It’s been three years since Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer hit the big screen. Since then, fans of the director have been waiting with bated breath for his next venture, and this time he is taking it back to basics.

Nolan is taking on one of the most well-known stories of ancient history by adapting Homer’s The Odyssey, throwing a star-studded cast (Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, and Tom Holland all feature, just to name a few) into the perilous land of Troy.

But buying a ticket for Nolan’s latest release is not as straightforward as it probably should be. Depending on your local cinema, you could be choosing between IMAX 70mm, ‘standard’ IMAX, Dolby Cinema, 70mm film, 35mm or Premium Large Format.

The movie social platform Letterboxd has even released a digital punchcard to tick them off.

Let’s be honest, though, the majority of people will not be forking out the extra cash to watch the film more than once or twice in the cinema. So which of the many versions should you pony up for?

While we await the film’s release (17th July), let’s run through each of the available formats.

The aspect ratio basics

The biggest differences in the various presentations are the aspect ratios – how tall and wide the image is. This can be quite tricky to get your head around, so let’s start by trying to make sense of that.

Your TV at home has (assuming you’re not still rocking an old CRT model) a 16:9 aspect ratio, which ‘normal’ people tend to refer to as simply ‘widescreen’.

In the cinema, aspect ratios tend to use a different format. Converted to that format, your widescreen TV's aspect ratio is 1.78:1. This simply means that for every centimetre of height there is in the image, there’s 1.78cm in width. Bear that in mind as we outline the other aspect ratios below.

IMAX 70mm

The Odyssey is the first film to be shot entirely using 65mm IMAX film cameras (they’re called Keighley cameras), building on Nolan’s tradition of using the format for sections of even some of his earliest films.

Watching it in this original format means finding an IMAX 70mm cinema, where the movie will be presented in a 1.43:1 aspect ratio.

Compared with your TV screen, this will look much taller and is closer to a square than the more familiar rectangle. It’s the tallest aspect ratio on the list, which should give you a brilliant level of immersion when watching on the big screen.

In an explainer video on The Odyssey’s website, Matt Damon says: “Each film frame has 15 perforations, runs horizontally through the projector, making it the largest format available. Every frame was shot in IMAX, and when you’re in the theatre, you’ll feel the full impact of how it was shot.”

If you value cinematic authenticity, have the means to get to an IMAX 70mm cinema, and have the budget for what will be a very expensive ticket, this is the version to seek out.

You will need to travel to London or Manchester if you’re in the UK, though, as those are the only two places where you will find one of these very special cinemas. They are the BFI IMAX, the Science Museum IMAX Cinema and Vue Manchester Printworks.

IMAX

If you can’t watch the film in the 70mm format because of its price or inaccessible locations, then our second choice would be the standard IMAX presentation. As with the above format, this is only available in IMAX cinemas that combine the right screen design and use the brand’s proprietary picture and sound technology.

This changes the aspect ratio of the film to 1.90:1. That means you will get an image that's quite similar to the 16:9 ratio you're used to at home (although a touch wider), which sacrifices quite a lot of the top and bottom of the originally filmed image.

While this is a more widescreen format than the full-fat IMAX presentation, it's still a fuller image than you get from a standard cinema screen (more on that later).

Dolby Vision

You can also watch the film in Dolby Cinema, where it is presented using Dolby Vision. There are only eight Dolby Vision cinemas in the UK, so you will have to bear that in mind when considering your options.

Dolby Vision's high dynamic range generally allows for brighter highlights, deeper blacks and more visible detail at both ends of the brightness scale. On top of that, the dual-laser Dolby Vision projection system claims a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, helping it deliver much deeper blacks than conventional cinema projection.

It's unclear to what extent Christopher Nolan supervised the Dolby Vision grade, so we cannot say how close this Dolby Vision version gets to Nolan's intended presentation.

Depending on whether your local Dolby Cinema has a widescreen or flat screen, the film will be presented in either 2.39:1 or 1.85:1. The first is much wider and shorter than your TV screen, whereas the second is only a little bit wider than the common 16:9 ratio.

Dolby Cinema prioritises contrast, black level and HDR, whereas IMAX is primarily about image size and expanded aspect ratios, and you might prefer one approach over the other.

70mm film

With the 70mm film version, you will see the film in a 2.20:1 aspect ratio. This is wider but narrower than the standard 16:9 aspect ratio of your TV.

The movie’s site claims that it delivers a bright, clear image up to three times the resolution of standard digital projection formats, with rich analogue colour by projecting light through celluloid. There’s no IMAX on the cards with the version, though, which means you won’t be treated to the huge screen that the more premium format offers.

35mm film

35mm film is the most commonly used format for movies at the cinema – effectively the typical cinema experience offered by most multiplexes and independent venues. It offers an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, which, as we mentioned in the Dolby Vision section above, is wider and shorter than your TV screen.

It has four perforations with the film running vertically through the projector, and the site claims: “It projects light through the entire 35-millimetre frame to deliver clear, high-resolution images with rich analogue colour.”

Premium Large Format

Finally, you can watch The Odyssey in Premium Large Format. As with Dolby Vision, this is available in either the 1.85:1 or 2.39:1 aspect ratios – which one you get will depend on your cinema’s capabilities.

If you want to feel even more immersed, you can choose to watch the film in a 4DX or a D-Box cinema. These specialised cinemas throw a bunch of special effects at the viewer, including swaying seats, water sprays and bubbles, as well as pumping out different scents to match what is happening in the film.

This might not be everyone’s cup of tea (we can’t say we are tempted to get tossed around by a cyclops from the comfort of our seats), but some people love this unique experience.

The What Hi-Fi? recommendation

We must caveat this section by saying that we have yet to watch The Odyssey in any format, so we are purely going off the specifications and marketing materials we have for now.

That said, IMAX 70mm is clearly going to be the truest, purest version of Nolan’s vision, given the way he shot the movie.

Standard IMAX instinctively feels like the next best thing, whereas the Dolby Cinema version is more of an unknown quantity. After that, we’d be seeking out the 70mm version.

The standard 35mm version is your typical cinema experience, so that would be our backup option.

4DX isn’t really our kind of thing – at least not for a movie such as The Odyssey – but if it’s something that appeals to you, have at it!

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Sony has just unveiled its new flagship home theatre system, and it’s a bit of an odd one.

Neither a soundbar nor a four-speaker surround system in the vein of the Bravia Theatre Quad, the Bravia Theatre Trio is, as the name suggests, a system comprising three speakers: a centre, a left, and a right.

The centre looks like a particularly stumpy soundbar and is designed to sit in front of or below your TV, while the other two speakers are tall, spherical towers intended to go to the left and right of your TV.

The Trio’s raison d’être is the growing popularity of super-sized TVs. Sony has itself just announced the Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II TVs, both of which are available in sizes larger than 85 inches.

Sony says that most soundbars can’t create a wide enough soundstage to match the scale of the imagery, and that while a system such as the Bravia Theatre Quad can supply the width, the lack of a dedicated centre speaker can compromise focus and dialogue solidity.

Now that the company is (thankfully) doing away with Acoustic Centre Sync, in which the TV serves as the centre speaker, another solution was required – hence the Bravia Theatre Trio.

As you would expect of a modern home cinema system, the Bravia Theatre Trio supports Dolby Atmos (and DTS:X), with the left and right speakers each featuring an up-firing driver for genuine height effects.

A new version of Sony’s Spatial Sound Mapping is also on hand to create an aural bubble featuring phantom speakers for an authentic 3D audio experience.

On top of that, Sony Electronics says it has worked with its colleagues at Sony Pictures on the tuning of the Bravia Theatre Trio, with the intention of delivering a sound that’s as true to the cinema experience as possible.

And, in order to ensure consistency in living rooms of all shapes and sizes, Sony has even developed a bespoke USB-C microphone that you plug into your phone for use during the calibration process.

In other words, this feels like a real belt-and-braces approach to home cinema and, when I heard the Bravia Theatre Trio in Tokyo in March, it absolutely knocked my socks off.

There is, though, a massive caveat that explains why I was so impressed.

You see, the Bravia Theatre Trio’s three speakers can be enhanced through the addition of surround speakers and up to two subwoofers, and that’s how I heard it.

In fact, I heard it with a pair of Rear 8 speakers as surrounds and two of the awesomely monolithic new Sub 9 subwoofers on bass duties.

Seeing how the Bravia Theatre Trio is £2000, a pair of Surround 8s is £449, and a single Sub 9 is £900, that means what I listened to was a £4249 home theatre system, so you’d flipping well hope it sounded good.

Honestly, though, even within that pricey context, the expanded Theatre Trio system really rocked me.

Sony started by playing the spice harvester scene from Dune, and the first thing that struck me was the bass. The quantity and depth of it was close to breathtaking, but it was also brilliantly integrated with the rest of the tonal range.

Dialogue clarity was deeply impressive, too, especially during the heavy action and compared with the Bravia Theatre Bar 9 system that was used as a comparison.

There’s a fair amount of sparkly treble in the Dune soundtrack, and the Trio system delivered this without drifting into brightness or sibilance in a way that’s rare for a ‘lifestyle’ product. Detail levels across all frequencies were sky high, too.

Sony then played me the opening of Top Gun: Maverick, which brilliantly illustrated the dynamic range of the system. The shifts from quiet, subtle dialogue to bombastic, thumping effects – the launch of the hypersonic jet, for example – were handled with the sort of energy and flexibility I would usually associate with a traditional AVR and speaker package.

The weight provided by those subs was striking, too, underpinning the whole presentation with deep, tight and tuneful bass that integrated seamlessly with the midrange delivery of the main speakers.

Despite the very different form factors of the centre and left/right speakers, I found the sound to be seamless across the front of the soundfield, and the connection between the fronts and the surrounds was perfectly natural, too – though that’s less surprising given the hardware similarities between the Trio’s left and right speakers and the Surround 8s.

In short, the Dolby Atmos presentation was exemplary, with the 24 phantom speakers of the extended package assisting in passing effects around the room in a brilliantly natural, immersive way.

I hope you can understand, though, that while the system I heard sounded utterly brilliant, I can’t even begin to deliver a verdict on the Bravia Theatre Trio.

A couple of clips is never enough for firm conclusions to be drawn, and I heard the Trio with accessories that, combined, cost more than the core system itself.

My instinct is that the Bravia Theatre Trio will be very good on its own, but I worry slightly that it could sound a little feeble without at least one sub thrown into the mix.

We’ll be testing that theory just as soon as we can get the core system – and its accessories – into our dedicated test rooms for a comprehensive review.

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American brand Roku has launched its first range of projectors in the UK: the Sharp H272 and the Aurzen D1R.

As their names suggest, the models are launching with two respective hardware partners to “combine advanced projection technology with Roku’s intuitive operating system”.

Richard Halton, Country Manager at Roku UK, claims the projectors are, “bringing the seamless streaming experience Roku users know and love to an exciting new form factor – making big-screen entertainment more accessible than ever”.

The 1080p projectors include Roku’s full app library, including Netflix, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, and HBO Max. The two have also been designed to work when projecting the image onto a screen or wall (we highly recommend the former for the best picture quality).

The Sharp model claims to go up to 120 inches, while the Aurzen entry is a little smaller with a maximum screen size of 100 inches.

The Aurzen D1R is the brighter of the two, offering 280 ANSI lumens, compared to the Sharp H272’s 200 ANSI lumens. These are both on the lower end of the scale, so they will likely perform best in a dark room.

The D1R also has the on-paper edge when it comes to sound, offering two speakers driven by 5W of amplification, which beats the Sharp’s 3W offering. Both come with Dolby Audio, but, unsurprisingly for a budget model, there is no Dolby Atmos on the cards.

There are a few smart features included with both models, which should make setting them up a little easier. These include auto-keystone and auto-focus.

Bluetooth and HDMI connectivity are available, so you could pair wireless speakers, a soundbar, or a subwoofer for “an enhanced home theatre experience.”

You can also access Apple AirPlay support for streaming music, videos, photos, podcasts, and games from Apple devices.

Their designs look fairly similar, with both sporting a white rectangular body with rounded edges.

We don’t have pricing yet, but both will launch in June. With their brightness specifications and streaming offerings, Roku seem to have its sights set on the likes of the Xgimi Vibe One (£219 / $269 / AU$599) projector.

When we reviewed the Vibe One in our test room, we praised its compact design and natural-looking image, which ultimately earned it a solid four-star rating. We'll wait to see the projectors in our test room before giving a verdict, but they could be a strong entry in the budget projector market.

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These are the best scenes to test your Dolby Atmos system

It's been a busy start to the month for myself and my fellow TV & AV testers.

We've published reviews of the Hisense UR9 RGB Mini LED TV, the BenQ TK705i projector, and the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S soundbar system, and we've also been hands-on with the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar and Denon AVR-X2900H AV receiver.

But what movies and TV shows did we use during testing? And what content has really wowed our team of home cinema experts over the last month? Simply scroll down to find out.

And if you want more of this sort of thing, here are the 42 best Dolby Atmos movie scenes to test your home cinema surround sound system.

War Machine (2026)

Watch the trailer above, and you'll know exactly what you're going to get from War Machine.

That's right; this is a bunch of ooh rah marines, led by Jack Reacher's Alan Ritchson, doing bombastic battle with a massive robot. It's ridiculous, and the seriousness with which the filmmakers and actors have taken the whole thing only heightens that ridiculousness. I love it.

You could say that once you've watched the trailer, there's really no point in watching the full movie, and you wouldn't be denying yourself a great story by taking that approach. You would, though, be denying yourself some brilliantly breathless action with great special effects and a rollicking Dolby Atmos soundtrack.

This is an old-school sci-fi action adventure, and it demands to be played if you have a cherished home cinema system. Bring on the inevitable sequel!

Words by Tom Parsons

Watch War Machine on Netflix

Apex (2026)

If you’ve ever wanted to see Elton John take on the role of the Predator, Apex is for you.

Charlize Theron plays Sasha, a grieving kayaker and rock climber who goes exploring the fictional Wandarra National Park in Australia. Despite being warned repeatedly that she shouldn’t go it alone, she does just that, only to find herself being hunted by Ben (Taron Egerton), a psychopathic stranger with a penchant for The Chemical Brothers.

If you’ve seen Rocketman, it’s hard to see the character of Ben as anything but a creepy Elton John, which in some ways makes him even more terrifying. Egerton is intense, to say the least, which despite the lush, outdoors setting, lends the film a claustrophobic feel that fits the two-hander, cat-and-mouse nature of the plot.

Visually, it’s a treat, helped in no small part by Theron’s commanding performance and ability to do a lot of her own stunts. It’s full of sweeping vistas of stunning cliffs, treacherous gorges and perfect-for-falling-into rivers that will sort the sufficiently detailed TVs from the rest. Even the CGI is integrated pretty seamlessly.

It’s nothing deep, but it’s a very effective thriller with some excellent performances (Theron in particular). Given its visual flair, it’s a shame not to see it in cinemas, but dim the lights, fire up your big-screen TV, and enjoy.

Warning: you’ll never hear Go by The Chemical Brothers the same way again…

Words by Joe Svetlik

Watch Apex on Netflix

The Day of the Jackal (2024)

I’ll be the first to admit that I very rarely have my finger on the pulse of popular television, hence why I’m only now getting around to watching Sky’s highly acclaimed espionage action thriller The Day Of The Jackal.

I’d heard very good things about it when it premiered back in 2024, but it sat on the watchlist until this week; I needed something to watch after blitzing through the hilarious second season of Amandaland on BBC iPlayer, and who doesn’t like a breakneck tonal shift?

The Day Of The Jackal is a tense, high-octane thriller with twists, turns, and some fairly brutal violence. When bullets start flying, and tyres screech in pulse-pounding car chases, it becomes evident that this TV show is at its best when watched with a capable Dolby Atmos soundbar or speaker system.

The cat-and-mouse game played by the titular Jackal (Eddie Redmayne) and MI6’s Bianca Pullman (Lashana Lynch) spans a wide variety of countries, including Germany, Hungary, Spain, France and Estonia, and these locales are often framed with eye-catching establishing shots.

Paired with a handful of action sequences set under the cover of night, this series is best enjoyed on an OLED TV, or at least a set that excels with contrast. Be sure that your TV’s motion settings are also in order, as you’ll want to avoid judder when chase sequences break out, and especially during the sporadic action-packed shootouts.

If you’re a fan of Bond, or are just a thrillseeker looking for a show that also looks and sounds great on your home theatre set-up, then The Day Of The Jackal, available on Sky and Now (I recommend springing for the 4K upgrade if possible), is definitely worth a watch.

Words by Lewis Empson

Watch The Day Of The Jackal on Sky

Daredevil: Born Again (2025)

The original Daredevil series on Netflix quickly cemented itself as top-tier superhero television – and top-tier television in general – by combining thematic ponderings on vigilantism, violence and religion with brutal, well-choreographed, and often one-take fight sequences. So it was a crying shame when it was cancelled after season three as a victim of the streaming wars.

After a rocky road that included fan campaigns, surprise MCU cameos and a first season that was heavily restructured and reshot, we’re now two seasons deep into the Born Again revival on Disney+. And while it doesn’t quite reach the highs of the original series, it’s still easily one of the best Marvel projects in recent years, playing with a bigger budget, more MCU integration and a storyline that has more than a few things in common with the US political landscape right now.

For anyone sick of the multiverse, this gritty, street-level look at superheroism remains highly refreshing, bolstered by standout performances from Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, with the latter arguably providing Marvel’s most layered villain.

When Daredevil first premiered on Netflix in 2015, it was one of the first pieces of superhero media widely available in 4K HDR, and it was great for testing dark detail and motion handling thanks to the many dingy hallway fight scenes.

Daredevil: Born Again has a slightly different visual look, but the same still applies here, with a higher-budget, more cinematic production that is great for testing contrast and black levels. A really good lawyer such as Matt Murdock deserves to be seen on a really good TV.

Words by Daniel Furn

Watch Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen (2026)

Haley Z Boston’s latest horror series for Netflix, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, was a surprise hit for me earlier this month. Despite positive press, I went into the series blind, while mounting my usual hunt for anything with similar vibes to Mike Flanagan’s Haunting Of Hill House (which is one of my benchmarks for serial horror shows).

And, after years of disappointment, while I wouldn’t say it reaches the same heights as Flanagan's classic, it comes pretty darned close, offering a tour de force performance both technically and narratively.

The story focuses on soon-to-be bride Rachel (ably played by Camila Morrone) as she travels to a remote mansion in the woods in the run-up to her nuptials. Not to give any spoilers away, the film uses pretty much every tool in the haunted-house toolbox.

Dark, bloody lore that gets more disturbing with every door she opens? Check. Creepy secluded setting? Yep. Weirdo family that clearly isn't quite right, feeding her neurosis with their gaslighting? Present.

Every shot oozes oppressive, creepy terror, with the intentionally dim house and surrounding forest hiding creepy details you can’t un-see. But, like Hokum, which I also saw in the cinema this month, it’s the audio that really steals the show. The series aims to build a sense of dread through constant teasing and subtle, psychological ploys rather than outright jump scares or overt gore – and it’s all the better for it.

It’s a creepy whisper just out of shot, the sound of something menacing behind you, or emanating from the on-screen shadows, that constantly keeps you on edge, doing the heavy lifting. The result is a spine-tingling experience that will delight horror fans.

Words by Alastair Stevenson

Watch Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen on Netflix

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Here it is, folks: our first full review of an RGB Mini LED TV.

We have previously run extensive hands-on tests of a couple of RGB Mini LED TVs – most notably the huge Hisense 116UX – but, due to their astonishing sizes and prices, we’ve had to do the testing outside our own facilities. In our world, that’s not a full review, so those TVs haven’t received star ratings.

The 65-inch Hisense UR9 we have before us today is designed to address the size and price issues that have until now prevented more people from hopping on the RGB Mini LED bandwagon.

This set, then, is leading the mainstream RGB Mini LED charge. And, while it’s a fair way short of perfect, particularly next to a flagship OLED TV, the UR9 is an impressive TV in its own right and a tantalising glimpse at the technology’s long-term potential.

Price

Price is always a hugely important factor whenever we test a product, but it’s particularly crucial to how the Hisense UR9 will be viewed.

In the UK, the launch price of £2999 places the 65-inch UR9 in the same category as flagship OLED TVs such as the new LG G6 and last year’s Award-winning Sony Bravia 8 II.

In Australia, though, the AU$3999 price puts the Hisense UR9 up against step-down OLEDs such as the LG C6.

Most interestingly (and confusingly), while the announced launch price in the US was a super high-end $3500, when the TV actually arrived in shops, the tag was a vastly cheaper $2000, placing the UR9 in an entirely different category, below even step-down OLED models.

Essentially, then, this Hisense is a rather different proposition in each of those three regions. Seeing as we are UK-based and it’s a UK sample we’re reviewing, though, it’s the UK price that we are primarily working with here. And that means the UR9 is going to have to face off against the mighty Bravia 8 II QD-OLED.

Design

The Hisense UR9 is not one of those modern flagship TVs that disappears into your living room.

At 4.5cm thick, it’s decidedly chunky by current premium TV standards, particularly next to the impossibly slim OLED models with which it competes on price.

The rear panel is completely flat, though, which makes the UR9 fairly tidy for wall-mounting, and the overall build feels solid and substantial.

The TV’s general styling is perfectly pleasant, too, though it stops short of being genuinely luxurious. Bezels are slim enough, the dark metallic finish is smart, and the overall aesthetic is clean and restrained, but the UR9 lacks the slick elegance and premium flair of rivals such as the Sony Bravia 8 II and Samsung S99H/S95H.

Hisense has made some nice, practical decisions, though.

The centrally mounted pedestal stand has a relatively narrow footprint of around 42cm, making the UR9 easier to place on narrower furniture than many similarly sized rivals. It also offers two height positions, allowing you either to keep the screen sitting low and tidy or raise it slightly to create extra clearance for a soundbar.

Rows of tiny perforations run down both sides of the set, while larger openings line the top edge. These house the UR9’s side- and up-firing speakers, which form part of its integrated Devialet sound system.

Overall, then, the UR9 is more functional than fashionable – a practical, purposeful TV rather than a particularly glamorous one.

Features and specs

The headline feature here is, of course, the UR9’s RGB Mini LED backlight.

Unlike a conventional Mini LED TV, which uses a white backlight shining through a colour filter layer, the UR9 instead uses separate red, green and blue Mini LEDs to generate colour directly. In theory, this approach allows for both greater brightness and more precise colour reproduction.

Hisense claims peak brightness of up to 3500 nits for the 65-inch model we’re testing here, alongside 980 local dimming zones and a native 170Hz panel, all driven by the company’s Hi-View AI Engine RGB processor.

Gamers are generally very well served – with one unusual caveat. Unlike most premium TVs, which have four HDMI sockets, the UR9 has just three. These are accompanied by a PC-gaming-friendly DisplayPort connection – something that remains extremely rare on TVs.

Is a DisplayPort connection more valuable than a fourth HDMI socket? We have our doubts, but to a small number of very committed PC gamers, it may be very useful.

All three of the HDMI sockets are 2.1-specified, though, with support for 4K/170Hz (and the console-friendly 4K/120Hz), VRR and ALLM. Some brands, including Sony, still offer just two HDMI 2.1 sockets on their TVs.

The UR9’s input lag is decent rather than exceptional. We measured 32.5ms at 60Hz in the standard Game mode, though enabling the Refresh Rate setting reduces that figure to a more respectable, though far from groundbreaking, 24.6ms.

The UR9 supports every significant HDR format currently in use – HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision – plus the intelligent Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive variants that respond to ambient room lighting conditions.

It is also IMAX Enhanced certified, and the UK version of the TV features an anti-reflective, anti-glare screen coating that proves fairly effective at combating bright-room reflections.

Audio specifications are unusually ambitious by TV standards, too. The UR9 features a Devialet-tuned 4.1.2-channel speaker system with dedicated up-firing drivers, plus support for both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks.

In the UK and Australia, the UR9 runs Hisense’s own VIDAA smart platform, while the US version instead uses Google TV.

VIDAA still isn’t the prettiest smart system around, but it’s fast, responsive and logically laid out. App support is broadly very good, too, with all of the major streaming services and UK catch-up apps present and correctly supporting the relevant picture and sound formats.

There are, however, a few frustrating omissions. Most notably, the Apple TV app lacks access to the Apple TV store and users’ purchased libraries, so it can’t be used for movie purchases and rentals. That’s a real disappointment, as Apple’s pay-as-you-go store is the best around.

While far less important for a TV, it’s worth noting that music streaming support is sparse, too, with Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music and Qobuz all absent. There are no cloud gaming apps, either.

The inclusion of Freely is welcome, though, as it allows live TV channels to be streamed over the internet without an aerial connection.

Picture quality

The Hisense UR9 makes a superb first impression. In fact, perhaps the most impressive thing about it is just how rarely it behaves like a traditional backlit TV.

Before getting into that, though, some setup advice is required, because the TV’s default HDR settings do it few favours.

When first fed HDR10 content, the UR9 automatically switches into its HDR Energy Saving mode which, despite its name, is surprisingly aggressive. Colours skew cool and bluish, motion processing is overly intrusive, and the overall image looks unnatural and overcooked.

HDR Standard and HDR Dynamic are similarly best avoided, both pushing sharpness, brightness and processing much too hard.

Thankfully, Filmmaker Mode proves far more successful. It delivers the most accurate and balanced picture of the available presets, and it quickly becomes our preferred overall option.

Interestingly, though, IMAX Cinema is also unusually compelling. While its underlying settings appear almost identical to those of Filmmaker Mode, it consistently produces a noticeably brighter and punchier image without obviously compromising balance or naturalism.

As a result, we would stick with Filmmaker Mode for dark-room and purist viewing, but happily switch to IMAX Cinema during the daytime or whenever we fancy a little extra visual intensity.

Once properly configured, the UR9 is an extremely accomplished performer.

Play 1917 on 4K Blu-ray, and the opening logos immediately demonstrate just how well controlled the TV’s backlight system is. Blooming around the bright white text is minimal, black depth is strong, and colours look rich, warm and nicely cinematic.

More importantly, the local-dimming system generally goes about its business without drawing attention to itself. Throughout our testing, the UR9 almost never exhibits the flickering, brightness pumping or visibly shifting backlight behaviour that can make many Mini LED TVs distracting.

That consistency quickly emerges as the UR9’s defining strength. While many bright Mini LED TVs constantly remind you that they are dynamically manipulating a backlight behind the scenes, the Hisense instead achieves a broadly very composed, stable and natural delivery that often feels surprisingly OLED-like.

Blade Runner 2049 showcases this particularly well. Black depth is consistently strong, shadow detail is excellent and subtle blooming is tightly controlled. There’s also impressive richness and stability to colours, especially reds, which look wonderfully pure and saturated without drifting into pink or magenta tones.

Extra-bright HDR material suits the UR9 especially well, too. Pan looks spectacular here, with dazzling highlights and bold, vibrant colours that comfortably outgun the Sony Bravia 8 II for outright brightness in many scenes. Sunlight bursting through clouds and glinting off the fantasy scenery of Neverland is delivered with real punch and intensity.

Crucially, though, the UR9 generally achieves this brightness without sacrificing balance. Skin tones remain natural, and there’s a pleasing cinematic warmth to the image – and it doesn’t drift into gaudiness.

Motion handling is strong, too. The default Film setting is decent enough, but switching Motion Enhancement to Clear results in noticeably smoother pans without introducing the distracting soap-opera effect or processing artefacts that such systems often create.

The notoriously difficult Matera cemetery and chase sequence from No Time To Die is handled particularly well, with impressively little judder to the panning shots and clean rendering of drifting smoke and rapid camera movement.

Dropping down to standard-def and SDR, our Kiss Kiss Bang Bang DVD is reproduced with pleasing warmth, strong detail and impressively clean upscaling. Colours are arguably pushed a touch too hard at times, but the overall presentation remains highly enjoyable and consistently cinematic.

For all of the UR9’s strengths, though, direct comparisons with a top-tier OLED TV still reveal the limitations of even this undeniably refined RGB Mini LED model. Despite its impressive local-dimming system, the Hisense simply cannot match the pixel-level contrast control of the Sony Bravia 8 II.

Extremely bright highlights against deep black backgrounds are sometimes handled slightly conservatively, presumably to avoid blooming. Perhaps counterintuitively, those bright white logos against pitch-black backgrounds appear more intense and impactful on the Sony OLED than on the much brighter, on paper, Hisense.

More significantly, the OLED TV produces a more solid and perceptually three-dimensional image across the board. Objects and characters stand out from their surroundings with greater depth and dynamism, while subtle gradations within clouds, shadows and highlights appear more convincing and refined, creating a more rounded look.

This isn’t a new phenomenon: we have documented that extra solidity you get from OLED plenty of times previously, most notably when we used the Sony Bravia 8 OLED as a comparison in our Bravia 9 Mini LED review. But it bears repeating for those who are choosing between an OLED and a backlit TV.

Viewing angles are another clear OLED advantage. While the UR9’s picture performance doesn’t entirely fall off a cliff when you move off-axis, the sweet spot in which it performs at its very best is surprisingly narrow.

And while the UR9 usually keeps blooming impressively well controlled, especially for a backlit TV, particularly torturous scenes can still expose its limitations.

The bomb-test sequence in Oppenheimer is a great example. From the UR9, there’s a slight general greying to the image, plus some visible glow around isolated spotlights in the darkness. The opening starfield of Alien: Romulus, meanwhile, reveals that the UR9 cannot simultaneously maintain truly inky blacks and perfectly intense star highlights in the way an OLED can.

To be clear, the Hisense performs well in these scenes by LCD standards, and many owners may never notice such shortcomings during normal viewing. But they do prevent the UR9 from truly matching the effortless contrast precision and dimensionality of the best OLED TVs.

Sound quality

Developed in partnership with Devialet, the UR9’s 4.1.2-channel speaker system delivers a surprisingly expansive and full-bodied presentation by TV standards, with particularly impressive width and height effects.

The Theatre sound mode is the most immediately striking of the available presets, producing a presentation that extends well beyond the physical boundaries of the TV and creating a convincing sense of spaciousness with Dolby Atmos soundtracks.

There’s decent bass depth, too, and the UR9 maintains good composure at high volumes, avoiding the harshness and distortion that can afflict many flatscreen TVs when pushed hard.

The overall presentation is smooth and rich in character, which makes the UR9 an easy and enjoyable listen over long viewing sessions.

It isn’t perfect, though. Dynamics are a little stunted, and action scenes lack some of the punch and excitement they deserve, while dialogue could be projected with greater clarity and emotional expression.

The Theatre mode also slightly overplays its hand at times. While its extra spaciousness is undeniably appealing, it introduces a faintly diffuse and echoey quality to voices, along with a slight sense of delay that makes speech sound less natural than it should.

As a result, we find ourselves preferring the Standard sound mode for most content. It still sounds pleasantly spacious and open, but delivers dialogue with greater focus and cohesion while maintaining good weight and scale.

Ultimately, while even a modest dedicated soundbar will comfortably outperform it, the UR9’s audio system is better than that of most TVs, even at this lofty level.

Verdict

In several ways, the Hisense UR9 is one of the best backlit TVs we have ever tested.

Most of the time, you’re not even made aware that it is a backlit TV, so good are its black levels, its control of blooming and its consistent, flicker-free contrast.

While it is possible to trip up the backlight, it’s quite hard to do so, and many buyers may never see an unsightly bloom in their period of UR9 ownership.

But while this first mainstream RGB Mini LED TV is broadly mercifully free of the flaws that generally afflict backlit TVs, it still can’t match the overall picture quality of the best OLED models.

The pixel-level contrast control of OLED brings benefits in several areas. There are the notably brighter highlights on very dark backgrounds that even accomplished backlit sets, such as the UR9, are too cautious to go all guns blazing with for fear of blooming. There are the almost flawless viewing angles, too, which the UR9 is a long way from matching.

The biggest thing, though, is the generally more solid, more perceptually three-dimensional image that OLED provides. Next to the Bravia 8 II, the Hisense UR9 simply looks flatter, less dynamic and less impactful.

Ultimately, as enjoyable and technically impressive as the UR9 is, we can’t think of a good reason you would buy it over a flagship-grade OLED, and that’s the level at which Hisense is pitching it – at least in the UK.

Of course, if you are someone who has a flagship-level budget for their next TV and a general aversion to OLED, the Hisense UR9 should be right around the top of your list.

If you’re a UK buyer, it’s probably a good idea to wait and see if we get a massive US-style discount before placing an order, though.

SCORES

• Picture 4
• Sound 4
• Features 4

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Also consider the Sony Bravia 8 II, LG G6 and Sony Bravia 9

Here are all of the best TVs you can buy right now

If you are looking for a 4K projector with a small footprint, you’ll be greeted with oodles of options with a simple Google search. Those range from entry-level models to premium products with eye-boggling price tags.

And there is a new entry to the 4K market from Chinese projector brand JMGO: the N3 Ultimate.

What has particularly piqued our interest in this model? Well, the brand claims it offers the “world’s first three-in-one integrated optical system”. That includes a four-way lens shift, wide-range optical zoom, and a smart gimbal, all wrapped into one product.

In theory, that should let you adjust the image’s placement without moving the projector itself in an effort to reduce the “traditional constraints of placement, angle, and setup complexity”.

The N3 Ultimate also has a memory function, which can recall different settings for different walls. It remembers the ideal screen size, image optimisation settings and your favoured streaming app depending on where you are projecting.

It supports Dolby Vision HDR and, in terms of sound, Dolby Audio is available for an “immersive viewing experience”. For gamers, there is a low latency of 1ms and a refresh rate of up to 240Hz with support for variable refresh rate.

We don't have the UK or Australian pricing yet, but in the US, the projector comes in at $2999 (around £2222 / AU$4185). That pits it against the Xgimi Horizon 20 Max, which comes in a little cheaper at £2599 / $2699 / AU$4950.

In our review, we gave the Xgimi 4K projector four stars for its strong, adaptive picture and tactile design. Its brightness levels also impressed, with a claimed peak brightness of 5700 ISO lumens. That’s one of the highest figures we have seen at this level, but the JMGO model is claimed to go slightly higher with 5800 ISO lumens.

