Welcome to Game Mode, our new hub for home cinema enthusiasts and hi-fi fanatics who also strive for picture and sound perfection for their video games.

We've been discussing the benefits of HDMI 2.1, trying out the latency on the top premium projectors, and dabbling in Dolby Atmos gaming for quite some time, so it only feels natural to dig a bit deeper and scout out the best products, settings and tips to help your games look and sound incredible on your home cinema set-up.

We're kicking things off with a premium pair of gaming headphones. Meet the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite.

At £600 / $600 / AU$1349, it's hard to deny that these headphones are anything but super premium. For reference, they cost more than the Apple AirPods Max 2 and Sony 1000X The Collexion, and they're only marginally cheaper than Bowers & Wilkins' PX8 S2 premium noise-cancelling cans.

So, do these headphones justify that high asking price? I've been putting them through their paces with some seriously intense gaming sessions over the last couple of months to put them to the test – these are just the sacrifices I make...

Game changing sound...

These headphones tick a lot of boxes for me. For reference, I've been using the Sony PlayStation Pulse 3D Wireless Headset since 2020, so these premium cans were quite the departure.

To contextualise, that's sort of like upgrading from a Volkswagen Golf to a Rolls-Royce.

Everything feels more premium, from the luxurious aluminium yokes to the memory foam ear cushions covered in a smooth vegan leather-style material; comfort is an immediate A+.

SteelSeries also justifies that sky-high price tag with an extensive list of features, including a 40mm driver, made from a two-piece design that features a carbon fibre drive unit with a brass surround in each earcup.

The headset also supports an extensive list of spatial sound formats, including Dolby Atmos and DTS. SteelSeries claims that they're the first gaming headphones on the market to support Hi-Res and Hi-Res Wireless audio, with support for signals up to 96kHz/24bit.

The headphones themselves are only half the magic, as SteelSeries also includes a rather impressive wireless receiver called the GameHub in the box.

Outfitted with a small OLED display, it can show detailed audio signal information, adjust settings, and it even has a spot to charge a spare battery, meaning your headset is essentially never out of charge – I don't mean to be dramatic, but I don't know how I ever lived without this feature.

There's also a feature called OmniPlay, which allows you to physically connect up to three consoles (or two consoles and a gaming PC) at one time, plus a smartphone or handheld system via Bluetooth.

I also can't forget to mention the Arctis app, which unlocks a huge array of game-specific EQ settings that have been created by SteelSeries' team of sound engineers in tandem with developers and pro-level gamers.

It's worth mentioning that this is my first time using a gaming headset with active noise cancelling (ANC), too. I wouldn't call it game-changing for day-to-day use, but I do see the appeal for those who like to "lock in" with absolutely no distractions.

However, what you're really here to find out is if these headphones justify their price tag when it comes to sound quality. After playing a whole host of titles, including (but not limited to) Grand Theft Auto V, Marathon, Battlefield 6, Rainbow Six: Siege and Forza Horizon 6, I think they're really quite impressive.

With large-scale action games such as Battlefield 6, the Arctis Nova Elite sounded hugely spacious and placed me right in the centre of the action, and yet they remained impressively precise when needed for competitive Marathon matches.

The engines of muscle cars in Grand Theft Auto V growled with an extra layer of texture and low-end rumble, while spent bullet casings clinked upon the ground with a pleasing sparkle in Rainbow Six: Siege.

So far, so good. However, it's not all perfect.

During a session of Forza Horizon 6, it felt as though the headphones leaned towards a fairly zingy and bright presentation. In our experience, gaming headsets tend to be tuned this way on purpose, so it's not necessarily an issue that's exclusive to the Arctis Nova Elite.

In some ways, it can be useful, as the pronounced treble does a great job of drawing your ear to subtle sounds. A key example is being able to hear far-off gunshots and nearby footsteps in Marathon; in this regard, the Nova Elite has truly helped me improve my situational awareness, and I'm willing to bet that it's helped me come out on top during several intense firefights.

However, the audiophile purist in me does make me wish that they were tuned slightly more neutral at times, as cinematic single-player games can sound somewhat flavoured.

I also found that a lot of the top-end features require you to hook these cans up to a PC. As someone who does practically all of their gaming on a PS5, it was a shame that I couldn't squeeze all the features out of this pricey pair of headphones. However, to cut SteelSeries some slack here, that's more of an issue with the PS5 than anything else.

Should you buy them?

These aren't your traditional hi-fi headphones, and they're certainly not an investment you should take lightly, but I do think that these are ultimately a rather impressive pair of gaming-focused headphones.

With a bucket-load of features, a high-quality and comfortable build, and crisp, detailed and spacious sound, it's hard to pick faults. The hot-swappable battery is a genuine game-changer, too.

That being said, those who prefer a more neutral sound may prefer something a little bit more traditional. Plugging in a pair of the best headphones directly into your controller will likely yield a more authentic sound; however, that involves being tethered by a cable.

It's also worth noting that SteelSeries has recently launched a step-down model in the form of the Arctis Nova Omni, which appears to share many features with the Elite at a lower (but still considerably premium) price tag.

But if you are a serious gamer who takes competitive matches seriously, or you want a pair of headphones that don't compromise on the features front, then the Arctis Nova Elite are a mighty fine option.

MORE:

Read our full Sony PlayStation Pulse 3D Wireless Headset review

As well as our picks for the best gaming TVs

PS5 vs Xbox Series X: which console is right for you?

Sony has just announced its two new “True RGB” TVs for 2026, and it should come as no surprise that I am rather excited to test them out.

The Japanese giant has delivered a slew of superb TVs since its most recent Bravia relaunch in 2024. The Bravia 8 and Bravia 8 II are two OLED TVs that I can wholeheartedly recommend to anyone looking for a premium, cinematic TV; and the Bravia 7 and Bravia 5 are both superb mid-range options that don’t compromise on picture quality.

While the Bravia 9 wasn’t perfect, it hinted towards Sony’s future ambitions, and in many ways it showed some serious promise. With its successor, the Bravia 9 II (and its step-down sibling, the Bravia 7 II) now official, things are all clicking into place.

Well, almost everything…

While I haven’t seen these TVs in action yet – my fellow What Hi-Fi? Team AV members have been lucky enough to, and you can check out their Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II hands-on reviews here – there is one hiccup on the spec sheets for both TVs. And it’s a bit of a tough pill to swallow.

Once again, there is only a limited number of HDMI 2.1 sockets. Both the Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II sport just two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets, and one of these has to double as the eARC socket.

This means that if you have a Dolby Atmos soundbar without HDMI 2.1 passthrough (such as the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra) and more than one of the latest gaming consoles (and/or a gaming PC), then you’re going to need to make some performance sacrifices with at least one of them; namely, 4K/120Hz support with VRR.

Sony hopes that you’ll be using one of its home theatre sound systems with your Bravia TV, most of which (but not all) feature HDMI 2.1 passthrough support, which does negate this issue.

But with LG and Samsung offering four full-bandwidth sockets for nearly seven years, and now Philips and Hisense offering an equal number on their premium 2026 TVs, it’s becoming harder to justify Sony’s exclusion.

Especially when we remember that this is one of the biggest names in gaming. Sony’s own PlayStation 5 continues to dominate this generation of console gaming, and while there are some Sony TV-specific features you can unlock by connecting the PS5 with a Bravia TV, we still think it is best paired with an LG C-series OLED.

To give Sony some credit, the Bravia 9 II and 7 II have clearly been in development for quite some time; our TV and AV Editor, Tom Parsons, first saw an early prototype of Sony’s True RGB TVs back in early 2025, and I followed up with a behind-closed-doors demo at IFA 2025.

Sony told us that it was already too far into development using the existing flagship MediaTek chipset (we presume this to mean the Pentonic 1000 or 900) to switch to the newer Pentonic 800, which Philips and Hisense are using on their respective flagship TVs this year, to achieve the full suite of HDMI 2.1 sockets.

That being said, Sony has been outfitting its TVs with just two HDMI 2.1 sockets for quite some time now; the A80L sitting in my living room, which is more than three years old, only has two full-bandwidth ports.

Ironically, if you want a Sony TV with four HDMI 2.1 sockets, you’ll have to look far past the new True RGB range and opt for the Bravia 3 II, which leans towards the budget end of things with its direct-lit, global dimming LED display.

While it’s not a dealbreaker – certainly for most consumers – and I’m still very keen to see how these new True RGB TVs will perform, Sony’s gaming stumble is hard to ignore.

We’ll be sure to test how the Bravia 9 II and 7 II interact with a PS5 during our testing, so keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming reviews coming soon.

MORE:

Read our Sony Bravia 9 II hands-on review

As well as our LG C6 65-inch review

And check out our picks for the best TVs

Now this one is a bit bonkers, really.

A full Dolby Atmos home cinema with, practically, a 100-inch screen for three grand? If you had asked me for an estimate on the overall cost of that lot a decade or so ago, I would have had to double that price. At least.

And ease of use? Forget it. This was the realm of the full home cinema projector (with a decent screen) and a good multichannel amplifier with a full surround sound speaker system to go with it – and hours of painstaking set-up to go with it.

Not with this system. Just three components (one of which is really only a bonus) that are a doddle to set up together are all you need for a stunning, cutting-edge home cinema.

The system

• TV: TCL 98C7K (£1999)
• Sound system: Samsung HW-Q990F (£849)
• Console: Sony PlayStation 5 (£400)
• Total system price: £3248

The TV

TCL seems intent on finishing off the projector business – in the home at least – as quickly as possible.

To get this screen acreage on a TV for less than £2000 was complete science fiction a few short years ago. To get it today, and for it to have the performance capabilities it does, is astonishing.

Yet here we are. How TCL has managed to deliver so much TV for so little money is, frankly, beyond us.

The 98C7K is an all-out assault on the super-sized screen market. And it achieves the seemingly impossible: a 98-inch 4K Mini LED TV for a price that would make many 65-inch sets blush.

The raw cinematic impact of a 98-inch picture never grows old, but this TV is far more than just sheer acreage. It is built on a foundation of spectacular picture quality, driven by its Mini LED backlight and Quantum Dot colour system.

TCL claims a mighty 3000 nits of peak brightness, which, when married to more than 2000 separately controlled local dimming zones, results in a picture that is dazzlingly bright and contrast-rich.

Small HDR highlights, such as the glint of metal or the gleam in an eye, look bold and lifelike, while bright daylight scenes maintain much more brilliance than even the best OLEDs can muster up.

TCL’s new ‘Halo Control’ technology is the ace up its sleeve. This impressive tech focuses on greatly reducing the unwanted light halos that can plague local-dimming LCD sets.

While subtle, deliberate clouding is occasionally introduced to disguise potential blooming, the overall result is a beautifully handled performance with contrast, with deep, convincing, neutral black tones and a vibrant, subtle colour palette.

The picture also feels sharper and denser than previous models, holding up nicely even with motion, and the set supports every major HDR format: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision.

The console

Crucially, for the modern living room, the 98-inch C7K is a superb gaming hub.

It supports 4K/144Hz, VRR (including AMD FreeSync Premium Pro), and ALLM, with an input lag of just 13.1ms at 60Hz.

It’s an enormous, responsive window into your gaming worlds – which is why we suggest you include a PS5 in this set-up, and connect it to one of the TV’s two full HDMI 2.1-capable ports.

Gaming on this scale needs to be experienced to be believed, and it would be a shame not to take advantage of the TCL’s talents in this area.

Besides, you can also use the PS5 as a Blu-ray player while you’re saving up for a dedicated machine for your amazing new home cinema.

The sound system

While the enormous telly boasts (or tries to boast, at least) a 6.2.2-channel sound system, designed in conjunction with Bang & Olufsen no less, our usual advice with a big-screen TV holds true, even with one as big as this: invest in decent sound to make the most of your lovely big picture.

And with Samsung’s Award-winning HW-Q990F soundbar system currently available in UK shops for vastly less than the £1699 price at which we believed it worthy of not only five stars, but also a Product of the Year gong for 2025 – our choice of sound booster was clear.

The HW-Q990F is last year's iteration of Samsung’s exemplary all-in-one solution. And it has taken an already spectacular package and turned it into an exemplary one.

The Q990F is an 11.1.4 system, boasting 23 drivers across the main bar, the wireless rear surrounds, and the sub. It supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and it sounds terrific.

Dialogue sounds excellent, with natural and detailed voices that carry plenty of subtle inflexion.

This carries forth to sound effects, and, as we say in our review: “We have to commend the Q990F’s delivery of Dolby Atmos effects. The ‘bubble of sound’ that we look for in any Dolby Atmos system is well and truly present here, and it’s not just the impressively placed height effects that we like. It's the way that the soundbar and surrounds are so tonally well matched, while the audio processing ensures that sounds move organically between the channels, that truly seals the deal for us.”

The real star of the show is that new subwoofer. Samsung has swapped from a tall, narrow unit to a much more compact, rounded-cube design. Don't be fooled by its smaller dimensions compared with the sub that comes with the Q990D; this one packs an almighty punch.

We find the Q990F’s bass to be rich, powerful, and, most importantly, controlled and dynamic. It’s a huge step up from the previous model. There is a newfound sense of tonal variation in the low-end, making the bass feel more organic and seamlessly integrated into the system as a whole.

The TCL 98C7K and the Samsung HW-Q990F work so well together. The TV’s only real weakness – the inevitable shortfall in sonic ability – is surgically corrected by the soundbar’s greatest strength: its class-leading, controlled, and deeply textured low-end from the new subwoofer.

The verdict

The TCL 98C7K delivers a picture that is utterly dominant and absorbing, with intense brightness and deep contrast, and it does a great job of replicating the look of a premium, high-end cinema display.

The Samsung HW-Q990F soundbar system then adds the scale and immersion to the sound that the picture deserves. The 11.1.4 system’s superb delivery of Dolby Atmos effects – the precise placement of height effects, the organic movement of sound – wraps the enormous visual in a convincing, three-dimensional audio landscape.

You get a full 98 inches of bright, sharp, detailed, and colourful 4K images, backed by a dynamic, cohesive, and deeply immersive surround sound performance – all without the hassle and cost of a separate AVR and countless passive speakers.

Now that, for us, is the definition of a fuss-free cinema. Just make sure your room is big enough for that telly…

MORE:

Read the full TCL 98C7K review and Samsung HW-Q990F review

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

When my wife and I, along with our then four-year-old son, moved house around three years ago, I promised that the new living room would be a family room first and a home cinema second.

The 12-speaker, dual-amp-powered beast I’d assembled (and loved) wasn’t going to fit that brief, so it went into storage with a promise that one day I’ll convert the garage into a dedicated cinema room.

After much auditioning, the new system became a Sony A95L OLED TV and HT-A9 pairing (with the optional SA-SW5 subwoofer), and it has served us very well indeed.

Considering the HT-A9 system consists of just four speakers, its Dolby Atmos presentation is impressively enveloping, accurate and detailed, and with the additional subwoofer, there’s plenty of bombast for movie nights and gaming sessions. My wife frequently comments on how good it sounds.

One extra benefit of simplifying the system was that I could retire the painstakingly programmed Logitech Harmony remote that had made the old setup usable by ‘normal’ people.

Logitech had already discontinued the Harmony line, so moving on felt sensible. Besides, the new system was simple enough that the TV remote and HDMI-CEC would be sufficient, I reasoned.

Oh, how wrong I was.

When simple becomes complex

Over time, the sources crept back in. Alongside the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X came a Nintendo Switch.

I brought the Apple TV 4K back in for better picture and sound than the A95L’s integrated Google TV smart platform, too. This sat alongside the mainstay Sky Stream Puck.

And eventually, I could bear leaving my beloved Oppo UDP-203 Blu-ray player in cold, damp storage no longer.

Six sources into four HDMI inputs just won’t go, so an HDMI switch had to be added, and HDMI-CEC, which had been unreliable from the start, became almost entirely useless.

Sure, sometimes one press of the power button would wake everything and switch to the correct input. More often, though, something wouldn’t cooperate, leaving us staring at a blank screen while rummaging for one of the many remotes scattered around the room.

The search for Harmony

After putting myself and my family through this for far too long, I admitted defeat. It was time for a universal remote again.

My old Harmony was still in storage and technically still supported, but I didn’t want to invest effort setting up a discontinued product that could lose support at any point – or fail with no replacement available.

So I went looking for a modern equivalent. The internet pointed me to the Sofabaton X1S.

After a week of use, I can say that the Sofabaton X1S has genuinely simplified our setup. But it isn’t the magic bullet that Harmony was.

The biggest issue – and one widely reported by Sofabaton users – is the absence of a ‘Help’ button.

It’s inevitable that, occasionally, something won’t power on or switch inputs correctly. Harmony’s solution was simple: press Help and the remote would resend commands, then walk you through correcting power or input status.

Sofabaton offers no such safety net. If something goes wrong, you either have to exit Activities, dig into the Devices menu, locate the misbehaving component and manually correct it (hardly intuitive for the experienced user, let alone a first-timer), or dig up the original remote for the tricksy component in question.

Even Sofabaton’s newer, pricier X2 seemingly doesn’t include an equivalent ‘Help’ function, which suggests this isn’t an oversight but a deliberate design decision. That’s baffling to me.

To be fair, the X1S gets things right first time, most of the time. But when it doesn’t, the recovery process feels clumsy. It’s the main reason I’m tempted to resurrect my old Harmony.

Setup was also more involved than I remember with Harmony. Configuration is handled entirely through a phone app – fine for many, I’m sure, but I’m a middle-aged man who very much conforms to the stereotype of wanting to use a computer rather than a phone for anything ‘serious’.

Finding the correct device profiles proved hit-and-miss, too, particularly with UK-specific kit. My Sky Stream Puck required several attempts before I found a fully working profile – ironically, a user-supplied one. And, even after specifying my exact TV model, most of the commands were wrong, leaving me to manually correct them.

Ultimately, Sofabaton feels as though it ‘knows’ your devices less well than Harmony did. Where Harmony generally anticipated, the X1S frequently needs educating.

My only other gripe is the lack of a charging dock. Plugging it in isn’t a hardship, but a simple stand would feel more elegant. Third-party options exist, but not readily in the UK.

The good outweighs the bad

That may sound like a lot of criticism, but I do like the Sofabaton X1S. The design is sleek and comfortable, the scroll wheel is preferable to a touchscreen (though I’m aware that not all owners agree), and the included transmitter reliably reaches components nestled in the deepest nooks.

Most importantly, we’ve reduced our six remotes to one, and my wife and son can operate the system far more confidently than before.

It has brought order back to our home cinema – even if it hasn’t quite restored Harmony.

MORE:

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

With Christmas on the horizon, chances are you’ve been thinking about what you’d like to get the special people in your life. You might have even thought about what you’d like them to get you, too. Maybe a new pair of wireless headphones, a music streamer, or even an OLED TV? Or, maybe you’re not sure yet.

As lovers of hi-fi and AV equipment, the What Hi-Fi? team’s Christmas wishlist is littered with equipment falling into the aforementioned categories along with physical media to help us better enjoy our existing gear.

So, if you’re finding yourself stuck for ideas on what to get people, or even what you’d like for yourself, hopefully our Christmas wishlist can provide some inspiration. Check it out below.

Arcane: Series 2 SteelBook

Words by Robyn Quick

SteelBooks, a premium collectable case for a Blu-ray or 4K disc, can be a divisive subject for many AV fans. For some, the idea of forking out extra for the same movie or TV show you can get from a standard 4K Blu-ray is pointless. But, others see it as a worthwhile purchase to celebrate your favourite content and keep it for decades to come.

As you may have guessed, I sit in the second camp. So, I could barely contain my excitement when I saw that the second season of Arcane has finally got a 4K SteelBook release, complete with custom artwork on the cover. It costs a whopping £50, but that hasn’t stopped me from putting it at the top of my Christmas wishlist. A person can dream, right?

The series was released on Netflix last year and, if you haven’t watched the show, I can only urge you to do so. It’s packed with jaw-droppingly beautiful animation from start to finish, all while set in a dystopian, steampunk-inspired world that will suck you in from the first frame.

Buy Arcane Season 2 SteelBook at HMV

LG C5 (OLED55C5)

Words by Joe Svetlik

I’ve needed a new TV for a while now, but the situation is getting ever more pressing. My current model is pushing 12 years old, which is about 96 in TV years. To make matters worse, I recently had a new TV cabinet made. Which is great, but it just throws the crapness of my current TV into even sharper relief.

That’s why I’ve added the 55-inch LG C5 to my Christmas wishlist.

Now I think it would fit in my alcove, but I have to be careful. A friend on our road recently bought a 55-inch TV, and despite careful measuring, it is just that bit too big, meaning it has to sit at a slight diagonal at all times. He would have replaced it with a more sensibly sized model, as his wife suggested, but in his words, he was being “a bit of a child about it.”

Why the C5? It won a What Hi-Fi? Award for its rich, punchy, crisp image and peerless feature set. And for me, 55 inches is the perfect size – cinematic without dominating the room. Providing it fits.

Joe Hisaishi – Princess Mononoke (Symphonic Suite) on vinyl

Words by Alastair Stevenson

Regular readers have likely figured out I am a bit of an anime fan. One that’s especially fond of Studio Ghibli titles. This year alone, I went to see the London stage production of Spirited Away and to the BFI to check out the 4K remastered version of Princess Mononoke on the big screen.

The latter was a particular highlight, with the work done to its audio reminding me quite how beautiful the music, as well as iconic artwork, is for Ghibli movies. So much so that there’s one specific record at the top of my wishlist for Santa this year – Joe Hisaishi’s Princess Mononoke (Symphonic Suite).

Though the original soundtrack vinyl is great, I’ve always been a big fan of the Symphonic Suite version, which saw composer Joe Hisaishi re-arrange it for a full orchestra. The result is a captivating listen that captures the film’s evocative, thought-provoking, but ultimately hopeful and sympathetic tone.

This makes it a fantastic listen from start to finish and one I’ve been wanting to own on vinyl all year. Here’s hoping Santa’s listening and didn’t spot the “incident” on Denmark Street that I was 100 per cent not responsible for in March…

Buy Joe Hisaishi – Princess Mononoke (Symphonic Suite) on vinyl at Amazon

Vince Guaraldi Trio – A Charlie Brown Christmas on vinyl

Words by Kashfia Kabir

Vince Guaraldi Trio’s soundtrack to the 1965 special A Charlie Brown Christmas is up there with The Muppets Christmas Carol as encapsulating a kind of magic that transcends all time, ages and trends.

The whimsical yet sometimes muted jazz compositions match the Peanuts TV special beautifully, capturing the melancholy mood of Charlie Brown as he grapples with finding the true meaning of Christmas, while his friends mock and ridicule him, until, eventually, you get that lovely combination of friendship, kindness and warmth.

There are compositions in this album that are now synonymous with both Christmas and Peanuts (such as the bouncy, upbeat Linus and Lucy), while Skating is a personal favourite that fills you up with childhood joy and the feeling that everything will be okay. I’ve been eyeing up the Craft Recordings vinyl reissue (ideally gold foil package) for ages.

Buy Vince Guaraldi Trio – A Charlie Brown Christmas on vinyl at Drift Records

LEGO Retro Radio

Words by Harry McKerrell

If, like me, you’re at the stage of life where you’ve got various nieces and nephews running all over the place during the festive period, you’re probably going to be gifting quite a lot of LEGO this year, especially once your pint-sized relatives reach the stage where they’re not in danger of just trying to eat the blocks.

That’s all well and good, but who’s buying the LEGO for me? Millennium Falcons and pirate ships are a bit off-brand (still cool, though), so how about a retro radio instead? Inspired by the transistor designs of the 1970s, complete with that classic horizontal tuner, the radio is capable of making a few actual noises – though I’d predict that it probably looks a lot better than it sounds.

Buy LEGO Retro Radio at Lego.com

WiiM Pro Plus

Words by James Cook

In my experience, when listening to music socially, most people nowadays want the convenience of a wireless connection to a speaker and a music streaming application so everyone can queue up songs. And whilst I think it’s a shame that many have never listened to a vinyl record in full on a proper hi-fi system, there are merits to this, provided it doesn’t sacrifice too much sound quality.

For too long, I’ve been using a Lightning-to-RCA lead to connect my iPhone directly to my integrated amplifier for catering to social gatherings, so sound quality has, inevitably, suffered. That’s where the WiiM Pro Plus comes in.

This five-star, affordable music streamer is detailed, expressive and organised, and will slot nicely into my existing hi-fi setup without breaking the bank. It’s got a plethora of streaming options to choose from too, so I can enjoy convenient and collaborative listening without sacrificing so much sound quality – perfect for when I’m entertaining friends or family, or even those rare occasions when I can’t be bothered to stick a record on the turntable!

If you’re planning to do anything similar over the Christmas period, I’d recommend giving it a look yourself.

Technics EAH-AZ100

Words by Lewis Empson

I started 2025 with a flying visit to CES, the annual consumer tech trade show, with Panasonic, where the Japanese tech giant announced a new pair of wireless earbuds alongside its latest batch of five-star OLED TVs.

The Technics EAH-AZ100 immediately caught my attention; at the time I had a pair of EAH-AZ60M2 buds constantly lodged in my ears, so I was already a fan of the company’s work.

After a quick demo at Panasonic's launch event, and a follow up listening session back in the UK using our very own review pair, I was completely sold on these incredible sounding earbuds, and I’ve been pining after a pair ever since.

Their clean and spacious sound is befitting of a What Hi-Fi? Award, and I especially appreciated how expressive and punchy these buds sounded, meaning they perfectly suited my preferred music genres of alternative and pop.

I can’t forget to mention the “excellent noise cancelling", which would also make the AZ100 a perfect companion for my noisy morning commute.

These premium buds are at the top of my wish list, especially in that dashing new Midnight Blue finish.

