The magic mid-range system HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE CONFUSION
IDEAL SOUND AND VISION FOR MOST LIVING ROOMS
THE SOUNDBAR LG SN11RG SOUNDBAR
Calling the SN11RG a soundbar is like calling the moon a chunk of rock. Yes, there’s a soundbar section. But there’s also a hulking external subwoofer and two meaty rear speakers sporting up-firing drivers on their top edges. The Dolby Atmos ‘sound dome’ is completed by up-, side- and front-firing drivers on the main unit – all of which adds up to one of the most potent, detailed-sounding Atmos ‘soundbars’ yet.
$1,499, lg.com
THE BLU-RAY PLAYER PANASONIC DP-UB820 4K BLU-RAY PLAYER
The UB820 is the perfect partner for the 55OLED805. Partly because it delivers exceptionally pristine pictures that can be optimised for playback on an OLED screen, and partly because it joins the TV in supporting both the HDR10+ and Dolby Vision ‘premium’ HDR formats. In other words, this combination guarantees the best results
from any disc you play.
$615, panasonic.com
THE TV PHILIPS 55OLED805
The 55OLED805’s OLED technology means every pixel in its 4K screen makes its own light – resulting in peerless local contrast. That’s just the start of its charms, though. Despite it being unusually affordable for OLED, new AI-boosted picture processing also delivers irresistible extra colour punch, while Philips’ unique Ambilight technology casts immersive coloured light from all four of the TV’s sides.
$2,800, philips.com
While HDR technology can greatly improve picture quality, it’s also become frustratingly complicated. In fact, there are now four main HDR formats: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. The only consistency comes with HDR10. This ‘basic’ format is supported by all HDR playback devices and non-broadcast HDR sources. The HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats default to HDR10 on displays that can’t support them. Most TVs don’t support both, despite sources typically being available in only one format or the other. So the HDR10+ Alien 4K Blu-ray will only play in HDR10 on LG TVs, as they only support Dolby Vision. Samsung TVs only support HDR10+ so don’t make use of the extra data on Dolby Vision titles.