Last year we started to hear about the first receivers equipped with HDMI 2.1, which meant they should be able to handle resolutions as high as 8K, as well as 120Hz 4K content pumped out by new game consoles. Unfortunately, compatibility for HDMI 2.1 features hasn't been as steady as we've hoped, and several receiver manufacturers have notified customers they're aware of a problem that specifically affects the Xbox Series X when you try to play 4K/120Hz games. Now Yamaha is announcing a new line of high-end Aventage receivers for 2021 that will debut that you might be interested in. Right off the bat, Yamaha has said that HDMI 2.1 features like 4K/120Hz, 8K/60Hz, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), Automatic Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Quick Frame Transport (QFT) and Quick Media Switching (QMS) will not be present at launch. The company says they will be enabled via future updates, and confirmed to Engadget that an update will also address compatibility with the Xbox Series X.

Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) headphones are a modern marvel with one major drawback: Many will unintentionally wipe out some of the frequencies present in the music you're listening to. Yamaha says its $299 YH-E700A ANC headphone delivers nearly identical sound whether its active noise cancellation is on, off, or in transparency mode. I'd say Yamaha has at least come closer to that goal than any other headphone I've reviewed, and that should make an extremely appealing set of cans for those who eschew active noise cancellation because they feel the technology has an adverse impact on musical recordings. That said, the YH-E700A aren't without a few other wrinkles that Yamaha will hopefully iron out via future firmware updates. The Yamaha YH-E700A adds several features you won't find in its less-expensive noise-cancelling stablemate, the YH-E500 ($179.95):

The Sonos Arc is a pricy but peerless home audio package. Sonos' first-ever Dolby Atmos soundbar is more than just a pretty (and tubular) face. This powerful hunk of well fashioned plastic is loaded with 11 individually powered drivers, including dual speakers pointed upward to bounce off your ceiling, creating an impressively potent example of the hemispheric immersion for which Dolby's Atmos sound format is so highly praised. Its well-tuned drivers offer a rich and smooth sound signature that's fantastic for anything you play, from sitcoms to streaming music. Speaking of streaming, like all Sonos speakers, the Arc offers WiFi connection through the Sonos app, along with the ability to connect with other Sonos speakers, either in a group, or as part of a surround sound setup. This allows you to add dual surround speakers and a Sonos subwoofer if you want, though the Arc offers impressive bass response even without one. Like the Sonos Beam, it also sports built-in microphones and your choice of Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa support, making it both a soundbar and a powerful smart speaker. The drawback of all these features is, of course, the price of $799, which puts the bar beyond the average budget.

The real crux of the issue isn't whether or not the SR-B20A is a good soundbar: it is, delivering robust audio for TV, movies, music, and games, despite the lack of an external subwoofer. The issue is that there are same-price'bars that do more: Yamaha's own YAS-109 soundbar is roughly the same price and gets you Amazon Alexa compatibility, while the very valuable Vizio V-Series'bar includes a very respectable external subwoofer at, by this estimation, no extra cost. The best thing about the SR-B20A is that it delivers very respectable sound without the need for an external subwoofer. If you really don't have much space to work with, it's an ideal choice. However, if you want to maximize sound quality per dollar, you're probably better off springing for a soundbar that delivers the kind of cinematic punch made possible by an external sub.

We count on machines for our anti-lock brakes, cruise control and more. Tesla's autopilot and Google's self-driving pod are even stronger examples. But Yamaha has taken a distinct approach, building a human-like robot that sits on a motorcycle and rides it.

Yamaha's self-playing piano has been intricately designed to mimic the celebrated 20th-century Canadian pianist and Bach interpreter down to the finest musical detail. Yamaha has invented a piano that not only plays itself, but also mimics one of the best pianists and Bach interpreters of the 20th century – Glenn Gould. The piano was born of Yamaha's Dear Glenn project, which uses machine learning to teach the artificial intelligence that drives the instrument's self-playing capability the interpretative idiosyncrasies and stylistic nuances of Gould's playing. In a video released by Yamaha, the'Glenn Gould as AI' piano performs Bach's Goldberg Variations in a concert setting – offering audiences, it is hoped, as close a version of the late Gould's performances as they can ever hope to see live. The self-playing aspect of the piano was made possible by the same technology used for Yamaha's existing Disklavier instrument.

Most AI platform suppliers have been obsessed lately with autonomous vehicles. This week, Nvidia escalated the obsession by spreading the epidemic to "autonomous machines." At Nvidia's GPU Technology Conference held here, CEO Jensen Huang wound up and pitched Nvidia AGX, a series of embedded AI high-performance computers built around Nvidia's new Xavier processors, for a host of robotic and autonomous machines. Phil Magney, founder and principal advisor at VSI Labs, called Nvidia "shrewd" to extend the reach of the architecture, since most competitors are focusing exclusively on automated cars. "As we know, there are lots of human driven machines out there where removing the operator is the goal. Nvidia's new partners in Japan have their bases covered with these announcements."

The Yamaha MusicCast BAR 400 fits neatly under a TV while the wireless sub-woofer can easily be tucked away out of sight. It's possible to add on surround speakers wirelessly using MusicCast Surround speakers.Yamaha In the past year or so there have been a few attempts at trying to package surround sound for a flat screen TV alongside speakers for a music system. Unfortunately, until now sound bars and sound bases have indeed offered great sound to boost your TVs weedy speakers but they've not been able to offer wireless facilities like Apple's AirPlay or the ability to play hi-res music files. Well, that could be about to change with a brand new soundbar that Yamaha has announced today.

Katy Jane attended the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year & uncovered some of the latest advances & innovations in the automotive sector. "The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an international showcase of all of the very latest models of cars & motorcycles, the very latest technologies in the automotive industry; all jostled alongside the nostalgia of the classic automobiles. Any self-proclaimed petrol-head would attend FOS & walk miles soaking up the atmosphere, hearing the engines roar, the famous faces in the pits & breathe deeply the smell of Castrol R & high octane fuel filling the air. It is a mecca for car & motorcycle enthusiasts worldwide & attracts an international crowd. This year FOS celebrated it's 25 Anniversary alongside 70 years of Porsche & the theme ran long & deep into the core of the displays & the overall feel of the event. This year's vast sculpture outside Goodwood House, was an homage to the lineage of this iconic brand, with cars from yesteryear & modern ...

Artificial intelligence is already everywhere, so it's inevitable that it would invade the arts. Yahama showed a new kind of AI tech that translated the movements of renowned dancer Kaiji Moriyama into musical notes on a piano, "a form of expression that fuses body movements and music," the company said. He used it during a concert in Tokyo entitled Mai Hi Ten Yu, dancing and "playing" the piano with his body, accompanied by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Scharoun Ensemble. Yamaha's system ensures that the dancer plays music that makes some sense, rather than just random notes. Moriyama carried four types of sensors on his back, wrists and feet that translated his movements into data.