We have yet to get the new model into our test room, but its high claimed brightness levels and smart adjustments could make it a strong competitor in the category.

MORE:

Here are the best projectors we recommend

Check out our review of the Xgimi Horizon 20 Max

And these are the best portable projectors

It’s early days for 2026 TVs, with some brands (Sony, for one) yet to reveal their full ranges – but I’ve already spotted a front-runner for TV of the year, and it’s probably not the model you’re expecting.

The model I’m talking about is the Philips OLED951.

In picture terms, this is Philips’ flagship TV for 2026, and while many brands seem to be taking a fairly evolutionary approach to their OLEDs this year, Philips is really pushing the boat out.

On paper, it ticks almost every box: picture performance, gaming features, spectacular flourishes and future-proofing.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that the on-paper promise will translate to real-world perfection, and we’ll have to conduct a full review before we can deliver our verdict on that.

But, having now briefly seen it in action, I think there’s a good chance the OLED951 can really deliver.

Here, then, are seven reasons I think this Philips flagship OLED could end up being the TV of 2026.

It’s an OLED

An obvious one this, but the Philips OLED951 is… well… an OLED.

That’s a good thing in my book. The RGB Mini LED invasion is upon us, and there are some very good RGB Mini LEDs already out and on the way (including one from Philips), but I’m yet to see any evidence that the technology’s various strengths are a match for the pixel-level contrast control of OLED.

Perfect black pixels next to bright white or coloured ones make for unbeatable contrast, which has benefits right across the picture, particularly in terms of solidity and perceived three-dimensionality.

An OLED-beating RGB Mini LED TV might one day materialise – I’m open to that – but I predict that in 2026, at least, the best TV will be an OLED.

Brighter than the LG G6

We’ve written plenty of times about how brightness is a long way from the most important thing for a TV to deliver.

Still, lots of brightness headroom can be useful for a TV to deliver the goods in a brightly lit room. It also adds a degree of future-proofing, just in case Hollywood suddenly starts mastering lots of movies to 4000 nits (something I see very little evidence of, for what it’s worth).

Brightness isn’t going to be an issue for the OLED951, though, because Philips claims it can hit a peak brightness figure of 4500 nits, and a full-screen brightness of 400 nits.

Those are improvements over last year’s already very bright OLED950 of 800 and 50 nits, respectively.

Those figures, if achieved, will also make the OLED951 a good deal brighter than the LG G6, which shares a ‘Meta 4.0’ Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel with it – something that Philips says is down to its unique picture engine.

But will those figures be achieved? Having seen the OLED951 running against the OLED950 (see the photo above), it certainly looks like it. The OLED951 looked so much brighter that the figures given actually seem conservative.

And this isn’t just brightness for the sake of brightness, either, because, as we’ve seen in our own testing, when increased brightness is combined with OLED’s perfect black and pixel-level light control, the result is even greater contrast, which, as mentioned above, tends to make images look more solid and three-dimensional.

That was certainly the case in the side-by-side demo – the OLED951 really popped.

Four HDMI 2.1 sockets and custom settings for every game

Finally, Philips’ flagship OLEDs (and most of its other models, in fact) will have four HDMI 2.1 sockets.

These will all be able to accept gaming signals of up to 4K/165Hz, complete with VRR and HDR, including in the Dolby Vision format.

Sure, LG and Samsung have been offering OLEDs with four HDMI 2.1 sockets for years, but when combined with everything else the OLED951 offers (more of which I’ll get to), that still makes it a tantalising proposition for gamers.

Another feature that will appeal to gamers like me is the ability to customise settings for individual titles.

These settings can be designed to improve the picture (extra brightness and vibrancy for Rocket League, perhaps, and a darker, broodier presentation for Alan Wake II), give you an advantage over online rivals (through an onscreen crosshair or enhanced shadow detail, for instance), or deliver geeky gaming info such as the current frame rate.

If you’re a gaming picture quality obsessive, that’s very neat.

Ambilight and AmbiScape

Look, I know it’s not to everyone’s taste, and I certainly don’t think it makes sense for all content, but Ambilight – which extends the onscreen action onto the wall around the TV in the form of coloured light – remains a spectacular feature.

And now your room lights can be synchronised with what you’re watching more easily, too. This isn’t an entirely new feature, but previously, you needed Hue bulbs.

Now, thanks to the new AmbiScape feature, lights that conform to the Matter standard will be supported – and there are loads of those. That will make it far more affordable and flexible to get your lounge lights in on the Ambilight action.

Again, this won’t be an upgrade for all content, but play the aforementioned Rocket League, and it’s impossible not to get an extra thrill when a goal creates a flash of brilliant colour right across your room. It works brilliantly for colourful animated movies, too, such as the Spider-Verse series.

Dolby Vision 2

Will Dolby Vision 2 be a big deal in 2026? There’s a strong possibility it won’t be, as we’ve still had no news on actual content in the format.

It is coming at some point, though, and our first looks at it in action have been very impressive, so if you’re buying a TV this year, it’s well worth considering going for a model that supports the format.

That makes Philips’ new OLED951, OLED911 and OLED811 particularly appealing, because they will be the first OLED TVs to support Dolby Vision 2. In fact, they will also support the even more advanced Dolby Vision 2 Max, which adds, among other things, the very interesting Authentic Motion feature.

The Dolby Vision 2 and 2 Max support will be added via a post-launch software update (October is the current ETA), but don’t go thinking that 2026 OLEDs from other brands will follow suit: Dolby Vision 2 also needs to be baked into the hardware, and based on what we’ve been told so far, this hasn’t been done in the case of, for example, LG’s new models.

Excellent anti-reflection tech

Fighting reflections is a key theme in current TV development.

It’s probably fair to say that Samsung is best at it: its top OLEDs suppress reflections incredibly effectively.

But it does this by using a matte panel, and that tends to make blacks look quite grey in a well-lit room.

The new Meta 4.0 OLED panel from LG Display, though, suppresses more reflections than the previous version while still retaining the glossy finish that allows it to produce almost perfect blacks, even in strong ambient light.

According to official figures, the reflectance has been reduced from 0.6 per cent to 0.3 per cent. That doesn’t sound like a huge change, but in reality, it makes a clear difference.

We first saw this new anti-reflection tech in the G6, which massively impressed us with its combination of reflection suppression and deep blacks, and it looked equally excellent in the demo of the OLED951 against last year’s OLED950.

This is one of those things that really comes down to taste, with some people being perfectly happy with the matte look of the Samsung models. I personally prefer the glossy look, though, and the new panel in the LG G6 and Philips OLED951 strikes the best balance of anti-reflectivity and black performance that I’ve so far seen.

Dual Engine picture processing

Those already in the know about Philips’ 2026 TV lineup might be wondering why I’m getting all excited about the OLED951 rather than the OLED911.

After all, everything I’ve written so far also applies to the OLED911, and the OLED911 also has a Bowers & Wilkins sound system that, if form is to be believed, will make it one of, if not the, best-sounding TV in its class.

The reason is that the OLED951 has the Dual Engine version of Philips’ new 10th Gen P5 AI processor, whereas the OLED911 has the single-chip version. This unlocks some extra picture processing features that should further improve certain things, such as bright details and banding suppression.

The difference perhaps won’t be huge – we’ll need to fully test both models to find out – but as someone who subscribes to the ‘all TVs should be partnered with a dedicated sound system’ philosophy, I’ll always choose the potential for better picture quality over a better sound system.

You may feel differently, of course, and that’s fine. If that’s the case, I strongly recommend you read Lewis Empson’s Philips OLED911 hands-on.

That also looks like an excellent TV – but on paper (and from what I’ve seen of it so far), the OLED951 is the one that ticks every box for me.

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Could Sony's True RGB be the RGB Mini LED tech to beat OLED?

After much anticipation, LG’s Sonos-rivalling premium home cinema system, Sound Suite, launched earlier this month.

As the first such system boasting Dolby Atmos FlexConnect technology, Sound Suite arrived promising revolutionary flexibility in terms of system configuration and speaker placement – and in those regards, it largely delivers.

Unfortunately, LG has also fumbled some of the sonic fundamentals, hence the three-star rating in our reviews of both the Sound Suite H7 soundbar and the Sound Suite system as a whole.

But, having spent two weeks using the Sound Suite system both in our dedicated test room and at home, there are actually lots of things that I really like about LG’s Dolby Atmos home cinema solution.

So let’s spend some time giving praise where it’s due by detailing Sound Suite’s many strengths – before embarking on the less pleasant task of flagging its weaknesses.

Strengths

Excellent Dolby Atmos placement

The way Dolby Atmos is handled is without doubt the Sound Suite system’s most impressive quality.

During Blade Runner 2049, audio adverts float convincingly above the listening position, while environmental effects occupy precise positions within the room. In F1, commentary sits neatly overhead and fireworks spread convincingly across the ceiling.

The system consistently places sounds in very specific three-dimensional locations, creating an impressively immersive Atmos bubble.

Huge cinematic scale

A closely related quality is Sound Suite's ability to fill a room with sound.

From the opening moments of Blade Runner 2049 to the chaotic musical sequence in Sinners, the presentation feels genuinely epic and cinematic. Sound spreads widely across the room rather than appearing confined to the speakers themselves.

Even when the speaker placement isn’t ideal, the system still produces a soundfield that feels satisfyingly expansive.

Oodles of deep, powerful bass

The bundled subwoofer delivers seriously deep and powerful bass.

Impacts, explosions and the heavy smacks of cars colliding in F1 land with tremendous weight, and the system digs impressively deep into the low frequencies.

That bass can occasionally become a little overbearing and lacks some precision, but in terms of sheer depth and presence it’s undeniably impressive.

Loads of punch and energy

The Sound Suite system never sounds timid.

Action scenes hit hard, with plenty of punch helping crashes, gunshots and musical moments feel impactful and exciting.

It may sometimes prioritise brute force over finesse, but if you want your movies to feel energetic and dramatic, LG’s system certainly delivers.

Impressively flexible speaker placement

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect technology is what truly sets the Sound Suite system apart.

Rather than demanding perfectly symmetrical speaker placement, the system analyses where each speaker sits and adjusts the soundfield accordingly. Even in less-than-ideal layouts, it manages to produce a surprisingly coherent and immersive presentation.

It can’t perform miracles, and it's well worth making the effort to place the speakers in the 'correct' positions if possible, but FlexConnect does a remarkably convincing job of compensating for awkward setups.

A stylish soundbar with a useful OLED display

The H7 soundbar itself is an attractive and nicely made piece of kit.

Its clean design looks suitably premium, and the inclusion of a small OLED display is genuinely helpful, clearly showing volume levels, input changes and the currently playing audio format.

It’s a thoughtful touch that many competing soundbars still omit.

Big, stylish M7 surround speakers

The M7 surround speakers are larger than many wireless surrounds, but that size works in their favour.

They look stylish and substantial, and their larger cabinets likely help contribute to the system’s expansive soundstage.

They also integrate neatly with the rest of the system, allowing Atmos effects to move smoothly through the room.

Customisable ambient speaker lighting

LG has added a bit of visual flair with customisable lighting built into the speakers and soundbar.

Through the app you can adjust the ambient illumination to suit your room or mood, adding a subtle cinematic atmosphere to movie nights.

It’s hardly essential, but it’s a fun extra that helps the Sound Suite system feel a little more distinctive.

A sensibly streamlined set of sound modes

Thankfully, LG hasn’t overloaded the system with endless sound presets.

There are just five main options – AI Sound Pro+, Standard, Clear Voice Pro+, Bass Boost and Custom EQ – and most users will find that Standard works best for the majority of content.

The relatively restrained selection makes the system easier to use and reduces the temptation to endlessly fiddle with settings.

A proper bundled remote control

Unlike some rivals that rely entirely on apps or TV remotes, LG also includes a dedicated remote control.

It feels a little light and plasticky, but the buttons are clearly labelled and straightforward to use, making everyday operation simple.

That said, a dedicated Night Mode button would have been a welcome addition.

Weaknesses

A cold and somewhat aggressive sound

While the Sound Suite system excels at scale and impact, it struggles with warmth and subtlety.

Treble and bass reign supreme here, leaving the midrange rather lacking, and there's a forthrightness to the delivery that feels quite shouty.

The overall tonal balance leans towards the cold and aggressive side, which can make the presentation a little fatiguing.

Dialogue can sound brash

Dialogue reproduction is one of the system’s weaker areas.

Voices frequently sound raspy and slightly synthetic, lacking the warmth and natural texture that help speech feel convincing.

Compared with rival systems such as Sonos’ Arc Ultra-based home theatres, voices often feel flatter and less expressive.

Background effects are sometimes exaggerated

The system also has a tendency to push background sounds too far forward.

Ambient noises that should remain subtle occasionally become overly prominent, drawing attention away from the dialogue or main action.

The result can feel slightly unnatural, as though the system is over-emphasising certain elements of the soundtrack.

AI sound processing makes things worse

LG’s AI Upmix and AI Sound Pro+ modes initially sound impressive because they increase scale and weight.

Unfortunately, they also exaggerate background effects and give voices an unnatural, echoey character.

In practice, the Standard mode with AI Upmix disabled delivers the most natural and balanced performance.

No HDMI inputs on the soundbar

While not a unique flaw to the Sound Suite H7 (the Sonos Arc Ultra is another notable culprit), connectivity is more limited than it should be.

The soundbar lacks dedicated HDMI inputs, meaning all sources must be connected to your TV rather than directly into the soundbar.

It’s won't be a deal-breaker for everyone, but those with loads of sources will be frustrated.

No DTS:X support

While not terribly surprising, given how closely LG appears to have worked with Dolby on this debut FlexConnect system, the lack of DTS:X compatibility here is a shame.

While Dolby Atmos is certainly the dominant immersive format, plenty of discs and some streaming services feature DTS:X.

Its absence slightly limits the system’s format flexibility.

The sub and surrounds feel less premium than the soundbar

While the H7 soundbar itself feels nicely built, the other components don’t quite match its premium feel.

The subwoofer and surround speakers feel lighter and less substantial, creating a slight mismatch in perceived quality across the system.

It’s not a huge problem, but it does slightly undermine the premium impression.

Early software bugs

During testing, we encountered a number of frustrating software issues.

Initial setup proved surprisingly fiddly, with each component requiring its own wi-fi connection process and the subwoofer using a different pairing method entirely.

At one point the system also powered on at extremely high volume and refused to respond properly to the remote controls until the app was opened – a genuinely unpleasant experience.

Fingers crossed these issues will quickly be solved via software updates.

No bundle discounts yet

At present, LG isn’t offering any meaningful discounts for buying multiple Sound Suite components together.

Given that the system is clearly designed to be built into a full ecosystem, bundled pricing would make the proposition more attractive – especially considering that Sonos offers big discounts on its system bundles.

As things stand, assembling the full setup feels rather expensive.

MORE:

Read the full LG Sound Suite H7 and LG Sound Suite system reviews

Here are the best soundbars and best surround systems you can buy right now

Philips is releasing three new soundbars, which the brand says will all offer “excellent performance, high power and good specifications.”

Kicking off with the B8301 model, this 3.1.2-channel system consists of a soundbar and a wireless subwoofer in a “slimline” package according to the brand.

There’s support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, which will be good news for movie lovers looking for multiple surround sound options. Under the hood, you will find dedicated LCR (left, centre, right) channels and with two up-firing drivers, all running on 190W of total system power.

The wireless subwoofer, which features a twin driver, can be mounted vertically or horizontally and includes 100W power output.

In terms of connectivity, there is an HDMI eARC port with 4K/120Hz passthrough, and Bluetooth on the cards. Like all of the new models, the bar offers an AI-powered "Intellisound Engine" which automatically chooses the sound profile based on what's playing. Options on offer include all the usual suspects: Movie, Music and Voice Boost.

They all also feature Philip’s EasyLink 3.0 system, which allows both the soundbar and a Philips TV to be controlled using one remote control.

So far, only the European pricing has been released, coming in at €329. That’s around £285 in the UK and $380 in the US. At that price, the B8301 is up against the Award-winning Hisense AX5125H (£249 / $350) soundbar system, which scored highly for its amazing weight, scale and spaciousness for the money. Tough competition, indeed.

Next up, the B5601 is a more compact model which Philips says is “designed to bring a full-size performance to smaller spaces.”

The 2.1 system is made up of a main soundbar and a subwoofer. You won’t find any Dolby Atmos support this time, however, as the model offers Dolby Digital+ and DTS: Virtual X compatibility.

Finally, the B5201 is Philips’ latest all-in-one model, which measures 6.5 x 77 x 91 cm (hwd) and has the smallest footprint of the bunch.

With 80W of total output power, the company says it “offers a simple but high-quality upgrade to TV sound as a single compact 2.0 soundbar”. Dolby Digital+ and DTS: Virtual X compatibility. The B5201 also includes an HDMI ARC connection, but there's no 4K passthrough on the cards.

There’s no word on price for the two more compact models, but the B5201 could well be gunning for the four-star Sony HT-SF150 (£90 / $100 / AU$199). With increasingly tricky competition in the budget soundbar market, Philips’ new range will have to work hard to stand out from the crowd.

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Here's our review of the Sony HT-SF150

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

These are the best budget soundbars

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect has been the subject of much interest for home cinema fans since it was unveiled three years ago at the IFA tradeshow in Berlin.

That’s because it’s a next-generation technology designed to make Dolby Atmos even better in a variety of ways.

So when we finally got the LG Sound Suite system, which features the new technology, into our listening rooms last week, it was a pretty big deal.

Especially as Dolby has made some big claims about the tech, including one promising that compatible speakers will still deliver the “dome of sound” effect, even when placed in suboptimal locations around the room.

I have baulked at this claim multiple times, including when the system first arrived in our test rooms. After all, many companies, including Sony, have made similar boasts about their wireless soundbar systems over the years. And while many have performed better than expected, they still require due care with their placement to deliver the Atmos effect properly.

Which is why marketing material showing the satellites in incredibly silly locations, including having one in front of the viewer’s seat and another two meters behind on a bookshelf, meant I had my doubts.

What can I say? I’m Scott-ish (and by that I mean an RAF brat with roots there who still thanks the stars he has a British, not US accent after years at international school) and naturally pessimistic.

I even said as much in front of Dolby engineers, when I asked them if they were concerned that such strong marketing claims may set movie fans’ expectations a wee bit too high. I’m ashamed to admit I may have even let out an arrogant “tsch” when they affirmed that they were not.

But, you know what, magnanimous home cinema aficionado (snob) that I am, I feel it's important to acknowledge when I’m wrong.

Because, despite our best efforts to trip it up with a prolonged game of move the speaker, FlexConnect’s auto-calibration feature proved to be an admirable performer. No matter how mean we were with our experiments, the system cleverly adjusted its settings, optimising them to our, or the satellites’, new location in the room with a click of a button.

As we say in our Sound Suite review: “Dolby Atmos FlexConnect isn’t a gimmick – it’s an impressively effective technology that (in LG’s hands at least) delivers convincing height, scale and spatial precision even when speaker placement isn’t ideal.”

All in all, while Sound Suite’s slightly brash, shouty audio profile stops it getting a real recommendation from our reviewers, FlexConnect’s room calibration and optimisation, to my surprise, gets a big thumbs up.

Why am I not doing my happy dance (yes, it's very similar to Carlton’s from the OG Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)? Well, for one, while we liked Sound Suite’s calibration and room correction services, we have yet to find a FlexConnect system that we would say sounds really good. Witness this LG’s three-star rating. And that, of course, is a pretty big blocker for us to start recommending buying a FlexConnect system.

Also, we are still on the fence about one other “out there” FlexConnect feature. That is, the promise to let users create Frankenstein’s monster systems using whatever FlexConnect-compatible speakers they want.

The idea here is that people can take any FlexConnect compatible satellite speakers, subwoofers, soundbars, or even in-built TV speakers, and join them together to create a proper Dolby Atmos surround system – whether or not they are from same product line, or even brand.

This controversial feature, which surely opens the door for people to create horribly mismatched systems with speakers that don’t have complementary sonic profiles, is a key concern. And, unfortunately, it's one we didn’t get to test with the Sound Suite.

That's because LG chose to lock its Sound Suite system down and let you pair only certain speakers, soundbars and TVs in a bid to ensure you get a decent experience.

The fact that LG felt the need to do that means I am still concerned about the technology’s supposedly open nature. Especially given my experience helping non-enthusiast friends build systems in the past. Trust me, 99 per cent of the time it’s human error or a lapse in sonic judgement when attempting to match system parts that causes problems…

So opening the door for we gremlins to mess things up further seems a little dangerous, to my mind – or at the very least ill-advised.

Who knows, though? Perhaps I’ll be proven wrong once again when we try making our first FlexConnect system from random compatible parts we find lying around our stock room. After all, I was certainly wrong about Sound Suite and its robust calibration powers. Who's to say pigs won't fly twice?

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Our picks of the best TVs for serious movie fans

Next week, Apple is hosting a series of “special experiences” across the globe, and that’s exciting for two reasons.

First, because it’s a different approach to Apple’s usual live stream format for events. What that specifically means we don’t yet know, but it’s always nice to shake things up every now and then.

Second, because we’re expecting a wealth of new hardware, ranging from an affordable (by Apple standards) iPhone 16e to a new HomePod speaker.

But the big ticket item according to the rumour mill is a new Apple TV 4K. Why is this important? Well, on the one hand its because the current Apple TV 4K remains the best streaming box you’ll find for serious movie fans.

Hence its ongoing place in our best video streamers buying guide, despite being a bit long in the tooth. So any upgrades, even to basic performance metrics, would be awesome.

But it's mainly because there’s one key upgrade for which Apple’s new streaming box would be the perfect launchpad: Dolby Vision 2.

For anyone who hasn’t been paying attention to What Hi-Fi?’s homepage recently (shame on you), Vision 2 is a new HDR standard that Dolby haphazardly unveiled at the IFA tradeshow in Berlin last year.

I say haphazardly as it kinda came out of the blue – to the point its supposed launch partner Hisense, and pretty much every other TV maker we chatted to at the time seemed as “surprised” as we were by the announcement.

But, since then, as more information about it has become available, it does sound very interesting and has a lot of potential. The cliff notes are that the new standard is split into two tiers: Dolby Vision 2 and Dolby Vision 2 Max.

Both aim to offer filmmakers much more powerful and granular control over their movies, and TV makers the ability to deliver a “more authentic” experience that matches the director's vision.

Key upgrades include more accurate bi-directional tone mapping, for improved image-accuracy on compatible hardware, and new tools for the directors making films and TV shows.

The most interesting of the latter is the Max tier’s Authentic Motion service, which will let filmmakers manually adjust motion processing when required, to help reduce judder and make things like panning shots generally look more realistic.

All very cool, even if I’m not convinced that having so many different HDR tiers, which all heavily overlap, will be a hit with non-cinephile movie fans (simplicity is king here). But, that aside, as I’ve said before, there are two big hurdles that need to be overcome, ideally concurrently, for this to work and fpr Vision 2 to become “the future of home cinema” as Dolby claims it will.

To sell the standard, you need TVs capable of recognising and playing Dolby Vision 2 or Max signals, and content mastered in it that will work together to show the new tech’s benefits – the proof is in the pudding and all that.

And while we’ve seen plenty of TV makers confirm new sets will support Dolby Vision, there’s still very little word on what specific movies, shows and their ilk will be shot and mastered with it. All we know so far is that Peacock will be the first to adopt it, and Canal+ is an official partner.

And it’s at this point that I think Apple should step in, as, truthfully, outside of Amazon, which owns MGM, and maybe Sony, it’s the only company I can think of that controls every element of its entertainment and hardware ecosystem.

Think about it. While I’m still yearning for Apple to make an actual, full-sized OLED TV, it makes lots of hardware designed for media consumption – iPhones, iPads, and of course its Apple TV streamer.

It also has its own digital movie store and streaming service, in the shape of Apple TV+, and commissions, shoots and provides a lot of the hardware used to make the exclusive shows on it.

Editor’s Note: The team and I are still obsessed with the latest season of Shrinking. If you haven’t watched it already, definitely do. It’s the new Gilmore Girls / feel-good show we all need.

It’s also already shown its ability to leverage this control of the user’s entire experience to launch some nifty new home cinema tech, albeit at a smaller scale.

Take a look at the cool haptic feedback tech it added to its F1 movie trailer as an example. Terrible movie, awesome experience that was reportedly watched 845 million times and a clear example of Apple’s power to champion new tech and experiences on its platform.

I mean, it literally shook the industry with the F1 trailer.

And for me, if it did that again, unveiling a new movie, or show mastered in it, to launch concurrently, or even bundle free, with a new Dolby Vision 2-ready Apple TV 4K, well, wouldn’t that be something…

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I (along with several of my colleagues) just had the pleasure of reviewing the Sony Bravia Theatre System 6.

It really was a pleasure, too, because while this is a highly unusual and somewhat old-school Dolby Atmos system by 2026 standards, the sound is excellent for the money.

Nothing is perfect, though, even a five-star product such as this, and there are some flaws to the Bravia System 6 that buyers should be aware of.

In most cases, these flaws are likely known compromises that Sony had to make in order to prioritise other qualities while hitting the wallet-friendly price tag.

That’s entirely fair, and it means they might not be ‘fixed’ for the next model, but you can’t blame a chap for dreaming, can you?

Besides, as I say, I’m mostly writing this so you, the prospective buyer, know what to expect.

Before I get to the minor flaws, though, let’s highlight some major strengths.

The major strengths

Meaty, expressive bass

Many soundbars at this level are just solo bars, and the subwoofers that come with those that have them tend to be afterthoughts. Not so here.

The System 6’s subwoofer is the star of the show. Yes, its size and weight are at least partly influenced by the connections and processing bits it houses, but they’re also a result of the large driver and hefty amplifier on board.

Sony rates the sub to 200W, and the oodles of deep, weighty bass it produces give me no reason to doubt that figure. But what’s most impressive is how tuneful and articulate it is at the same time.

For a system at this level, this is a deeply (pun intended) impressive low-end performance.

Enveloping Dolby Atmos processing

The System 6’s cabling (more on which below) might look rather old-fashioned by 2026 standards, but its Dolby Atmos performance is anything but dated.

When fed proper Atmos content, it creates a genuinely immersive bubble of sound. Height effects are placed convincingly above you and the sense of scale is far beyond what you’d expect at this price.

What’s more, effects are very accurately placed in this soundfield. In Blade Runner 2049, for example, voices and ambient effects land precisely where they should, and large interior spaces feel appropriately vast and echoing.

Good clarity, particularly to dialogue

This is a punchy, muscular system, but it doesn’t sacrifice clarity in the process.

Dialogue remains crisp and intelligible even when the soundtrack gets busy. During chaotic battle scenes, voices cut cleanly through the mix without sounding artificially boosted or thin. There’s also pleasing natural tonality – speech sounds human rather than processed.

For everyday TV viewing as well as movie nights, that consistency is really valuable.

Surprising musicality

With music, most soundbars, particularly at this level, sound either weedy and artificial or fat and muffled. The System 6, though, is a different beast.

The bar brings detail and decent rhythmic precision, and the subwoofer adds depth and weight while gamely keeping up with the required pace.

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is still a more crisp, consistent and energetic soundbar for music, but the Sony system adds a good deal of depth and scale without sacrificing too much in those regards.

It's still absolutely a movies-first system, but it's more musical than is typical of a soundbar set-up at this level.

Solid build quality

The Bravia Theatre System 6 is very plain in its appearance, but there’s reassuring heft to every component. The bar feels sturdy, the surrounds don’t feel like hollow plastic shells, and the subwoofer is seriously substantial.

Nothing about the package feels cheap or compromised. Given the price Sony is asking, that’s impressive in itself.

Wall-mountability

It’s a minor thing, but there are those who will really appreciate the fact that the soundbar, the surround speakers, and even the wireless receiver, can be wall-mounted.

Just remember there are cables that will need hiding if you want a super-sleek set-up.

(Some) Bravia TV interoperability

While the integration doesn’t run as deep here as it does with Sony’s more premium home cinema options, those who connect the Theatre System 6 to a recent Bravia TV will find that several of the sound system's settings appear in the television’s menus.

Given that the System 6 has no display of its own, that’s actually very useful indeed.

Price

This is a lot of sound system for your money.

For the scale, bass depth and Atmos immersion it delivers, the UK asking price of £549 in particular feels very good value indeed, and it's usually available for under £500 (it's $798 and AU$1199 in the US and Australia).

There are several accomplished soundbar options at this level, but nothing that can produce this kind of blockbuster impact.

That makes it very easy to recommend, despite the foibles. Speaking of which…

The minor flaws

Small sonic weaknesses

For all its strengths, the Bravia Theatre System 6's sound is not flawless.

The surrounds occasionally draw attention to themselves when they should melt into the soundfield, and there’s a faint fuzz to the very deepest bass notes in one or two of the most demandingly deep moments.

These issues are minor enough that some people will never notice them, but those with a keen ear will very occasionally hear a distraction.

Cables

Cabling of any kind is anathema to many people in 2026, and there are plenty of completely wireless (power cables aside) soundbar systems, even at this budget level. The super-affordable Hisense AV5125H is a case in point.

That makes the Bravia Theatre System 6’s design – which involves cables between the subwoofer and soundbar, and from a wireless receiver to the two surrounds – seem somewhat archaic.

There’s no wire running from the front to the back of the room, and that’s good news, but having cables dangling from the surrounds in particular will be a problem for neat-freaks.

No display

The System 6 has no proper display. Instead, there’s just a single LED on the subwoofer to indicate what’s going on.

As you can imagine, that doesn’t tell you very much, so you find yourself having to open the (admittedly very nice) Bravia Connect app to change settings and check what’s playing more often than you would like.

No HDMI passthrough

Connectivity is straightforward but limited.

There’s no dedicated HDMI input among the system’s (subwoofer-housed) inputs and outputs, so all of your sources have to go into your TV and then back out via eARC.

Having at least one extra input on the System 6 to compensate would have been a nice touch, particularly as the eARC socket is also one of the precious gaming-friendly HDMI 2.1 ports on most TVs.

No auto-calibration

The System 6 doesn’t feature auto-calibration for the sound.

To be fair, it sounds very good out of the box, but getting the best out of it involves manually inputting speaker distances, and getting the very best out of it involves tweaking levels with the help of an SPL meter.

In short, auto-calibration would be easier and would, in theory at least, result in more buyers getting the best out of the system.

No music streaming

This isn’t a smart speaker system.

There’s no built-in wi-fi streaming platform or native music service integration, and the likes of Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect are off the menu. If you want to send music to the System 6, you’re going to need to do that via Bluetooth, or perhaps via your TV if it has the music apps you use.

That’s not a big deal if movies are your priority, as they probably are, but it does differentiate the Sony package from the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), which is a full music speaker as well as a movie soundbar (albeit a solo one, rather than a full system).

MORE:

Read the full Sony Bravia Theatre System 6 review

Also check out our Sonos Beam Gen 2 review

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Way back in September, I wrote that there was one specific feature of Dolby Vision 2 that I was particularly excited about.

That feature is Authentic Motion, which is designed to reduce judder in movies in a more natural way, by smoothing motion only when required, and without introducing the dreaded soap opera effect.

I theorised that this would work in a similar way to TrueCut, which is a cinema-only technology that increases the frame rate of movies beyond the usual 24 frames per second so that extra frames are available in scenes when smoothing is required.

It turns out, though, that Authentic Motion works within the traditional 24fps limit of movies.

According to Dolby’s spokesperson, “Authentic Motion does not require content to be encoded or distributed in a higher frame rate. 24fps works well.”

It seems that it is designed to work rather like the motion processing that is already found in the vast majority of modern TVs, but the decision of what to smooth and what to leave untouched will be down to the movie makers rather than the TV manufacturers.

“The way [Authentic Motion] works is that the creative intent for motion is embedded in the content as metadata. You can think of this as creatively determined insight about the judder proneness of the content, which can change dynamically from shot to shot.”

So, the creator looks at the content, judges which bits will benefit from smoothing, and adds metadata to the Dolby Vision 2 signal that tells the TV to handle it accordingly.

Crucially, though, this isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, because Dolby Vision 2 will also adjust its delivery based on the TV you’re watching it on. This is how Dolby’s spokesperson explains it:

“The other critical part of Dolby's solution is to take into consideration the judder proneness of the display used for playback. After all, a large and bright TV has much higher judder proneness than a small and dim one, even when playing the same content.

“Any motion solution that applies the same amount of dejudder on all displays is either applying too much dejudder on some displays or not enough on others, or a combination of both.

“During Dolby's test and approval process for licensed TVs, we characterise TVs to know their judder proneness (among many other things).”

It’s this combination of knowing what the content requires and understanding how the display performs that apparently makes Authentic Motion special:

“During playback, the appropriate amount of dejudder is then applied in real-time, based on the insights about both content and display.

“This allows Authentic Motion to always apply the minimal amount of dejudder, while eliminating egregious judder when it's really needed, delivering an experience that is spellbinding and authentic.”

But wouldn't it be even better with more frames?

This all sounds very impressive, but I can’t help but wish that it were combined with the high refresh rate technology that I presumed it would be.

Every modern TV is capable of handling at least 50 or 60 frames per second (which of those depends on where in the world you live), and many TVs can now go to 120fps and beyond.

But while those higher frame rates have long been leveraged by the gaming industry, they’ve been largely untouched by movies.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not pining for a new era of Hobbit-style films in constant 48fps HFR, because I agree that looks really weird. But I do think that this contextual use of motion smoothing that Dolby is introducing with Dolby Vision 2 could potentially be even more effective if it had extra frames to play with.

Of course, Dolby could be entirely correct – perhaps Authentic Motion really doesn’t need to go beyond 24fps. What Hi-Fi? Senior Staff Writer Lewis Empson was certainly impressed when he saw a demo of the tech at CES 2026.

I’m very excited to see Dolby Vision 2 and its Authentic Motion feature myself, of course, and I’ll be approaching it with an open mind. On paper, though, it just doesn’t sound quite like the technological step change that I was hoping for.

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I’ve already gone on the record to say that I’ve got high hopes for LG’s fancy new Sound Suite system.

LG clearly has high hopes, too, judging from the pricing we’ve just received.

