Author Archives: Stewart Wolpin

About Stewart Wolpin

I have been writing about consumer electronics for four decades, including news, reviews, analysis and history for a wide variety of consumer, niche and trade outlets. For the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), I annually update the industry's history and write the official biographies of the CTA Hall of Fame inductees. Aside from writing about consumer technology for a variety of consumer, tech and trade publications, I write a blog and do market research for Digital Technology Consulting. In the non-tech world, I have written "Bums No More: The Championship Season of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers" and "The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According to Hoyle." Check out my work at www.stewartwolpin.com.

The Best TV Under $1,000

Posted on 26 November 2015 by Stewart Wolpin

Yes, new 4K UHD TVs with HDR (High Dynamic Range) and WCG (Wide Color Gamut) are here. But in this piece for Techlicious, I explored the best bargains in both 2K and 4K (albeit last year’s models), including the Vizio … Continue reading →

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Is the HEVC Digital Camera/Editing Software Logjam About to Burst?

Posted on 23 November 2015 by Stewart Wolpin

All 4K UHDs can decode HEVC files; after all, all the 4K streaming video content from Netflix and Amazon and Vudu and anyone else who is or will be streaming 4K video is encoded in HEVC. Unfortunately, the HEVC ecosystem … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Tech Consulting, TV/4K/UHD/8K | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Smartphone Developments: New Features that are Worth Buying

Posted on 18 November 2015 by Stewart Wolpin

Likely my last story for Consumers Digest (it’s a long, sordid story). In all events, my general survey of the smartphone landscape as of September 2015 (when written, not when published).

Posted in Apple, cell/smartphones, Consumers Digest, TV/4K/UHD/8K | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Top 12 Technologies the Year eBay Was Born

Posted on 13 November 2015 by Stewart Wolpin

eBay was born in 1995, and their editorial folks asked me to ruminate on the technologies that were prevalent that year. You can read the interesting state of 1995 technology here.

Posted in eBay, Tech History | Leave a comment

Shhh! Panasonic is About to Debut UHD Blu-ray – But Don’t Tell Anyone

Posted on 9 November 2015 by Stewart Wolpin

Did you know that Panasonic was on the verge of releasing the world’s first UHD Blu-ray deck? No? Neither did I, or anyone else who doesn’t speak Japanese or work for Panasonic. Read more here.

Posted in Digital Tech Consulting, TV/4K/UHD/8K | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Digital Camera Sales Continue to Crash. So Why Are These Execs Smiling?

Posted on 2 November 2015 by Stewart Wolpin

There seem to be few signs of life in the cratering digital camera business….Yet, at last week’s PhotoPlus Expo in New York, amidst enthusiastic throngs of photog trade and user pros, I found mostly surprisingly buoyant company representatives. Read more … Continue reading →

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Yale’s Entry Into Smart Locks Is Huge

Posted on 13 October 2015 by Stewart Wolpin

Here’s my report for TWICE on Yale entering the smart lock business.

Posted in smart home, TWICE | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Why the UHD Transition is NOT the HDTV Transition

Posted on 28 September 2015 by Stewart Wolpin

If you’re feeling some weird sense of déjà vu with the chicken-egg conundrum surrounding the production of 4K content/broadcasting and UHD TV sales, it’s because you have vague recollections of the introduction of HDTV back in the late 1990s. While … Continue reading →

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Before You Can Binge Watch, You Have To Binge Wait

Posted on 24 September 2015 by Stewart Wolpin

Following the series finale montage broadcast during the Emmys Sunday night, there was an online backlash at all the spoilers revealed. Poo-pooers correctly noted that these shows ended their runs months ago and the endings were long-ago revealed – is … Continue reading →

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The History of DVD

Posted on 24 September 2015 by Stewart Wolpin

Back in 2007, just as Blu-ray was being introduced, I authored a history of DVD for the now-defunct magazine DVD Etc. Since the magazine is gone, I thought I’d rescue this history from publishing obscurity. So here is the story … Continue reading →

Posted in Tech History | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment