Netflix's League of Legends-based animated series Arcane has won an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program, becoming the first streaming series to win in that category. It beat out some much better known competition, including Bob's Burgers, Rick and Morty, The Simpsons and What If...? hosted by the late Chadwick Boseman. "It’s a big deal for us as we come from video games. It’s been amazing to see the world embrace our characters and our stories," said Arcane co-creator Christian Linke. 

The series stars Ella Purnell (Jinx), Hailee Steinfeld (Vi) and Katie Leung (Caitlyn). It was picked up for a second season by Netflix last winter, suggesting that the streamer was willing to embrace high-budget game-based productions. The first season boasted nearly 34.2 million viewing hours in its first week on Netflix's top 10 chart, putting it second in views at that time. It also received very positive reviews from both critics and audiences.

Riot Games had already worked closely with Arcane animation studio Fortiche, but acquired a significant, non-controlling stake earlier in March. The companies worked together to introduce Jinx to League of Legends in 2013, and plan to join forces on "other to-be-announced" projects on top of Arcane, though no details have been released yet. 

Meanwhile, What If...? didn't leave the Creative Arts Emmys empty-handed, as Boseman received a posthumous award for his voiceover work across the first season. "What a beautifully aligned moment it really is that one of the last things he would work on would not only be revisiting a character that was so important to him... but also that it be an exploration of something new, diving into a new potential future," said his wife Taylor Simone Ledward in accepting the award.

The two-episode premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power drew 25 million viewers around the world in 24 hours, making it the biggest debut in Prime Video's history, Amazon said in a press release. "It is somehow fitting that Tolkien’s stories — among the most popular of all time, and what many consider to be the true origin of the fantasy genre — have led us to this proud moment," said Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke. 

There was a lot on the line for the series, with a reported $465 million budget for the first season and heavy competition from HBO's rival House of Dragons series. The latter also recently debuted to the highest ratings in HBO's history with 9.986 million viewers across its linear HBO and streaming HBO Max platforms.

Amazon also took the unusual step of delaying reviews for The Rings of Power by 72 hours to filter out trolls, Variety reported. It appeared to have been "review bombed" on sites like Rotten Tomatoes, where it received a 37 percent rating from users but an 84 percent mark from critics. The series has faced trolling over its decision to cast actors of color as elves, dwarves and other characters. 

The studio plans to evaluate each review to determine whether it's legitimate or created by a bot or troll. Amazon first introduced the practice when the baseball series A League of Their Own debuted on August 12th. That strategy appears to have worked, with the latter earning a 4.3 out of 5 star rating on Prime Video, compared to a 94 percent Rotten Tomatoes critic rating (however, that also closely lines up with the 85 percent audience score on RT). 

Good TVs are always in high demand, so finding deals can be a fruitless quest. If you're on the lookout for one, Amazon is running a one-day sale right now on LG, Samsung and Sony sets, including OLED and other desirable models at all-time low prices. For instance, LG's 55-inch A1 OLED is just $797 instead of $1,300 for the biggest savings we've seen yet. Sony's A80J 65-inch OLED model is $1,399 or 44 percent off (a new low), and Samsung's 55-inch Frame TV with Quantum HDR is priced at just $980, also an all-time low.

LG's 2021 line of A1 OLED TVs first appeared at CES 2021, offering support for Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, Filmmaker mode, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and AirPlay 2. You can expect a color accurate picture with deep blacks, though some things are missing like a 120Hz display and HDMI 2.1. Still, at $797, the 55-inch A1 will deliver everything else you might want in an OLED TV. 

Sony

Sony's A80J OLED TV also popped up at CES 2021, offering Sony's "Cognitive Processor VR" to improve picture quality on individual elements of a picture. It also delivers 120Hz 4K thanks to an HDMI 2.1 input, along with features like Dolby Vision, Google TV, Google Assistant and Alexa support. Again, it's available at an all-time low price of $1,400, or 44 percent off the regular price. 