Sony Bravia Projector 7

Words by Daniel Furn

As one of the newer members of the What Hi-Fi? editorial team, I was lucky enough to sit in on our reviewers’ extensive testing process during one of my first weeks here. The test I witnessed was none other than the five-star Sony Bravia Projector 7, which proved to be both a blessing and a curse.

A blessing because the Bravia Projector 7 boasts incredible depth, superb contrast control and is quite simply a joy to watch. And a curse? Going back to my home TV, itself a very capable OLED, feels a lot less cinematic in comparison.

I realise that with a starting price of £6999, this very much falls under the “wish” part of a wishlist. But if Santa Claus decides he’s feeling particularly generous, then to have the rich, balanced, and detailed image of the Sony Bravia Projector 7 would very much be a Christmas miracle. Maybe if I’m particularly good next year?

PlayStation 5 Pro

Words by Tom Parsons

Look, I don’t need a PS5 Pro. Of all of the ‘Pro’ PlayStation consoles in history, it feels like the least essential, even to someone as graphics-obsessed as I am, but just knowing there’s a better version of the PS5 out there with slightly smoother, slightly shinier visuals is enough to nag at me.

There’s another thing at play here, too. My good lady wife has, at the age of [redacted], suddenly taken up gaming. She’s recently smashed through Ghost of Tsushima and The Last Of Us Part 1, and is about halfway through The Last Of Us Part 2. She’s got her eyes on The Witcher 3 next, and I know first-hand what a long, obsession-inducing game that is.

In other words, my current PS5 is in high demand these days, and it looks set to get worse, so it might be time to treat myself to a second one. And if I’m going to get a second PS5, it might as well be the best one that’s available, right? It is Christmas after all.

Buy PlayStation 5 Pro at Amazon

Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro X

Words by Andy Madden

As someone who spends a lot of their working time tethered to a laptop, I’m always on the lookout for a quality pair of headphones to make the time pass by. Of course, the best wireless headphones deliver convenience and quality, but when I’m at my desk, I don’t mind a wire or two getting in the way.

This is why I’ve been using the Beyerdynamic DT900 Pro X on and off for the past few years. I’ve been plugging these cans directly into my MacBook Pro, and given I’m only using them with Amazon Music, I don’t really need to plug them into an external DAC, which helps to keep the wire count to a minimum.

So you can imagine the look on my face when I first read our Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro X review. These headphones succeed the pair I’m using and manage to take performance forward in a number of areas, all the while remaining as comfy as your favourite pair of slippers.

I also don’t mind the fact that the Beyerdynamics are an open-back design. While I’m working solo, nobody is being annoyed by the headphones leaking my favourite tunes. It’s just something you might want to bear in mind if you add them to your wishlist.

It’s going to be a simple case of swapping out the old with the new, and I’d urge anyone looking for a simple and hugely effective way of boosting their own desktop audio to take a closer look at these classy over-ears.

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If recent reports are to be believed, then it may finally be time to say goodbye to the Sony PlayStation 4.

After 12 years of service, the console, which was succeeded by the PlayStation 5 in 2020, could see support winding down very soon.

The PS4 and PS5 have shared the spotlight for an unusually long period, mostly due to stock issues plaguing the PS5 early in its life.

That problem seemed to have been resolved in 2022; though that didn't stop game developers from continuing to release games for the ageing console, with new PS4 titles still being scheduled up to the present day.

However, an insight from GamesIndustry.biz – a reputable source for gaming news – claims that developers are finally beginning to wind down support for the PS4 versions of their titles.

This is due to hardware limitations, with the PS4 sporting an older processor and hard disc drive rather than a solid state drive, which plays a crucial role in the PS5's speedy performance.

While Sony hasn't confirmed if it will end software support for the PS4 quite yet, it seems inevitable, with major forthcoming titles such as Grand Theft Auto VI and Battlefield 6 only set for release on the PlayStation 5.

So, why do we care? Well, Blu-ray players are few and far between these days, and the PS4 happens to be one of the remaining devices that can play Blu-ray movie discs.

It unfortunately doesn't support 4K Blu-ray discs, though HDR10 is supported, and you can access 4K streaming via the likes of Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and more.

We're willing to bet that many people will continue to use their PS4s as movie-watching machines, and the good news is that they should still fulfil this function even if Sony starts slowing down updates.

And even if the console will no longer receive the major game releases or new headline features, Sony has a reassuring history of supporting its consoles' media playback capabilities long after they officially cease support.

For example, Sony released an update in March for the PlayStation 3, which launched all the way back in 2006, to refresh the console's Blu-ray encryption key in order to comply with Advanced Access Content System, a form of copyright protection assigned to Blu-ray discs.

This was a vital step to ensure that the nearly 20-year-old console could continue to play Blu-ray discs, and crucial for anyone who still used a PS3 as their primary Blu-ray player.

While there are certainly more capable disc players out there, the PS4 can be snapped up on the second-hand market at a hefty discount compared to its launch price, so it's a tempting choice for those on the lookout for a budget Blu-ray player complete with gaming functionality.

That being said, for those still using the PS4 for movies, there are some clear reasons to consider an upgrade.

The PS5 supports 4K Blu-ray disc playback, and it does so pretty well in our experience. Furthermore, it now supports Dolby Atmos via HDMI eARC, meaning you can access immersive audio for your games and movies alike.

However, if you're sticking with the PS4 as your primary media consumption machine, then you can rest easy knowing that it should still serve its purpose for a while to come, even if gaming support finally grinds to a halt.

MORE:

Read our full Sony PlayStation 5 review

And check out our list of the best 4K Blu-ray players

And the best OLED TVs

Golly gosh, the KEF XIO is a bit of alright.

KEF brought its new – and first-ever – soundbar in to show us a few weeks before it was announced, and I was immediately taken by the design.

I had expected something a bit more out there, with visible Uni-Q drivers and fancy colour combinations in the style of its LS range of desktop speakers.

Instead, the company has produced a Dolby Atmos soundbar that’s far more staid and subtle, and while that initially sounds disappointing, the XIO is so sleek, stealthy and stylish that you just have to admire its classiness.

Its super-thin design makes the XIO perfect for positioning in front of a TV, and it looks unbelievably good mounted on a wall beneath an OLED TV, thanks to it being mountable flat against the wall.

Set up is a doddle, too, and the really slick app makes general use truly enjoyable.

Of course, what matters most is the sound, and I had concerns here, particularly related to that slim design. If the move towards super-slim TVs has taught us anything, it’s that space-starved speakers struggle to produce satisfying sound.

But I need not have worried. The XIO is, of course, thicker than most TVs, but KEF has also produced several new drivers that I won’t detail here (read our KEF XIO review for the full technical lowdown), other than to say they’re able to move much more air than one would expect of drivers in such a slim chassis, as well as being very cleverly controlled.

The resulting sound is exceptionally crisp and detailed, but also satisfyingly deep and punchy in the bass. The XIO fills a room admirably as well, delivering Dolby Atmos soundtracks with spaciousness and placing effects with rare three-dimensional precision.

All told, this is a truly lovely soundbar – probably the best I’ve ever heard – and I’d love to have it for my system at home. But there’s just one nerdy feature missing that means it won’t work for me.

Yep, I’m talking about HDMI sockets.

The KEF XIO has just one HDMI connection – an eARC port that connects it to your TV. The idea is that all of your sources are routed into your TV as normal, then the eARC connection handles the transmission of sound from TV to soundbar.

That’s great for most people, in that it keeps things nice and simple (though it can be tricky to ensure your TV is outputting sound in the right format), but it’s a pain in the bum for someone who has more than one high-spec games machine and a TV with just two HDMI 2.1 sockets.

I am one of those someones. I own a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, and I want to be able to access the 4K/120Hz gameplay of both, which is dependent on HDMI 2.1 sockets.

Unfortunately, my Sony A95L TV, like all Sony, Panasonic, TCL and Hisense (and most Philips) TVs, has just two HDMI 2.1 sockets – and one of those doubles as the eARC port.

If I connect a soundbar such as the KEF XIO to the eARC port, I have just one HDMI 2.1 socket left for a console. Which means my other console will have to be connected to a 60Hz socket – or I’ll have to mess around and switch cables whenever I want to switch between them.

Many soundbars, particularly premium models, have additional HDMI 2.1 inputs to compensate for this. Some have just one, so you’re at least not losing out by connecting them to your TV, but others (the Samsung HW-Q990F and HW-Q990D, for example) have two, so that’s an HDMI 2.1 net gain.

The KEF XIO isn’t unique in omitting dedicated HDMI inputs and 4K/120Hz passthrough functionality – the Sonos Arc Ultra is another infamous example – but it feels particularly egregious at the XIO’s £1999 / $2500 / AU$3600 level.

Here’s hoping KEF’s second-gen XIO – or perhaps its sister soundbar, if such a thing is in development – fills in this feature gap so that gaming nerds like me can get fully on board.

MORE:

Read the full KEF XIO review

Here are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars you can buy right now

I'm more than familiar with Dolby Atmos, having tested more Atmos-equipped soundbars, speaker systems and AVRs than I can count; however, I feel as though I've not been utilising it properly at home.

I've watched my fair share of movies at home that take advantage of the immersive audio format.

But I've been meaning to hook my PlayStation 5 up to my Philips OLED907 TV and Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus ever since Sony announced that the PS5 would get full Dolby Atmos support.

So, with a quiet weekend on my hands after a busy week of covering Amazon Prime Day, I found that I had the perfect opportunity to detach my PS5 from my 1440p gaming monitor and give it the proper picture and sound set-up it deserves.

I decided to start Cyberpunk 2077, a sci-fi role-playing game that was lamented at launch for its poor quality, but has since had plenty of updates to improve the experience. While I can't vouch for the gameplay, which still feels a bit clumsy in my humble opinion, I can confirm that it is a spectacular showcase for Dolby Atmos.

One thing that Cyberpunk does fantastically is its world-building. There's a huge sci-fi city to explore with soaring hover vehicles overhead, blaring hologram billboards, and a general bustle comprised of murmuring crowds and cars whizzing past.

That might sound familiar to anyone who knows one of our favourite 4K reference discs. Yes, there are quite a few similarities with Blade Runner 2049 – it seems as though cyberpunk sci-fi and home cinema go hand in hand.

It's already immersive thanks to some pretty fantastic visual and audio direction; however, when I enabled Dolby Atmos on my PS5 – which involves digging through the settings as it's not applied by default – it took the experience to a new level.

It has to be one of the most immersive gaming experiences I've ever had.

I was met with genuinely imposing audio with tangible height effects every time a hovercraft passed overhead, while gunfights felt more tense thanks to bullets flying past within the 3D soundscape.

Bustling bars and shady back alleys brimmed with audio that travelled dynamically as I slinked my way around the city, to the extent that I spent a good chunk of my gameplay just wandering the streets to take in the sonic feast that the game presents.

It made me consider whether Dolby Atmos is in fact best suited to gaming, as the act of moving around in a 3D space, especially one with lots of moving parts and effects, should be more immersive than your traditional blockbuster film. After all, you are literally controlling the main character.

Cyberpunk 2077 is a prime example, as it does an extensive amount of worldbuilding to help draw you into the story and environment. This is aided massively by the fantastic audio design, which is properly brought to life with Dolby Atmos.

Admittedly, this isn't my first Dolby Atmos gaming experience, as I have tried it on Xbox with Forza Horizon 5, which is another shining example of how to implement Atmos into gaming titles.

However, Cyberpunk 2077 takes the crown for me currently, as I think it provides more in the way of height channels, making for a flashier Atmos experience.

There are bound to be more upcoming titles that take advantage of the immersive audio format in interesting ways.

I can't wait to see how it's utilised in Grand Theft Auto VI and the upcoming Battlefield title, so I have no plans to ditch Dolby Atmos gaming anytime soon. Even better than Atmos movies? It might just be.

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We have been getting a lot of projectors through the What Hi-Fi? home cinema test facilities in the past few months.

It seems the ever-increasing screen-acreage of the average television is not having the effect the truly big-screen doom-mongers, predicting the demise of the projector, were anticipating. There’s big and there’s big after all.

It’s true that you can pick up a (truly excellent) 65-inch TV for less than £2000 / $2500 / AU$3300 – and, for most people, that is a fantastic screen size per pound option.

Even larger sets than that, though, start to cost amounts that are way more eyewatering even than the not inconsiderable amount we reference above.

Which is why the projector remains a fantastic option for a “proper” home cinema, which is what we've built here, with BenQ's new W2720i taking pride of place.

The system

• Projector: BenQ W2720i (£1999 / $2499 / AU$3299)
• Blu-ray player: Sony UBP-X700 (£239 / $250 / AU$349)
• Console: Sony PlayStation 5 (£430 / $450 / AU$749)
• AV amplifier: Sony TA-AN1000 (£799 / around $1240 / around AU$1850)
• Speaker package: Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 HCP (£999 / $1227 / AU$2423)
• Total system price: £4466 / $5666 / AU$8670

The projector

Over the past year or two, we have been getting plenty of ultra short throw projectors to test.

These can take the place of a television, without getting in the way as much as an old-school unit – which has to be both placed a considerable distance from the screen, and carefully set up, and so really needs to remain a pretty permanent fixture in the room.

As well as the UST models, there are also a good number of “coffee table” projectors coming onto the market. These can be put out for special occasions – the big match, or a movie night – and kept in the cupboard when not in use.

While each of those is a splendid option for big-screen fun, they aren’t particularly intended as really “serious” home cinema. For that, traditionally, you need to be looking at investing considerably more.

But then the BenQ W2720i found its way to the What Hi-Fi? review team. And, once we had put it through its paces, we realised we had something of a prodigy on our hands.

For this BenQ manages to be that rarest of things: a hybrid that performs well for both its intended targets.

This, then, is a projector that can hold its head high as a serious movie performer, while being adaptable enough, and easy enough to set up, to spend much of its time hidden away in a cupboard, waiting to perform. If, that is, you can bear to put it away.

Our review’s conclusion says it all really: “The W2720i does an outstanding job of straddling the usually incompatible worlds of serious and casual home cinema/home entertainment projection. Indeed, this is a remarkable all-rounder that is more than good enough to make its asking price look like a steal.”

The Blu-ray player

Such a top-value projector deserves terrific partnering kit, of course. And while the BenQ would manage to hold its own in a system costing around double what we have here, that’s not really what this unit should be about, in our opinion.

This projector opens the way for excellent home cinema entertainment without spending truly silly money.

To that end we have turned to some stalwarts of the home cinema world in our search for appropriate allies in our quest for AV brilliance on a reasonable budget.

The fact that you see the name Sony adorning three of the remaining four parts of this set-up shows that synergy is an important factor in marrying kit together.

The Blu-ray player, the AV amplifier and the games console are in this system for different reasons – but the fact that they work beautifully together is certainly one that is important not to overlook.

The Sony UBP-X700 is an Award-winning Blu-ray player that does a sterling job with 4K movies.

Video streaming capabilities are undoubtedly improving all the time, but the BenQ projector already has a surprisingly well-appointed and optimised smart platform, and it is still the case that physical discs provide the optimum quality when watching top resolution movies.

And the X700 delivers impressively subtle, lifelike pictures – an aspect of its image delivery where it bested even its more expensive forebear, the X800.

The fact that you would need to spend half as much again on our current Award winner, the Panasonic DP-UB820EB, means that it suits this set-up very nicely.

The games console

As the BenQ projector supports the 4K/120Hz images that today’s best games consoles can take advantage of, it makes a lot of sense to include a Sony Playstation 5 in this all-rounder home cinema set-up.

You will need to do some minor fettling in the projector’s set-up menus to get things just right for gaming; but when you do (and it’s not terribly complicated), an input lag time of just 17.8ms is a great result by projector standards.

You could go for the disc drive-toting version of the PS5 and use that for playing 4K Blu-rays, but the dedicated Sony Blu-ray player performs much better with movie discs, so we recommend sticking with that.

You can then, if you wish, save a bit of money on the console by going for the Digital Edition – though do bear in mind that the saving can be quickly wiped out through the purchasing of digital editions of games rather than discs.

The AV amplifier

It bears repeating that the sound performance of a home cinema set-up is just as important as the picture.

You can have the greatest image ever seen, but if the sound in the movie you are watching isn’t compelling, and able to draw you into the action, then your overall experience simply won’t be as satisfying as it should be.

The two final pieces of this home cinema puzzle, then, combine to produce a remarkable soundscape for the money – and will let you immerse yourself fully in the on-screen action.

The Sony TA-AN1000 had a tough act to follow in theWhat Hi-Fi? Hall of Famer STR-DN 1080. But it has carried the torch for Sony’s AV excellence with impressive ease.

It can be configured in up to a 7.1 channel set up, or – if you wanted to upgrade at a later date – a 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos configuration.

Importantly, for this set-up, it will also pass through the all-important 4K/120Hz signal from the PS5 to the projector, via its HDMI 2.1 ports.

And, as we say in our review: “There are no two ways about it, this amp is seriously talented in all the key areas we look for when testing a home cinema amplifier.

“Its crisp, precise and punchy sound strikes a nearly perfect balance, and it elevates every movie and song we throw at it. This amplifier ticks all our boxes.”

The speaker package

To take advantage of this excellent amplifier, we have turned to an old favourite as far as loudspeakers go.

Wharfedale’s Diamond 12.1 HCP has taken home our Best Buy Award in its category for the past four years, which should tell you most of what you need to know here.

Just to confirm what you will in all likelihood be suspecting, though, let’s take a look at the verdict of our review:

“With poise, effortlessness, cut glass diction and charisma, the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 HCP is essentially the Audrey Hepburn of home theatre speaker packages. It offers rich bass without sacrificing or overpowering the mid and treble, presenting a mature sound that’s rich in impact, agility, detail and sensitivity.

"Large enough to provide cinematic scale with a wide soundfield, but discreet and affordable enough to be accessible to a variety of audiences, the 12.1s prove to be an excellent choice for both music and film.”

That description is for the “vanilla” 5.1 package. It is worth pointing out that if you wanted to take advantage of the Dolby Atmos abilities of the Sony amplification, you can seal the full enveloping-sound deal by adding Wharfedale’s Diamond 12 3D Atmos toppers to your package – allowing the speaker set-up to fire Atmos channels up into the ceiling.

Now that would be a stunning package, taking full advantage of everything the modern home cinema has to offer. Start with the more basic surround set-up, though, and you won’t be in any way disappointed.

The verdict

This home cinema is an astonishing achievement for the money, taking advantage as it does of components that punch well above their weight in most areas.

And while, on the face of it, a home cinema – almost by definition – means you won’t be going out quite as much as you used to, your social life might actually improve: you will want to share (dare we say show off) your own private big screen with your friends as soon as you install it.

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Check out all of our Home Cinema Week coverage

These are the best projectors and best AV receivers you can buy right now

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

I've made no secret of the fact that I love the Apple TV 4K.

There are various devices in my system that could take care of my streaming needs, including my TV, Sky Stream Puck, PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, but the Apple TV 4K is nicer to use than all of them and generally delivers better picture and sound quality, too.

The other advantage of using the Apple TV 4K for streaming is that when the rest of my family goes to bed, I can switch from using my speaker system to using my AirPods Max for sound.

I and several of my colleagues have written many times about how good Apple's Spatial Audio is, particularly through the AirPods Max.

To reiterate, though, it really does get disarmingly close to the cinematic experience you get from listening to a very good Dolby Atmos system out loud – to the extent that I rarely feel aggrieved when I have to make the switch at the behest of my long-suffering wife and son.

In fact, Spatial Audio via the AirPods Max is so good, it puts to shame the Dolby Atmos / 3D Audio headphones processing you get from the Xbox Series X and PS5.

That got me thinking: wouldn't it be great if the next Apple TV 4K had a load of HDMI inputs so that you could connect all of your sources to it and use Apple's Spatial Audio for the whole lot?

I certainly think so.

It wouldn't just benefit games, either, but also the watching of 4K Blu-rays via a dedicated player, plus late-night / early morning F1 races and NFL games.

It might be that Apple could achieve a similar result using the Apple TV 4K's existing eARC support, which already allows sources to be routed through a TV and out to the Apple TV, which then sends the audio to HomePods, but my understanding is that making this work with AirPods is surprisingly tricky.

Besides, having an Apple TV that worked as an HDMI hub would be useful in other ways, too, not least in how much it would reduce cable spaghetti.

One of the things I miss most about my old AV receiver is that it handled all of my HDMI switching, leaving just one cable going up to the TV.

A compact Apple TV device that did that (as well as everything else that the Apple TV 4K already does) would be even better.

In truth, though, I just don't think there's any way that Apple will ever go down this route.

The thing is, cables just aren't sexy.

Maybe one input with passthrough is a possibility, but can you imagine Tim Cook on stage, flashing a load of HDMI sockets? Me either.

But if Apple doesn't do something nerdy like that with the next Apple TV 4K, I don't know what it can do.

Almost three years on from launch, the current, third-generation Apple TV 4K is still the best standalone streamer available, and it's hard to think of ways it could be improved.

More processing power could be added, of course, but do people really use their Apple TVs for power-hungry tasks? I don't know a single person who even plays games on theirs.

Rumours have been around for ages about Apple working on a Dolby Atmos soundbar that has integrated Apple TV streaming smarts, but the chances of that ever seeing the light of day seem to dwindle with each passing year.

So, go on, Apple. Give me the nerdy HDMI inputs I want so I can use Spatial Audio for everything. You might as well.

MORE:

Check out our Apple TV 4K review

This Apple TV 4K Dolby Atmos hack has been a game-changer for my system

I ditched my Apple TV 4K for Sky Stream – here are 3 things I love and 2 things I don't

Much as we love getting our teeth into the latest and greatest hunks of glorious high-end TV technology, it’s also a great day at What Hi-Fi? towers when we happen upon a massive TV bargain.

Happily we’re having one of those days right now, thanks to Sharp’s 43GM6245K: a 43-inch TV that somehow manages to combine both TiVo and Freely smart systems with good picture and sound quality for less than £250.

Price

The 43-inch GM6245K’s price in the UK (the only territory where it’s available) is its single most eye-catching feature. Just £249 for a 43-inch TV is seriously cheap under any circumstances, so by the time you add to the bargain one of the most user-friendly smart services around and surprisingly good picture and sound performance, the value appeal becomes pretty much off the charts.

That’s not to say there isn’t any competition out there at the same sort of price. Bush’s 50UT24SB delivers a decent 50-inch picture and TiVo smarts for just £270, for instance, while there are also TVs out there from multiple brands sporting Roku smart systems that also deliver 43- and 50-inch screen sizes for less than £300. The 43GM6245K, though, ultimately has more going for it than any of its similarly cut-price peers.

Design

Looked at from a typical viewing distance, the GM6245K is pretty easy on the eye for such a cut-price TV.

The grey finish of the slightly wider bottom edge contrasts neatly with the slender black used for the rest of the bezel, and Sharp has managed to make a design feature of its logos, with the words Aquos and Harman Kardon (more on this one later) appearing very stylishly in the bottom left and right corners of the screen respectively. The two blade-style feet that Sharp’s TV sits on boast a pleasingly shiny finish, too, while at the same time presenting such a slender profile when the screen’s viewed head-on that you barely notice them.

The surface delights do hide a couple of classic giveaways of the GM6245K’s ultra-affordable nature, though. Namely, that it’s really quite chunky around the back by modern TV standards, while its exceptionally lightweight chassis reveals that it’s made almost entirely from pretty low-grade plastic.

While these build issues raise concerns about the quality of what might be going on inside the set, though, they’re not really obvious to the naked eye once the TV has been set in place.

Features

Despite how cheap it is, the Sharp 43GM6245K is much more than just a 4K 43-inch screen. It uses a VA type of LCD panel, lit directly from behind, for starters – a combination that typically delivers better contrast than the IPS and/or edge-lit alternatives commonly used in the budget TV world.

Sharp actually claims a huge dynamic contrast ratio for its TV of 1,000,000:1 – an on-paper figure that you can very much expect not to see with real world content, but which does at least suggest that the GM6245K’s light output can adjust to changes in source content to a greater extent than you would expect to find at the this price point.

Colours are delivered by a Quantum Dot system that is also not something you could normally expect to find on a sub-£250 43-inch TV – though it’s worth saying that other budget TVs that use Quantum Dots don’t always make a success of it, seemingly compromising other aspects of their performance in their eagerness to embrace the expanded colour range and brightness available.

The GM6245K’s panel only supports refresh rates up to 60Hz, so there’s no support for the 4K/120Hz gaming feeds now delivered by the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X or premium PC graphics cards. There’s some solace for gamers, though, in that Sharp’s TV does carry a dedicated Game picture preset that reduces input lag to just 15ms.

There’s also support with both gaming and video sources for high dynamic range formats that extends beyond the basic HDR10 and HLG platforms to include the premium Dolby Vision system. This supplies compatible TVs with extra scene-by-scene image data to help them deliver more accurate and dynamic-looking results.

The GM6245K’s connections include three HDMI ports (one capable of passing Dolby Atmos sound on to soundbars or AVRs using HDMI’s eARC technology); two USB ports; a 3.5mm headphone jack/audio line out; an optical digital audio output, and mini composite video and audio inputs. This adds up to a slightly more comprehensive roster of connections than you might necessarily expect to get on a £249 43-inch TV.

The unexpected surprises extend, too, to the GM6245K’s audio system, with the Harman Kardon logo at the bottom right of its screen frame showing that Sharp has promisingly worked with the respected third-party audio brand in developing this TV’s 2 x 12W speaker system.

