Televisions - Organizer

Roku Ultra (2024) review: a souped-up streamer with a fantastic remote

5:31 pm | November 16, 2024

Roku Ultra (2024): Two-minute review

Roku Ultra (2024) screen interface — Roku Ultra (2024) home screen interface (Image credit: Future)

The Roku Ultra (2024) is as capable a streaming player as I’ve yet come across, though whether it’s one of the best streaming devices will depend entirely on how you feel about Roku’s onscreen interface. I am a fan. While I’ll dig into that a little more below, I find Roku’s software (and hardware) approach one that prioritizes convenience. It’s one of the reasons there’s still a need for external streaming players even though most contemporary TVs have their own built-in smart capabilities, which are usually not all that user-friendly.

The Roku Ultra (2024) is twice the price of Roku’s next most expensive streamer, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, and in the upper range of price when it comes to these types of devices. It’s still worth it, not to mention it’s ultimately not that expensive either. Plus, if you go cheaper, you could lose out on support for Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, HLG, and HDR10+, all of which are available here. The performance is speedy and the remote is about as good a remote as I’ve personally used. All it’s missing is a passthrough HDMI that might be a benefit in certain setups.

As far as the physical design, the Roku Ultra (2024) is about what one would expect from a Roku streaming player. It comes in the same matte black as all of the company’s products, with just a shiny “Roku” logo emblazoned on the top. There’s also a shiny patch on the front where its sensor resides and a little purple Roku tag on its right flank.

It’s fairly slim, only an inch in height (its full dimensions are 4.9 x 5 x 1 inches), and has just one physical button on the side that offers dual functionality, with one side used for power and the other triggering the “find my remote” feature. Pressing the find my remote portion will cause the remote to ping until you press a button to indicate you’ve found it.

The port selection is pretty streamlined, as is to be expected. There’s a single HDMI, an Ethernet port – Wi-Fi 6 is also available – and a USB-A port. The USB port is a nice addition as it will give you an on-unit port to charge the remote as it comes with a rechargeable battery.

Regarding the HDMI, I would have liked a pass-through HDMI port. Though this feature generally isn’t found on streaming devices, it would have made it easier to use the Roku Ultra as the main hub of a setup (for instance, if you have a gaming console).

On that note, if you have a relatively contemporary TV with HDMI eARC (I can’t speak to older ones), the Roku Ultra (2024) can be set up to automatically turn the TV on and off and also adjust volume levels. You don’t necessarily have to do any menu diving for this either, as it’s part of the streaming player’s setup to enable that feature.

Roku Ultra (2024) remote control — The Roku Ultra (2024) comes with a backlit remote control (Image credit: Future)

Now, let’s discuss the remote. This is not my first rodeo with the Roku Voice Remote Pro (2nd edition) that comes stock with the Roku Ultra (2024). I was a fan of the remote when I reviewed the Roku Pro Series TV and I’m a fan now.

It’s only different than Roku’s other remotes on close inspection as it keeps the general shape and layout. It has a USB-C port on its butt for charging, which is an upgrade from previous rechargeable remotes that used micro-USB, a form factor I’ve had general reliability issues with. It has a toggle on one side for hands-free voice support (more on that later).

The Roku Voice Remote Pro also has a couple of extra buttons on it. There’s a reprogrammable launch button that can be used if you want a shortcut to launch an app that doesn’t already have a dedicated button on the remote, or to quickly turn on/off closed captions, just for a few examples. There’s also a guide button that launches Roku’s live TV guide channel and four app-specific launch buttons for Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, and Prime Video.

My only gripe is that these should all be reprogrammable (in a perfect world) since not everyone is going to be subscribed to those four apps. But my remote complaints start and end there, as the fact that its keypad is backlit – it will automatically light up when you pick it up – is fantastic.

And the Roku hands-free functionality is nice. No longer do I have to press the “listening” button, though it’s still there, to use my voice to navigate the interface. I can just say “Hey Roku, launch Netflix” to launch Netflix. It’s not perfect that you don’t have to be very clear and concise about your requests, but it generally works very well.

As far as voice assistant support goes, the Roku Ultra (2024) is compatible with Roku Smart Home, Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple AirPlay and HomeKit. It also has Bluetooth support so you can pair headphones with it for late-night viewing.

As far as the Roku Ultra (2024)’s performance, Roku advertises its streaming device as “30% faster than any other Roku player.” While the company doesn’t advertise what the CPU is inside or even its speed, it definitely feels very speedy. The fact that it supports Wi-Fi 6, something other Roku streaming players don’t, will in and of itself contribute to the player’s faster response.

I was able to compare the Roku Ultra (2024) to the Roku Streambar for a baseline. Loading the Roku Channel on the Streambar took seven seconds and loading a movie took four. The Roku Ultra (2024) took four seconds to load the same app and one second to load the same movie. Even navigating through Roku’s interface is almost immediate.

There aren’t any holes in what the Roku Ultra (2024) supports as long as you don’t care about a 120Hz refresh rate – none of the external streaming players support that at the moment, however. What you do get is Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, HLG and HDR10/10+. None of the other Roku streaming players support all those formats. The next most expensive one in Roku’s lineup is missing Dolby Atmos, for instance.

Lastly, we need to discuss the interface. To start, setup is easy like it always is with Roku. As long as you know your Wi-Fi password and Roku account password, all you have to do is follow the steps on the screen. Creating a new account or resetting a password (like I had to do) is easy as well. Just make sure to have access to your email for doing so.

If you’ve used previous Roku devices registered to your email and had apps installed also registered to your email, those apps will automatically be installed and logged in once you’re done with the setup.

As far as the interface itself, the main page with all the apps listed is easy to read and as intuitive as an interface could be. Deeper features, settings and such are all listed on the left side, including a few new ones like the dedicated “Sports” page. Getting through those is also intuitive. Everything makes sense in where they’re listed. For instance, when going to the section for remotes and devices, all external devices that you might connect would be listed here, or connected through settings here.

There’s also plenty of Roku-related and free content available for those of us hurting from the ever-increasing app prices. The only slightly annoying thing is the Roku content ads on the right side of the screen or during a screensaver.

I’ve always thought of Roku as a convenience-first company where making products that are easy to interact with is the priority. That’s the case with the Roku Ultra (2024), too, but in this case, performance is also a factor.

Roku Ultra (2024) held in hand showing ports — Ports on the Roku Ultra (2024) include HDMI, USB-A, and Ethernet (Image credit: Future)

Roku Ultra (2024): Price and release date

Price: $99.99 (about £80 / AU$150)
Release date: September 2024

For whatever reason, Roku’s presence outside of the US is somewhat spotty. That means, at the time of writing, those in the UK or Australia will have to just look on in envy (or invest in a capable competitor).

The actual price is $99.99 (about £80 / AU$150) – at the upper price range for most streaming players outside of the Apple TV 4K – though it is already seeing discounts. That’s twice the price of the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, the next most expensive streaming-only player Roku makes (so excluding soundbars and TVs). You’ll have to decide if you care about Wi-Fi 6 support, Dolby Atmos, or the new backlit remote, which are all part of the Ultra package, but not the Streaming Stick 4K.

The new Google TV Streamer (4K) goes for the same price and has the same 4K, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ support, but not Wi-Fi 6 – a probable factor in how speedy these devices function. It does have a redesigned remote from the previous Chromecast players, so it’s to be seen how it compares to the new remote from Roku.

Of course, you can go a little cheaper and still keep most of the same support for HDR10+, Dolby Vision and Atmos with the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023), though Atmos is only available on select services. While it is cheaper at $59.99 / £69.99 / AU$119 (not including its many discounts), its OS is a bit heavy on Amazon Prime material, including a bunch of related ads, so keep that in mind with the price difference.

Roku Ultra (2024) remote held in hand — The rechargeable remote features a toggle button that lets you select the streamer's hands-free voice command option (Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the Roku Ultra (2024)?

Buy it if...

You want a really cool remote
I raved about it with the Roku Pro Series TV and I’ll rave about it here. The new remote is worth the extra cost, from the backlighting to the reprogrammable buttons to the “find my remote” feature.

You want speed
Whether it’s the Wi-Fi 6 support or some upgraded processor that Roku keeps under wraps, this is a speedy streaming player. You won’t have to wait for your favorite apps, shows, or movies to load.

You want support for all formats
Most streaming players support 4K at 60Hz these days. But only the more premium ones support HDR10+, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. And many don’t support all three, but the Roku Ultra (2024) does.

Don't buy it if...

You’re looking for a discreet streaming player
It’s not all that big, but it’s not going to tuck away the way a stick-type player will. If you want to go as minimal as you can, Roku’s Streaming Stick 4K or the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023) are almost as capable.

You’re looking to save money
The cost of the Roku Ultra (2024) is really not that high. It is, however, still on the higher end when it comes to streaming players. You can find capable options at less than half the price.

Roku Ultra (2024): Also consider

Apple TV 4K (2022)
Apple’s streamer has a similar box form factor and an equally zippy and responsive interface that’s easy to browse and doesn’t saturate you with ads. It’s recommended mainly for Apple fans and offers multiple features that work seamlessly with the company’s other products.

Read our full Apple TV 4K (2022) review

Google TV Streamer (4K)
Priced similarly to the Roku Ultra, the Google TV Streamer (4K) is Google’s update on its Chromecast streaming players, pumped with faster processing, 32GB of storage, and support for Dolby Vision and Atmos, HDR10+, and 4K. It doesn’t have support for WiFi 6E, unfortunately.

Read about the Google TV Streamer (4K)

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023)
If you prefer the type of streaming player that’s a bit more discreet, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023) is of the stick variety, as the name suggests, so it hides behind your TV. It’s still fast with Wi-Fi 6E, not to mention 16GB of storage and Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos support. It is very Prime-centric, however, and shows ads for Prime content every time it’s on idle.

Read our full Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023) review

Roku Ultra (2024) remote held in hand with TV in background — Luna gaming on the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023) (Image credit: Future)

How I tested the Roku Ultra (2024)

Used regularly for several weeks
Tested with all sorts of apps
Tested the remote

I used the Roku Ultra (2024) regularly for several weeks. I used it with Roku content, popular third-party content like Max, as well as free offerings from the company. I also spent time using the remote and its various functions.

I’ve tested a lot of tech gear over the years from laptops to keyboards and speakers, and so have been able to use my expertise towards giving an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.

Anker Nebula Mars 3: two-minute review

If you’ve been looking for a projector you can wow your friends with, the Anker Nebula Mars 3 might be the one. Despite looking like a monster-sized flashlight, the Nebula Mars 3 is a portable projector designed for use both on the go and at home. To that end, it has a built-in battery that lets it operate at full brightness for upwards of two hours, plus the Android TV smart TV platform for streaming and fairly beefy speakers, though they regrettably play in mono. It’s well constructed, and works effectively, letting you set it down and get up and running quickly.

Where the Anker Nebula Mars 3 really impresses is its brightness, which knocks it out of the park compared to most other battery powered examples of the best portable projectors. It’s not enough to challenge daylight, but it’ll sizzle at night. At just over $1,000, it has competition, and you can also find 4K models around that price, though few have the portability on offer here. You can also get better color from triple-laser options like the LG CineBeam Q or JMGO N1S Pro, albeit at a lower brightness for the LG and no on-the-go use for the JMGO.

If you’re planning to do most of your viewing at home, it’s probably worth getting a projector that skips the battery and puts more effort into picture quality. But if you want a robust all-in-one theater you can tote anywhere, the Anker Nebula Mars 3 is a commendable option.

Anker Nebula Mars 3 review: price and release date

Release date: July 2023
Price: $1,099 (around £850 / AU$1,645)

The Anker Nebula Mars 3 launched in 2023 and is now readily available in the US for $1,099. It can occasionally be found for less, however, and was $50 off at the time of writing.

Anker Nebula Mars 3 close up of lens — The Nebula Mars 3 features a sliding lens door and is IPX3 water resistant (Image credit: Future)

Anker Nebula Mars 3 review: Specs

Anker Nebula Mars 3 with hand opening ports cover — The Nebula Mars 3's rear-panel ports cover and flashlight feature (Image credit: Future)

Anker Nebula Mars 3 review: design and features

Built for portability and durability
Convenient on-device controls
Built-in speakers and Android TV operating system

The Anker Nebula Mars 3 follows Anker’s Nebula series design language, bearing considerable resemblance to the Nebula Cosmos 4K SE projector. That said, there are considerable differences that make the Nebula Mars 3 stand out.

This model is built for more of a rough-and-tumble, on-the-go lifestyle. It features a hardened case that can withstand half-meter drops and has IPX3 water resistance. The front has a sliding lens cover and the rear includes a rubber cover over the ports. A sizable, hard handle stretches across the top of the projector, extending from the front to the back. While it includes a remote control, the handle also has built-in controls for volume and navigation of the projector’s onboard operating system. Neither of these control options is quite perfect though, as the remote is fairly limited in what you can access with a single press and the built-in buttons lack many of the typical controls for navigating the projector’s Android TV smart TV interface.

A key part of the portable nature of the Anker Nebula Mars 3 is its ability to operate outdoors. To that end, the projector integrates a beefy battery geared up to run for anywhere from 2 hours at full blast to 5 hours in a dimmer Eco mode. To help you keep track of power, the handle has a ring of lights that display battery level. The projector can also double as a Bluetooth speaker or a flashlight. A three-speaker built-in audio system resides near the front. It can pump out a good deal of sound, though only in mono and the dynamics are fairly weak. Meanwhile, an LED light bar sits along the rear, stretching out above a large exhaust vent and below the port cover.

Since the Anker Nebula Mars 3 isn’t designed to have a permanent home, it has a small, adjustable stand underneath to help angle it up at projection surfaces wherever it’s ultimately set up. It also features a quick and effective system for automatically adjusting image focus, keystone, and framing.

The projector’s Android TV 11 smart TV system is a little dated, but still effective as a streaming platform. Like many other projectors, though, it doesn’t get the Play Store version of Netflix, instead relying on a sideloaded version that offers a generally sub-par experience. If you’re off the grid and don’t have internet, the projector has a USB-A port and supports local media playback.

To upgrade the audio experience, you can wire it up to external powered speakers using the AUX port or wirelessly pair it to a Bluetooth speaker.

Design and features score: 4/5

Anker Nebula Mars 3 Android TV interface projected on screen — The Android TV platform is used by the Nebula Mars 3 for streaming (Image credit: Future)

Anker Nebula Mars 3 review: picture quality

Good, but not exceptional picture
Decent color and detail
Enough battery power for a 2-hour-plus movie

The Anker Nebula Mars 3 features an LED DLP projection system rated for 1,000 lumens and 1080p resolution. That’s about what should be expected from a projector sitting at around $1,000.

Anker’s battery powered portable has a good-looking picture, but not an exceptional one. It isn’t the type of projector you’ll want if you’re viewing in a bright room, since its 1,000 lumens just aren’t enough to handle much ambient light. You might get by if you’re watching bright cartoons, but you really should be viewing with it in a dark space, and that extends to the outdoors as well. Controlling ambient lighting outdoors is even more difficult than indoors, and if you’re expecting a good viewing experience with lots of urban lighting present, you’ll be disappointed. That said, if you’re in a more rural area without much light pollution, the Anker Nebula Mars 3 should provide ample brightness after sunset.

The color you’ll get from the Anker Nebula Mars 3 is decent, but no match for triple-laser portable projectors like the LG CineBeam Q. It doesn’t feel utterly lacking or poorly managed, and a show like Ru Paul’s Drag Race still had plenty of visual spark when I viewed it. Colors have modest vibrance, but just don’t get the same level of pop I’ve seen from HDR-capable projectors reaching toward 100% coverage of the UHDA-P3 color space. The same is true of its resolution. At a projected image size of around 65 inches, the projector's 1080p image looks reasonably crisp, but go far above that and you will seeing more softness unless you sit further back. A larger image will also show an artifact of the projector’s DLP chip, which shows up as noticeable dithering (an effect like writhing small dots) when displaying dark colors over a large portion of the screen.

The projector has a motion smoothing setting buried slightly in the settings menu under the label MEMC that is set to on by default. While it can smooth out certain motions, it creates all sorts of distracting effects, especially in action sequences like those in Gladiator. It’s worth turning off, which results in more natural motion.

Many of the image trade-offs are a result of Anker needing to squeeze a battery in for the $1,099 price. And the battery makes it worth it. At full brightness, the Nebula Mars 3 was able to run for the entirety of a two-hour movie at 50% volume with a little over 20% charge to spare, which let it go for nearly 30 minutes longer. Annoyingly, if you’re nearing the end of your movie or show and the battery power starts to get low, your experience will be thoroughly interrupted by several low-battery warnings in a window that occupies a large portion of the display.