Finally, if you want a low-profile TV that also doubles as a picture frame and smart device, Samsung's 55-inch Frame TV is priced at $980, another all-time low. It can rotate between portrait and landscape modes and display up to 1,400 works of art, while offering features like 4K upscaling, HDR, Alexa and Samsung's Tizen smart TV interface. 

There are plenty of other good deals as well, including Sony's 85-inch X91J priced at $1,800 (36 percent off), LG's 65-inch NanoCell 90 series TV at $717 (49 percent off) and more. It's best to act soon, though, as it's strictly a one-day sale. 

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Meta will continue to use Qualcomm's chips in its Quest line of virtual reality headsets and the two companies are teaming up to build "customized" chipsets, Qualcomm announced at IFA 2022. "We’re working with Qualcomm Technologies on customized virtual reality chipsets — powered by Snapdragon XR platforms and technology — for our future roadmap of Quest products," said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in the press release.

Meta's Quest 2 is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR2, so it's essentially continuing with the status quo. However, it looks like the two companies will be working closely on developing the next generation of chipsets, with Qualcomm saying that "both companies' engineering and product teams will deepen technical collaboration to deliver next-generation platforms and core technologies." 

Early this year, Qualcomm announced that it was teaming up with Microsoft as well on custom chips for AR glasses, with Microsoft promising "lightweight" and energy-efficient wearables. Qualcomm said that it was "working with Microsoft... [to develop] custom AR chips," so it appears to be working with both rivals on roughly the same thing. 

Meta is more invested in the metaverse, however, essentially staking its fate on the idea of meeting others in VR for business, socializing, gaming and more. By having a say in the design, it could effectively make its ideas easier to implement. "Unlike mobile phones, building virtual reality brings novel, multi-dimensional challenges in spatial computing, cost, and form factor," Zuckerberg said. "These chipsets will help us keep pushing virtual reality to its limits and deliver awesome experiences."

Meta recently jacked up the price of the Quest 2 headset from $300 to $400, even though it's now nearly two years old. That's no doubt due in part to the scarcity and higher prices of chips and components. It may be hoping to bring those down for the next generation, otherwise very few users will be able to access those, um, glorious virtual playgrounds.

Leica has just unveiled its first ultra-short-throw (UST) projector called the Cine 1 that can beam an 80- or 100-inch image while parked as little as six inches from a wall. While it might seem a bit strange for a camera company to build a projector, UST models require precise optics to create a square image while beaming straight up — and that's right up Leica's alley. 

The company said it's using its Summicron lens tech with aspherical elements "manufactured in accordance with Leica standards. It also uses a triple-RGB laser with a 25,000 hour service life (built in collaboration with HiSense, according to The Verge) and a Texas Instruments DLP chip. 

Leica has two versions of the Cine 1 designed for 80-inch and 100-inch screens, with the former positioned about six inches from the wall and the latter about 12 inches. Leica recommends setting them at exactly those positions and using the suggested screen sizes, as the optics were designed for that. To that end, it's also selling 80- and 100-inch ambient light-rejecting (ALR) screens. They output 2,100 and 2,500 lumens for the 80- and 100-inch models, respectively.

On the audio side, it offers built-in Dolby Atmos-powered speakers for surround sound. It comes with a TV tuner for for linear TV and HiSense's VIDAA OS as a smart TV platform. You can also install external storage, Blu-ray players or consoles via the HDMI and USB inputs. 

Other key specs are still missing, like color space coverage and HDR support. However, they're reportedly priced at $6,900 for the 80-inch and $7,900 for the 100-inch model, so you'd expect all the bells and whistles possible. Currently, the most advanced UST projectors out there are Samsung's LSP7T 4K with HDR10+ starting at $3,500, the $3,000 Formovie Theater with Dolby Vision and HiSense's L9G 3,000-lumen Laser TV projectors with Dolby Vision priced at $5,000 with a 100-inch ALR screen. 