Last but certainly not least on the GM6245K’s feature list is support for both the TiVo and Freely smart TV systems. TiVo provides an admirably straightforward and engaging interface for most of the TV’s streaming apps, which include such big hitters as Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and YouTube. It also carries arguably the most comprehensive and easy-to-use content searching/finding service in the TV world, built on TiVo’s quarter of a century of working on intelligent content recommendation experiences. This now incorporates an impressively flexible and helpful voice recognition system – not bad for a sub-£250 43-inch TV.

The only issue with TiVo’s smart platform at the time of writing is that it does not provide direct access to the Apple TV+, Discovery+ or Paramount+ streaming services. There is a workaround, though, in that they are all now available via the Amazon Prime Video app.

Freely, if you’re not familiar with it, is a relatively new (launched in 2024) streaming service backed by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 that carries a claimed 70,000+ hours of on-demand content but also, more importantly, lets you live-stream many of the channels carried on the Freeview HD broadcast platform, potentially removing the need to have an aerial installed on your home.

Picture

As with its features, the 43-inch GM6245K’s picture quality is far better than we would have expected from such a cheap TV.

Its contrast, for instance, while predictably not achieving anything like 1,000,000:1 levels of exuberance with real-world images, manages to deliver simultaneously both richer, deeper, more neutral-looking blacks and more brightness – especially with full-screen bright HDR clips – than you’d normally get at this price level.

The black bars above and below wide aspect ratio films and TV shows look a bit greyer than we’d ideally see, perhaps, but this greyness is less noticeable in the main image area. Dark scenes become greyer-looking if you have to watch the GM6245K from an angle, too – though this is a limitation common to the vast majority of VA-type LCD TVs. And, actually, the angle you can get to before the drop in contrast becomes really ugly is a bit wider here than we usually find with budget TVs.

The level of greyness hanging over dark scenes is limited enough to stop them looking flat or unconvincing, especially as Sharp’s set manages to hold on to impressive amounts of subtle detailing in even the darkest picture corners. There are also no obvious distracting instabilities caused by the TV’s dynamic contrast tools, despite the TV managing to deliver (especially with Dolby Vision sources) surprisingly punchy and backlight blooming-free highlights even when they appear against mostly dark backdrops.

The GM6245K’s pictures are impressively sharp for its price, too. Native 4K sources actually look 4K despite the compact (by today’s standards) size of the 43-inch screen, helped by some good colour tone definition in bright scenes and less interference from judder and motion blur than budget TVs usually manage. That’s not to say there’s absolutely no resolution loss during camera pans or over fast-moving objects, but the occasions where you might spot a little softness creeping into an action-packed scene are rare enough to feel like surprises rather than a constant distraction. And there’s certainly no sign of the aggressive judder with 24fps films or the sort of smearing effect over fast-moving objects that so many similarly affordable TVs seem to produce. And that’s despite the GM6245K not having any dedicated motion processing to help counter potential motion issues.

We mentioned that colours in bright scenes are delivered by the 43GM6245K with good subtlety for a budget TV, and this is backed up by precious little sign of the sort of banding/striping issues that some HDR TVs – even some much more expensive models, in fact – can suffer with when trying to show subtle colour blends. Skin tones, too, look unusually natural and nuanced, avoiding the jaundiced or plasticky finish often seen with budget and even mid-range TVs.

This doesn’t mean colours are perfect. They’re not the most vibrant we’ve seen, despite the Quantum Dot influence, and during dark scenes colours sometimes start to exhibit clumping, as the TV struggles to deliver subtle tonal differences as effectively as it does during bright scenes. A faint pinkish tone occasionally creeps into the picture too, but this is rare and sufficiently subtle when it occurs that many viewers may well never even notice it.

While these issues might be a reason to spend a chunk more cash on stepping up to a good mid-range TV, though, they’re all pretty puny complaints by the standards of the 43GM6245K’s price point.

Sound

The Harman Kardon-designed audio of the GM6245K incorporates a two-way speaker system, with separate bass/mid-range and treble drivers designed to deliver a cleaner, clearer sound. For the most part, it works pretty well.

For instance, the TV can get louder than most budget TVs without succumbing to distortions or harshness. Dialogue is delivered with enough power and clarity to always remain totally intelligible, yet despite some high-pitched voices sounding slightly sibilant, speech in films and TV shows typically doesn’t sound too bright or detached from the rest of the mix. Voices also benefit from a mild vertical lift, so that they seem to be coming from the onscreen action rather than from the speakers built into the screen’s bottom edge.

The GM6245K is able to project sound a likeable distance beyond the physical confines of its bodywork too, enabling it to get more benefit from its ability to play Dolby Atmos soundtracks than you might expect from a two-channel speaker system. Certainly, there’s enough about its staging to create an effective sense of ambient sound effects existing somewhere beyond the more specific effects at the heart of an Atmos mix. This also helps the sound appear cleaner.

Some treble sounds can become rather shrill, though, and a general lack of bass can leave big movie moments feeling a little weightless and thin. Though the GM6245K does at least acknowledge its bass limitations rather than trying so hard to find low frequencies it can’t sensibly support that it forces its speakers into distortions or dropouts.

An odd quirk of the GM6245K’s sound finds it emitting a nasty raspberry sound whenever you skip tracks on a Blu-ray disc. While we felt a bit affronted by this problem while skipping to and between favourite test scenes for this review, though, it obviously isn’t something that will often trouble anyone in regular viewing conditions.

All in all, while inevitably not perfect, the 43-inch GM6245K’s sound once again performs better than we’d expect from such a cheap TV.

Verdict

Is the Sharp 43GM6245K good enough to give good mid-range or premium TVs sleepless nights? Nope, not really. Is it good enough, though, to humble the vast majority of other similarly ultra-affordable TVs out there? You bet your bottom £249 it is.

SCORES

• Picture 4
• Sound 4
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the TCL 55C655K

Also consider the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED QL43F601

Read our Bush 50UT24SB review

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget LED sets tried and tested

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but the PlayStation 5 is rather popular. So popular, in fact, that estimates suggest it has outsold the Xbox Series X 2:1.

Sony Electronics is understandably keen to leverage its connection to the Sony PlayStation division and benefit from that popularity, and one of the main elements of that is the ‘Perfect for PlayStation 5’ initiative.

Launched in 2021, Perfect for PlayStation 5 encompasses a handful of gaming features that Sony believes make its top TVs… well... perfect for the PS5.

But did you know that only one of those features is exclusive to Sony TVs? And, in fact, that unique feature isn’t actually perfectly implemented.

So, what exactly is Perfect for PlayStation 5? How does it work, and how do you get the most out of it? What’s more, does it actually make Sony’s TVs better than rivals from Samsung, LG and Panasonic when it comes to PS5 gaming?

What is Perfect for PS5?

At its core, Perfect for PlayStation 5 is two key features: Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode.

Looking through Sony’s promotional material, extra features are often bundled together under the banner, such as PS Remote Play, 4K/120Hz and VRR, but these aren’t exclusive to Sony TVs and they weren't really part of the original Perfect for PlayStation 5 program.

And, in fact, Auto Genre Picture Mode is just a fancy term for a feature that is available on most TVs under a different name: Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM).

As most gamers will know, ALLM is a feature that allows your TV to recognise when a game is being played so that it can automatically switch to its game mode. I.e. the picture preset with the lowest latency (aka input lag).

What we’re left with, then, is Auto HDR Tone Mapping, which is unique to Sony TVs and is genuinely interesting, so it’s really fair to say that it’s the essence of the Perfect for PS5 program.

It’s also what we’re going to focus on here.

What is Perfect for PS5 Auto HDR Tone Mapping?

You might be familiar with the PS5’s ‘Adjust HDR’ facility. It pops up whenever you connect the console to an HDR TV with which it’s not familiar (and usually again after a software update).

It consists of three screens: a white one with a grey sun in a white box; a black one with a grey sun in a white box; and a black one with grey sun in a black box.

The idea is that you click up or down on your controller to brighten or dim the box until the sun is ‘barely visible’.

What you’re doing when you go through these menus is essentially calibrating the PS5's HDR delivery to the capabilities of your specific TV. It ensures that highlights are as bright as they can be without being overexposed at the expense of detail, and that blacks are properly black.

On the face of it, the Adjust HDR system is really simple, but there are a couple of issues with it.

The first is that if you make adjustments until the sun is ‘barely visible’, as instructed, you will end up with highlights just a smidge dimmer than they could be, and blacks will be slightly less than inky.

The other issue is that if your TV has any tone mapping switched on, which many do by default, even in game mode, it will work at counteracting the changing brightness on the first two screens and you’ll end up with a hugely over-brightened image with blown out highlights.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could avoid these potential pitfalls by having these settings adjusted for you? Well that’s precisely what Auto HDR Tone Mapping is designed to do.

Connect your PS5 to one of Sony's Perfect for PlayStation 5 TVs and a pop-up will appear over the Adjust HDR screen to say that the appropriate settings for your specific model of TV have been automatically applied.

There’s just one problem…

Are the Perfect for PS5 Auto HDR Tone Mapping settings accurate?

The problem is that the Auto HDR Tone Mapping settings that are applied are (at least with all of the many TVs with which we’ve tested it in the last few years) quite accurate, but not… perfect.

Take the awesome A95L, for example: the Auto HDR Tone Mapping automatically sets brightness one click higher in both of the first two Adjust HDR screens than is entirely accurate, and it sets the black level two clicks up from the bottom, which means you’ll never get perfect black.

It’s worth pointing out that these automatically selected settings will provide a very good picture indeed, and most people will never know that they’re not getting a perfectly accurate HDR performance.

If you really care, though, you will want to make a couple of little tweaks to get the most accurate HDR performance possible.

How do you get perfectly accurate HDR from the PS5 on your Sony TV?

As mentioned, when you connect your PS5 to your Sony TV for the first time, a pop-up will appear over the Adjust HDR screen telling you that the best settings have already been applied, but you can still adjust them, and that’s what I recommend.

The first thing to do is hop into your TV’s picture settings and find the HDR Tone Mapping setting. You want to turn this off temporarily.

Once HDR Tone Mapping is switched off, go back to the first Adjust HDR screen, take your PS5 controller and tap down on the d-pad until you can’t go any darker. The grey sun should be very visible in the white box.

Now you want to slowly click up on the d-pad until the sun disappears. The click that takes it from barely visible to invisible is the final one. This point can be easier to see when the room is dark.

Now do exactly the same thing on the second Adjust HDR page.

On the final Adjust HDR page (the black one), you simply want to tap down on the d-pad until you’re right at the bottom. That ensures you get perfect blacks (at least insofar as your TV can produce perfect black).

Now it’s worth going back into your TV’s menus and changing the HDR Tone Mapping back to Gradation Preferred. This will retain the accuracy you’ve just calibrated in while ensuring your TV is delivering all of the pop it’s designed to.

Are Sony TVs the best for playing PS5 games?

Sony’s Perfect for PS5 branding is, of course, designed to make everyone believe that a Sony TV is the best choice for PS5 gamers but, in truth, that’s not really the case.

The best Sony TVs are excellent for gaming, with great picture authenticity, pop and responsiveness. The Game Bar is good, too, particularly on the latest models. And, as mentioned, the Auto HDR Tone Mapping provides very good results automatically.

But you can do better. We recommend LG’s OLED TVs as the best gaming TVs. They lack Sony’s Auto HDR Tone Mapping, of course, but they have an excellent HGiG setting that makes it a doddle to get perfectly accurate HDR using the PS5’s Adjust HDR screens.

LG’s OLEDs also have even lower input lag than Sony’s, and they have four HDMI 2.1 sockets, which is super-useful if you have an Xbox Series X/S and/or a gaming PC as well as a PS5.

Even the best Sony TVs have just two HDMI 2.1 sockets, one of which doubles as the eARC port. If you have a soundbar or other sound system connected to that eARC port and your PS5 connected to the other HDMI 2.1 socket, any further games machines will have to be plugged into an HDMI 2.0 socket that doesn’t support 4K/120Hz.

Which TVs are ‘Perfect for PlayStation 5’?

The ‘Perfect for PS5’ initiative launched in 2021 with Sony’s Z9J, A90J, A80J, X95J and X90J TVs.

Since then, all of the brand’s premium sets have included the Perfect for PS5 features.

The Perfect for PS5 models that are currently on sale include (but aren’t limited to) the A95L, X95L, A80L and X90L from 2023; the Bravia 9, Bravia 8 and Bravia 7, which launched last year; and the brand new Bravia 8 II and Bravia 5.

Click the links above to read our reviews of each model, or check out our dedicated guides to the best Sony TVs and best gaming TVs.

Microsoft has announced a major price increase to its Xbox range, and it's going to impact more than just the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles.

It will affect the UK, North America, Australia and Europe, with accessories and first-party games also going up, meaning new and existing Xbox gamers are going to feel the sting.

Starting with the consoles, the Xbox Series S, which we reviewed at £250 / $300 / AU$500 back in 2021, will now carry a recommended retail price of £300 / $380 / AU$550.

The Xbox Series X, on the other hand, will increase from £449 / $499 / AU$749, to £500 / $600 / AU$850. Price increases are also hitting the 512GB version of the Xbox Series S, the discless Xbox Series X Digital, and the 2TB Xbox Series X.

Furthermore, Microsoft states that "Xbox Series S and X availability may continue to change over time depending on the retailer and by country."

We're not entirely sure what this entails, but it could hint towards stock shortages that harken back to this console generation's early days, in which Xbox and PlayStation consoles were hard to come by.

Alongside the consoles, controllers are set to become more expensive, with the standard remote now costing £60 / $65 / AU$100; for reference the Xbox Wireless Controller originally launched at £55 / $60 / AU$90.

Xbox's official headsets (both the wired and wireless versions) are also getting a price hike, though it will only affect the US and Canada.

Finally, Microsoft has confirmed that first-party game titles will also get more expensive. It states that some titles will go up to $80 by the "holiday season" (presumably December), though it hasn't confirmed international pricing for future games quite yet.

Microsoft cites "market conditions and the rising cost of development" as the reasons behind this price increase, and it isn't the only company that's feeling the pressure.

Sony announced that the PlayStation 5 will become more expensive due to “a challenging economic environment” last month. Furthermore, Nintendo has raised eyebrows with its pricey new Switch 2 console, which features games priced similarly to the incoming Xbox increase.

We're willing to bet that the vaguely named "market conditions" and "challenging economic environment" are in reference to the tariff situation in the United States. Microsoft primarily manufactures its Xbox hardware in China, which is currently subject to substantial tariff rates, so while it's disappointing to see a price increase, it's not entirely surprising.

MORE:

Read our full Xbox Series X review

PS5 vs Xbox Series X: which one should you choose?

Here are the best Xbox Series X settings for picture and sound

It might be the OLED models that dominate the headlines, but mid-range TVs are a lot more affordable for a lot more people. Hence Sony's new Bravia 5 could be one of the most important TVs of the year.

It replaces the X90L, which scored five stars in our review. So what's new? Should you consider upgrading? And if you see the X90L on a deal, would it be the better bet?

We haven't yet fully reviewed the Bravia 5, so our final verdict will have to wait for now, but we have seen it in action alongside the X90L at a Sony event, so we do have a good idea of how this comparison will shake out.

Sony Bravia 5 vs X90L: price

The X90L launched back in 2023, with the 55-inch model costing £1599 / $1300 / AU$2095. But that's since come down significantly – at time of writing, it's going for just £999 in the UK, but it has dropped as low as £901.

The new Bravia 5 launches in the UK in early June, and will have a lower RRP than its predecessor. The 55-inch Bravia 5 will cost £1499, and the 65-inch model £1799.

It's unfortunately a different story in the US, where the Bravia 5 launches sooner (any day now, in fact), but with much higher pricing.

Here's the full breakdown of the launch prices:

Sony's TVs aren't the most heavily discounted come sales time, but as the older model, the X90L is far more likely to see some decent deals. So if you can hang on for Prime Day in the summer, or even Black Friday, you could save a pretty penny.

Sony Bravia 5 vs X90L: design

These are both Sony TVs, and as such, they look quite similar. The firm doesn't vary its designs much throughout the range, which is a shame.

The X90L is a little dull to look at, and the 55-inch model we tested was quite thick (5.6cm) and heavy (17kg) to boot. Sony hasn't revealed the same stats for the Bravia 5 yet.

The main difference between the two TVs is the feet. The X90L's feet can be positioned towards the centre of the TV's bottom edge, or at the extremes. But the Bravia 5's can only be situated fairly centrally. But because both models' feet can be extended, both can accommodate a soundbar.

Just be sure to measure up before you buy to make sure your soundbar will fit without obscuring any of the screen.

• 4K/120Hz gaming: what is it? Do you need it?
• VRR: everything you need to know about variable refresh rate
• ALLM: what is auto low latency mode?
• HDMI ARC and eARC: everything you need to know

Sony Bravia 5 vs X90L: features

The Bravia 5's most notable feature over the X90L is the screen. The latest model uses a Mini LED backlit panel, which Sony refers to as XR Backlight Master Drive. This has trickled down from the envelope-pushing, flagship Bravia 9, albeit in a fairly detuned state.

Sony says this gives the Bravia 5 up to six times as many dimming zones as the X90L, depending on the size of the TVs you're comparing.

Combined with Sony's XR Processor, this should improve local dimming for better contrast and detailed gradation of light and shadow. It should also make it brighter than the X90L.

The XR Processor also enables Sony's AI Scene Recognition feature, which analyses the scene and optimises the picture accordingly.

It has one more calibrated mode than the X90L, with Prime Video Calibrated Mode joining the X90L's Netflix Adaptive Calibrated Mode and Sony Pictures Core Calibrated Mode.

But both TVs have a lot of features in common. They both have IMAX Enhanced certification (in order to correctly play the IMAX Enhanced content available from Sony Pictures Core and Disney+), and both support the HLG, HDR10 and Dolby Vision formats of HDR.

Both also have just two HDMI 2.1 ports, which is a real disappointment in this day and age. That means that gaming modes 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM are only available via these two ports.

So if you have more than one next-gen console or high-end gaming PC and a soundbar/surround sound system plugged into the eARC port (which takes up one of the HDMI 2.1 sockets), you'll need to do some port switching every time you change games machine (if you want the best performance out of it, that is).

Both TVs also have Sony's ‘Perfect for PlayStation 5’ feature, which automatically applies certain HDR settings when that console is connected (though you should still check them as they tend to not be quite as perfect as Sony claims).

They both run Google TV too, which is one of the better TV operating systems around, with all the apps you would expect.

The X90L runs on Sony's older Cognitive Processor XR chip, whose XR Clear Image feature helps the picture settings adjust to the source material. And while its panel uses LEDs rather than the Bravia 5's Mini LEDs, it does have more than double the dimming zones of its predecessor, the X90K.

• Mini LED: everything you need to know
• IMAX Enhanced: what is it? How do you get it?
• HDR TV: what is HDR? And what formats are available?

Sony Bravia 5 vs X90L: picture

The X90L is a five-star TV, so obviously has a pretty special picture. Even Dolby Vision Dark mode – which we find too dark on Sony's OLED TVs – poses no problems, with bright, vibrant highlights and deep blacks with ample shadow detail.

Its backlight is consistent, with no sign of the cloudiness you sometimes get with LCD TVs. The black levels aren't quite as inky as OLED, but we wouldn't expect them to be.

There are some slight issues when tasked with a very small area of bright light in an otherwise pitch-black screen. But these instances are so rare as to be negligible. On the whole, the X90L's colours are wonderfully natural.

"Everything we watch over days of testing is beautifully detailed and sharp without there being any sense of exaggeration or enhancement, and the upscaling of non-4K content is handled very well indeed, with even an old episode of Bottom in standard-def looking pretty clean and controlled," we noted in our review.

And if it can make Bottom look clean, it must be pretty special.

It does have rather limited viewing angles, however, which is a flaw of LCD TVs as a whole. But it is bettered in this regard by some rival models (such as Samsung's QLEDs).

We've only had a demo of the Bravia 5, so we haven't given it a full and thorough test. But we have seen it in action placed side by side with the X90L, and it comes off very favourably indeed.

"Superb" was our verdict from our hands-on review. It has noticeably more brightness and colour vibrancy than its predecessor, and reveals much finer detail.

We've seen the Bravia 5 with its backlight exposed too, which just shows how the XR Backlight Master Drive technology creates more accurate shapes and varying light intensities. Which all contribute to nailing down an accurate contrast.

It upscales fantastically, too. An old episode of Friends left our tester "taken aback by how clean and smooth the image looked from the Bravia 5, with the X90L looking very noisy and jagged in comparison."

It's too early for a definitive verdict – we'll have to wait until we give the Bravia 5 a full review. But as things stand, it looks like a big improvement on the already-excellent X90L.

Sony Bravia 5 vs X90L: sound

The X90L is one of the better-sounding TVs around. Because it has a backlight, it can't feature Sony's excellent actuator-based system which vibrates the entire screen. But Sony has sought to recreate the same ‘sound-from-picture’ effect by using processing, with only partial success.

Dialogue is less focused and direct from the X90L than from a Sony OLED with its actuator-based system (such as the Bravia 8). Voices are less full and sound a little processed, and they don't have the same level of projection as on the Bravia 8.

But for those faults, the X90L still sounds pretty good. The bass is a little curtailed, but the flip side is that there's no distortion to contend with – this is a TV that knows its limits.

It sounds punchy, delivering notes with plenty of impact, and it has decent dynamics. It creates a nice sense of space too, with the sound stretching far beyond the confines of the TV to create an immersive atmosphere.

Sadly, our Bravia 5 demo didn't include audio, so we don't know how the new TV sounds. But we do know it has the same Acoustic Multi-Audio system as the X90L, so is likely to perform pretty similarly.

As ever, we would recommend adding a soundbar. If you choose a model made by Sony, you will get some extra features such as Acoustic Centre Sync, which allows the speakers of the TV and soundbar to work together. But these kinds of features often add a tonal mismatch – far better to stay brand agnostic and consult our list of the best soundbars.

Sony Bravia 5 vs X90L: early verdict

It's too early to tell how the Bravia 5 compares to the X90L, but all signs point to it being better. We're looking at an upgraded picture courtesy of Mini LED tech, new features and possibly better sound. Which would make it all round the better performer.

But with the X90L possibly seeing big discounts now that it's coming to the end of its life, could it still be the better buy? We'll update this once we've reviewed the Bravia 5.

MORE:

Read our Sony X90L review

And our Sony Bravia 5 hands-on review

See all of Sony's 2025 TV lineup

LG G5 vs Sony Bravia 8 II: which new OLED TV could be best for you?

If you ask me, the Sony A95L is still one of the very best TVs you can currently buy – even though it's been on sale for well over a year.

The combination of a QD-OLED panel with Sony's legendary processing and one of the most capable in-built TV sound systems around makes the A95L an all-rounder of rare talent.

Needless to say, then, I leapt at the chance to check out its successor, the Bravia 8 II, in person in Tokyo ahead of its 28th April US launch and June launch in the UK.

Is it everything I hoped it would be? Mostly yes, but also not entirely. Ahead of our full review, here are all of the things (so far) that I like about the Bravia 8 II, and the few things I'm not so keen on.

The good stuff

It can go much brighter and reproduce more colours than the A95L

The biggest improvement for the Bravia 8 II is that it features 'the latest QD-OLED' panel from Samsung Display.

The capabilities of this new panel vary somewhat depending on who you ask and, of course, the specific TV in which it's used, but Sony says the Bravia 8 II will be able to hit a peak brightness level 25 per cent greater than that of the A95L.

It will also be 50 per cent brighter than the Bravia 8, which features a W-OLED panel and will continue in Sony's 2025 TV lineup.

But alongside brighter highlights, this new panel also brings with it greater colour volume.

Sure enough, in the demos I saw, the Bravia 8 II was clearly brighter than the A95L, Samsung S95D and LG G4 – but it also had more detailed highlights and more vibrant colours, particularly in the brightest parts of the picture.

Picture processing has been improved, too

The panel is only one ingredient in the picture quality recipe, and one of the reasons that so many people are drawn to Sony TVs over their Samsung and LG rivals is the Japanese brand's much-lauded picture processing.

One thing that Sony has paid particular attention to with the Bravia 8 II is its low-light performance – essentially, how it handles black depth and shadow detail.

This was demonstrated to me using a clip from Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, and the Bravia 8 II did a much better job than the S95D and G4 of revealing the details in the murky scene and maintaining natural colours.

Was the Bravia 8 II digging up details that the director intended to be hidden? The Sony BVM-3110 mastering monitor that was supplied for reference suggested not. In fact, even the Bravia 8 II was less revealing than the monitor.

Sony has also beefed up the AI chops of its XR processor, and the Bravia 8 II (and Bravia 5) will benefit from a new 'AI scene recognition system' that, according to Sony, "detects and analyses data with flawless accuracy, then optimises the picture for ultimate realism".

As good as Sony's processing generally is, terms such as 'flawless accuracy' and 'ultimate realism' seem a bit overly ambitious. Instead, I'm expecting a bit of an upgrade to the A95L's depth enhancement feature, which gently increases the three-dimensionality of an image without making it seem enhanced.

Useful tweaks to how the Professional and Cinema modes work

Sony has never boarded the Filmmaker Mode train, arguing that its Professional mode does a similar thing, and this year, that and Cinema mode are getting some useful tweaks.

The Professional preset is now designed to look more like the brand's BVM mastering monitor than ever before, with little to no active processing or enhancement.

In a dark room, the Cinema preset will look very similar to Professional, but the ambient light sensor will be switched on by default.

This means that when you turn the room lights on, the Bravia 8 II will compensate both in terms of colours and brightness so that you still get a perceptually accurate picture.

If done correctly (this wasn't demonstrated to me in Tokyo), this should work very similarly to how LG's current OLEDs do when you put them in Filmmaker Mode and enable their ambient light sensor.

In other words, for many people, it could be the only picture setting they ever need.

