Category: Televisions

Google Freeplay is axing some TV channels, and bringing back others Out TV Proud and Shades of Black both return after a few weeks away Freeplay’s channel list has still shrunk overall Google TV users may notice a few changes to the platform’s Freeplay service this month, with a number of free TV channels leaving and arriving in quick succession. We’re saying goodbye to some seasonal Christmas channels, including Xumo Holiday Movie Channel, Xumo Holiday Classics, and Xumo Christian Christmas – all of which arrived in time for the Christmas season and are unlikely to see much traction for the coming nine months (via 9to5Google). Although, honestly, we all know people who would happily watch those Hallmark holiday movies all year round, don’t we… But for anyone sad about losing some free channels, there is some good news here too. A pair of channels that were removed from Freeplay earlier in February are now returning to the service to make up for it. After a brief absence, Shades of Black – the “Black culture, entertainment and lifestyle” channel formerly known as Fuse Beat – is now back on Freeplay, alongside the LGBTQ+ network Out TV Proud. These channels were part of a major cull to Google TV’s Freeplay, alongside The Hill TV, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Milan, the Dove Channel, Comedy Dynamics, the Bob Ross Channel, Dazn Ringside, and Dazn Women’s Football. However, it seems like their absence only lasted a couple of weeks, even if the remaining seven channels are still nowhere to be seen. (We’ll miss you, Bob Ross). Google Freeplay now has around 160 free channels after a major cull earlier in 2025. (Image credit: Google / 9to5google) What’s the issue? Google TV Freeplay is a big perk for US customers using Google’s smart TV operating system, packing in over 160 free channels that cover everything from documentary channels and sports to Bollywood movies and true crime. 2024 saw a steady increase in the number of channels available, eventually peaking around 170, though it seems Google is starting to curate that list a little more intentionally in the new year. Freeplay is just one of the major players in FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming Television) these days. TV viewers can now watch oodles of free TV shows and films on the likes of Samsung TV Plus, Pluto TV, Tubi, and The Roku Channel. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. As Netflix raises its subscription prices once again, and it becomes even harder to juggle all the best TV shows across a splintered streaming market, many people are embracing free, ad-supported TV that doesn’t put a big monthly dent in their spending budget. And as long as your favorite channels don’t suddenly disappear, there should still be plenty of Google TV Freeplay for you to enjoy throughout 2025. Let’s just hope Google’s AI news summaries don’t end up replacing them. You might also like

At CES 2025, Samsung unveiled its latest flagship OLED TV, the Samsung S95F – a successor to what was widely considered the best OLED TV of 2024, the Samsung S95D. The S95D was an obvious standout thanks to its QD-OLED panel, glare-free viewing, and exceptional gaming performance, earning praise for its stunning picture quality and impressive HDR brightness. Now, with the S95F OLED, Samsung seems to have taken things even further, boosting brightness to a claimed eye-watering 4,000 nits, introducing a smoother 165Hz refresh rate, and refining its anti-glare screen tech. But does this make it a worthy upgrade, or was the S95D already close to OLED perfection? On paper, the Samsung S95F OLED builds on everything that made its predecessor great. The new QD-OLED panel offers enhanced brightness and contrast, Samsung’s NQ4 AI-powered processor brings improved upscaling and HDR tone mapping, and gamers get a refresh rate bump from 144Hz to 165Hz for even smoother motion. The S95F also retains key features like Samsung’s Glare Free coating and Tizen OS smart TV platform, ensuring a familiar experience, and the S95F introduces an 83-inch variant – though unlike the 55-, 65-, and 77-inch models, this one uses a W-OLED panel instead of QD-OLED. So, does the S95F OLED meaningfully improve on the S95D, or is it an incremental upgrade that most people won’t notice? Let’s take a look. A Samsung depiction of its Glare Free screen tech (Image credit: Samsung) Samsung S95F OLED vs. S95D OLED: What’s new? At first glance, the Samsung S95F OLED and S95D OLED look similar, but there are some key differences. Both models feature Samsung’s QD-OLED panel, but the S95F introduces an upgraded third-generation version that promises brighter highlights, richer colours, and better contrast. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. For us, the headline upgrade is brightness. Samsung Display, a Samsung division that supplies QD-OLED panels to Samsung Electronics, claims the new panel used in the S95F can hit up to 4,000 nits of peak HDR brightness, a huge jump from the S95D’s already impressive 1,650 nits. And the boost applies across all sizes – including the new 83-inch model, though it uses a W-OLED panel instead of QD-OLED. Alongside brightness improvements, the S95F also brings an enhanced Glare Free coating, designed to improve black depth and maintain better visibility in bright rooms compared to the S95D’s first-generation anti-glare tech. In terms of design and build, the S95F retains Samsung’s ultra-slim profile and premium aesthetic, with only minor refinements. Like the S95D, it features razor-thin bezels, a minimalist stand, and an overall sleek appearance. Samsung continues to include the One Connect Box, a separate hub that houses HDMI 2.1 ports, power management, and other connectivity options, allowing for a cleaner cable setup. The S95F doesn’t introduce any major durability upgrades, but its panel refinements could lead to better long-term brightness performance. One of the biggest talking points of the S95F OLED is its gaming performance. Samsung has pushed the refresh rate from 144Hz on the S95D to 165Hz, making it one of the fastest OLED TVs available. This refresh rate increase benefits PC gamers with high-end GPUs, offering smoother motion clarity and reduced screen tearing. While the S95F makes small but meaningful refinements over the S95D, the biggest takeaway is its combination of extreme brightness and improved gaming capabilities. The boost to 4,000 nits of peak HDR brightness and the 165Hz refresh rate set it apart from its predecessor. The Samsung S95F OLED TV on display at CES 2025 (Image credit: Future) Samsung S95F OLED vs. S95D OLED: Picture quality, gaming, and AI Samsung’s QD-OLED tech has been a game-changer for OLED TVs, and the S95F OLED pushes it even further, as befits its top-end OLED TV. The biggest improvement is in brightness, with Samsung claiming the S95F can hit a peak HDR brightness of 4,000 nits, significantly higher than the 1,868 nits we measured on the S95D, making the S95F the brightest OLED TV yet. The QD-OLED panel’s colour accuracy and uniformity have also been enhanced, thanks to Samsung’s NQ4 processor, which refines real-time tone mapping and upscaling, and the next-gen Glare Free coating should further improve visibility in bright environments by reducing reflections while maintaining deep blacks. The S95F will also have a new AI Gamma feature that helps improve shadow detail rendition when viewing in brighter rooms. For gamers, the S95F OLED adds a 165Hz refresh rate, up from 144Hz on the S95D. Like its predecessor, the S95F supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, ensuring stutter-free and lag-free gameplay on consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X. On the smart TV side, both the S95F and S95D run Samsung’s Tizen OS, but the S95F benefits from a faster, AI-powered interface. Samsung has introduced improved AI-driven recommendations, enhanced multi-tasking for apps, and a more responsive UI. The S95F also integrates Samsung’s SmartThings platform, allowing it to function as a hub for smart home control. In terms of audio, the S95F continues to support Dolby Atmos and Samsung’s Object Tracking Sound (OTS) tech, though any major upgrades over the S95D remain unconfirmed at the time of writing. Both TVs also offer Q-Symphony, which syncs the TV’s built-in speakers with a compatible Samsung soundbar for an enhanced surround sound experience. Overall, the S95F makes meaningful upgrades over the S95D, particularly in brightness, glare reduction, and gaming performance. The picture quality improvements will be most noticeable in HDR-heavy content, while gamers will benefit from the higher refresh rate. The smart features and audio experience remain largely unchanged, meaning those who already own an S95D may not feel the need to upgrade. However, for those looking for the absolute best OLED TV available in 2025, the S95F makes a strong case as Samsung’s most advanced OLED yet. The Samsung S95D is the brightest OLED TV TechRadar has yet measured (Image credit: Future) Samsung S95F OLED vs. S95D OLED: Should I upgrade? Samsung has yet to announce official pricing for the S95F OLED, but it’s expected to launch at a similar price point to the S95D when it debuted in 2024, meaning buyers should anticipate a premium price tag. While the S95D remains one of the best OLED TVs available, the S95F’s improvements in HDR performance, refresh rate, and glare-free viewing could justify the extra cost for those looking for the latest and greatest. However, if prices on the S95D drop, it could remain an excellent value pick, especially for those who don’t need 4,000 nits of brightness, a 165Hz refresh rate for gaming, or a TV that’s versatile enough to look great in bright as well as dim environments. So, should you upgrade? If you already own an S95D, the S95F isn’t a revolutionary leap – it’s a refinement. The S95D still delivers incredible OLED picture quality, fast gaming performance, and strong smart TV features, making it a worthy option for most people. But for those upgrading from an older OLED model or a traditional LED/LCD TV, the S95F stands out as one of the most advanced OLEDs available when Samsung launches it later in 2025. You might also like…