Following a leak last week, Microsoft has unveiled the Game Pass Friends & Family in Ireland, offering the same benefits of Game Pass Ultimate for you and four others at €22 ($22) per month. That's less than double the Game Pass Ultimate price for one person (€13), and works out to just €4.40 ($4.40) a month each. Better still, it's not limited to family and the only restriction is that all four members have to be in the same country. 

So far, it's come to just two countries, but that might change soon. "Currently we are piloting this plan in Colombia and the Republic of Ireland. Future countries / regions might be added in the next months," Microsoft wrote in a FAQ.

Users in those countries with an existing Game Pass Ultimate plan will see their remaining days pro-rated, basically according to the price difference. That means for 30 days of Game Pass Ultimate you'll get 18 days of Game Pass Friends & family, while 30 days of Xbox Game Pass or Live Gold gets you 12 days. 30 days of EA Play nets 6 days of Game Pass Friends & Family.

In the US, Xbox Game Pass or PC Game Pass costs $10 per month, while Game Pass Ultimate is $15 with multiplayer capabilities. The Game Pass Friends & Family is likely to cost around $25 stateside, according to The Verge, or $5 per month per person. On top of multiplayer, Ultimate users can also access Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox Live and more. 

Music publishers, songwriters and musicians have struck a deal with streaming services for US mechanical streaming rates for 2023-2027, the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) has announced. The NMPA, Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and Digital Media Association (DiMA) agreed on a 15.35 percent rate, avoiding a potentially contentious battle.

That's up only mildly from the 2018-2022 rate of 15.1 percent. It's also less than expected, according to Variety, as the NMPA previously said it was pushing for 20 percent. However, the agreement will reportedly also modernize the way "bundle" rates offered to students and families are treated, and increase so-called Total Content Costs, to make up some of the difference. 

"This agreement... ensures that all parties will benefit from the growth of the industry and will be motivated to work together to maximize that growth," the press release states. "Instead of going to trial and continuing years of conflict, we instead of move forward in collaboration with the highest rates ever, guaranteed," added NMPA's CEO David Israelite. 

Last time, a legal battle between the parties dragged on for three years. The 15.1 percent rate for the 2018-2022 period was decided in 2018, but Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube and Pandora appealed the ruling, arguing it would be untenable for their business model. Publishers and songwriters prevailed earlier this year, as the Copyright Royalty Board reaffirmed the 15.1 percent rate.

As expected, NASA has ordered five more astronaut missions from SpaceX in a new $1.44 billion contract, raising the total number of Crew Dragon launches to 14. It's designed to ensure a steady flow of crew members to the International Space Station (ISS), as SpaceX rival Boeing struggles to get its own Starliner crew system launch-ready. 

The latest award "allows NASA to maintain an uninterrupted U.S. capability for human access to the space station until 2030, with two unique commercial crew industry partners," the space agency said in a press release. It brings the total Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract with SpaceX to $4.93 billion. 

SpaceX was certified for crew transportation in November 2020, launching its latest Crew-4 mission on April 27, 2022. Earlier this year, NASA announced that it would order three additional missions for $900 million, upping its original $2.6 billion contract to $3.49 billion. 

All of this is to the detriment of Boeing, which has suffered numerous delays with its Starliner capsule that's compatible with ULA's Atlas V and other rockets. Following a long delay due to valve issues, the latest unmanned test flight launched on May 19th this year, with the capsule returning to Earth six days later. The first crewed flight was originally planned for 2017, but still hasn't launched. Boeing and NASA are now targeting early 2023 for the first mission carrying astronauts. 

IFA 2022 (Europe's answer to CES) starts tomorrow, so you know what that means — some wacky new appliances and home products. LG is kicking off the proceedings with the MoodUP refrigerator that has color-changing LED door panels, offering something completely different for your kitchen than the usual white or brushed metal.