Unchanged audio system should still sound very good

The A95L is pretty much the only TV that I feel I could live with from an audio point of view. That isn't to say that it's not fairly easily beaten by a soundbar – but it's much more capable than the insipid sound systems of almost all of its rivals.

So, it's broadly good news (I'll get to the negative aspect shortly) that the Bravia 8 II sports the same sound system as the A95L.

That sound system features two actuators that vibrate the whole screen with two subwoofers to add weight and depth. The step-down Bravia 8, in comparison, has just one woofer, and its two actuators are smaller and less capable.

The key benefit of the actuator approach is that the sound literally comes from the screen, so the audio and visuals are tied together in a way that other TVs can't match.

But what's most impressive about the A95L is how this focus and directness combine with spaciousness and a sense of three-dimensionality to deliver a fairly impressive (by TV standards) Dolby Atmos delivery.

If the Bravia 8 II merely sounds as good as the A95L, it will still almost certainly be the best-sounding TV in its class – though the Panasonic Z95B might give it a run for its money.

More affordable than the A95L in the UK

Sony promised that the Bravia 8 II would be more affordable than the A95L was when it launched, but I had imagined we would be looking at a drop of something in the region of 10 per cent.

Well, the prices have now been announced, and in the UK (we'll get to the US prices later) the 55-inch Bravia 8 II is 17 per cent cheaper than the equivalent A95L was at launch, and the 65-inch model is 19 per cent cheaper than its equivalent.

That will make the Bravia 8 II much more competitive with its rivals than the A95L was. We don't yet have UK pricing for the Samsung S95F, but the LG G5 is, at launch, £100 cheaper than the Bravia 8 II at 55 inches, but £300 more expensive at 65 inches.

Here's a full comparison of the UK launch prices of the Sony Bravia 8, Bravia 8 II, A95l and the LG G5:

The feet can be extended to accommodate a soundbar

While the Bravia 8 II's feet aren't perfect (more on which below), they can be positioned either flush with the bottom of the TV or extended to create a space for a soundbar.

Because there is also a big distance between the feet, there's plenty of space for said soundbar and no awkward plate to get in the way.

The exclusive Sony Pictures Core app is still a great value-added treat

While not a new thing for the Bravia 8 II, the Sony Pictures Core app remains a compelling selling point for Sony's TVs.

For those not already in the know, Sony Pictures Core (formerly known as Bravia Core) is a streaming service that is exclusive to Sony TVs.

What's special about it is that it streams movies in much higher quality than rival services. We're talking about bitrates of up to 80Mbps, whereas Apple TV maxes out at around 40Mbps and Netflix and Prime Video are down at around 25Mbps.

The result is cleaner, crisper picture quality, particularly with the IMAX Enhanced content that is available.

Buyers of the Bravia 8 II will get 10 tokens that can be spent on premium movies, plus 24 months of streaming from the general catalogue.

The bad stuff

Much more expensive than the A95L (and the LG G5 and Samsung S95F) in the US

While the UK is getting the Bravia 8 II for much less than the launch price of the A95L, it's the opposite story in the US, where Sony appears to be factoring in the costs and potential costs of tariffs.

The 55-inch Bravia 8 II is a whopping 25 per cent more expensive than the A95L was at launch, while the 65-inch version is 14 per cent more expensive.

Inevitably, that means it's much more expensive than the launch prices of the LG G5 and Samsung S95F. Here's the full comparison:

Still only two HDMI 2.1 sockets

It seems almost unbelievable – and yet so wearily predictable – that Sony's flagship TV in 2025 still has just two HDMI 2.1 sockets.

LG has been producing models with four such ports since way back in 2019, for heaven's sake.

We know the reasoning, of course: while LG and Samsung produce their own HDMI boards, most other brands, including Sony, have been relying on MediaTek for their HDMI boards.

MediaTek does now produce an HDMI chipset with four HDMI 2.1 ports (the Pentonic 800), but that is in other ways a downgrade on the Pentonic 1000 found in many flagship TVs, including the A95L, Bravia 8 and Bravia 9, and it seems that Sony is reluctant to compromise in order to get those extra sockets.

Still, if feels as though Sony, in particular, should have found a way around this issue by now.

Of course, for many, two HDMI 2.1 sockets are plenty, but as someone with an Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5 and gaming PC, it's not enough for me.

No option to add a subwoofer

This is a bit of a niche one, and certainly isn't something that other TVs offer, but I really feel that Sony should have made it possible to connect one of its wireless subwoofers to the Bravia 8 II.

As great as the A95L sounds by TV standards, it's relatively lacking in terms of bass weight and depth. The addition of a subwoofer, though, would make it a real force to be reckoned with – and could in fact sound better than most soundbars.

Sony already produces three wireless subwoofers, and I imagine it wouldn't be too tricky to make them compatible directly with a TV.

I imagine Sony is simply too interested in selling soundbars such as the Bravia Theatre Bar 9 and systems such as the Bravia Quad to want to give people a less expensive alternative sonic route to go down.

I just think that's a bit of a shame.

There's no 77-inch model

As you may have spotted from the pricing graphs above, there is no 77-inch version of the Bravia 8 II. In fact, the 77-inch version of the A95L will continue in the Sony range instead.

This seems like an odd decision. We know that 77 inches is an increasingly popular screen size, and we know there's a 77-inch version of the latest QD-OLED panel, as it's being used in the 77-inch Samsung S95F.

It feels as though a lot of people will essentially be forced to go with that Samsung, the LG G5 or the Panasonic Z95B if they want a flagship 77-inch TV with the latest and greatest screen technology.

The feet are too far apart for a lot of furniture

As mentioned, the Bravia 8 II's feet can be extended to make room for a soundbar, which is great, but they can only be positioned at the very extremes of the set's bottom edge.

That means that the TV won't stand atop furniture any narrower than the TV's overall width, which is 122cm (48 inches) for the 55-inch model and 145cm (57 inches) for the 65-inch version. That's going to be a problem for some buyers.

Of course, it is possible to simply buy an inexpensive third-party stand that connects to the TV's VESA mounting points, but no one really wants the additional cost and hassle involved in that when they've just spent thousands on their fancy new TV.

The new LG OLEDs are fresh in the shops, and, therefore, fresh out of the What Hi-Fi? test rooms.

As has become expected over the past few years, they are strong contenders in an extremely competitive marketplace.

This shouldn’t be a massive surprise, given that LG still makes the majority of OLED panels out there no matter the badge on the TV itself, but it is always reassuring to discover, each year, that eyes haven’t been taken off the metaphorical ball by the Korean giant’s fine engineering department.

With the LG ranges over the years, it’s the C-series that tends to hit the sweet-spot for us for providing the best bang for your buck.

The range-topping LG G5 is a remarkable piece of televisual technology, but – inevitably – you must pay a heavy price for the privilege of owning the very best.

The C5 may not feature the flashy new Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel of the G5, nor indeed the MLA OLED technology of last year’s G4, but it does sport more than enough of its premium sibling’s capabilities to make up for most of those tech shortfalls; and, of course, at a far more affordable price.

The C5, then, is the hub around which we centre this amazing home cinema system.

The system

• TV: LG C5 (£1900 / $1999 / AU$3299)
• Soundbar: Sonos Arc Ultra (£999 / $999 / AU$1799)
• Console: Sony PlayStation 5 (£430 / $450 / AU$800)
• 4K Blu-ray player: Panasonic DP-UB820 (£349 / $400 / AU$665)
• Set-top box: Sky Stream (from £15 per month / not available in US or Aus)
• Total price: £3678 / $3848 / AU$6563

LG C5

One of the joys of LG C5 ownership is the ease of set-up.

Quite a few of the best OLED TVs from other brands (we may be looking at you here, Philips) really give of their best only after a thorough rummage around in the settings menus.

While the results are undeniably spectacular once you get things just so, not everyone has the time or inclination to get so hands-on with their TV – and so never benefit from the best it has to offer.

No such worries with this LG.

If you are watching content in 4K (and why wouldn’t you be, whenever possible?), just stick the C5 in Filmmaker mode and you will be set up for some stunningly cinematic images – it’s as easy as that.

Of course, you can tweak things to fine-tune the image, but for most people, most of the time, there is little need.

Our verdict in our review of the C5 says it all really (as one would hope…): “It's probably the best TV for most people, as its exceptional picture quality and uncompromising feature set are certified crowd pleasers. It remains an excellent choice for gamers, too, and its Dolby Vision Filmmaker mode is a major bonus for film buffs.”

We do, however, go on to say, “We wish it had better built-in audio…” This is by no means an unusual complaint for a modern TV, and is still a major issue as far as getting a home cinema set-up to do the name justice.

A flat-panel TV’s sound, in our experience, simply cannot meet the standards of its excellent picture. Which is why you will see in pretty much all our TV reviews the recommendation to invest in a soundbar.

Sonos Arc Ultra

The Sonos Arc Ultra we propose for this system is, simply, the best soundbar on a performance-per-pound basis available. It trumps its multi-Award-winning forebear in every department, which is saying a lot.

If you want Dolby Atmos surround capabilities without having to go down the bulky separates route, this is pretty much the best option now available to you.

The Arc Ultra performs impressively on its own, but there is also scope for upgrading the package by adding a pair of Sonos Era 300s to act as rear surround speakers, and a Sonos Sub in the (relatively unlikely) event that you feel the need to boost the bass performance.

It is the Ultra’s improvements over its illustrious predecessor that really impresses. We wouldn’t have said that the original Arc’s bass was at all a weakness, but the Ultra takes things to a new level, with a tight, tuneful and expressive performance that makes the original sound fairly woolly in comparison.

The extra drivers over the original (the Ultra boasts a 9.1.4-channel configuration, up from the Arc’s 5.0.2) really pay off, with the spatial sound-effect placement particularly impressive.

As we say in the verdict of our full review of the Arc Ultra, when comparing it with the Arc: “It really is quite amazing how much more crisp, spacious, precise and detailed the Ultra sounds.”

The two central parts of this system work brilliantly together, with the sonic abilities of the soundbar beautifully complementing the images of the OLED screen. But what to feed this dynamic duo?

Sony PlayStation 5

It would be remiss not to take advantage of the C5’s gaming capabilities; its full complement of HDMI 2.1 sockets mean it will be future-proofed for many years to come, and can – for the hardcore gamer – deal with both of the current-generation console big boys.

We have selected the PS5 here over the Xbox Series X for a couple of reasons.

First, we think it pips Microsoft’s offering as an overall package; but second, the C5 has a handy trick up its sleeve: you can play Xbox games through the LG’s Xbox app – no console required.

You won’t quite get the performance of a full console, but it’s a really handy and fun way of getting some Xbox action without a large up-front cost.

Panasonic DP-UB820

While streaming is gaining in both popularity and 4K picture quality, we stand by our assertion that the very best performance comes from physical software; so we recommend investing in a Blu-ray player to get the best from this set-up.

If you have a PlayStation 5 with a disc drive, you might be tempted to use the console’s Blu-ray capability. We feel compelled to steer you away from this course of action.

The PS5’s drive is competent, but not up to the standards of the Panasonic DP-UB820 – and it can get almost intrusively noisy in action as well.

Better, we feel, to buy a digital-only PS5, and then invest the savings made towards the Blu-ray player – your TV and sound package deserve the best sources you can give them.

As we conclude in our review of the Blu-ray player, the Panasonic DP-UB820 delivers a hugely immersive and impactful picture, and backs it up with a strong audio performance.

Sky Stream

The final piece of our brilliant home-cinema package comes in the form of the Sky Stream puck.

If you are at all interested in viewing live sports, this is the cheapest way to view them in top 4K HDR quality; if the ultimate picture quality isn’t of such importance to you, you could quite easily forego the Sky Stream, and access Sky Sport and other packages via the TV’s Now app.

Our system verdict

Regular readers will, perhaps, be wondering where the Apple TV 4K – a product that regularly features in our home-cinema systems – has got to.

While the Apple streamer is still the option of choice for the very best video streaming quality you can get, the LG C5’s in-built apps (and it has pretty much everything you could wish for) are very well optimised for quality and perform excellently.

An Apple TV 4K, then, might be an upgrade to be considered in the future, but it is by no means a necessity for this wonderful set-up.

This, then, is a superb home-cinema set-up in its own right – and one that will stand you in good stead for years to come; but, crucially, it is also upgradeable in a number of ways, should the funds and desire arise. And that’s a win/win in anybody’s book.

MORE:

Looking for alternatives to any of the components in our system? Then check out our guides to the best TVs, best soundbars and best Blu-ray players

The Bravia 7 is the second most high-end Mini LED TV in Sony’s current (and ever-expanding) TV range.

As such, it inevitably loses some of the eye-catching headline specifications of the flagship Bravia 9.

For instance, it has fewer local dimming zones, isn’t as bright and it has a less powerful sound system.

It’s also, though, substantially cheaper than the Bravia 9 – and, as we’ll see, it retains enough of Sony’s Mini LED picture quality mastery to make it arguably the best value option yet from the brand’s current range.

Price

The 55-inch Bravia 7 was £1899 / $1900 / AU$2935 at launch, but it is now available for significantly less – just £1299 / $1300 / AU$2495.

That still puts it in mid-range TV territory – maybe slightly towards the top end of mid-range territory, given the sort of aggressive pricing the likes of TCL and Hisense are applying to their mid-range and even high-end models these days.

It backs this status up with plenty of on-paper promise, including a Mini LED backlight with local dimming and an uncompromised version of Sony’s dependable XR processor.

Design

The Bravia 7 unsurprisingly isn’t as opulently well built as the Bravia 9. It still retains plenty of the combination of subtle elegance and flexibility that seems to be built into Sony’s TV design DNA at the moment, though.

For starters, the screen and its frame are both designed to finish on the same flush level, which always instantly creates a premium impression. The frame is trim, too, and while the rear panel sticks out a little further than today’s TV trendsetters, it could still make for an effective wall-mounting option.

If you’re going to place your Bravia 7 on a piece of furniture, there’s more good news.

For starters, its feet slot into place without the need for any screws. Also, the feet can be placed in no less than four different configurations: out wide under the bottom corners with the screen either sitting flush down on them or raised up an inch or three, or closer together towards the middle of the screen, again either with the screen sitting low on the feet or raised slightly.

The option to place the feet close together means you can put the 55-inch Bravia 7 on a piece of furniture much narrower than the TV, while the option to raise the screen gives you room to put a soundbar underneath.

The Bravia 7 ships with a tidy-looking smart remote control boasting a tactile, stripped-back button count, but which still finds room for a selection of direct app access buttons and a mic button to activate its Google Assistant voice control features.

The handset is apparently made from approximately 80 per cent recycled plastic, too, and it’s finished in an easy-to-clean polyurethane coating.

Features

Even though there are two TV series sitting above it in Sony’s current range, the Bravia 7 still boasts a Sony XR Backlight Master Drive panel that combines a Mini LED lighting system with local dimming that operates, in the case of the 55-inch model we're testing, across more than 300 separate zones.

This combination promises tight control over where the TV delivers its available light – especially considering how effective Sony’s backlight control systems have tended to be over the years. Even with TVs that have far fewer dimming zones than the Bravia 7 at their disposal.

The Bravia 7 also boasts a Quantum Dot colour system, driven by Sony’s Triluminos technology. This is part of the latest version of Sony’s XR processor, which extends its tendrils into just about every aspect of picture quality – including delivering automatic HDR conversion of SDR with some of its picture presets, and subtly adjusting multiple picture facets to make the resulting images more closely resemble the three-dimensional way our eyes perceive the real world.

Its relative affordability doesn’t stop the Bravia 7 from adopting Sony’s policy of pursuing the picture endorsements of multiple third-party AV industry big guns.

So there are ‘calibrated’ modes for Netflix, Prime Video and Sony’s own high quality (up to 80Mbps streams) Sony Pictures Core streaming service. These are designed to automatically adopt picture settings that get as close as possible to the different studios’ preferred video mastering conditions.

The Bravia 7 is also certified by IMAX as being up to the job of doing justice to the special, ultra-clean IMAX Enhanced mastering system – as well as allowing you to take advantage of the IMAX Enhanced titles provided on Disney+ and the aforementioned Sony Pictures Core.

There’s plenty of Dolby cooperation, too, in the form of Dolby Atmos sound and support for the Dolby Vision dynamic HDR format. Dolby Vision appears alongside the more basic HDR10 and HLG systems, but as ever with Sony TVs, there’s no support for HDR10+.

The Dolby Atmos (and DTS:X) sound is delivered courtesy of a multi-channel audio system that also features a 5.1.2-channel ‘upmixing’ system to embellish stereo or 5.1-channel soundtracks.

There’s also the option to have the TV’s speakers join forces with various Sony soundbars, home theatre speaker packages and personal listening systems to take advantage of Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology, which creates a hemisphere of virtual speakers all around your seating position.

Connections on the Bravia 7 include four HDMIs, two of which can handle the 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM gaming features deliverable by the Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5 and some PC graphics cards.

There’s support for a low-latency Dolby Vision game mode, too, as well as a special game-specific onscreen menu system, and compatibility with the Perfect For PlayStation 5 feature, where the console can automatically recognise the TV and output some pretty accurate HDR settings accordingly. You can even stream PlayStation games to the TV via the PS Remote Play app.

It’s a pity that only two of the HDMIs can handle all these gaming features, but this limitation is slightly easier to accept on the Bravia 7 than it is on Sony’s flagship TV ranges. Still, similarly priced LG and Samsung TVs have four top-spec HDMI sockets.

Smart features are provided by Google TV. This brings with it the usual extreme plethora of video streaming, gaming and information apps, bolstered in the UK by the YouView platform, which adds the catch-up services for the UK terrestrial broadcasters that Google TV does not typically cover.

Google TV also brings with it both compatibility with Google Chromecast for streaming from your smart devices, and the Google Assistant voice recognition and control system. There’s compatibility with Apple AirPlay 2, too, and if you’re not a fan of Google Assistant you can use either Alexa or, if you own an Apple Home device, Apple’s Siri voice recognition system.

One last unusual feature of the Bravia 7 is the Bravia Cam. This optional extra attaches magnetically behind the screen’s top edge, providing a camera that introduces the ability to control the TV via gesture; a Proximity Alert to warn children not to get too close; a facility to reduce brightness if the camera detects nobody is present in the room; video conferencing; and even the ability to detect where you are in relation to the TV and adjust the brightness, contrast, sound balance and volume accordingly.

Picture

The Bravia 7’s picture quality is clearly built on the same DNA as Sony’s spectacular flagship Bravia 9, delivering more of that TV’s in some ways groundbreaking picture quality than you’ve any right to expect.

At the heart of the Bravia 7’s picture charms is its outstanding backlight control. At the bright end of the spectrum, Sony’s TV delivers exceptionally bright and intense HDR whites and colours that blaze off the screen with more intensity than they do on many much more expensive flagship TVs.

Just as impressively, though, the Bravia 7 also delivers startlingly deep, dark, convincing, and at times quite OLED-like blacks.

Even better, the Bravia 7 doesn’t deliver these light extremes in isolation – as in, it doesn’t only deliver convincing blacks with exclusively dark shots, or only deliver outstanding brightness with exclusively bright shots. Rather, its backlight controls are so astute and powerful that they’re able to retain most of the brightness punch for bright highlights and most of the black level depth and uniformity for dark areas even with shots that contain a mix of dark and light content.

As well as producing a level of contrast that’s exceptionally rare if not unique to find on a mid-range TV, the Bravia 7’s ability to maintain so much brightness and black depth with the sort of mixed brightness images that make up the vast majority of what we watch means that it delivers a fantastic level of consistency across bright and dark scenes.

And wherever you’ve got consistency, you’ve got a more immersive experience, where nothing the TV does throws you out of what you’re watching.

The Bravia 7’s consistency whether it’s showing mostly bright or mostly dark images extends, too, to its ability to bring out pretty much every detail in even the darkest picture corners. The only exception to this is with the Movie preset, but even here the ‘black crush’ effect is pretty minor. Not enough, at any rate, to make dark scenes look hollow or flat.

Maybe the biggest sign of just how clever and effective the Bravia 7’s backlighting is, though, comes from how well it manages to keep a lid on blooming around stand-out bright objects.

In particular, the black bars above and below wide aspect ratio films remain almost completely free of either general greyness or areas of blooming, even if a bright object appears right alongside them – a really useful feat of backlight isolation engineering that precious few rivals these days even seem to attempt.

The extent and intensity of clouding around bright objects, even when they appear against nearly black backgrounds, is also startlingly limited for such a bright mid-range TV.

In fact, the only time the backlight engine struggles enough to become noticeable in a negative way is in the appearance of slight general clouding and occasional slight blue colour shift with shots that contain a particularly complex mixture of scattered extreme light and extreme dark elements.

As well as being rare, though, even during these moments the Bravia 7’s backlight ‘flaws’, such as they are, are much less likely to distract than the sort of heavy dimming of bright objects or really pronounced halos of extraneous light that many other locally dimmed LCD TVs exhibit.

The combination of high brightness and strong contrast also joins forces with Sony’s excellent XR Triluminos Pro system to deliver a sumptuously wide, vibrant, but also natural-looking and refined colour range. Sony’s TV even manages to retain full saturations in very dark picture areas, as well as, like the Bravia 9, bringing out subtle light differences in very bright areas that elude most if not all other TVs in its class.

The Bravia 7’s superb level of light and colour control for a mid-range TV unlocks an exceptional sense of sharpness and detail with native 4K pictures, too. This is delivered without any sign of the sort of exaggerated grain or ‘glowing’ object edge issues associated with heavy-handed sharpness processing, too, and remains largely unsullied by either motion blur or judder if you set the TV’s XR Motion Clarity feature to one of its relatively low-powered modes.

The Bravia 7 also upscales HD sources to its 4K resolution brilliantly, offering palpable detail and insight without introducing colour shifts or obvious unwanted digital processing side effects.

Gamers will be pleased to hear that all the attributes that make the Bravia 7 such an excellent video performer also make it a fantastically fun and immersive gaming display. The TV’s input lag of 17.9ms in Game mode is a touch higher than we’ve seen with some other Sony TVs, but not enough to affect anyone but the most hardcore competitive gamers.

It’s tough to find anything negative to say about the Bravia 7’s pictures for its money, really.

Aside from the relatively minor cloudiness and colour shifting with rare shots containing a broad mix of light and dark extremes, all we can come up with is that backlight blooming becomes more noticeable if you have to watch the TV from much of an angle.

Otherwise, it’s all good. Really good.

Sound

The Bravia 7 features one of Sony’s so-called Acoustic Multi-Audio sound systems, which in this case means 40W of power pumped into a four-speaker system comprising two full-range bass reflex drivers and two tweeters for, according to Sony, cleaner, more accurately placed detail sounds.

While not quite as potent as its pictures, the resulting sound – especially if you remember to run the provided audio auto-calibration system – is very good for a TV in this price category.

It manages to create, for instance, a soundstage that projects nicely away from the TV’s physical chassis, and then populates the large, room-filling sense of space it creates with plenty of clean and well-positioned details. Enough to do at least some justice to the three-dimensional sound fields created by Dolby Atmos and DTS:X mixes.

Dialogue emerges from the heart of the Bravia 7’s soundstage with conviction and clarity, and while occasionally the sound can feel too polite and trebly with the most explosive action movie moments, lacking a little bass heft, none of the speakers collapse into distortion under pressure.

Verdict

Much more of the groundbreaking backlight technology Sony developed for its flagship Bravia 9 range seems to have filtered down to the Bravia 7 than we would have expected for its money.

In fact, while not feeling quite as explosive and ‘next-gen’ as the Bravia 9, the Bravia 7’s images are actually a little more consistent, resulting in as good a mid-range LCD TV as we’re likely to see this year.

SCORES

• Picture 5
• Sound 4
• Features 4

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Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and affordable flatscreens tried and tested

After just two years in the sun, MLA OLED technology has been consigned to the tech graveyard. In its place, we have the far more unhelpfully named Primary RGB Tandem OLED, which is also known (again, unhelpfully) as Four-Stack OLED.

The LG G5 is the very first Primary RGB Tandem OLED TV to enter our test rooms and, to cut a long story short, any complaints about how much of a mouthful the names of the technology are no longer seem relevant in the face of the picture improvements it brings.

An initial issue with the way it handled streamed Dolby Vision content has now been fixed via a software update, and we can finally be as positive about the LG G5 as we always wanted to be: this is a stunning television and a surprising leap forward for OLED TV technology.

Price

The LG G5 is a flagship-level 4K OLED TV, with a premium price tag of £3299 / $3400 / AU$5299 for the 65-inch model that we have before us today.

Much like the G4, it also comes in screen sizes of 55, 65, 77, 83, and 97 inches; this year, though, LG has expanded the lineup with a 48-inch model for the first time.

Full launch pricing for the G5 is below, with the G4's launch prices provided for reference.

The good news is that the G5 is priced almost identically to the outgoing G4; and in some cases, it's actually cheaper. The 55-inch version, for example, is $100 cheaper than the G4’s launch price in the US.

More interesting and important is how the LG G5’s pricing compares to that of its 2025 rivals, the Samsung S95F, Sony Bravia 8 II and Panasonic Z95B.

We don’t yet have any 2025 Panasonic TV prices, but the Samsung S95F is a touch cheaper than the LG G5 in the US but a little more expensive in the UK.

In the UK, the Sony Bravia 8 II is slightly more expensive than the LG G5 at 55 inches but a fair bit cheaper at 65 inches. In the US, though, the Sony model is much, much more expensive.

All of the launch prices we have for the G5, S95F and Bravia 8 II are in the table below, and we'll add pricing for the Z95B once we have it.

Design

Much like its C5 sibling, the G5 carries forth the design from its predecessor – no great shame: we approved of the G4’s sleek and attractive build.

