–micro RGB TVs still rely on a backlight. But that backlight consists of red, green, and blue LEDs that reduce the need for a color filter. It’s a significant improvement on conventional LCD TVs, but it still relies on LCD shuttering. A host of Micro RGB TVs Samsung plans to ship eight new Micro RGB TVs in 2026, including a massive 130-inch model in its R95H series as well as the 115-inch model MR95F. The TV manufacturer is also showing 65-, 75-, and 85-inch models in its R95H series, along with 100-, 98-, and 85-inch models in the step-down R85H series. Some Samsung TVs, such as the newly reissued Frame Pro, will be compatible with the minty fresh wireless version of Samsung’s One Connect breakout box, which previously used a thread-like optical cable to connect to the TV. That leaves you need to hide just the TV’s power cord. It’s not quite the magic of DisplaceTV series, but Samsung is getting there. QLED Samsung is also showing a new giant-sized model of its The Frame TV that measures 98-inches, just in case your local art gallery has some extra large digital creations it wants to display. The company has also added a 55-inch model to its The Frame Pro lineup, which provides a brighter picture. OLED Samsung hasn’t forgotten its stellar RGB OLED series either. It’s refreshing the S95H series, which offers modest improvements to our favorite “puppies on black velvet” (i.e., fantastic black and warm color) TV viewing experience. AI and other stuff Samsung’s AI Sound now creates “stems,” aka separate music, voice, and audio effects streams. This is a feature that’s been around in the pro audio arena for a while, but not in real time. The feature is said to let you mute the announcers while still hearing the actual game and crowd noise. Now that’s progress! The same algorithms are used to create a more immersive sports audio experience called AI Soccer Mode, where the effects are boosted to make it seem more like you’re sitting in the stadium. Google Photos The company is also working to integrate Google Photos into its smart TVs for, so users can interact with their personal images, and manage their photo libraries directly from their TV. Speaking of such, my favorite quote from the show so far is from the president of Samsung’s display division, Seok Woo Yong: “Samsung TVs are not just screens. They are entertainment companions….” Err… In a world that’s moving away from live social interaction, that’s exactly what we need our TVs to be. Read...

While the image up top is LG’s older, discontinued W9 Wallpaper OLED TV, the news is that LG is bringing its uber-thin smart TV back, this time in the form of the Evo W6 Wireless Wallpaper TV. The big difference? The Wallpaper Design is now endowed with truly wireless connectivity; yes, the thin cable shown in these images is history. The LG Evo W6 also sports Hyper Radiant Color Technology, which is said to improve blacks (really? LG OLEDs are already famous for their blacks), color, and brightness–up to 3.9 times brighter than conventional OLEDs. We’re assuming “conventional” includes LG’s own sets; maybe not. LG also touts an improved screen coating said to preserve those hard-won picture improvements in a wider array of ambient lighting conditions. LG’s third-generation Alpha 11 AI processor powers the Evo W6, as well as all its AI video and audio features, promising a five-fold improvement in neural processing according to the company. It’s said to be capable of running two separate algorithms simultaneously, with each correcting and optimizing the results from the other. Theoretically this should produce better results with fewer artifacts. The LG Evo W6 Wallpaper TV can access the same library of art as LG’s Gallery TV, with a Gallery mode that promises to optimize color and brightness to best reproduce the visual texture of physical art. LG’s WebOS smart TV software is also onboard, with Voice ID technology that can recognize a user’s voice and present their personalized home screen on demand. If you’re into gaming on your TV, it delivers 4K UHD resolution with a 165Hz refresh rate. There’s also support both Nvidia’s G-Sync and AMD’s Free Premium technologies to prevent image tearing. Whatever the end result of the hype, the Evo W6 promises to blend into its surroundings far better than the average OLED–at a hefty price no doubt. We’re guessing in the 10s of thousands of dollars. Read...

BBC Sport Scotland`s chief sports writer dissects the outcome of Saturday`s Old Firm defeat for Celtic. Read...

The Sydney Cricket Ground rarely plays host to a “live” Test. But the result of any series has always been irrelevant to attendance, while there’s plenty at stake for the players, too. Read...

Gabon`s sports minister announces a series of punishments after the national team`s `disgraceful performance` at the Africa Cup of Nations. Read...

An Indycar icon, a name synonymous with bowls, long-distance runners and a Black Caps batter are among those who have been recognised in the New Year Honours. Read...

The National Sports Tribunal has cleared coach Olga Belooussov of seven allegations of bullying made on behalf of a then-17-year-old gymnast. Read...