Picture quality score: 3/5

Anker Nebula Mars 3 on table with remote control and toy for scale — A remote control is included, and there are also controls located on the projector's handle (Image credit: Future)

Anker Nebula Mars 3 review: value

Great for portable use
Brighter than other compact portables
Better options for picture quality, but not portability

The Anker Nebula Mars 3 is an interesting package. It’s not a great home theater projector for the money, as there are far more appealing options available in the same ballpark. But it’s an overall decent projector and a powerful portable one. The Nebula Mars 3 is quick to set up, and can run for hours at a time. It’s a knockout next to something like the Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen, which has a portable setup with an optional battery pack but isn’t nearly as bright.

A competent projector you can bring anywhere and easily get up and running is something special, and the Anker Nebula Mars 3 nails the concept. It’s built to withstand surprises and has clever elements (like the lens cover and waterproofing) that let you easily grab it and go without worrying about a protective case.

Value score: 4/5

Anker Nebula Mars 3 close up of handle controls — The carrying handle control buttons (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Anker Nebula Mars 3?

Anker Nebula Mars 3 beaming image on screen — (Image credit: Future)

Buy it if...

You want an easy on-the-go projector: The key feature of the Anker Nebula Mars 3 is its ability to operate just about anywhere. Its handle is ready for travel and its battery lets it run for upwards of 2 hours at full brightness.

You’re rough with your gadgets: The Nebula Mars 3 isn’t indestructible, but it‘s a good deal more durable than other projectors. With hardware that can withstand 0.5-meter drops and rain, you can be a little more rough with this device.

You’re outdoorsy: The Nebula Mars 3 isn’t just a projector. It has a lamp that can come in handy at a campsite, and if you're not watching something, the built-in speaker can serve as a Bluetooth speaker. You can even use it as a power source for charging other electronics.

Don’t buy it if…

You’re never taking it outdoors: The Nebula Mars 3 is decent, but not exceptional when it comes to home theater viewing. You can easily get a cheaper projector with equivalent picture quality.

You want a really big, bright picture: The Nebula Mars 3’s 1080p resolution and 1,000 lumens brightness don’t really cut it for big-screen viewing unless you’re not picky about picture detail and have a dark viewing space.

You want great built-in sound: The Nebula Mars 3 has some hard limits when it comes to audio. Its built-in speakers are regrettably mono and there’s no optical digital or eARC ports to tap into higher-quality sound devices.

Also consider...

LG CineBeam Q
The CineBeam Q is absolutely tiny next to the Anker Nebula Mars 3, and it’s nowhere near as bright, but benefits from a far more colorful projection system, 4K visuals, and a much better streaming platform. For viewing in the dark, it can work wonders.

Read our full LG CineBeam Q review

Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen
Samsung’s The Freestyle 2nd Gen is a smaller, somewhat cheaper alternative, though that depends on any discounts. It has greater portability size-wise, but requires an external battery pack. Next to the Anker Nebula Mars 3, it’s kind of a toy projector.

Read our full Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen review

Xgimi Horizon Ultra
The Xgimi Horizon Ultra is just about as compact, but isn’t portable. Instead, you get a much higher class of home theater projector. It’s stylish, bright, colorful, and just an altogether more competent machine for more static setups.

Read our full Xgimi Horizon Ultra review

Anker Nebula Mars 3 auto focus test pattern — (Image credit: Future)

How I tested the Anker Nebula Mars 3

Tested at home in multiple, real-world viewing conditions
Presented the display with a variety of media and formats
I have tested numerous projectors and displays over the last half-decade

I tested the Anker Nebula Mars 3 at home, in real-world conditions. This saw it faced with ambient light coming in from numerous windows, in-room lighting, as well as ambient noise that both the projector and speaker systems had to overcome. The projector was tested both against a bare, white wall and an Akia Screens CineWhite screen. It was presented with streamed content, both HDR and non-HDR.

My testing evaluates the projector’s performance with respect to its price and competition from other models I and colleagues at TechRadar have tested.

I have been testing projectors since 2021 and displays for even longer.

First reviewed: November, 2024

Read TechRadar's review guarantee

Sonos Arc Ultra review: the best one-box Dolby Atmos soundbar for the price, with one grating flaw

9:00 pm | November 9, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Soundbars Televisions | Tags: Dolby Atmos, DTS, HDMI, TV | Comments: Off

Sonos Arc Ultra review: Two minute review

The Sonos Arc Ultra is the new flagship in Sonos’ soundbar line-up, and it takes everything that was good about the original Arc and cranks it up to the next level. Better Dolby Atmos effects, better bass, better speech clarity, better connectivity.

The Sonos Arc Ultra is a huge step up for music quality over the original Sonos Arc, and while it’s less of a jump up from the original with movies, it’s still a clear and obvious improvement, and ranks among the best soundbars.

Is it worth upgrading from the original Sonos Arc? I think that’ll depend on how much of a cinephile you are; I really appreciated the improved sound balance and the clearer speech, and the obvious improvement to Dolby Atmos effects positioning, and found it hard to go back – but the original Sonos Arc is no slouch, and more casual viewers may find the difference to feel less essential.

The Sonos Arc Ultra keeps the original’s biggest flaw, which is not having any HDMI passthrough port in an era when HDMI ports are becoming a bit of a premium, and effectively all its key rivals offer this. The lack of DTS is also a shame, but won’t be a big problem for most people. I still thoroughly recommend the Sonos Arc Ultra, but it just may not be the best fit for your setup because of its HDMI limitation.

For those wondering about Sonos’ app, I had no problems setting it up, playing with different configurations, and changing settings.

I’m reviewing the Sonos Arc Ultra as a single soundbar here, though I have tested it with the Sub 4 and rear speakers, and I’ll talk about that experience too.

I think the Sonos Arc Ultra gives you the best cinematic experience you can get from a single-unit soundbar for under $1000 / £1000. However, in the UK, you can get the Samsung HW-Q990D for around the same price during sales events, and if you’re happy having a four-box surround system, you’ll get a far more immersive experience. And Sony’s Bravia Theater Bar 9 is a key competitor around the world – it's a single-box soundbar like the Arc Ultra, but it offers the missing HDMI port, and with 4K 120Hz support, no less. It officially costs a lot more than the Sonos Arc Ultra, but sales season discounts bring it down to around the same price. It’s even bigger than the Arc Ultra, though.

Sonos Arc Ultra in front of a 55-inch TV — (Image credit: Future)

Sonos Arc Ultra review: Price & release date

Released on October 29, 2024
Priced at $999 / £999 / AU$1,799

The Sonos Arc Ultra is priced pretty well at $999 / £999 / AU$1,799, considering that other flagship one-box soundbars can be far higher, such as the $2,399 / £1,990 / AU$3,999 Devialet Dione, or the $1,399 / £1,399 / AU$1,795 of the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9.

Obviously, it's not cheap, and you can find the Samsung HW-Q800D for significantly less, but that's not a one-box soundbar, and building high-quality sound into a single unit that isn't huge (which the Devialet Dione especially is) is hard. For a premium soundbar, the Arc Ultra is competitive.

Sonos Arc Ultra review: Specs

Sonos Arc Ultra showing the Sonos logo

The Sonos Arc Ultra features the first use of Sonos' Sound Motion driver tech. (Image credit: Future)

Sonos Arc Ultra review: Features

9.1.4 speaker channels, with Sound Motion bass driver
All Sonos' usual special skills, plus Bluetooth
Dolby Atmos support, but no DTS

Much like the original Sonos Arc, this is a Dolby Atmos soundbar with HDMI eARC connectivity, Sonos multi-room wireless support, and optional voice control from Alexa or Sonos’ own more limited voice assistant.

The biggest new feature is the Sound Motion driver, which delivers big bass performance from a small speaker, and a generally improved speaker setup that now promises 9.1.4 channels of sound, compared to 5.0.2 from the original Sonos Arc.

There’s also Bluetooth connectivity in the Arc Ultra, which is a first for a Sonos soundbar, but is now standard on the best Sonos speakers at last, including the recent Sonos Era 100 and Sonos Era 300.

Naturally, the Sonos Arc Ultra works with Sonos’ Sub options (including the new Sub 4 as well as older models) and you can connect it to rear speakers for a real surround sound setup. The Arc Ultra is the first Sonos soundbar that doesn’t work with the Sonos Play:1 or Play:5 speakers – but it still works with Sonos One, Sonos Five, the Era models, or with two wired speakers connected to a Sonos Amp.

Sonos’ TruePlay room-tuning tech is here, and it’s finally available on Android in a new ‘quick’ version, which is also available on iOS. This new version will probably be preferable for a lot of people because it’s much easier. It uses the Arc Ultra’s own mic array to test your room using a series of pet-alarming tones, to adjust the system’s sound for better precision and Dolby Atmos surround effects. On iOS, it still asked me to hold my phone where I sit for a set of measurements there first, which is what the full TruePlay system does – but then I didn’t have to walk around the room waving my phone up and down.

The biggest flaw in the Sonos Arc is the lack of any HDMI passthrough ports. Most premium soundbars have more than one HDMI port – one to connect to your TV, and then at least one other that passes video through to your TV, so that you don’t lose the use of one of your HDMI ports for connecting consoles or other video boxes. This is doubly annoying in the majority of TV models available today, which only have two HDMI 2.1 ports for 4K 120Hz support at most, and the HDMI eARC is usually one of those ports, so you’re losing one of the most important ports. (Many LG and Samsung TVs have four HDMI 2.1 ports, so this is less of a problem, and in 2025 far more TVs will have four HDMI 2.1 ports thanks to a new chip from MediaTek – but that doesn’t help TVs today.)

Even ignoring the type of ports, four video devices is not an uncommon amount for people to want to connect to a TV here in 2024, and yet if you have the Sonos Arc Ultra, you can only connect three.

It’s so frustrating, given that it was a complaint I had about the original Sonos Arc when that launched in 2020. I’ve spoken to Sonos about the topic, and the company’s stance has been that HDMI passthrough adds complexity and it wants its soundbars to be as simple as possible. But that only holds true if someone doesn’t then have to deal with the headache of what a good solution is if they want to connect more devices than they have ports free, once the Arc Ultra is connected. I think Sonos has simply off-loaded the complexity to users. With an HDMI passthrough port, I’d have been seriously looking at giving the Arc Ultra a five-star rating overall.

The other notable issue is a lack of DTS decoding. This is not a big problem if your TV or playback device will decode DTS-HD to LPCM, as many will. I had a great time playing DTS-HD Blu-rays while testing the Sonos Arc, and getting the big, powerful, high-quality sound I was expecting. The lack of DTS:X is the more annoying part for purists, especially with it now used on Disney Plus for some movies, but it really isn’t a dealbreaker for the vast majority of people.

The Sonos Arc Ultra works with the audio-swap feature of the Sonos Ace headphones, so you can watch anything that plays on your TV with great spatial audio on the headphones to avoid disturbing others in the house – our Sonos Ace review has more on how well that works, but it’s not affected by the Sonos Arc Ultra's performance, so I won’t go into it here.

Features score: 4 / 5

Sonos Arc Ultra with Sonos Sub 4 and Sonos Era 300 speakers — I tested the Arc Ultra on its own, and with Sonos' complete Dolby Atmos setup. (Image credit: Future)

Sonos Arc Ultra review: Performance

Excellent dynamic range
Very strong Dolby Atmos effect
Very clear speech and detail

In my opinion, the Sonos Arc Ultra is the best-sounding single-box soundbar you can get for under $1,000 / £1,000. It delivers fulsome balance and exciting sound with clear speech, and superb height and width. The Devialet Dione maybe does this all better as a single-unit soundbar, but at around twice the price and twice the size, it’s a harder sell in several ways.

Dolby Atmos surround effects don’t seem like they’re coming from behind you, inevitably, but they do feel like they reach you when there are movement effects in particular. Height channels have motion and precision, despite being part virtual – Sonos claims four channels of overhead sound, but there are only two drivers, with the width drivers combining with the height drivers for a sense of four channels, and it works well.

Sound is layered very impressively in Dolby Atmos, with a sense of 3D positioning across the whole space in front of you.

Everything is an improvement over the original Sonos Arc. It’s not quite night and day, but it’s a clear step up anyway. That especially goes for speech clarity and Dolby Atmos effects in movies, with everything feeling just more expansive and more in the room than from the older soundbar.

I tried Sonos’ new and upgraded speech enhancement tools for the Arc Ultra, and they’re very effective, but they affect the sound balance (as do all such tools), and I found that I really didn’t need them anyway on the Arc Ultra. It’s a bit unoriginal to say that the speech in Christopher Nolan movies is hard to hear, but I tested the old and new Arc with them, and there was a big jump in legibility on the Arc Ultra that meant they really weren’t hard to follow any more (generally).

Surprisingly, the new bass driver didn’t create that big an effect compared to the original Sonos Arc in movies that already ramp up the bass, but it does help to make the sound feel fuller in general. It makes the bass that the Arc Ultra can generate better connected through to the mid-range, so the overall balance in low-end-heavy scenes is stronger – and just excellent overall. There’s a good dispersal of the bass so that it doesn’t feel too directional, and the impact is really pleasing for such a relatively compact soundbar.

The Sound Motion bass speaker did really jump out during music though. This actually was a night and day difference from the original Arc, with a massive improvement across the whole frequency range. For music, the original Arc sounded unclear and subdued compared to the Arc Ultra at the same volume. Having said that, I would still put the Arc Ultra essentially on par for music quality with the Sonos Era 300, which is half the price. It’s easier to fill out that sound when you can be thick and tall, unlike a soundbar.

Sonos Arc Ultra viewed from the side — (Image credit: Future)

Running TruePlay tuning helps the Dolby Atmos and finer details to come through more clearly, so I absolutely recommend it. There wasn’t a clear difference between the quick version and the full version in my setup, so as I mentioned above, the quick version should be all that most people need to bother with.

To repeat myself from the start of this section, I think the Arc Ultra delivers the best-value cinematic experience from a single-box soundbar. It’s the best combination of a demure design, effective sound reproduction and 3D effects, and a reasonable price given what it can do. More expensive soundbars may do better, but the audio package here is excellent.

I’m reviewing it as a single unit for all the scores here, but I also tested it with a Sub 4 and Era 300 speakers in Sonos’ full-power ultimate system. I also tested it with a Sub 4 only, and then slotted it and the Sub 4 into my existing setup using my Sonos One rear speakers.

Make no mistake – despite the Sound Motion tech being very impressive for bass, the Sub 4 adds a whole new dimension of bass you can feel, in frequencies the soundbar alone simply can’t touch. You will literally get more from your movies with a big sub, though obviously for a premium of $799 / £799.

In the full elite surround mode, with Era 300 units behind as well, you can really feel the overall power of the system. Even with one sub (you can connect a second to more fully spread the bass around) you can feel the power of the low frequencies everywhere, with excellent fullness through to the mid-range, and a clear separation of higher frequencies from that mix. It’s a really well-connected whole system, and testing against the Samsung HW-Q990C, I say you get a more satisfying overall sound profile from the Sonos setup. However, not by that much, considering you’ll pay a lot more for the Sonos system – it kind of proves why Samsung’s top-end soundbars are five-star products among the best Dolby Atmos soundbars. Still, for those with the ear, I think the Sonos system’s sound is superior.

Even with my Sonos Ones as rear speakers, I felt like I was getting a different sound profile from the rears (post TruePlay) than with my Sonos Arc and Sub Mini that I usually have. They felt punchier and with a little more bass added to them, perhaps to match the broader sound profile the bar is capable of compared to the original Arc. I feel that swapping the Arc for the Arc Ultra in my setup would be an upgrade, albeit one that I would enjoy as someone who’s obsessive over sound and setups – perhaps someone more casual about home theater wouldn’t find it to be as good value.

Performance score: 5 / 5

Sonos Arc Ultra volume control close-up — The concave volume control matches other recent Sonos releases. (Image credit: Future)

Sonos Arc Ultra review: Design

Very well made and subtle
Some key buttons hidden at the back
Shorter but wider than original Arc

The Sonos Arc Ultra is 18% smaller by volume than the original Sonos Arc, according to Sonos, and this manifests in it being less tall (which is very welcome) and less deep (also welcome for those with chunky TV stands, though it’s still somewhat deep because it has a chunky bar across the back). However, it’s actually wider than the Sonos Arc. It’s still good for TVs of 55 inches and up, though, and the shorter height can make a real difference with some TVs.

It comes in black and white, and the overall look is very simple and classy. A hard, curved grille covers the entire thing, and it’s good at just disappearing into the room, which is what most people will want. The new design seems to pick up fingerprints worse than the old one, so be warned if you’re fastidious and have handsy kids.

The button for activating Bluetooth pairing mode is on the back, which is inconvenient for a soundbar, especially if it’s wall-mounted. You can pair from the Sonos app instead, but it would be better still if the Bluetooth button was on top, for maximum flexibility – especially since the button layout here was redesigned anyway, including moving volume over to the right, for whatever reason. In the middle, you still have buttons to play/pause, and skip tracks.