YouTube is now primarily watched on smart TVs in the US In a blog post, YouTube’s CEO laid out new features coming to the YouTube TV app this year They include new ways to comment and interact with videos, for both users and creators The YouTube TV app is set to get some key changes, with YouTube CEO Neal Mohan laying out the platform’s plans for 2025. In a new blog post, Mohan revealed how important YouTube’s TV app had become in a streaming landscape where most YouTube usage in the US is through smart TVs rather than over PC and mobile. The company is looking to capitalize on that screen-centric attention by rolling out some new interactivity and commentary features for creators and viewers alike. The first new feature is geared around “a second screen experience”, allowing you to “use your phone to interact with the video you’re watching on TV – for example, to leave a comment or make a purchase”. While it may defeat the point of watching YouTube on the big screen for some (the ability to not be on your phone), the change also speaks to how multi-screen households often work, with many of us scrolling at the same time as watching TV series and videos. Netflix is regularly accused of asking creators to make ‘second screen’ content that can be easily followed even if a user is splitting their attention between devices, and this kind of low-level interactivity could help YouTube capture both sides of that attention divide. The second feature is called ‘Watch With’, and is more about creators than viewers. Mohan says this “enables creators to provide live commentary and real-time reactions to games and events,” building on some tests around this feature during last year’s NFL coverage. YouTube TV is already experimenting with live commentary during NFL coverage on the platform. (Image credit: Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) What’s the issue? 2025 will mark YouTube’s 20th birthday, and the incredible journey it’s made from zoo videos to a massive video distribution empire. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. The blog post notes how much has changed in that time, including the current dominance of smart TVs for YouTube usage, as well as its place as a leading source for podcasts in the US. It also runs through the growing prevalence of AI tools on the platform, whether for creating video backgrounds or even watching videos for you. Whether or not you think YouTube is, as Mohan says, “the epicenter of culture” – especially as YouTube is increasingly infiltrated by AI slop and deepfake content – there’s no denying its central place in our streaming habits, covering everything from online skits and sports events to played-on-loop children’s educational videos. Last year, CNBC reported that YouTube made up 10% of all viewing time on televisions, ahead of Netflix at 7.6%. And while I’m trying not to keep multiple screens in my eye-line at one time, YouTube may just make a good case for it. You might also like

Google and Samsung’s Atmos rival, Eclipsa, is coming to LG and Google TVs The 3D audio format will be baked into Android 16 too No support from any streaming services except YouTube so far There’s a new 3D audio format in town, but when will TV owners get to hear it? While informed listeners may know their way around Dolby Atmos, DTS:X or even the Auro-3D format coming to Nvidia Shield devices, Eclipsa is a new open-source 3D audio format developed by Google and Samsung. Imagined as a competitor to Dolby Atmos – much like how Samsung’s HDR10+ picture format rivals Dolby Vision – Eclipsa was formally unveiled at CES 2025 and confirmed to launch in all 2025 Samsung TVs and soundbars. Speaking to FlatpanelsHD, Google representatives confirmed that Eclipsa will be baked into the Android 16 operating system, meaning it will get support on Google TVs and other smart TV makers that use the Android OS, such as Hisense, TCL, Sony and Philips TV. Beyond that, the aim is to get Eclipsa Audio running on mobile devices and web browsers, alongside AV receivers. FlatpanelsHD also reports that support will come to webOS, used on LG TVs. But the question remains: where and how will anyone access Eclipsa-coded audio? YouTube should be the first main beneficiary of Eclipsa, but will creators use it? (Image credit: Shutterstock / Hamara) The waiting game Eclipsa is channel-based, meaning it ties sound sources to specific channels (like in a 2.0 stereo or 5.1 surround-sound setup) rather than individuating each sound source (as in the object-based Dolby Atmos format). However, Eclipsa supports ‘up to 28 input channels’ according to FlatpanelsHD, so there’s more than enough information to create a convincing 3D soundspace for home listening. While it trades a little flexibility, and specificity of location, it’s also somewhat easier to deploy and recreate consistently. Given Google’s involvement, Eclipsa Audio is being angled as a multipurpose 3D audio format that can roll out across its massive network of Android devices for any audio source, even humdrum YouTube videos, rather than focusing primarily on high-end entertainment output like movies, TV shows, music and games. YouTube creators will apparently be able to upload Eclipsa-coded content later in 2025. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. In a blog post detailing the new format, Google says that “spatial audio technologies were first developed over 50 years ago, and playback has been available to consumers for over a decade, but creating spatial audio has been mostly limited to professionals in the movie or music industries. That’s why Google and Samsung are releasing Eclipsa Audio, an open source spatial audio format for everyone.” However, 3D audio formats generally have been pushed on high-end TV models and major TV streaming services, with interest driven by cinephiles/audiophiles eager to improve their home theater experience with more immersive sound. It’s not clear, either, whether YouTube creators will feel incentivised to start creating content in the new format en masse. As FlatpanelsHD notes, the Atmos-minded Netflix has yet to voice its support, despite its involvement with Google and Samsung in the Alliance for Open Media (AOM), and Google reps couldn’t comment on Apple’s plans for its tvOS or iOS platforms either. The notion of open-source 3D audio is very appealing, especially if it does improve the kind of everyday audio experienced through Android smartphones and tablets, or through the YouTube app. But it’s going to be hard to shout about Eclipsa until some major players in the field – and content creators on the ground – actually decide to get involved. A format on the best TVs and best soundbars does no good if there’s nothing to watch. You might also like

Researchers have discovered a new host material for blue OLED pixels Tests showed a big jump in power efficiency The breakthrough could mean cheaper production Good news for anyone hankering for a cheaper OLED TV: a new scientific breakthrough could pave the way for cheaper, more efficient OLED displays in our smart TVs, phones, tablets, and pretty much everywhere else – though the impact could be largest on TVs. Researchers at the University of Cambridge and University of Manchester have reportedly discovered a new ‘oxadiazine’ host material for creating high-efficiency, lower-cost, blue OLED pixels (via OLED-info). Blue OLED pixels are the white (blue?) whale of TV panel development, proving much more difficult to produce with the same light-emitting efficiency as their red and green counterparts, with more risk of instability and a short shelf-life. As the abstract from the scientific paper says: “Energy-efficient and deep-blue organic light-emitting diode (OLED) with long operating stability remains a key challenge to enable a disruptive change in OLED display and lighting technology.” However, it looks like headway is being made. The paper shows the molecular design of the new material, with 21% improvements in power efficiency and excellent “thermal stability” for use in blue OLED pixels. And while all OLED devices use blue pixels, the reason that’s especially good for TVs is that even the latest and greatest TV tech requires multiple layers of blue pixels, so that’s where the biggest effects may be felt. The Panasonic Z95B features LG Display’s new four-stack OLED panel. (Image credit: Future) The future of OLED There’s been a big push in recent years towards developing ‘phosphor OLED’ panels with greater power efficiency and higher brightness This means that a TV screen can deploy fewer layers of blue pixels for the same brightness output as existing screens. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. LG’s latest ‘four-stack’ Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel (used in the LG G5 and Panasonic Z95B), for example, uses more blue layers than red or green. QD-OLED, as used in the Samsung S95F, relies heavily on blue light coming through a layer of quantum dots, so also requires several layers of blue pixels. So any method for reducing the complexity or cost of blue pixels is going to be very welcome. While phosphor OLED has proved difficult to manufacture so far, these kinds of breakthroughs show that headway is being made in blue options overall. A laboratory breakthrough like this will take time to impact mass panel production, of course, but it does bode well for the development of OLED in the coming years, and the hope for cheaper, more accessible OLED TVs that offer excellent picture quality for longer. While OLED TV prices have fallen in recent years, they’ve largely stalled around the $1,000 mark, and manufacturers and consumers alike have been waiting for something to break the deadlock. Hopefully, that future isn’t too far off. You might also like

