The Netgear Meural Canvas II has been shown off at IFA 2019, the huge tech show in Berlin, Germany. It’s a 27-inch, Wi-Fi connected digital screen that you can hang on a wall and can display artwork from a curated library of art that includes over 30,000 works from leading museums and image collections around the world.
You can also use it to display your own photos (which can be loaded via SD card or USB), turning it into a supersized version of those digital photo frames which were all the rage a few years ago.
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The Canvas II is the first product released by Meural since the company was acquired by Netgear last year. You’ll need to be a subscriber to get access to the library of images (price to be determined), and you can switch between images using gesture control (by waving your hand in front of one of the embedded sensors), via voice control using an Amazon Alexa device, on a PC or laptop or using the Meural app.
Screen sizes
The Meural Canvas II comes in a variety of screen sizes, and each display has a matte finish, which will make artwork look more like traditional wall art and reduce reflection.
There’s a 19 x 29, 27-inch HD display in white or black for $599.95 (£779, around AU$880). It also comes in a dark or light wood frame for $699.95 (£829, around AU$1,000).
There’s also a 16 x 24, 21-inch HD display in black or white for $399.95 (£599, around $600) , and that also comes in a dark or light wood frame for $499.95 (£649, around AU$700).
You can also buy a swivel mount for $49.95 (£45, around AU$70), which allows you to easily change the orientation of the frames.
Those prices certainly make the frames more expensive in the UK than in the US (we’ve not got official Australian prices) – and remember you need to buy a subscription for access to the library of images.
The idea of hanging some of the most famous works of art in the world on our walls is certainly intriguing, though the fact that the displays are ‘HD’ and spread over up to 27-inches is a bit disappointing, as it means the images won’t be as sharp as we’d like.
Still, if you fancy one, they are now available for pre-order right now.