The switch to kill the voice control mics is also on the back, and is turned on by default, so the privacy conscious should remember to hit this before getting it situated. Also on the back is an Ethernet port, and then the power and HDMI ports are on the sides of the bit port cutaway on the rear – just like the original Arc.

The Arc Ultra is wall-mountable and works on the same mounts as the original Arc, which is nice for upgraders – though some of the mount may be visible, due to the change in size.

Design score: 4 / 5

Sonos Arc Ultra rear, showing the mount and recessed connections. — The connections are all in that recessed area. (Image credit: Future)

Sonos Arc Ultra review: Setup & usability

Use Sonos app to get started
TruePlay is now easier, and very useful
Once connected to the TV, very little effort needed

If you have read or watched anything about recent Sonos releases, you will have seen strong opinions about the new Sonos app. We can’t post a video covering Sonos without a cascade of comments saying no one should ever buy Sonos again because of the state of the software. At launch, earlier in 2024, the app was missing a lot of features, and a lot of people had problems accessing or making changes to their systems.

At the time of writing this review, Sonos says that it has added 90% of the missing features back in, and is still committed to updates every two weeks to address bugs and performance while adding the remainder of the features.

I had no problems at all setting up the Arc Ultra at home through the app, making the settings adjustments I needed, and then adding/breaking multiple different surround setups while I tested different configurations of Sonos setups.

I did have trouble setting the surround system up in our office testing rooms, where the connection between the components would drop regularly – but this is pretty common on our office Wi-Fi outside of Sonos. I’ve had a problem getting Samsung’s soundbars to connect to register on the SmartThings app, and it can be difficult with smart home tech, so I don’t blame Sonos for this – but it’s only fair to note it if I’m going to dig into the experience. At home, on my normal mesh router setup, I had no problems at all.

The usability of Sonos’ soundbars continues to be a slightly mixed bag – I think if you designed an app for controlling a soundbar as its first priority, rather than playing music as its first priority, you probably wouldn’t bury settings like the Speech Enhancement that far down in the settings.

I’d love to see Sonos change how it approaches its Now Playing screen when you’re connected to HDMI, so it puts more emphasis on making settings available to you instead of a lack of artwork.

But setting it up was smooth, and most people won’t need to go back into the app, especially if you won’t connect other devices. As I mentioned, I found the speech clear enough without using the enhancement, and I didn’t think the EQ needed adjustment. TruePlay will be suggested as part of the setup too, and it worked with my remote (over HDMI-CEC, but infrared is also enabled by default) out of the box with no tinkering required.

Setup & usability score: 4 / 5

Sonos Arc Ultra with Sub 4 — The Sonos Arc Ultra with the Sub 4. (Image credit: Future)

Sonos Arc Ultra review: Value

Premium, but competitive price
As good sound as you can get for the price
Surround-ready products available around the same price

The Sonos Arc Ultra isn’t cheap, but if you want powerful, expansive, clear Dolby Atmos sound from a single inoffensively-designed soundbar, you can’t do better for the price – as long as you’re not tight on HDMI ports.

You can get a full surround setup for a similar price to this, but the core Sonos Arc Ultra is designed for people who don’t want to deal with having four boxes including a hefty subwoofer. And I think it’s the best, most cinematic single box you can add to your TV for the price, making it very strong value.

But as I say, if you’re already filling your HDMI ports, that value is harmed, because the Arc Ultra may create a new problem for you. For the price, it should really offer you the solution.

Value score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Sonos Arc Ultra?

Buy it if...

You want the best sound from a single-unit soundbar
At this price, and without extra satellite speakers, nothing beats what the Sonos Arc Ultra can do.

You want clearer speech and Dolby Atmos cinematic effects
The Arc Ultra is a big step up over the Arc for dialogue, and boosts Dolby Atmos positioning skill at the same time.

You want Sonos' extra skills
Part of a multi-room music system? Check. The ability to add other speakers in the future to improve the sound? Check. TruePlay room tuning? Sound check.

Don't buy it if...

You're short on HDMI ports
No HDMI passthrough really could be a dealbreaker.

You want the best value sound and could have more than one box
The Sonos Arc Ultra is very good value for a one-box system, but if you can live with more hardware, you can get bigger sound for the price.

You're a home theater purist about DTS
Sonos' continued lack of DTS support will irk those those with physical media in DTS:X.

Sonos Arc Ultra review: Also consider

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8
We didn't rave about this soundbar overall in our Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review, but it's cheaper than the Sonos Arc Ultra and offers 4K 120Hz HDMI passthrough, so it might be the most practical option for some people – or its more expensive sibling, the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 is the beefier-sounding option, but is pricier than the Sonos.

Sonos Beam 2
Want to go even more compact and have Sonos' options for expansion? The Beam 2 delivers surprisingly full sound for such a compact soundbar, and supports Dolby Atmos, but not with anything like the effectiveness of the Arc Ultra. But it's half the price, so swings and roundabouts – definitely read our Sonos Beam 2 review if you want to know more.

Samsung HW-Q990D
Look, if you can find this full Dolby Atmos surround system for close to the Sonos Arc Ultra's price, know that it will give you a truly mind-blowing Dolby Atmos home theater experience – as long as you can live with four boxes instead of one. We gave it five stars in our Samsung HW-Q990D review.

How I tested the Sonos Arc Ultra

Sonos Arc Ultra with original Arc in front of a TV — The Arc Ultra sitting on top of the original Arc. I didn't test it like that, obviously… (Image credit: Future)

Tested over a week
Tested at home, in my usual setup
Tested with Sonos surround configurations

For the crucial portion of this review, I used the Sonos Arc Ultra at home, in the same setup where I usually use the original Sonos Arc, so I had a good point of direct comparison. I directly compared the sound of the two bars to gauge the difference, but mostly I just used the Sonos Arc Ultra for my normal viewing, which included 4K Blu-rays and streaming. I listened in both lossless quality and compressed, as well as in Dolby Atmos, regular 5.1 surround sound, and in stereo.

As mentioned above, I tested the Sonos Arc Ultra on its own mainly, but also tried it with the Sub 4, and then with the Sub 4 and different Sonos rear speaker options.

I also tested a Sonos surround setup for a short time compared to the Samsung HW-Q990C in TechRadar's TV testing rooms. On our corporate Wi-Fi systems, I had connections problems that meant I couldn't do longer-term comparisons; at home, I use a Google Nest Home mesh Wi-Fi system and had no problems with the Sonos app or network connectivity.

First reviewed: November 2024
Read more about how we test

Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE review: this well-priced 4K smart projector just rocketed its way to the top of my wishlist

2:00 pm | October 27, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Theater Projectors Televisions | Tags: LED, TV, UK, US | Comments: Off

Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE: two-minute review

The Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE is a laser and LED smart projector capable of projecting 4K Dolby-Vision-enhanced imagery up to 200 inches. It was first released in the US, followed by the UK in August and September 2024 for a list price of $1,299.99 / £1,299.99.

It's cheaper than its predecessor, the Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K, which has an extra 400 ANSI lumens of brightness, and a full laser light source, compared to the 4K SEs laser and LED HybridBeam. The Nebula Cosmos 4K SE has plenty to boast about though, with Google TV built-in, offering effortless access to popular streaming apps like Netflix and Disney+, and many other useful apps, as one would expect from Google. There’s decent support for external content too, with HDMI and USB-C ports making it simple to connect a disc drive or laptop.

The Nebula Cosmos 4K SE has a stated brightness of 1,800 ANSI lumens – this is some way short of most of the best 4K projectors. Our testing didn’t provide results to get excited about, with measurements taken including 122 nits peak brightness, which wasn’t radically different from the BenQ v5000i, and grayscale accuracy of 8, plus a color accuracy of 3.4.

Coverage of the UHDA-P3 color gamut came in at 88.9%, with BT.2020 reading 76.3%. The input lag measured up, with 35ms of lag in Game Mode Standard, and 18.5ms in Game Mode Extreme.

A close-up of the lens and sensors on the front of the projector. — (Image credit: Future)

Real-time autofocus, auto keystone correction, and auto screen fit worked well when projected onto small targets, but I found I had to manually alter the four keystone points to get the image to sit centrally (just about) on my 100-inch screen. I could only watch at 60 inches, as I lacked the space to have the projector the required 7.8ft / 2.4 meters away from the screen. If you have your heart set on getting the full movie theatre experience without having to shell out on a house extension, I’d recommend taking a look at our pick of the Best ultra short throw projectors instead.

When it comes to the performance of the contrast and brightness when watching content, darker scenes in movies and TV shows with a dark aesthetic were plagued by pixelated grays where darker areas would otherwise be visible while watching on a TV. This isn’t entirely uncommon for projectors, as producing dense blacks is naturally difficult given how the image is generated, but I can’t say that it didn’t subtract from the otherwise fabulous viewing experience. Scenes in Damsel and Prometheus in particular showcased the Cosmos 4K SE’s ability to deliver stunningly vivid color and intricate details, no doubt thanks to the addition of Dolby Vision. This, along with the two built-in 15-watt Dolby-Audio-enabled speakers made watching movies and series with this projector a satisfyingly immersive experience. You can read further details about this in the Picture Quality section below.

In a nutshell, provided you have the space to achieve the screen size you want, you’re happy watching content in little more than a dim light, and you have the space to place this chonky example of a portable projector, I’d highly recommend the Nebula Cosmos 4K SE.

A close up of the silicone-lined handle. — (Image credit: Future)

Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE review: price and availability

List price: $1,299.99 / £1,299.99
Available in the US and the UK
Released in August / September 2024

The Nebula Cosmos 4K SE became available in the US in August 2024, followed by the UK in September 2024, at a list price of $1,299.99 / £1,299.99. Apart from the Amazon Prime Day sales, when it dropped to $999 / £999, which Anker matched on the Nebula website, the cost of the Nebula Cosmos 4K SE looks to have remained at its usual price. At the time of writing, the Cosmos 4K SE is not available in Australia.

While unlikely to be a spontaneous purchase at this price, the Nebula Cosmos 4K SE is still miles cheaper than all but one in our choice of the best 4K projectors.

Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE review: specs

Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE review: design and features

Google TV built-in
Large but technically portable
Efficient auto-correction and calibration features

The Nebula Cosmos 4K SE just about classes as portable, though it is a bit of a chonk, weighing in at 4.5kg /9.9lb, and with dimensions of 10.4 x 8.7 x 6.5 inches / 264 x 221 x 165mm. I was able to pick it up and carry it about, but I had to be careful about it. It would be even more of a hassle if it wasn't for the helpful, and comfortable silicone inbuilt handle that protrudes from the top of the projector body.

This projector is solely mains-powered, with no built-in battery or compatible battery pack. So while you might be able to carry it outside, you'll need to have access to a suitable power outlet for al fresco viewing.

The Nebula Cosmos 4K SE uses its HybridBeam, which is a combo of laser and LED, to generate images with up to a specified 1,800 ANSI lumens of brightness. The auto screen adjustment, auto keystone, and autofocus features did a great job of projecting images that were rectangular and crisp for the most part, especially when projecting onto smaller targets, which for me in particular was the wall space next to my bed. However, I found I was limited to just 60 inches when trying to watch on my 100-inch screen. This forced me to make use of the four-point manual keystone correction, as the Cosmos 4K SE insisted on fixing the 60-inch projection to the upper-left corner of the screen each time, which looked all kinds of wrong. After some investigating, I learned that the 4K SE needs to be at least 7.8 feet / 2.4 meters away from the target to project at 90 inches or above. I was using the projector in quite a large room, so this seems fairly limiting.

A close-up of the lense and the depth sensor. — (Image credit: Future)

Anker claims that it’s possible to watch a 60-inch projection in a well-lit room with windows and indirect daylight, but unfortunately, I must disagree. The issues I’ve already mentioned regarding the contrast and black density were when watching in darkness. When I tried to watch with additional light sources any stronger than the colorful LED strips behind my TV, this contrast issue got worse, and anything more than very dim sunlight made it very difficult to see most of what was going on in whatever I was watching.

Having a light source in the room also plays havoc with the Wall Color Calibration feature, which is intended to alter the coloring of the projection so that it still looks correct regardless of the color of the wall you’re projecting against. I tested this out in our TechRadar music room, which is painted a deep teal color. When I tried this with some indirect sunlight coming from the small window far over to the right on the same wall I was projecting onto, the “color corrected” image had an off-putting blue tint to it. When I repeated the calibration with the lights off, it worked perfectly, and I was really impressed.

The Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE's remote control sits on a stone-effect surface with a pink background. — (Image credit: Future)

I found the Nebula Cosmos 4K SE easy to control thanks to the backlit remote control's handy voice assistant feature, as I could ask Google to whisk me straight to the content I wanted. The Nebula Connect app also worked well as a remote control, too.

I love that the Nebula Cosmos 4K SE comes with Google TV built-in, as in my experience it has proven to be the most efficient Android TV OS by far. As expected, it provides access to all of the popular streaming apps like Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, and Apple TV, plus easy access to YouTube, naturally. It's simple to access content from external sources too, thanks to the USB-C input and the two HDMI ports, one of which is a HDMI 2.1 (eARC), supporting 4K visuals at 60 hertz, with lossless transmission.

When it comes to audio output, the Nebula Cosmos 4K SE has two built-in 15-watt speakers enabled with Dolby Audio. I didn't observe any issues with the sound quality during my testing, I was very satisfied with the quality. I would have picked up quite quickly if there were any issues that a typical user would notice – I've tested a lot of Bluetooth speakers in my time so I will spot from a mile off poor clarity or if the bass and treble are below par.

Design score: 4/5

Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE review: picture quality

Beautifully vivid color
Disappointing lack of contrast
Immersive cinematic experience

When I got my hands on the Cosmos 4K SE, I was really excited to try it out. I'd previously tested the Nebula Mars 3 Air back in my freelancing days, which I loved, so I was expecting big things from the 4K SE.

After letting it warm up for an hour, myself and my colleague James conducted tests to evaluate the projector's capabilities. The peak brightness, when viewing in Movie Mode and measured on a white 10% window pattern, was 122 nits in SDR, which isn't far off the peak brightness reading we got for the more expensive BenQ v5000i, and 119 in HDR, surpassing the reading we got for the BenQ.

The color performance figures that resulted from our testing didn't blow me away, but at this price and for casual viewing, I can forgive the Cosmos 4K SE for this. The projector achieved a Grayscale accuracy of 8, and a 3.4 for color accuracy, which was just a whisker off our target level of 3.

Coverage of the BT.2020 scored 76.3%, and the UHDA-P3 color gamut coverage was also nothing to shout about at 88.9% meaning that, although the colors were satisfyingly vivid, they weren't as rich and varied as those projected by the LG CineBeam Q, which gave an impressive reading of 98.7%. These test figures were obtained while viewing in HDR Movie Mode. The input lag in Game Mode Standard was 35ms, and in Gaming Mode Extreme was 18.5ms, which supports Anker's claims of the 4K SE being low latency with under 19ms of lag and should satisfy the majority of casual gamers.

A close-up of the projector's ports. — (Image credit: Future)

In terms of the brightness and contrast when viewing there were mixed results. In lighter scenes, the whites and colors were satisfyingly bright and dazzling, but the handling of the contrast in dark scenes left a lot to be desired. The first film I watched on the Cosmos 4K SE was Damsel on Netflix, starring Millie Bobby Brown. I can easily jump straight into all the positives, as I was stunned by the beautiful imagery that the projector delivered, but I'll get the negative out of the way first. It was clear fairly early on that there was a contrast issue.

When the main character Elodie enters a dark cave, all detail is lost around her, with stonework being replaced with grey pixelated sections. Achieving a quality deep black can prove difficult for projectors, especially those that don't possess full laser optical technology – with a 238:1 contrast ratio reading from the Cosmos 4K SE, it’s hardly surprising that it didn’t perform brilliantly in this area. Aside from this, there were so many scenes that took advantage of the projector's strengths, likely due to the presence of Dolby Vision. The scenes involving the luminescent grubs and the crystal caves were visually stunning, with the vivid colors and clarity making Damsel a delight to watch.

During the opening sequence of Prometheus, the level of brightness was impressive, as was the color density. The delicate details on the spaceship as it came in to land were visible and clear, as were the pores and veins on the Engineer's face. The level of intricacy in the DNA scenes when the strands were getting affected by the black pathogen highly impressed me too. The scene that really caught my attention, though, was when David has a drop of Chemical A0-3959X.91 on the tip of his finger. The close-up shots of this were visually stunning, so much so that I started to calculate quite how I could incorporate a projector screen into my living room on a permanent basis. Despite the darker scenes in Maleficent and Damsel noticeably lacking contrast, similar scenes appear to be handled better in Prometheus; they still weren't perfect, but darker details were more visible.