Sound Suite consists of four products – an H7 soundbar, W7 subwoofer, and the M7 and M5 wireless speakers – that can be mixed and matched, so you can build a system to suit your requirements and room.

It’s also one of the first systems to feature Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, which is designed to produce convincing Dolby Atmos sound regardless of the placement of the individual components.

So, you can buy the H7 soundbar on its own, or with the W7 sub and/or a pair of either of the speakers. In that way, it’s rather like a Sonos Arc Ultra, which can be bought and used solo, or partnered with one of Sonos’s subwoofers and/or its Era speakers.

But with Sound Suite, if you have one of LG’s latest and greatest TVs, that can act as the FlexConnect hub and be partnered directly with the sub and/or speakers – no soundbar required.

In total, LG says that there are 27 potential Sound Suite configurations, and that it’s possible to build a 13.1.7-channel system if you so wish.

You will need very deep pockets if you want to go that far, though, because LG has given Sound Suite some very premium pricing in the UK and US (Australian pricing is TBC).

That pricing is as follows:

• H7 soundbar: £1000 / $1000
• W7 subwoofer: £700 / $600
• M7 wireless speaker: £450 / $400
• M5 wireless speaker: £200 / $250

So, the H7 soundbar is priced the same as the awesome, What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra in the UK (though it is cheaper in the US). That’s a bold move indeed, especially considering LG’s less-than-stellar (albeit improving) recent record in soundbar audio quality.

If you want to build a full system that features the H7 soundbar, W7 sub, and a pair of M7 surrounds, you’re looking at an all-in price of £2600 / $2000.

That’s even more than you would currently pay for Sonos’s top-of-the-range Ultimate Immersive Set with Arc Ultra in the UK (£2426), though admittedly less than the cost of the system in the US ($2806).

Bear in mind that the Sonos system includes a pair of the five-star Era 300 speakers as well as the Award-winning Arc Ultra and flagship Sub 4, and you can see that LG has picked a fight with the toughest kid in school with its Sound Suite pricing.

That’s a real statement of intent, and I think it’s great for Sonos to have a new, ambitious rival. But can LG really overthrow the incumbent?

We will be comparing the two systems side by side as part of our Sound Suite review – stay tuned for that in the coming weeks.

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Sometimes an Adventure in AV can involve a short trip into our TV's settings menu to discover something new. Other times it involves physically trekking halfway around the world.

In my case, it's the latter, as I kicked off my year in Las Vegas, Nevada, scouting out the latest innovations in the world of home cinema at CES 2026.

As expected, the show was nothing short of overwhelming, with countless new releases and announcements that will shape the AV landscape for the year to come.

While the RGB Mini LED TVs and new OLED sets stole the show, two specific demonstrations stood out, as they will remain relevant well beyond the end of 2026.

The first showed Dolby Vision 2, and although it didn't launch at CES specifically, I now have a much clearer picture of what it is actually capable of.

It was initially revealed at IFA 2025; but it was shrouded in mystery and confusion, and every TV manufacturer I quizzed on the subject seemed almost as confused as I was.

The second demo was for HDR10+ Advanced, which I had a sneak peek at during a trip to Samsung's headquarters in Suwon, South Korea, back in October of 2025.

The Samsung team offered somewhat of a more complete answer, though they showed me simulated footage rather than actual working HDR10+ Advanced, so I had to take their word for the claimed performance upgrade.

The good news is that both Dolby and Samsung had major presences at CES 2026, and each showed their new respective dynamic HDR formats working in action. So I now have a much clearer picture of what the future of HDR will look like.

I'll start with Dolby, which showed me three examples of Dolby Vision 2 running on a beta-software build on a high-end, mid-range, and entry-level TV.

They all appeared to be bright and punchy Mini LED TVs, and while Dolby wouldn't specify the brand, the primary launch partner for Dolby Vision 2 is Hisense; I'll let you connect the dots there.

Dolby's demonstration truly wowed me. It showed an intense boost to brightness that transforms dark content to dig out detail that I presumed was simply lost to shadows indefinitely. It had regular Dolby Vision TVs set up alongside the Dolby Vision 2 versions in some instances, and the differences were practically night and day.

Digging up more detail in the dark areas did not come at the cost of lifted black levels, however, as it still looked natural to my eyes, and (most importantly) Dolby assured me that the system can recognise what is intentionally meant to be shadow details and not over-brighten those sections.

Dolby stressed how closely it works with directors and editors to ensure that their work is presented in a true-to-life manner.

There is a more advanced set of metadata underpinning Dolby Vision 2, which comes straight from the creatives themselves. And it results in enhanced brightness (and more) without the loss of detail and authenticity.

The need for this brightness-boosting version of Dolby Vision is rooted in the launch of super-bright Mini LED and RGB Mini LED TVs, which can far surpass the capabilities of the current version of Dolby Vision; this makes the super-bright TVs that we've seen crop up over the past couple of years even more compelling, as there is now a feature that can properly take advantage of their specifications.

Not to be outdone, Samsung showed a live demo running its new HDR10+ Advanced format on beta software, running on the new R95H RGB Mini LED TV.

Once again, the results were impressive, especially as Samsung had a “normal” HDR10+ TV running alongside the demo of the new format. Colours seemed more vibrant while remaining natural and balanced, and there was unquestionably more depth and contrast to the image.

There also seemed to be more in the way of detail levels, although (much like Dolby Vision 2), this was most noticeable in dark sequences.

Samsung also assured us that creator-derived metadata would underpin the changes coming to HDR10+ Advanced, which means that authenticity was also at the top of its priority list.

Furthermore, both companies dug deeper into Dolby Vision 2 and HDR10+'s ability to handle motion. Traditionally, HDR formats haven't really played much of a part in motion processing; however, both Dolby and Samsung make a good point on this.

The (frankly tragic) reality is that most people out there will never open their TVs' settings menu. Some because they don't know how the settings work, others because they fear permanently messing up their TV by adjusting the wrong settings.

I sympathise. A TV settings menu can be daunting to the less technically inclined; and Dolby and Samsung's answer is simply to handle the motion processing themselves.

It's a bold move, and we'll need to test it more to confirm our feelings, but both formats showed promising signs during the demonstrations I attended.

Dolby in particular stood out with its Authentic Motion system, which can dynamically shift motion processing based on the content.

Therefore, minimal motion-processing can be applied during slower scenes, such as conversations, whereas fast-paced action scenes or panning shots can be aided by a pinch more.

It never looked unnatural or oversmoothed to my eyes, and it could solve the conundrum of judder being visible when using a TV's most accurate and authentic picture mode (in which motion processing is often switched off).

I will certainly need to do a lot more testing with both of these HDR formats to come to a conclusive opinion, but the good news is that both looked to be working as intended during CES.

This left me with a sense of hope for the future of HDR; it could be a bright and smooth year for the picture technology.

Samsung has already confirmed that HDR10+ Advanced will be coming to its mid-range and premium models sometime this year, and Amazon Prime Video will be the first service to offer select titles with the standard included soon.

Hisense, TCL and Philips TVs will launch with Dolby Vision 2 this year, and Dolby Vision 2 Max should also be supported on the higher-tier models within each of these manufacturers' lineups.

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The dazzling lights of Las Vegas can often be overwhelming, so there's nothing better to bring you down to Earth than sitting in a $70,000 Mercedes Benz that's filled to the brim with tech, lighting and speakers.

That's exactly how I started my year, as I had barely digested my turkey and finished unwrapping my Christmas gifts before I stepped onto an 11-hour flight to Nevada to cover the biggest home cinema announcements of the year at CES 2026.

Among the companies I caught up with at CES was Dolby, which had plenty of exciting announcements regarding Dolby Atmos, and it also finally gave us a clearer picture of Dolby Vision 2.

I'm sticking with the former for now, as Dolby gave me one of my favourite Atmos demos in years, and it had nothing to do with movies.

I'm stepping out of my home cinema comfort zone here to talk about in-car audio, a subject area that I am frankly quite new to.

While I can appreciate a good sound system in a car after attuning my ears to countless home cinema surround sound systems, I've also sat in plenty of my friends' cars, which have Bluetooth speakers lodged into the cupholder due to malfunctioning stereo systems.

Therefore, when Dolby was talking me through its selection of Atmos-equipped vehicles, which were neatly arranged in the Dolby Live Theatre, I couldn't help but take its endorsement with a heavy dose of scepticism.

I mean, do you really need Dolby Atmos in your car? As it turns out, yes, you do.

I tried the immersive audio tech in two of the four cars on show; one being the Mercedes-Benz GLC (which featured a sound system from legendary hi-fi manufacturer Burmester) and the other a luxurious Cadillac Escalade IQ (outfitted with a sound system from AKG).

The Mercedes-Benz gets bonus points, as it's one of the first cars in the world to feature Dolby Atmos over wireless Apple CarPlay (with Apple Music), whereas previous Dolby Atmos-equipped vehicles have required users to stream music directly through the built-in infotainment system in order to access the immersive audio format.

My demos also included music being streamed directly from the cars' smart systems via the likes of Amazon Music HD and Tidal, and I was even shown an excerpt of the 1984 audiobook via Audible.

Despite my scepticism, the 3D audio presented in the cabins of both vehicles absolutely blew me away.

I was treated to a demonstration of a few tracks, including Pink Floyd's Money, Elton John's Rocket Man, Prince's When Doves Cry and Tiesto's BOOM.

All of these tracks sounded crisp, richly detailed and, most importantly, super immersive as every speaker in the cabin of the car was put to work.

Sound travelled organically throughout the car, with some effects even coming from the very back of the vehicle (literally from the boot, or trunk for our American readers) and travelling all the way up to the driver's position.

In the case of 1984, the included background effects were placed throughout the cabin in a way that transformed it into an immersive audio drama, putting me (who was luckily seated in the driver's position) directly into the centre of the action.

I immediately pictured a long road trip with my favourite playlist blasting through the Atmos-equipped sound systems of both cars. The plush leather interiors and huge screens helped to sell the vision, of course.

In all honesty, it makes sense that Dolby Atmos works well in a car. An enclosed cabin with speakers placed all around it is, in theory, the perfect environment for Atmos to thrive.

It requires a different level of processing compared to the usual home cinema setting that we're used to experiencing Atmos in; however, 3D music has been on the rise thanks to support from the likes of Apple Music, Amazon Music and Tidal.

Admittedly, Dolby Atmos music isn't for everyone. Hi-fi purists may take umbrage with the processing, and it doesn't work perfectly for every song. But as a long-time Apple Music subscriber, I've grown to appreciate the immersive audio format for music.

I should also mention that your mileage may vary (pun intended) depending on the track you use. Not all Atmos mixes are created equally, and I'm acutely aware that Dolby likely demonstrated these systems with the better Atmos mixes out there, but that's to be expected.

While the cars that Dolby was showing off at its CES presentation were outside of my budget (I'll be sticking to the London Underground for now), Dolby does have an aftermarket Atmos solution.

It's partnered with Pioneer for the launch of SPHERA, which can take the spot of your current car stereo system to enable Atmos with your car's existing speaker set-up.

The catch here is that very few cars out there have height speakers built in, but Dolby claims that a virtualised Atmos processing system, akin to the one found in Dolby Atmos soundbars that don't feature height speakers, such as the Sonos Beam Gen 2, will be used.

Will it rival the pricey Mercedes and Cadillac motors that I experienced at CES? Probably not, but having the option to enable Atmos on older vehicles is certainly a step in the right direction.

So, should you consider Dolby Atmos when picking your next car? If your budget allows, and you're serious about sound on the go, then absolutely.

However, it has to be heard to be believed, and I wouldn't blame you for being as sceptical as I was. There are, of course, more important things to consider when investing in a new car, but for audiophiles, this is a feature that's certainly worth looking into.

MORE:

Everything you need to know about Dolby Atmos

Listen to our favourite Dolby Atmos test tracks here

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Epson has announced the latest addition to its Lifestudio projector range – and it's a departure from the stylish EF-72 that we reviewed last year.

The Lifestudio Grand EH-LS970 is the brand's new flagship ultra-short-throw (UST) projector that instead hopes to steal the spotlight from Hisense. It certainly has the credentials to do so on paper. It replaces the EH‑LS800, a projector we reviewed at four stars back in 2024.

The EH-LS970 boasts a “Real 4K UHD” resolution, according to Epson, featuring 8.3 million pixels and a maximum screen size of up to 150 inches.

It uses a 3LCD laser light source, which Epson boldly claims features “no rainbow effect”; we'll have to verify that ourselves when this new beamer lands in our home-cinema testing room.

Furthermore, that light source can reportedly deliver a staggering 4000 lumens of brightness, which is 1000 lumens more than the Hisense PX3-Pro's claimed maximum. You needn't worry about changing that light source, either: it reportedly boasts a 20,000-hour life span.

While that is an impressive picture specification on paper, Epson is also collaborating with a big name in the audio space to help it sound as good as it looks. The EH-LS970 features a Bose-engineered sound system with support for Dolby Audio.

Epson is leveraging an AI-backed picture-processing engine, and Google TV is on board, providing a wide range of streaming apps, including Netflix and Disney Plus.

Epson is even touting a handful of quality-of-life features, including “whisper-quiet operation” with a claimed fan noise of just 29 dB, or 18 dB in the projector's quiet mode. Gamers are also well catered for, with ALLM support and a reported input lag of under 20ms.

This all comes packed into a stylish chassis that aligns with the other lifestyle-leaning Lifestudio projectors in Epson's range.

It features a claimed throw ratio of 0.16–0.4:1, meaning you can achieve the full 150-inch picture by placing the EH-LS970 merely centimetres away from the wall (Epson has, unfortunately, not specified just how many centimetres so, again, we shall have to wait for a test sample to come in to confirm precise numbers).

Pricing for Epson's new UST projector is yet to be revealed; it is, though, expected to hit shop shelves in April of this year.

MORE:

Read our full Epson EF-72 review

As well as our Hisense PX3-Pro review

And check out our list of the best projectors

Philips’ 2026 OLED TVs will feature Dolby Vision 2. We had heard the news previously from Dolby, but now Philips has confirmed it along with more detail.

That means Philips joins Hisense and TCL as the only TV makers offering Dolby's next-gen HDR tech. LG has proved the surprise holdout, which could give Philips a key advantage, for this year at least.

Philips doesn't usually announce its TV range until a few weeks later into the year, so Dolby's reveal may have forced its hand.

The company says that the DLED 9001 will be its first with Dolby Vision 2, followed by the OLED811 series. It will subsequently come to its “premium Mini LED and DLED [Direct LED] TVs”.

The new models will run MediaTek's Pentonic 800 with MiraVision Pro chip, the first to integrate Dolby Vision 2.

The more premium of these TVs will offer Dolby Vision 2 Max, which is designed for the “highest performing TVs”. As well as elevating picture performance through smarter processing and improved tone-mapping, Vision 2 Max will unlock premium capabilities only possible with the higher-end screen technology that comes with pricier TVs, such as an evolved ambient-aware system, creator-guided motion handling, and new tone-mapping logic that harnesses flagship-class brightness and colour volume.

Dolby Vision 2's key sell is ‘Content Intelligence’. This optimises your TV to produce a “more captivating picture” based on what and where you’re watching. For example, Precision Black improves clarity in dark images without sacrificing black levels, while Light Sense 2 detects the ambient light around the TV and fine tunes the picture based on that information.

It also promises higher brightness, sharper contrast and more saturated colours. And it's not all about HDR – Dolby claims that its Authentic Motion feature will make scenes feel more cinematic by reducing judder on a shot by shot basis.

However, there's a fair amount of suspicion surrounding Dolby Vision 2, with critics wondering whether it's needed yet, given what standard Dolby Vision is capable of. The need to buy a new TV in order to experience it has also proved controversial.

LG has proved the surprise holdout over Dolby Vision 2 (the firm supported the original Dolby Vision from the start). Sony and Panasonic are yet to announce whether their 2026 TVs will support it, while Samsung is launching HDR10+ Advanced as a rival technology this year.

Will the addition of Dolby Vision 2 influence which TV you buy? Let us know in the comments.

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Dolby Vision 2, the somewhat controversial new HDR format, was announced last year with Hisense listed as the only TV partner at the time.

Now, though, it's been confirmed at CES 2026 that two further TV brands will be supporting the format this year.

The first of those is TCL. This should come as little surprise after the brand whacked a 'Dolby Vision 2.0' logo on its stand at IFA in September – much to the confusion of everyone, including TCL's own staff.

We now understand that the brand's new SQD Mini LED range, including the new flagship X11L model, will get Dolby Vision 2 support via a post-launch software update.

Dolby also claims it will be added to TCL's mainstream C-series, presumably including the successor to last year's What Hi-Fi? Award-winning C7K – we've approached TCL for comment on that.

And while Philips hasn't even announced its 2026 TV range yet (that's not expected for a few weeks), Dolby has already revealed that several new models, including the (again, as-yet-unannounced by Philips) OLED811, OLED911 and flagship OLED951 will support Dolby Vision 2.

So that's Hisense, TCL and Philips all confirmed (at least by Dolby) to be supporting Dolby Vision 2 this year.

But what about the rest?

Sony and Panasonic

It's no surprise that we have no Dolby Vision 2 news from Sony or Panasonic.

Sony no longer announces its new TVs at CES, choosing instead to reveal new models around March or April each year. We're expecting a similar timeframe this year, so if Sony is going to support Dolby Vision 2, that's when we'll find out.

Panasonic, on the other hand, does usually announce its new flagship TV during CES. This year, though, it hasn't done that. It could be a while until we get any 2026 TV news from Panasonic (its overall range is usually announced around May), including whether Dolby Vision 2 is on the cards.

Samsung

It's also entirely unsurprising that Samsung hasn't been mentioned in relation to Dolby Vision 2, because Samsung has never supported Dolby Vision at all.

In fact, Samsung created HDR10+ as a rival to Dolby Vision, and it's launching HDR10+ Advanced this year as a rival to Dolby Vision 2.

LG

Now this is the surprising one: LG has long been regarded as one of Dolby Vision's keenest advocates, having supported it from the start on as many models as it possibly could, yet we've been told that the brand has "no plans to support Dolby Vision 2 in 2026".

That's a direct quote from David Park, LG’s Director of Product Strategy and Marketing in the US, who is very much a man who's usually in the know, yet he seemed surprisingly in the dark about Dolby Vision 2 in general, including whether it might be possible for it to be added to its 2026 TVs at a later date.

Will a lack of Dolby Vision 2 be enough of a factor to put prospective buyers off LG's new W6, G6 or C6 OLEDs, which otherwise all look very appealing? It's hard to say, but the fact that several other brands will be offering it this year, while LG won't be, will certainly provide pause for thought.

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CES 2026 is officially underway, and with it comes a wealth of announcements from countless TV and AV companies.

And there’s exciting news in the world of streaming – Peacock claims it will be the first platform in the industry to support Dolby Vision 2 HDR and Dolby AC-4.

That means it has pipped many big-hitting competitors to the post, including Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV.

It says the “first-of-its-kind technology integration” is anticipated to launch later this year, giving users access to a range of content, including live sports and Peacock Originals in both Dolby Atmos and the new iteration of Vision.

The company says, “Dolby Vision 2 is designed to meet the evolving expectations of today’s viewers and unlock the most out of your television.”

This mirrors Dolby's original claims about Vision 2, which was unveiled at the IFA tradeshow in Berlin last year. The tech is a follow-up to the original standard, designed to offer key things, including more accurate tone mapping.

There's also nifty new powers for directors, including the ability to adjust the frame rate of films and TV shows. The only downside is that we know the tech has specific hardware requirements.

This raises a wider question around what TVs will be able to support Dolby Vision 2 and truly get the most out of the technology.

At CES, LG has already announced that none of its TVs released in 2026 will support Dolby Vision 2, for instance. That includes its flagship OLED TV for the year, the LG G6, as well as the cheaper LG C6. This doesn't necessarily mean LG TVs from this year will never support the technology, but it's currently up in the air.

Samsung's approach is more complicated, as it recently announced the development of HDR10+ Advanced, which is a direct competitor to Dolby Vision 2. This will be supported in the company's 2026 TV lineup, with no news on how this will work with the Dolby technology.

We are expecting other companies to release their own plans on how their products will integrate Dolby Vision 2 and, with our senior staff writer Lewis Epson on the ground at CES, we will keep you updated as soon as we learn the latest information.

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LG has gone early with a lot of its CES announcements, having briefed us on several of its new products ahead of the big event, which kicks off this weekend.

There’s the brand’s first RGB Mini LED TV and a new ‘Gallery TV’ to take on Samsung’s The Frame range, for starters, but what I’m most intrigued about, and excited to test, is its new Sound Suite range of home cinema speakers.

This is one of the first systems that will use Dolby Atmos FlexConnect – a technology designed to deliver serious Dolby Atmos sound from wireless speakers that are super-flexible about placement.

In that sense, it’s rather like Sony’s Bravia Quad and preceding HT-A9 systems, which each feature four wireless speakers that produce a really impressive bubble of Dolby Atmos sound even when placed in sonically imperfect positions.

But the LG Sound Suite system goes further in terms of flexibility, partly through the use of Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, which is said to be more accommodating than any previous tech, but more through the mix-and-match approach to speakers.

So, while those two Sony systems are packages of four identical speakers, LG Sound Suite is a family of four different products that can be mixed and matched as required.

The core component is the H7 soundbar, which can be bought and used solo or partnered with the W7 subwoofer, and/or the M7 and/or M5 surround speakers. In that way, it’s rather like a Sonos home theatre system built around a Sonos Arc Ultra.

But if you have one of LG’s newest premium TVs (the G5, C5 and QNED9M are specifically listed alongside a vague mention of 2026 models), this can act as the hub for the Sound Suite system, giving you the option to skip the soundbar and go for a setup much more akin to the Sony packages I mentioned.

LG claims that there are 27 potential Sound Suite configurations in total, and that it’s possible to build a 13.1.7-channel system if you so wish.

Conceptually, then, LG Sound Suite is the best of all worlds – a system you can build around your specific needs, and expand or adapt as circumstances and budgets change.

That’s very enticing, I’m sure you’ll agree, but I’m hoping LG has put at least as much thought into sound quality as it has into features and flexibility – because the brand’s track record with audio components isn’t terribly impressive.

LG’s TVs of recent years have all sounded pretty poor, even by the low standards set by modern flatscreens, and of all of the LG headphones, soundbars and wireless speakers we’ve tested this decade, none have achieved a hallowed five-star rating. Far from it, in some cases.

There are reasons to be optimistic, though. We know for a fact that LG takes sound seriously and works incredibly hard on audio quality. And the most recent of its soundbars we tested, the LG S70TY, was its best in a long time.

In other words, LG’s sound quality could be peaking at precisely the right time, and if the Sound Suite’s audio can match its ambition and flexibility, it could prove to be an all-things-to-all-people home cinema system.

That should leave the likes of Samsung, Sonos and Sony feeling a little worried.

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German brand Metz has launched a 24-inch “portable, rechargeable smart streaming TV” – the 24MPE7002Z – all with an affordable price tag.

The company claims the lightweight Full HD TV is easy to take on the go for the holidays or as a second screen in the home.

Google TV acts as the TV’s smart platform with access to a variety of streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Disney+. There’s no availability for live terrestrial TV channels or related on-demand content, though.

In terms of sound, there are two front-firing 6W speakers which feature Dolby Digital Plus audio and deliver “exceptional performance”.

There’s a rechargeable battery as well, which Metz claims can deliver more than three hours of uninterrupted viewing on one charge..

Metz further claims that thanks to an anti-glare matte LED screen, the TV can be “placed almost anywhere”, including outdoors. It weighs just 4kg and features an integrated carry handle, so it’s easy to move around when you need.

The 24MPE7002Z is priced at just £299 (around $400 / AU$600), and is available now in the UK. And, with its easy-to-carry design and affordable price tag, this model could be a worthy alternative to a portable projector if you want to save some cash.

Of course, a projector screen can go significantly larger than Metz’s 24-inch model, with the vast majority of portable projectors reaching at least 150 inches.

But they will set you back much more than the price of this Metz model. Take the Xgimi MoGo 4, which we rated four stars when we had it in our test room, which comes in £509 / $499 (around AU$1022). So, for those looking for a way to take movies on the go without breaking the bank, this new Metz TV could prove tempting.

We haven’t had the 24MPE7002Z in our test room yet, however, so we don’t know how it performs. But the reigning champ in our best cheap TVs guide for the 24-inch category, the RCA Roku TV, may prove to be tough competition. This model costs £136 (around $180 / AU$275), making it even cheaper than Metz's offering.

It impressed during testing with its "bright, crisp picture" quality as well as comprehensive streaming smarts for the price. That resulted in a four-star rating overall, and could give the 24MPE7002Z a run for its money.

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In the last few years, we have seen the coffee table projector market skyrocket.

The appeal is obvious: these models can deliver huge cinematic thrills in your living room, but can also be tucked away in a cupboard when not in use.

With smart platforms and speakers built in, they're essentially complete home cinemas in neat little boxes.

Here, we have two of the latest and greatest 4K models side-by-side for direct comparison.

The Epson EF-72 is one of the most stylish models we've seen, and is designed to provide “flexible and immersive entertainment that’s ideal for any space”, according to the company.

The Hisense M2 Pro is perhaps sporting a more divisive design, but it's smaller than the Epson and is, says Hisense, capable of delivering "depth and nuance like no other".

Those are bold statements from both competitors, but how do they actually perform? We've tested both models side by side in our dedicated AV test room, so we can tell you which one comes out on top. Let's get cracking...

Epson EF-72 vs Hisense M2 Pro: price

The Hisense M2 Pro launched for £1299 / $1299 / AU$2495, but it's now widely available for a much lower £949 / $1000 / AU$1595.

The Epson EF-72, on the other hand, launched for the lower price of £1150 / $1000 (it's not available in Australia) but hasn't been discounted quite as heavily. Current pricing is £999 / $950.

That places both of the projectors firmly in the premium coffee table projector market, so they come with high expectations.

Given that the Hisense is the slightly more affordable projector in the UK and the Epson is marginally cheaper in the US, we're calling this round a draw.

**Winner: Draw**

Epson EF-72 vs Hisense M2 Pro: design

Epson's projector really stands out from the crowd, leaning into the lifestyle element of the category.

Sporting a sturdy stand and base, the projector has a trendy Scandinavian feel, with a wooden top and cloth fabric wrapped around the body.

The underside features funky coloured lighting, with users able to select a range of different ambient light modes by pressing their hands to the top – nice if you don't want to watch movies in pitch blackness or are using the projector as a Bluetooth speaker or simple mood light.

You can tilt the EF-72 upwards 90 degrees and downwards by 15 degrees, so you can display content on the ceiling, floor or at an angle.

The Hisense M2 Pro takes a different approach, offering a design not unlike something out of a sci-fi movie. Its silver cube-shaped body is supported by a flat base that can be tilted a full 360 degrees.

You can also mount this model on the wall or ceiling, or use the base to position it on a table.

With the Hisense weighing in at 3.9kg and the Epson at 4kg (about the same as a bowling ball), both models are relatively light and easy to move around. It's worth noting, though, that neither projector has a built-in battery, so they can't be considered fully portable.

The M2 Pro's remote has a premium feel with a sleek finish, a responsive D-pad and various streaming shortcuts. The Epson's black remote is more plain and plasticky, but it's perfectly usable and has a similar layout to that of the Hisense.

The Epson has a throw ratio of 1.20:1, whereas the Hisense offers 1.0 to 1.3 via the flexible zoom feature. This means you can get a larger image from a shorter distance.

Despite the Hisense's more flexible throw ratio options, the Epson takes the crown this time for its luxurious feel and unique design.

**Winner: Epson EF-72**

Epson EF-72 vs Hisense M2 Pro: features

So what features do these projectors offer?

First off, both the Hisense and Epson models feature Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as a USB port. The two projectors also have a single HDMI input that doubles as an eARC connection.

While both projectors are presented as 4K models, neither has a native 4K resolution. Instead, both employ pixel shifting technology to deliver a 4K effect.

This is entirely expected at this level, and pixel shifting is capable of delivering excellent results when used effectively.

The Epson and the Hisense models both support HLG and HDR10, but the M2 Pro goes beyond this to include HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.

Both the EF-72 and M2 Pro have built-in smart platforms: the former features Google TV, while the latter has Hisense's own VIDAA system.

In each case, you get access to the apps of the biggest streaming services, including Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV, but the Hisense also offers the BBC iPlayer app in the UK, whereas the Epson does not.

Neither of the projectors supports Dolby Atmos but the Hisense does support DTS Virtual X, which the brand says delivers "distortion-free, immersive sound".

In terms of screen size, Epson claims the EF-72 can go up to 150 inches whereas the Hisense model can supposedly reach up to 200 inches. It claims to go brighter as well, quoting 1300 lumens of brightness, where the Epson can offer up to 1000 lumens.

The Hisense's more advanced HDR support and brightness levels pip the Epson to the post here.

**Winner: Hisense M2 Pro**

Epson EF-72 vs Hisense M2 Pro: picture quality

Now for the main attraction.

The Epson offers a perfectly likeable, colourful picture that is easy to live with.

When watching Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, we say: "The colours with this disc look pleasingly punchy and warm, while still being nicely balanced. Flaming torches held by the apes look fierce and vivid against the dark background, and the green of the leaves in the forest later on appears earthy and natural."

Its motion handling is smooth and, for the most part, still maintains the sense of natural movement, making for distraction-free viewing.

But the Hisense M2 Pro simply offers a crisper, punchier image that the Epson cannot match.

The contrast is excellently controlled and, when watching Civil War, we find that "tracer bullets across the night sky look fantastic, retaining a precisely controlled burn".

In terms of motion handling, the Hisense also matches the Epson by offering a smooth but authentic sense of movement.

The Hisense model delivers impressive black levels, too, and without crushing shadow detail.

It's this combination of deeper blacks and brighter highlights that ultimately gives the Hisense M2 Pro the win in this round.

As pleasant as the Epson EF-72 is, it's hard to escape the feeling that it's playing things a little safe. There's nothing strictly wrong with that, but the Hisense adds dynamism without adding any obvious deficiencies, so it's all gain with no pain.

**Winner: Hisense M2 Pro**

Epson EF-72 vs Hisense M2 Pro: sound

Neither the Hisense nor the Epson deliver jaw-dropping audio quality, but we frankly wouldn't really expect them to.

Epson once again plays things a bit safe, with the EF-72's single 10W speaker delivering a "rather flat and uninteresting" sound, despite the 'Sound by Bose' label.

It does manage to portray voices well by keeping them warm and balanced, all with a reasonable amount of bass to portray the emotion of each scene. But the sound remains quite localised and struggles to create much of a sense of immersion.

The Hisense M2 Pro's two 10W speakers, meanwhile, offer reasonable separation between dialogue and background noise, and provide some sense of directionality.

But its low end is a little too weak and it can suffer from sibilance and distortion during more demanding scenes.

While the Hisense offers a better overall sound than the Epson, neither can deliver movie soundtracks with anything like the scale necessary to do justice to the epic images, so in both cases, we recommend adding a dedicated sound system.

**Winner: Hisense M2 Pro**

Epson EF-72 vs Hisense M2 Pro: verdict

There's a lot to like about the Epson EF-72. With its charming living room-friendly design and warm, cinematic picture, it is a welcome addition to the coffee table projector category.

But the Hisense M2 Pro trumps it in terms of image quality, most significantly by delivering brighter highlights and deeper blacks, resulting in a punchier and more solid-looking picture.

Add the better sound quality and slightly lower price (in the UK at least), and you have a fairly straightforward decision.

**Overall winner: Hisense M2 Pro**

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China-based brand Xgimi has launched its latest portable projector, the Vibe One, along with a new sub-brand.

The Vibe is being pitched as an affordable, portable option for people looking for a big screen movie watching experience that won't break the bank.

Apollo Zhong, chairman at Xgimi, comments: “With Vibe One, we’re giving users a product that’s simple, fun, and dependable, while still carrying the design DNA XGIMI is known for.”

Featuring auto-keystone and auto-focus, the 1080p projector’s stand can tilt up to 160 degrees making it, in theory, easy to setup on the fly.

It also has a compact design akin to a camping lantern with a carry handle on the top. The only slight concern is that the Vibe One only offers up to 1.2 hours video or four hours music playback according to the company. So, if you're looking to watch any of Martin Scorsese's library of work you'll need a battery pack or mains connection.

In terms of sound, there are two 3W speakers featuring Sound by JBL for “rich, room-filling audio” that doubles as a Bluetooth speaker. As you'd expect for a projector this class, Dolby Atmos is not included.

The Vibe One uses Google TV with built-in Netflix support, plus the usual streaming suspects. That includes Amazon Prime Video, ITVX and Disney+.

It also includes eight Ambient Light Mode colours to help set a "vibe" when using it. You can get the projector in two different finishes: Cloud Ash and Blue Spark (featuring a yellow handle and blue base).

The projector will cost £219 in the UK and $269 in the US on 5 November, although for the latter there is a reduced early bird price of $199 if you pre-order.

Even compared to a similar model from the brand, the Xgimi MoGo 4, that is quite a low price and puts the Vibe One in the entry-level portable projector category.

When we reviewed the MoGo 4 (which launched at £509 / $499 / AU$1399), we rated it four stars for its punchy picture and easy-to-use design.

It certainly seems that Xgimi have continued its legacy with the compact build, but we will have to see how this cheaper projector fares when it comes to its picture.

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It's the start of the month, which means it's time for our regular Ask The Reader feature. This month we're asking: Is Dolby Vision HDR a deal breaker when buying a new TV?

There's a lot to consider when you're eyeing up a new TV. Screen size, brand, connections, panel type, sound, gaming features, operating system... the list seems endless. And to that you can add Dolby Vision compatibility.

Dolby Vision is probably the best known format of HDR (High Dynamic Range). HDR enhances a TV's contrast, which is the difference between the brightest and darkest parts of the picture – the greater the contrast, the bigger this difference is, and the more detail you will make out across the picture as a whole.

Dolby Vision takes this on a step. By continuously optimising in real time how your TV presents HDR content, it creates an altogether more accurate picture, enhancing the viewing experience no end. Plus it gives creators more control over how their HDR content looks on screen, bringing it closer to an as-the-director-intended look.