That being said, it would be remiss of us not to mention the fact that this design has been used since the G1, so an updated look to coincide with the new panel technology would have been a nice touch.

Nevertheless, the slender frame and stylish silver trim give the G5 an eye-catching design befitting its “Gallery” designation.

The G5 has a universal thickness (well, thinness) of just 2.4cm. Admittedly, that’s not quite as slender as the C5 is in its thinnest sections, but the C5 also features a relatively chunky box-out section that means it’s actually 4.5cm at its thickest point.

The G5 comes in two versions, one bundled with LG’s Zero Gap wall mount for a flush fit and seamless wall-mounting setup, the other with a tabletop stand; note, the G5S variant (which includes the stand) is currently available only in 55- and 65-inch sizes here in the UK. The official pricing is the same for the stand and wall-mount versions.

We have the stand variant of the G5 before us today, and we approve of its minimalist styling and easy-to-assemble design. Furthermore, the stand can be set to two positions: there is a sleek, low-profile look, or a higher position to accommodate a soundbar.

A 48-inch screen size has been a staple of the C-series OLEDs for quite some time, and LG expanded (or, should we say, shrunk) its entry-level B-series OLED to include a 48-inch version in last year’s lineup. However, this size is a first for the G series and a rare instance of a flagship TV launching at this size.

There is a catch, however, as LG states that the 48- and 97-inch versions of the G5 don’t sport the new Primary RGB Tandem OLED technology and therefore won’t hit the same brightness levels as their siblings.

We have seen this many times before with MLA and QD-OLED TVs, as manufacturers tend to make the panels in core sizes (55- to 83-inches), though it is a shame that the smallest flagship model won’t be on par technically with its larger counterparts.

Less new and exciting is the included remote, which, besides swapping the input control for a more generalised connected-devices hub button and adding a new AI shortcut button, is broadly unchanged from the version that came with last year’s G4. And the G3 from 2023. And the G2 before that. And the G1 before that.

We would have liked to have seen a more premium handset with backlighting offered with the G5, but that’s unfortunately not the case – at least not for the UK.

Those looking to buy the G5 in markets outside of the UK (such as North America or South Korea) will be treated to a sleeker and more streamlined remote. This hasn’t made it over to the UK, says LG, on account of its missing number pad.

This feels like a bit of a cop-out to us. Other brands, such as Samsung and Sony, get around the UK’s requirement for a remote control with buttons by bundling their TVs with two zappers: a fancy, minimalist number and an old-school ‘boring’ one. LG should have done the same thing.

Features

The headline feature of the G5 is that it's the first TV to launch with the new Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel.

This new panel architecture comprises four individual OLED layers – two blue, one red and one green – to boost brightness and colour volume.

The G3 and G4 both featured Micro Lens Array OLED (MLA), which involves a layer of millions of microscopic lenses that focus the light output towards the viewer.

The technology worked well for its (relatively speaking) short lifespan, but it has now been completely replaced.

This means that manufacturers such as Panasonic and Philips, which have previously used MLA panels, have also transitioned to Primary RGB Tandem OLED for their respective upcoming flagship TVs.

With that important context out of the way, what does this new panel architecture have to offer? At a basic level, this new panel pushes the brightness limits of OLED to new heights.

LG Electronics (which produces LG’s TVs) remains tight-lipped about an official nit figure for the G5, but LG Display (which produces the actual OLED panels) and other manufacturers that are using it have stated that the Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel can reach up to 4000 nits peak brightness.

Colours should appear richer and more vibrant, too, particularly in the brightest parts of the picture, because the panel is not reliant on a white OLED to boost brightness.

Headline peak brightness figures should always be taken with a pinch of salt: partly because manufacturers are prone to exaggeration; partly because the way they are measured doesn’t tally with most of what people actually watch; and finally because they are usually attainable only in the TV’s most vivid and least cinematically accurate picture presets.

That said, we have still been promised and are expecting to see a noticeable increase in brightness from the G5, in both small highlights and full-screen bright images.

This enhanced brightness isn’t purely down to the panel. It’s also in part thanks to LG’s Brightness Booster Ultimate engine, which LG claims will deliver three times higher brightness than the entry-level B5 OLED TV.

Yes, a comparison against the C5 would have been much more interesting, but LG never provides figures to illustrate the differences between its G- and C-series models.

Powering the Brightness Booster Ultimate engine (and everything else the G5 does) is the new Alpha 11 AI Processor Gen 2, which, as the name suggests, is heavily built around AI.

This new processor drives many of the AI-backed functions of the G5, including the AI Picture Pro and AI Sound Pro options, both of which come with a fairly robust customisation process.

AI Picture Pro serves as an umbrella term for a range of picture-enhancement features, including AI Perceived Object Enhancer (which aims to enhance the three-dimensionality of the picture), AI Super Upscaling, and OLED Dynamic Tone Mapping.

Furthermore, you can consult the built-in AI chatbot to diagnose issues with your TV and solve them. LG has even implemented a large language model, so you don’t need to remember specific commands to adjust the settings.

Instead, you can just say “make the picture brighter” or “I can’t hear voices very well,” and the TV will react accordingly.

As for core AV features, the G5 supports HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision. Samsung’s HDR10+ technology is not present, which is no surprise at all and not a particularly big deal. Dolby Atmos audio is also supported, both through the built-in 60W 4.2 channel sound system and via audio equipment connected to the HDMI eARC socket.

Speaking of HDMI connectivity, there are four full bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets on the G5. These are all capable of handling 4K/165Hz (as well as the 4K/120Hz that current consoles max out at, of course) signals with VRR and ALLM. That makes this an ideal gaming TV for those with several consoles and/or a gaming PC.

Furthermore, the G5 features LG’s excellent Game Optimiser feature, which gives you quick access to key gaming settings as well as information such as frame rate and whether ALLM is enabled.

You can also access game streaming apps through the webOS 25 operating system, including the Xbox app, to stream near-console quality titles without requiring a console.

Elsewhere, the webOS platform features all of the expected streaming apps, both domestic and international; these include Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV, as well as BBC iPlayer, ITV X and Channel 4.

Picture

Playing a range of our go-to reference 4K discs, including Top Gun: Maverick, Pan, The Matrix, Oppenheimer, No Time to Die and Interstellar, we can assess this flagship set’s capabilities.

After much testing, we opt for the Filmmaker Mode picture preset, with TruMotion set to the Cinematic Movement setting and sharpness turned down to zero, as we believe these settings suit the G5 best.

What is immediately striking is how bright the new Primary RGB Tandem TV looks next to a conventional OLED. We’re talking levels that, in cases where peak-brightness highlights are on show, such as when Maverick engages the scramjet of the Darkstar hypersonic aircraft, we are compelled to shield our eyes from the blazing brightness.

Feed it some content that is specifically mastered to target a higher brightness, such as the 4K Blu-ray release of The Matrix or Pan, and it becomes apparent that the new Primary RGB Tandem OLED is truly a technical marvel.

When Neo first enters the computer simulation, the white void in which he and Morbius converse is truly striking. Here, we experiment with the Dynamic Tone Mapping feature and – unlike with the C5, which tends to benefit from the boosted brightness – we opt to keep it turned off as it can over-brighten content such as this.

Moving on to Pan, the sequence in which the flying pirate ship floats through a cluster of suspended bubbles towards Neverland is both dazzling and deeply engaging, thanks to its rich, vibrant colours and excellent detail levels. The sun, which often gets lost in the bloom of brightness surrounding it, has a clear circular outline with an intensely bright core.

On the subject of colours, the G5 benefits from the enhanced colour volume afforded by the new panel technology. The bubbles mentioned above feature stunning gradations of blue and green, while the sun casts a rich golden glow across the patchwork sails.

In the same sequence, we find that skin tones are superbly realised, with a hint of red in the cheeks of the titular character, alongside a wide range of skin tones appearing well judged.

The G5 also presents a terrifically three-dimensional image. The brief shot of a watchtower in Oppenheimer looks solid and crisp, with a clear distinction between the tower in the foreground and the desert in the background.

This also highlights how sharp and detailed the G5 looks in general, with everything from environmental features to clothing and skin textures all featuring bucket loads of detail without looking over-sharpened.

Switching back to Top Gun: Maverick, we find that motion is also a key strength of this TV. As Maverick tears down the road on his Kawasaki motorcycle with reckless abandon, the G5 refuses to stutter or judder.

As mentioned, we opt to switch the TruMotion setting to Cinematic Movement, which adds a very minor touch of motion processing to smooth out any 24fps judder while introducing no discernible unnaturalness.

If you are entirely averse to any sort of motion processing, you’ll want to switch TruMotion off entirely. The good news is that the G5 still handles motion very well in this setting, with very little judder.

When we originally reviewed the LG G5, we discovered a very nasty flaw in the way it handled streamed Dolby Vision content. Low-light scenes, in particular, would break up into blotchy posterisation, to the extent that extended sequences in some movies were essentially unwatchable, and raised blacks were common.

Alien: Romulus was the most obvious and unpleasant example that we found during testing, though many other movies, both expected (Interstellar) and unexpected (No Time to Die) also suffered.

Thankfully, once we brought these issues to LG’s attention, it acted extremely quickly and produced a software update to fix the issue. That update is now available to all, and streamed Dolby Vision content now performs as it should.

Sound

The G5’s sound is, unfortunately, less spectacular than its picture. While this was rather expected – the C5 was our first hint that LG hadn’t revolutionised its approach to built-in sound for its OLED TVs – that doesn’t negate the G5’s middling sound performance.

We opt for the Cinema preset, as it offers a wider, louder and punchier sound compared with the Standard setting. The G5 also sounds a lot clearer in this mode, as the Standard setting delivers a recessed and restrained performance.

While those attributes will make it fine for day-to-day use, such as watching the news, quiz shows and sitcoms, the speakers don’t really suffice for watching movies.

Playing our go-to Blade Runner 2049 stress-test sequence, we appreciate that the set attempts some of the dramatic dynamic shifts found in the Flight to the LAPD track, but it doesn’t dig particularly deep into the low end of the thumping bassline.

During the “interlinked” baseline assessment sequence, the G5’s unsure approach to low-level dynamics means that a majority of the dialogue sounds quite lifeless and dull. That extends into the conversation between K and Joi in the sequence afterwards, which lacks any real sense of character or emotion.

Ultimately, you will want to pair the G5 with a soundbar or, ideally, an AVR and home cinema speaker system if you want a sound that matches its picture performance.

Verdict

Now that the streamed Dolby Vision flaw has been fixed, we can wholeheartedly recommend the LG G5.

This TV is capable of delivering a truly exceptional picture, with bold highlights, rich colours and crisp details.

It ticks every box we look for in a five-star TV and represents one of the biggest jumps in OLED picture quality since the technology first emerged as a real contender roughly a decade ago. Just make sure you also budget for a dedicated sound system.

SCORES

• Picture 5
• Sound 3
• Features 5

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The PlayStation 3 is 19 years old this year, however, Sony has just released a crucial update for those still using it in their home cinema setups. It's a minor change that many won't notice, but if you use a PS3 to play Blu-rays, then this update has just saved you from replacing your console.

Sony released system software update 4.92 earlier this month, which refreshes the console's Blu-ray encryption key; though the patch notes simply stated this update "improved system performance". Without this system update, the PS3 would not be able to play Blu-ray discs due to the inclusion of Advanced Access Content System (AACS).

As Sony explains in the PS3's user guide, "AACS (Advanced Access Content System) is a copyright-protection technology that is used on Blu-ray movies. The copyrighted content is protected by setting an encryption key on both the disc and the device used to play the disc. An AACS encryption key expires in 12 to 18 months and must be renewed. There may also be other times when the key has to be renewed".

Without renewing this credential, you will not be able to play Blu-ray discs on your PlayStation 3 and will be met with a prompt to update your encryption key instead. This is a surprisingly reassuring step from Sony, as it signifies a long-term commitment to the Blu-ray format and the hardware required to play Blu-rays alike.

However, as FlatpanelsHD rightfully points out, the notion that buying a Blu-ray to own the film for life might not be as cut and dry as we perceive. While there are certainly benefits compared to streaming services and digital libraries that can remove content at a moment's notice, we still rely on manufacturers to keep their players updated to ensure we can continue to play our discs

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As well as our picks for the best Blu-ray players

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Sony made the very bold decision last year to pivot away from OLED for its flagship TV and instead launch a next-gen Mini LED model. The brand made huge claims about the performance of the Bravia 9 and its borderline revolutionary homegrown backlight, particularly around brightness, and it broadly delivered (here's our Sony Bravia 9 review), yet I was still a little disappointed with it.

For me, while the Bravia 9 is an incredibly impressive technological achievement and one of the very best backlit TVs in existence, it still can’t match the contrast you get from an OLED TV and its self-emissive pixels.

This pixel-level contrast control of OLED has benefits right across the picture, from ‘pop’ to perceived sharpness and three-dimensionality, and the Bravia 9 just isn’t as strong in those areas. Sony will of course point to the Bravia 9 being able to hit peak brightness figures far beyond what any OLED can, but a vanishingly small number of modern movies demand such brightness, so I don’t feel it’s worth the compromises that have been made elsewhere.

None of which is to say that the Bravia 9 is a bad TV. On the contrary, it’s a really good one and, from what I hear, it’s really popular, too. It’s just not the best Sony TV for me. The good news, though, is that I think Sony might deliver my ideal flagship TV this year.

Bring on the Bravia 10

Sony no longer sticks strictly to an annual TV model cycle and I don’t expect it to launch a successor to the Bravia 9 this year. Too much development work over several years went into that new model and its progressive backlight tech, so I think Sony will leave it on shelves throughout 2025. Instead, I think it will launch a new Bravia 10 above it, and I think it will be a successor to 2023’s A95L QD-OLED, which is still my favourite TV on sale today.

Assuming I’m right – and it really is an educated guess that I’m making – it will be fascinating to see whether Sony goes with the latest QD-OLED panel tech, which has improved significantly since 2023, or switch to the new Four-Stack (aka Primary RGB Tandem) OLED panel technology from LG Display. Either way, we could be looking at a big, compromise-free brightness upgrade and potential improvements to the A95L’s already stellar reproduction of colours.

While a dedicated sound system is always the best option, the A95L is one of very few TVs that I could just about live with from an audio point of view. Its Acoustic Surface Audio+ tech, which involves actuators that imperceptibly vibrate the screen to make sound, ties the picture and sound together in a way that no non-Sony TV can match, but it also spreads sound out to the sides and above the TV surprisingly effectively. It’s quite bass-light, though, so I would like the Bravia 10 to combine this Acoustic Surface Audio tech with the ability to connect the TV to one of Sony’s wireless subwoofers. This would make for a very discreet but potentially rather potent sound system.

One obvious deficiency of the A95L that will absolutely need to be addressed if the Bravia 10 is going to tick all of the boxes for me, is the number of HDMI 2.1 sockets. The A95L has just two of them, which is a massive pain in the backside for someone who has a PS5, Xbox Series X and gaming PC. In truth, I’m not sure that this is a problem that will be solved this year – while MediaTek, which supplies Sony’s chips, now produces one with four HDMI 2.1 sockets, it’s a less powerful one from a processing point of view, and I can’t see Sony opting for a potential performance downgrade just for the extra HDMI 2.1s. Still, I remain hopeful that Sony has come up with a clever solution to this connection conundrum.

All of which is to say that if Sony does have a Bravia 10 OLED TV up its sleeve, it has the potential to be mind-blowingly good. Of course, I could be wrong about everything – there may not be a Bravia 10, there may never be a successor to the wonderful A95L and Sony may decide to replace the Bravia 9 with another Mini LED TV after all. That would be a great shame, I think. Perhaps Sony would at least consider launching some new 'small' OLED models to replace 2022's 42-inch and 48-inch A90K as a consolation prize...

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Whenever you buy a new TV you should also budget for one of the best soundbars

Philips announced its 2025 OLED TV, Mini LED and soundbar ranges yesterday, and in all of the excitement about four-stack OLED panels and next-gen Ambilight, one neat little gaming feature that I’m rather excited about got understandably overlooked. That feature is customised picture settings for individual games.

Yep, I hear you; most people just let their TV switch to its Game mode when they fire up their console. It shouldn’t surprise you, though, that I’m not that sort of person: I take the time to adjust all of the picture settings so that I’m getting the most authentic and accurate delivery of a game possible.

It’s tempting to think that game developers don’t care about such things, but these days, they very much do, and at the very least they will develop a game using monitors that are calibrated to D65 white point, which is ‘warmer’ than the tone used in the game modes of most TVs. If you don’t at least change that, you’re almost certainly not seeing the game anywhere near the way it was intended to be seen.

That said, there are times when I relax my self-imposed demand for accuracy in a quest for some extra ‘pop’. When I fire up Astro Bot, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart or Sackboy: A Big Adventure (which, as an aside, I heartily recommend to anyone who games with their kids), I want the bright highlights and vibrant colours to leap off the screen. I don’t mess with the colour temperature, but I often add a bit of extra brightness, contrast, and/or dynamic HDR processing.

When I switch back to something more ‘serious’, though, such as The Last of Us Part II or Indiana Jones And The Great Circle, those settings are all wrong. The gritty, realistic settings are given an unnatural punch, and detail is missing from the bright highlights and shadowy corridors. That simply will not do, of course, so back I go into the TV menus, tweaking several settings until I get the picture back to where it should be.

Philips, though, has a solution to this constant tweaking. Last year, its TVs allowed you to set up as many as 10 game ‘profiles’ with customised picture, sound and Ambilight settings, instantly reducing the amount of menu faff that a fussy fellow like me would have to endure. This year, it’s taking the concept further by apparently allowing you to customise your settings for individual games. And these settings will then be automatically applied whenever you fire up that specific game.

How will this work? I’ll level with you: I don’t know. My colleague Lewis Empson is currently on a flight back from the Philips launch in Barcelona and I’m hoping he can fill me in once he’s landed. I am slightly concerned about the press release’s suggestion that this feature might apply to just ‘the most popular games’, though, and would be disappointed if it was limited to just a handful of titles.

There’s another obvious gaming deficiency with the new Philips OLED range when it comes to gaming, too: with the exception of the entry-level OLED760, which features a lesser processor, all of the models have just two HDMI 2.1 sockets. As someone with a PS5, Xbox Series X and gaming PC, that’s a huge frustration that simply shouldn’t exist in 2025.

On the other hand, no other brand produces TVs with Ambilight, which is a particularly dazzling delight when combined with those extra-punchy, fast-paced, cartoony games.

In short, I’m very much looking forward to trying out the new Philips OLED TVs for gaming as well as movies and TV shows. Could they turn out to be among the best gaming TVs? Stay tuned for our comprehensive, comparative reviews in the coming months.

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Here are the best TVs you can buy right now

Until the new C6 and G6 arrive in a few months, the C5 and G5 will remain at the heart of LG’s OLED line-up.

• Check out our LG C6 hands-on and LG G6 hands-on

Even when those successor models do appear, the C5 and G5 will still make an awful lot of sense, thanks to heavy discounting. But, for many buyers, the choice between them won’t be straightforward.

Both are premium OLED TVs, both sit among the best TVs you can buy right now, and both benefit from LG’s years of refinement in panel tech, processing and gaming features – but they’re designed for subtly different priorities.

The C-series is LG’s long-standing sweet spot: more affordable, more flexible in terms of placement, and traditionally the one that offers the best balance of performance and price.

The G5, by contrast, is LG’s flagship OLED, pushing harder on brightness, design and outright picture performance thanks to its more advanced panel technology and gallery-style build.

On paper, the differences are clear enough. In reality, though, the gap between LG’s top-tier and step-down OLEDs has narrowed considerably in recent years, which raises an important question: is the G5 really worth the extra money, or does the C5 get you most of the experience for less?

We’ve fully tested both TVs using our usual mix of real-world viewing, reference discs and streaming content, assessing everything from HDR brightness and colour accuracy to motion handling, gaming performance and sound quality.

That means we’re in a position to go beyond spec-sheet comparisons and explain how these two OLEDs actually perform where it matters most.

Below, we break down exactly what’s new, what’s different, and – crucially – which of LG’s current OLEDs makes the most sense for you.

Pricing

As you would expect, at launch, both the C5 and G5 were very expensive, but the G5 commanded a clear premium.

Here's the full launch price comparison:

Discounts are now available on both models, but you can generally expect to pay a premium of at least £500 / $500 / AU$800 to go for a G5 over a C5 of the same size – and significantly more than that if you're going for a very large set.

If you're wondering why the premium commanded by the UK-exclusive 48-inch G5 is much smaller than that of the larger models, it's likely because it lacks the Primary RGB Tandem technology, so it will be less of an upgrade over its C series equivalent.

Ultimately, the LG C5 has to take this round. As for whether or not the G5 is worth the extra cash? We'll get to that...

Winner: LG C5

Design

Place these models side by side with their predecessors, and you might struggle to spot the difference. But while not much has changed from their respective predecessors, the G5 and C5 are very different to one another.

The G5 has a 'Gallery' design, which means it looks a bit like a picture frame.

But unlike G-series models of old, the G5 is offered in two versions: one with LG's Zero Gap wall mount, and the G5S variant, which includes a tabletop stand at the 55- and 65-inch sizes. You will also be able to buy a stand for the G5 separately as well.

The stand itself can be set to two positions for a sleek, low-profile look, or a higher position that accommodates a soundbar underneath.

The C5 retains the supremely slender side profile across much of the chassis, with a modest boxout that houses the connections and processing components near the bottom of the rear panel. It's also incredibly lightweight by TV standards.

On the front of the TV, we're treated to slender bezels around the display and a narrow, central pedestal-style stand that is both stylish and slightly obstructive to those who wish to position soundbars below their TV, due to the fact that it tapers outwards.

The G5 has a universal thickness of just 2.4cm, giving it a consistently slim profile compared to the C5's variable thickness.

Also, for the first time, the G series model comes in a 48-inch size, though it doesn't go quite as small as the C5, which comes in a 42-inch model. It's worth noting, however, that the 48-inch and 97-inch G5 variants don't feature the new Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel found in the other sizes.

The G5's tabletop stand is also swapped out for dual blade-style feet on the smallest model, while the largest version is bundled with a wider stand to accommodate the broader frame.

Ultimately, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and which of these two TVs is most visually appealing to you will probably come down to whether you're wall-mounting it or placing it on furniture.

However, to these eyes, the C5 is actually the more attractive TV, primarily on account of the incredibly thin sections of its chassis. Unlike the G5, all versions come with a stand (or feet), too, and its incredible lightness makes it easy to wall-mount.

Winner: LG C5

Features

The G5 has a couple of new tricks up its sleeve.

First up, LG has ditched the MLA screen technology of the G4 and switched to new Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel technology (also known as Four Stack OLED).

This new panel architecture comprises four individual OLED layers – two blue, one red and one green – to boost brightness and colour volume. This results in even more brightness with more vibrant colours.

According to LG, the G5 is three times brighter than the brand's entry-level B5. It doesn't offer a brightness comparison with the C5, but the difference there is clear to see. We'll get to that in the picture section below.

The C5 has to make do with a standard WOLED panel. Not only does it not feature the fancy new four-stack brightness-boosting panel architecture of the G5, it doesn't even get the MLA technology of the old G4 or G3. Nor does it feature a heatsink.

Even so, LG has managed to squeeze some more brightness out of this panel for the C5. Again, more on that below.

Both TVs are exceptional for gaming, with all four HDMI sockets being full-fat, 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 affairs with support for the all-important 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM features.

Both models can, in fact, support 4K gaming signals beyond 120Hz, with the C5 going up to 144Hz and the G5 right up to 165Hz. For console gamers, all of this is irrelevant, as even the Xbox Series X and PS5 Pro max out at 120Hz, but it will be a consideration for super-hardcore PC gamers with equally hardcore rigs.

Both TVs have excellent HGiG implementation, which makes it a doddle to get a spectacular and accurate HDR performance from most modern games, and both support Dolby Vision gaming, too.

Of course, both TVs also support Dolby Vision for movies and TV shows, plus the standard HLG and HDR10 formats. No LG TVs support HDR10+, but we don't consider this to be a big deal.

Rather than all-new processors, both the G5 and C5 feature upgraded versions of last year's respective offerings.

The G5 has the Alpha 11 AI Processor Gen 2, while the C5 has the Alpha 9 Gen 8. LG hasn't been clear on what improvements these bring, but it did say that the AI Picture Pro feature (which automatically improves the picture quality) has been enhanced.

The new processor in the G5 drives many of the AI-backed functions, including AI Picture Pro, which serves as an umbrella term for features such as AI Perceived Object Enhancer (which aims to enhance the three-dimensionality of the picture), AI Super Upscaling, and OLED Dynamic Tone Mapping.

The G4's Virtual 11.1.2-channel upmixing has also come to the C5, while the AI Sound Pro mode now has a Voice Remastering feature that intelligently boosts dialogue clarity without sacrificing the other elements of a soundtrack.

Both TVs will have three new features courtesy of LG's AI TV system: ‘Recognise You’, ‘Customise to You’ and ‘Care Around You’.

'Recognise You' uses voice recognition to detect which user is barking commands at it or asking it questions so it can respond correctly.

'Customise to You' lets the individual users customise the TV's picture and sound settings to their preference, and load them up each time they watch.

'Care Around You', meanwhile, helps you solve common issues using an AI chatbot.

The TVs also benefit from a large language model, meaning you can use natural commands such as "make the picture brighter" rather than having to remember specific phrases.

So, the G5 and C5 share an awful lot of features, but the Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel, faster processor and support for 4K/165Hz gaming mean this round has to go to the G5.

Winner: LG G5

Picture Quality

Having tested both the G5 and C5, we can provide detailed insights into their respective picture performances. The C5 offers a rich, dynamic, and detailed picture that impresses at every turn, with improved brightness over its predecessor. But the G5 takes things to another level entirely with its new panel technology.