A close-up of the power button. — (Image credit: Future)

Despite my undeniable admiration of the Nebula Cosmos 4K SE, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who regularly enjoys programs with a darker aesthetic. Series like Marvel's Daredevil take a real hit due to the lack of good contrast, making the scenes appear grainy and low-quality.

In Avengers: Age of Ultron, playback was smooth during intense fight scenes, with the images remaining crisp and high quality, despite the fast movement. The detail is fantastic once again, with the intricate weave of the fabric of Hawk Eye's suit clearly visible.

Despite my undeniable admiration of the Nebula Cosmos 4K SE, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who regularly enjoys programs with a darker aesthetic, even when watching in the dark. Series such as Marvel's Daredevil take a real hit due to the lack of good contrast, making the scenes appear grainy and low-quality, which is a real shame considering the projector's fabulous performance in other areas.

Picture quality score: 4/5

Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE review: value

Good picture quality for the price
Delivers a satisfying at-home cinema experience
Uses Laser and LED hybrid optical technology

At $1,299.99 / £1,299.99, the Nebula Cosmos 4K SE is $400 / £400 cheaper than the previous model, the Nebula Cosmos 4K, despite the 4K SE having a large projection range, Google TV built in, and Dolby Vision. This price difference is likely due to the 400 additional ANSI lumens and, more importantly, due to the original 4K utilizing a laser light source, compared to the 4K SE's laser and LED HybridBeam, which could explain its lackluster brightness.

Overall, the viewing experience was fantastic when in a dimly lit room, and the sound quality was spot on. It was like having a pop-up cinema, with beautifully vivid colors and no problems with fast-paced scenes. The downsides can't be ignored, however, with a lack of contrast in some darker scenes when watching in the dark, and a distractingly bad lack of contrast and brightness issues when watching in the light, despite viewing at the projection size that Anker claims would be visible in a well-lit environment.

While it's pretty chunky, and not exactly an attractive addition to the decor unless it's situated in a casual TV and gaming den, it feels suitably robust for the price. While the size and weight initially made me question its apparent portability, this weight pales in comparison to other 4K projectors such as the Samsung The Premiere 9, and the carry handle definitely makes moving it about a simpler task. If the Nebula Cosmos 4K SE might upset your Feng Shui, then fear not, as more attractive alternatives are available, such as the LG CineBeam Q, which you can learn a little more about in the Also Consider section below.

Value score: 4/5

A close up of the front face of the projector. — (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE?

Buy it if

You don’t want to spend several thousand
While $1,299.99 / £1,299.99 is still a high price to pay, you get a lot of bang for your buck with the Cosmos 4K SE. Built-in Google TV, competent auto-correction features, and impressive imagery and sound are well worth the cost if you can spare it.

You want popular apps at your fingertips
The advantage of the built-in Google TV is the ease of the interface and the distinct lack of bug and lag-related issues that I’ve experienced with so many Android-based OS. It’s satisfyingly simple to get set up, so you can get to streaming content without the frustration.

You want an immersive cinematic experience
Picture this, relaxing comfortably in the dark, bag of popcorn in hand, as you watch a feature-length film in 4K on the big screen, all from the comfort of your own home. The stunning visuals and immersive sound the 4K SE delivers are worth splashing out on.

Don't buy it if

You want the big picture but have a small space
A short-throw projector the Cosmos 4K SE is not. You need at least 5.5ft / 1.69m of space to achieve a screen size over 60 inches, which, for me personally, is a must, as I love the big-screen experience.

You want an easily portable projector
While it wouldn’t be difficult to maneuver for most, this projector is big and weighty. The carry handle makes life easier, but if you’re going away for the weekend it’s going to take up valuable trunk space, and there’s no way you’d want to lug it around on public transport.

You don’t want to be kept in the dark
Although Anker claims that you can watch a 60-inch projection in a well-lit room and indirect daylight, I found that watching with just one small window a few feet from the projection on an overcast day caused the quality to reduce drastically, the projected image looked washed out, and darker scenes that lacked contrast in optimum conditions became practically invisible.

Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE review: also consider

Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K
The 4K SE’s older sibling is almost identical in size and weight, and while it doesn’t possess some of the more desirable features, such as Dolby Vision and Google TV, it’s brighter and utilizes laser DLP optical technology, rather than a laser / LED hybrid. Check out the full Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K review.

Hisense PX3-Pro
A far pricier option, but if you want a top-quality, ultra-short-throw projector, then this could be the one for you. It’s not portable like the other alternatives listed here, but it performed well in various lighting conditions, delivered bright, rich colors, and a higher standard of contrast when compared to the 4K SE. Why not take a look at the Hisense PX3-Pro review to find out more.

LG CineBeam Q
If you want a projector that’s not a space invader, and can even make an attractive addition to your decor, then the LG CineBeam Q would be a good fit. While it’s not perfect, with limited brightness and poor audio quality, it looks stylish, projects in good-quality 4K, and can provide access to popular streaming apps, whether you’re watching at home or on your travels. If this has piqued your interest, there's plenty more detail in the full LG CineBeam Q review.

How I tested the Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE

Tested at home and in the TechRadar music and TV testing rooms
Tested in different lighting conditions
Measurements were made using Calman color calibration software

I got the Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE setup and had an explore around the available features, apps, and settings. I tried out the various display presets to determine the most satisfying option for casual viewing. I watched several films, series, and online content to establish how well the projector handled the different aesthetics. I tested the visibility of the projection by watching in total darkness, minimal lighting, and daylight.

My colleague, TV expert James, and I, measured the white balance (grayscale), gamma, and color point accuracy using Portrait Displays’ Calman color calibration software. The results provided Delta-E values (the margin of error between the test pattern source and what’s shown on-screen) for each category, providing us with figures to assess the projector’s overall accuracy.

We also ran tests to obtain measurements of the peak light output in both standard and high dynamic range modes, and measured the coverage of DCI-P3 and BT.2020 color space, to obtain readings that determine how well the projector can render the extended color range. Finally, we measured the contrast ratio, determining the brightest white to the darkest black that the projector is capable of displaying, and the input lag, which is an important reading if you’re looking for a gaming projector in particular.

Sony UPB-X700 review: One minute review

The Sony UBP-X700 is an affordable 4K Blu-ray player ($199 /£199 / AU$369 at the time of writing six years on from its release) that supports Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks. It also supports a wide range of media, including 3D Blu-ray discs, SACDs, DVDs and CDs and has Wi-Fi for streaming from apps such as Netflix and Prime Video.

Performance-wise, the Sony UBP-X700 is an all-around brilliant player. It doesn’t quite manage the jack-of-all-trades excellence of the Panasonic DP-UB820, but it delivers superb 4K images with punchy color, accurate and refined textures and contrast up there with the best 4K Blu-ray players, especially when fed Dolby Vision discs. Upscaling is generally effective – more on Blu-ray rather than on the lower-resolution DVD format - and while it does enhance certain colors and applies some artificial cleaning to film grain, the UBP-X700 still offers excellent image reproduction, especially compared to the Panasonic DP-UB154 – a solid, similarly priced player.

The UBP-X700 effectively handles Dolby Atmos soundtracks and has balanced and accurate sound reproduction. CD playback is also effective.

The UBP-X700’s interface is easy enough to navigate, although a little on the plain side. A good number of settings for video and audio are provided. Design-wise, the UBP-X700 is compact, making it ideal for smaller spaces, though its physical design is plain – an LED display with playback info would have been welcome – and its remote feels very dated.

It’s tough to argue against the value of the UBP-X700 as it’s an overall fantastic performer for an affordable price. Pairing this with one of the best TVs, particularly one of the best OLED TVs such as the Samsung S95D or LG C4, will lead to a match made in heaven.

Sonu UBP-X700 home menu — The Sony UBP-X700's home page is a little on the plain side (Image credit: Future)

Sony UBP-X700 review: Prices & release date

Release date: January 2018
Prices: $199 / £199 / AU$369

The Sony UBP-X700 is a mid-range model in Sony’s 4K Blu-ray player lineup, sitting below the Sony UBPX-800MKII. At the time of its release in 2018, the UPBX700 was priced at $249 / £249 / AU$399.

Several years on prices have dropped overall, with the UBP-X700 sitting at roughly $199 / £199 / AU$369 at the time of writing, though it has previously sold for as low as $149 / £149 / AU$225.

Sony UBP-X700 review: Specs

Sony UBP-X700 rear connections panel — The Sony UBP-X700 offers a good number of connections, including dual HDMI and coaxial digital audio outputs (Image credit: Future)

Sony UBP-X700 review: Features

Dolby Vision HDR support
Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support
Built-in Wi-Fi and streaming capability

The Sony UBP-X700 supports 4K Blu-ray, regular Blu-ray, DVD and 3D disc playback. It also plays not only audio CDs but SACDs – a disc format the more premium Panasonic DP-UB820 and many other 4K Blu-ray players don’t support.

The UBP-X700 supports the Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range formats, but not HDR10+. For comparison, the cheaper Panasonic DP-UB150 supports HDR10+, but not Dolby Vision, while the pricier Panasonic DP-UB820 supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

For audio, the UPBX700 supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks (bitstream only) and can decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD soundtracks. There is also support for High-res audio file formats including ALAC, DSD and FLAC.

The UBP-X700 isn’t as well stocked with connections as more premium 4K Blu-ray players such as the DP-UB820, but has two HDMI ports – one for video and audio and one audio-only – as well as a coaxial digital audio output. There is also an Ethernet port and a front USB port. Built-in Wi-Fi allows access to streaming services including Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube, and there’s BBC iPlayer for UK customers.

In terms of performance, navigation was easy enough without any stutter or slowdown. A good number of settings are provided for both picture and sound, including a 4K upscaling setting with three different modes, a Digital Music Enhancer, audio dynamic range control and more.

One frustration I had involved the player’s Dolby Vision menu setting. With Dolby Vision turned on, the UBP-X700 indicated it was displaying Dolby Vision movies even when it wasn’t – even leaving it on when watching regular Blu-ray discs without HDR. I could see no obvious related picture issues, but it was still frustrating having to turn this on and off as there are some SDR-specific picture settings to improve quality which are locked when Dolby Vision HDR is activated. If you regularly switch between 4K and standard Blu-ray/DVDs, that’s something worth bearing in mind.

Features score: 4.5 / 5

Sony UBP-X700 with Panasonic MZ1500 connected with La La Land on screen — The Sony UBP-X700's color display is fantastic, filled with vibrancy as shown here on *La La Land* (Image credit: Future)

Sony UBP-X700 review: Performance

Short disc load time
Bold, vibrant colors
Effective 4K upscaling

The UBP-X700 demonstrated surprisingly short load time for a cheaper 4K Blu-ray player. Loading a disc into the disc tray to seeing the first logos on screen took roughly 30 seconds – some 5-10 seconds faster than the Panasonic DP-UB820 and nearly 30 seconds faster than the Panasonic DP-UB154.

For testing, the UBP-X700 was connected to a Panasonic MZ1500 OLED TV.

Starting with 4K Blu-rays, the UBP-X700 demonstrated excellent picture quality. In La La Land (HDR10 format) colors were bright and vibrant, with plenty of dynamic punch throughout. Colors with the Sony had a more vivid look than with the Panasonic UB820 and UB150, both of which had a more natural, subdued appearance. This isn’t to say colors were oversaturated on the UPBX700, but they definitely had a glossier look than on the Panasonic players.

I did notice during the ‘A Lovely Night’ scene in La La Land that the UBP-X700 favored a cooler color palette, accentuating the blues and purples of the night sky in the background. The colors were still accurate and crisp, but it’s worth noting.

Moving on to The Batman on 4K Blu-ray in Dolby Vision, the UBP-X700 demonstrated superb black levels and contrast, with the opening crime scene showcasing a great balance between the lights in the room and hallways and the darkened floors and walls. Shadow detail was also excellent, with details in clothing maintained even in the darkest shots.

Moving onto standard Blu-ray, I used the same scene from The Batman to test the effectiveness of the UBP-X700’s upscaling. Although it was not as good as the Panasonic UB820, the UPBX700 still did an impressive job. Textures were a touch softer and contrast wasn’t quite as good as you’d find on more premium players, but the Sony’s upscaling did improve the overall sharpness of the picture.

The UBP-X700 even did a decent upscaling job with a DVD of The Amazing Spider-Man, improving textures and colors. It was more effective here than the Panasonic UB154 but not as effective as the Panasonic UB820.

I also analyzed how much film grain the UBP-X700 left intact with older movies. Watching a Blu-ray of Thief, particularly shots at dawn in the opening, the UBP-X700 did maintain some grain but there was less present compared to the same scene played through the Panasonic UB820. I also found this to be the case when watching 4K Blu-rays of The Batman and La La Land. Film purists may want to make note of this.

For audio, I had no issue playing Dolby Atmos soundtracks through the UBP-X700. I also tested a CD in the UPB-X700 and found no issues with stutter or load times.

Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Sony UBP-X700 with disc tray open with La La Land loaded into tray — The Sony UBP-X700 has short loading times of under 30 seconds from when the disc is inserted to first logos appearing on screen (Image credit: Future)

Sony UBP-X700 review: Design

Very light and compact
No front LED display
Old-school, cheap remote

The UBP-X700 is a lightweight and compact player compared to the wider and deeper Panasonic UB820 and UB154, making it more versatile for smaller spaces. It feels less premium and uses cheaper materials than players such as the UB820, but looks and feels sturdy enough for the price.

One thing to note is there is no front LED display to notify of timing while watching a movie, a feature found on the Panasonic UB820. Timing and other info can be shown on your TV by pressing the info button on the remote, however.

The UPBX700 features two HDMI ports and a coaxial digital audio output alongside an Ethernet and a front USB port. This is a respectable number of connections and while it doesn’t match up to more premium players, it’s more than found on the budget Panasonic UB154.

The small supplied remote feels a little dated and cheap. While I wasn’t expecting a premium remote, I found the smaller buttons to be a little more difficult to use compared to those found on Panasonic player remotes.

Design score: 4 / 5

Sony UBP-X700 remote — The Sony UBP-X700 has a small, cheap-feeling remote (Image credit: Future)

Sony UBP-X700 review: Value

While the Sony UBP-X700 isn’t going to beat the workhorse-like Panasonic DP-UB820, it does offer great performance and a good number of features including Wi-Fi for streaming, which is a rare feature in an affordable player.

At $199 / £199 / AU$369 – even dropping as low as $149 / £149 / AU$369 – the UBP-X700 is great value for money and while it lacks the full HDR support of the Panasonic DP-UB820, Dolby Vision is an excellent feature in a cheaper player.

Value score: 4.5 / 5

Sony UBP-X700 with sunset on screen of Panasonic MZ1500 — Contrast in the Sony UBP-X700's picture is also very rich (Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the Sony UBP-X700?

Buy it if...

You want excellent picture quality: The Sony UBP-X700 produces excellent picture quality with any disc format, especially 4K Blu-rays with Dolby Vision.View Deal

You want streaming options: The Sony UBP-X700 supports Wi-Fi and comes pre-loaded with streaming apps such as Netflix if your TV doesn't support them.View Deal

You want bang for your buck: With everything it delivers, the Sony UBP-X700 is an excellent value 4K Blu-ray player.View Deal

Don't buy if it...

You regularly swap between different disc formats: An annoying setting means Dolby Vision needs to be turned on and off every time you switch from Dolby Vision-supported discs to unsupported ones. View Deal

You need HDR10+ support: While the Sony UBP-X700 does support Dolby Vision, it doesn't support HDR10+, a format supported by the Panasonic DP-UB820 along with Dolby Vision. View Deal

Also consider

Panasonic DP-UB820: The workhorse of the 4K Blu-ray player world, the Panasonic DP-UB820 covers all the HDR formats you need and delivers phenomenal picture quality, but is pricier than the Sony UBP-X700. If you can stretch your budget, the UB820 is worth the investment.
Read our full Panasonic DP-UB820 review View Deal

Panasonic DP-UB150/154 - Cheaper than the UBP-X700, the Panasonic DP-UB150/154 (name varies by region) is a capable 4K Blu-ray player that supports HDR10+. It doesn't support Dolby Vision and is lighter on features than the Sony UB-PX700, so only go for this if you're trying to save money.
Read our full Panasonic DP-UB154 review View Deal

Sony UBP-X800M2: The step-up model of the Sony UBP-X700, the UBP-X800M2 comes equipped with more features, somewhat improved picture quality and a sturdier design, but also a higher price. It's worth the upgrade if you can stretch your budget for the better performance. View Deal

Sony UBP-X700 settings menu on Panasonic MZ1500 — The Sony UBP-X700's settings menu (Image credit: Future)

How I tested the Sony UBP-X700

Tested using a variety of discs formats including 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD
Tested with Panasonic MZ1500 OLED TV

To test the Sony UBP-X700, I connected it to the Panasonic MZ1500 OLED TV, which supports Dolby Vision.