Of course, other varieties of HDR are available.

HDR10 is the most common, and is an open standard that any manufacturer can use for free (they have to pay Dolby a fee to use Dolby Vision). It's not quite as advanced as Dolby Vision – for that you need HDR10+, which does much the same thing as Dolby Vision, using dynamic metadata to boost HDR images frame-by-frame. Finally there's HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma), which is used by TV broadcasters.

Dolby Vision 2 is also on the horizon.

A lot of the best TVs feature Dolby Vision – including the LG C5, TCL C6KS, Panasonic TV-48Z90B and Sony Bravia 8 II – but is it something you actively seek out, or just a nice little extra? Given the alternatives available, should manufacturers continue to pay Dolby to use it? Maybe you've seen some pretty poor implementations of Dolby Vision, or maybe you can't tell the difference between it and standard HDR. Or perhaps you love the format, and think it's far superior to any other available.

Whatever your experiences, we'd love to hear from you.

As ever, we'll compile your responses over the next month and use them to create a feature, detailing your thoughts on the topic.

You can post your thoughts in the comments section of this page, on our social media channels or directly on our forums!

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This year, one of the biggest pieces of news for film and home cinema hardware fans was Dolby Vision 2.

The technology made waves when it was unveiled – to many journalists’, movie studio and home cinema manufacturers’ seeming surprise – at the IFA tradeshow in Berlin.

And though we managed to have a chat with Dolby engineers at the time, getting some key details about how Dolby Vision 2 and its higher Max tier work, there is still a lot we don’t know about it – including everything from what TVs will support it and which films and shows are being made with it.

Which is why I have spent the past few weeks phoning various contacts at TV makers and film studios to find out what’s going on with the standard. And, while many have asked for Chatham House rules, I have discovered two big concerns among many of the industry’s movers and shakers – concerns that I share.

Hardware requirements

One of the biggest potential drawbacks for Dolby Vision 2 and the new Vision Max tier is that they come with hardware requirements at a chipset, as well as panel, level.

Dolby confirmed this when I spoke to its spokespeople at Vision 2’s launch. If you want to see the benefits of Vision 2 and Vision 2 Max, you will need a new TV. This year’s models will recognise Vision 2’s signal but won’t be able to deliver anything above Dolby Vision's current quality, even when playing content mastered to the newer standard.

That means all the clever motion tech, that will let filmmakers adjust and optimise framerates depending on the needs of the shot, won’t work on current TVs – even this year’s flagship OLEDs, including the five-star Sony Bravia 8 II, Samsung S95F, Panasonic Z95B and LG G5.

That’s a tough pill to swallow for anyone who has just invested thousands on a new TV thinking it will be cutting edge for at least the foreseeable future. It’s also a key reason many of the manufacturers I’ve spoken to are concerned about the impact Vision 2 will have on sales this year.

In an attempt to ascertain how much of an issue this might be, in our latest Ask The Reader column we ask if Dolby Vision HDR is a deal breaker for you, the consumer. So, please, make sure to have your say!

Content is king

The other common concern that has repeatedly been raised centres around content. Dolby Vision is great, and a clear selling point, because so many movies use it to great effect. Watching a movie that uses Dolby Vision’s added dynamic range really elevates the experience, when played on decent hardware.

For Max, in particular, to work, the new standard will need content that shows the technology's benefits right from the start. But there currently isn’t any. And I have been met with very cagey “we’ll tell you next year” by most of the film and TV studios and streaming services I have asked about it.

TV makers are equally sketchy on the details about when and what content will be ready and mastered with the new tech when the first wave of Dolby Vision 2 TVs arrive next year.

If there’s no flagship content for Vision 2 or Vision 2 Max, that’ll be a tough sell. Especially as the only current detail we have is that Canal+ will be its launch partner. Hopefully we’ll get more clarity on this point in the not too distant future.

If not, I – like the industry members I have been speaking to – am nervous that 2026 may see a softer launch than I’d like for what is one of the most interesting bits of cinema tech we’ve seen in recent memory.

Here’s hoping I’m wrong.

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It's fair to say that the initial announcement of Dolby Vision 2 left more questions than answers.

The press release was long, with lots of fancy terms and feature names, but precious little detail, and that left lots of people – me included – feeling rather sceptical about it.

There's nothing quite like a bit of vagueness and, in particular, a few mentions of AI to bring out the cynic in a well-worn tech fan.

Having now had a lot of our initial Dolby Vision 2 questions answered, though – and in quite some detail – my scepticism has washed away and I'm now cautiously excited about the next-gen HDR-and-more format.

The crux of my change of opinion is that Dolby's answers indicate that Dolby Vision 2 is far from the post-processing (as in, on-TV processing) that I initially expected, and a proper mastering-studio-to-living-room technology that has the potential to massively improve the home cinema experience, led by filmmakers rather than TV manufacturers.

Actually, a lot of the AI appears to be aimed at the movie-production end of things, rather than the viewer. It seems to be there to help studio professionals identify opportunities to improve content in the editing suite, to more efficiently make those improvements, and, perhaps most interestingly, to determine how the content should be adapted to the capabilities of different displays.

That last point is where the new so-called ‘bi-directional tone mapping’ comes in.

Dolby Vision HDR has always been broadly tailored to each TV’s contrast and colour capabilities, but this feature means the content creators themselves can configure how their movies and TV shows (and games, for that matter) will look on TVs that are either less or more capable than their reference monitors.

But what interests me even more than that is Dolby Vision 2's Authentic Motion feature.

Again, this isn't on-TV motion processing, which is loved and hated in fairly equal measure, but a technology that allows movie creators to reduce judder and blur in the studio.

I have requested more information on this from Dolby, but it sounds very similar to TrueCut Motion, which has been used in several movies, most notably Avatar: The Way of Water.

These movies have a higher frame-rate than the industry-standard 24fps, usually 48fps, but before you have flashbacks to The Hobbit in HFR and start screaming about the soap opera effect, it's worth noting that for most of their running times, these movies have the look and feel of traditional 24fps video.

That extra frame rate is essentially there to provide the creator with the flexibility to smooth out motion only when required – through long panning shots, for example – while preserving the natural cinematic look with which we're all familiar for most of the movie.

The reason we need this is that the TVs most of us now have at home are brighter and more responsive than the cinema projectors for which the 24fps standard was created, and those aspects increase judder.

Content creators have been loath to adopt higher frame rates, partly because of the sense of unrealness it can add, but also because it's supported by very few cinema projectors and no home cinema sources, and those TVs that do support it essentially do so by accident.

TrueCut Motion has done a great job of proving that movies can be made smoother while still retaining their natural cinematic qualities; but Dolby's involvement has the potential to take it to the next level, driving adoption by studios, streaming services and TV manufacturers.

If Dolby Vision 2 achieves that, it will be transformative for home cinema.

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Want Dolby Vision 2? Our sources suggest you will need to buy a new TV

Dolby Vision 2 unveiled: AI-powered picture optimisation, creator controls, and more

The 65-inch C7K (known as the QM7K in the US) arrives on our test benches on the back of a remarkable run of TCL TV form across a wide range of price points and screen sizes.

It’s fair to say, then, that the auspices for the C7K are seriously good. Can it really keep TCL’s good times rolling, though, when its large screen and promising feature count come at such a (relatively) low price?

Pricing

The TCL C7K’s price is definitely one of its star attractions, with the 65-inch model we’re testing costing just £899 / AU$1595. This TV is known as the QM7K in the US, where it launched for $1500 but is now available for around $900.

That makes it significantly cheaper than the recently reviewed C8K model that sits above it in the 2025 TCL TV range.

Yes, there are plenty of 65-inch TVs out there these days that are cheaper than £899, but you’ll be very hard pushed indeed to find any of those cheaper models getting even close to matching the C7K’s feature set and, as we’ll see, performance.

If 65 inches isn’t quite right for you, the C7K is also available in sizes ranging from 50 inches all the way up to 115 inches. Bear in mind that the different-sized versions of the TV will have slight specification differences, such as the number of dimming zones. We have already reviewed the 98-inch TCL C7K, though, and it’s excellent.

TCL also produces a Q7C model which, the company says, is identical to the C7K in all ways but one: the Q7C doesn’t have the anti-reflection film that the C7K does. Given how much such elements can affect picture quality, this review shouldn’t be seen as also covering the Q7C.

Design

The C7K looks and feels exactly like what it is: a premium TV being sold for a barely even mid-range price. Its screen is wrapped in a slick, narrow brushed-metal trim, behind which a narrower black back section protrudes to provide room for the new Bang & Olufsen multi-channel speaker system to breathe.

The screen sits on what appears to be the same metal central desktop mounting plate as the one provided with the C8K, and this stand attaches to the screen using the same wide-neck-with-detachable-cover arrangement into which you can ‘tidy’ all your cabling.

The C7K is robustly built, and since it’s quite a bit slimmer than the C8K, it is arguably the more attractive of the two – especially if you’re looking to wall hang your TV.

The C7K doesn’t get the same premium silver metal-finished remote control the C8K has, but the elongated black handset provided still bears a premium brushed metal-style finish (even though it’s really all plastic). It feels comfortable to hold, too, the buttons are numerous but helpfully well spread out, and there are direct access buttons for Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, TCL Channels (a curated selection of streamed TV channels) and Disney Plus.

Features

There’s far more to get through here than you have any right to expect for the price.

Starting with those headline-grabbing facts that, despite its affordable price, the C7K’s screen is illuminated by Mini LEDs rather than the usual large ones, and that these Mini LEDs are organised into a remarkably numerous 1008 independent dimming zones.

Add to this a claimed peak brightness of 2600 nits, and you’ve got some core specifications that most really high-end TVs would struggle to match.

We’ve been around the block enough times to know, though, that it’s not just how many Mini LED dimming zones you’ve got; it’s what you do with them that counts.

That is where TCL’s new AIPQ Pro picture processor will hopefully play its part, controlling those dimming zones and Mini LEDs with enough intelligence to ensure they boost contrast and general light control without drawing undue attention to themselves.

The C7K joins all the other new 2025 TCL TVs we’ve seen to date in deploying a whole ‘Halo Control’ suite of new hardware and software technologies to deliver better dark-scene consistency.

This sees the features we have mentioned already joined by other innovations such as new super-condensed LED lenses claimed to focus light more effectively and stably; a new six-crystal light-emitting chip reckoned to deliver nearly 30 per cent more brightness and more than 30 per cent more energy efficiency; the introduction of Polyimide to the liquid crystal molecules to make their microstructure more controllable; and 16-bit bi-directional screen control delivering 65,000 levels of precise light control.

This isn’t even the full extent of the innovations TCL has introduced to the C7K’s new CrystGlow WHVA panel, but we’ll leave it there before your eyes start to glaze over. And because the resulting picture quality is what really matters in the end.

The C7K’s connections are good for a TV in its price range. Four HDMIs lead the way, as we’d expect of a premium TV, and these are backed up by a single USB port, an optical digital audio output, an ethernet port and the now obligatory wi-fi and Bluetooth (v5.4) wireless connections. The wireless connectivity includes Apple AirPlay and Chromecast support.

It’s slightly disappointing that only two of the C7K’s HDMIs support high frame rate gaming, rather than all four of them, and that one of these gaming-friendly HDMIs has to do double duty as the only one equipped with the eARC HDMI technology required to ship sound – including lossless Dolby Atmos and DTS:X – to compatible soundbars and AVRs.

Most premium TVs provide more than one USB these days, too, though that matters much less.

Most households will be more than content with the C7K’s connections overall – and we shouldn’t forget that this is a 65-inch TV that costs only £899.

The C7K scores major brownie points with us for supporting all four of the key high dynamic range formats: HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

In fact, it even supports the versions of Dolby Vision and HDR10 that can adapt their picture presentation to the ambient conditions in your room, and its Dolby Vision support further extends to a low-latency Dolby Vision Game mode.

Other gaming features include support for 4K feeds at frame rates up to 144Hz – and that frame rate support remarkably (and arguably a bit pointlessly at the moment…) jumps to 288Hz using TCL’s Game Accelerator technology, provided you don’t mind the resolution dropping to Full HD.

VRR is supported right up to the 288Hz maximum, and there’s support for the AMD FreeSync Premium Pro VRR system as well as the core HDMI one. TCL’s screen will automatically switch into its fast-response Game mode when a game source is detected, rendering 60Hz game graphics in this mode in just 13.2ms.

As we’re seeing with most mid-range and high-end TVs these days, the C7K lets you call up a dedicated Game Bar main menu screen when a game source is detected, from which you can check information on the incoming game signal and activate such game aids as an onscreen crosshair, a system for brightening just the darkest parts of the image, and support for the super-wide aspect ratios supported by a few PC titles.

Smart features on the C7K are provided by Google TV, complete with support for the Google Assistant voice-recognition system. TCL has also seen to it that its version of Google TV includes all of the UK’s main terrestrial broadcaster catch-up TV services – something that regular Google TV systems fail to do.

It’s a pity, perhaps, that there’s no support for Freeview Play or Freely, but all the key individual UK broadcaster catch-up apps are present and correct.

Last but not least on the C7K’s extensive feature list is its all-new Bang & Olufsen sound system. This replaces the brand’s previous Onkyo collaboration with new high-fidelity speaker designs fed by 60W of power and capable of handling both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks.

Picture quality

With the 98C7K having already shown us that TCL’s new C7K range can deliver the goods even on a screen as big as 98 inches, it’s no great surprise to find that the more modestly sized 65-inch C7K is at least as good.

Particularly stellar for its price is its contrast. On the most basic contrast level, it can deliver both extremely intense, vibrant HDR peaks by sub-£1k 65-inch TV standards, and some of the deepest and most neutral, natural-toned blacks and dark scenes the mid-range LCD TV world, at least, has to offer.

What’s more, it’s able to deliver its light and dark extremes on screen simultaneously, without either significantly compromising the other. By which we mean that shots where bright highlights stand out against dark backdrops appear without distracting light halos around them; the bright objects in such shots aren’t heavily dimmed to achieve that lack of haloing; and for the most part, blacks remain as inky as they do with uniformly dark shots.

Throw in excellent shadow detail reproduction (the C7K is actually slightly better in this respect than the more overtly punchy C8K) and an almost complete absence of either fluctuating dimming zones or noticeable jumps in brightness during cuts between bright and dark shots, and you’ve got a brilliantly effective and, thanks to its consistency, immersive backlight system that punches well above the TV’s weight.

The C7K’s impressive brightness holds up strikingly well even when an HDR shot fills the whole scene with intense light, too, looking at least twice as bright with such shots as even the best new OLED TVs can – further contributing to the excellent consistency of the C7K’s HDR images.

The brightness and contrast both play their part, too, in the C7K’s precociously brilliant colour performance. In its Standard picture preset, colours across a huge spectrum look radiantly beautiful, combining vivid intensity with a level of blend and tone subtlety that feels too good to be true on a TV as affordable as this.

The colours the Standard mode produces might not be particularly accurate to established video standards, but every tone looks impeccably balanced against the rest, painting extremely enjoyable – and believable – worlds for anyone not obsessed with true-to-creative-intent accuracy.

If you are obsessed with true-to-creative-intent accuracy, even after witnessing the splendours of the 65C7K’s Standard preset, then worry not: the C7K’s Filmmaker Mode delivers pictures that follow the established HDR and SDR standards impressively closely. They do this, too, without ending up looking drab or washed out, as can be the case with the Filmmaker Mode on LCD TVs with less impressive ‘native’ screen talents.

As part of our C7K tests, we ran it side by side with the step-up C8K, and we were startled to see during this head to head that the C7K’s colours actually look slightly richer and more rounded in its Standard preset than they do on the C8K – perhaps because the C7K’s slightly reduced brightness versus the more expensive C8K doesn’t put its Quantum Dot colour system under quite so much strain.

The head-to-head also shows, though, that the 65C8K delivers slightly more effective colours in its Movie and Filmmaker Modes than the C7K.

The excellent subtlety of the C7K’s light and colour handling helps it deliver impressive sharpness with native 4K sources, while the latest AiPQ processor also upscales HD sources to the screen’s 4K pixel count very handily, adding sharpness and density without exaggerating noise or creating significant unwanted processing side effects.

The C7K retains its clarity excellently when required to handle 24fps motion too, suffering pleasingly little with either hardware judder or resolution loss over moving objects.

There are a couple of niggles with the C7K’s pictures to report. A small patch of yellowish colour sometimes creeps in just below the middle of the top black bar when watching wide aspect ratio films (though we suspect this might be an isolated issue with our review sample), and occasionally, slightly too much detail is revealed in dark areas, revealing faint traces of noise along with the ‘correct’ shading information.

That’s basically it on the negative front, though. The 65-inch C7K is, overall, every bit as excellent a performer for its money as every other 2025 TCL TV that has come through our doors so far.

Sound quality

As with the C8K, the C7K’s audio isn’t quite as all-round brilliant as its pictures. The new Bang & Olufsen influence is enjoyably evident both in the extremely clean and prolific detailing the speakers present with good film soundtrack mixes, and in the way it can hit trebles other TVs cannot reach without sounding whiny or harsh.

The midrange is nice and open, too, providing plenty of room for soundtracks to ebb and flow, as well as helping vocals sound well-rounded and reasonably contextual.

The main problem is that the speakers don’t lean into low frequencies as enthusiastically and effectively as they deal with the higher end of the spectrum. So bass doesn’t reach as deep as trebles reach high, and what bass there is is delivered a bit too politely. This results in a slightly treble-heavy presentation where background and ambient sound effects can sometimes draw more of your attention than they should.

Exceptionally dense soundtrack moments, such as the swelling score during the extreme close-up of an eye opening near the start of Blade Runner 2049, sound slightly more swallowed and condensed than they do on the more powerful C8K, and very deep and extended bass sounds also exhibit a little chuffing and buzzing interference that the 65C8K typically avoids.

Despite these niggles, though, the C7K’s sound is good overall for a TV in its price range. It’s just not quite as good as that of its step-up sibling, and leaves room for improvement next time round.

Verdict

TCL has done it again. The C7K follows the C8K and C6KS in scarcely putting a foot wrong – and once again it does so at a price that also makes it outstanding value.

SCORES:

Picture 5

Sound 4

Features 4

ALSO CONSIDER:

• TCL C8K review
• Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini LED review
• LG QNED93 review

This week Dolby dropped a big bombshell for home cinema fans when it unexpectedly launched the second version of its Dolby Vision HDR standard.

And yes, we get that not all of us get butterflies in our stomach talking about high dynamic range tech, but for cinephiles and movie fans, this is a huge deal for two key reasons.

First, Dolby Vision is something of a darling among movie fans and filmmakers as well as streaming services / distributors. Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ and more all use it to offer subscribers a better, more dynamic experience when playing compatible content.

So much so that many TVs, especially in the upper end of the OLED market, have specialist Bright and Dark Dolby Vision picture modes, tailored to make the most of the standard. So it’s a pretty big deal that will impact picture quality, even if you don’t know your TV is using it.

Second, because Dolby is making some pretty bold claims about Vision 2’s performance improvements. These include claims about fixing the black crush issue we sometimes experience running Dolby Vision content while testing home cinema hardware, as well as improved motion processing and tone mapping.

These are all key things that, if done well, should make for a truly great home cinema experience when paired with hardware capable of doing justice to the source – at least based on our positive experience watching “good” Dolby Vision content on current sets, such as the five-star Sony Bravia 8 II featured in our best OLED TV guide.

But, there was one big fly in the ointment. Specifically, Dolby and many TV manufacturers are being very coy when it comes to giving any specifics on how Dolby Vision 2 works, what the actual improvements are and which TVs will be able to run it.

Which is why we pulled out our Rolodex and called every Dolby contact we could, eager to get answers straight from the horse’s mouth.

Here’s what they told us.

How is it Dolby Vision 2 different from Dolby Vision?

The first big question we had is how the standard is better at a technical level than its predecessor. These included questions about if it has a higher peak brightness – which would be mad, as Dolby Vision already caps at 10,000 nits, which is way higher than normal TV can go, outside of a few very targeted exceptions – or if and how it will impact things such as colour volume and black detail.

On this topic, Dolby flagged a new suite of tools and technologies designed to help creatives and home cinema hardware companies deliver a more “authentic” experience as the new standard’s key “upgrades”, telling us:

“The core containers of the Dolby Vision signal, such as maximum luminance or bit depth, have not fundamentally changed. What has changed with Dolby Vision 2 is a new set of tools for creators to better bridge the grading suite to the living room, and a new set of high-performance features on the TV to deliver a more authentic and captivating image.”

Dolby listed delivering a more accurate “as the director intended” experience, where the picture is as close as possible to that which left the film studio’s editing room, at a source level, as the main goal of the tech.

“Dolby Vision 2 is not an AI TV post-processing feature. Dolby Vision 2 is an evolution of the Dolby Vision ecosystem that leverages new improvements in content creation, encoding, TV software, and TV hardware,” Dolby said.

“We are building new creative tools that will use in-house AI image analysis to assist creatives in utilising this capability efficiently in the colour grading suite, as well as performing image analysis in the Dolby Vision delivery pipeline (which is a tool available to services) to guide the Dolby Image Engine to eliminate artifacts when that signal hits your living room,” it said.

It added that the focus on giving creators tools to fine-tune their work makes it fundamentally different to the post-production “AI” picture modes appearing on many modern TVs, as its goal is to deliver the source accurately, not trying to “improve” it with after-the-fact processing.

“The use of image analysis has allowed us to expand the capabilities of Dolby Vision to maximise the capabilities of both mainstream and high-performing panels, all while preserving creative intent. It should be noted that our use of image analysis in both creative tools and the distribution pipeline is vastly different to ‘AI picture modes’ or other single-ended TV post-processing solutions, which work in a vacuum without an understanding of creative intent,” it stated.

In keeping with this, Dolby revealed there will even be a new "reference mode" for “enthusiasts”.

“One final point, Dolby Vision 2 includes both a mode that best utilizes the entire technology stack to deliver pictures that are spellbinding and authentic and fully adapted to the TV’s capability and environment, in addition to a reference mode for enthusiasts with well-controlled environments, as well as offering them new device calibration features,” they said.

How exactly the reference mode works remains unclear, but it sounds very similar to the standard Filmmaker Mode that is an increasingly common sight on most TVs, which aims to turn off all superfluous background processing, in a bid to offer a more authentic picture.

Of course, the difference between this Dolby Vision 2 reference mode and a typical Filmmaker Mode is that it will still take advantage of Dolby Vision's dynamic metadata, as well as any of the new Dolby Vision 2 processing added in the mastering suite.

What it will presumably remove from the full Dolby Vision 2 implementation is the on-TV processing, such as the adaptation to ambient lighting conditions.

Will it work on any existing TVs?

When asked if the tech will work on any existing TVs, Dolby told us that any current Dolby Vision-capable set will be able to play Vision 2 content – it just won’t benefit from the Dolby Vision 2 upgrades. It sounds as if it will simply perform as standard Dolby Vision does currently.

“It’s also important to note that content that makes use of these capabilities [is] backwards compatible with existing TVs in [the] market – these TVs simply ignore the new metadata sent with the signal,” Dolby said.

This, coupled with the answer we got from Philips earlier this week, indicates the new standard will require specific panel technology and chipsets to work.

We don’t have all the details yet, but a mysterious, unnamed Hisense set is confirmed to be the first to come with Dolby Vision 2.

During the launch, Dolby was very specific in highlighting that it has a next-generation RGB Mini LED panel and custom MediaTek Pentonic 800 with “MiraVision Pro” PQ Engine chip that has been built for Dolby Vision 2.

Sadly, when we pressed for more details, Dolby was fairly vague on specific hardware requirements and when the new sets will appear, telling us:

“Today, our focus is on unveiling this latest innovation and ecosystem to the industry. Timing and availability of new TVs will come at a later date from our TV partners.”

What’s the difference between Dolby Vision 2 and Dolby Vision 2 Max?

The next big question we had is regarding what the new “Max” tier is, and how it will be different to the base Dolby Vision 2 standard.

Here, Dolby was clear, describing it as the ultimate experience, and clarifying that it will need certified “Max ready" displays and hardware to work, but adding that it is not tied to paywalls.

“Dolby Vision 2 Max vs Dolby Vision 2 are the branding tiers consumers would see on the televisions and signify what features are supported. This has nothing to do with your streaming service tier,” it said.

“Dolby Vision 2 and Dolby Vision 2 Max feature new metadata [that] creatives and services can now add to their content that unlocks these new capabilities. This new metadata is embedded in the content (not gated by your subscription) and would play back on TVs capable of decoding this new metadata (i.e. a Dolby Vision 2 capable display).”

Dolby also confirmed many of the more interesting new technologies mentioned at launch will be specific to the Max tier.

“The best way to think about the two tiers is that Dolby Vision 2 Max includes capabilities designed to unlock the full capabilities and best picture quality on the highest performing TVs. This includes capabilities such as bi-directional tone mapping, Authentic Motion, Light Sense, and more advanced tools tailored for enthusiasts,” they said.

“What we are really excited about is that Dolby Vision 2 brings a dramatically improved picture to mainstream TVs, delivering on the core capabilities that are the backbone of this new innovation (like Content Intelligence and the new Dolby Imagine Engine).”

Off the back of this, our next set of questions focused on the new “Max” features and technologies, and how they work.

How is Light Sense different from Dolby Vision IQ?

One of the first of these new technologies is Light Sense, which aims to optimise picture quality based on the viewing area’s ambient lighting conditions.

At first glance, this sounds very similar to Dolby’s existing Vision IQ tech. Dolby clarified the tech isn’t “new” but instead is a consolidation and evolution of IQ’s existing capabilities into Dolby Vision 2, telling us:

“We are reimagining and improving features like Light Sense, which was always a part of Dolby Vision IQ, and these new Light Sense capabilities will be part of Dolby Vision 2 Max. Over time, Dolby Vision 2 will replace Dolby Vision and Dolby Vision IQ as partners migrate to this new platform," Dolby said.

How does bi-directional tone mapping work?

Bi-directional tone mapping is a bigger change to Dolby’s HDR platform, which the movie-tech powerhouse claims is a significant improvement on Vision’s existing powers.

“Traditionally [tone mapping] meant taking an image from a brighter reference display and rendering it to a display with lower luminance and colour volume. That’s tone mapping. For the first time, Dolby Vision 2 will allow content creators to define how content is tone mapped to displays with capabilities that are either below or above the capabilities of the reference monitor,” Dolby explained.

“That’s bi-directional tone mapping. Think of this as an improved and more intelligent ‘Bright Mode’ that works in conjunction with all the features of Content Intelligence to deliver the most spellbinding and authentic image experience based on the content and your device.”

What is Authentic Motion?

Authentic Motion is the final key feature that caught our attention during Dolby Vision 2’s launch, with our TV and AV editor, Tom Parsons, pointing out it looks very similar to the TrueCut Motion tech used in a number of modern films, including Nobody 2, Kung Fu Panda 4 and Jurassic World Rebirth.

TrueCut works to give filmmakers more granular control of framerates. This includes the ability to raise the framerate above 24fps – which nearly all films are shot at – to make panning and fast paced action shots look smoother, or more natural, without impacting the film’s “traditional” cinematic feel, or unintentionally adding the dreaded soap opera effect.

From what Dolby has told us, Tom was on the money as Authentic Motion sounds very similar.

“What’s exciting about Authentic Motion is that it’s part of our broader effort to expand Dolby Vision beyond the benefits of just HDR and we are solving the challenges of unwanted judder that can occur on certain shots of 24-frame content, such as pans with bright backgrounds – especially as TVs are increasingly bigger and brighter,” Dolby explained.

“This new feature leverages Content Intelligence to help the creator identify potential trouble areas in a scene and then allow them to adjust a specific amount of de-judder for those shots or scenes only that they feel best matches the look of what they are trying to convey. It is driven by artist intent and can/will only be used on the shots they feel really need it and only at the amount they believe is needed, striking the perfect balance for the creatives and the viewers.”

Are you excited about Dolby Vision 2? Or are you concerned you’ve just bought an expensive TV that won’t get it? Or, do you not give a monkey's about the new tech? Let us know in the comments below, or on our social media pages.

Also, feel free to drop any follow-up questions you have in the same place, and we’ll get back to Dolby and try and get them answers (no swears please).

MORE:

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UPDATE:

We have now heard from our TCL contact, but they were unfortunately not able to give us any additional information on the TV Robyn saw at IFA, or TCL's Dolby Vision 2 plans.

That might change after the TCL press event, which is about to take place.

For now, I think the only conclusion that can be safely drawn is that TCL will at some point launch Dolby Vision 2 TVs.

Whether the specific TV on TCL's IFA stand is a current model, a prototype, or simply a kind of placeholder is still a mystery.

More as we get it, and you can read the original story below.

IFA 2025 is just kicking off, and our roving reporter, Robyn Quick, is on the ground, hunting down (among other things) anything Dolby Vision 2-related.

And we've just had our first hit, because on TCL's stand is a 98-inch TV, mounted to a wall and surrounded by logos, including a very bold one for 'Dolby Vision 2.0'. You can see this in the photo above.

Robyn is struggling to get much in the way of additional info on the TV – TCL's own stand staff seem curiously unsure about it – but one member of staff did tell her that it's a C8K.

Given the slight uncertainty of the TCL staff on the ground, we're beavering away to try to get official confirmation and more details, but this would be pretty huge news if it turned out to be true.

Firstly, the only manufacturer confirmed in Dolby's press release as supporting Dolby Vision 2 was Hisense.

It's not at all surprising that other manufacturers will also be supporting it, but it's good to get apparent confirmation of TCL's involvement so early.

Much more interesting, though, is that the TCL C8K is a current, 2025 TV (here's our TCL C8K review). And it's a Quantum Dot Mini LED model at that.

The reason this is so interesting is that the steer we got from Philips yesterday was that new, 2026 hardware would probably be required to get Dolby Vision 2 support.

If the TV Robyn saw is indeed a C8K, it would suggest that this isn't necessarily the case, and that some existing TVs may get Dolby Vision 2 support, presumably through a software update.

Dolby's press release also made several mentions of RGB Mini LED, suggesting that Dolby Vision 2's upgrades are primarily aimed at TVs using this as-yet-unavailable, next-gen panel tech.

While that may still be true, TCL is certainly suggesting with this TV on its IFA stand that current Mini LED tech can also benefit from Dolby Vision 2.

As you can tell, we still have lots of questions, firstly regarding this specific TCL TV (including whether it really is the C8K), but also about Dolby Vision 2 in general.

What Hi-Fi? Editor-in-Chief Alastair Stevenson is currently working up a story based on some answers we've received from Dolby overnight. That will be live on the site shortly.

And I will update this story with answers from TCL once I've received them.

MORE:

Dolby Vision 2 unveiled: AI-powered picture optimisation, creator controls, and more

Want Dolby Vision 2? Our sources suggest you will need to buy a new TV

OLED support, how it works and more – 4 big questions we have about Dolby Vision 2

It’s taken us a long time to get to the Samsung S95F, the Korean brand’s fourth-generation QD-OLED TV.

Earlier review samples were pre-production sets, which we won’t review, and the first full production samples arrived at a time of heavy congestion in our test rooms.

It’s actually the last of the big four 2025 flagship OLED TVs that we’ve reviewed, which is great for us from a benchmarking point of view, but potentially challenging for Samsung, which probably would have preferred to be compared with last year’s sets than its fellow next-gen OLED rivals.

Actually, though, it’s an added challenge to which the S95F is more than capable of rising. This is arguably the very best all-round TV that Samsung has ever produced, and a strong candidate for TV of the year.

Price

The 65-inch Samsung S95F we have before us today launched at a price of £3399 / $3300 / AU$5299.

Prices have now fallen somewhat, and at the time of testing, you can buy the TV for a significantly reduced £2699 / $2800 / AU$4299.

Samsung and LG tend to duke it out on price rather unsubtly, particularly where premium models are concerned, so it’s little surprise to find that the LG G5 – the Samsung S95F’s main rival – is available for precisely the same price.

What is surprising is how uncharacteristically aggressive Sony has been on the pricing of its Bravia 8 II, which features the same QD-OLED panel technology as the Samsung S95F. Said TV is only a little more expensive than its Korean rivals in the US and Australia, and actually cheaper in the UK.

Of course, prices for all of these TVs will fluctuate, and your buying decision will be influenced by the comparative pricing at the time of purchase. For the purposes of our review, though, we’re going to consider the TVs to be priced the same.

One final note on model numbers: in the UK, the S95F's full model number is QE65S95F ('E' for 'Europe'); in the US, it's QN65S95F ('N' for 'North America'); and in Australia, it's QA65S95F ('A' for, we believe, 'Australasia').

Design

The S95F looks practically identical to its S95D predecessor, and that’s no bad thing, because no rival TV is better looking.

Key to the S95F’s attractiveness is its uniform 1.1cm thickness and premium metal shell. The LG G5 might look like a picture frame, but we would argue that the even-thinner S95F looks even better when hung on the wall.

Samsung has ‘cheated’ to achieve this exceptional thinness, though, by making the S95F, like its predecessors, a One Connect TV.

This means that the processing, connections and power are all housed in a separate One Connect box. This is then connected to the display via a single cable.

In fact, there are two cables in the box – a 2.5m one that allows the One Connect box to be placed out of sight or in a nook (though do make sure it’s ventilated), and a much shorter one for use when the One Connect box is mounted to the rear of the pedestal stand.

That pedestal stand is premium to a fault, in that it’s very heavy, but it does give the TV a very solid base while also being low profile enough to allow a typical soundbar to lie over it.

As is Samsung’s way, the S95F comes with two remotes in the box. One is the sort of old-school black zapper that you would have got with a Samsung set more than a decade ago, while the other is the Solar Cell remote that the brand introduced a few years back.

We appreciated the latter’s solar panel, which can keep the built-in battery topped up using room lighting, but its small size and plasticky feel are disappointing, as is its lack of backlighting.

Features

The S95F uses the latest QD-OLED panel technology, which Samsung claims allows the TV to go 30 per cent brighter than its S95D predecessor.