The G5's Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel delivers truly dazzling brightness levels that can, in peak brightness highlights, literally make you want to shield your eyes. This is most noticeable in HDR content mastered for high brightness, such as 4K Blu-rays of The Matrix and Pan – both of which show off the G5's stunning highlights while maintaining excellent detail.

Colours on the G5 also benefit from the enhanced colour volume. The TV presents vibrant, rich hues alongside well-judged skin tones with a natural hint of warmth. The overall picture has a fantastic three-dimensional quality, with subjects standing out against backgrounds to striking effect.

Both TVs deliver excellent motion handling. They excel at presenting fast movement without judder or stutter when using the Cinematic Movement TruMotion setting. Even with motion processing turned off completely, both TVs still handle motion very well.

While the C5 doesn't have the pizzazz of the G5 at its best, it does offer a rich, dynamic, and detailed picture that still impresses at every turn.

When watching movies in Filmmaker Mode (now imbued with the power of Dolby Vision HDR for the relevant content), the C5 delivers an accurate and balanced picture. For HDR10 content, we highly recommend switching on dynamic tone mapping to experience the full brightness upgrade that the C5 offers.

The C5's colours are rich and punchy, too, and yet never look overdone or unnatural. Low-light colour volume is a particular strength, allowing dimly lit scenes to appear atmospherically dingy while still maintaining rich hues and colour variation. This extends to skin tones, which are presented with lively-looking warmth that makes all the difference.

The picture's solidity and three-dimensionality are also exceptional, with subjects standing out against backgrounds to striking effect. Edges are sharp yet never over-etched or artificial-looking.

The extra brightness over the C4 is most noticeable in high-nit content, such as Pan, where the C5 presents scenes with stunning brightness and lavish colours. While it may not rival the highs of QD-OLED or the new Primary RGB Tandem OLED found in the G5, it's evident that LG has pushed the limits of 'traditional' OLED even further than before.

For Dolby Vision content, the C5 excels at low-light scenes. Colours remain punchy, and subtle lighting looks natural and effective. Dark details are well presented, allowing viewers to differentiate between different shades of black even in shadowy portions of scenes.

The C5's upscaling capabilities are equally impressive. When displaying HD and SDR content, the TV retains remarkable detail without introducing fuzziness or blockiness. The enhanced brightness is even apparent here, with intense light sources being replicated with the necessary impact.

Ultimately, though, everything the C5 does, the G5 does at least as well, if not better. Whether the level of upgrade is justified by the size of the price difference is something we'll tackle right at the end.

Winner: LG G5

Sound quality

Having tested both models thoroughly, we can confirm that neither the G5 nor the C5 offers particularly impressive sound quality.

The G5 features a 60W 4.2 channel sound system, but despite the impressive specifications on paper, the performance doesn't quite deliver.

In our testing of the G5, we found that the Cinema sound preset offers the best performance, providing a wider, louder and punchier sound compared with the Standard setting.

However, even in this mode, the TV struggles with dynamic shifts and doesn't dig particularly deep into the low end of bass-heavy soundtracks. Dialogue often sounds quite lifeless and lacks emotion, particularly in quieter scenes.

As for the C5, while it delivers dialogue with enough clarity for day-to-day use, the overall sound quality is merely adequate, rather than exceptional.

Voices have some warmth and presence to them and are outwardly projected enough to make them audible. There is a semblance of atmospheric effects, with background sounds coming across with decent detail, though upward-firing projection is limited, as height effects seem to stick to the top edge of the TV's chassis.

What's really missing, though, is a sense of low-end heft, as bass-heavy content feels lightweight. Increasing the volume can add some impact, but it also introduces unwanted crackling.

The AI Sound mode doesn't shine either, as it introduces an aggressively harsh quality with an unpleasantly abrasive edge that makes dialogue and effects sound forced.

Ultimately, you'll want to pair either TV with one of the best soundbars to match their impressive picture quality.

Winner: draw

Verdict

On a purely technical level, there’s no escaping the fact that the LG G5 is the more advanced TV.

It wins more of the individual rounds, delivers higher brightness, greater colour volume and a more striking design, and pushes OLED technology further than any LG model before it.

If you’re chasing outright performance and want to see what OLED can currently do at its limits (at least until the new 2026 models arrive), the G5 is hugely impressive.

But that isn’t the whole story.

The LG C5 may not hit the same extremes, but it gets close where it really matters. Its picture is vibrant, punchy and beautifully controlled, its feature set is comprehensive, and its gaming and smart credentials are every bit as strong as the flagship’s.

Crucially, it delivers that performance at a significantly lower price – and without the placement restrictions that come with the G5’s gallery-style design.

In day-to-day viewing, the gap between the two TVs is smaller than their spec sheets suggest. The G5’s extra brightness and colour headroom are undeniably impressive with the right material, but they only occasionally transform the experience to the extent that the price jump feels essential.

The C5, by contrast, feels like a TV that’s been tuned to perfection for real-world use, offering a level of performance that will satisfy almost everyone, almost all of the time.

So while the G5 is the more exciting technological showcase, the C5 is the smarter buy.

If you’re a committed enthusiast with the budget – and the desire – to chase the very best OLED performance LG can offer, the G5 is worth considering. For everyone else, the C5 remains the OLED TV we recommend most strongly.

Overall winner: LG C5

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4K/120Hz gaming is becoming a commonplace feature in everything from premium OLED sets to mid-range LED TVs thanks to the standardisation of HDMI 2.1 and high refresh rate panels. The current generation of gaming consoles, namely the Xbox Series X and PS5, have also played a key part in this transition away from the 60Hz standard, but what comes next?

Samsung has answered this hypothetical by confirming that the QN900D, the company's flagship 8K Mini LED TV, now supports lightning-fast 240Hz refresh rates. While PC gaming fanatics will already be acquainted with this and even with higher refresh rates such as 360Hz on premium gaming monitors, this is a first for TVs. 

Samsung reportedly confirmed that the QN900D supports 240Hz signals at CES 2024 at both 1080p and 4K thanks to the inclusion of the unique NQ8 AI Gen3 processor (which isn't featured on the other 8K models in Samsung's 2024 lineup). 

There are, of course, some caveats to be made aware of. 240Hz signals will only be supported on high-end PC hardware, such as Nvidia's RTX 4090 graphics card, or Apple's higher-specced MacBook Pro and Mac Mini computers. That's because 240Hz signals over HDMI 2.1 require a system called Display Stream Compression (DSC) due to the signals requiring a higher bandwidth than 4K 120Hz.  

That means that the aforementioned game consoles won't be compatible, however, they are already capped at 4K/120Hz with a very select list of titles that even support that feature, so this is no great loss. Sony has just unveiled the PS5 Pro, though we don't anticipate that it will support the higher refresh rate either. 

Truthfully, even the top-of-the-range Nvidia graphics cards struggle to reach 240Hz at 4K in triple-A games with demanding graphical effects, however, less graphically intensive titles will certainly benefit from the higher frame rate. The benefits of 240Hz include greater responsiveness, reduced visual artefacts such as ghosting, and enhanced clarity in fast-paced games. 

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Read our full Samsung QN900D review

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Sony's detachable disc drive accessory for the PS5 Slim and upcoming PS5 Pro consoles is reportedly selling out after the announcement that the Pro variant of the console will not feature one out of the box. The optional optical drive will be a necessary purchase for gamers who have a library of physical games and movies, though that might be easier said than done with rising reports of stock shortages ahead of the PS5 Pro's launch in November.

Stock for the 4K Blu-ray drive, which retails for £100 / $80 / AU$159, is drying up in the US according to gaming publication IGN, with retailers such as Amazon, Target and Best Buy all showing as sold out. Here in the UK, the disc drive is sold out on Amazon and PlayStation Direct (Sony's official online retailer for the gaming platform), so we could be seeing a similar phenomenon on this side of the pond. 

Furthermore, listings for the accessory have begun cropping up on the likes of eBay with inflated price tags; we've spotted listings with prices from around £150 to £250, which is extremely discouraging. Questions are beginning to arise as to whether Sony has shot itself in the foot (proverbially, of course) by not including a disc drive on its £700 / $700 / AU$1200 console, though only time will tell if it can rectify this issue by producing more drives or addressing scalpers head-on by implementing a "one-per-customer" system akin to what was in place during the early days of the PS5.

While the disc drive isn't an essential accessory for using the PS5 Pro, those who have an existing collection of games on disc will be put at a disadvantage, and it removes the PS5's dual function as a games console and 4K Blu-ray player. This is, of course, our main concern, as losing AV functionality while retailing at a much higher price is a recipe for disaster in our books, especially if you can't buy the part that restores said functionality.   

Shortages of the PS5 disc drive are echoing the launch of the original version of the console, with limited stock being released in waves from 2020 to 2022. We sincerely hope that Sony isn't in for another botched PlayStation launch that's plagued with hardware shortages, but only time will tell if this issue will have an impact on the PS5 Pro overall.

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PS5 vs Xbox Series X: which console is better for movies and gaming?

PS5 Slim vs PS5: what's the difference?

After a new TV? Heard good things about OLED? But not got loads of space? Well, I have some good news for you. 

After just doing a huge bargain hunt and updating our general best OLED TV deals page, I’ve spotted a fantastic saving that is so good, I may have posted some profanity when I asked my colleagues to double check the price and make sure I hadn't hallucinated it.

Specifically, the 42-inch model of the LG C4 OLED TV is currently retailing for £879, a healthy £529 saving on its regular £1399 price.

That’s a solid discount at the best of times and the cheapest price we’ve seen the TV retail for since it launched earlier this year. But the real reason my discipline slipped and I let a bad word out when I saw it, is that this means the 42-inch C4 is currently only £20 more expensive than last year’s 42-inch LG C3. You read that right – £20.

This is a big deal as traditionally our buying advice would be to opt for an older OLED if you want the best TV deal possible.

But at this price, that advice has gone out of the window and we’d wholeheartedly recommend any bargain hunter opt for the C4. Trust me, as a guy who has spent more hours in our viewing room looking at both sets, in some instances, side-by-side, the improvements you get on the newer model are well worth the extra £20.

We’re still in the process of reviewing the 42-inch model (it’s currently set up in our viewing room next to the 48-inch LG C4). But thus far every other size of the LG C4 we’ve tested has impressed enough for our team of home cinema experts to award them a perfect five-star rating.

Highlights include a wonderfully accurate but engaging picture that made every test disc and movie we threw at our review units look great. The flawless gaming features include four full speed HDMI 2.1 inputs, which are required to let modern PCs, as well as the Xbox Series X/S and PS5 games consoles, run at full speed. Most TVs only have two of these inputs, one of which doubles as an eARC, which is needed if you want to connect a Dolby Atmos soundbar.

The only downside, speaking of audio, is that the C4’s inbuilt speakers are poor, even by TV standards, so we’d 100 per cent recommend investing in a soundbar, like the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), to partner with it.

But even with that caveat it's still a fantastic TV and one of the best small OLEDs money can buy. Myself and the wider home cinema reviews team even said as much in our review, concluding: “The LG C4 is an easy recommendation for those who want a truly cinematic experience without sacrificing loads of space.”

This is especially true as the C4's main rival, the Bravia 8, while also enjoying some atypically early discounts, isn't available in sizes below 55-inches. Which in my mind makes this 42-inch LG C4 deal, particularly worth considering if you want a small OLED.

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Sony has officially unveiled its mid-cycle PlayStation refresh with the PS5 Pro joining the recently refreshed PS5. This new console is touted to close the gap between the current performance and fidelity modes that gamers have to choose between on the current PS5 model, meaning we can expect responsive and fluid gaming without sacrificing detail. 

This has reportedly been achieved by upgrading three internal aspects of the PS5, as demonstrated by PlayStation's Lead Architect of the PS5 console, Mark Cerny. First and foremost, the PS5 Pro comes with a larger GPU that can reportedly make graphics rendering on the PS5 Pro 45 per cent faster than on PS5. The PS5 Pro is also touting 28 per cent faster RAM than the standard model, which should play a hand in smoother operation and gameplay too.

PlayStation has also built upon Ray Tracing, which produces more lifelike reflections and lighting in games. Cerney claims that the on-device calculations of the light rays are "double, or even triple the speeds of the PlayStation 5", and in a short demo of reflections in Hogwarts Legacy (a spin-off of the Harry Potter franchise), we did see some mighty impressive and realistic-looking reflections on the glossy tiled floor of the wizarding school.

Finally, Sony is leveraging AI upscaling on the PS5 Pro to enhance detail levels, with Cerny stating that custom hardware for machine learning has been implemented into the PS5 Pro. This console will also have access to an AI library called the PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), which will analyse the game "pixel-by-pixel and can add an extraordinary amount of detail". We're no stranger to AI upscaling, as Samsung has been touting its implementation in its QN900D 8K TV, alongside many other manufacturers leveraging artificial intelligence to boost picture and sound performance.

Elsewhere, the PS5 Pro is set to support the same picture and sound standards as the existing PS5, including HDR10, alongside Sony's Tempest 3D Audio system and Dolby Atmos over HDMI eARC. It's also being upgraded to the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard for greater wireless internet stability, and Sony also says it will support VRR and 8K over HDMI 2.1. Sony's excellent DualSense controller is also bundled in here, though the PS5 Pro is also compatible with the DualSense Edge controller if you need a more serious handset for long gaming sessions.

What this PlayStation won't support, however, is discs; unless you buy an optional modular disc drive, that is. Much like the PS5 Slim model that launched earlier this year, the PS5 Pro won't come with a disc drive as standard. The good news is that the currently available UHD disc drive attachment for the PS5 is also compatible with the new Pro model. 

Onto the pricing, and this is where avid console gamers who are keen for an upgrade might want to sit down. The PS5 Pro is set to launch at £700 / $700 (Australian pricing TBC), which is almost double the price of the PS5 Slim Digital Edition (£390 / $450 / AU$769). If you want the disc drive, you're going to have to spend an additional £100 / $80 / AU$159. Pre-orders begin on the 26th of September, and the console is expected to begin shipping on the 7th of November. 

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FiiO has unveiled a new portable DAC, to take on the five-star iFi Go Link and AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt models.

The FiiO BTR13 is a tiny portable USB DAC and headphone amplifier similarly sized to its rivals and set to retail for a very reasonable £64 / $64 / €64 when it goes on sale in September. We don’t have Australian pricing at the moment, but we will update this page when we get it.

At first glance it looks very similar to its iFi Go Link and AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt rivals, having a similar, pocket-sized USB form. Connectivity-wise it features USB type-C input and 3.5mm (unbalanced) and 4.4mm (balanced) headphone outputs. 

FiiO is pitching flexibility as the BTR13's main selling point, with the DAC offering three different modes.

it functions as a DAC and headphone amp when connected to smartphones and laptops, but switching it to PC mode will allow it to draw power from the laptop/computer instead of its internal battery. For gamers looking to upgrade their Switch, PS5 or Steam Deck’s audio there’s also UAC 1.0 mode – something rival DACs don’t usually feature.

Running the show in these modes are dual Cirrus Logic CS43131 fully-balanced DACs that can output up to 220mW, which is enough to drive most of the affordable headphones we recommend in our best wired headphones guide.

In its Bluetooth setting, it switches things up and also works as a Bluetooth decoder. This mode is powered by a Qualcomm QCC5125 Bluetooth chip and supports all the usual codecs and standards you would expect, including aptX HD and LDAC. This means you can stream hi-res audio up to 24-bit/96kHz – which is fine for most streaming services, including Tidal and Apple Music.

One small caveat for iPhone owners is that it doesn’t come with a Lightning cable adapter included. So if you want to use it with an iOS device you’ll need to invest in, or already own, a third-party OTG-compliant lightning adapter.

For tinkerers, the unit works with FiiO’s mobile and web app, which grants access to a 10-band parametric equaliser (PEQ). As a final differentiator, the unit even comes with a nifty 0.96-inch colour screen, which should make navigating its menus and settings easier.

The big question however, is how it works in the real world, which we haven’t had a chance to check yet. Though the portable DAC market doesn’t have as many options as it used to, there are many excellent units still available, so it will have stiff competition.

The dinky iFi Go Link costs a similar amount and not only earned five stars in our review, it also impressed our staff writer, Harry McKerrell, so much so that he penned a feature detailing how much he enjoyed using it. The five-star AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt, despite being more expensive, has a similar form factor and remains a class leader for its audio performance, despite having come out many years ago and remaining a current What Hi-Fi? Award winner.

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Sony has announced a new update coming to the PlayStation 5 that will introduce personalised spatial audio to the console. While the PS5 already supports the Tempest 3D audio system, this update will tailor the immersive audio experience to each individual's ears.

In a demo of the new UI that can be found here, Sony shows off the new step-by-step calibration system that will be added to the settings menu of the PS5 when this update is released in the coming months (no exact date has been set yet). The calibration settings involve test sounds being played through your headphones, with users then locating the direction of the sound using a three-dimensional audio bubble graphical interface. 

This new audio feature is expected to work across a variety of wired and wireless headsets, so you won't need one of Sony's own Pulse 3D PS5 headsets in order to take advantage of it. Furthermore, this is quite a big upgrade over the current spatial audio customisation settings, which only allow you to change the height level of sound effects. 

This personalised spatial audio system joins Dolby Atmos, which was also recently added to the PS5 in a software update. Sony's implementation of Dolby Atmos is more focused on using external HDMI eARC devices such as Dolby Atmos soundbars or AVRs, so this new headphone-based spatial audio system should benefit gamers who prefer to use gaming headsets.

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BenQ has launched its latest pair of gaming-focused projectors, and these new models cater to the casual crowd. These projectors also feature a notable step up in light source technology over their predecessors, meaning they should "thrive in both light and dark rooms for enjoying movies and gaming", according to BenQ.

The TK710 and TK710STi are replacing the TK700 in BenQ's lineup and this year, lasers have been added into the mix. BenQ claims that the laser-enhanced light source will deliver 3200 ANSI lumens of brightness and feature an impressive 20,000-hour life span. They also feature a 4K resolution via pixel shifting, as well as support for HDR10. 

But these are gaming projectors first and foremost, so what gaming specifications does the TK710 offer? BenQ touts a low input lag of 16.7ms when gaming in 4K at 60Hz, though that drops further to 4.2ms when gaming in 1080p resolution at 240Hz; it's worth noting that these appear to be the same specs listed for the TK700 model, so this isn't necessarily an upgrade. BenQ does support dedicated HDR gaming modes for first-person shooter and role-playing games, however, meaning your favourite titles should look crisp and vivid on this projector.

While gaming specs seem decent on the surface, it's worth noting that neither of the two included HDMI sockets are rated at the HDMI 2.1 standard, meaning you won't have access to the latest VRR and ALLM features if you're using a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. There is support for HDMI ARC however, which will most likely be preferable than the single built-in 5W speaker.

The TK710 is a slightly larger unit, capable of delivering a 100-inch image at 2.5 metres, while the more compact TK710STi can beam a 100-inch image at 1.5 metres. BenQ is even throwing an Android TV-powered dongle into the box with the STi version for streaming content from various services including Netflix.

BenQ has priced these projectors competitively, with the TK710 retailing for £1349, while the TK710STi costs £1599. This puts them a few hundred pounds below the company's other, more serious gaming units, such as the BenQ X3000i. Both models are available now on BenQ's online retail website. 

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Sony Pictures Core (previously known as Bravia Core) is Sony's high-end movie streaming service. It promises picture quality to rival 4K Blu-ray, a large selection of IMAX Enhanced movies and the latest box office releases from Sony Pictures. But is it right for you? And how can you get it? Here's everything you need to know about Sony Pictures Core...

Sony Pictures Core is a streaming service with a difference. Or quite a few differences, actually. Starting with the fact that it is not currently available on any devices that aren’t made by Sony.

For much of its three-year life, in fact, Sony Pictures Core was available – under its previous Bravia Core name – exclusively on Sony TVs. Playback was later enabled for Sony’s Xperia smartphones, too, and then in October 2023 the service’s availability was finally extended to two other key members of the Sony product family: the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 games consoles.

Since the Bravia part of the old Bravia Core name referred specifically to Sony’s TV technologies, it made sense for Sony to change the service’s name to Sony Pictures Core when it was expanded out to the PlayStation family. But we’d also say the new name more accurately reflects the fact that all of the service’s content comes from Sony’s own film and TV studios (including the Crunchyroll anime streamer Sony bought in 2021).

Free movies for Sony owners

With most streaming services, of course, the idea is to be as widely available as possible. With Sony Pictures Core, though, Sony seems to see the service more as a way of driving purchases of its TVs and games consoles. A notion backed up by the fact that from the moment the service launched as Bravia Core in 2021, Sony TV buyers have been entitled to a number of free recent release movie purchase credits, as well as free access to a curated selection of up to 100 movies from the service’s back catalogue. A classic ‘buy this TV, get free movies’ marketing promo.

The exact number of movie credits and the length of free catalogue access you get depends on the Sony TV you’ve bought. Buy a premium model and you’ll earn 15 free ‘new release’ permanent purchase credits and two years of access to the curated back catalogue titles. Mid-range Sony TVs see the free movie token offer drop to 10, while more entry-level models get you five new release purchase tokens and a year’s subscription to the curated (and regularly updated) back catalogue selection. You should check the small print of any Sony TV you’re thinking of buying to see how much Sony Pictures Core access your TV purchase is getting you.

PlayStation Plus subscribers, meanwhile, bag new free movie credits on the service too, with PlayStation Plus Premium members getting access to the 100 or so curated movie catalogue.

Prices for additional movie rentals and purchases

Sony TV purchase and PS Plus subscription rewards are, of course, not the only way to access content on Sony Pictures Core. You can also rent or buy extra titles, with the amount varying between £13.99 and £7.99 in the UK to buy recent releases, and between £5.49 and £3.49 to rent films where a rental option is available.

Sony claims that there are up to 2000 titles available to rent or buy across the whole of Sony Pictures Core, some available with bonus content such as director’s commentaries and exclusive offers. At the time of writing, titles available went as recent as 2024’s Anyone But You and Tarot, and as old as 1939’s Mr. Smith Goes To Washington – with a huge range of classics across the decades in between. Honestly, it only takes a few moments browsing Sony Pictures Core’s catalogue to come away amazed at just how many classics Sony owns the rights to.

Sony Pictures Core streaming quality

That said, it’s not so much the quantity of content on Sony Pictures Core that’s its main attraction as it is its quality. Starting with the fact that the service claims to support the highest streaming bandwidths in the video streaming world. So while Netflix and Prime Video get by on data rates of under 25Mbps and Apple TV+ tops out at 40Mbps, Sony Pictures Core uses a technology it calls PureStream to support rates up to 80Mbps.

Obviously, this depends on your own broadband system being able to carry such rates. In fact, Sony recommends that your broadband supports rates up to 115Mbps or higher to ensure you enjoy the full-quality Sony Pictures Core experience without buffering, with a minimum of 43Mbps required before the PureStream technology even kicks in.

The PureStream name accurately describes why the sort of streaming bandwidths the Sony Pictures Core service offers matter; basically, the higher the bandwidth of a digital video signal, the less that signal should have to be compressed. And the less a video stream has to be compressed, the sharper, cleaner and more natural the resulting video playback should look.

Unfortunately, PureStream is only available via Sony TVs. Via the PS5 or PS4, movies are streamed at the sort of bit-rates that are common with rival streaming services.

IMAX Enhanced content on Sony Pictures Core

At least as important as the unique streaming speeds supported by Sony Pictures Core is the quality of the masters it provides. Pretty much every remotely recent release is available in 4K resolution and high dynamic range, and Sony has been pretty busy remastering a fair number of its old catalogue titles in 4K too.

Sony Pictures has also been the most enthusiastic embracer of the IMAX Enhanced home video system. Full details about this can be found in our IMAX Enhanced explainer, but briefly, IMAX Enhanced involves three key features. First, titles are scanned and mastered in 4K HDR using a special IMAX system that’s designed to enhance the clarity and colour of the resulting home video presentations, as well as remove excess noise and grain.

Second, where a film features sections shot in IMAX’s relatively tall 1.9:1 aspect ratio, those sections will appear in that ratio, even if the rest of the film is shown in a wider aspect ratio.

Finally, IMAX Enhanced titles are accompanied by special ‘signature’ DTS audio mixes that are apparently designed to deliver more of the full dynamism of an IMAX theatrical release’s audio track. These IMAX Enhanced DTS:X tracks can now be output from Sony TVs to compatible AV receivers and soundbars using HDMI’s eARC functionality.

At the time of writing, Sony Pictures Core carries 157 IMAX Enhanced titles – including, surprisingly, a few golden oldies such as Easy Rider and Gandhi alongside the more expected modern releases and classics.

As well as all the IMAX Enhanced titles on Sony Pictures Core adding DTS soundtracks to their specially mastered pictures, many of the other recent and semi-recent non-IMAX films the service carries are accompanied by Dolby Atmos sound mixes.

Is Sony Pictures Core any good?

So does all of this impressive technical spec really add up to a superior streaming experience? We’d say it really does, actually. Provided you have the broadband speed for it and remember to activate the PureStream technology via the app’s Settings (it’s off by default), a full 80Mbps Sony Pictures Core 4K HDR experience really does look cleaner (especially in dark areas), crisper, more detailed and more dynamic than the streams of any other service. Though Apple TV can get quite close with some of its best-looking shows.

We wouldn’t say Sony Pictures Core’s performance is quite up there with good 4K Blu-ray image quality, but it delivers some supremely engaging images by streaming standards – especially with many of its IMAX Enhanced titles.