The LG C5 was revealed in January at CES 2025 as part of LG’s 2025 OLED TV lineup. While we still don’t have all the info on the C5, from what we’ve been told it looks like there will be minimal changes from its predecessor, the LG C4. These changes include higher brightness, improved processing and the latest iteration of LG’s smart TV platform, webOS 25. We were impressed with the LG C4 in 2024, thanks to its stunning contrast, stacked list of features and wide range of sizes. It was a noticeable step-up over the LG C3 from 2023 and the C4 earned its place among the best OLED TVs. We’ve seen the C5 in person and at first glance, it looked nice and bright, but not very different from the C4. This was only a brief preview at CES 2025, so we’ll wait to properly test it before we make our final judgment. Below, we look at what’s been confirmed so far about the C5 and everything we still need to know. At the time of writing, we’ve yet to have pricing and official release dates confirmed. LG C5 OLED TV: Prices and release date We don’t have pricing for the LG C5, but we can guess based on the launch pricing of the LG C4 (pictured) (Image credit: Future) At the time of writing, we don’t have official pricing or release dates for the LG C5, but we can speculate based on the same information for the C5’s predecessor, the LG C4. When the C4 was released in March 2024, it had a slight price increase over the LG C3 on every model size in the range. Pricing for the LG C4 at release was as follows: OLED83C4: $5,399 / £5,999 / AU$7,999 OLED77C4: $3,699 / £3,799 / AU$5,999 OLED65C4: $2,699 / £2,699 / AU$4,299 OLED55C4: $1,999 / £1,899 / AU$3,299 OLED48C4 $1,599 / £1,499 / AU$2,499 OLED42C4: $1,499 / £1,399 / AU$2,199 We guessed that the LG C4 would have a price increase due to inflation over the LG C3 before official pricing was confirmed, and were correct, with all C4 models priced roughly $200 higher than the same sizes in the C3 series. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. We expect a price increase over the C4 series for all C5 sizes, once again due to inflation. Based on previous years, we anticipate that the C5 will launch in March or April 2025, as this is when LG has traditionally launched its new TVs. Again we’re only speculating on the pricing and release dates above based on previous models. Once we have official pricing and release dates, we’ll be sure to update this section. LG C5 OLED TV: Features The LG C5 (pictured) appears to have higher brightness and new AI features, but not many more upgrades over its predecessor (Image credit: Future) The LG C5 will be available in its usual range of sizes: 42, 48, 55, 65, 77 and 83 inches. As far as upgrades go, there haven’t been many confirmed changes over the LG C4. Firstly, we know that the C5 will continue to use an OLED Evo panel and not a micro lens array panel (MLA) as many hoped for (although MLA has been dropped from the LG G5 and LG M5 OLEDs in favor of a new four-stack OLED panel). For this reason, we won’t expect any drastic changes in brightness. While no official brightness specs have been confirmed, the Philips OLED810, its mid-range 2025 OLED, has been confirmed to have a 15% brightness increase from 1,300 nits (in the OLED809) to 1,500 nits for the OLED810. Considering it uses the same panel as the LG C5, we can assume that the C5 will have a similar brightness increase over the LG C4. When we measured the C4, peak brightness on a 10% white HDR window pattern was 1,065 nits in Filmmaker Mode. If the 15% increase is correct, we can guess that the C5 will hit about 1,225 nits peak brightness. Of course, we haven’t officially measured the C5 yet; this is just speculation. The C5 will also use the Alpha A9 AI Processor Gen8, which will provide AI features and support the latest version of LG’s smart TV platform, webOS 25. Several new AI enhancements arrive with webOS 25, including AI Search (AI content search engine), AI Concierge (a feature that recommends content based on viewing history) and a more advanced version of the AI Chatbot first featured in webOS 24. There’s also the ability to create custom profiles for multiple users that will provide tailored recommendations and picture settings. The LG C5 should have the same gaming features as the LG C4 (pictured), and that’s not a bad thing (Image credit: Future) Unlike the LG G5, which now supports 165Hz, the new C5 isn’t getting any gaming upgrades. Even so, the LG C4 is one of the best gaming TVs, and its gaming features that will carry over to the LG C5 include four HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 144Hz, Dolby Vision gaming, VRR (AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync), HGiG and ALLM support. LG C5 OLED TV: what we still need to know We’re still waiting on specs for the LG C5’s built-in speaker system (Image credit: Future) We are still waiting on confirmation of specs for the C5’s built-in speakers. The C4 came with a 2.2-channel Dolby Atmos system and while it’s likely the C5 will have the same, audio is an area where LG could make another upgrade. Could a built-in subwoofer be included? Any upgrades would be welcome. The C4’s speakers “did the job” as we said in our review, but we recommended it be paired with one of the best soundbars. You might also like