There has also been an upgrade to the anti-glare coating, which is great for suppressing reflections, particularly when compared with the relatively glossy panels of the LG G5 and Panasonic Z95B.

This matte screen does result in raised blacks when viewing in a bright room, but if you take your viewing seriously enough to notice such things, you probably also take it seriously enough to dim your lights. You certainly won’t notice the issue when watching sports, which tend to be bright across the whole display.

As well as being brighter than its predecessor, the S95F’s panel is also faster, with a maximum refresh rate of 165Hz, up from 144Hz on the S95D. While this will only be of use to PC gamers with exceptionally capable rigs right now, as consoles max out at 120Hz, there's no telling what the future holds.

Staying with gaming, the S95F features four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets, all of which support signals up to 4K/165Hz, plus VRR and ALLM. There is also the option to stream games using the built-in Tizen operating system, with Samsung's partnerships with huge gaming brands such as Xbox and Nvidia extending into 2025.

One of our favourite AI features from last year's QN900D 8K TV has trickled down to the S95F courtesy of the new NQ4 AI Gen 3 processor. AI Upscaling Pro is now featured on Samsung's 4K models for the first time, which should sharpen up finer details and remove visual imperfections such as jagged lines and fuzzy textures.

HDR support comes in the form of HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG. As ever with Samsung, though, Dolby Vision isn’t supported. Samsung will argue that its own HDR10+ format is just as good as (better than, for that matter!) Dolby Vision, but we disagree – the two formats are alike in their utilisation of contrast-boosting dynamic metadata, but Dolby Vision goes further by also offering as-the-creator-intended settings for colour and sharpness.

While Dolby Vision HDR isn’t supported, Dolby Atmos audio thankfully is, and it's delivered via a 70W, 4.2.2-channel speaker system and Samsung's proprietary OTS+ technology.

The Tizen operating system is slowly finding its way back from the heavily user-unfriendly ‘upgrade’ it received a few years ago, but it still takes a good period of getting used to in terms of finding features and functions. It's flawlessly well-equipped with streaming apps, though, and every service is delivered in the highest quality possible, notwithstanding the aforementioned lack of Dolby Vision.

One slightly divisive feature of the S95F’s OS is the Daily Board, which essentially acts like the ‘ambient’ modes of other modern premium TVs. This displays wallpapers and live information such as news headlines and the weather, and it can be programmed to activate when the TV senses a person entering the room. This will be very appealing to some people and a huge turnoff for others, but it can, of course, be literally turned off.

Picture

As with most TVs, the Samsung S95F’s default settings make a very poor first impression.

The Eco mode that the TV defaults to with HDR content is very weird – way brighter than you would expect an Eco mode to be, and overly bright all around. The motion processing is horrible, too.

The Movie mode is also overegged, pumping brightness and colours up to slightly gaudy degrees, and still with occasionally unpleasant motion processing. With a few tweaks, this could work well for bright room viewing, but it’s not the nicely extra-punchy accurate preset that you get from the Sony Bravia 8 II’s Cinema preset.

Switch to Filmmaker Mode, though, and the S95F is superb. The only tweaks you might want to make are to the motion processing, as some people might prefer to smooth out the small amount of judder that’s present by default. Just be warned that this judder can’t be removed entirely without adding at least a whiff of the soap opera effect. There’s no Goldilocks motion setting as there is with the Sony Bravia 8 II.

For viewing in a brighter room, we recommend sticking with Filmmaker Mode and switching the HDR Tone Mapping from Static to Active, rather than switching to the Movie preset. This adjustment is also recommended for people who simply want a bit of extra pop at the expense of a small amount of authenticity.

Set up in Filmmaker Mode, it’s remarkable how close the Samsung S95F gets to the Sony Bravia 8 II – a TV that we felt might have set an unmatchable benchmark for its 2025 rivals.

The punch and vibrancy of the colours are stunning, and this combines with the brilliant brightness of the new panel to create an image that really pops, particularly when viewing bright content, such as Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Kingpin’s dimension-melding machine springs into life in gloriously vivid fashion, and the explosion that follows is dazzling in the best possible way. With this sort of content, the Samsung S95F is even more impressive than the Sony Bravia 8 II.

With more grounded content, it becomes clear that the S95F is very slightly exaggerating its colours, particularly reds, and as we switch between several of our test favourites in 4K HDR10, such as Civil War, Tenet and No Time To Die, we notice that skin tones often look a little more flushed than they should.

This really is slight, though, and will likely prove barely noticeable when watching the TV in isolation, but the side-by-side comparison proves that the Sony is subtly more balanced. Some people may, in fact, prefer the S95F’s delivery, choosing to sacrifice a sliver of authenticity for a nice boost to vibrancy.

Colours are consistent from the darkest to the brightest parts of the image, too – an inherent advantage of the QD-OLED technology of the S95F and its Sony contemporary, with the Primary RGB Tandem OLED LG G5 and Panasonic Z95B proving to be slightly less vibrant and slightly less consistent at the extremes.

The S95F also delivers every 4K movie we throw at it with stunning sharpness and detail. While the Sony Bravia 8 II just has the edge in terms of solidity and perceived three-dimensionality, the Samsung gets remarkably close, delivering an image that’s super-crisp and deep without any sense of exaggeration or artificiality.

While the Samsung S95F has very few genuine flaws where picture quality is concerned, there is one that’s notable: black crush. This is where the darkest shadow details are lost to pure black. This extra blackness helps make the image look super-solid and dynamic, but it means that some of the subtlety in dark scenes is lost.

The Sony Bravia 8 II is the new master in this area, trumping all of its rivals for dark gradation, but it’s telling that the S95F is also behind the LG G5 in this regard, and the G5 has some slight black crush of its own.

This isn’t a huge flaw by any means – we’re talking about the finest, most subtle shadow details – but it is one way in which there’s a clear performance hierarchy.

For what it’s worth, you can adjust the S95F’s approach to shadow detail, using the cunningly titled Shadow Detail setting, but while this does reveal a little more dark detail, it also slightly raises the black floor so that heavy black scenes (the deep space opening of Alien: Romulus, for example) look very slightly grey.

This still doesn’t get the S95F to the Sony’s level of shadow detail recovery anyway, so our recommendation is simply to leave the Shadow Detail setting alone.

Dropping down from 4K HDR to 1080p SDR with a stream of The Usual Suspects from the Apple TV app proves that the S95F is a very accomplished upscaler. The delivery is clean and controlled, without all of the lovely, authentic film grain having been removed, and the contrast and colours are nicely balanced, with only a smidge of black crush and over-saturation.

Sound

In some ways, the S95F sounds pretty impressive for such a thin TV with an invisible (from the front) speaker system.

There’s significantly more bass than one would expect, a generally balanced tonal range, clear dialogue, and a soundstage that extends fairly effectively beyond the TV's side and top edges.

It certainly sounds better than the LG G5, particularly if you keep the volume low.

But the S95F is a rather quiet TV, and you find yourself having to pump up the volume in an effort to unlock some drama. Unfortunately, this adds stress to the system, and you get quite a lot of buzz from several of the speakers during loud and/or weighty sections of a movie.

The louder the set goes, the more fuzz and crackle it produces. And not just in huge explosive moments, either. The music that plays in the background while The Protagonist trains inside a wind turbine in Tenet isn’t what you would typically think of as challenging, but the Samsung becomes a mess of fuzz.

This fuzz creeps in long before the TV has hit a satisfying volume level, too.

There are a few sound settings and features that you can change, but none that solve the problem. In fact, they add new problems of their own.

Switching the Sound Mode from Standard to Amplify is akin to pushing the Loudness button on an old bit of hi-fi and, as we’ve established, loudness is the S95F’s biggest sonic problem.

In the AI menus, meanwhile, you will find Active Voice Amplifier Pro and Adaptive Sound Pro.

Active Voice Amplifier Pro is best avoided unless you’re really struggling with dialogue intelligibility, as it seems to narrow and thin the sound in a way that isn’t pleasant at all.

Adaptive Sound Pro, meanwhile, initially seems quite impressive, given how it boosts bass and treble, but it results in a rather uneven presentation with an over-aggressive top end.

So while the S95F’s built-in sound system is fine for everyday TV, it’s not up to the task of delivering a satisfying movie experience. That said, while rivals such as the Sony Bravia 8 II and Panasonic Z95B sound significantly better, all of these sets really demand to be partnered with a dedicated sound system, so the Samsung’s deficiencies here aren’t enough to cost it a star in its overall rating.

Verdict

Sound aside, the Samsung S95F is every bit the five-star stunner.

Vibrant, punchy and more crisp than a lifetime’s supply of Walkers Max, it’s a thrilling TV to live with and use, yet it also continues Samsung’s trajectory in producing more balanced and cinematically authentic TVs.

For picture quality, the Sony Bravia 8 II still has the edge. The S95F isn’t quite as realistic in its colours, it doesn’t dig up quite as much shadow detail, it isn’t quite as three-dimensional, and its motion processing isn’t quite as accomplished.

It’s very close in every one of those regards, though, and there are many who will gladly accept these tiny, relative flaws in order to get the far sexier design and four HDMI 2.1 sockets.

SCORES

• Picture 5
• Sound 3
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Sony Bravia 8 II

Also consider the LG G5

Read our Panasonic Z95B review

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget LED sets tried and tested

There are lots of questions we all have about Dolby Vision 2, the new HDR format announced yesterday.

After all, while the press release was long, it was packed with buzzwords and feature names but very little in the way of hard detail.

Naturally, the one question that's popping up in our inbox and on our forums more than any other is: "Will I need to buy a new TV to get Dolby Vision 2?"

Well, we have news, and it's not promising.

We've contacted Dolby itself and every major TV manufacturer with a load of questions about Dolby Vision 2, including that one.

And while most brands have said they will get back to us in time, one of them, Philips, has replied with a very interesting tidbit.

Here's what our Philips contact said:

"I can only confirm at this stage that Dolby Vision 2 will be included on sets from the Philips 2026 TV range, but I can’t identify which models yet – though I can confirm older sets cannot be updated to include Dolby Vision 2."

It is, of course, not surprising to learn that Philips will be adopting the new Dolby Vision format, as the brand has been a driving force in HDR ever since its inception.

What is perhaps a little more surprising – and certainly disappointing – is that Dolby Vision 2 seemingly won't be supported by TVs manufactured before 2026.

Now, it's important to note that this response officially applies only to Philips TVs, and it certainly doesn't mean for sure that other brands won't be able to add Dolby Vision 2 to TVs that are already on sale.

But, given how forward-looking Philips is in terms of TV technology, and how powerful its flagship TVs tend to be, my thinking is that if Philips can't add Dolby Vision 2 to its current models, it's unlikely that other brands will be able to.

I could well be wrong, and perhaps we'll get some pleasant surprise announcements at IFA 2025, which is kicking off in Berlin pretty much as we speak, but my expectation now is that if you want Dolby Vision 2, you will have to wait and buy a new TV in 2026.

If that turns out to be true, it's going to be a big disappointment to people who have recently forked out for a new TV, particularly a flagship OLED model.

But if you are one of those people, I would like to remind you that we currently know very, very little about Dolby Vision 2.

So far, we have just vague promises of better shadow detail, improved motion and more AI. None of that guarantees that Dolby Vision 2 will actually be good.

We also don't know how Dolby Vision 2 will be delivered. Will it be streamed, or on discs? And will you need new source hardware to play it?

What I'm saying is that Dolby Vision 2 might not turn out to be much of an upgrade (assuming it's an upgrade at all), and it could be a very long time before compatible content is available.

So don't fall out with your lovely current TV just yet. It was great before yesterday's announcement, and it's still great now.

That said, I wouldn't buy a fancy new TV this week. IFA will hopefully bring with it some more Dolby Vision 2 details, and then we can all decide on whether it might be worth waiting for.

We will bring you all of the Dolby Vision 2 news as we get it.

MORE:

Here's our Dolby Vision 2 news story

4 big questions we have about Dolby Vision 2

These are the best TVs you can buy right now

Editor's Note 04/09/25: We've since had a lot of these questions answered by Dolby. You can read our full interview here.

Surprise! Dolby Vision 2 is here! That’s essentially a summary of the What Hi-Fi? home cinema team’s morning, and an accurate description of how the second generation of one of the world's most popular HDR standards was unveiled.

For those who missed it, there is plenty to get excited about. Dolby is promising all-round upgrades that will improve everything from dark detail, thanks to its new Precision Black feature, to motion control, thanks to its new Authentic Motion feature.

If even a fraction of these promises ring true when we get our hands on content mastered to the standard and can watch it on a compatible TV, Dolby Vision 2 could be a huge deal for home cinema enthusiasts as well as movie fans in general.

Going through the press release and details Dolby has released thus far, however, TV and AV editor Tom Parsons and I were left with a few key questions…

1. Which TVs will support Dolby Vision 2?

The first and most basic question we have is which TVs are getting it? In the release, the only information we’ve been given is that Hisense is the launch partner for the standard. But even then, we haven’t been given specific models.

All we have been told is that the new sets will feature the next-generation RGB-MiniLED panel tech we first saw at CES 2025, and will be powered by a custom MediaTek Pentonic 800 with “MiraVision Pro” PQ Engine chipset – the purported first to integrate Dolby Vision 2. Sadly, even for these sets, even a vague indication of price and availability has not been given.

2. Is Dolby Vision 2 backwards compatible?

This leads to our second question: can any existing TVs be upgraded to support it, or is it going to be available only on next-generation sets with new chipsets optimised for Dolby Vision 2?

The short release indicates Dolby Vision 2 will require upgraded hardware to run, which would probably be an annoyance for any buyer who just spent thousands on a flagship OLED such as the five-star Sony Bravia 8 II, LG G5 and Panasonic Z95B.

It would be pretty annoying if these sets were already out of date, considering how mainstream the first-generation Dolby Vision standard is. The HDR format is seen with various 4K content on common streaming platforms, including Netflix, Apple TV Plus and Disney+.

We have asked Dolby for clarification on this point and reached out to TV manufacturers to confirm their plans for Dolby Vision 2.

3. How does Dolby Vision 2 actually work?

Dolby has also been fairly quiet about how the new technology actually works, and what specific performance improvements it will bring outside of very broad strokes.

For example, all we know about its new Precision Black feature is that it is designed to ensure greater clarity and ensure images don’t look too dark when watching Dolby Vision content.

But there is no technical detail on how it actually does this, outside a vague “better AI and processing” via new Content Intelligence and Next-Gen Dolby Image Engine toolkits – for which technical information is lacking.

The same is true about its new Light Sense feature, which promises to optimise compatible TVs' performance based on viewing conditions. Sound familiar? It should: Dolby Vision IQ has a similar goal. Again, Dolby promises improvements on this via Dolby Vision 2 but hasn’t revealed how they are being made.

4. What’s the difference between Dolby Vision 2 and Dolby Vision Max?

A further complication is that there are two new “tiers” of Dolby Vision: Dolby Vision 2 and Dolby Vision Max.

The only clarifying information Dolby has given is that Max “delivers the best picture on the highest performing TVs” and will have “additional premium features”.

We have reached out to Dolby for answers on all of the above and will update our coverage the moment we hear back.

In the meantime, make sure to get in touch on our social media pages, the comments section of this article, or directly using our shared whathifi@futurenet.com email address with any questions you have about Dolby Vision 2.

We’ll do our absolute best to get them answered!

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These are the best TVs we have tested

We had an opening look at Sony's first RGB Mini LED TV

I first watched Alien 32 years ago. I'm 43 now, which means that, yes, I was indeed just 11 years old when I got my first horrific taste of H. R. Giger's glorious xenomorph.

I blame my school friend Owen and his mum's very relaxed approach to parenting.

But despite (or perhaps because of) the nightmares, I was instantly obsessed with the series, and I think I must have watched Aliens at least once every year since then.

It's that second movie that's my favourite. I appreciate that Alien is more worthy, and objectively probably the better movie, but Aliens is just more fun and faster-paced, and that makes it more rewatchable, at least for me.

I actually like all of the movies, with the exception of Alien 3, which is just so infuriatingly dull. Yes, I have seen both cuts, and I maintain that they're both pants.

The others are all flawed. Very flawed in the case of Resurrection. But they each also have strengths, from Resurrection's high-octane action scenes to Prometheus's fascinating world-building and Covenant's creep and gore.

And I love Romulus. I could absolutely do without some of the more overt callbacks (I physically squirmed when android Andy said that famous line of Ripley's), but it's a lot of fun, and that finale is so incredibly tense.

Needless to say, I was very excited about Alien: Earth, the very first Alien TV show, which is available through Disney Plus in the UK.

Well, three episodes in (I'll be watching episode four tonight), it's delivering on almost all counts.

There's the gore (the eyeball alien-infected cat, the costume party rampage) and the stressful intensity (Morrow's escape in episode one, Joe being stalked by the xenomorph) for which the franchise is renowned, but there are also new concepts, such as the new hybrids and cyborgs, and we get to see how Earth became the "sh*thole" that Ron Perlman told us about in Resurrection.

But while I'm very much enjoying the content of Alien: Earth, I'm finding the presentation a bit of a letdown.

I've got no complaints about the picture, which is delivered in Dolby Vision in crisp, contrasty and detailed fashion, at least by the standards of streamed TV.

But the audio is lacking. Firstly, and most obviously, the soundtrack is delivered in Dolby Digital 5.1 rather than Dolby Atmos.

For a flagship, blockbuster sci-fi show in 2025 to be delivered without Atmos is baffling, and we know from experience that the threatening atmosphere of the Alien movies is vastly enhanced by 3D audio.

5.1-channel audio can still sound great, though, and the sound designers have done a good job of delivering an atmospheric surround sound experience, with creepy effects coming at you from all angles.

The problem is that there's a distinct lack of dynamics.

This is most noticeable in the series' trademark screechy soundtrack moments, which leap from the score in the movies and make your heart stop for a second.

They have, of course, been deployed for the TV series, but they don't so much leap from the score as blend into it, to the extent that you barely notice them.

This lack of dynamic range obviously affects the action sound effects as well, from the alarms in episode one to the pulse rifle fire in episode two. It's all just a bit flat.

The dynamic range isn't stunted enough to entirely spoil my enjoyment, but it combines with the lack of Dolby Atmos to create a sense of missed opportunity.

So much of the fear and intensity of the Alien movies comes from the sound design – the surprising, jarring strings and the feeling that the xenomorph could be anywhere – and the TV show isn't quite on a par in this regard.

One suspects that a decision was made to compress the dynamic range for TV viewing, in much the same way that songs are compressed for the radio, but that would be a real shame if so.

It does perhaps suggest that the eight-episode series will be released on 4K Blu-ray after its run on Disney Plus. Maybe then we will get the dynamic Dolby Atmos soundtrack we deserve.

I should probably wait for that before I finish the series, but I'm afraid there's not much chance of that – I'm just too invested at this point.

MORE:

Here are the best Dolby Atmos scenes to test your system (and impress your friends)

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars you can buy right now

And here are the best surround sound systems

No sooner have we had the chance to be wowed by TCL’s new premium C8K TV than we find ourselves faced with something from much lower down the 2025 pecking order.

With features such as Mini LED lighting, local dimming and universal HDR support to its name, the 50-inch TCL C6KS is arguably just as impressive as its flagship sibling, given its vastly lower price.

Price

The TCL 50C6KS costs, at the time of writing, just £419 in the UK, and $590 in Australia (there isn’t a direct equivalent in the US). This pricing would look very affordable on any 50-inch LCD TV, but we’re heading into potential bargain of the year territory when, as we’ll see, this price isn’t just getting you the stripped-back, ultra-basic TV you’d expect.

Similarly affordable 50-inch TVs are rare. You can now, though, get the latest version of the 50-inch Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED for only a little more. The Amazon set also offers comprehensive HDR support, Quantum Dot colour and local dimming, as well as an Amazon-based smart system that some people may feel more familiar with than the Google TV smarts used on the TCL 50C6KS. Amazon’s set deploys significantly fewer dimming zones than the 50C6KS, though, and does not benefit from Mini LED lighting.

Another very different bargain you could consider would be the Sharp 70GK4245K, which remarkably gives you a 70-inch QLED screen for just £489. It isn’t on the same performance level as the 50-inch C6KS, but there’s nothing around for similar money to match it if screen inches for your buck is your main motivation.

One final note here: the C6KS is not to be confused with the C6K. The model without the ‘S’ is higher-spec (most notably in that it features a 120Hz panel) and doesn’t come in a 50-inch size. It’s also predictably more expensive.

On the subject of sizes, the C6KS is available as a 55-, 65- and 75-inch model, as well as the 50-inch version we have before us today. Backlit TVs can vary greatly in quality as you move up the sizes, though, so it’s best not to assume the larger versions will perform as well as this one.

Design

The 50-inch C6KS looks decently attractive for its money. The frame around the screen is narrow enough not to become a distraction from the picture or take up any more space in your room than necessary, while the shiny black finish of the left, right and top edges looks crisp and contrasts attractively with the glossy silver finish of the bottom edge.

The two feet look a bit plasticky and basic, but their slender profile means they don’t significantly distract you from the screen above.

General build quality is heavy on the plastic, too. But you only really notice this when you’re handling the TV. It’s not obvious just from looking at it from a normal viewing distance.

The set isn’t the slimmest around the back, despite TCL optimistically describing it as having an Ultra Slim Design. But while this slightly deep rear doesn’t make the 50C6KS the most elegant wall-hanging TV option, you won’t notice its chunkiness when it’s sat on its feet unless you watch it from a pretty wide angle.

The C6KS’s remote control feels a bit lightweight, but its long, thin shape, angled rear and gently brushed front edge make it comfortable to hold. Its layout is fairly sensible as well, with good emphasis on the main navigation area and a helpful collection of buttons at the bottom for direct access to some of the most popular video streaming services.

Features

The 50C6KS’s price is arguably its single biggest feature; it’s ridiculously cheap for such a feature-laden and strong-performing TV. But this value component wouldn’t be so strong if its other features didn’t count, too, so let’s get stuck into them – starting with its Mini LED screen.

The Mini LEDs used to illuminate the C6KS are, as their name suggests, many times smaller than the regular LEDs used in most very affordable LCD TVs. This enables TCL’s TV to deliver, on paper at least, both more brightness and more localised light control. What’s more, the 50C6KS backs up its Mini LED lighting with 160 local dimming zones.

Getting any sort of local dimming on a TV this cheap is impressive enough, but getting three figures-worth of dimming zones is unheard of. Though, as ever, it’s not as much about the number of zones, but how they’re used, which we will of course get to in the picture quality section.

The good news continues with the discovery that the C6KS uses a VA-type panel rather than an IPS one – a panel choice that almost always results in better contrast.

In fact, it uses one of TCL’s new HVA panels, which brings a number of enhancements to the table compared with the brand’s equivalent 2024 models. These improvements include wider viewing angles and a suite of new ‘halo control’ innovations designed to minimise the strength and scope of the distracting backlight blooms and leaks that LCD TVs – especially those using local dimming – can throw up around bright highlights when showing HDR pictures.

These halo-reducing tricks include micro lenses in the optical array that are claimed to deliver almost a 19 per cent improvement in halo suppression, a 143 per cent backlight uniformity improvement, and eight times more optical stability.

There are also Quantum Dots in play to help the C6KS deliver a wider colour gamut (TCL claims coverage of 93 per cent of the DCI-P3 colour spectrum used for most HDR mastering) and more colour brightness than regular RGB filter systems can manage.

As noted earlier, the C6KS goes further than many TVs – including some far more expensive ones – in supporting all four of the main HDR formats currently used in the AV world: HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. This means it will always play the best available version of any content you feed it.

This C6KS backs up/unlocks the full potential of its strikingly premium hardware features with TCL’s latest AI-boosted AiPQ processor, while hopes for its audio performance are bolstered by the fact that its 2 x 15W 2.0-channel speaker system has been designed with respected audio brand Onkyo, plus its ability to decode both Dolby Atmos and DTS HD soundtracks.

Smart features are delivered by Google TV, which brings with it the vast majority of the most popular global streaming services. TCL has also gone the extra mile, too, and brought on board separately all the catch-up apps for the UK’s key broadcasters – something Google TV doesn’t manage by itself. Though you don’t get the Freeview Play or Freely ‘umbrella’ apps for UK broadcasters that some other TVs provide.

The Google TV support does bring with it, though, the potential to operate the 50C6KS by talking to it courtesy of Google Assistant.

TCL has established itself as one of the best supporters of gaming on TVs over the past couple of years, so it’s not entirely surprising that even a TV as affordable as the C6KS carries such handy gaming features as TCL’s dedicated Game Bar onscreen menus, ALLM switching, support for the ultra-wide aspect ratios delivered by some PC games, the ability to raise the brightness of dark areas to reveal hiding enemies, and an aiming aid.

There’s even support for VRR – though only up to 60Hz. Yes, that’s right – we’ve stumbled across the one compromise TCL has had to make to keep the 50C6KS so affordable: its screen is a 60Hz one rather than a 100/120Hz one. But so are the screens of practically every other TV selling for around the C6KS’s price.

The 50C6KS’s connections are also marginally compromised versus TCL’s mid-range and premium models in that they only include three HDMI ports rather than four. There are a couple of media-capable USBs alongside those HDMIs, though, and in truth, three HDMIs is pretty par for the course at the sort of price level the C6KS hits.

Picture

If there was a weak point in TCL’s mostly outstanding 2024 range, it was at the equivalent C6 level. The C6KS wastes zero time, though, in proving that TCL isn’t in the mood to make the same mistake twice.

For starters, there’s far less greyness in the 50C6KS’s dark scenes than there was with its predecessors. In fact, black levels are now excellent for a TV at this price point.

This is not just down to the new TV being better at manipulating light in dark scenes to produce deeper black tones, either. These improved black levels also appear to owe a debt to the new HVA panel at the C6KS’s heart, as revealed in particular by the way the screen typically manages to render such an impressive amount of shadow detailing in dark scenes.

The 50C6KS’s much-improved light engine creates precious few backlight blooming distractions either. Even on the rare occasions where a particularly tough, contrast-rich shot does reveal signs of backlight blooming around bright highlights, the halo of extraneous light is invariably faint enough not to count as a remotely serious distraction.

There’s no instability in the 50C6KS’s presentation of very dark scenes, either. We detect neither obvious signs of distracting mid-shot dimming zone adjustments nor any brightness fluctuations during cuts between light and dark shots. And unlike last year’s C6 model, fade to blacks don’t require an obvious ‘full switch off and subsequent full switch on’ of the entire backlighting system.

Making the C6KS’s much-improved handling of dark scenes all the more impressive is the fact that it’s achieved alongside some very impressive brightness for a TV so affordable. In fact, as well as looking two or three times as bright as other similarly priced reference sets we test it against, it gives a fair number of mid-range LCD TVs a run for their brightness money.

The brightness feels very organic to the 50C6KS’s picture, too, by which we mean that, as well as not generally straining the TV’s black levels and local dimming controls, it doesn’t cause the brightest colours to start looking faded or washed out.

The 50C6KS’s colours retain better saturations during very dark shots than we would expect to see with a TV at this level, too, while colour volumes (the combination of saturation and brightness) leave the vast majority of similarly priced TVs looking murky and flat by comparison.

That vibrancy does not come at the expense of subtlety, either. On the contrary, we’re pleasantly surprised by how much refinement and subtle toning the TV retains in areas that are notoriously tricky for affordable TVs, such as skin tones, blue skies, leafy trees and grassy meadows. Nothing feels clumpy or cartoonish.

This has a knock-on effect on the C6KS’s sharpness, joining forces with the strong shadow detail performance to really convince you that you’re looking at 4K images despite this TV sporting a relatively small screen size by today’s standards. Our only warning here would be to not get too carried away with the TCL’s Sharpness Booster feature, as pushing this too high can start to exaggerate grain.

Despite not supporting 120Hz, the C6KS continues TCL’s long run of TV gaming form. The screen’s impressive core 4K sharpness is, if anything, even stronger with gaming graphics than video, while the impressive brightness and contrast for this price level feed into some really punchy game HDR – complete with excellent highlighting that adds to the sense of detail and texture.

Colours are slightly less vibrant in Game mode than they are in, say, the Standard video mode, but tones always look balanced and subtle.

Input lag is a super-fast 9.9ms, too, which is an excellent result by any TV standards.

Inevitably, for a 50-inch TV at this price, the C6KS isn’t perfect. For starters, there’s a little resolution loss over moving objects, especially with 24p movie sources. A few motion processing options are provided, but none of them fully removes the slight motion softness issue.

Next, while the 50C6KS generally handles its impressive brightness well, it can succumb to a little clipping (lost shading details) in some of its brightest highlights.

The Dolby Vision Dark setting, meanwhile, can track a little too dark, resulting in some slight loss of the shadow detail that the TV handles so well in its other picture presets.

We also find that, every now and then, an area of what should be subtle HDR colour blending can suffer from a mild banding effect, and there’s a slight drop off in colour saturation and contrast if you have to watch the screen from a wide angle.

Finally, you need to tweak a few things to get the best out of the 50C6KS. The default Dynamic Tone Mapping system for optimising HDR images to the screen’s capabilities can push highlights a bit high, for instance, so it needs toning down, while colours can look a bit cool out of the box, so you should use the colour settings to add a bit more warmth.

Plus, as we mentioned a moment ago, the default motion processing settings can be a touch heavy-handed.

We can’t stress enough, though, that while the 50C6KS isn’t completely issue-free and needs a little legwork to get the best out of it, there’s nothing in the negative column that’s anywhere near enough to stop this being a TV that spectacularly over-performs for its money.

Sound

It’s nice to find a TV at this price level that supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual X playback – especially as the 50C6KS actually delivers these premium audio formats with more volume and power than expected without the sound breaking down or sounding coarse.

In fact, its sound is extremely detailed. We pick up subtle elements in some Dolby Atmos soundtracks on this TV that other models miss entirely – even many sets costing many times as much.

The sound is projected nicely out from the TV’s chassis, too, spreading comfortably to the left and right but also managing to sound as if it is being propelled forwards from the screen, despite the lack of any front-firing speakers.

The large soundstage combines with a knack for subtle sound details to place sound effects and handle sound transitions around the soundstage with good accuracy and conviction.

Dialogue is clear at all times, and sounds like it’s coming from the onscreen images rather than from speakers below or behind the screen. There are no distortions, buzzes, crackles or dropouts even at near maximum volumes, and there’s a surprising amount of treble headroom to help the TV handle shrill elements without making you wince.

While the freedom from buzzing and crackling issues extends to the 50C6KS’s handling of bass, though, this might in part be down to the fact that there isn’t actually much bass for the TV to handle.

The set’s midrange is reasonably open and expansive, but a lack of significant low-frequency heft can leave dense mixes sounding a bit lopsided in favour of the treble. This can cause a little over-brightness in the treble register and, more rarely, with dialogue.

Finally, while the 50C6KS sounds generally pleasingly punchy for such an affordable TV, its sound can slightly withdraw into itself when faced with Hollywood’s densest, loudest soundtrack moments.

As with its minor list of picture foibles, though, the 50C6KS’s audio limitations don’t stop it from sounding excellent overall for such an affordable TV.

Of course, it’s still not a patch on the sound quality of even the most affordable soundbars, so we recommend that you head to our best budget soundbars page to find a suitable sonic partner.

Verdict

TCL’s latest ultra-affordable TV is even better than its specs suggest and fixes pretty much everything that was wrong with its predecessor.

The price seems like it must be too good to be true – but it isn’t.

SCORES

• Picture 5
• Sound 5
• Features 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Sharp 70GK4245K

Also consider the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget LED sets tried and tested

The Panasonic Z90B 48-inch is a smaller OLED with some serious competition, targeting as it does the five-star 48-inch versions of the LG C5 and Samsung S90F.

To enter the fray with some confidence, it is armed to the teeth with many of the benefits that have made past Panasonic sets fan favourites among What Hi-Fi? readers and a regular sight in our best OLED TV guide. Chief among those is the company’s ongoing focus on delivering “as the director intended” home cinema experiences.

But, is this enough to earn it a recommendation in an increasingly competitive segment of the OLED TV market? Here’s what we found after putting it through its paces in our test rooms.

Price

The 48-inch Panasonic Z90B in our test rooms currently costs £1500. Panasonic TVs haven’t been on sale in Australia for quite some time now, and sadly, despite Panasonic re-launching in the United States last year, the Z90B isn’t included in this year’s US line-up – instead, you can get only the more expensive Z95B or cheaper Z80B OLEDs.

The price means the 48-inch Z90B costs the same as the equivalently sized Samsung S90F and LG C5. All three are a little too new to have had any serious discounts.

If 48 inches isn’t quite right, you can grab the smaller 42-inch Z90B for £1400. Prices then scale up as you increase in size, peaking at £3500 for the largest, 77-inch Z90B option.

Build

The Z90B doesn’t deviate from Panasonic’s past OLED designs. That means there are pluses and minuses.

The sleek TV is thin, making it easy to mount flush to a wall. Unlike the larger models in the Z90B range, which have a circular pedestal, the 48-inch set’s stand is a large rectangle. Sadly, it doesn’t have a swivel mechanism.

While a smaller footprint would be good, it’s a well-made unit. Made of metal, the stand feels very sturdy, and offers no sway or flex during testing – one of our testers describing it as nicely toddler- and pet-proof.

But the speaker bar at its bottom returns. This is effectively a bolted-on soundbar that, Panasonic claims, removes the need to invest in a separate sound system.

Putting aside the fact that we have yet to find a TV where we can agree with such claims, the inclusion is an annoyance if you happen to have a soundbar already.

We have long argued that we would like Panasonic to offer a variant of its top OLEDs without the bar, at a lower price, for those of us who already have a good sound system. But, alas, that isn’t happening this year.

The only visual difference with the Z90B’s speaker bar is that it now has a grey acoustic covering, instead of plain black.

The TV’s remote control is also all but identical to that of past Panasonic OLEDs. It’s a large, clunky remote with shortcuts to all the apps and features you might want, but little else.

There’s no backlight, solar, or USB charging, and it generally feels a little clunky and archaic at this point.

Features

The 48-inch Panasonic Z90B is generally well featured as small OLED TVs go – to the point it goes pound-for-pound in most areas with the 48-inch Samsung S90F and LG C5.

