Tag: Audio / Video

Spotify HiFi could finally be coming, but it’ll cost you

Posted on by faz_business


Spotify logo on a phone.
Getty

We know you’ve been burned before, but according a promising report from Bloomberg, Spotify is poised to announce a new premium add-on later this year that will finally deliver its much-anticipated HiFi option, as well as some new playlist creation tools.

Although Bloomberg’s report, which cites a “source familiar with the plan,” is light on specific resolution details, it says that the new high-fidelity audio option will be sold as an add-on for existing customer,s who could be charged at least an additional $5 per month depending on their base plan.

The add-on will not only deliver better quality audio — which has been a sore spot for some Spotify users considering that many of its streaming service competitors such as Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz, and Amazon Music have been delivering hi-res streams for years — but will also include some new playlist creation and library management tools.

In April, Spotify announced that it was beta testing a new AI Playlist creation tool with its U.K. and Australian users that allows them to use ChatGPT-style text prompts to create playlists. It’s anyone’s guess as to whether this is the new playlist tool that Bloomberg’s unnamed source is referring to.

Spotify AI Playlist meny.
Spotify’s AI Playlist feature Screengrab / Spotify

Spotify has been dangling its HiFi carrot out there since first announcing it in 2021, and the rumors have come on the regular ever since (this exact same story broke around this time last year, too). One of the more recent hints came in April of this year when a Reddit user spotted some code in the Spotify app that suggested that the HiFi tier could deliver lossless audio with up to 24-bit/44.1kHz FLAC files.

This new HiFi plan information comes on the heels of Spotify’s second price increase in less than a year, with the service’s most popular Premium individual plan going from $11 to $12 per month next month. Spotify’s Duo plan also jumps to $17 per month and the Family plan to $20 per month,while the Student stays the same at $6 a month. It’s unclear which plans the new HiFi add-on will be eligible for.

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A $20 Chromecast with Google TV is perfect for this one reason

Posted on by faz_business


Chromecast with Google TV.
Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

Normally, I would never recommend that someone buy a streaming device that tops out at 1080p resolution. Even if you somehow don’t have a 4K TV already — I’m not judging, there are plenty of good reasons — you might well have one in the future. And at that point, it’s better to not have to buy new hardware until absolutely necessary. Just go ahead and spend the extra $30 now for a 4K version.

But it’s hard to say no to a $20 Chromecast with Google TV HD.

I wouldn’t use this on my main television. When it comes to the TV I’ll be watching most — whether that’s in the living room, or the bedroom, or wherever — I think it’s worth spending a few extra bucks to get the best streaming device you can afford. Not that everything you ever watch will be available in 4K resolution. And there’s an argument to be made that maybe you won’t even notice the difference. (We’ve long said that a good 1080p stream is better than a bad 4K stream.)

If there’s a single use case that makes sense for a $20 streaming device, it’s this: Put it in your travel bag, and leave it there. Do not take it out when you return home. This is your on-the-go streaming device, and it shall never be more than that.

I’m on the road a fair amount. Whether it’s long distances for work (and fortunately, that’s not as often as it used to be), or shorter regional trips for the kids’ soccer tournaments, I’ve lived out of a bag plenty. The novelty wears off pretty quickly, especially when it comes to the quality of the televisions in the hotel room. The little bit of normalcy that comes with being able to watch your channels on your streaming service of choice goes a long way.

In fact, Chromecast With Google TV (the full 4K version) has lived in my go-bag for a long time. There are a few reasons for that. One is that it’s small. The dongle, remote, and charger don’t take up much space at all. (Kudos to whomever opted for a plug whose prongs fold into the body of the power supply.)

The second reason — and perhaps the most important — is that it doesn’t cost a lot of money. It’s about one-third the cost of my at-home platform of choice, the Apple TV 4K. And the trade-off of not having 4K for a few hours in a hotel is one I’m willing to make. Eventually I’m going to be in a rush to check out and will accidentally leave the Chromecast attached to the hotel-room TV. It hasn’t happened yet, knock on wood. But if and when it does, I’ll only be out $50.

Or, if you take advantage of this $20 Chromecast sale, you’ll only be out a couple Hamiltons.

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