For picture quality testing, I primarily used reference scenes from 4K Blu-ray discs I use for testing TVs such as The Batman, La La Land, Top Gun: Maverick and more. I also used a Blu-ray version of Thief to test the UBP-X700's film grain accuracy.

I used standard Blu-rays and DVDs to test the UBP-X700's upscaling ability and a CD to test the UBP-X700's audio playback.

I also tested the UBP-X700's software by navigating through different menus, testing response times, and exploring the level of settings. I also streamed content via Netflix and BBC iPlayer to test the UBP-X700's streaming capabilities.

First reviewed: October 2024
Read TechRadar's Reviews Guarantee

Antennas Direct ClearStream Max-V Pro review: a powerful TV antenna for indoor and outdoor installation

10:47 pm | October 22, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Televisions | Tags: RF, TV | Comments: Off

Antennas Direct ClearStream Max-V Pro: Two-minute review

The Antennas Direct CleaStream Max-V Pro is about as powerful an indoor antenna as you can buy. Antenna gain matters for receiving more distant or lower-power broadcast TV stations, and that gain comes from multiple, large elements like those employed in the ClearStream Max-V Pro. Compared to the best indoor TV antennas, this is quite large at about 32 x 17 x 4 inches and is billed by Antennas Direct as an “indoor/outdoor” design, with both a wall-mount bracket and mast-mount hardware included. (No mast is included, but the company has several options available on its website.)

The Antennas Direct ClearStream Max-V Pro uses two double-loop UHF elements (the figure-8 shaped things) and a VHF element (the straight horizontal rod) to maximize signal-pulling abilities. All of this must be assembled out of the box, fixed to a central pod that holds a short output-cable “whip” terminated with a standard F-connector. Using supplied longer and shorter screws and plastic stand-offs, this requires only a screwdriver and should be doable by even the un-mechanically minded in 15 minutes or so, though the supplied instructions could be a lot clearer and more detailed.

The payoff, however, is the performance. The ClearStream Max-V Pro pulled in more stations from my semi-rural test location than any other indoor antenna I’ve tried – and that was without a signal amplifier, as none is included in the package. But remember, location and, especially, elevation is everything for antenna performance. My spot is about 700 feet above sea level, with clear line-of-sight to a variety of transmitters to the east, south, and southwest at distances ranging from 17 miles to more than 75 – a very nearly ideal location.

ClearStream Max V-Pro package on table — The basic ClearStream Max V-Pro package includes hardware for wall mounting (Image credit: Future)

While temporarily set in a second-story window facing southeast, the ClearStream Max-V Pro received 13 main-channel carriers, spanning that full range of distances, for a total of 48 main- and sub-channels combined. And this was with no signal amplifier. When I re-scanned with a ClearStream’s18 dB “Jolt-USB” amp in line ($25, or in a bundle with the antenna, mast, and other extras for $199), these totals went up to 15 and 64 respectively – close to the results delivered by the attic-mounted full-sized, multi-element outdoor-type antenna that normally serves this location.

Of course, the price for this performance is size and bulk, in an antenna that stretches the definition of “indoor” a bit: despite its less-angular, all-black design, the Max-V Pro is going to dominate any wall upon which it’s mounted. (The fact that the supplied wall-mount bracket is plain, unfinished metal doesn’t sweeten the deal much.) And then there’s the actual price: the Max-V Pro is two to three times the cost of typical indoor antennas.

That said, this is an antenna that will bring in nearly as many stations as possible in a far-suburban or fringe/rural location, especially if located higher up in an attic or roof/mast-mount setup. In such installations, an RF signal amplifier to maximize reception and overcome the losses from longer cabling should certainly be considered (ClearStream offers a bundle that adds a short mast, signal amplifier, and splitter for $50 more on its website).

ClearStream Max-V Pro on table — The ClearStream Max-V Pro uses two double-loop UHF elements (the figure-8 shaped things) and a VHF element (the straight horizontal rod) to maximize signal-pulling (Image credit: Future)

Antennas Direct ClearStream Max-V Pro: Price and release date

First available: March 2023
Price: $159.99 ($199.99 with mast and RF amplifier)

The Antennas Direct ClearStream Max-V Pro commands a premium price but delivers premium performance, especially when combined with the optional RF amplifier. If you're looking for a less expensive but similarly powerful option specifically for an indoor installation, check out the Antop HD Smart Bar AT-500SBS.

Close up of ClearStream Max-V Pro on table — (Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the Antennas Direct ClearStream Max-V Pro?

Buy it if...

You live in a fringe/suburban or semi-rural location: The ClearStream Max-V Pro offers maximum signal-pulling ability, especially when combined with the optional RF amplifier.

You want an indoor/outdoor antenna: The Max-V Pro is designed to be mounted both indoors and outdoors, though an outdoor installation will require paying extra for the optional hardware package.

Don't buy it if...

You’re on a tight budget: The Max-V Pro’s excellent performance comes at a cost, with even the base package priced considerably higher than other indoor antennas.

You don’t want to see your antenna: This is a large, somewhat bulky and imposing antenna that will be hard to conceal in an indoor location unless you install it in an attic.

Antennas Direct ClearStream Max-V Pro review: Also consider

Antop HD Smart Bar AT-500SBS
This antenna provides nearly the same performance as the ClearStream Max-V Pro but at a lower price. It's specifically designed for indoor installation and, like the ClearStream Max-V Pro, is large and bulky.

Read our full Antop HD Smart Bar AT-500SBS review

Winegard FlatWave Amped Pro TH-3000
This indoor antenna has a more discreet design than the ClearStream Max-V Pro and provides very good performance over a 60-mile range. At around $110, it's not cheap, but a useful installation app enhances its value.

Read our full Winegard FlatWave Amped Pro TH-3000 review

How I tested the Antennas Direct ClearStream Max-V Pro

Tested at semi-rural location
Compared with powerful "reference" antenna

I test indoor TV antennas at a semi-rural, hilltop location with good elevation and a clear line-of-sight over nearly 360 degrees to TV transmitters ranging from about 15 to about 70 miles. This testing environment gives me the ability to evaluate models catering to a full spectrum of indoor antenna needs.

For the testing process, I first place the antenna high up in a south-facing window and run the tuning process on a TV with an ATSC 3.0 “next-gen TV” tuner. I then record the number of carriers tuned, along with the total number of sub-channels. A powerful inside-the-attic rooftop-type antenna at the same location is also used as a reference for comparison.

Panasonic Z95A: Two-minute review

The Panasonic Z95A is the company’s flagship OLED TV, sitting above the company’s mid-range Z90A and entry-level Z85A in the company’s 2024 OLED lineup. There are two big changes for Panasonic TVs this year. The first is that the company has switched from its own My Home Screen smart TV interface to Amazon Fire TV. The second is that Panasonic has re-entered the US TV market, though the selection of models and screen sizes is more limited in the US than in the UK and Europe.

The Panasonic Z95A arrives stateside exclusively in a 65-inch screen size, though a 55-inch model is also available in the UK. Pricing is set at $3,100 / £3,899, putting the Z95A very much in the premium TV camp, but if you have the cash, its performance and features rank it among the best OLED TVs.

The Z95A’s 'Master OLED Ultimate' display panel uses the same micro lens array (MLA) tech found in the flagship LG G4 OLED TV and features a new HCX Pro AI Processor MK II to enhance HDR tone mapping, color accuracy, detail, and motion handling. Images on the Z95A are bright, with strong contrast and rich color – it looks every part the premium TV.

Sound is also a standout Z95A feature. It has a 5.1.2-channel 160W speaker system with front and side-firing speakers, along with up-firing ones to deliver Dolby Atmos height effects. The Z95A’s sound is powerful and immersive enough that you could easily get away without using one of the best soundbars, and there’s also a clever and effective Sound Focus mode to ensure people sitting off-center still get great sound. It's probably the best TV for sound if money is no object. Packing in so many speakers adds to the TV’s bulk, but its design is otherwise appealing and it sits on a sturdy circular stand that can swivel in either direction.

The Z95A’s Fire TV interface isn’t the best smart TV platform, because it’s edged out by more sophisticated systems like LG’s webOS and more streamlined ones like Roku, but it gets the job done for streaming and features a new Ambient Experience that displays a wide range of pre-installed images when the TV is in sleep mode and also lets you upload your own images as well as create new ones using AI. There are plentiful settings to dial in the TV’s picture and sound – perhaps too many depending on your level of patience for tweaking.

Gaming is well represented on the Z95A, which has two HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 144Hz, VRR (including Nvidia G-Sync and AMD Freesync Premium), and Dolby Vision Gaming (up to 144Hz). A Game Control Board menu overlay lets you make quick gaming-related settings, and it can be assigned to the remote control’s My App button for easy pop-up access.

The Panasonic Z95A earns its high price compared to even the best TVs, and if you want a single unit that delivers elite sound as well as pictures, it's hard to beat. But the magnificent Samsung S95D is available for a lot less, so you need to want its particular mix of sound and visuals.

Panasonic Z95A review: Price and release date

Panasonic Z95A OLED TV showing image of a landscape — (Image credit: Future)

Release date: 4 September 2024
65-inch: $3,100 / £3,899
55-inch: NA / £2,999

Panasonic’s Z95A is the company’s flagship OLED TV for 2024. It is available in 55- and 65-inch screen sizes in the UK and 65 inches in the US. Panasonic TVs are not sold in Australia.

The Z95A series sits above the company’s Z85A series, which is available in 55- and 65-inch screen sizes in both the US and the UK, with the 65-inch model priced at $1,799 / £2,499.

As a flagship OLED TV sold in both the US and the UK, the Z95A’s key competitors are the Samsung S95D ($3,399 / £3,399) and LG G4 ($3,399 / £3,299) – however, both those TVs are available for much less than their asking price now. You can find them both for around $2,600 / £2,600, so they offer a big saving compared to the Z95A.

Panasonic Z95A review: Specs

Panasonic Z95A review: Benchmark results

Panasonic Z95A review: Features

Panasonic Z95A OLED TV back panel ports — The Z95A has two HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 144Hz support. (Image credit: Future)

MLA OLED panel and HCX Pro AI Processor MK II
Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ adaptive HDR
Two HDMI 2.1 inputs with 4K 144Hz support

The Panasonic Z95A features a 'Master OLED Ultimate' display panel equipped with the same brightness boosting micro lens array (MLA) tech used in LG’s G4 OLED TV, along with a heat-management configuration developed in-house by Panasonic engineers. It also has Panasonic’s new HCX Pro AI Processor MK II, which uses dynamic 3D LUTs (Look-Up Tables) to display accurate colors in bright and dark images and a 4K Fine Remaster and Smooth Motion Drive Pro feature to enhance detail and motion clarity.

The Z95A has comprehensive HDR support, with Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+ Adaptive, and HLG all accounted for. In the US, this is the only OLED TV range to offer both advanced HDR formats (in the UK, Philips does as well). A Filmmaker Mode with intelligent sensing optimizes that picture mode for a range of room lighting conditions using the TV’s built-in sensors, and there’s also a Netflix Adaptive Calibrated Mode that’s meant to accurate display programs streamed from Netflix.

Sound quality is given special attention on the Z95A, which features '360 Soundscape Pro tuned by Technics.' This basically is a built-in 5.1.2-channel 160W speaker system with a dedicated center speaker and up-firing drivers for Dolby Atmos height effects. There are extensive settings for tuning the Z95A’s sound, and it has a beam-forming feature that lets you direct the TV’s sound output with Pinpoint, Area, Spot, and Ambient modes.

For its new TVs, the Z95A included, Panasonic has swapped its unloved My Home Screen smart TV platform for Amazon’s Fire TV. This uses a Voice Remote with Alexa for control, and it now features the Fire TV Ambient Experience, which lets you add various information widgets to the TV’s ambient mode screensaver, and even create your own custom images using generative AI.

Gaming is also a highlight of the Z95A, which supports 4K 144Hz, VRR (including Nvidia G-Sync and AMD Freesync Premium), and Dolby Vision Gaming (up to 144Hz) and also has a Game Control Board pop-up menu for making quick gaming-related settings. The Z95A only has two HDMI 2.1 inputs, however, which is less than the four HDMI 2.1 ports we look for on the best gaming TVs.

Features Score: 4.5/5

Panasonic Z95A review: Picture quality

High brightness for an OLED TV
Excellent overall picture quality
Anti-reflection screen

With an OLED MLA panel similar to the one used in the LG G4 OLED TV, I expected the Panasonic Z95A to have similarly high brightness and my measurements proved that. Brightness on a 10% HDR white window pattern in Filmmaker Mode was 1,495 nits and a full-screen pattern measured 221.8 nits. Those numbers match what we measured on the G4, though they fall a bit short of the Samsung S95D’s 1,688 nits and 318 nits in the same picture mode.

In other measurements, the Z95A’s UHDA-P3 color gamut coverage in Filmmaker Mode was 97.0 and its BT.2022 coverage was 72.5%. Again, those results match what we measured on the LG G4, though the Samsung S95D with its QD-OLED display panel managed full P3 coverage and an impressive 87.9% BT.2020 coverage. Grayscale and color accuracy (see “How I tested” section for details) in the same mode were 3.3 and 1.7, respectively – again matching the G4’s performance.

The Z95A did a good job upconverting standard-definition broadcast TV channels, and high-definition ones looked super-clean and finely detailed. The TV’s anti-reflection screen also effectively reduced glare from overhead lights in my room when I had them switched on. With sports such as football, the Z95A displayed punchy colors and crisp-looking highlights, though I preferred the TV’s Normal picture preset here rather than Filmmaker Mode, which looked comparatively muted with non-HDR content including broadcast TV.

One note about Filmmaker Mode on the Z95A: The intelligent sensing feature it uses automatically turns on the TV’s ambient light sensor for adjusting picture brightness based on room lighting. For this reason, I preferred to use the True Cinema preset when available, which has similar settings to Filmmaker Mode minus the intelligent sensing.

Another picture mode worth discussing is Netflix Adaptive Calibrated Mode, which needs to be enabled in the TV’s picture setup menu. When streaming Ripley from Netflix, I strongly preferred the TV’s Netflix Adaptive Calibrated Mode to its Dolby Vision Dark mode, which compressed highlight and shadow detail to a degree. Otherwise, I used Dolby Vision Dark for viewing most programs with Dolby Vision HDR, making tweaks to the Black Level and Black Expansion adjustments in the Brightness menu to optimize pictures.

The Z95A’s bold, detailed color reproduction is beautiful for movies such as I Saw the TV Glow, which regularly uses a neon-like color palette in dark, nighttime scenes. Watching one such scene where smoke billows out from an ice cream truck, the bright green of the truck and the lurid purple smoke looked vivid and intense.

Motion handling is also impressive on Panasonic’s top OLED TV. When I watched a scene from No Time to Die where James Bond traverses a rocky hilltop cemetery, there was only a faint level of judder visible as the camera tracked his motion, and details in the landscape remained intact. And the same thing held for sports, with a Bills vs Ravens football game looking completely solid and blur-free.

As you’d expect from a flagship OLED TV, blacks looked deep and there was a high level of shadow detail visible in dark images from shows like The Penguin on Max. As mentioned above, I found myself regularly making adjustments to the TV’s advanced brightness settings to dial this in just right, but even without making black-level tweaks, shadows generally were well-defined.

Picture quality score: 5/5

Panasonic Z95A review: Sound quality

Panasonic Z95A Sound Focus screen — The Z95A's Sound Focus interface. (Image credit: Future)

5.1.2-channel 160W speaker system
Effective Dolby Atmos presentation
Sound Focus mode

Panasonic calls the Z95A’s built-in speaker system '360 Soundscape Pro tuned by Technics.' This is a 5.1.2-channel 160W array that uses dedicated left, center, right and side-firing speakers, along with a pair of up-firing drivers for Dolby Atmos height effects and a built-in subwoofer plus two passive bass radiators. A subwoofer output jack is also provided on the TV if you want make a hard-wired connection to an external sub.

Packing that many speakers into the TV’s frame adds to its depth and height, with a thick grille running beneath the full width of the screen where the front speaker array is located. And while it increases the TV’s bulk, the benefit to the Z95A’s audio hardware is that it can play loud and clear enough that you can easily do without a soundbar.

Dialogue is consistently clear, and Atmos soundtracks have a true sense of spaciousness, with sound effects such as rain falling in a scene from I Saw the TV Glow literally sounding like they were falling from the ceiling. Bass depth and impact is very good for a TV, and it noticeably improved after running Space Tune, a feature that uses the mic built into the remote control to analyze your room’s acoustics and adjust the sound accordingly.

Along with Space Tune, another key audio feature is Sound Focus, which lets you adjust the direction of the sound for off-center seating. There are four settings, Pinpoint, Area, Spot and Ambient, which each one providing a different range of soundfield width. To test it out, I selected Pinpoint and adjusted it to align with a seating position at the far end of my sofa, and the TV’s sound clearly shifted 30 degrees over from the center. Impressive!