Like all the small step-down OLEDs we have tested this year, the Z90B uses a regular WOLED panel.

The brightness-boosting Micro Lens Array (MLA) tech sported on last year’s Panasonic Z95A is being retired rather than trickling down a price point. The newer Primary RGB Tandem OLED tech that made its debut in January is coming only to the Panasonic Z95B flagship.

However, the Z90B does come with one advantage over its competitors: a heatsink. This is a key feature that we have wanted to see on step-down models – especially small ones – for quite some time. The smaller dimensions and more tightly packed pixels on OLEDs of this size mean the sets can heat up more than their larger siblings, which in turn risks causing performance issues and, in some instances, damage.

Which is why, traditionally, companies are much more conservative with how hard they push smaller OLED sets. Hence the lower brightness and performance differences we usually experience on smaller OLEDs when comparing them with their larger counterparts.

The heatsink in the Z90B, though, should let Panasonic push the panel harder for better performance, all while reducing the risk of burn-in and panel degradation.

The set also features Panasonic’s latest generation HCX Pro AI Processor MKII chipset. This is the same silicon seen in the Z95B and features a similar AI processing focus to all the other TV chips we have seen this year.

The HCX Pro AI Processor MKII comes with Panasonic’s 4K Remaster Engine upscaling and a new Amazon Prime Video Calibrated picture setting – similar to the mode Sony added to its 2024 range. This complements the set’s standard Filmmaker Mode.

As a final perk, the set also continues Panasonic’s partnership with TV calibration specialists Portrait Displays, which means the Z90B can be Calman calibrated with relative ease (providing you have the equipment and technical know-how).

The addition of a Prime Video mode is unsurprising, as the Z90B continues Panasonic’s ongoing cosying up to Amazon – the set once again runs the retail giant’s Fire TV OS. This means you get excellent app support, with Apple TV+, Disney Plus, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and more all present and working correctly.

Specialist services and local catch-ups, including Shudder, Crunchyroll, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Freely and more, all have green ticks. In fact, our only minor quibble is that the interface is still a little ad-heavy and doesn’t always make crystal clear which content is free and which is paid for.

HDR support is excellent. The Z90B supports nearly all four of the common HDR standards: HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.

The inclusion of HDR10+ and Dolby Vision is particularly welcome, as these are rival standards with a similar focus – delivering frame-by-frame optimisations to improve contrast and dynamic range.

Their offshoot HDR10+ Adaptive and Dolby Vision IQ variants are also supported and again have similar aims. They both work to further optimise the screen’s performance and settings based on ambient light conditions.

The only minor downside with the Z90B is that, unlike its Samsung and LG rivals, it has only two full-speed HDMI 2.1 inputs, one of which doubles as its eARC.

That will be fine for people who have just one current-generation games console and a Dolby Atmos soundbar to connect. But the PS5, Xbox Series X/S and modern gaming PCs all require an HDMI 2.1 input to run at full speed. So if, like many of us, you have more than one console, and/or a gaming PC and an Atmos soundbar, be prepared for a fair amount of cable swapping.

That apart, the Z90B’s gaming specifications are solid. Like all the step-down sets we have seen this year, it can run at a maximum of 4K/144Hz, which is faster than current-generation games consoles' 4K/120Hz cap.

VRR and ALLM are also included, which let the TV match the framerate to the incoming signal and reduce latency. There’s even an option to allow your gaming source to handle HDR tone-mapping for a more “as the creator intended” look to your favourite titles.

All of this can be controlled in the set’s new Game Control Board quick menu, which also lets you pull up performance stats and tweak specific settings as you play. So, all-in-all, pretty impressive, despite the limited number of HDMI 2.1 inputs.

Picture

“A superb TV that delivers the authenticity for which Panasonic is renowned.”

“An authentic, controlled and balanced picture, the set uses the added brightness in a way that truly improves rather than distracts from what’s happening on screen.”

“Colours and motion all hold a wonderful authenticity that makes for a wonderful viewing experience, especially if you want to experience movies as the director intended.”

The above are all quotes from three of our latest Panasonic OLED reviews, which hopefully confirm the company’s reputation for delivering wonderfully authentic, as the director intended, movie experiences.

Does the Z90B live up to this legacy? Comparing it with its LG C5 and Samsung S90F rivals in our viewing rooms, we are happy to report the answer is a firm yes.

This is apparent from the moment we fire up our first test disc, a 4K Blu-ray copy of Dune: Part 2, using the Z90B and our ever-faithful Oppo UDP-203 player.

Even in its far-from-perfect out-of-the-box settings, the picture is less in your face than most rivals in similar settings. The desert scene retains some semblance of colour accuracy, being only a smidgeon too warm for our liking.

Peak highlights are pushed a little hard, especially in segments of the picture with mixed light and dark elements, but not as much as on the S90F next to it, which looks significantly more artificial.

In fact, our only big gripe is with its motion handling, which is too smooth. The additional fake frames that the processing generates make the Fremen freedom fighters look somewhat as if they are floating through the air, rather than violently lunging at their enemies.

Luckily, it is really easy to adjust the settings to fix all this: put the TV in Filmmaker mode. No further tweaking is really required, as this mode turns off pretty much all the TV’s unnecessary features.

Once that’s done, the picture is the best we have seen on a new 48-inch OLED this year.

Colours are a particular highlight. The set retains the warm, rich, scorching desert tone the director intended, without ever feeling overbaked. The background dunes retain a warm detail that is lost on the rivals we test it against, which occasionally reduce subtle shades of red and orange to pure white.

The same is true as the action transitions to a dim segment of the film. Here, the Panasonic manages to retain the colour volume and detail of skin tones in a way that is beyond many modern OLEDs.

There’s a warmth, even in the darkest parts of characters’ faces, with a wonderful range of colours and shades that also extends to the brightest part of the picture. Each part is full of detail without any loss of authenticity or addition of artificiality.

This isn’t due to the Z90B pushing its panel’s brightness. In fact, 99 per cent of the time, if anything, it is actually dimmer than its competition – but it saves its efforts for the moments it is genuinely meant to go bright.

Moving to a night-time battle scene of our Civil War test disc, the set produces wonderful peak highlights that are every bit as bright and full of detail as on the S90F and C5. But because it chooses to focus its efforts on the areas that are meant to be bright, they hold a much more distinct, realistic place in the picture, adding weight and a true sense of three-dimensionality to the scene.

Looking at a chandelier in the White House, every bauble is visible and sharp, and there is a wide gamut in the burning bulbs that is lost on many competing sets – which once again simply show entire sections of the ornament as white.

There are, though, some drawbacks that might put off cinema viewers who like their home cinema to have an overt “wow” factor.

We switch to the opening scene of Alien: Romulus. Blacks are nicely inky, and the background stars shine out of the dead space with wonderful menace, but as a ship exits the void and approaches the viewer, it takes a while longer for it to fully come into view.

The set’s intentionally low brightness means that, while each nook, cranny and detail of the ship coming out of the black are there, we have to look harder for them as they are more thoroughly veiled in shadow. If you want pop, this isn’t the set for you.

This is even more apparent when we switch to our standard SDR Blu-ray True Grit test disc, which we often use to gauge a TV’s upscaling powers due to its incredibly demanding opening scene and intentionally grainy quality.

The opening night-time scene is incredibly dark, with some details on the house's porch that are visible on rival sets coming across as completely black. Falling snow lacks some definition and all but disappears when it hits the darkest part of the picture.

Things pick up in a brighter town scene, but the SDR performance doesn’t quite have the dynamic range we would like, and some aspects, including some characters’ rather magnificent beards, still lack the definition we experience on the competitor sets we are testing it against.

This doesn’t mean the Z90B is bad at upscaling – colours remain accurate and the picture is more than watchable and still blissfully free of artefacts – it’s just one area where it definitely isn’t this year’s class leader.

Sound

The Z90B comes with a “Dynamic Theatre Surround Pro” speaker system that Panasonic markets as being bespoke-designed for audiophiles looking for a true Dolby Atmos experience.

Despite this, it's a basic 60W, 2.1 arrangement. There are no up-firing drivers. The subwoofer is housed on the TV’s back, while the two front-facing speakers are bolted onto the set’s bottom.

Does it deliver an audiophile experience? No. But, being fair to Panasonic, the Z90B does easily outclass every other 48-inch OLED we have tested this year in terms of audio.

There’s a sense of direction as gunfire flies left and right across the screen during Civil War. There is also noticeably more low-end heft and volume, with the explosions offering some rumble, even at moderate volumes.

Switching to Oppenheimer, the set offers reasonable separation between background noises and characters’ voices, making it easy to follow conversations even during scenes with heavy low-end background noise.

But the system is still not perfect, and can’t match the quality of a moderately capable soundbar, including our recommended Sonos Beam (Gen 2).

The subwoofer adds heft, but the unit isn’t precise enough. The thundering fighter jets of our Top Gun: Maverick test disc sound too flabby, with the sonic boom lacking the precise impact it deserves.

Higher-level engine noises show the front drivers are a little underpowered, with distortion creeping in and the upper frequencies taking on an acidic, unpleasant tone – especially at high volumes.

Having said all that, the end result is still the best audio performance you’ll find on an OLED this size – but it’s still one that falls short of what we can describe as truly immersive.

Verdict

Thanks to its ongoing focus on colour accuracy and delivering an “as the director intended” experience rather than razzmatazz, the 48-inch Panasonic Z90B is the best TV at its size that we have tested.

From sparkling desert dunes in sci-fi epics to cars thundering across a race track and heated conversations behind closed doors, every scene we threw at this set looked wonderfully authentic and weighty.

If you want a 48-inch OLED TV and value cinematic authenticity, the Panasonic Z90B is currently the one to get.

SCORES

• Picture 5
• Sound 4
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the 48-inch Samsung S90F

Also consider the 48-inch LG C5

Read our 55-inch LG C5 review

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget LED sets tried and tested

Singapore-based company Creative has revealed its newest soundbar, the Creative Stage Pro, with a “sleek, space-conscious design”. The 2.1-channel ’bar and subwoofer system “bring cinematic sound into compact living spaces” according to the brand.

It’s meant to be a suitable addition to a home cinema setup as well as a desktop or gaming system.

The soundbar offers two listening modes to adapt to these different sound conditions. Near Field Mode is (as the name would suggest) calibrated to suit listening up close, while Far Field Mode provides a wider sound for those watching movies and TV from a distance.

The Stage Pro is employing Creative’s own surround-sound technology – SuperWide – in an effort to create an immersive experience, with Dolby Audio also on offer.

In terms of connections, there is support for HDMI ARC, Bluetooth and optical so it can be connected to your TV, PC and mobile devices.

Priced at £130 / $170 (around AU$290), the Creative ‘bar is competing against some of the best budget soundbars.

That includes the Sonos Ray which is currently available for just £50 more in the UK. This Sonos model received a four-star rating from us, offering dazzling vocal clarity and a detailed high-end.

It will be interesting to see how the Stage Pro compares with the most recent model we tested at roughly the same price of £120 / $120 (around AU$185), the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar. While we were impressed by its decent sense of scale, it ultimately earned a three-star rating for its lack of dynamic subtlety.

The Creative Stage Pro is available to pre-order now in the US and UK. We’ll keep you posted on whether it can outperform the tough competition, but its reasonable price and gaming specific setup could make it a worthy option.

MORE:

Here is our review of the Sonos Arc

Check out the best soundbars

And these are the best gaming TVs

The five-star Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max has been our favourite premium soundbar since we tested it back in 2019, when it earned a What Hi-Fi? Award for its overall excellent performance. Fast forward to 2025, and it has remained on that esteemed list ever since.

However a new player has entered the scene that could well trump the Sennheiser – and anyone familiar with the world of hi-fi should recognise the name.

The KEF XIO directly challenges our long-time favourite with a similar specification sheet in a smaller package. Can the Ambeo Soundbar Max hold its own against this newcomer? Let's find out.

KEF XIO vs Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max: price

The XIO launched at £1999 / $2500 / AU$3600. It is still early days for the product, but we are hoping to see its price drop during sales events such as Black Friday.

Higher up the price ladder is the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max which was first released at £2199 / $2500 / AU$4000.

Since its launch, we have seen that price drop to as low as £1549 in the occasional sale. It is now regularly available for £1999 in the UK, placing it in direct competition with the KEF.

**Winner: draw**

KEF XIO vs Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max: build

Both soundbars take very different approaches when it comes to their design.

The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max is quite the beast, weighing in at 18.5kg. The brand has opted for this beefy build to negate the need for an external subwoofer, instead favouring large drivers capable of covering a far more significant portion of the frequency range.

Because of its size, the Ambeo will inevitably block a few inches of the bottom of your TV screen if placed in front (unless you raise your telly of course), so it is best enjoyed wall-mounted. It's worth considering if this is something you think would work for you, and finding the perfect positioning can be a bit of a tricky task.

Still, once it is set up, the soundbar is quite straightforward to use. It has a screen display on the front of the 'bar, which is handy for knowing at a glance what EQ mode has been selected.

The KEF comes in a sleeker package with relatively compact dimensions. You can wall-mount the soundbar or keep it flat on a table, so it is rather more flexible than the Sennheiser.

The differences continue under the hood. With the XIO, there are six Uni-Q MX drivers, three of which are on the top of the soundbar for upward-firing sound when the 'bar is placed on a stand under the TV, but with the central unit unemployed in that orientation. The rest are facing forward.

When the soundbar is wall mounted, though, it intelligently deciphers which position it has been placed in and redesignates the drivers. So what were the upward-firing drivers now take on the role of the left and right channels, with the previously unused middle unit taking on the vital centre-channel role.

There's no display with the XIO, which can make it difficult to tell what setting has been selected. Overall, though, the KEF's sleeker design and enhanced flexibility when it comes to placement mean it beats the Sennheiser in this category.

**Winner: KEF XIO**

KEF XIO vs Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max: features

One negative of the KEF XIO when it comes to physical connections is that it does not have an HDMI passthrough, instead including only HDMI eARC and optical.

The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max boasts three HDMI 2.0 inputs and one HDMI 2.1 port, which supports eARC, meaning it can handle Dolby Atmos in its lossless True HD format.

While these ports aren't capable of delivering next-gen gaming features such as VRR and ALLM, they can pass through signals from external sources in 4K HDR, including Dolby Vision.

That's a big positive for those looking to wire up all their connections through the soundbar instead of the TV.

Both models have an app to customise your listening experience and have Bluetooth connectivity. The XIO uses the KEF Connect app, where you can calibrate the soundbar to the room, switch to different EQ sound profiles and use the various streaming services.

The Sennheiser Smart Control app also offers "a dizzying number of sound personalisation options", as we say in our review. When we tested it, we did find that the Smart Control app was a bit clunky to navigate.

It also includes a microphone in the box, which allows for a simple automatic room calibration setup – something the KEF does not feature.

All the big hitters in audio format support are included with both 'bars, including Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Sony 360 Audio.

The same can be said in terms of music streaming support, although there are a few differences here. Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Cast are available on the Ambeo but not the XIO.

Both soundbars also support Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect. KEF's model does, however, offer more options with Deezer, Qobuz and Amazon Music all on the cards.

The lack of physical connections on the XIO here means that the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max must take the crown for features.

*Winner: Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max**

KEF XIO vs Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max: sound

Now for the main event. When we tested the Sennheiser model, we were immediately blown away by its floor-shaking bass yet overall balanced sonic performance.

While watching Unbroken, for example, we find that the Ambeo provides a "brilliant, focused build up as the plane approaches, then a huge, room-filling zoom as it flies by."

The quality of dialogue is not sacrificed, either. Voices feel natural and weighty, with the bass frequencies helping to flesh them out.

With the XIO, we get a more transparent listening experience, as each frequency is clear and unconfused. It does not reach the same weight of bass as the Sennheiser, but we find during testing that this is not so much of a problem.

We comment in our review: "The KEF counters with more clarity, greater precision in the way sounds are rendered and notably more finesse in the way low-level dynamics are delivered. It’s the more transparent performer, and it ultimately gives us greater insight into the soundtrack being played."

Moving on to their performance with music, the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max manages to portray a coherent and warm sound. When listening to The Two of Us by The Beatles through Tidal, we say it is not the "snappiest speaker we have heard" but does still manage a "rhythmically astute" performance.

The XIO, on the other hand, impresses us just as much with music as it does with films. KEF's entry captures the excitement of the music more than the Sennheiser, with a brilliant musicality.

In fact, we say that it can "easily serve as a standalone music system, which is more than we can say for the vast majority of soundbars that come our way."

Because of the XIO's excellently expressive performance and coherent meld of frequencies, it's a no-brainer for this category.

**Winner: KEF XIO**

KEF XIO vs Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max: verdict

Even though these soundbars will cost you the same price now, there are quite a few differences in terms of the audio quality they offer.

Where the Sennheiser is a brilliant performer with a bass-heavy but overall balanced sound, the KEF XIO provides such an easy listening-experience as both a home cinema and a standalone music system.

The XIO's lack of physical connections may be a drawback, but it more than makes up for it with its compact design and overall sound quality.

**Overall winner: KEF XIO**

MORE:

Read the full review of the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max

And here's our in-depth look at the KEF XIO

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars right now

While we don’t want to dwell on the past with this review, understanding why the 65QNED93 is not just LG’s best LCD TV ever, but a great TV by any LCD TV standards, does require at least a brief history lesson.

For starters, while LG has traditionally used an LCD panel technology known as IPS for its big-screen TVs, the 65QNED93 joins last year’s 65QNED91 in using the alternative VA type of panel technology.

This matters because while IPS technology can deliver wider viewing angles than regular VA technology, it struggles more than VA technology to control how much light each LED lets through, meaning it usually comes up short with both contrast and backlight uniformity – two of most home entertainment fans’ favourite things.

While the 65QNED91 definitely delivered a step in the right direction, though, it still didn’t quite have enough control over its new VA panel to keep up with the LCD leaders.

Cue the 65QNED93 (or QNED92 in the US), which stays the VA course but this time unlocks the screen’s capabilities with a light control system so much better than that of its predecessor that it’s hard to believe it’s the result of only a single year of improvement.

Just don’t expect the 65QNED93’s successes, though, to be repeated across all screen sizes, since LG continues to use IPS panels for the other sizes in the range.

Price

The 65QNED93 / 65QNED92’s £1699 / $1700 / AU$2470 pricing makes it LG’s second most premium 65-inch LCD TV for 2025, only beaten to the top spot by the 65QNED9M, which adds a wireless 4K/144Hz video transmission system to proceedings.

It earns its premium status by virtue, chiefly, of its use of Mini LED lighting, premium Dynamic QNED colour technology, and a larger number of local dimming zones than any of LG’s more affordable LCD TVs for 2025.

The 65QNED93 is not cheap by any stretch of the imagination – though Samsung and Sony’s top-end 65-inch 4K Mini LED TVs, the QN90F and Bravia 9 respectively, cost significantly more. As does LG’s own 65-inch C5 OLED TV.

The 65QNED93’s closest rivals are really the Sony Bravia 7 and TCL C855K. Both of which are excellent TVs – though the TCL is in the process of being replaced by a new C8 series, so if you want one of those, you should probably be quick about it.

Design

In the UK, the QNED93 is supported on an unusual centrally mounted rectangular base plate, which is attached using two slender neck supports.

The resulting open-backed look to the stand, together with a pretty skimpy frame around three of its sides, helps you focus on the TV’s pictures – once you’ve stopped worrying about whether so small a stand can safely support so much screen (it can).

In the US, the QNED92 ships with a pair of more traditional (and less attractive) desktop feet instead of the base plate, hence the slight model number difference.

This isn’t the slimmest TV around, but the rear panel is at least flat across most of its surface area, making it a reasonably tidy wall-hanging option if you want to take advantage of its VESA standard attachment points.

The unusual textured silvery finish of the outer sides introduces a nice premium build-quality touch to proceedings, too.

Features

The VA panel found inside specifically the 65-inch QNED93 is arguably its single most important feature, given how it sets this screen size apart from LG’s usual IPS approach.

LG has backed this up this year, though, with not just Mini LED lighting but also a very promising 486 separate local dimming zones, in a 27x18 configuration. This is a really significant increase on the dimming zone count of its predecessor.

The QNED93 intriguingly switches its colour system from the proprietary LG Nanocell technology used on QNED models for generations now to a Dynamic QNED Pro Colour system.

This apparently replaces the old Quantum Dot-based technology with new fluorescent elements and the ability to absorb more ‘stray’ colour, resulting in supposedly purer colour reproduction and coverage of more of the HDR DCI-P3 colour spectrum.

Of course, just having lots of dimming zones and a fancy new colour system isn’t everything; it’s what you do with such features that counts. Cue the 65QNED93’s new Gen 2 version of LG’s Alpha 8 AI processor, which claims to bring 70 per cent more AI horsepower to the table than its predecessor.

As its name suggests, as well as taking charge of everything from backlight control to colour reproduction, upscaling of non-4K sources and motion compensation, this processor’s AI component includes improved Dynamic tone mapping for HDR playback, an automatic genre selection system to help the TV apply the optimal look to different content types, an AI Picture Pro option and a wealth of AI-powered smart features.

These AI smart features include the ability to distinguish between different voices in your household so that the TV can automatically activate the right person’s profile on its webOS smart platform; an AI Search feature that can actually deliver search results tailored to the person who issued the TV with a voice search command; an AI Chatbot that lets you ask the TV for help fixing or improving things in much the same way you would normally have to speak to a customer service agent; AI Picture and Sound wizards; and a new AI Concierge system that proves a kind of introduction to the TV’s AI and voice features by generating customised keywords and recommendations based on your past searches and viewing history.

WebOS is starting to feel a little complicated unless you really engage with its voice and AI features, in fact, so this Concierge feature – which gets its own new button on the latest LG ‘Magic’ remote control – is worth exploring.

At the time of our initial review, the 65QNED93’s webOS system in the UK wasn't quite as content-rich as we’ve come to expect. That issue has thankfully now been rectified, and the BBC iPlayer, ITVX, All4 and My5 apps are all now on board.

It's a slight shame that those UK catch-up apps aren't wrapped up in the Freeview Play umbrella app, as they were in previous versions of webOS, but the most important thing is of course that they are there.

As usual with LG TVs, the 65QNED93 supports the HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision high dynamic range formats, but not the HDR10+ system developed as an ‘open source’ alternative to Dolby Vision. LG’s choice does cover the most common three HDR platforms, but there are rival TV brands, including TCL, Hisense, Panasonic and Philips, that support all four HDR formats.

The 65QNED93 provides excellent gaming support. It can support 4K/120Hz gaming, for instance, across all four of its HDMI ports.

In fact, it can run all the way up to 144Hz if you have a PC capable of going there, with VRR (including the AMD FreeSync Premium standard) available up to that 144Hz top rate.

The TV can automatically switch to its fast-response Game mode, too, thanks to support for ALLM, and there’s a Dolby Vision game mode to ensure you don’t have to put up with excessive lag with game sources that support Dolby’s premium HDR format.

In its Game mode, the time the screen takes to render game graphics at 60Hz drops to an extremely speedy 9.6ms.

Picture

Compared with previous LG LCD TVs, the 65QNED93’s picture quality is nothing short of a revelation. Particularly when it comes to its ability to handle those dark scenes, even in HDR, that play such a big part in so many of our favourite film and TV test sequences.

For starters, dark scenes contain blacks that actually look black. Not grey, not green, not blue, but genuinely black. This instantly gives dark scenes a credibility and naturalism that we’ve never seen from an LG LCD TV before. In fact, the 65QNED93 can portray blacks as convincingly as really any of its rivals in the upper mid-range LCD TV world.

Despite this, in most picture presets, LG’s screen holds on to just the right amount of shadow detail, ensuring dark scenes contain as much depth and detail as bright ones, while also not bringing out more picture information in dark areas than you’re supposed to see.

The 65QNED93 does blacks so well, too, without typically generating significant blooming side effects. So bright highlights of dark shots, even in HDR, don’t typically appear with large or bold areas of backlight clouding around them.

All of this would have been unthinkable on any previous LG LCD TV we’ve seen; even last year’s QNED91, with its debut VA panel, suffered with sometimes-forced black levels that either lacked shadow detail or else exhibited high levels of blooming light pollution.

While the 65QNED93’s usually compelling handling of dark scenes is the initially most surprising good news about its performance, though, over time, the way it handles bright HDR content impresses at least as much.

Bright HDR scenes look nothing short of gorgeous, in fact, managing to combine impressively high levels of brightness for a TV at its price point with gorgeously rich and expansive but also remarkably natural-looking colours.

We’ve had the rare opportunity to see the 65QNED93 running alongside a number of other LCD TVs and even a professional Sony mastering monitor, and it gets closer to the mastering monitor during bright scenes than almost any other LCD TV we’ve tested.

Even in its default Standard preset, it delivers a combination of brightness, light control, colour toning, colour balance, and banding- and blocking-free tonal subtlety that feels as accurate and immersive as it is eye-catching.

The screen’s excellent light control enables it to deliver the lightest peaks of bright HDR clips with exceptional intensity too, while the apparent ease with which the 65QNED93 is able to deliver its many picture charms also means that bright scenes in the TV’s Filmmaker Mode look about as enjoyable as we’ve ever seen them look on an LCD TV.

The 65QNED93’s colour finesse and fine light controls contribute to a very detailed-looking 4K picture too – and this detail holds up superbly during action scenes thanks to the TV’s outstandingly natural Cinematic Movement motion processing option.

While there are moments – many of them – where the 65QNED93’s pictures attain five-star status, though, there are just enough niggles around to cost it a picture mark.

First, the Filmmaker Mode goes a little too dark at times, which can also cause some shadow details during the usually excellently presented dark scenes to get crushed out of the picture.

The usually excellent presentation of shadow detail in Standard mode can also suddenly take a slight hit with shots that contain unusually extreme levels of contrast.

There can be minor baseline brightness fluctuations during cuts between bright and dark shots, too, and the very brightest HDR highlights can look slightly clipped of subtle shading details.

Also, where a relatively dark object appears against a very bright HDR backdrop, the dark object can look a little too much like a silhouette at times, while the usually well-controlled blooming can suddenly slip into showing the occasional cloud during shots that contain really complex mixes of light and dark content.

And finally, while the image helpfully mostly avoids the ‘dirty screen effect’ with camera pans during bright shots (which was a major problem with 2024’s QNED91), there is still a faint narrow band of muddiness around the very outside edges of bright clips.

All of these relatively small niggles tend to crop up fairly irregularly, though, making them far from constant concerns. So, for the vast majority of our time with the 65QNED93, we found ourselves marvelling at how good it is and drooling at the prospect of what LG might be able to do with its LCD technology going forward.

Sound

The 65QNED93 talks a pretty good talk on the sound quality front.

Its features, for instance, include LG’s WOW Orchestra system for combining the TV’s speakers with those in a compatible LG soundbar, as well as support for LG’s WOW interface, where the TV’s remote and menus can control a connected LG soundbar.

An AI Sound Pro system is on hand to increase the size and power of the TV’s soundstage by upgrading incoming sound – even if it’s only stereo – to a virtual 9.1.2-channel system.

This AI Sound Pro mode generally produces the most all-round satisfying sound, adding more volume, impact and bass potency, as well as projecting the sound further from the TV’s body to get more benefit from the TV’s built-in Dolby Atmos decoding.

Unfortunately, though, even the AI Sound Pro setting causes the 65QNED93’s speakers to break down into pernicious amounts of buzzing, crackling and humming interference when pushed. These are issues that also affect the TV’s default Dolby Atmos mode, despite this mode having far less volume, projection or bass presence at its disposal.

As with some of the brand’s OLED TVs over the years, the 65QNED93’s sound leaves us feeling that the basic audio hardware LG is using in this TV just can't do its ambitious processing proud.

Verdict

While this may only be true of a single model across LG’s latest LCD TV range, the 65QNED93 proves emphatically that LG is capable of making a splash at the serious end of the LCD TV world. There are times, in fact, when its pictures look nothing short of majestic.

A collection of relatively small picture niggles and inconsistencies, together with a flawed sound system, ultimately prevents us from being able to give the LG 65QNED93 an unbridled recommendation. Particularly if you can add a soundbar, though, for much of the time it really is nothing less than a joy to watch.

SCORES

• Picture 4
• Sound 3
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Sony Bravia 7

Also consider the TCL 65C855K

Read our Hisense 65U8N review

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget LED sets tried and tested

We’re pretty used by now to TVs equipped with Tivo smart systems coming in at the more affordable end of the market.

Even knowing that, though, didn’t fully prepare us for Sharp’s 70GK4245K: a Tivo-toting TV with a 70-inch screen that costs just £489.

Surely a screen size to price ratio this extreme can’t actually be fun to watch, can it?

Price

It’s still rare for even 55-inch TVs costing under £500 to arrive in our test rooms, yet here we find ourselves staring at a 70-inch screen that costs just £489 (around $660 / AU$1000).

The 70GK4245K doesn’t look like it’s going to be just another ‘it makes a picture, what more do you want?’ budget TV, either.

For instance, its 4K screen can also take in the Dolby Vision high dynamic range format, its audio system can handle Dolby Atmos tracks, and its already content-loaded Tivo smart system is backed up by the latest Freely platform. Truly, our budget TV cup runneth over. So long as there’s also some sort of quality to its pictures, of course.

The 70-inch screen size is pretty rare these days, with most brands offering 65 and 75-inch options instead. Couple this with its ultra-affordable price, and direct competition for the 70GK4245K is hard to find.

If Tivo is the most important thing to you and you can resist the 70-inch screen, Sharp also has a decent little 43-inch Tivo model, the 43GM6245K, that can be yours for under £250, while Bush’s 50-inch 50UT24SB Tivo set is also an engaging all-rounder currently going for £319 on Amazon.

If strong picture quality is more important than Tivo, TCL’s 65-inch 65P755K is very good value at £449 at the time of writing, and as new replacement models are just around the corner, even the 75-inch can be had for just £549 if you get a move on.

Design

It became obvious as we were setting up the 70GK4245K that its build quality is pretty flimsy. Anyone with a sufficient wingspan should easily be able to pick it up and move it around without the need for a second pair of hands. Its bezel is on-trend thin around three of its sides, though, while the slightly wider bottom edge looks glossy enough to just about persuade you that maybe the TV isn’t entirely made of plastic after all.

The rear is fairly chunky by modern TV standards, making it a rather cumbersome wall hanging option. Though VESA wall mounting points are of course present, if that’s really the way you want to go.

The desktop feet provided with the 70GK4245K look OK in a no-nonsense kind of way, but infuriatingly, the only attachment point for them is right out near each bottom corner, meaning the TV can only sit on a bit of furniture that’s almost as wide as the TV. Which is no joke when that TV is a 70-inch model.

The GK4245K ships with a remote control that’s basically as plasticky and lightweight as the TV. A brushed finish for the main front plus a faux metallic look to the central cursor navigation section, though, just about succeed in making the handset look posher than it really is.

Features

We’ve covered the Sharp 70GK4245K’s headline claims already: namely that it delivers a 70-inch screen, Tivo/Freely smarts and Dolby Vision HDR (as well as the core HDR10 and HLG formats of HDR, of course) for the mind-bogglingly low price of £489. More detail is needed on some of those features, though – and, surprisingly, there are quite a few other things going on with this budget set, too.

The LCD panel used for the 70GK4245K appears to be a VA one rather than a low-contrast IPS one, for starters. It’s not clear whether the set is direct or edge lit, though the way some clouding appears over the picture’s edges (more on this later) suggests that it may be the latter. At any rate, there’s certainly no evidence of local dimming going on – which we wouldn’t expect there to be, of course, on such an incredibly affordable TV.

There is a global dimming system at work, however, which Sharp claims can deliver a dynamic contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1. We can tell you now that this is an extremely optimistic figure, mind you, that’s based on mathematical potential rather than real-world performance.

The GK4245K only has a native 60Hz panel, so you’d think there would be no potential for high frame-rate gaming support through any of the provided three HDMI ports. Actually, though, a connected Xbox reveals that the TV can support 120Hz refresh rates – albeit only at 1080p resolution, and without any HDR support. You can retain HDR – including Dolby Vision – with 4K gaming feeds at 60Hz max, just to be clear.

The HDMIs support ALLM switching when a game source is detected, as well as VRR, and input lag in the Game mode is a very snappy 14.8ms.

Other connections include a couple of USBs, an Ethernet port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an IR remote control extender, an optical digital audio output, and even a blast-from-the-past mini composite video/stereo audio input. Plus, of course, there’s built-in wi-fi to feed the Tivo smart system.

The GK4245K’s Tivo implementation shows no signs of any budget TV-related compromises. It runs as slickly and stably as any other version we’ve seen, and it carries the usual impressive array of apps and sources.

These include Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, Prime Video, Rakuten, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, All4, My5 and the Freely platform, which essentially lets you live-stream many of the TV channels on the Freeview HD broadcast platform – as well as providing on-demand access to many tens of thousands of hours of catch-up programming from Freeview’s main channel providers.

The only really striking absentee from Tivo’s app list is Apple TV+. You can now access Apple TV through the Prime Video app, but the quality of the feeds you get that way doesn’t seem as good as those you get through direct Apple TV apps.

It’s worth adding that Tivo also supports arguably the most straightforward, intelligent and helpful voice recognition/content search system in the TV world.

Surprisingly, finally, the GK4245K carries a few quite premium picture adjustment features. There’s a 10-bit colour feature for smoothing out potential banding in HDR colours, for instance, as well as a pair of customisable Dolby Vision modes on top of the more predictable Dolby Vision Dark and Bright options.

There’s even support for a full calibration thanks to both 2-point and 11-point white balance correction, plus hue, saturation and brightness adjustments for the red, green, blue, yellow, cyan, magenta and flesh tone colour elements.

Picture

The GK4245K’s pictures turn out to be a really pleasant surprise in most ways. For starters, they’re substantially brighter than we’d anticipated based on our experience of other similarly ultra-affordable TVs. This expresses itself in both enjoyably crisp and punchy highlights within HDR pictures, and respectable sustained brightness with full-screen HDR bright shots.