So if you’re the proud owner of one of the best Sony TVs and haven’t yet explored what Sony Pictures Core has to offer, you really owe it to yourself to check it out. Especially as the tokens you earned when you bought your TV mean you can check out the service’s quality across a decent number of films without having to spend a single extra penny.

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Here are our reviews of the Award-winning Sony A80L and the flagship Sony A95L

Philips has just announced that its 2024 OLED TVs have officially gone on sale, which can mean only one thing. That's right, the older models' prices are in free fall, so it's the perfect time to snag a bargain if you're not fussed about having the very latest model. 

Case in point we have the 55OLED708, Philips' entry-level OLED model from 2023. Originally priced at £1500, it can be yours currently for just £849 if you purchase it from John Lewis. The retailer has marked this TV as reduced to clear, which means that stock is probably dwindling, and with a scrumptious saving of £651, we don't expect it to stick around for much longer.

While this exact model hasn't graced our AV testing rooms, we did test the step-up model last year, with which this TV shares a lot of features and specs. The OLED808 was (and still is) an excellent TV, so considering the OLED708 shares some similar DNA, we're willing to bet this TV is also a strong performer.

This is a 4K OLED TV with HDR support; Philips is one of the special few manufacturers that supports all of the current formats including both Dolby Vision and HDR10+, as well as HDR10 and HLG. As it's an OLED set, you also get deep inky blacks and supreme contrast thanks to the self-emissive display technology. 

It's also a 120Hz panel, meaning PS5 and Xbox Series X gamers can look forward to buttery smooth gameplay with VRR and ALLM further enhancing your gaming experience. HDMI 2.1 is, of course, required to access 4K/120Hz gaming with these features, and this TV has two of them, which is perfectly acceptable considering the price. Bear in mind that one of these sockets also serves the purpose of eARC, so be prepared to sacrifice some gaming performance if you have both current-generation consoles and a soundbar or AVR.

On the subject of sound, the OLED708 features a 2.0-channel sound system with four 10W speakers, totalling 40W of power overall. This TV supports both DTS:X and Dolby Atmos, plus the aforementioned eARC port, meaning you can always use some of the money you've saved to invest in a Dolby Atmos soundbar if you want to level up the audio performance.

As this is a Philips TV, there are a few Philips-specific features that you get access to on this model. It features the P5 Picture Perfect Engine which will adapt the picture with the power of AI to achieve "lifelike detail and contrast, rich colour and smooth motion", according to Philips. There is also the iconic Ambilight feature, which will create a lovely light show on the wall behind your TV that extends the picture past the borders of the screen – or you can set it to a static light which supposedly boosts perceived contrast if you'd prefer. You can also switch it off entirely if you dislike it, although we think Ambilight is a pretty great feature.

Rounding out the smart features on this set, it's running Google TV and supports a wide range of global streaming apps including Netflix, Apple TV, Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video (as well as many more apps). There is a slight hitch for UK users as Freeview Play apps are missing, meaning there is no direct access to BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, ITV X or Channel 5; however, this can be rectified by attaching an external media streamer.

At just £849, this OLED TV deal is an absolute steal. While we have seen a few stellar sales on the LG G2 and Samsung S90C recently, this sub £1000 OLED TV is easily one of the most appealing deals we've seen as of late. While the S90C deal we reported on recently is around £50 cheaper, this Philips offers Dolby Vision support. Ambilight and (in our opinion) the more intuitive Google TV operating system for a very close price. 

However, gamers may prefer the four HDMI 2.1 sockets of the Samsung, and we can't argue with the brightness-boosting qualities of QD-OLED. Either way, this Philips deal is certainly worth a look if you're looking for an excellent-value OLED TV, just don't miss out as stock is presumably limited. 

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Read our full Philips OLED908 review

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As well as the best TV deals

Microsoft has announced a disc-less Xbox Series X Digital Edition, a Galaxy Black Special Edition Series X console, and a 'Robot White' Xbox Series S – all of which will hit shelves in "holiday 2024" (November or December, then).

At the annual Xbox Games Showcase on Sunday, Xbox president Sarah Bond also teased that Microsoft was "hard at work" on a next-generation Xbox console.

The highly anticipated Xbox Series X Digital Edition mirrors the existing console's specification but ditches the disc drive, comes in a Robot White finish, and costs $450 – $50 less than the Series X's original RRP. Microsoft is yet to confirm other territory pricing, although we can expect figures of around £400 and AU$650.

That's good news for digital-first Xbox Game Pass gamers who are looking to upgrade to the Series X for less, although the standard Series X can currently be bagged for only $409 at Walmart. 

Previous rumours of a bold new cylindrical design, 2TB of internal storage and Wi-Fi 6E (for improved throughput latency and interference mitigation) are unfounded, though they could relate to the next-gen console Bond says is now in the works.

Next up is a 'Galaxy Black Special Edition' Series X with double the storage (2TB SSD) and a unique design whose silver, grey, and green celestial effect draws "inspiration from constellations and the spirit of exploration and adventure that outer space evoke". It comes with a matching controller that sports a 'Galaxy Black' D-pad and 'Velocity Green' back case and will be available in "limited quantities" for $600. Again, that should translate to approximately £500 and AU$950.

Last and, to be fair, probably least, Microsoft is also launching a 1TB Series S in Robot White, following the 1TB Carbon Black variant it launched last year to offer gamers more storage over the original 512GB Series S. That 2023 black model will only be available while supplies list, with the new white version arriving for $350 (roughly £300 and AU$550).

You can see each of the three consoles in more detail in Microsoft's teaser trailer on YouTube.

Pre-order information and territory pricing will come to light in "the coming months".

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PS5 vs Xbox Series X: which is better?

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Apple has just unveiled the new iPad Pro which, in a first for an Apple tablet, has an OLED display. Not just any OLED display, either, but a 'Tandem OLED' display that features two OLED panels sandwiched together for extra brightness. The company is claiming 1000 nits fullscreen brightness and 1600 nits peak brightness. Combined with the perfect blacks of OLED, that should make it an awesomely dynamic display.

Apple has a habit of producing superb screens, and there's every reason to believe this one will be its best yet. I just can't help thinking, as I have with many previous iPads, how cool it would be if the new Pro had an HDMI input into which I could connect a PS5 or Xbox Series X.

Yes, I can see that incredulous look on your face, and I'm not even going to pretend this isn't a niche wish. To most, the idea of partnering a portable screen with a decidedly not-portable console is pure madness, but I'm not looking at this as an on-the-go solution, but as a once-I-get-there solution.

I travel a lot for work, and there have been plenty of occasions when I've wished I could take advantage of the time to myself by whiling away a few hours on whichever epic game I don't have time for in everyday life (I've still not finished Baldur's Gate 3, if you're wondering). Sure, I could plug my console into the hotel TV, but I'm a graphics snob, and have you seen the state of hotel TVs these days?

The existing iPad Pro is already like having a flagship TV in your bag, and the addition of OLED should only elevate that further. It should offer something very similar to the Panasonic OLED TV experience I have at home, but obviously on a much smaller scale. The OLED tech should make it super-responsive, too, as should the 120Hz refresh rate. It is, in theory, the ultimate portable gaming monitor, but without an HDMI socket, there's no opportunity to take proper advantage.

Sure, the iPad now has so-called 'console-grade' games such as Resident Evil Village, and Assassin's Creed Mirage is on the way, but that's a drop in the ocean of the PS5 and Xbox Series X game libraries.

So why not stream games via the Xbox or PlayStation cloud gaming services? Did I not mention that I'm a graphics snob? Cloud gaming is much lower resolution than native console gaming. It's laggy and often juddery, too, even with a great connection, and have you seen the state of hotel wi-fi these days?

I want a premium gaming experience wherever I am, and I'm prepared to cart a full-fat console across the country to get it. I draw the line at carting along an OLED TV, too, so it's a massive shame (at least to this nerd) that Apple has never produced – and probably never will produce – an iPad with an HDMI input.

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Here's everything you need to know about the new iPad Pro

These are the best tablets you can buy right now

And these are the best OLED TVs

TV spec upgrades are a little thin on the ground this year, but one new spec that is doing the rounds is support for 144Hz signals. A feature of the new LG C4 and G4, and Samsung models such as the S95D, QN95D and QN900D, this is an upgrade on the super-popular 4K/120Hz gaming spec. Exciting, right? Actually, only for a very limited number of people.

For those not in the know, 4K/120Hz gaming involves a console or PC outputting a game in 4K resolution at 120fps to a 4K display that can refresh 120 times per second. It results in a super-responsive, super-smooth experience that not only looks and feels great but can also give you a competitive advantage in fast-paced online games.

Upping the frame/refresh rate to 144Hz of course has the potential to improve this even further and, in fact, 144Hz monitors have been available for quite some time. The problem is that outputting games at higher frame rates requires more processing power from the console or PC, which is likely a key reason that no current console can handle 144Hz gaming.

There’s no real reason that a console couldn’t offer 144Hz gaming at resolutions below 4K so that someone could, for example, select to save processing power by dropping to 1080p so that it could be used to increase the frame rate to 144fps, and this is in fact what many PC gamers do when responsiveness matters more than fidelity. Console makers, though, tend to be more precious and controlling over how their platform’s games are presented, so either the PS5 or Xbox Series X offering such an option feels unlikely, particularly in the case of the PlayStation.

There is every chance that the rumoured PS5 Pro and/or an equivalent new Xbox will feature an increase from 4K/120Hz to 4K/144Hz – after all, there seems to be no appetite for increasing resolution beyond 4K – but we could equally be waiting for full, next-gen consoles before that upgrade materialises.

In the meantime, only hardcore PC gamers will be able to take advantage of the 144Hz support of this year’s best gaming TVs.

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Check out our full review of the 144Hz LG C4

And here's our Samsung S95D review

These are the very best TVs you can buy right now

Details about the highly anticipated PlayStation 5 Pro have leaked, with Insider Gaming backing up their legitimacy.

New features such as AI upscaling, a 'High CPU Frequency' mode, improved rendering, and faster ray tracing mean the PS5 Pro should be a genuine improvement over the standard model. However, until Sony confirms everything, it's best not to take any leaks as gospel. 

Leaked documentation on the upcoming PlayStation model has been verified by sources who wish to remain anonymous. Insider Gaming has confirmed the documentation came from a PlayStation developer portal, which was sent out to a wider group of third-party developers. 

One of the main attractions appears to be the PSSR (PlayStation spectral super-resolution upscaling) which is said to be powered by an AI Accelerator and provides AI upscaling and antialiasing solutions for 'Pro' games. 

Rendering is said to be 45 per cent faster with the PS5 Pro, and it also supposedly supports resolutions up to 8K. The new model should also provide two to three times the ray tracing capabilities – in some cases up to four times. 

It looks likely that the PS5 Pro will feature an identical 8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU to the standard model. However, the new model is said to offer a new ‘High CPU Frequency mode’ which will allow the CPU to run 10 per cent faster by allocating more power from the GPU. This is achieved by slightly downclocking the GPU by just 1 per cent.

The PS5 Pro's audio processing looks set to run at a higher clock speed compared to the standard PS5 and is said to provide 35 per cent more performance.

According to the latest info, the PS5 Pro will offer 576 GB/s of RAM, marking a 28 per cent increase over the standard model which runs at 448 GB/s. The Pro model is said to run more efficiently overall, which could mean that bandwidth gain may be even greater. 

It’s also worth noting that the PS5 Pro is set to include a detachable disc drive, much like the current edition of PS5, along with 1TB of storage.

The leaks suggest Sony is gearing up to release the PlayStation 5 Pro later in the year, perhaps during the 2024 holiday season. Pricing information has not been made available and according to sources, it probably won’t surface for a few months. We will keep you up to date with all the latest news as we get it!

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This compact, OLED-enhanced gaming system will keep you entertained for years

An AV launch at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show? Optoma has made use of the gathered congregation of hi-fi heavyweights to debut a new 4K projector, and it's packed with smart features. The UHZ55 joins the UHZ66 (we sense a pattern) in the projector company's current lineup of 4K beamers, and it's making a strong first impression. 

Optoma is touting "true 4K" resolution on this unit, although we presume that's achieved with pixel shifting, as hinted at by the price (more on that later). It's also set to include HDR support via the HDR10 and HLG formats. The big selling point of this projector's picture is the 3000 lumens of brightness and 2,500,000:1 contrast ratio, which means you'll be able to watch it comfortably with the lights on, or so Optoma says. That being said, Optoma did confirm that this projector is destined for home cinema set-ups more than casual lounge environments.

You'll find three HDMI 2.0 sockets for hooking up a Blu-ray player, with one port designated as an eARC socket for connecting audio equipment (Dolby Atmos soundbar or AVR). You can certainly hook up a PS5 or Xbox Series X, but you won't find the latest 4K/120Hz gaming features. No word has been given on ALLM or VRR, but Optoma has been kind enough to include an enhanced gaming mode with a reduced 4.2ms input lag and 4K/60Hz or 1080p/240Hz picture modes. 

If you don't fancy cluttering up your set-up with a dedicated disc player, then you'll be pleased to find a built-in streaming module based on Android. Optoma mentions a Marketplace app for downloading streaming apps; Netflix is even included which is a rarity with built-in streaming platforms on projectors such as these. If cutting cables is your plan then you'll also be pleased to find it's WiSA HT Certified, meaning this projector will play nice with similarly certified wireless audio devices. 

Rounding out the smart wireless features is voice assistant functionality. The UHZ55 is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, providing you have a suitable Echo or Nest speaker (respectively) to connect to the device.

As for the light source, Optoma has made use of Texas Instruments’ DLP technology and Optoma’s DuraCore laser technology, allegedly ensuring up to 30,000 hours of maintenance-free use. Optoma also touts easy installation with this unit if you plan on ceiling-mounting it. 

The Optoma UHZ55 is expected to launch in March for £2000 (around $2540 / AU$3860). 

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Read our full Optoma UHD55 review

Check out our picks for the best projectors 

As well as the best home cinema deals

UPDATE 21/02/2024: Xbox boss Phil Spencer has clarified the company's approach towards physical media on future Xbox consoles, and thankfully it sounds like good news. In an interview with Game File's Stephen Totilo, Spencer stated that the company's future doesn't “hinge on people moving all-digital.”

Spencer affirms that Xbox will "follow what the customers are doing", adding that it'll respond to the demands proportionately. He noted that a large proportion of customers still buy physical disc version of games, and in response to that Xbox will continue to support physical media, but won't push it further than the market demands. 

So does this mean the new Xbox that Microsoft has hinted at won't ditch the disc drive? We're not sure yet, although Phil Spencer has since confirmed that leaks that sprung up last year have all undergone various changes as development continues. 

ORIGINAL STORY 16/02/2024: Remember last year when Microsoft suffered an information leak that unearthed two new Xbox models? It looks like those leaks and rumours could be coming to fruition, as Microsoft has teased a future Xbox model that is set to feature the "largest technical leap" yet.

Confirmation that Microsoft is working on a powerful next-generation console came during the most recent edition of its Official Xbox Podcast, in which it also confirmed that exclusive titles from the Xbox games catalogue will also come to PS5 and Nintendo Switch. 

Xbox president Sarah Bond confirmed new hardware is on the way, with further announcements expected "this holiday" (we presume this means the end of the year). Bond also stated that Microsoft is "invested in the next-generation roadmap", in which it will deliver "the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation".

If this is a nod towards the leaked consoles that surfaced in September of last year, then we have some concerns. The Xbox Series X refresh that we caught sight of featured a controversial change by dropping the disc drive, meaning that (hypothetically) you'll only be able to play games and watch content via digital versions or streaming services.

The Xbox Series S is also set to get a refresh, although it looks to be a spec bump with upgraded ports, a new wi-fi module and an upgrade to 1TB of storage. Ultimately, it probably will not feature a 4K Blu-ray disc drive either, as is the case with the current Xbox Series S model. This means that the likelihood that you'll be able to use your 4K Blu-Ray movie discs on either of these new models is very slim.

We're unsure of what the new Xbox models will feature in terms of AV features, however going off the very well-specced current-gen consoles, we can begin to make some speculations. HDMI 2.1 for 4K/120Hz gaming is a given, with support for VRR and ALLM expected too. Dolby Vision HDR, Dolby Vision Gaming and Dolby Atmos are also featured on the current Xbox models, so we'd be surprised to see these features not make their return on the upcoming model.

With LG, Samsung and Panasonic announcing that their respective G4, S95D and Z95A OLED TVs will feature a new, higher 144Hz maximum frame rate, could we see this new Xbox support it? Only time will tell, as the leaked documents that hint at this new console reference a 2028 launch. As for now, we're just clutching onto our 4K Blu-rays while we still can. 

MORE:

Check out our picks for the best gaming TVs

As well as the best TVs overall

And the best TV deals

A HomePod with a screen could arrive sooner than we thought, if one leak is to be believed. Code within the first beta of tvOS 17.4 (spotted by MacRumors) mentions 'homeOS', thought to be Apple's upcoming software platform for the screen-equipped HomePod.

Apple's first-gen HomePod smart speaker launched running a modified version of iOS 11, but Apple since ported it to tvOS, the same software as the Apple TV streaming box. It's thought homeOS will combine tvOS and HomePod software into a platform designed specifically for the smart home.

Apple mentioned homeOS in a couple of job adverts in 2021, but hasn't used the term since.

The screen-equipped HomePod is rumoured to be a rival to the likes of the Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest Hub. It will most likely combine the FaceTime and screen skills of an iPad with the voice controls and sonic abilities of the HomePod 2. 

Apple recently added SharePlay to the tvOS 17.4 beta. Scan a QR code on the Apple Music app on the Apple TV, and you can start a SharePlay session. This could also feature on the HomePod with a screen.

We're expecting tvOS 17.4 to drop in March alongside iOS 17.4. Apple usually holds a spring event which could see some new products – possibly an iPad refresh, but the HomePod with a screen could also appear. We'll bring you all the news and rumours when we get them.

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Denon's new AV amplifier, the AVC-X6800H, is set for sale in the UK and Europe during mid-February 2024.

The new amp looks to enter as Denon's third-from-top AV amp, below the A1H and the X8500HA.

The AVC-X6800H features 11.4 channels with 11 x 205 watts of amplification. It will also retain features from the preceding model, such as the premium MultEQ XT32 suite of Audyssey room-correction software, and support for immersive audio formats such as Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced, and Auro-3D. It also offers DTS Neural:X and Auro-Matic upmixer, designed to optimise older content.

Denon's new AV amp supports a range of HDR formats such as Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, and Dynamic HDR. There's also eARC connectivity on one of the HDMI ports.

For those of you out there with an 8K TV, all seven HDMI inputs and two of the outputs support 8K pass-through as well as 8K upscaling of 4K content.

The AVC-X6800H also features HEOS built-in, which allows compatible hardware throughout your home to communicate and wirelessly stream audio in multiple rooms.

For those looking to integrate this unit into a wider setup, the X6800H can be set to Pre-Amplifier mode, which disconnects the internal amplifier and is said to give a cleaner signal path and allow for more tolerance in the clipping level. You can also disconnect select speaker channels and use external amplification to drive the channels of your choosing. 

Next-generation gaming features such as VRR (variable refresh rate), QFT (quick frame transport), and ALLM (auto low-latency mode) are supported with this amp, meaning any PS5 or Xbox Series X consoles will display visuals smoothly and with a clean frame rate.  

The AVC-X6800H AV amplifier will be available through authorised Denon retailers for £3000 / €3500 next month. 

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Is anyone else getting that feeling of déjà vu? I certainly am; less than a year ago I was venting my frustrations regarding the (at the time) upcoming MediaTek Pentonic 1000 chipset which, despite being initially billed to come with a full suite of four HDMI 2.1 sockets, inevitably delivered just two connections.

That's not to say the TVs that used this processor were ruined, in fact, the Sony A80L took home Product of the Year in the TV category at our annual What Hi-Fi? Awards, with the Panasonic MZ1500B and Philips OLED808 both following closely behind with five-star reviews.

However, in each of these TV reviews, you will find a constant motif in the 'cons' list near the top of the page. "Only two HDMI 2.1 sockets" is the recurring refrain that plagues these TVs; but why do we make such a big deal of it? Put simply, HDMI 2.1 sockets are precious commodities, especially if you are a serious gamer who also happens to care about home cinema audio.

The main draw of HDMI 2.1 is the ability to carry 4K 120Hz signals, which is what the latest batch of consoles support. Both the Sony PS5 and Xbox Series X need to be hooked up to a suitable HDMI 2.1 connection to deliver the smoothest and highest-resolution gameplay, which is, surely, what you want if you are spending the best part of £500 on one of these consoles. 

You are also likely to want to use the variable refresh rate (VRR) and auto low latency mode (ALLM) features to reduce the possibility of stutter and screen tearing as well as controller lag. In fact, the PS5 specifically requires an HDMI 2.1 socket to unlock these features, not to mention a TV that supports them; you can check out our best gaming TVs if you need inspiration. 

However, HDMI 2.1 also serves another function. It is used to carry high-quality audio over an enhanced audio return channel, otherwise known as eARC. If you have a Dolby Atmos soundbar or AVR, then you will know that it needs hooking up to the designated HDMI eARC connection on your TV – which also happens to be one of the HDMI 2.1 sockets. 

So, let's say you have a PS5, Xbox Series X and a Dolby Atmos soundbar; you are immediately going to run into some issues. The soundbar will take up the eARC slot, while the consoles will need to fight it out for the remaining high-speed HDMI connection. I am well aware that it isn't the end of the world, as the consoles will still technically work just fine in another HDMI socket – but it's the principle. 

OLED sets aren't cheap, especially if you opt for a Sony or Panasonic which historically tend to be more expensive than alternatives from LG and Samsung. The irony here is that LG and Samsung boast four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets on their respective OLED TVs. In fact, LG has just upgraded the entry-level B4 to include four HDMI 2.1 sockets, something that caught my attention for this very reason during its announcement.

If you're shelling out north of £2000 for one of the very latest OLED sets, you shouldn't really have to compromise on features. And while there are workarounds, they aren't exactly ideal, nor are they blanket solutions. 

Some Dolby Atmos soundbars feature HDMI 2.1 passthrough, and while that might sound like the ideal solution, some won't support 4K/120Hz passthrough. Sony only recently enabled VRR and ALLM in a software update to the HT-A7000 and HT-A5000 soundbars, while Sennheiser's soundbars feature only HDMI 2.0 passthrough ports. This issue can also plague AVRs; despite the Award-winning Sony TA-AN1000 having all six of its HDMI inputs labelled as HDMI 2.1, only two of them actually handle 4K/120Hz.

Ultimately, there are greater concerns in the world of AV, but this has been grinding my gears for some time now. In my original rant (let's call it what it was), I remained hopeful, stating:

"Looking ahead to 2024, we really hope that MediaTek has a step-up version of the Pentonic 1000 with four HDMI 2.1 sockets up its sleeve. More fully featured gaming TVs would mean more choice for gamers, and that can only be a good thing."

And yet here I sit, bitterly disappointed and treading familiar ground in the great HDMI 2.1 debate. Here's hoping for 2025 I suppose.

MORE:

Read our full LG C3 42-inch review

Here's our picks for the best gaming TVs

As well as our overall picks for the best TVs

Considering getting your hands on a massive TV? Well, Hisense’s 100-inch Mini LED U7K TV has had its price slashed by £1500.

Now at its lowest price ever, the 100-inch U7K is down to £3489 on Amazon. Still, a fair sum by any means, but the hefty 30 per cent discount could go a long way depending on your budget. As panels get larger, so do their prices, meaning we’re keen to catch any fresh discounts.

We liked the 65-inch version of the U7K and while you can’t guarantee the quality will scale up perfectly to the 100-inch model, this deal could be worth a look. Especially if you either simply want a massive TV, or are put off by projectors and their lack of gaming or smart features.

In terms of specifications, the U7K uses a Mini LED panel with Quantum Dot Colour technology which provides bright punchy colours, based on our testing. It features a Game Pro Mode, offering VRR and ALLM at 144Hz, perfect if you’re planning on hooking up a PS5 or Xbox Series X. It also supports Dolby Atmos immersive audio along with a range of HDR formats including Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG.

The U7K offers plenty of connectivity options, with Bluetooth and AirPlay capabilities on board. There are also four HDMI ports, which should be plenty for most set-ups. All four ports support 4K video and one is dedicated to handling eARC connections.

It would be fair to think that the world of TVs is moving towards an OLED-based panel future, especially with the rise of MLA technology. However, Mini LED screens offer high brightness and good contrast at a competitive price meaning they aren’t going away any time soon.

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Read our full Hisense U7K (65U7KQ) review

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We don’t imagine there are too many of you out there who will be buying a TV system exclusively to indulge your passion for FC 24 or the latest incarnation of CoD; for most buyers, a good gaming system needs to shine with TV and movies as well as competitive pastimes.

Nevertheless, there are one or two key strengths that a good gaming system simply must possess – which is why we have chosen this particular quartet to kick off our selection of top AV systems.

The system

• TV: LG OLED42C3 (£999 / $900 / AU$1695)
• Soundbar: Sonos Beam Gen 2 (£499 / $499 / AU$629)
• Console 1: Sony PlayStation 5 (£459 / $500 / AU$799)
• Console 2: Xbox Series X (£379 / $420 / AU$649)
• Total system price: £2336 / $2319 / AU$3772

TV: LG OLED42C3

Let’s start with that most important ingredient of all – the TV. While LG has this year made much of its G3 range – the world’s first MLA OLED screen – the C3 has quietly bagged our 2023 Award for the Best 40-43in TV, not least because it is terrific value for money. Its retail price alone should turn heads but recent healthy discounts have made it a real prize.

Crucial for a serious gaming TV, the LG has four HDMI 2.1 sockets, all rated to the full bandwidth of 48Gbps, and all capable of handling the 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM signals that are output by its console partners here, the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Plenty of tellies can handle these gaming features, but most can only do so via two HDMI sockets, one of which often has to fulfil eARC output duties.