Sound quality score: 5/5

Panasonic Z95A review: Design

Panasonic Z95A TV close up of stand — The Z95A's circular swiveling stand. (Image credit: Future)

Sturdy, swiveling stand
Wide array of input and control ports
Flimsy remote control

OLED TVs typically have a thin form factor, but at 2.7 inches (69mm), the Z95A’s frame is necessarily deep owing to its built-in 5.1.2-channel speaker array, and there is a wide grille running along the bottom of the screen where the TV’s front-firing speakers are located. It’s balanced on a sturdy, swiveling stand, which is a great feature if you want to position the TV’s screen to accommodate different seating situations.

The Z95A has an impressive array of input and control ports. There are four HDMI ports (including two HDMI 2.1), optical digital and 3.5mm headphone/subwoofer audio outputs, two powered USB, and an antenna input for the TV’s ATSC 3.0 digital TV tuner (US-only). On the control side, it has an Ethernet port and IR blaster output.

Panasonic’s remote control is disappointing given the Z95A’s otherwise premium build quality (and price!). It’s the same type you’d get with any cheap Amazon Fire TV set, with a thin plastic case, limited button array, and no backlighting. Its main feature is a blue button at the top to summon Alexa for voice commands, which, to be fair, is a key feature of the Fire TV smart TV platform.

Design score: 4/5

Panasonic Z95A review: Smart TV and menus

Panasonic Z95A Fire TV smart interface — Panasonic has switched to the Amazon Fire TV smart interface for its 2024 TVs. (Image credit: Future)

Amazon Fire TV is great for streaming service support
Fire TV Ambient Experience with AI image generation
Extensive picture and sound adjustments

Amazon’s Fire TV smart TV interface hasn’t changed much since we reviewed the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED. The home screen is divided up into a top panel with ads, mostly for shows on Amazon’s Prime Video and Freevee free TV platforms and other streaming services, while a grid of recommended movies and TV shows takes up the bottom half. In between is a horizontal bar with a row of apps that you can customize, along with Inputs, My Stuff, Search, and Live tabs.

When on the Live screen, you’ll find a wealth of options, including news channels and other live TV programs that are free to stream. You can also select a grid format that displays a cable TV-style time-based guide that can be populated with programs available on local broadcast TV channels when using an antenna.

The Fire TV Ambient Experience is a recent addition, and it’s one of the platform’s most appealing features. When the TV hasn’t been in use for a certain period of time (you can specify how long in the setup menu) it will display a curated range of images and artworks, or your personal photos (via the Fire TV Photos app after uploading using the Amazon Photos app on your phone). You can add weather, news, sticky notes, and other widgets to the Ambient screen, and even create your own images using AI. Be careful with this, however: I prompted Amazon’s AI with “clowns juggling pineapples on a soccer field,” and the terrifying image it generated cannot be unseen.

One area where Fire TV on the Panasonic goes well beyond Amazon’s own TVs is the picture and sound settings, which can be accessed by pressing a gear icon button on the remote control. There are extensive picture presets, including numerous ones to adjust HDR tone mapping and black detail in dark images. The same goes for sound settings, which include a range of Sound Field Creation options, Space Tune room EQ, and the Sound Focus mode described above in the Sound Quality section. If anything, there may be too many options provided for tweaking the TV’s picture and sound.

Smart TV & menus score: 4/5

Panasonic Z95A review: Gaming

Panasonic Z95A Game Bar screen — The Z95A's Game Control Board pop-up menu. (Image credit: Future)

Two HDMI 2.1 ports
Game Control Board menu
12.6ms input lag

The Panasonic Z95A provides two HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K 144Hz, VRR (including Nvidia G-Sync and AMD Freesync Premium), and Dolby Vision gaming (up to 144Hz). While we generally look for four HDMI 2.1 ports on high-end TVs to accommodate multiple gaming consoles plus a soundbar connection, the Z9A’s excellent built-in sound makes its limited HDMI 2.1 port count less of an issue.

A nice gaming feature on the Z95A is its Game Control Board pop-up menu. This can be activated via the setup menu when in Game mode (it can also be assigned to the remote control’s My App button), allowing you to make gaming-related picture adjustments such as Dark Visibility.

The Z95A’s input lag as measured with a Leo Bodnar 4K Input Lag meter was 12.6ms. That’s a perfectly good result, although the best TVs for gaming typically yield a result under 10ms.

Gaming score: 4/5

Panasonic Z95A review: Value

Panasonic Z95A remote control held in hand — Panasonic's remote control is notably flimsy for a premium-priced TV. (Image credit: Future)

Priced higher than premium OLED competition in practice
Good mid-range OLEDs available for much less
Great performance and features enhance the value

At $3,100 / £3,899 for the 65-inch model, the Panasonic Z95A sits at the premium end of the TV price spectrum, beyond even the LG G4 and Samsung S95D due to their price cuts.

You can now buy a mid-range 65-inch OLED TV such as the LG C4 for around $1,699, and it will also have great picture quality plus a better overall set of gaming features. Paying more for a flagship OLED TV such as the Z95A will get you better picture brightness, however, and that’s going to make a difference when viewing in rooms with a high level of ambient lighting, and it also gives 4K movies with HDR a more dynamic look.

Ultimately, the Z95A ranks the same for value as its flagship OLED competitors. Like them, it has powerful built-in audio for a TV – but here it's further cut above the rest – and when you combine that with its top-notch picture quality and features, it’s a sound investment if you can afford it.

Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the Panasonic Z95A?

Panasonic Z95A Live TV grid guide — The Z95A's Live TV grid guide. (Image credit: Future)

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if…

Panasonic Z95A review: Also consider...

How I tested the Panasonic Z95A

Panasonic Z95A OLED TV showing colorful abstract image — (Image credit: Future)

Tested over the course of two weeks
Measurements were made using Calman color calibration software
A full calibration was made before proceeding with subjective tests

When I test TVs, I first first spend a few days or even weeks using it for casual viewing to assess the out-of-box picture presets and get familiar with its smart TV menu and picture adjustments. I next select the most accurate preset (usually Filmmaker Mode, Movie or Cinema) and measure grayscale and color accuracy using Portrait Displays’ Calman color calibration software. The resulting measurements provide Delta-E values (the margin of error between the test pattern source and what’s shown on-screen) for each category, and allow for an assessment of the TV’s overall accuracy.

Along with those tests, I make measurements of peak light output (recorded in nits) for both standard high definition and 4K high dynamic range using 10% and 100% white window patterns. Coverage of DCI-P3 and BT.2020 color space is also measured, with the results providing a sense of how faithfully the TV can render the extended color range in ultra high-definition sources.

I used the Calman ISF workflow, along with the TV’s advanced picture menu settings, to calibrate the image for best accuracy after I'd assessed its out-of-the-box performance. I also watched a range of reference scenes on 4K Blu-ray discs to assess the TV’s performance, and 4K HDR shows streamed from Max, Netflix, and other services.

You can read an in-depth overview of how we test TVs at TechRadar for more information.

First reviewed: October 2024
Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

JMGO N1S Pro 4K review: a solid and versatile portable projector

10:10 pm | October 4, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Theater Projectors Televisions | Tags: DLP, HDR, Star Wars | Comments: Off

JMGO N1S Pro 4K: One minute review

The JMGO N1S Pro 4K ($1,999) is a portable projector that uses a triple laser DLP light engine and is rated for 2,400 ANSI lumens brightness. It has Google TV built-in for streaming, allowing for easy access to apps including Netflix, Disney Plus, and Prime Video. It’s pricier than some of the other best portable projectors, such as the LG CineBeam Q and BenQ X300G, but offers a good mix of performance and features.

The JMGO N1S Pro 4K’s effective auto keystone and focus features, plus 135 degree vertical and 360 degree horizontal adjustments, make it easy to set up anywhere. Its looks may be fairly standard, but it’s hard to argue against its versatility.

Picture quality on the N1S Pro 4K is pretty solid. Colors look vibrant and natural. Contrast is rich, albeit better in bright scenes, and details and textures are refined. But it’s the N1S Pro 4K’s built-in sound that pleasantly surprises, with punchy bass, clear dialogue, and good directional sound. The sound quality is perfect for casual viewing, and an HDMI eARC port also gives you the option to add one of the best soundbars.

While the N1S Pro 4K isn’t going to topple the best 4K projectors on the market, it’s still a very good projector that can cover many bases, from movies to games and more.

JMGO N1S Pro 4K with city landscape on screen — The JMGO N1S Pro 4K delivered strong picture quality across the board (Image credit: Future)

JMGO N1S Pro 4K: Prices & release date

Release date: 2024
Price: $1,999

The JMGO N1S Pro 4K is the mid-range model in JMGO’s N1S range, sitting above the JMGO N1S and below the JMGO N1S Ultimate 4K. It’s available in the US for $1,999, a similar price to other portable projectors such as the BenQ X300G ($1,799), but higher than the Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE and LG CineBeam Q, both priced at $1,299.

Image 1 of 2

JMGO N1S Pro 4K with Google TV on screen — (Image credit: Future)

The JMGO N1S Pro 4K has Google TV built-in

Image 2 of 2

JMGO N1S Pro 4K ports — (Image credit: Future)

JMGO N1S Pro 4K has two HDMI ports, including one with eARC

JMGO N1S Pro 4K: Design & features

Plain, but solid and sturdy design
Triple laser DLP light engine
Google TV

The JMGO N1S Pro 4K is a robust, solidly built portable with a hinged design that lets you aim it towards an adjacent wall or the ceiling. Its plain, matte gray appearance doesn’t have the same flair as other portable projectors such as the LG CineBeam Q, and measuring in at 8 x 9.3 x 9.5 inches (H x W x D), it isn’t as portable. But it’s still easy enough to tote around, with a styrofoam carry case provided. There is no battery power option for the N1S Pro 4K, which needs to be plugged in.

The JMGO N1S Pro 4K uses a triple laser DLP light engine and has a brightness rating of 2,400 ANSI Lumens. It fits screens ranging from 85-180 inches and has auto focus and auto keystone correction, which I found to be fairly effective. Moving the JMGO back and forth, it was able to easily correct itself on the 80-inch screen I used during testing. Manual keystone correction is also available.

The N1S Pro uses Google TV as its smart platform, providing access to Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus and more streaming apps. There are two HDMI ports, including one with eARC to connect a soundbar, a USB-A port and a 3.5mm headphone output. Bluetooth and Chromecast are also supported for wireless streaming from a phone or tablet.

Support is provided for the HDR10 high dynamic range format, but not Dolby Vision like the Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K. Standard Dolby and DTS soundtracks can be played through its 20W speakers, but Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are not supported.

Design & features score: 4/5

JMGO N1S Pro 4K with butterfly on screen — The JMGO N1S Pro 4K's picture is at its best with bright and colorful images (Image credit: Future)

JMGO N1S Pro 4K: Picture & sound quality

Natural looking color
Middling black levels and contrast
Solid built-in audio

For testing, I used an Optoma 80-inch, 1.0 gain matte white projection screen. Before doing any critical viewing, I made brightness measurements using a 10% HDR white window pattern. The N1S Pro 4K yielded 178 and 161 nits in Standard and Movie mode, respectively, with brightness set to maximum. This is a very good result that puts it above the likes of ultra short throw projectors such as the BenQ v5000i, which achieved 125 nits in Bright mode, and also above the LG CineBeam Q, which measured 60 nits in Filmmaker Mode.

Measuring the N1S Pro 4K’s UHDA-P3 and BT.2020 color gamut coverage in Movie mode, it achieved results of 99.1% and 97.4%, respectively. The latter falls short of the 110% claimed by JMGO, but is still an excellent result that beats the likes of the more premium Samsung Premiere 9 ultra short throw projector.

I next watched some reference 4K Blu-rays and streaming clips that I regularly use to analyze the best TVs. The N1S Pro 4K displayed natural, yet dynamic color throughout my testing. In the throne room fight from Star Wars: The Last Jedi, a scene filled with strong reds, the N1S Pro 4K did a great job displaying the vibrant color and also delivered a surprising level of punch in HDR highlights. Watching the opening scene of La La Land, the colors on show all looked bold without being oversaturated, and Mia’s yellow dress in the ‘A Lovely Night’ scene looked vivid against the dark blue and black background.

Details were accurate and refined with the N1S Pro 4K, primarily in brighter scenes. Textures had a more lifelike quality than I anticipated, with close-up shots of pilots in Top Gun: Maverick revealing facial hair and skin pores.

JMGO N1S Pro 4K with The Batman on screen — Darker scenes sometimes suffered from black crush with the The JMGO N1S Pro 4K (Image credit: Future)

Black levels and contrast were a mixed bag. Viewing The Batman, a visually challenging movie with limited brightness and a gloomy overall look, the N1S Pro 4K displayed good shadow detail and contrast in the few ‘well-lit’ scenes such as an aerial shot of Gotham. The balance between light and dark tones was also fairly accurate in the movie’s opening crime scene.

However, blacks looked more of a dark gray in The Batman’s more dimly lit sequences, even when viewed in a darkened room. Despite solid contrast, black crush in the opening crime scene resulted in a loss of detail, with darker shadows taking on a flat appearance.

The N1S Pro 4K also struggled with motion. Sports benefitted from the projector’s MEMC setting being turned on, but there was still some blur present. Movies looked better, but I did see some judder in the long panning shots in Top Gun: Maverick.

The projector’s built-in speakers were a pleasant surprise, delivering punchy bass and clear dialogue regardless of what I watched. In The Batman, the rumbling of car engines in the Batmobile chase scene sounded weighty and some surround effects such as crashes and tires could also be heard. Even in La La Land, musical numbers sounded well-balanced. The soundstage was unsurprisingly limited, but overall the N1S Pro 4K’s speakers were good for a portable projector.

Gaming is limited to 4K 60Hz on the JMGO, which has a measured input lag time of 35ms. While that’s significantly higher than other projectors such as the BenQ v5000i, which gave a result of 18ms, gaming was still an enjoyable experience, with Battlefield V on Xbox Series feeling smooth when I scanned the environment.

Picture and sound quality score: 4/5

JMGO N1S Pro 4K remote — (Image credit: Future)

JMGO N1S Pro 4K: Value

Good features and performance
Built-in Google TV
Pricey

Priced at $1,999, the N1S Pro 4K sits at the premium end of the portable projector market. It costs $500 less than its more premium sibling, the JMGO N1S Ultra 4K, but over $700 more than both the BenQ X300G and LG CineBeam Q. It’s undoubtedly a pricey portable.

For the money, however, you’re getting a versatile, smart 4K projector. Google TV allows for easy streaming and the auto keystone and focus settings make setup a breeze. When you combine that with its impressive overall performance, the JMGO N1S Pro 4K comes across as fairly priced.

Value score: 4/5

JMGO N1S Pro 4K carry case on table — The JMGO N1S Pro 4K comes in a styrofoam carry case. Although portable, it is on the weightier side (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the JMGO N1S Pro 4K?

Buy it if...

You want a great picture
The N1S Pro 4K's picture has bold color and rich detail, especially with HDR sources. View Deal

You want solid built-in sound
The N1S Pro 4K's speakers won't beat a soundbar, but they provide enough clarity and bass heft to please casual viewers. View Deal

You want versatility
The N1S Pro 4K can be set up in a range of positions that make it good for not only watching movies but other uses as well.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You want the best possible picture
The N1S Pro 4K's black levels and contrast can be inconsistent and sometimes result in detail loss.View Deal

You're on a budget
The N1S Pro 4K offers a lot for the money, but there's no getting around its high price tag. View Deal

You watch a lot of sports
Motion can be a challenge for the N1S Pro 4K, with some judder and blur still present even after tweaking motion settings. View Deal

Also consider

BenQ X300G
The BenQ X300G is a better 4K projector for gaming than the N1S Pro 4K and delivers similar brightness and solid picture quality, though the N1S Pro 4K has better built-in sound. They cost roughly the same, but the X300G takes the win by being priced at $200 less.

Read our BenQ X300G reviewView Deal

LG CineBeam Q 4K Projector
The CineBeam Q offers better style, portability and value than the N1S Pro 4K, but doesn't have the same brightness or screen size options.

Read our full LG CineBeam Q reviewView Deal

Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K projector
The closest rival to the N1S Pro 4K, the Nebula Cosmos 4K offers similar smart features, brightness and performance. However, the Nebula Cosmos demonstrated some odd processing quirks, especially with HDR pictures, when we tested it. It is cheaper than the N1S Pro 4K if you're looking to save money.

