Articles by Carrie Marshall

Contributor

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than twenty books. Her latest, a love letter to music titled Small Town Joy, is on sale now. She is the singer in spectacularly obscure Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.

Articles by: Carrie Marshall

The Philips Smart Lighting Screen Sync with Strip Light system lighting up the walls behind and beside a TV in a darkened room

Don't buy Philips Hue's new TV Screen Sync just yet — there's a cheaper setup that also includes the light strip and, confusingly, is also by Philips

By Carrie Marshall Published 11 September 26

Philips Smart Lighting has launched a system that's more affordable than the Philips Hue Screen Sync, and comes with a light strip in the box.

The Nintendo Switch 2 in docked mode in front of a TV, with an inset of the HDMI port on the Nintendo Switch 2's dock

The Switch 2 is finally getting VRR in docked mode for smoother performance with compatible TVs and monitors — but there's a classic Nintendo wrinkle

By Carrie Marshall Published 10 September 26

Docked variable refresh rate is here at last — but not all games will support it

LG C6 (left) and LG G5 (right) with a shot of an owl on screen. Both TVs deliver the shot with real precision and authenticity.

'It's extremely creepy': LG TVs collect far more data on you than you'd expect, says new report — but LG hits back, saying the claims made 'are not true'

By Carrie Marshall Last updated 9 September 26

Updated A new investigation says that LG TVs collect and transmit much more information than customers might expect.

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It looks like Apple will finally support four HomePods in Dolby Atmos surround sound with Apple TV 4K — and it'd be a pretty good price compared to Sony's equivalent system

By Carrie Marshall Published 8 September 26

Apple's audioOS code reveals support for four-speaker HomePod audio, which isn't currently available in any of Apple's products

IFA 2026 'Best in Show' awards: our 25 favorite reveals at the Berlin tech expo, from somersaulting robots to modular solar batteries for renters

By Carrie Marshall Published 4 September 26

Our 15 favorite innovations from the enormous IFA 2026 tech exhibition

The Magnetar Ultima 4K Blu-ray player, which consists of two large silver units stacked on top of each other

Surprise: someone’s actually making a new 4K Blu-ray player! But it’s not exactly a mainstream option — this reference player is for audiophiles as much as cinephiles

By Carrie Marshall Published 3 September 26

Magnetar's Ultima is a reference-grade player for UHD Blu-Ray, SACD, DVD, CD and digital sources too

The Google TV Streamer interface with two Google Home Speakers connected on either side

The Google TV Streamer just got a huge price hike — you're way better off with an Apple TV 4K or Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K now

By Carrie Marshall Published 1 September 26

Google's TV streamer has gone up 50% in the US, with other countries set to follow.

Dali Basik Sub in yellow, next to a sideboard with a yellow Dali speaker on top

Dali's colorful new subwoofer is designed to make its affordable 5-star stereo speakers sound even bigger and better — or to be part of a great-value, stylish home theater setup

By Carrie Marshall Published 1 September 26

Dali's colorful compact subwoofer is the perfect partner for its Kupid and Sonik speakers.

Samsung HiFi S99H on its stand in a neutrally decorated room

Samsung's best OLED TV is getting a dramatic special version that hides its worst feature under a neat Scandi design — and adds a giant audiophile sound system at the same time

By Carrie Marshall Published 31 August 26

Samsung has teamed up with audiophile firm Canvas to create the HiFi S99H, a flagship OLED with an integrated Hi-Fi sound system.

Sony Bravia 6 atop a dark wood TV unit in a cosily lit living room

How does Sony's new Bravia 6 OLED TV compare to the LG C6 and Samsung S90H? Here's what we know

By Carrie Marshall Published 28 August 26

Sony's new Bravia 6 TV is a mid-range OLED priced similarly to the LG C6 and Samsung S90H, but its panel is believed to be OLED SE like the LG B6.

Home appliances giant Dreame has scrapped its rocket-powered supercar, which we suspected was 'too fast and too wide-reaching'

By Carrie Marshall Published 27 August 26

Dreame has cancelled its plans to make a rocket-propelled hypercar

Split image of Ninja CrushBOSS food processor, blender jug, and smoothie maker

Time to throw out your bulky old kitchen appliances — the new Ninja CrushBOSS combines a blender, food processor, and smoothie maker in one tidy package

By Carrie Marshall Published 25 August 26

The new Ninja CrushBOSS is a three-in-one kitchen system that combines a blender, food processor and a to-go tumbler.