You’re not witnessing by any means the full range and impact of HDR’s light range, to be clear. But you do get enough of it to help pictures look reasonably natural and engaging rather than the dull compromise we’d honestly expected to see. What’s more, while it’s hard to imagine Sharp has equipped a TV as cheap as the 70GK4245K with a particularly clever HDR tone mapping system, HDR pictures feel nicely balanced and don’t suffer excessively with clipping (lost shading and colour tone subtleties) in their brightest parts.

Even more surprising, the healthy brightness the GK4245K manages to find for HDR playback doesn’t come at the expense of convincing dark scenes. The amount of greyness that creeps into parts of the picture that should look black really isn’t excessive at all, despite the screen’s lack of advanced light control tools.

What’s more, provided you don’t use the Dolby Vision Dark picture setting, shadow detail remains abundantly present in even the darkest corners. This helps dark scenes look almost as natural and full of depth and detail as bright ones, resulting in a much more consistent viewing experience than we’d expected to find on such an affordable big-screen TV. Though the ‘almost’ back there is doing some slightly heavy lifting, for reasons we’ll get to in a moment.

Another very pleasant surprise about the GK4245K is how sharp and clean its pictures look. Part of this is a result of the screen’s surprisingly subtle colour handling. There’s no wide colour gamut coverage or Quantum Dots here, yet the screen handles even the most subtle of blends and tonal shifts without the sort of striping, blocking or ‘clumping’ we’d anticipated at this price point. You don’t even need to call in the set’s 10-bit colour emulation feature.

Motion is also handled quite well for such a cheap TV. There’s a touch of blur if a fairly large object moves at speed across the screen, but this never turns into actual smearing or lagginess, and there’s enough finesse in the screen’s shading and enough native sharpness in the core 4K delivery to stop even action scenes from starting to look truly soft.

As well as containing more shading subtlety than expected, colours look consistently balanced, with no tones standing out too strongly against the rest, and no aggressive blue or green wash hanging over proceedings. As with the GK4245K’s brightness, we’re not seeing the full range of tones and saturations HDR can provide, but we’d take a holistic, balanced approach to colours like the GK4245K provides over some more heavily saturated but also gaudy and uncontrolled mess any day.

Add to the mix some surprisingly clean upscaling of SDR sources that holds up even on a screen as big as this one, as well as slightly more forgiving viewing angles than we’d expected, and you can see why we’re such fans of the 70GK4245K’s pictures for its money. The only thing stopping us from giving it five stars, in fact, is something we’ve alluded to a couple of times before: backlight clouding.

Extraneous light creeps into dark scenes in a number of areas – mostly at the screen’s edges, but also in a couple of more central spots. These light pools disappear entirely during bright footage, and they’re really the only significant issue we have with the GK4245K’s budget pictures. But they can be distracting enough during very dark sequences to cost Sharp’s TV one full picture mark.

Sound

The 70GK4245K’s sound can’t repeat its picture heroics. Audio struggles to escape the TV’s bodywork even at full volume, leaving action scenes and dense musical scores sounding quite swallowed and thin.

The way the sound feels trapped inside the GK4245K’s speakers, even with Dolby Atmos mixes, also means dialogue can sound a bit detached from the onscreen action, and given that Sharp’s TV doesn’t produce a particularly compelling midrange, you won’t be shocked to learn that there’s practically no bass presence.

The GK4245K’s sound is at least operating within the limitations of its speakers, though, meaning that even the most bombastic Hollywood moments don’t cause low-frequency distortions or treble harshness. So while we’d have loved much more sheer oomph from the 70GK4245K’s sound, what we’ve got does at least not sound broken.

Verdict

No 70-inch TV costing £489 is ever going to be perfect.

In the Sharp 70GK4245K’s case, that means having to put up with some backlight clouding in dark scenes and an uninspiring built-in sound system.

Putting up with these relatively minor issues is made surprisingly easy, though, thanks to both an excellent Tivo smart system and an overall level of picture quality that really has no business turning up on such an affordable home cinema-sized TV.

SCORES

• Picture 4
• Sound 3
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Sharp 43GM6245K

Also consider the TCL 65P755K or 75P755K

Read our Bush 50UT24SB review

Best TV: flagship OLEDs and budget LED sets tried and tested

It goes without saying that we love home cinema at What Hi-Fi?.

But sometimes the experience of going out to the cinema can't be beaten.

A huge screen, the shared experience and the feeling of anticipation as the lights go down – it's something that even the best home cinema set-ups can't match.

But what could be even better? How about the big-screen experience with just your nearest and dearest for company? And your own film selection to cap it off?

It may seem crazy, but there are in fact various ways to do it, and it need not cost the earth.

I'd personally like to rent out a big screen with a group of friends to properly experience Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio, which unfortunately never got a cinema release and went straight onto Netflix.

So what options are out there? Allow me to explain.

A pint and a projector

Pubs don’t tend to shout about their screening room capacities, probably because their main business lies in selling food and drink.

But all across the country, there are pubs and small venues that house projectors or large TV screens ideal for a private movie night.

These prices can range massively depending on location and the size of the screen.

The venue hire marketplace Tagvenue estimates on its website that package deals are available from “anywhere between £5 and £200 per person."

However, you may be able to get a space for free, provided you spend enough behind the bar. It's certainly a great reason to get friendly with your local pub.

A step up

What about the real deal? When looking for a room with a bigger screen, renting out an independent cinema could be a possibility and needn't be prohibitively expensive for a special occasion.

We popped down to The Lexi Cinema in Kensal Rise, London to take a look at the options on offer.

They have two screening rooms, one with 30 seats and the other with 68.

Come before 4pm on a weekday and you will pay £190 per hour for the smaller room and £235 for the larger option. Not too bad if you bring a big enough group of people.

That price can jump to more than £1000 for a weekend evening, however.

I was able to have a look at both of the screens in The Lexi, and have got to say they are rather lovely.

There's a 7.1 Dolby surround speaker system in the biggest screen and 5.1 in the smaller, and you can play your own film from a variety of formats, including Blu-ray.

GRUB, an events and dining venue in Manchester, offers a cinema room called Cultplex.

Its cheapest option comes in at £250, but that gets you private access to its 100-seater cinema for a weekend matinee.

Sell the idea to enough of your friends and we think this is a pretty tempting proposition.

Multiplex of madness

You want the real thing? A full-size cinema? Of course, if you're willing to pay, it can be done.

Let’s take a look at Cineworld, for example. The price will vary depending on where you go but it can be as cheap as £120 if you go at 10am in Aldershot, to as much as £700 if you want a 5pm viewing in Brighton.

Cineworld too mainstream for you? The iconic Prince Charles Cinema in the West End of London offers private cinema screenings from £999.

It has two auditoriums available with 300 or 104 seats, and both can project film and digital.

Now, we're not suggesting you do this every week, but for the cinephile who has everything, it's certainly a great idea for a special occasion.

Or just because you really need to see that stop-motion masterpiece you missed...

MORE:

Here are the best surround sound systems

Projector screens: everything you need to know

This is how to set up a projector outdoors

The Sony Bravia 8 II is one of – if not the – most exciting new TVs of the year. Not that you would know that from the name.

The TV is exciting because it’s the successor to the A95L QD-OLED, a model so good that it’s still one of the very best TVs you can currently buy, despite being nearly two years old.

But the name is weird. ‘Bravia 8 II’ suggests it’s the successor to the Bravia 8 W-OLED TV, but the Bravia 8 is continuing in the range, with the Bravia 8 II sitting above it.

Why not call the new model the ‘Bravia 9’? Because Sony’s flagship Mini LED model already takes that name. It can’t be called ‘Bravia 10’, either, as that would suggest it sits above the Bravia 9, which isn’t the case. Besides, that name is likely being saved for the company’s upcoming RGB LED TV.

What’s in a name? Well, the worry is that the name is rather confusing and possibly undersells this new Sony QD-OLED. And it would be a real shame if potential buyers were put off by it – because the Bravia 8 II, here reviewed in 55-inch form, is an extraordinarily good TV.

How much does the Bravia 8 II cost?

Sony promised that the Bravia 8 II would be ‘more affordable than the A95L’, by which it meant that the new model would launch for less than the outgoing model did.

That has turned out to be true for the UK and Australia, but unfortunately not for the US.

Here’s a full launch price comparison between the Bravia 8, Bravia 8 II and A95L:

Thankfully, discounts have come early for the US, so while the TV is still full price in the UK and Australia, it has already dropped to $2500 and $3000 in the US for the 55- and 65-inch versions respectively.

More important than how the Bravia 8 II's pricing compares with that of its fellow Sony TVs is how it compares with rivals such as the LG G5, Samsung S95F and Panasonic Z95B.

You can see the launch pricing for all four models here:

Of course, launch pricing is just the start of the story, and we always recommend waiting for discounts before making a purchase.

History suggests that the LG G5 will be the most heavily discounted model over time, closely followed by the Samsung S95F. Sony and Panasonic TVs, particularly flagship models, are usually less aggressively discounted.

That said, it feels as though we’re in a fairly unprecedented period of volatility, so there’s no guarantee that pricing history will repeat with these models.

What are the key design features of the Bravia 8 II?

The Bravia 8 II looks very similar to the A95L it replaces. One suspects that Sony decided to reuse as much of the chassis as possible to reduce costs so that it could sell the new model for less than its predecessor.

Compared with the flagship OLEDs that Sony produced before the A95L, the design is relatively conventional, but it is also quite smart and premium compared with many rivals.

Sony points to the Bravia 8 II as the slimmest TV in its lineup. At 3.4cm, though, it is the same thickness as the outgoing A95L and significantly thicker than rivals such as the Samsung S95F (1.1cm) and LG G5 (2.4cm). At least some of that comparative thickness is probably due, as with the A95L, to the actuator-based sound system and custom heatsink.

Like the A95L, the Bravia 8 II has blade-style feet that can be positioned only at the furthest extremes of the TV’s bottom edge. Sony claims that’s great for preventing reflections, but it also means the TV can’t be placed on furniture narrower than the set's width, which is 122cm (48 inches) for the 55-inch model and 145cm (64.5 inches) for the 65-inch version.

While the feet can’t be positioned closer to the centre of the chassis, they can be extended to lift the TV a few centimetres so that a soundbar can be positioned in front of the TV without obstructing the screen.

One big disappointment on the design front is that the remote control has been downgraded from the rechargeable, backlit number of the A95L, Bravia 9 and even the Bravia 8, to one that requires AAA batteries and doesn’t light up in the dark. That seems an odd decision.

What are the key features of the Bravia 8 II?

The big thing here, of course, is that the Bravia 8 II uses what Sony refers to as ‘the latest QD-OLED panel’. This, combined with Sony’s processing and custom heatsink, results in the new model apparently being able to go 25 per cent brighter than its A95L QD-OLED predecessor in terms of peak brightness, and 50 per cent brighter than the Bravia 8 W-OLED.

• Read more: W-OLED vs QD-OLED

With this increased brightness comes increased colour volume, and Sony claims to have also engineered big improvements to dark gradation (essentially very dark shading).

As you would expect, the Bravia 8 II is powered by Sony’s XR Processor which, like every rival TV processor right now, uses AI, most notably in what the brand refers to as ‘an AI scene recognition system’. This new, 2025 feature, which is exclusive to the Bravia 8 II and Bravia 5, apparently ‘detects and analyses data with flawless accuracy, then optimises the picture for ultimate realism’.

Sony has gone big in recent years on what it calls ‘Studio Calibrated Modes’. These, it says, deliver content from their respective streaming services as it was meant to be seen. So it’s no surprise to see the Netflix Adaptive Calibrated Mode, Prime Video Calibrated Mode and Sony Pictures Core Calibrated Mode all present on the Bravia 8 II.

The TV also supports Dolby Vision and Atmos, and is IMAX Enhanced certified. As with all previous Sony TVs, it does not support HDR10+, but the standard HDR10 and HLG HDR formats are, of course, on board.

Unfortunately, precious little has changed on the gaming front. Yes, the TV supports 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM, and it has a Dolby Vision Game mode. The ‘Perfect for PlayStation 5’ functionality remains, too, which means the TV will automatically dial in pretty accurate HDR settings when connected to a PlayStation 5.

The problem is that there are still just two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets, and one of those doubles as the eARC port, so it will be taken up by your soundbar or other sound system, should you choose to add one. That will leave just one top-specification input for your console or gaming PC.

That’s fine if you have just one such device, but if you have more, you’re going to have to do some irritating cable swapping or accept the extras running at less than their full capabilities.

As expected, the Bravia 8 II features the Google TV platform, which is gradually gaining ground on LG’s slicker webOS.

The app selection is excellent, with no significant absentees. That includes all of the UK's catch-up services, which can be missing from some Google TV devices.

Every app delivers its content in the expected formats, too, and an initial issue we had with Netflix delivering content in 5.1 rather than Dolby Atmos has since sorted itself out.

How good is the Bravia 8 II's picture quality?

For our testing, we’ve lined the Bravia 8 II up against both its A95L predecessor and Bravia 8 sibling, feeding all sets a variety of content in 4K Dolby Vision, 4K HDR10, 1080p and standard-def.

This content includes Alien: Romulus, Sinners, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Alex Garland’s Civil War, Pan, The Fall Guys, and even an episode of Rowan Atkinson’s fairly forgotten The Thin Blue Line from 1995.

To cut to the chase, the Bravia 8 II is a significant upgrade on both models, and no flaws have been introduced. It’s all gain and no pain, and the results are glorious.

One of the Bravia 8 II’s greatest strengths is how easy it is to get looking its best. For a supremely authentic picture, simply pick Dolby Vision Dark for Dolby Vision content or Professional for everything else.

Should you want a little more pop to proceedings, either because you’re watching in a room with ambient light or simply because you enjoy an even more thrilling delivery, simply switch to Dolby Vision Bright or the Cinema mode.

We’re not saying that small tweaks won’t result in an even better picture, but the presets are so spot on, the vast majority of owners won’t deem that extra effort necessary.

We kick things off with Alien: Romulus in Dolby Vision, and the upgrades offered by the Bravia 8 II are clear and appreciable.

The first of these is predictably the noticeably brighter peak highlights, with the pin-prick stars glistening that little bit more piercingly against the foreboding blackness of deep space.

But there’s more to it than that. The Bravia 8 II’s bright colours are more vibrant than they are from the Bravia 8 and brighter than they are from the A95L, which makes the steadily illuminating orange and red buttons in the cockpit of the recovery craft all the more impressive.

Colours maintain their natural vibrancy in low-light areas, too, such as the bunk in which Cailee Spaeny’s Rain awakens for another glorious day in the employ of the Weyland Yutani corporation.

The work that Sony has done on dark gradation has really paid off as well, in that there’s far more shadow detail from the Bravia 8 II than either of the other sets.

All of the folds and wrinkles in Andy’s (David Jonsson) grey jacket are clear as he and Rain walk through the dystopian streets of the Jackson’s Star Mining Colony, whereas the finest elements are lost on the Bravia 8 and A95L.

But what’s most impressive is how all of these elements combine with Sony’s new AI processing to make the image look so much more solid and three-dimensional. There’s volume and roundedness to objects and people (Rain and Andy as they eat breakfast in front of a daylight-style window, for example), and backgrounds have depth and purpose (the street behind Rain as she talks through a window to a cold corporate shill).

These traits hold true when we switch to Sinners. The incredible, dramatic sunrise skies over the cotton fields have greater shading, depth and contrast from the Bravia 8 II, and you get the feeling you could put your hand through the TV and reach towards the horizon.

The bleached white church really pops against the azure blue skies and verdant green fields, and as the movie takes its dark turn, the improved presentation of shadow detail ensures that you never miss a gory effect or creepy facial expression.

Punchy animated movie Into The Spider-Verse absolutely pops from the Bravia 8 II, particularly in Dolby Vision Bright. The bright sun over Brooklyn sizzles, original Spidey’s red suit is super-vivid, and the dimension-melding action at the start of the film crackles with colour.

Civil War, meanwhile, is such a crisp and vibrant movie (somewhat ironic given the gritty subject matter), and it too looks utterly glorious in HDR10 from the Bravia 8 II.

The flawless colour reproduction brings out the red of the near-sunburnt skin of Wagner Moura’s Joel as he awakens with a hangover in the bright sunlight, and while Kirsten Dunst’s Lee looks a little too pale and shadowy from the Bravia 8 and A95L respectively, the Bravia 8 II reveals the small amount of colour left in her cheeks and the full anguish on her face.

Unsurprisingly, the bright tracer fire and explosions during the battle for Washington, D.C. leap from the screen, providing stunning contrast against the dimly lit streets.

As you would probably imagine, given that it’s mastered to a super-bright 4000 nits, Pan goes even further in illustrating the advantages of the Bravia 8 II over both the Bravia 8 and A95L.

Of course, even the new model can get nowhere near the 4000 nits of the source material, but the combination of greater brightness headroom and some exceptional tone mapping results in significantly more piercing highlights with precise detail and shading.

Once again, though, it’s the way that all of the Bravia 8 II’s individually small upgrades combine to make the image seem so much more solid and lifelike that is so impressive.

Right at the other end of the quality spectrum is our standard-def stream of The Thin Blue Line, and it’s certainly true that 576p material such as this benefits less from the Bravia 8 II’s upgrades than 4K HDR does, but the quality of the upscaling is still mightily impressive.

The image created by the Bravia 8 II is undeniably cleaner and smoother than the other sets can manage, but there’s also impressive sharpness and detail. It wouldn’t be too hard to convince someone that what they were watching was HD rather than SD. We do feel the need to switch from Professional to Cinema here, though, as the former looks a little too dark.

Overall, the key to the Bravia 8 II’s success is balance. The colours are so vibrant, highlights so bright and edges so sharp, but nothing feels exaggerated or incorrect, which means you never feel as though you’re getting anything other than the very best versions of your movies and TV shows.

How good is the Bravia 8 II's sound system?

The Bravia 8 II has the same Acoustic Surface Audio+ setup as the A95L. Said setup consists of two actuators and two subwoofers (the Bravia 8 features two lesser actuators and one sub) and, in the A95L, represents one of the best built-in TV sound systems currently available.

Sure enough, the Bravia 8 II sounds just as good.

The actuators vibrate the screen itself in order to make sound. This ties the audio and video spatially in a way that rival solutions can’t match. But, as with the A95L, the Bravia 8 II manages to combine this directness with very impressive (by TV standards) spaciousness, with effects stretching far beyond the edges of the screen in all directions.

There’s excellent detail, too, and enough dynamic nuance to convey the emotion in an actor’s performance. Bigger dynamic shifts are also handled well, with chapter two of Blade Runner 2049 building steadily where rival sets sound flat.

As with the A95L, the Bravia 8 II isn’t the last word in bass depth, but it’s weightier than many rivals and, more importantly, is very controlled in the low frequencies, with only the faintest hint of fuzz creeping into the uniquely deep notes of the soundtrack.

Tonal balance is very good overall, in fact, with the impressive lower midrange ensuring that there’s warmth and fullness to voices.

In short, the Bravia 8 II sounds very similar to the A95L, which means it’s one of the best-sounding TVs you can buy. We still believe that a picture as good as this demands to be partnered by a dedicated sound system, but this is one of those rare TVs that won’t instantly be improved through the addition of a cheap soundbar.

Think along the lines of the Sonos Arc Ultra as a starting point for appropriate sound quality.

Verdict: is the Sony Bravia 8 II worth buying?

The Sony Bravia 8 II is a truly exceptional TV. Its combination of sizzling brightness, vibrant colours through all degrees of light, terrific shadow detail and razor-like sharpness combine to produce an image with regularly astonishing dynamism, depth and realism.

In fact, it’s so good that it makes the awesome A95L look a bit flat in comparison.

We haven’t yet had the chance to run the Bravia 8 II side-by-side with the LG G5, but our previous experience with the G5 tells us that it will win for sheer brightness and spectacle, but that the Bravia 8 II should be more considered and consistent. We already know for a fact that the Sony sounds significantly better, too.

We will be doing that full comparison as part of our Awards judging process, and we’re predicting a tense battle. Until then, we can’t proclaim the Bravia 8 II to be the very best TV available right now – but it’s undeniably already one of the best.

SCORES:

• Picture 5
• Sound 5
• Features 4

MORE:

Also consider the LG G5, Samsung S95F and Panasonic Z95B

How about a different Sony model? Check out our Bravia 8 review and Bravia 9 review

These are the overall best OLED TVs you can buy right now

Investing in a soundbar is a quick and easy way to take your home cinema system to the next level.

It saves you precious time positioning multiple speakers, instead offering a neat, one-box package that you can plug and play with relative ease.

There are countless soundbars on the market at various price points, which can make the search for the right model seem like an impossible task.

While you can spend a lot of money on a soundbar, we'd suggest your average home cinema fan need not spend thousands to get a worthwhile upgrade to their TV’s audio.

In fact, we've picked out two soundbars, out of all the products that we've reviewed, that we think will do the job for most people.

For those looking for a soundbar that provides a significant improvement to your TV's sound without breaking the bank, and beats out the budget competition, the five-star Sonos Beam Gen 2 is our top pick.

It launched at £449 / $449 / AU$649, but we have consistently spotted deals lopping hundreds off its original price.

While this Dolby Atmos soundbar is on the small side in terms of stature, it produces a sound that's much broader than its compact frame suggests.

We say in our review: "It sounds incredible, reaching deeper than the Beam Gen 1 with more refinement, a warmer treble, and wider dynamic range."

On top of that, the Beam Gen 2 offers eARC connectivity, which means it can handle the higher bandwidth Dolby True HD Atmos format. It also has Wi-Fi and network streaming onboard, plus compatibility with Alexa and Google Assistant.

And, lest you forget, the Beam 2 gives you all the extra multi-room music functionality offered by Sonos speakers and soundbars.

There is of course the option to spend even more, and get better, bigger sound (the excellent Sonos Arc Ultra springs to mind) but for under £500, the Sonos Beam is very much worth your consideration.

Of course, £400 is still a chunk of change. So, if you want a truly affordable option, that will still improve on your TV's speakers, the Sony HT-SF150 is the way to go.

While it doesn't quite make it to a five-star rating, this ‘bar earned four stars for its impressive sense of space and premium feel.

We tested the soundbar at £90 / $100 / AU$199, but recently the price has crept up to £99.

The two-channel system does not support Dolby Atmos, but it still manages to produce a decent weightiness and scale.

When watching Baby Driver during testing, for example, we found that “the low-key sonic components that reverberate after each sound effect in the warehouse scene feel nicely separated and well presented, adding to the underlying tension”.

Alongside HDMI ARC, the SF150 has an optical input, and support for Dolby Digital.

While it is lacking the extra detail and musicality that we can hear in more premium products, it would be unfair to expect it for a soundbar at this bargain price.

Not convinced by either of these? Take a look at our longer list of the best soundbars for more choice.

MORE:

Here is our full review of the Sony HT-SF150

And check out what we thought of the Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

These are the best budget soundbars we recommend right now

The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) has been fending off pretenders to its mid-range soundbar crown for four years now, and the latest challenger comes in the form of the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 6.

Often similarly priced, but with some key differences that set them apart from each other, both of these soundbars have probably cropped up during your research if you’re in the market for a Dolby Atmos soundbar to upgrade your TV’s sound.

So, which one should you buy? We've reviewed both models and tested them side by side. Below, we’ve compared the two based on their price, design, features, and performance, so you can be completely sure which one suits your needs best.

• Marshall Heston 120 vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9: which soundbar should you buy?
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Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 6 vs Sonos Beam Gen 2: price

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is officially priced at £449 / $499 / AU$799, but unless you’re in a real hurry to own one and money is no object, you shouldn’t need to spend that much on one.

Discounts come along fairly frequently, and in the UK, we’ve seen it drop to £400 or lower on a pretty regular basis. It’s even fallen as low as £300 before, but that’s fairly rare.

The Sony Theatre Bar 6 only made its debut this year, so discounts are less likely than on the four-year-old Sonos. Most places are still asking for £499 / $650 / AU$899 for the system.

Given the fact that its RRP is cheaper, and it’s often available with a meaningful discount that makes it even more affordable, we’ll have to give this round to the Sonos.

**Winner: Sonos Beam Gen 2**

Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 6 vs Sonos Beam Gen 2: design

There’s only so much you can do design-wise with something that’s essentially just an elongated rectangle, but there are fundamental differences between these two products.

The most obvious is that the Sony Theatre Bar 6 comes with a separate subwoofer, which means you need more than just a thin sliver of space underneath your TV to accommodate it, but the main unit itself is also a full 30cm wider than the Beam.

In terms of depth and height, though, they’re much of a muchness, and despite that extra width, the Sony only weighs 300g more.

So, how much space do you need for that sub? It’s wireless, so it’s about as flexible as you can get in terms of placement, but with dimensions of 39 x 39 x 21cm, it’ll still take up a fair chunk of floor space.

The top of the Sonos is home to some touch-sensitive controls, and that’s it, whereas the Sony has a couple of upward-firing drivers and no buttons at all, although it does come with a basic but functional remote.

Neither of the soundbars has a display, but most of your interaction with both is more likely to go through their respective companion apps anyway.

This is more of a practical decision than an aesthetic one, which will depend entirely on your particular setup and circumstances, so we’re going to call this round a draw.

**Winner: Draw**

Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 6 vs Sonos Beam Gen 2: features

As briefly touched on above, both of these soundbars support Dolby Atmos, but they go about it in different ways. The Sony has those two upward-firing drivers on top, whereas the Sonos uses clever processing to create virtual height channels. More on both approaches later.

Elsewhere, the Beam is clearly the more feature-packed of the two. Whether it’s the Trueplay calibration system, which tunes the soundbar to the specific sonic signature of your room; the built-in voice control; or the fact that its wi-fi connection allows you to incorporate it into a multiroom music system, the Beam is an all-round speaker system.

The Sony Theatre Bar 6 is also easy to set up using the Bravia Connect app, but you will need to manually input a few distances, such as how far it is between the soundbar and the ceiling, if you want to hear it at its best.

If you own a recent Sony TV, some of the Theatre Bar’s settings can be controlled through the TV’s menus, but the app is probably a more intuitive way to do things.

Sonos made headlines for all the wrong reasons last year when it launched a new version of its app that introduced all kinds of issues, but those largely seem to be fixed now.

For a lot of people, once setup is complete, you’ll have little reason to reach for the app again anyway.

The Theatre Bar is also slightly lacking when it comes to ways of playing music through it.

While the Beam has support for the likes of AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect, plus more or less every other music streaming service via the Sonos app, you’ll have to make do with Bluetooth on the Sony, which feels a little old-fashioned in comparison.

**Winner: Sonos Beam Gen 2**

Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 6 vs Sonos Beam Gen 2: sound

With its 3.1.2-channel configuration, the Sony has a more ‘traditional’ setup than the Beam’s quintet of front-facing drivers, and the impact that makes on the performance is obvious.

The Theatre Bar 6 is capable of filling a moderately sized living room in a way that the Sonos can only dream of, and the Atmos effect is much more pronounced, particularly with the way it places sounds directly above you.

It has no trouble making your sofa shake when a scene calls for it, although unless you turn the subwoofer volume down, it’ll also do it when it doesn’t. We’ve got no qualms with its heft, then, but it struggles with anything more subtle.

Things are better when it comes to dialogue, retaining plenty of emotion in the actors’ voices, although during quieter moments they can take on a slightly synthetic quality. Turning the Sound Field setting off seems to solve this, but doing so downgrades the Atmos presentation, so you have to weigh up whether what you’re watching will make it worth what you’ll lose in spectacle.

In contrast, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 might not be able to compete in terms of sheer scale, but it’s more balanced overall.

As our five-star review points out, the Beam delivers a rich, refined sound with plenty of nuance and dynamic range.

In a direct comparison with the Sony, there’s more detail and definition from the Sonos, with crisper, more sparkly treble.

It’s also more precise when it comes to positioning effects within the soundstage, even if genuine overhead sounds are beyond it due to that lack of upward-firing drivers; the technology just isn’t capable of faking that convincingly yet.

That’s not to say the Atmos performance isn’t impressive. It still provides tangible motion, depth and space, but if it’s height you want, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

When it comes to playing music, the Sonos is streets ahead of the Sony. The Beam sounds clear, punchy and rhythmic, while the Theatre Bar is lacking in warmth and roundedness. Unsurprisingly, its bass performance is also a bit woolly and overenthusiastic.

If you value sofa-shaking explosions over subtlety, then you might prefer the Sony Theatre Bar 6, but for everybody else, this one’s a no-brainer.

**Winner: Sonos Beam Gen 2**

Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 6 vs Sonos Beam Gen 2: verdict

There might not be much difference in price between these two soundbars, but when you pit them against one another, it’s clear that they’re actually quite different propositions. And while the Sonos triumphs in almost every category, it's perhaps not quite the clean sweep that it would first appear.

In almost every instance, we’d recommend the Sonos Beam Gen 2 as the best, most cost-effective way to improve the sound of your TV, even if its Atmos performance is perhaps a little lacking from a height perspective.

Where the Sony Theatre Bar 6 stands out is when it comes to filling a space. The subwoofer might need reining in a little to prevent it overpowering the rest of the frequency range, but if it’s a big, bombastic performance you’re after, the Sony certainly delivers.

**Overall winner: Sonos Beam Gen 2**

MORE:

Check out the best soundbars right now

And here are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars we have tested

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Back in April we brought you the news that Porsche was getting a major infotainment upgrade and the addition of Dolby Atmos support.

Now we can add another member of the Volkswagen Group (VAG) to the list of brands getting a sonic boost. Starting in July we are going to see the arrival of the first Audis compatible with the format.

As was the case with Porsche, the feature is going to be limited to certain models, at least with the initial rollout.

In this case, it’s the Audi Q7, Q8, A8 and Audi e-tron GT models fitted with Bang & Olufsen’s Premium 3D Sound System or Bang & Olufsen Advanced 3D Sound System. According to Audi’s press release, they have been “specially adapted to integrate Dolby Atmos”.

As was the case with the Porsche rollout, you will need to access tracks via the streaming services found within the Audi Application Store, which is accessed through Audi’s infotainment system, MMI (Multi Media Interface).

To take advantage of tracks available in the immersive audio format, you will need to have either an Amazon Music, Audible or Tidal subscription.

Like the Porsche rollout, it has been confirmed that Dolby Atmos support won't be backwards compatible with older models and will only be available on models on sale from July onwards.

Audi is the latest automotive manufacturer to announce Dolby Atmos support, with Polestar, Mercedes-Benz, Lotus and Cadillac all offering a more immersive listening experience with certain models.

We shall have to wait to see whether Dolby Atmos in an Audi can reduce anyone to tears until we can take one of the compatible cars for a spin.

MORE:

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Quite remarkably, it’s been three and a half years since Sky Glass first launched.

It was a big deal for Sky: not only the brand’s first TV, but also the first time Sky was made available without the satellite dish with which it was synonymous.

A couple of high-profile service outages aside, it’s fair to say that Sky-over-internet – both in Sky Glass and Sky Stream forms – has been a success, and there’s no doubt it is the future of the service, with the satellite-based Sky Q seemingly destined for eventual discontinuation.

But three and a half years is a long time in TV land, and the original Sky Glass, which was already somewhat behind the TV tech times when it launched back in October 2021, is creaking a bit.

Good news, then, that Sky Glass Gen 2 is here.

The concept is unchanged – it’s a TV with a soundbar and the Sky service built in – but Sky has upped the specs and improved usability.

Overall, it’s a big improvement on the previous generation, but just a few little niggles hold it back from five-star greatness.

Price

Sky Glass Gen 2 is priced the same as the now discontinued original model, which is £699 for the 43-inch version, £949 for the 55-inch version, and £1199 for the 65-inch model. So far, so simple.

But one of the most appealing aspects of Sky Glass has always been that the cost can be split, interest-free, over 24 or 48 months. Opt for the 48-month contract and you’re looking at £14 per month for the 43-inch Sky Glass Gen 2, £19 per month for the 55 incher and £24 per month for the 65-inch model (you also have to pay a £20 upfront fee with any of the pay-monthly options).

That only covers the cost of the hardware, though, and you will also need to subscribe to the Sky TV service to get the intended Sky Glass experience. Subscriptions now start at £15 per month but can quickly balloon to much higher figures once you start adding sport and/or movie channels.

You still also have to pay an extra £6 per month if you want to add 4K and Dolby Atmos, which seems like a bit of a mickey-take when you consider they are key elements of the Sky Glass hardware, plus £5 for the privilege of being able to skip more adverts.

So, at the time of writing, the 55-inch Sky Glass Gen 2 we’re reviewing costs £19 per month, then it’s £22 per month for Sky Ultimate TV, £20 per month for Sky Sports, £10 per month for Sky Cinema, £6 for Sky Kids, £6 for 4K and Dolby Atmos and £5 for ad skipping.

So that’s a cool £88 per month for the full Sky package, and if you want to add the ability to watch Sky in a second room via one of the Sky Stream pucks, that’s an extra £12 per month.

TNT Sports is an extra £20 per month, too, and should you wish to upgrade the Netflix Standard with Ads subscription that comes with Sky to Netflix Premium, that’s another £11 per month.

So, if you tick every box while placing your order, you’ll be committing to spending £131 per month and £20 upfront.

Of course, you don’t have to tick all of those boxes, but it feels as though 4K and Dolby Atmos are essential. Once added to the standard Sky Essentials subscription of £15 and the £19 cost of the TV, you get a kicking-off price of £40 per month.

Design

While Sky Glass Gen 2 has a broadly similar chunky, angular design to its predecessor, some sensible changes have been made.

The first and most useful of these is the stand, which is now a low-profile little number that simply slots into the bottom of the chassis.

The stand for the original Sky Glass was heavy, chunky, a pain in the backside to assemble, and it gave the impression that the TV could swivel – which it could not – so this change is very welcome indeed.

The construction is aluminium, but the matte paintwork actually masks this in a way that seems surely unintentional, as it makes everything look more like plastic.

The number of finishes has been distilled to just three – Volcanic Grey, Arctic Silver or Atlantic Blue. Sky says that dark grey, silver and blue were the most popular colours for the original Sky Glass, which is why it has gone with those for the new model.