Using LG's ThinkQ app or tapping on the door, you can choose from 22 colors for the upper door panel and 19 colors for the lower one. Or, you can let it choose various color themes like 'Season,' 'Place,' 'Mood' and 'Pop,' that represent things like the colors of nature or "a feeling of wellbeing through the use of soft, soothing colors," LG wrote. 

LG

The panels will blink repeatedly if you leave the door open for too long, or flash a welcome when someone approaches. The freezer door will also glow brighter at night "to help midnight snackers find and open the door" (never stop, LG). With the LED panels switched off, it offers a combination of gray and white for a more traditional look.

It also comes with a built-in Bluetooth speaker that connects to mobile devices or PCs. You can get it to play songs from LG's Music Collection playlist that match the color theme, or have the LED panels change colors in sync with the music. The idea is to add "a sense of liveliness and fun" by apparently transforming your kitchen into a discotheque. 

LG

Details are scarce on the refrigerator itself, but it looks like LG has both a wide, four-door model and a regular single-door version with two freezer compartments. The top image appears to show both models side-by-side. 

It also offers upgraded voice recognition along with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. Several PR photos appear to show the company's "InstaView" camera/display tech as well, but LG didn't mention that in the news release. There's no word on pricing, but LG will be showing off the "Dios Object Collection MoodUP" refrigerators at IFA 2022 in Berlin, starting tomorrow. 

Sony has unveiled a smartphone with both gaming and photo-taking powers that's (a bit) less expensive than its last few models. The Xperia 5 IV comes with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Mobile Platform and 120Hz 6.1-inch 21:9 OLED display, while offering photo features from the Xperia 1 IV flagship like real-time eye AF and real-time tracking on all three rear cameras. 

Taking advantage of its strong reputation in photography with models like the Alpha A7 IV, Sony is pitching the Xperia 5 IV as a content creation device. To that end, it comes with no less then four 12-megapixel cameras with three on the back (a 16mm 1/2.5-inch f/2.2 ultra-wide, 24mm f/1.7 1/1.7-inch wide and 60mm f/2.4 1/3.5-inch portrait) and one up front for selfies (1/2.9-inch). 

The real-time eye AF promises that your subjects' eyes rather than their nose will stay in focus, and the real-time AI-powered tracking feature keeps fast-moving subjects in focus. It supports shooting speeds of 20 fps with AF and auto exposure for all lenses. The relatively large pixels (1.9 microns) on the main camera should allow for decent low-light shooting, too.

Sony

All three rear sensors have 120fps read-out speeds, letting you record 4K HDR at up to 120fps. Sony is also promising 4K HDR with "outstanding contrast grading" and the ability to take selfies or vlog in high glare or dark environments. As with the Xperia I IV, it comes with the Videography Pro feature that lets you livestream your content to YouTube and other streaming services.

The screen looks to be up to the job for creators as well. It's HDR10 capable (though doesn't support Dolby Vision) and supposedly 50 percent brighter than the last model. It also offers something called "Real Time HDR Drive" that can increase image quality by filling in details on over- and underexposed shots. Users of Bravia Core will also be able to access Sony's latest releases and classic films. 

On the gaming side, the 120Hz display should allow for smooth gaming, and a 240Hz touch scanning rate allowing for rapid inputs. The Plus Game enhancer lets you customize picture and sound, and it offers live streaming on Sony's Social Networking Service (SNS), with high-frame recording up to 120fps. You can use it to check viewer's comments in real time and implement game commentary.

On the audio side, it supports both Dolby Atmos and Sony's 360 Reality audio, either via a wired 3.5mm jack or wireless Bluetooth LE. Other features include a 5,000mAh battery, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of memory and 5G capabilities. The Xperia 5 IV will be available at the end of October 2022 for $1,000 in black or a green color variation. If you pre-order starting today at 11AM ET, you'll be eligible to receive the WF-1000XM4 wireless earbuds, a $280 value.