Read our full Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K reviewView Deal

JMGO N1S Pro 4K with testing equipment attached — (Image credit: Future)

How I tested the JMGO N1S Pro 4K

Mostly tested in dim or pitch black conditions
Tested using HDR and SDR sources
Portrait Displays' Calman color calibration software used for measurements

I tested the JMGO N1S Pro 4K using an Optoma 80-inch, 1.0 gain matte white screen. I first did casual viewing to establish its most accurate picture mode – in this case Movie mode – before moving on to critical testing.

I used both standard-definition and high-definition content, as well as 4K streaming and Blu-rays to test the N1S Pro 4K's picture quality, focusing on brightness, color, black levels, contrast, motion, upscaling and detail. For 4K Blu-rays, I used the Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray player.

I also tested the N1S Pro 4K's gaming capabilities using an Xbox Series X.

For objective testing I made measurements using a test pattern generator and colorimeter, recording the results with Portrait Displays' Calman color calibration software. I also measured the N1S Pro 4K's input lag using a Leo Bodnar 4K HDMI input lag tester.

For a more detailed explanation of how we test TVs at TechRadar, check out the link.

First reviewed: October, 2024
Read TechRadar's review guarantee

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: a competent performer struggling to be heard in a crowded market

3:32 am | October 1, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Soundbars Televisions | Tags: Dolby Atmos, HDMI, Sony Bravia, TV | Comments: Off

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8: One-minute review

When Sony announced its 2024 AV lineup, it wasn’t just its TVs that received a more straightforward naming system, but its soundbars too. This year, the potentially tricky-to-remember model numbers have been replaced with a much simpler Bravia branding. The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 replaces the HT-A5000 as the company’s mid-range model – sitting below the Theater Bar 9 and the Bravia Theater Quad four-speaker audio system – and arrives with the aim to be one of best soundbars.

As with the HT-A5000, this latest model is a standalone Dolby Atmos soundbar. There are no wireless rear speakers included, nor is there a wireless subwoofer, but these can be added as optional extras if you wish to create an even more immersive surround sound experience. Despite the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 cramming 11 speakers into its slimline body to create a “bubble of sound” in Sony’s words, we would recommend true movie buffs consider adding at least a subwoofer to handle the low-end.

The Bar 8 is smaller than its predecessor – by some 30% – and is low in height, meaning it slots effortlessly in front of a TV. Connectivity is good rather than great with just two HDMI ports, one of which is eARC to connect to your TV. Thankfully, however, the other HDMI input is the 2.1 standard and it supports 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz passthrough, meaning you can confidently connect external devices including games consoles and 4K Blu-ray players. Elsewhere there is Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth for streaming music.

While some may expect more from a soundbar that costs $999 / £999 / AU$1,499, where connections or additional rear speakers are concerned there’s no denying the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 does an excellent job of boosting the sound of your TV. Although as for true Dolby Atmos it does fall a little short of the competition. The company’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping tech does work in creating phantom speakers, but we found during our testing that the soundfield was more of a half-dome as opposed to a full-dome covering an entire room.

We also found that the Bravia Bar 8 performed at its best in small to medium-sized rooms, as it seemed to lack the power to fill a larger open space. Adding the optional rear speakers and/or a subwoofer will undoubtedly help (we didn’t have them for this review), but the total cost of such a package adds up to far more than tried and tested complete Dolby Atmos soundbar packages, despite the Bravia Bar 8 receiving what seem to be permanent price cuts globally (as of September 2024, it's typical street price is generally around $849.99 / £799 / AU$1,249).

So while it might not be the outright best option for your main TV viewing room, the Sony Bravia Bar 8 can certainly find a spot in a bedroom or smaller TV room. The only question you’ll need to ask yourself is if you’d rather opt for the Sonos Arc. It doesn’t cost that much more than the Sony, handles music better and has the added potential benefit multiroom functionality.

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Price and release date

Launched in July 2024
List price of $999 / £999 / AU$1,499
Has received price cuts since launch

The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 was announced in April 2024 and went on sale in July 2024 in the US, UK and Australia for $999 / £999 / AU$1,499. That puts it right in the firing line of the Sonos Arc, which also goes without a wireless subwoofer or rear speakers included.

It’s less than the MSRP of the Samsung HW-Q990D – our current favorite Dolby Atmos soundbar on our list of the best soundbars – although recent price drops against Samsung's soundbar make it approximately the same price as the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 in most regions.

Samsung’s flagship bar comes with a wireless subwoofer and rear speakers included, although the rears do require constant power. Sony’s selection of optional rear speakers run off rechargeable batteries and so could prove to be a more appealing option for anyone short on power outlets in their room.

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Specs

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Features

5.0.2 speaker channels
Phantom speakers for extra 'virtual' channels
HDMI 2.1 with 4K 120Hz support

Top-down view of the Sony logo on the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

As you’ll find with soundbars from the likes of LG and Samsung, the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 can connect to a Sony TV from 2021 or newer and use it as a center channel via Bravia Acoustic Center Sync. It would have been nice for this to have worked via HDMI – whereby the soundbar should be able to detect it’s connected to a Sony TV – but you have to connect them together using the included cable. If you don’t own a Sony TV, but your TV has an S-Center speaker input, you can take advantage of this feature via the same 3.5mm cable wired connection (the 3.5mm port on the rear of the Bravia Bar 8 can only be used for this feature and can’t be used as an input from external devices).

There are only two HDMI ports on the Bravia Bar 8, and with one needed to connect to a TV via eARC, there is just one spare for external devices. Fortunately, this input does support 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz passthrough and gamers will appreciate that it supports auto low latency mode (ALLM) and variable refresh rate (VRR). Having just one spare HDMI input shouldn’t alienate too many users, but the previous HT-A5000 had two spare, so it’s peculiar as to why Sony has dropped one this time around.

Setting up the Bravia Bar 8 is incredibly easy. Simply connect it to your TV via the aforementioned HDMI port, open up the Bravia Connect app on your iOS or Android device and connect it to your network. Once done, you’ll want to run a calibration to ensure the soundbar is optimized for your specific room. It’s a process that only takes around 20 seconds and sees the soundbar emitting various tones to determine the acoustics of your room to optimize the sound output based on your usual seating position.

Image 1 of 3

Rear view of the HDMI, DTS:X and Dolby Atmos logos on the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 — (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Image 2 of 3

Picture of the remote control supplied with the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 soundbar — (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Image 3 of 3

Picture of the remote control supplied with the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 soundbar, being held in a hand — (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

There’s no option to manually adjust speaker channel settings as you can with other soundbars such as the Samsung HW-Q990D, but you can choose from three height modes – lower, default and higher – and three different sound field settings. The default option here is Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, but you also have the option of DTS Neural:X or Dolby Speaker Visualizer. You can also turn the sound field mode off entirely if you wish (I’ll discuss the effects of this further down in the performance section). And, when rear speakers are connected, the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 can deliver an IMAX Enhanced certified audio presentation.

There aren’t any sound modes along the lines of ‘Movie’ or ‘Music’, which is an interesting omission, and there’s also very little mention of AI being used. The only AI-related feature of the Theater Bar 8 is to detect human voices and make them clearer via “AI sound separation”.

If you want to play music through the Bar 8, you can do so via HDMI, Bluetooth, Spotify Connect or AirPlay 2. Hi-Res audio is supported from compatible sources along with Sony’s LDAC wireless codec. You can also stream songs mixed in Sony’s own 360 Reality Audio via Amazon Music Unlimited.

Features score: 3.5/5

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Performance

Powerful with genuine height
Bass handling would benefit from a dedicated subwoofer

With 11 speakers inside the bar, including two up-firing and two new side-firing drivers, the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 is certainly capable of delivering powerful, expansive sound into your room. But expansive doesn’t necessarily mean enveloping, as I found it to produce more of a half-dome of sound rather than a complete bubble to include sounds coming from behind my viewing position.

I began my testing in a smaller room of the house, with the soundbar connected to the Sony Bravia 8 OLED TV and a scene from The Incredibles streaming on Disney Plus – the part where the children are in the jungle escaping from Syndrome’s henchmen. There was obvious height and width to the sound, with the flying saucer-like vehicles shooting across the screen and up above the listening position when they went off screen.

Image 1 of 2

Wide view of the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 in front of the 65-inch Sony Bravia 8 OLED TV — The Bravia Theater Bar 8 nestles perfectly in front Sony's own 65-inch Bravia 8 OLED TV. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Image 2 of 2

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 soundbar with feet attached and sitting over the feet of the Sony Bravia 8 OLED TV — Optional feet can be attached to the Bravia Bar 8, so that it slides over the feet of 2024 Sony Bravia TVs. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

For the majority of my testing, I had the height sound setting set to ‘higher’ as it provided the most immersive experience. I toggled between ‘default’ and ‘lower’ settings but found both to have a negative impact on the movie I was watching. I wasn’t personally able to find a scenario where either of these settings would be useful when watching a film.

Sony says the Bravia Bar 8 is capable of bouncing sound off the ceiling to create phantom speakers behind the listening position, but I wasn’t able to distinguish these during my testing. Dedicated rear speakers would no doubt alleviate this, as they’ll be on hand to actually deliver sound from behind the viewing position.

Dialogue was notably impressive, however, coming through crystal clear even when the volume was turned up. I also found the Voice Mode – activated within the Bravia Connect app or on the supplied remote control – did indeed give dialogue a boost without sacrificing too much of the rest of the soundtrack. And as for the Bravia Bar 8’s bass handling during the same scene in The Incredibles, I was pleasantly surprised by the depths it could go to, especially given the absence of a wireless subwoofer.

But, those same opinions didn’t translate over to the chase scene in The Batman – I loaded up a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on a PlayStation 5 and was left a little disappointed. The engine growl from the Batmobile was lacking impact and the chase as a whole lacked excitement. The bass output from the Theater Bar 8 is good, but it was apparent it had a limit to its capabilities. A subwoofer would help here as it would take away much of the low-end duties from the soundbar, leaving it to focus on other tasks.

A positive to come from this sequence, however, was that bullets fired at the Batmobile’s windows did pierce through the presentation, which is something I’ve found other soundbars such as the Sonos Arc can falter on.

View of HDMI connections on the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 — There are just two HDMI 2.1 connections on the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 soundbar, one of which is reserved for an eARC connection. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

I also streamed music to the Bravia Bar 8 via AirPlay from my iPhone using Amazon Music Unlimited. I loaded up a few tracks that had been mixed in Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format, but that were also available in Ultra HD – Amazon’s version of Hi-Res – so I could switch between the two.

Put simply, songs streamed in the latter format sounded much better. Miley Cyrus’ Flowers, for example, was delivered with extremely good vocal clarity and decent low-end bass when streaming in the Ultra HD format. Having the soundbar’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping soundfield selected also added some extra expanse to the performance, resulting in something that was perfectly enjoyable and listenable. However, switching it to the default setting did yield a more natural-sounding performance.

It wasn’t such good news when moving over to the 360 Reality Audio version of the same song. Bass was essentially eradicated and the overall performance sounded tinny and not too dissimilar to a very cheap Bluetooth speaker. I tried to fix it by turning off the soundfield setting, but it didn’t make a huge amount of difference, other than removing any notion of height from the song.

Performance score: 3.5/5

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Design

Premium build with cloth wrapping
Suits 55-inch to 75-inch TVs
A front display would be nice

Sony’s website claims the Bravia Theater Bar 8 outputs sound in a 5.0.2-channel configuration – the same as the Sonos Arc – but we’ve also been told directly from Sony’s product managers that this isn’t so definitive. This is because the sound output will be different for every room, as Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology calibrates the output on a room-by-room basis. Plus, it makes use of phantom speakers with the intention of creating a bubble of sound.

The Bravia Theater Bar 8 is pretty attractive by soundbar standards. It measures 1100 x 64 x 113 mm, making it slightly shorter than a 55-inch TV (which roughly measures 1200mm). I had it setup in front of a 65-inch Sony Bravia 8 OLED and a 77-inch LG G4 OLED TV (top image) during my testing and in both instances it looked perfectly fine, meaning it would be well-suited to be placed in front of a 75-inch TV, too. Coincidentally, 55-, 65- and 75-inch are the three sizes the Sony Bravia 8 OLED TV is available in and, to further highlight how both 8-series TV and soundbar are ideal partners, Sony includes a set of feet in the box with the soundbar to raise it slightly so that it can slide over your TV’s feet if your TV bench isn’t deep enough to accommodate both.

Image 1 of 3

A picture of the optional feet for the Sony logo on the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8

Sony supplies optional feet and screws to attach to the bottom of the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 soundbar. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Image 2 of 3

The optional feet attached to the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 — (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Image 3 of 3

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 soundbar with feet attached and sitting in front of the LG G4 OLED TV — (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

If you want to add rear speakers to the Bravia 8, you have a choice of the SA-RS3S or SA-RS5, although only the latter pair features dedicated up-firing speakers. As for subwoofers, you can pair the Bravia Bar 8 with either the 200W SA-SW3 or 300W SA-SW5.

The entire soundbar is covered in a cloth fabric which means when you’re watching TV the soundbar’s top panel won’t reflect the screen above it.

Close-up image of the front LED indicator on the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 soundbar. — A small LED is the only indicator for power and input. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

One feature I would have liked to see is a proper front panel display for information such as current input or even volume level. There are two small LEDs on the front right of the Bar 8, one to indicate when you’re adjusting the volume and one to indicate the current source. An HDMI device shines white, for example, while Bluetooth is expectedly blue. For more information relating to volume level and source input, you need to open up the Bravia Connect app.

Design score: 4/5

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Setup & usability

Quick sound calibration
Bravia Connect app and remote for easy control
HDMI eARC connection to TV

Screenshots taken from the Bravia Connect app when connected to a Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 soundbar — (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Setting up the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 is a relatively straightforward affair. All you need to do is connect an HDMI cable from the soundbar to your TV (Sony supplies one in the box), wait for it to register and you’re away. You’ll need to turn to the Sony Bravia Connect app for iOS and Android to get it connected to your home Wi-Fi network and to carry out the speedy sound optimization calibration.

A remote control is supplied too, for those moments when you don’t want or need to use the app. There is a central button for volume control (you can’t press and hold to turn the volume up and down), along with a dedicated button to adjust the bass level, turn the soundfield mode on or off (but not toggle through them), and toggle voice mode and night mode. The Bar 8 does work via HDMI-CEC, allowing you to adjust the volume using your TV’s remote control.

Setup & usability score: 4.5/5

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Value

Premium price
Similarly-priced competitors include rear speakers and subwoofer
Not a class leader

While it launched at $999 / £999 / AU$1,499, the Bravia Theater Bar 8 appears to have received a regular discount in all territories, seeing its price drop to $849.99 / £799 / AU$1,249. In the US at the time of writing, it can be picked up with a further discount of $150. At its MSRP, the Bravia Bar 8 was immediately pitted against the Sonos Arc, which we consider to be one of the best standalone Dolby Atmos soundbars and which does outperform the Sony.

Now it appears to have received a price cut, it’s a more appealing option and somewhat helps stomach the extra cost for a wireless subwoofer and/or wireless rear speakers, should you want to add them. Considering its performance isn’t quite at the level we were expecting, it’s not the obvious choice for anyone looking to create a Dolby Atmos experience at home.

Our current pick for the outright best Dolby Atmos soundbar is the Samsung HW-Q990D, which can regularly be found for much less than its launch price in all territories. If you have one of Sony’s 2024 Bravia TVs, then the Bravia Theater Bar 8 is a natural pairing, but for anyone else, the Samsung soundbar still gets our vote.

Value score: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8?

Buy it if...

You want a simple solution for a smaller room
The Bravia Bar 8 will struggle to fill a large space, but if you want boosted TV sound in a smaller room or bedroom, it's worth an audition.

You want a full-range soundbar that supports Dolby Atmos
The Bravia Bar 8 can indeed deliver a expansive soundstage with good object placement, and it has the option of additional hardware to create a complete system.

Don't buy it if...

You want an authentic Dolby Atmos experience
Without the rear speakers or subwoofer included, the Bravia Theater Bar 8 can't deliver a true Dolby Atmos experience, despite its best efforts through calibration techniques.

You own Sonos speakers
This may sound strange, but if you already own Sonos speakers such as the Era 100 or Era 300, you're better off getting the Sonos Arc. It has the same speaker configuration as the Sony, but can be paired with speakers to create a full home theater. Plus, it handles music more confidently.

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Also consider

Sonos Arc
It’s been mentioned throughout this review for good reason. The Sonos Arc doesn’t cost much more than the Sony Bar 8, yet delivers a more authentic and immersive audio performance. It’s much better with music and has the obvious additional benefit of being able to be added into a larger multiroom system.

Read our full Sonos Arc review

Samsung HW-Q990D
You may need to pay a little extra to pick up Samsung’s latest Dolby Atmos soundbar, but it is absolutely worth it. Wireless rear speakers and a subwoofer are included in the box to deliver a sensational home cinema experience. It also has an extra HDMI 2.1 input, making it better for owners of multiple playback devices or games consoles.