The real headline here is that LG’s TVs combine this array of four HDMI 2.1 sockets with support for Dolby Vision gaming at up to 4K/120Hz, which is still a real rarity in the TV world and is great for Xbox Series X gamers. The C3 also includes a particularly good execution of HGiG, an agreed industry standard for the implementation of HDR in gaming. This essentially makes it easy to get good tone mapping in many modern games.

Fulfilling our brief to also excel with TV and movies, the C3’s operating system is crammed full of content, all of it easy to access and smooth-functioning. You couldn’t reasonably wish for a broader spread of streaming apps, and all the content that should be presented in 4K, Dolby Vision or Dolby Atmos, is.

The LG might seem small against many of today’s leading screens, but this gives it the advantage of a higher pixel density, and that means pin-sharp images. In fact, the OLED42C3’s picture delivery actually makes its 65-inch sibling look a touch hazy. In addition, this TV’s image presentation is wonderfully dynamic and punchy, as well as being particularly subtle and natural with colours; all of which helps make games seem more realistic and immersive. Just remember to adjust the motion processing to your taste though – this is one area where LG still can’t quite match Sony’s mastery. Our recommendation would be to start with the Cinematic Movement option and compare that with the other processing options available.

We can’t pretend this 42-inch version of the C3 delivers much to get excited about when it comes to sound, but that couldn’t matter less in this context, as the excellent Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is on hand to take the sonic reins.

Soundbar: Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

When it comes to breaking into the big time, Sonos cracked the sound barrier long ago. Where it has really excelled though, is in keeping its product line fresh with constant updates and new models. And the Beam (Gen 2) is a good example. We liked it enough to say, in our original review, that “While sequels often pale in comparison to their predecessors, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 joins the ranks of The Dark Knight, The Godfather Part II and The Empire Strikes Back as not only a worthy successor but better than its predecessor in every way. That's no small claim, as the first-generation Beam captured our hearts back in 2018 and was adorned with What Hi-Fi? Awards up until this new version launched.”

And we haven’t changed our minds. Key to the Beam’s success is the inclusion of Dolby Atmos, and it really is quite a revelation – despite not having any dedicated upward-firing speakers among its roster of five drivers. Genuinely located overhead sounds are, admittedly, slightly out of the Beam’s reach, but there is more to Dolby Atmos than aeroplanes and helicopters, and the Gen 2 handles this format better than any other comparably priced soundbar. We would even go as far as saying that the Beam does a better job with it than many more expensive soundbars with upward-facing drivers.

When listening to Atmos films with the Beam Gen 2 there's tangible motion, depth and space, which heightens the drama and sense of immersion. And, of course, that same sense of drama is present when you are gaming, as the Beam’s skill with space and dynamics comes to the fore to render effects with punch and accuracy.

Not many soundbars at this price point come with networking capabilities, but the Beam Gen 2’s ability to integrate into a wireless multiroom system – as you would expect from a Sonos product – is fundamental to its design. Although you can control the volume via your TV remote, you will need the slick and user-friendly Sonos S2 app to connect the Beam to other Sonos products.

Housed at the rear in the ‘cable cove’ are sockets for power, ethernet and HDMI eARC as well as a connect/reset push button, while the top surface carries touch-sensitive buttons, LEDs and mics for voice control of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Spotify Connect is built in as well.

Consoles: Sony PS5 and Xbox Series X

And so to the console. Or, rather, consoles. Anyone who knows the first thing about gaming also knows that there are only really two players in this game; Sony’s PlayStation, currently in its fifth iteration, and the Microsoft Xbox, here in its latest, flagship Series X guise. And anyone serious enough about gaming to build an AV system around it will know that, with many titles only available on one or the other of the two devices, the only way to be sure you can access the games that you want is to have both models at your disposal.

Both are available without an optical disc-drive, but in each case we feel the compromises are not worth the cash saving, and so are including the full-fat versions here.

Measuring 39 x 10 x 26cm, the PS5 is huge – so big that it makes the Xbox Series X (which itself has considerable bulk) look positively compact. As long as you’ve got space for it though, any worries about its size will surely vanish once you start using its satisfyingly responsive DualSense controller. It’s a massive step up from its DualShock predecessor, and is packed with technology that helps immerse you in the games you play in new and inventive ways, including by providing haptic feedback as well as resistance in the triggers.

Being older tech, the Xbox’s controller can’t match that level of sophistication, but it is still a hugely capable device, helped by effective Dynamic Latency Input (DLI) that is designed to immediately synchronise each controller input with what you see on your screen.

Both the PS5 and Xbox have 8-core CPUs from AMD, but the Xbox’s are clocked at 3.8GHz while the PS5’s are 3.5GHz. Both consoles also use AMD graphics processors, the Xbox’s providing 12 teraflops of power against the PS5’s 10.28 teraflops.

Both consoles offer plenty of streaming apps, from Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, to Apple TV, Disney+ and YouTube. In the UK, both launched without BBC iPlayer, although Microsoft soon brought it to the Xbox consoles and Sony followed suit.

When it comes down to gaming performance, both consoles deliver a super-solid 4K/60Hz experience and some games are available in even more responsive 4K/120Hz. VRR and ALLM are supported by both consoles, too, and the Xbox supports gaming in Dolby Vision as well as the standard HDR10 offered by the PS5.

In performance terms, there's very little between the PS5 and XSX, so if you are choosing between the two it makes the most sense to go for the one that your friends already own so that you can play together online.

The respective game subscription services should be considered too, though, and here the Xbox Series X comes out on top: Xbox Game Pass is an extraordinarily good deal that gives you access to every first-party Xbox game (even those that are brand new) and loads of third-party games for a very reasonable monthly cost. PlayStation's equivalent, PS Plus Extra, is similar but less overflowing with games and doesn't grant access to first-party blockbusters until they have been out for a while.

Of course, a really serious gamer will want to cover all of the bases, which is why we have included both consoles in this dedicated gaming system. There's an option to add a Nintendo Switch or gaming PC via the last remaining HDMI socket, too...

What a year it's been. We've seen sumptuous stereo separates and trail-blazing TVs, been wowed by wireless headphones and enjoyed plenty of Dolby Atmos soundbars. And it got us thinking... what will 2024 have in store?

Plenty, if the rumours are to be believed. We're expecting new LG OLED TVs, a plethora of new products from Sonos (including some surprising ones), new AirPods, a new Apple TV, a follow-up to the Award-winning Sony WH-1000XM5 and possibly another version of the PS5. And much more besides.

Based on leaks, rumours and some pretty predictable production schedules, here are some of the delights we can expect next year...

Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones

The Award-winning Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless over-ear headphones launched in the summer of 2022, two years after the XM4 (which, in turn, launched two years after the XM3). So the warmer months of 2024 should see the WH-1000XM6 break cover. We're hoping for a more premium design, better noise cancelling and longer battery life. They have a lot to live up to but we think there's still room for improvement...

Read our full Sony WH-1000XM6 preview

LG C4 and LG G4 TVs

LG's OLED TVs continue to impress, but this year's LG C3 was only a minor improvement over the LG C2, leaving room for Sony's A80L to sneak in and gain supremacy. LG will be looking to regain its mid-range TV crown in 2024 with the LG C4. We're also expecting big things from the flagship G4, with a higher refresh rate reportedly on the cards.

Read our full preview of the LG C4 and LG G4

Sonos set-top box

Yes, really. The king of multi-room audio is rumoured to have a set-top box in the works. Not much is known about it at the moment, but Sonos is said to be in talks with Netflix about creating an app for it. It's expected to run the Android operating system and to be set for launch in late 2024 or early 2025. Look out, Apple TV...

Read our full Sonos set-top box preview

Apple TV 4K (2024)

Speaking of the Apple TV, next year the latest model will turn two, which, in the fast-moving world of video streamers, is getting on a bit. So we're expecting a refresh. Our wishlist for the 2024 model includes a new processor (most probably the A16 chip from the iPhone 14 Pro/iPhone 15), a more up-to-date wi-fi standard, and a lower price. The 2022 model was actually cheaper than its predecessor, after all, which certainly helped it pick up What Hi-Fi? Awards in both 2022 and 2023.

Read our full Apple TV 4K (2024) preview

New AirPods

Sticking with Apple, we could see new AirPods galore in 2024. The AirPods 3 launched in 2022, so could be in for a refresh, while the AirPods Pro 2 only launched this year and so are less likely to get a 2024 revamp (though that hasn't stopped us from speculating on what to expect from a successor). The AirPods Max will turn four next year – could Apple finally announce a new version of the premium over-ear headphones? And what about the cheaper AirPods Lite that have been rumoured for years now?

Read our full AirPods Max 2, AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Lite previews

Sonos Arc (Gen 2) soundbar

Two-time Award-winner the Sonos Arc is getting a sequel very soon. Rumours say the Arc (Gen 2) will be even more high-end than the original (with a higher price tag to match), delivering better bass and overall enhanced sound quality. Could we see full DTS support as part of the package? Are we looking, even, at a Sennheiser Ambeo Max rival?

Read our full Sonos Arc (Gen 2) preview

Sonos wireless headphones

Sonos is said to be cooking up more than just the Arc (Gen 2) and a set-top box. It's been rumoured for years to have a pair of wireless headphones in the works, and 2024 could be the year we finally see them. Sonos is said to have scrapped its early designs (some of which date back to 2019) and gone back to the drawing board, with an over-ear design likely to be followed by wireless earbuds a year or two later. Expect seamless integration with the Sonos ecosystem, but can they compete on everything else that's required in the ultra-competitive headphone market? We may find out as soon as April.

Read our full Sonos wireless headphones preview

iPhone 16

A September iPhone launch is about the safest bet you can make on the tech timeline and, thanks to all the leaks, we usually have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the phone itself too. The (admittedly very early) rumours say we could be in for a change of screen size for certain models, with more efficient panel technology, new processors and the customisable Action button to appear across all variants. Expect plenty more rumours before September 2024.

Read our full iPhone 16 preview

Samsung Galaxy S24

But before the iPhone 16, Samsung's Galaxy S24 will dominate the headlines. It's expected to launch as early as January, with a new processor, new camera tech and a slight redesign. Even the S Pen stylus is getting an overhaul, according to reports. 

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S24 preview

PS5 Pro

October saw the launch of the PS5 Slim, a thinner, lighter version of the biggest gaming console in history. But there could be more on the near horizon. Rumours have been swirling about a PS5 Pro for years, backed up by Sony's history (it launched a PS4 Pro three years after the original PS4). The rumours have since gone a little quiet, but with the PS5 Slim now official, could 2024 see a more premium model hit the shelves? We certainly hope so.

Read our full PS5 Pro preview

MORE:

Check out the best TVs around

The best headphones

And the best soundbars

Just last week we reported on the latest tvOS 17.2 update that's released on the Apple TV 4K (2022) streamer, bringing a new look to the Apple TV app. Since then, Apple has confirmed that the redesigned app will carry across to many more platforms, including supported TVs, streaming sticks and boxes, and gaming consoles. 

The big changes we can expect across this new app update for third-party devices are the new sidebar navigation menu, profile selection and redesigned home screen. We also expect to see the new Apple movies and TV store be included, which has just replaced iTunes on the Apple TV 4K. This will allow users to purchase or rent content through Apple's service in up to 4K Dolby Vision HDR.

However, we don't expect all of the features seen in the last Apple TV update to be present in this new version of the update. Some of the third-party streaming integration could be limited, as Apple won't have as much control over other companies' smart platforms as it does over its own tvOS platform. We also don't expect to see this update come to the simplified Apple TV+ app, which just includes access to Apple's streaming library and is designed for older hardware. We'll be keeping an eye out for this new update to launch, so expect more specific details in the near future. 

Apple hasn't given any official word as to when we can expect this update to roll out fully, however, it likely depends on the manufacturers being cooperative and will vary depending on the platform. Speaking of platforms, we can expect to see this update come to Amazon, Roku and Google streaming devices, PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and TVs from practically all notable manufacturers such as Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, Hisense and more. 

MORE:

Read our full Apple TV 4K (2022) review

And our full Apple TV+ review

Check out our picks for the best media streamers

Sony has announced that Netflix will no longer be supported on its smart TVs and smart Blu-ray players released between 2011 and 2013 due to "technical limitations". Sony's statement says that Netflix has announced this, leading us to believe that the streaming platform decided to end support for these older Sony TVs and Blu-ray players.

This change will affect models in the HX, EX and W ranges, as well as the S995, X9005 and around 35 Blu-ray players (thanks to FlatpanelsHD for highlighting these). There hasn't been an exact switch-off date announced quite yet, but Netflix says that it's expected to be the end of February 2024. This comes after Netflix dropped support for many older Samsung, Panasonic and Sony TVs, as well as the PlayStation TV and PlayStation Vita handheld system in October of this year. 

So what can you do if you want to keep watching Netflix? If you're in the market for a new TV, now might be the ideal time to upgrade, especially if you've been holding onto your TV for a decade. Panel technology and smart features have come a long way since then, and if you'd like to stick with Sony then you can use our best Sony TVs list as a great point of reference when shopping for a newer model.

However, if you're someone who wants to get the most out of your TV and doesn't want to replace your set just to regain access to Netflix, then you can instead opt for a media streamer. Some of our favourites include the Google Chromecast with Google TV and Apple TV 4K (2022), both of which will give you access to the latest streaming services with a much slicker interface.

MORE:

Check out our full Netflix review

As well as our list of the best TVs

Our list of the best Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray players

Nearly six years after release, the PS5 continues to improve. The latest firmware update has just dropped – at time of writing – and brings a host of new feature to the ageing device, like the ability to go straight from the Friends Activity widget in your Welcome Hub to the games that you friends are playing. Which should make it easier to join social gaming sessions.

But what we originally knew as the PS5 is no more, as it's been replaced by the PS5 Slim which is now the default model. It's unlikely, but some retailers might still have old stock of the original PS5 console (it's more likely if you're buying secondhand).

So what are the differences between the two?

Like previous Slim variants, the PS5 Slim is essentially the same console as the standard PS5 but in a slimmed-down design – previously, the PS2, PS3 and PS4 all shed some pounds for their own Slim iterations.

But that's not the full story. The PS5 Slim has some upgraded innards too, including more storage and more modern USB ports.

Read on for more detail.

• PS5 and Xbox gamers don't need 144Hz TVs – at least not yet
• The best gaming TVs you can buy

Price: how much does the PS5 Slim cost compared to the PS5?

The PS5 Slim was announced at the start of October 2023, and went on sale the following month.

Like the original PS5, it comes in two variants – one with a disc drive, one without. The Digital Edition launched at £390 / $450 / AU$769, while the version with the disc drive cost £480 / $500 / AU$799. But after a price increase, the Digital Edition is £430 (the price rise doesn't affect the US and Australia). The disc drive PS5 remains at the same price.

This is the second price rise in the PS5's relatively short life. The previous hike came earlier in 2023.

The original PS5 Digital Edition launched at £360 / $400 / AU$600, while the Physical Edition was originally £450 / $500 / AU$750. Halcyon days.

The PS5 Slim's detachable disc drive originally cost £100 / $80 / AU$159, though this has since fallen in the UK and Australia to £70 / AU$124).

Want the vertical stand to go with it, and show off how slim your new PS5 is? That's extra too. It costs £25 / $30 / AU$49.

Stock of the standard PS5 is currently thin on the ground. If you can find it, it has a higher chance of being discounted by retailers looking to shift old stock. Good luck.

** Winner: PS5 **

• PS5 vs PS5 Digital Edition: which should you buy?

What are the key design and size differences between the PS5 Slim and PS5?

The PS5's design is somewhat divisive. Some people love its big-collared look, while for others it might be a bit too Harry Hill. But one fact is not up for debate: it's massive. The biggest console in gaming history, in fact. So the PS5 Slim is most welcome.

It's not only slimmer than the PS5, but lighter as well. It's 30 per cent smaller and 24 per cent or 18 per cent lighter, depending if you opt for the version that includes the disc drive. So not only will it take up less of your home entertainment unit, it'll put less strain on your back when you pick it up, too.

This is in keeping with previous 'Slim' models – the PS4 Slim was 40 per cent smaller than the original PS4, while the PS3 Slim was 33 per cent slimmer than the standard PS3, 36 per cent lighter, and 34 per cent more power efficient.

Sony then went on to launch a PS3 Super Slim model, which managed to be 20 per cent smaller than the PS3 Slim, while tipping the scales at 25 per cent lighter.

For the first time, Sony sells the PS5 Slim's disc drive as an optional extra, so if you buy the Digital Edition and find you miss physical media formats, you can always add it on afterwards. Although it won't look quite as sleek as the Physical Edition variant's built in version.

In terms of the actual look, there's not much difference between the PS5 and PS5 Slim. The Slim model does have four side plates instead of the standard PS5's two. One of these extras is to fit the detachable Blu-ray disc drive, and also makes it easier to access in case it needs repairing.

** Winner: PS5 Slim **

How do the PS5 Slim and PS5 specs compare?

The two consoles mostly have the same specs, but there are a couple of key differences. The PS5 Slim has 1TB of onboard storage, whereas the standard PS5 only has 825GB (though it is expandable with external storage). That gives the Slim model more space for games, movies, music, photos and apps.

There's also a slight difference in the USB ports. The Slim model has two USB-C ports on the front, whereas the original PS5 has one USB-C and one USB-A. On both consoles, one of these is rated Hi-speed (the USB-A on the original PS5, up to 480Mbps), and one is SuperSpeed (up to 10Gbps).

Both consoles have two rear USB-A SuperSpeed ports. You can see more info here.

Other than that, the specs of both consoles are nigh-on identical. And they should perform exactly the same. They both deliver 4K games mostly at 60Hz (but upping this to 120Hz for some titles) with an AMD graphics processor with 10.28 teraflops of power.

** Winner: PS5 Slim **

Verdict: PS5 Slim vs PS5 – which should you buy?

With stock of the original full-fat PS5 now nigh-on nonexistent, the PS5 Slim is now the default version of PS5. Its technical name is CFI-2000, so if a console isn't marked as 'Slim', make sure you check the model number before buying.

If you see the original console going for a bargain, and you don't mind the heft, the lower built-in storage and older USB arrangement, you should grab it. Otherwise, the PS5 Slim is the way to go.

MORE:

Check out how to get the best picture and sound from your PlayStation 5

Find out where to buy a PS5

These are the best PS5 games around

We've been rather vocal in our support for buying physical media for quite some time now, citing concerns about not owning the content you buy, meaning it can be taken away at a moment's notice. Well, we hate to say we told you so, but that's exactly what's happening, as PS5 users are about to find out. 

In a disparagingly sparse email from PlayStation, users were notified that despite paying for it, users would lose access to any content in their video library made by Discovery. It's chalked up to licencing agreements which is somewhat understandable, however, no mention of compensation is mentioned within the email.

As we understand it, this appears to be an issue on Discovery's end, as it's unlikely that Sony would go out of its way to revoke such a large mass of shows without any good reason. However, Sony certainly isn't off the hook as it looks like customers won't be getting their money back. 

It appears that those who have paid for this content will not be refunded or reimbursed, with Sony instead thanking its users for their "continued support". This removal of purchased content is set to go into effect on the 31st of December 2023 - what a way to start the New Year. A whopping 1318 titles are set to be removed from the PlayStation Video storefront and user content libraries. We would also like to stress that this isn't just the removal of rented content, but fully purchased shows too. 

As expected, this hasn't exactly gone down well on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), with many voicing concerns regarding the integrity of digital content libraries as well as refreshed support for DVD and Blu-ray releases. 

For example, user @DrewMcWeeny expresses their disappointment by stating "buying digital media is simply renting with an open-ended expiration date. They can and while take it from you when they feel like it", while user @danno_omen says "And people still give me a hard time for buying physical". You already know our stance on the matter, but it hinges on 4K Blu-ray not dying out.

It's also not the first time that this has happened, as FlatpanelsHD reminds us that in 2022, a similar content purge occurred. Studio Canal pulled its content library from PlayStation platforms in Germany and Austria which also resulted in users who paid for those films losing access to them; so we certainly wouldn't be surprised to see this happen again in the future.

MORE:

Read our Sony PlayStation 5 review

Check out our list of the best Blu-ray players

How to get the best picture and sound from your PS5

The PS5 has finally had a discount worth paying attention to this Black Friday. If you've been holding out on upgrading to the next generation console, or perhaps you're team Xbox and are curious to see what's happening on Sony's side, this is your best bet at getting a decent deal on the PS5.

Usually retailing for £480, EE still has the PS5 at the lowest price we've seen since its launch; although this is somewhat of a loaded statement as the PS5 has increased in price since then. Originally retailing for £450, Sony has since raised the price to £480 where it has remained since. 

Now, thanks to an early kick-off for Black Friday, you can scoop up the disc-drive-equipped PS5 for £379 at EE - a saving of £101. We're especially pleased to see it's the version that includes the disc drive, as this model can double up as a gaming machine and a 4K Blu-ray player.

Sony's next-generation console had a rocky start back in 2020, with supply issues and a lack of notable titles plaguing the system at launch. However, three years on these issues have been ironed out, with abundant stock and loads of excellent titles such as Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Horizon: Forbidden West and God of War: Ragnarok.

It's also had a few technical upgrades along the way too. Notably, Sony has since updated the PS5 to output at Quad HD (1440p) for those with monitors or TVs that support the resolution, as well as a huge audio upgrade that it released just a few weeks ago. The PS5 is finally capable of system-wide Dolby Atmos support, meaning you can play games and watch movies using the immersive audio format over supported HDMI eARC devices such as Dolby Atmos soundbars. 

This model notably includes a disc drive, meaning you can use physical media for games and movies, 4K Blu-rays to be exact for the latter. There is also a model that is digital only, although it doesn't seem to be on sale - this could be due to the impending new model that can be equipped with a detachable disc drive. That new model is expected to perform the same as the current PS5 so don't worry about getting an inferior version if you spring for a new console now. You'll also get access to a range of streaming services on the PS5, including Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus, as well as region-dependent services such as BBC iPlayer and ITVX. 

So will you be taking the plunge into next-generation gaming? If you do, make sure you have a top-notch gaming TV to plug it into, as this generation is all about 4K/120Hz.

MORE:

Check out the best Black Friday deals 

Alongside the best Black Friday TV deals

And read our full Sony PlayStation 5 review

Sony has produced two of the very best TVs of 2023 in the form of the A80L mid-range OLED and A95L flagship QD-OLED. Both TVs produce stunning picture quality and much better sound than the vast majority of televisions, and while the best gaming TVs are still produced by rival LG, the A80L and A95L are comfortably the best gaming TVs that Sony has produced in recent years.

However, you won’t get the best HDR gaming experience by simply sticking with the default settings. That’s because HDR Tone Mapping is on by default, and this makes HDR games overly bright and also makes it impossible to accurately use the HDR calibration tools of the PS5, Xbox Series X/S and even a PC.

“But wait, I’m a PS5 gamer – aren’t these settings all done for me?” I hear you ask. Sorry to break it to you but this particular element of Sony’s so-called ‘Perfect for PS5’ feature set, which sees console HDR configured automatically when the PS5 recognises the Sony TV to which it’s connected, isn’t very accurate and results in an overly bright delivery – only slightly so in the case of the A95L but significantly so in the case of the A80L. So yes, even you should make this little bit of extra effort.

The problem

As mentioned, HDR Tone Mapping is switched on by default on the A80L and A95L, even when in Game mode. This will artificially brighten highlights in HDR, giving games a blown-out, over-exposed appearance.

Using the PS5’s or Xbox’s HDR calibration feature won’t help either, as the active HDR Tone Mapping makes it impossible to get an accurate result. If you follow the instructions given by the console, you’ll end up setting peak brightness far too high, resulting in an even more blown-out, over-exposed delivery.

The solution

The basic solution is a really easy one: turn off HDR Tone Mapping in the Sony TV’s menus – you’ll find it in the ‘Brightness’ sub-menu of the ‘Picture’ section, as seen in the above picture on the A95L (the A80L's menus look slightly different but are broadly the same).

You can then perform the Adjust HDR adjustments on the PS5 and/or HDR Game Calibration on the Xbox Series X/S.

Whichever console you’re using, you’ll find there are two calibration screens involving a white window, and one with a black window. For the white windows you want the sun (in the case of the PS5) or checkerboard pattern (in the case of an Xbox) to just disappear – the single click up (PS5) or to the right (Xbox) that makes the symbol disappear and the window turn completely white is the one to stop on. For the step with the black window, you simply click all the way down (PS5) or all the way to the left (Xbox) – this ensures that black is really black.

It is worth noting that while a lot of games now use this console-level HDR calibration, there are quite a few that still don’t, so it’s always worth also digging into the settings of the specific game you’re playing to see if there’s a dedicated HDR calibration option in there. If there is, use it and simply follow the instructions. If there isn’t, you can be pretty sure that it’s using the console’s global HDR settings that you’ve already calibrated – assuming it is an HDR game that you’re playing.

One last step to make game HDR even better

While switching off HDR Tone Mapping (and following the above instructions) will get you a very good and accurate HDR performance overall, there is some minor inconsistency in the way the Sony A80L and A95L handle mid-tones when they’re set up this way. This is so minor that most people will never notice it, but if you want the very best, most accurate HDR performance, once you’ve followed the steps above you should change the TV’s HDR Tone Mapping setting back to ‘Gradation Preferred’. This will retain the peak brightness settings you’ve implemented but will also sort out that slight mid-tone inconsistency.

And there you have it: essentially perfect HDR gaming on your 2023 Sony OLED TV.

MORE:

Here's the full Sony A80L review

And here's the full Sony A95L review

These are the best TVs you can buy right now