Lifestyle photos of the Canvas BACCH 3D with Silverback speakers from System Audio

The 'world's first audiophile soundbar' is getting expanded with wireless Dolby Atmos surround support, as if this bonkers speaker wasn't immersive enough

By Carrie Marshall Published 25 August 26

Canvas has expanded its Canvas L soundbar with Dolby Surround and Atmos support via a new control box

The BluHub USB hub and disc drive next to a Mac laptop

This 9-in-1 USB dock with a Blu-ray drive just smashed its Kickstarter goal by 300x — as backers succumb to dongle fatigue and physical media nostalgia

By Carrie Marshall Published 21 August 26

The BluHub is a USB 3 hub with an integrated BD/DVD/CD writer — and despite its early Kickstarter success, some are warning of red flags.

Portrait Of Caucasian Handsome Man Using Smartphone in 3D Cyberspace With Animated Social Media Interfaces, Video Games, Viral Videos, Internet Content. Visualization Of Blockchain Technology Concept.

The Best Web Browsers for 2026: Expert Recommendations for a Superior Internet Experience

By Benedict Collins Last updated 21 August 26

Updated We list the best web browsers to help your browse the internet and better control your online privacy and security.

Sony leak suggests it's rebooting some of its best ever headphones to compete with Bose and Sennheiser — but I'm not sure the predicted price is going to be cheap enough

By Carrie Marshall Published 20 August 26

A Sony leak suggests it's preparing to launch a new, more affordable version of its legendary WH-1000XM4 headphones to better compete in the ANC headphone sector.

Apple TV 4K fans are begging for these 3 upgrades from the leaked Siri Remote — but one is already possible today

By Carrie Marshall Published 20 August 26

What we'd like to see in the 2026 Apple TV remote — and the Apple TV tip you can try today.

A Free Blockbuster library box next to a screenshot of the virtual video store BingeBrowse

Blockbuster is making an unlikely comeback — neighborhood 'Free Blockbuster' boxes are multiplying for DVD and Blu-ray fans, as new website turns Netflix into a 3D video store

By Carrie Marshall Published 19 August 26

The Blockbuster brand is now dormant, but its aesthetics are back for both physical media and streaming.

An iPhone on a green and blue background showing Sonos Live Activities on iOS 26

Want Sonos controls on your iPhone lock screen? They've finally returned to iOS — here's how to get them

By Carrie Marshall Published 18 August 26

The Sonos app now uses Live Activities to put controls on your lock screen. It's off by default but easy to enable.

Dolby says Dolby Vision 2 HDR should come to cheaper TVs than the original — and the basic version is less expensive to license than Dolby Vision 2 Max to achieve that

By Matt Bolton Published 16 August 26

Dolby Vision 2 Max replaces Dolby Vision 1, while Dolby Vision 2 is meant for a new breed of budget TV — and Dolby says its the best-value picture upgrade that manufacturers can get.

'There's no realistic chance all of that content will get remastered from scratch': Dolby Vision 2 will come to more titles than you might expect, thanks to an automated process — but there will be two key creative-led features that aren't automated

By Matt Bolton Published 15 August 26

Dolby Laboratories explain how Dolby Vision content can be upgraded for Dolby Vision 2 without costing streamers a fortune.

Good news, 4K Blu-ray fans: Dolby confirms that Dolby Vision 2 HDR can work on existing players and disc tech — bad news: it's up to the manufacturers, and Sony already said 'we do not plan to provide an update'

By Matt Bolton Published 13 August 26

Dolby says all Dolby Vision 2 TVs will make regular Dolby Vision look better anyway — which is good, because it seems like we might not get the Blu-ray support we'd want.

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Screenshots of AI-generated shows on Fairground AI

Roku's new AI channel is top of the slops: is this an important AI milestone or just "the cutting edge of AI slop"?

By Carrie Marshall Published 13 August 26

The new Fairground AI channel on Roku TV is getting mixed reactions, to say the least

The Panasonic Z86C showing an image of the sun, with sun spots and corona flashes. The Panasonic Z90B TV is behind it, showing the same image

Great news for cheap OLED TVs and monitors: LG's new '2-stack' tech should cost less to make and be more energy efficient than its recent 'OLED SE' panel

By Carrie Marshall Published 7 August 26

LG's new 2-stack OLED panel is cheaper to make and delivers better color and viewing angles than current WOLED panels, the firm says

Dolby Vision 2 HDR is officially arriving on certain Hisense TVs — here's which models are getting it first, and what it does

By Carrie Marshall Published 6 August 26

Dolby Vision 2 is available on select Hisense TVs right now, and it's rolling out to more models in the coming weeks.

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