Read our full Samsung HW-Q990D review

How I tested the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8

Connected to the Sony Bravia 8 and LG G4
Tested with a variety of sources
All soundfield modes tested

I tested the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 over a period of two weeks. I connected it to a Sony Bravia 8 TV in a small room to test its sound output and any same brand exclusive features. I also moved it to a much larger room and connected it to an LG G4.

The majority of testing was conducted with the highest soundfield setting enabled, although I did toggle between the other options to analyze the sound output.

I played content from streaming services and 4K Blu-ray discs to test the Bravia Theater Bar 8's ability to handle Dolby Atmos soundtracks, and analyzed not only its spatial sound performance, but also bass, trebles and vocal clarity.

I also streamed music via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to test music playback. I played hi-res audio, Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio tracks via Amazon Music Unlimited and Apple Music.

Samsung Q60D: Two minute review

The Samsung Q60D is a budget QLED TV that delivers good picture quality and gaming performance and is a fine entry-level option for those looking to save money. It’s missing some key features and faces plenty of more affordable competition, however, so it’s not going to beat the best TVs anytime soon.

Picture quality on the Q60D is fairly good overall, with punchy but natural colors and solid contrast. Detail is where the Q60D shines, with crisp textures serving as the Q60D’s best aspect. With a QLED panel and standard LED backlight, black levels won’t rival those of the best OLED TVs, but they are better than the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED, another affordable QLED TV. There’s some motion blur when watching sport and shadow detail is lacking compared to sets that benefit from better backlights, but the picture is good overall for a TV at this price.

The Q60D has a basic 2.0-channel, 20W speaker array. Speech is clear and there’s good sound placement thanks to Samsung’s OTS Lite feature, but the sound lacks the bass heft and virtual surround you’ll get from the best TVs for sound. For those looking to use it for more than casual viewing, I’d recommend one of the best soundbars.

Gaming on the Q60D is fun enough, with the TV’s decent gaming performance helped by a low 9.6ms input lag time and a clean picture. However, with no support for 120Hz or VRR, it lacks key features of the best gaming TVs, though it does support ALLM and has Samsung’s useful Gaming Hub.

The Q60D is fairly priced for what it offers and is available in 43-85-inch screen sizes (a 32-inch model is also available in the US). However, it faces competition from cheap mini-LED TVs such as the Hisense U6N and Hisense U7N, and the TCL C805 (in the UK), all of which benefit from more gaming features, Dolby Vision HDR support and mini-LED backlights.

Samsung Q60D with orange butterfly on screen — The Samsung Q60D delivers surprisingly crisp details. (Image credit: Future)

Samsung Q60D review: Prices & release date

Released April 2024
32-inch: $479.99
43-inch: $529.99 / £479
50-inch: $599.99 / £549
55-inch: $749.99 / £599 / AU$1,195
65-inch $799.99 / £899 / AU$1,495
75-inch: $999.99 / £1,299 / AU$1,995
85-inch: $1,699.99 / £1,699 / AU$2,995

The Samsung Q60D is the entry-level QLED series in Samsung’s 2024 TV range, sitting below the Q70D and Q80D.

Since release, Q60D prices have fallen across every screen size in every region and it’s regularly on sale both through Samsung and other retailers. We’ve seen the 50-inch model we tested for as low as £479 in the UK – more than £200 off from its initial £699. In the US, prices have dropped roughly $200 across the range.

Samsung Q60D review: Specs

Samsung Q60D review: Benchmark results

Samsung Q60D connectivity panel — The Samsung Q60D includes three HDMI ports, but none support 4K 120Hz or VRR. (Image credit: Future)

Samsung Q60D review: Features

4K QLED ‘Dual LED’ panel
Tizen smart TV platform
HDR10+ high dynamic range support

The Q60D features a QLED panel that uses quantum dot tech to improve brightness and color detail over standard LED TVs. It also features what Samsung calls ‘Dual LED’ tech, which aims to boost contrast. It comes with Samsung’s Quantum Processor Lite 4K processor, with the more premium NQ4 AI Gen2 Processor available starting in the step-up Q80D series.

As with all Samsung TVs, the Q60D supports the HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG high dynamic range formats, but not Dolby Vision. For Dolby Vision support in a similar price range, look to the Amazon Omni QLED.

For sound, the Q60D has a basic 2.0-channel speaker array totaling 20W of power and features a ‘Lite’ version of the Object Tracking System (OTS) that can be found in Samsung’s more premium sets. It also supports Adaptive Sound and the Q Symphony feature that can combine the TV’s speakers with those in a compatible Samsung soundbar.

For gaming, the Q60D comes with Samsung’s Gaming Hub, with support for Cloud gaming apps from Xbox, Nvidia GeForce Now and more. It also features ALLM but does not support 4K 120Hz or VRR.

The Q60D uses Samsung’s Tizen platform for its smart TV interface. Tizen provides access to popular streaming apps such as Netflix, Prime Video and Disney Plus. In the UK, it also supports BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4 and Freeview apps, although live TV services are handled by Samsung’s own TV Plus system rather than Freeview.

Features score: 4/5

Samsung Q60D with sunset on screen — The Samsung Q60D's contrast is richer than anticipated, with a good balance between light and dark tones. (Image credit: Future)

Samsung Q60D review: Picture quality

Punchy colors
Refined detail
Middling black levels and contrast

When measuring peak brightness, the 50-inch Q60D yielded results of 417 nits and 384 nits in Standard and Filmmaker Modes respectively on a 10% HDR white window. This is lower than the rival Amazon Omni QLED, which hit 531 nits and 402 nits in its same picture modes on the same tests, though it’s worth noting the Amazon TV was a 65-inch model.

Measuring the Q60D’s HDR color gamut coverage, it yielded results of 71% and 92.9% for BT.2020 and UHDA-P3 color spaces respectively in Filmmaker Mode. While those are not the best results, they are still decent for a budget TV and actually put it in line with mini-LED sets such as the Samsung QN85D and Hisense U6N.

The Q60D did a decent job displaying standard-definition images on its 50-inch screen, though it’s likely that textures would be fuzzier on larger screen sizes. High-definition content fared better, showing clearer-looking textures.

Moving onto 4K HDR sources, I first viewed a stream of Star Wars: The Last Jedi on Disney Plus to test the Q60D’s colors. In the throne room fight scene, which is filled with bright reds, the Q60D displayed plenty of punch while also maintaining a natural look. And in the opening race sequence of Ready Player One, colors were vivid, even though they lacked some of the same brightness I’ve seen on more premium TVs.

Samsung Q60D with geyser on screen — The Samsung Q60D thrives with bright images. (Image credit: Future)

The Batman is a challenging movie for many TVs due to its numerous dark scenes. Viewed with regular room lighting, the Q60D demonstrated good contrast throughout and decent enough black levels, especially for a QLED set. In the opening crime scene, there was good shadow detail with no black crush. Light sources, such as lamps, were balanced well within the scene's dimly lit surroundings.

Viewing this same scene in darker lighting conditions, blacks took on more of a gray look with a cloudy wash over the whole screen. However, black levels were still better than expected and better than those of the Amazon Omni QLED.

Viewing black-and-white scenes in Oppenheimer, the Q60D did a better job displaying the film’s wide range of brighter whites and grays over the black tones.

The Q60D demonstrated refined-looking textures and details. In scenes from The Batman and Top Gun: Maverick, facial features were clearly defined, and details in clothing also had a more realistic look than I anticipated for a budget QLED TV. Watching demo footage from the Spears & Munsil UHD Benchmark Blu-ray, details in landscapes, cityscapes and close-up shots of animals looked authentic throughout.

When I watched an HD stream of a Soccer game on Prime Video, the Q60D delivered acceptable motion handling. I found that setting judder reduction in the motion section of the picture settings to a lower amount, say 2 or 3, was better than having it set to full, though some may prefer the smoother processing. Regardless, there was still some judder and blur present due to the TV’s 60Hz panel. If you’re a sports fan, you’ll be better off looking at the best TVs for sport, such as the Samsung QN90D.

The Q60D’s motion handling with movies was much better. Watching Top Gun: Maverick, it did a solid job with the quick panning shots and tumbling cameras during the training missions and Darkstar opening scene. There was still occasional judder, but it didn’t detract from the viewing experience.

Picture quality score: 4/5

Samsung Q60D with La La Land title card on screen — The Samsung Q60D suffers from limited built-in sound, as heard when watching *La La Land*. (Image credit: Future)

Samsung Q60D review: Sound quality

Clear speech
Good directional sound
Limited bass and soundstage

The Q60D has a 2.0-channel speaker array with 20W of power. It supports Object Tracking Sound Lite (OTS Lite) and Adaptive Sound, a feature that changes volume based on an analysis of the content being displayed. It also has Q Symphony, a feature that combines the Q60D’s built-in speakers with those in compatible Samsung soundbars for an enhanced audio presentation. There are two sound presets, Standard and Amplify, with Amplify being the best overall and the one I used during testing.

The Q60D delivered clear dialogue during the chaotic Batmobile chase in The Batman. It also delivered good sound placement, with effects such as tyres, crashes and bullets in the Batmobile chase scene well-placed on the screen and connected to the action.

Other elements of the Q60D’s built-in sound were lacking. Its limited bass meant there was no real impact from the rumbling engines of cars in both The Batman and Ready Player One. And with a limited soundstage, the full, sometimes brash jazz score of La La Land was restrained, with some instruments lost in the mix.

For those looking to use the Q60D as a main TV, a soundbar is recommended.

Sound quality score: 3/5

Samsung Q60D feet — The 50-inch Q60D I tested came with support feet that could be height-adjusted to fit a soundbar underneath. (Image credit: Future)

Samsung Q60D review: Design

Sleek, slim design
Premium looks for price
SolarCell remote

The Q60D has a more premium design than you’d expect at this price level, with a sleek, thin profile that's similar to pricey sets such as the Samsung S95D OLED. The rear panel also has a burnished, navy finish that again gives the Q60D a premium look.

A near bezel-less front allows nearly all of the picture to take up the screen. The 50-inch model I tested came with height-adjustable support feet to fit a soundbar underneath. These felt a little cheap but were very easy to install and provided sturdy enough support.

The Q60D is supplied with Samsung’s SolarCell remote, which has a solar panel on the rear and a USB-C port at the bottom for charging. It’s good to see this remote, which doesn’t use disposable batteries, supplied with more budget sets in Samsung’s TV range.

Design score: 4/5

Samsung Q60D with game hub on screen — Tizen is divided into various hubs, including the useful Gaming Hub (pictured). (Image credit: Future)

Samsung Q60D review: Smart TV & menus

Tizen smart TV platform
Good range of picture settings

The Q60D uses Samsung’s Tizen smart TV platform. This is divided into multiple hubs that allow for easy navigation and organization and includes Home, where apps plus TV show and movie recommendations are displayed; Ambient, which lets you select dynamic and static artworks; Game, a hub that houses everything gaming-related including cloud-based apps; and Daily+, which has office, health and home-based apps for daily tasks.

There are a good number of settings available for those who like to adjust picture quality, with preset modes including Standard, Movie, Filmmaker and more. The same can’t be said for audio, which has only two preset modes, Standard and Amplify, and very few settings to adjust.

Smart TV & Menus score: 4/5

Samsung Q60D with battlefield V on screen — The Samsung Q60D has limited gaming features, but still performs well at 4K 60Hz. (Image credit: Future)

Samsung Q60D review: Gaming

Samsung Gaming Hub and ALLM
No 120Hz or VRR support
9.6ms input lag time

The Q60D doesn’t have as many features as the best gaming TVs, with no HDMI 2.1 ports for 120Hz refresh rate and VRR support. It does support 4K 60Hz and ALLM, however, and has Samsung’s Gaming Hub for cloud-based gaming from the likes of Xbox, Luna, and Nvidia GeForce Now.

Despite its lack of next-gen gaming features, the Q60D’s gaming performance is perfectly fine. Playing Battlefield V, shootouts and battles still felt suitably intense and switching between targets was smooth and judder-free. There are Off, Level 1 and Level 2 Game Motion modes to choose from, though I did not notice a significant difference between the three options.

Graphically, the Q60D did a solid job. Textures were well-defined and colors had a dynamic look. Contrast was decent, giving objects a sharper appearance, though I did find that HDR tone mapping was a little aggressive in some sequences.

Gaming score: 4/5

Samsung SolarCell remote — The Q60D comes with Samsung's SolarCell remote control. (Image credit: Future)

Samsung Q60D review: Value

Fairly priced for picture and performance
Budget mini-LEDs available from TCL and Hisense
Good range of sizes and frequently on sale

The Q60D delivers good overall performance at a budget price that will suit many people. However, it faces stiff competition from cheap mini-LED TVs that provide more gaming features and better picture quality such as the Hisense U6N and Hisense U7N in the US and UK, and the TCL C805 (UK-only).

The 55-inch Q60D is priced at $749.99 / £599 / AU$1,195 (prices have dipped below this level before). Hisense’s U6N is priced at $499 / £749 / AU$995, and while it shares similar gaming features, it benefits from a mini-LED backlight and Dolby Vision HDR support. The TCL C805 (available in the UK and Australia) costs £649 / AU$1,395, and although pricier, it benefits from 4K 120Hz and VRR gaming support and also features a mini-LED backlight and Dolby Vision HDR.

For US and UK customers, there is also the Amazon Omni QLED, which retails for roughly $349 / £399 and benefits from Dolby Vision HDR support, though the Q60D provides a better overall picture.

Despite tough competition, the Q60D is likely to see major discounts throughout the year, which will bring its value more in line with the models listed above.

Value score: 3.5/5

Samsung Q60D with hot spring on screen — (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Samsung Q60D?

Buy it if...

You want a good picture for the price
The Q60D delivers crisp textures, solid contrast and vivid colors in an affordable TV, beating most similarly priced LED models.

You want a nice-looking TV
With a slim profile, adjustable feet, and trim bezel, the Q60D looks more premium than its price would suggest.

You want a budget gaming TV
If you're looking for a gaming TV that performs well with your Nintendo Switch and advanced gaming features don't matter, the Q60D is worth checking out.

Don't buy it if...

You need good built-in sound
The Q60D delivers clear speech, but its built-in sound lacks in other areas. For more than casual viewing connect a soundbar.

You need the best gaming TV
Gaming performance is good on the Q60D, but it lacks key features including 4K 120Hz and VRR support that we expect to see in the best gaming TVs.

You want the best value TV
While prices are likely to drop, the Q60D faces competition from mini-LED TVs such as the Hisense U6N and TCL C805 which offer more but sit at a similar price.

Also consider

Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED
The Omni QLED has similar specs to the Q60D, but supports Dolby Vision HDR, which the Q60D doesn't. It's also frequently on sale for less than the Q60D, though the Q60D has an overall better picture.

Read our full Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review

Samsung Q80D
The Q60D's more premium QLED sibling, the Q80D delivers better pictures, more gaming features, superior performance, and better built-in sound. But you will pay roughly $300 / £300 more for this step-up in quality.

Read our full Samsung Q80D review

Hisense U6N
The Hisense U6N has similar features and specs to the Q60D, but it benefits from Dolby Vision HDR support and a mini-LED backlight for more refined pictures. It's also very similar in price.

Read our full Hisense U6N review

Samsung Q60D with testing equipment connected, including Portrait Displays' Calman color calibration software — (Image credit: Future)

How I tested the Samsung Q60D

Tested in lab with varying lighting conditions
Tested using both SDR and HDR sources
Measurements recording using Portrait Displays' Calman color calibration software

When testing the Samsung Q60D, I first used it for casual viewing to determine the most accurate picture preset modes (Movie, Filmmaker Mode and in some cases Standard) before moving on to critical viewing.

I then used a variety of SDR (broadcast TV, DVD, Blu-ray) and HDR (4K streaming and 4K Blu-ray) sources to test the out-of-the-box picture, analyzing color, contrast, motion, black levels, detail and upscaling (for lower resolution sources), using reference scenes. For 4K Blu-ray playback, I used a Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray player.

After critical viewing, I made measurements of brightness (both SDR and HDR), color and grayscale accuracy, and HDR color gamut coverage. To do this, I used a test pattern generator and colorimeter and recorded results using Portrait Displays' Calman color calibration software.

Brightness measurements were recorded for both HDR and SDR in nits using 10% and 100% white window patterns. For the color gamut, I recorded the Q60D's BT.2020 and UHDA-P3 coverage. For color and grayscale accuracy, I recorded the Q60D's Delta E values (the margin for error between the test pattern source and what's displayed on the TV) and averaged them.

I also tested the QN90D's gaming performance using an Xbox Series X and recorded its input lag time with a Leo Bodnar 4K HDMI Input Lag Tester.

For more information on how we test TVs at TechRadar, check out our guide in the link.

First reviewed: September, 2024
Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

« Previous Page — Next Page »