As before, the bottom couple of inches of the chassis are for a speaker bar. Said speaker bar, which Sky itself refers to as a Dolby Atmos soundbar, now contains two drivers that fire out diagonally from the ends, plus a centre speaker and upgraded subwoofer.

There are also now two up-firing drivers mounted within the top edge of the set to boost Dolby Atmos delivery.

While some people simply want the slimmest TV possible, we’re rather fond of the angular, monolithic design of Sky Glass, especially in the Atlantic Blue of our review sample.

Features

As before, this is a Quantum Dot TV with an LED backlight (what many brands refer to as ‘QLED’).

Sky has made the somewhat controversial decision not to switch to Mini LED backlighting, but while Mini LED tech certainly has the potential to improve contrast and brightness, it’s no guarantee of quality, and we’ve seen plenty of very impressive TVs with standard LED backlights in recent years. Better to judge on actual performance than specs.

And while the underlying panel technology hasn’t changed, the number of dimming zones has been increased (we count 104 independent zones in our 55-inch Sky Glass Gen 2 sample). Sky says that the big improvements for Sky Glass Gen 2 are increased brightness, increased contrast, reduced blooming and far better viewing angles. All good stuff.

Like the previous model, Sky Glass Gen 2 has just three HDMI sockets, which is one fewer than most modern TVs. That’s perhaps no great surprise when you consider the all-in-one nature of the TV, though.

The main external source we can see many people looking to connect to a Sky Glass TV is a games console, and the TV does support ALLM, so the low input lag Game mode will be automatically selected when a gaming signal is detected.

Unfortunately, this is as far as the advanced gaming specs go – there is no support for 4K/120Hz (the TV has a 60Hz panel) or VRR. Again, this is perhaps to be expected given the price and intentions of the TV, but there’s no denying that it will be a deal-breaker for some potential buyers.

There’s another problem on the gaming front, too, in that there’s no way to manually switch the Sky Glass Gen 2 into its low-lag game mode. That’s fine if your console or PC supports ALLM, as most do, but it’s no good for users of, for example, the original Nintendo Switch, which doesn’t, as they will have to struggle with the TV’s standard input lag of almost 70ms.

Of course, the real purpose of the Sky Glass TV is to deliver the full Sky TV experience in the simplest and most enjoyable way possible.

Other than the tweaks and updates that have been made since Sky Glass first launched, this is the same Sky OS experience that many of us are now pretty used to – bright, sharp and fairly user-friendly once you’ve got used to its foibles. It certainly makes Sky Q look rather anachronistic at this point.

Sky OS is also very strong on content discovery, app integration and voice control (the TV has far-field microphones built in). Every streaming app you’re ever likely to need is integrated into the platform and delivers its content in the optimal picture and sound formats that your subscription level allows.

On the subject of formats, Sky Glass Gen 2 supports Dolby Vision as well as the HDR10 and HLG formats of HDR, plus Dolby Atmos sound.

Rather than separate picture and sound presets, the Sky Glass Gen 2 has ‘Viewing Modes’ that adjust picture and sound together. By default, the TV is set to its Auto Viewing Mode, which is designed, as the name suggests, to automatically adjust picture and sound to the type of content being watched.

This is nothing new in the realm of TVs, but Sky is better placed to get it right as it produces and broadcasts so much of the content itself. The way this Auto mode has been implemented is much more intelligent than it was with the original Sky Glass, too, with the set seemingly switching modes on a per-program rather than per-channel basis.

The most striking difference in delivery comes when switching from a TV show or movie to watching sport. With movies and most TV shows, you get the warmer, cinematic presentation you would expect, but when watching sport, the set adheres to the cooler colour temperature that’s standard for sports broadcasting and opts for a crisper and brighter picture overall.

The sound changes, too, with the voices of the commentators being pushed out more clearly and crowd noise being sent up and out more broadly. It’s really quite atmospheric.

All told, most of the people who buy the Sky Glass Gen 2 will be very happy with the Auto viewing mode and the set’s other default settings, but home cinema buffs might want to switch to the most cinematically accurate Movie mode, and either leave that on all the time or manually switch to the Sport mode when appropriate.

Said home cinema buffs might also want to look at the Dolby Vision and HDR settings in the picture modes. By default, these are both set to Bright, but they can be switched to Dark for more accurate viewing in a dark room.

And, on the subject of accuracy, the Auto Backlight Adjustment setting, which is the sort of thing we would ordinarily switch off on a TV, actually appears to get both more brightness and more authenticity out of the Sky Glass Gen 2, so we recommend leaving this on.

Picture

We line the Sky Glass Gen 2 up alongside the Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini LED, which costs a little less than Sky’s TV but doesn’t feature a hefty soundbar or the integrated TV service.

First up is Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One in Dolby Vision from the Netflix app, and it’s fair to say that the Sky Glass Gen 2 pretty much smashes the Amazon set.

Sky’s claims of increased brightness and contrast for its new set are clearly accurate: this is a terrifically bright and dynamic image that makes the Amazon look flat, grey and a bit jaundiced by comparison.

It’s clear from the black bars at the top and bottom of the picture that the Sky Glass Gen 2 isn’t going completely black (an issue we’ll return to later), but there’s far more black depth than the Amazon set provides.

Highlights are brighter, too, and there’s more natural warmth to the colours.

What’s most surprising is how balanced, consistent and downright cinematic the picture is. While there’s lots of pop and vibrancy, skin tones are also natural in terms of hue and subtle in terms of shading.

There’s an impressive sense of three-dimensionality to the picture, too, thanks to the strong contrast and sharp, but not over-sharpened, edges.

This is all with Dolby Vision set to Dark, but Dolby Vision content looks really good when set to Bright, too – a touch over-exposed in the highlights, but not terribly so, and there’s something to be said for the punchier delivery.

If you can’t be bothered to switch between the Bright and Dark Dolby Vision settings for different viewing conditions, there’s no great harm in leaving the set in Bright so that you get a decent presentation in a bright room and a pleasantly punchy delivery in a dark room.

The Sky Glass Gen 2 has no active motion processing, as such, but it handles 24fps fairly well. There’s a bit of blur and judder, as you would expect, but it’s at least consistent and relatively cinematically natural, and there’s less of the smearing or jankiness than is common with affordable LCD TVs.

Over two days of testing, using various content types and formats, these picture performance traits remain consistent, but we do encounter a couple of disappointing flaws.

As hinted at, the Sky Glass Gen 2 appears to be incapable of going entirely black, even when there’s nothing to display on the screen.

In mixed brightness images, this generally isn’t noticeable. In fact, the TV goes black enough to combine with the excellent brightness to produce impressive contrast. But when a movie or TV show fades to black, or features a small highlight on an otherwise black background, the Gen 2 can only go as far as very dark grey, which is both noticeable and disappointing.

We also find that the Sky Glass Gen 2 tends to slightly exaggerate reds. This isn’t noticeable with a lot of content, including the Mission: Impossible movie we with which we began our testing, but with movies that already have a very vibrant palette (Alex Garland’s Civil War, for example) or those that are very subdued (such as Blade Runner 2049), a touch of excess rosiness is detectable. It’s worth noting that this is not unpleasant or garish, though.

Viewing angles, meanwhile, are good rather than great. There’s a noticeable drop-off in contrast and colour vibrancy when you move just a few degrees off-axis, but it doesn’t get significantly worse as you make the angle more extreme. In other words, there’s a definite sweet spot, but at least the not-sweet spots (the sour spots?) are consistent and far from terrible.

FInally, the Sky Glass Gen 2 also has a specific bug in the way it handles HDR content in the 4:4:4 chroma format. Most buyers will never see this, as it doesn’t affect streaming, but it is the default format in which most 4K Blu-ray players output HDR content.

The bug results in very noticeable banding, or ‘posterisation’, usually in large areas of subtle shading (the inside of the interview room near the start of Blade Runner 2049, for example).

Luckily, this can be fixed by switching your Blu-ray player's chroma output to 4:2:2, but it’s a shame that this is necessary. We understand that Sky is working on a fix for this issue.

Those niggles are a shame, but it’s worth reiterating how impressive the Sky Glass Gen 2’s picture quality is overall. With chroma subsampling set to 4:2:2 on our Oppo UDP-203 Blu-ray player, the Civil War 4K Blu-ray looks fantastic.

Yes, you can see that slight exaggeration of the colours, but only when you have a more authentic reference to hand, and the picture is superbly striking. Bright, sharp, vibrant and dynamic, it makes for a really exciting and engaging delivery.

And despite the raised black floor, contrast is excellent. A close-up of Lee (Kirsten Dunst) during the battle for DC looks murky on the Amazon Omni Mini LED but beautifully striking via the Glass Gen 2, with the light shining off her sweaty forehead contrasting superbly against the near-black backdrop.

Shadow detail is good, too, with none of the black crush seen from many TVs at this level, and bright highlights are both striking and information-packed.

Sound

How you feel about the sound of the Sky Glass Gen 2 will very much depend on your expectations. If you’re expecting sound to rival a standalone Dolby Atmos soundbar, you’ll be highly disappointed, but if you’re just expecting good sound for a TV, you will be pleased.

Chapter 2 of Blade Runner 2049 is nicely controlled, with no obvious distortion, but there’s a surprising lack of bass depth. The set makes very little attempt to reproduce the deep frequencies, despite the apparent presence of a dual subwoofer.

The Bass Boost setting, which is hidden fairly deep in the TV’s menus and is off by default, does increase the volume of the bass and gives it a little more presence, but it doesn’t extend it significantly deeper, and the audio is still surprisingly lightweight overall.

Even so, Bass Boost does lend a little more weight to voices, which otherwise sound a little reedy, so we recommend you turn it on and leave it so.

Despite the surprising lack of bass weight and depth, this is very good sound for a TV, particularly one at this level. Voices are clear and emotive, there’s very good projection into the room, lots of space and atmosphere, and it goes pretty loud.

There is some nice directionality to the sound, too. It’s much wider, taller and more spacious than all but the most specialist flagship TVs, and effects such as whizzing bullets move through the soundstage effectively.

But there’s really no contest between the Sky Glass Gen 2’s built-in speakers and a good dedicated soundbar – even a very affordable one, such as the Sony HT-SF150, which is widely available for just £120.

The little Sony soundbar lacks Dolby Atmos support, yet it sounds even more spacious than the TV. It’s much weightier, more precise in terms of timing and spatial placement, and smoother, too, without the hard edges that you get from the TV’s own speakers, particularly at high volumes.

Verdict

While you can beat the Sky Glass Gen 2 for sound by spending just £120 on a soundbar, beating it for picture quality is much tougher.

Really, getting something significantly better will involve going for an OLED, and while getting a 55-inch OLED TV for under £1000 isn’t impossible if you get your timing right, the launch prices for such TVs tend to be closer to £2000.

And the Sky Glass Gen 2 isn’t really aimed at the sort of person who's happy to buy a TV, soundbar and TV box separately anyway. It’s aimed at those who want a super-slick and attractive all-in-one that’s easy to use, brings in all of the content from the many services to which they might subscribe, and delivers it all really effectively.

It very much delivers all of that, and while a few niggling issues mean it falls short of a five-star rating, in most ways it exceeds our picture quality expectations.

SCORES

• Picture 4
• Sound 4
• Features 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini LED

Also consider the Samsung Q80D

Read our Sky Stream review

Best TVs flagship OLEDs and budget LED sets tried and tested

Marantz has unveiled its latest preamplifier and power amplifier duo, and they feature a medley of features derived from the Award-winning Cinema 30 AVR, as well as the company's flagship AV 10 series.

The AV 20 AV Preamplifier and AMP 20 Power Amplifier sport classy designs similar to the Cinema 30, with the stylish "porthole" screen and tasteful side illumination returning; two aspects we thoroughly approved of in our full review. Marantz's premium aluminium remote is also included, with backlit buttons ideal for operating these new amps in dark home cinema rooms.

While these amps certainly pass the style check, it's how they sound that's truly important. Starting with the AV 20 preamplifier, Marantz has outfitted this AV processor with the "latest and most powerful" Analogue Devices SHARC dual-core DSP chipset, which has been coupled with 32-bit two-channel DACs complete with dedicated jitter reduction.

It claims that this powerful digital platform will be able to "precisely decode" and "accurately process" a wide range of cinematic audio formats, including Dolby Atmos, DTS:X Pro and IMAX Enhanced. And, with 13.4 channels supported by the discrete HDAM SA-3 preamplifier stage (via either RCA or XLR), the AV 20 should have no trouble delivering a full immersive surround sound experience.

Connectivity seems strong in usual Marantz (and its sister company Denon, for that matter) fashion, with seven HDMI 2.1 inputs capable of supporting up to 8K/60Hz or 4K/120Hz signals. While Marantz hasn't explicitly confirmed which HDR formats the AV 20 will support, we'd be surprised if it wasn't the same HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision suite found on the five-star Cinema 30. The AV 20 also sports three HDMI outputs, two of which are labelled as supporting 4K signals.

Wireless connectivity appears equally strong, too. Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay 2, Tidal Connect, and the newly announced Qobuz Connect are all supported, alongside Bluetooth and Marantz's HEOS multiroom streaming platform.

There is also a robust suite of room correction technologies on board, including Audyssey MultEQ XT32 advanced room optimisation via the included microphone.

This will automatically measure speaker sizes, levels, distances and more via a simple setup process; in our experience, it has worked a treat on various Marantz and Denon AVRs. This is supported by an on-screen display, which should make setup even more of a breeze.

Furthermore, optional Dirac configurations are available, with Dirac Live Room Correction plus Dirac Live Bass Control for "fully optimised low-frequency integration" on up to four independent subwoofers.

Dirac Live Active Room Treatment (ART) is also supported, which will reportedly deliver the "most cohesive and tonally consistent listening experience" of any available room optimisation system. It's worth noting that this feature won't be supported at launch, but will be added with a firmware update down the line.

Moving onto the AMP 20, Marantz is positioning this as a powerful and versatile power amplifier. It delivers 12 channels of amplification, rated at 200W with two channels driven, which Marantz points out is enough to "drive multiple different speaker configurations and speaker layouts with ease".

If their speaker system requires more power, users can reconfigure the 12 channels into up to six 400W bridged-tied-load (BTL) outputs. Alternatively, if preferred, users can bi-amp up to six speakers.

The Marantz AV 20 and AMP 20 will be available starting today from selected retailers, and are both priced at £4750 / $6000. Therefore, the full system should cost £9500 / $12,000, though Marantz notes that these components are available to mix and match with other preamplifiers and power amplifiers in its range.

MORE:

Check out our picks for the best AV receivers

As well as our Marantz Cinema 30 review

And our JBL Synthesis SDR-38 review

TCL held its annual Experts Meet Experts event this week, in which it gets into the nitty gritty of its AV portfolio.

There were Mini LED TVs aplenty, and even another chance to check out the upcoming C8K TV, which will be the flagship model for the UK this year.

Most of the TVs were repeated from TCL's official 2025 launch that I attended in Paris a couple of months ago, and anything new that was shown off was to be expected. Yes, there were plenty of 100-inch TVs and a healthy dose of OLED-bashing too.

Truthfully, the new TVs weren't the most appealing factor at the event. Instead, it was Dolby Atmos FlexConnect that caught my eye.

If you aren't familiar with FlexConnect, it's a system that will let you place speakers anywhere in your room (within reason, of course) while still delivering a convincing Dolby Atmos surround sound experience.

It requires some serious audio processing and a microphone-assisted calibration process, but in theory, it should deliver immersive audio without the fuss of setting up an AVR and running cables around your room.

Now, TCL isn't the first to deliver a wireless Dolby Atmos experience; Sony has been doing it for quite some time, for example. It launched the HT-A9 wireless speaker system in 2021 and released a successor, the Bravia Theatre Quad, last year.

The main draw of TCL's Z100 FlexConnect speakers is similar to that of the Sony systems mentioned: they can be placed almost anywhere and, in theory, should still perform to optimal standards.

At its Experts Meet Experts event, TCL demonstrated a setup of four speakers (the current maximum ) paired with its mid-range C6K Mini LED TV.

Each speaker features a 1.1.1 driver arrangement; one midrange driver, one bass driver and an upward-firing speaker for Dolby Atmos height effects. TCL says an optional subwoofer could be added in the future, but we'll get onto that later.

It says that each speaker will be sold separately with no bundle options, which differentiates it from the Sony system and instead draws comparisons to the Sonos Era 300.

TCL demonstrated its Z100 Flex Connect system with a range of content. I heard the popular Dolby Atmos demo clip Leaf, as well as a scene from Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House and a sequence from Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Three of the speakers were placed at ear height, while the front left speaker was placed on the floor. It's also worth noting that each speaker was placed at a different distance from the seating position, though the swift setup process that recognises the location of each speaker with a quick chime that's picked up by the TV's internal microphone seemed to adjust for this well.

In practice, the Flex Connect system seems to do its job fairly well. If the goal is to achieve a bubble of sound around the user without having to worry about speaker placement, then it seems like TCL is on the right path. There was a definite directionality to the sound, and effects moved between channels fairly cohesively.

It's certainly not perfect, though. Much like Sony's Centre Sync feature or Samsung's Q Symphony features, TCL is combining these external speakers with the drivers built into the TV, allowing the TV to act as a centre channel of sorts.

This results in a bit of tonal dissonance between the different drivers, though TCL has smartly left the TV to handle dialogue while the other speakers take charge of the other sonic duties. Speaking of, the TV handles the audio processing, which means that, at the time of writing, FlexConnect will only be supported by TCL TVs.

TCL says that it hopes to allow the speakers to handle the processing in future iterations, but that's only if this speaker system takes off. It really didn't sugar coat the fact that, currently speaking, there would be some challenges in bringing this speaker system to the market.

While the Z100 speakers I saw were technically final production models, TCL claims that it is only exploring select markets, and there are no promises concerning a wide release, let alone a UK launch.

That feels like a shame, as TCL could be shooting FlexConnect down before it has a chance to prove its worth. There are very few rivals to the Sony Bravia Theatre Quads out there; Loewe recently announced its We. BOOST system, but that doesn't come with the freedom of placement that TCL's offering provides.

Admittedly, the limitation that FlexConnect could remain as a proprietary technology for TCL TVs could hurt its chances at success, but the company has conceptualised ways to get around this.

It hopes to move the audio processing to the speakers, rather than letting the TV handle it, which could allow it to gain wider compatibility with more brands and models in the future. Furthermore, it hopes to move from PCM to bitstream audio, as the current 10-channel limitation could be expanded with higher bandwidth capabilities.

Ultimately, TCL's FlexConnect system seems like it's in limbo at the time of writing. Will we see it? Won't we see it? We're not sure, but an early demo has us hoping for the former.

It appears as though Dolby has hopes to expand FlexConnect in the future, but we're not sure what that might look like, as other manufacturers could take it in a very different direction.

MORE:

Read our TCL C8K hands-on review

As well as our full TCL C855K review

And check out our picks for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Panasonic has unveiled its full 2025 TV lineup after teasing the range at CES 2025, and we've seen the full lineup in action.

The Japanese AV company initially launched its two new flagship models in Las Vegas earlier this year, however, it has now revealed all of the mid-range and entry-level models to complete the range.

Joining the previously announced Z95B OLED and W95B Mini LED is a pair of step-down OLEDs, and feature-packed backlit TVs that promise Panasonic's renowned picture tuning at more affordable prices.

Before we dive into the overview of the full range, we'll mention a few highlights of Panasonic's new range:

A flagship OLED rebuilt from the ground up

The Panasonic Z95B appears to be a major upgrade over last year's Z95A in practically measure. It features the latest Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel from LG Display, which can also be found in the LG G5 and Philips OLED910.

Furthermore, the Technics-tuned Dolby Atmos speaker system has been redesigned with repositioned upward and side-firing speakers for a wider soundstage, plus a more powerful 30W subwoofer is set to deliver more low end punch.

This all comes packaged in a sleek new design, with a more uniform thickness throughout instead of the slightly awkward-looking boxouts found on the Z95A. A new, lighter grey acoustic fabric covers the soundbar under the display, and the 55-inch and 65-inch models also carry forth the rotating stands found on the previous model.

Panasonic stated that this is the biggest upgrade to its flagship OLED TV since the GZ2000 launched in 2019.

A better (and bigger) Mini LED

While most of the attention is centred around the Z95B, we can't overlook the W95B, as it also appears to be a pretty significant upgrade over its predecessor.

It features X times the dimming zones compared to the W95A, and seeing the two TVs side by side in person, we can confirm that there is a discernible difference where blooming is concerned.

The backlight appeared more controlled in the brief demo in which we saw the two TVs duke it out, and blacks also seemed to be much more convincing on the W95B. Admittedly, we haven't reviewed the W95A, so we'll take this Panasonic-led demonstration with a pinch of salt, but the results did seem noticeable to our eyes.

Furthermore, Panasonic is throwing its hat into the XL TV ring by offering the W95B in a new 85-inch size; though we're still waiting for a 100-inch offering to rival TCL, Hisense and, as of this year, Samsung and LG.

A powerful processor with (you guessed it) AI

A handful of new models in Panasonic's 2025 range will feature the HCX Pro AI Processor MK II, which is set to boost picture quality in a variety of ways. Interestingly, it seems to be the same processor that was featured in the company's 2024 lineup, including the Z95A.

It supports Panasonic's 4K Remaster Engine for a sharper picture with lower resolution content, and it also adds support for the Amazon Prime Video Calibrated picture mode.

This retrieves data over the air when watching content on Amazon Prime Video to tweak the picture settings to best represent the intention of the creator. It is, of course, optional.

The main draw of the new HCX Pro AI Processor MKII is how it handles picture processing. Panasonic is famous for its authentic picture processing that strives to deliver content in an "as the director intended" fashion; hence why its TVs are still widely used by Hollywood studios during the film production process.

A complete collection of HDR formats

Panasonic enjoys the benefit of not being tied to a specific format when it comes to HDR support. Unlike Samsung, which opts for its in-house developed HDR10+ standard, or LG and Sony, which are both team Dolby Vision, Panasonic's latest TV lineup will support both formats, alongside HLG and HDR10.

This makes streaming content a breeze, as some services still only support one of the formats, or only offer content in either HDR10+ or Dolby Vision.

Panasonic 2025 OLED TVs

Panasonic Z95B

The crown jewel in Panasonic's new lineup, the Z95B is one of the most highly anticipated TVs of 2025. It features the new Primary RGB Tandem OLED display, which is set to boost brightness and colour volume, and we can already see the benefits of the new panel architecture.

In our Panasonic Z95B hands on review, we stated that this new model "appeared to be tangibly brighter next to the Z95A", and colours also looked "richer and more nuanced".

Alongside the enhanced OLED panel, Panasonic has also implemented a redesigned Dolby Atmos sound system. Much like the previous generations of this TV, the sound system has been developed in partnership with Technics (which is owned by Panasonic, if you weren't aware), and the emphasis this year is on creating a clearer and more spacious sound.

The 5.1.2 channel system appears to feature dedicated centre, left, and right channels within the front-firing soundbar portion of the TV, while repositioned side-firing line array speakers will handle surround effects for a 360-degree encompassing sound.

There are also upward-firing drivers for Dolby Atmos height effects; these, too, have been repositioned to (hopefully) create a more expansive sound. Finally, a rear-facing 30W subwoofer (up from 20W on the Z95A) should deliver weightier bass effects.

The redesigned sound system has also resulted in a new look for the TV overall, with a sleeker and, in our humble opinion, much smarter look. While the Z95A was a decent-looking telly, the Z95B looks and feels more premium and modern.

It now features a more uniform thickness throughout, as Panasonic has opted to drop the super-slender side profile, which was interrupted by chunky box-outs that housed the Technics sound system on the Z95A. You'll also find a stylish light-grey acoustic fabric covering the soundbar, and it carries through the design to cover the side and upward-firing drivers.

Sadly, we're only getting two HDMI 2.1 sockets yet again, with one serving as the eARC connection. This TV does, however, support gameplay up to 4K/144Hz with VRR and ALLM, and Panasonic is touting a thorough game bar feature which will allow you to tweak settings and check vital information (such as frame rates) at the press of a button.

Finally, the Z95B is powered by the HCX Pro AI MKII processor with all of the features mentioned above. Fire TV also makes a return, as Panasonic and Amazon's partnership continues, which can also be seen on the new Amazon Prime Video calibrated mode, which is also coming to other TVs in Panasonic's 2025 TV range.

Panasonic Z95B specs:

• Screen size 55-, 65-. 77-inches
• Type Primary RGB Tandem OLED
• Backlight N/A
• Resolution 4K
• HDR formats HLG, HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
• Operating system Fire OS
• HDMI inputs x 4 (2 x 48Gbps HDMI 2.1)
• Gaming features 4K/144Hz, VRR, ALLM
• ARC/eARC eARC

Panasonic Z95B price:

• 55-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 65-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 77-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A

Panasonic Z90B

This step-down OLED will likely be the sweet spot in the lineup for most people. It's set to rival the LG C5, Sony Bravia 8 and Samsung S90F, with a slimmed-down feature set, sound system and panel -- though that will also come with a reduced price.

Panasonic wouldn't confirm which panel was in the Z90B, instead opting to rely on its Master OLED Pro branding. However, it did let slip that it features a heatsink, which insinuates that this TV is sporting an OLED EX panel. That being said, it looks as though the 42- and 48-inch versions of these TVs will carry standard OLED panels, so we presume this means no heatsink and a lower brightness figure.

It sadly seems that no leftover Micro Lens Array panels have found their way into this step-down OLED panel; however, as we well know, "traditional" OLED TVs tend to impress even if they don't have the next generation panel technology of their peers.

This mid-range OLED sports a front-firing soundbar-style sound system, though it drops the side-firing and upward-firing drivers of the Z95B. That being said, Dolby Atmos is still supported, and HDMI eARC is included via one of the two HDMI 2.1 sockets.

Panasonic has been pitching this TV to gamers, with the Game Mode Extreme feature that includes Panasonic's game menu function. The Z90B's OLED panel is capable of reaching 144Hz refresh rates, with VRR and ALLM supported, too.

Panasonic Z90B specs:

• Screen size 42-. 48-, 55-, 65-. 77-inches
• Type OLED
• Backlight N/A
• Resolution 4K
• HDR formats HLG, HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
• Operating system Fire OS
• HDMI inputs x 4 (2 x 48Gbps HDMI 2.1)
• Gaming features 4K/144Hz, VRR, ALLM
• ARC/eARC eARC

Panasonic Z90B price:

• 42-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 48-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 55-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 65-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 77-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A

Panasonic Z80B

Panasonic's entry-level OLED TV strips back a few features to compete with the LG B5 and Samsung S85F. It drops to 120Hz, cuts back to a discreet sound system, and also features an OLED panel rather than one of Panasonic's Master OLED displays. It also uses a non-AI branded HCX Processor, which we presume will cut back on some of the software features found on the higher-end OLED TVs.

Panasonic confirmed to us that this TV is expected to launch later in the year, with the Z80A expected to continue for slightly longer than initially planned due to a later than expected launch last year.

Panasonic Z80B specs:

• Screen size 48-, 55-, 65-inches
• Type OLED
• Backlight N/A
• Resolution 4K
• HDR formats HLG, HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
• Operating system Fire OS
• HDMI inputs x 4 (2 x 48Gbps HDMI 2.1)
• Gaming features 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM
• ARC/eARC eARC

Panasonic Z80B price:

• 48-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 55-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 65-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A

Panasonic 2025 LCD TVs

Panasonic W95B

Panasonic's latest Mini LED flagship carries a handful of features from the OLED lineup, such as the HCX AI Pro Processor MKII, while bringing improvements over its predecessor, such as 2.5 times more dimming zones for reduced blooming.

It features discreet speakers rather than Technic's tuned Dolby Atmos like its OLED counterpart. However, it does support the same gaming specs with up to 4K/144Hz gameplay with VRR.

New for 2025 is an 85-inch screen size option, with Panasonic throwing its hat into the XL TV ring, which already has offerings from Samsung, TCL, Hisense, LG and Sony. That model sports a wide dual-foot stand, while the 55-, 65-, and 75-inch versions come with a new central pedestal.

It also features Amazon's Fire TV OS, much like the rest of Panasonic's premium TV lineup. The W95A did make its way to the USA last year, and it appears as though the W95B will follow in its footsteps.

Panasonic W95B specs:

• Screen size 55-, 65-, 75-, 85-inches
• Type Mini LED
• Backlight Mini LED
• Resolution 4K
• HDR formats HLG, HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
• Operating system Fire OS
• HDMI inputs x 4 (2 x 48Gbps HDMI 2.1)
• Gaming features 4K/144Hz, VRR, ALLM
• ARC/eARC eARC

Panasonic W95B price:

• 55-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 65-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 75-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 85-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A

Panasonic W85B

Panasonic's step-down LCD set moves to a 120Hz QLED display and features the same HCX Processor that can be found on the W80B OLED TV. You'll also find two HDMI 2.1 sockets and Fire TV OS built in, as well as a wider range of smaller screen sizes compared to the W95B.

Panasonic W85B specs:

• Screen size 43-, 50-, 55-, 65-inches
• Type QLED
• Backlight LED
• Resolution 4K
• HDR formats HLG, HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
• Operating system Fire OS
• HDMI inputs x 4 (2 x 48Gbps HDMI 2.1)
• Gaming features 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM
• ARC/eARC eARC

Panasonic W85B price:

• 43-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 50-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 55-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 65-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A

Panasonic W80A

The Panasonic W80A is a 2024 model that carries on into the 2025 lineup. Much like the W85B, it is a QLED TV with the HCX Processor and Fire TV built in, however, it drops to a 60Hz panel, which will likely be less appealing to avid gamers.

Panasonic W80A specs:

• Screen size 43-, 50-, 55-, 65-inches
• Type QLED
• Backlight LED
• Resolution 4K
• HDR formats HLG, HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
• Operating system Fire OS
• HDMI inputs x 4 (2 x 48Gbps HDMI 2.1)
• Gaming features VRR, ALLM
• ARC/eARC eARC

Panasonic W80A price:

• 43-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 50-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 55-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 65-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A

Panasonic W61A

An exception to the naming rule for Panasonic's 2025 lineup (A for 2024 models, B for 2025 models), the W61A is technically a new TV, but only just. Panasonic claims that it's the same as the currently available W60A model, just with slightly improved power efficiency.

It sports a 60Hz LED, Panasonic's 4K Colour Engine processor and TiVo rather than Fire OS.

Panasonic W61A specs:

• Screen size 43-, 55-, 50-, 65--inches
• Type UHD LED
• Backlight LED
• Resolution 4K
• HDR formats HLG, HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
• Operating system TiVo
• HDMI inputs x 4 (2 x 48Gbps HDMI 2.1)
• Gaming features VRR, ALLM
• ARC/eARC eARC

Panasonic W61A price:

• 43-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 50-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 55-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A
• 65-inch: £TBC / $TBC / AU$N/A

Panasonic 2025 HD TV range

Panasonic is also offering a trio of basic HD ready and Full HD sets as part of its 2025 TV lineup. The S55A sits at the top of this range, with a Full HD panel (available in 40- and 32-inches) and Fire TV built in.

Next is the S45A which swaps to TiVo rather than Fire OS, but otherwise seems to be the same as the S55A. Both models will also come in HD (720p) variants, titled the S50A and S40A, respectively.

Finally, at the bottom of the complete lineup is the N30A, a non-smart HD ready set available in 24- or 32-inches.

MORE:

Read our Panasonic Z90B hands on review

LG G5 vs Panasonic Z95B: which OLED TV should you buy?

Check out our picks for the best OLED TVs

Soundbars are an increasingly common sight in most homes, and there is a very good reason why.

The small form factor units are a quick and easy way to upgrade your home cinema’s audio that don’t require oodles of space or careful cable management – as a full multi-speaker surround-sound set-up does.

On top of that, while their small form factors mean we’re yet to find one that can go toe-to-toe with a top of the line multi-speaker set-up, soundbars have come a long way in recent years.

There are numerous fantastic soundbars that can deliver a truly immersive home movie experience available right now.

Some modern units can even deliver reasonable Dolby Atmos, with many of the top soundbars we’ve tested recently delivering a sense of directionality and, in some instances and when set up right, height that you simply couldn’t get even a few years ago.

In the past year we've seen the five-star Sonos Arc Ultra, Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 and Samsung HW-Q990D pass through our test rooms, which is great in most ways.

More choice is always a positive for consumers.

In fact, the the rapid influx of stellar new soundbars hitting the market is becoming a bit of a first-world problem for our reviews team, as it means keeping our best Dolby Atmos soundbars guide up to date is a truly Herculean task.

Which is why I currently have no shortage of recommendations when friends ask for advice on their AV set-up.

But, before you get too excited, I say “set up right,” because I’ve recently seen first-hand a swathe of friends who’ve bought a shiny new, five-star soundbar only to fall victim to a common mistake that will radically hinder their performance.

Specifically, more times than I care to count I’ve walked into their lounges to find a five-star soundbar awkwardly placed on the shelf below the TV on an AV rack – as demonstrated by the below picture.

To be clear, I understand why so many people do this. It looks neat and many cabinets' lower shelves look bespokely designed for a soundbar. What else are you meant to put down there?

On top of that, if you have a smaller TV then the chances are its stand only has one height option, so putting the bar directly under it on the top shelf may lead to part of the screen being blocked.

Editor’s note: This is why we recommend checking the amount of space you have under your TV and checking the height of the soundbar you are interested in before purchase.

So, why is putting the soundbar there a problem, you ask?

It impacts audio quality

The answer is twofold. First, if you have an Atmos soundbar with up firing drivers, such as the JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam picture above, the placement means you are firing your height channels into a piece of wood (or whatever your stand/cabinet is made of).

If the audio is bouncing off the top of the stand a few inches above it, rather than the room’s ceiling as intended, you’re not going to get the intended sense of height.

Second, and as a wider point, remember that speakers in general make sound by moving air around. So if you box them in like that, with too little room to breathe, you’re going to impact their performance fairly heavily to begin with.

This is why we always recommend placing the soundbar with as much room as possible. Even if you’re putting it under your TV on the top of the stand, push it a little forward, so it’s not directly under it – trust me it makes a difference.

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