All posts tagged: TVs

Your TV’s manufacturer doesn’t want you to open this app store

Your TV’s manufacturer doesn’t want you to open this app store

Published by skeptic

The Play Store on your Android TV or Google TV may look like the whole story. It isn’t. You don’t have to limit your TV experience to what Google has approved for your model and region. You can try almost every app made for Android TV, including those that aren’t available officially. And no, I’m not talking about sideloading apps one by one. You can grab an alternative app store like F-Droid and unlock hundreds of more apps at once. F-Droid is an open-source app store that doesn’t require an account, is community driven, and only lists apps that don’t have trackers or ads. Related Why Android TV Is the Best Smart TV Platform on the Market There are so many smart TV options, but Android TV tops the list. The Play Store isn’t your TV’s only app store It’s time break free photo by Callum Cyrus Play Store is a great place for grabbing the best apps for your Android TV, but there’s a big catch. It’s Google who decides what apps are available …

Hisense XR10 Smart Projector Review: RGB-Powered Wonder

Hisense XR10 Smart Projector Review: RGB-Powered Wonder

Published by skeptic

Photograph: John Brandon A demo reel I watched did look incredible in almost every segment, but a scene showing white mist over a white mountain had a slight blurriness compared to the LG Micro RGB Evo and the Leica Cine Play 1. Equally so, a yellow flower scene and dark trees on a dark background did not look as realistic. Still, green grass behind a fence that often looks brown on midrange projectors, the colors of a sunset, a red cactus, and a steam from a hot spring all looked amazing. One of the XR10’s biggest struggles is with daytime viewing in a bright room. Even though Hisense includes some language about opening the shades on their website, the reality is that several movies looked a bit too dim with the brightness cranked up. I watched a few episodes of Blue Lights on the Britbox app and it looked too washed out and gray at times. This is true of several other high-end projectors, though, including the Leica Cine Play 1. Making Games Pop I …

Plex Keeps Getting Worse. Is Jellyfin a Decent Replacement?

Plex Keeps Getting Worse. Is Jellyfin a Decent Replacement?

Published by skeptic

I use Plex every day. Lately, I’ve been wondering if I should stop. The software, which lets you turn your personal collection of TV shows and movies into a Netflix-style streaming service, is extremely convenient. But Plex is offered by a company that, as of late, seems more focused on adding features than improving the cluttered user interface. Recently, it added a social platform and user reviews, two features I quickly disabled. I want to watch stuff—not talk about it with strangers (I have friends for that). The company keeps making design choices that push its ad-supported streaming choices over the personal media collection and DVR functionality I use the service to enjoy. This might make sense from a business perspective. But it doesn’t make sense for my personal use of Plex, which is watching live TV and the TV shows I’ve recorded and stored on my own computer. I pay an annual subscription fee of $ 70 for this. I could avoid the annual subscription by buying a lifetime pass, but Plex just raised …

Best RGB TVs (2026): My Picks After Testing the Hottest TVs

Best RGB TVs (2026): My Picks After Testing the Hottest TVs

Published by skeptic

Televisions are evolving yet again. This time, the new kid on the block is mini RGB, which emits red, green, and blue lights through an LCD panel instead of just white or blue lights. According to Hisense, one of the first brands to debut an RGB LED TV, the technology is an attempt to produce “pure colors directly at the source.” The intended result is LED TVs with better colors, improved contrast, and much higher brightness—all designed as a proper alternative to OLED. Whether it’s a giant leap forward, though, depends greatly on the kind of movies and shows you watch and your willingness to tweak a few settings. I tested five new models to get a taste of what’s to come and to determine which (if any) you should buy. For more TV recommendations based on our expert testing, peruse our related guides, including the Best TVs, Best Large TVs, Best OLED TVs, and Best Cheap TVs. Also check out How to Buy the Right TV for you in 2026. AccordionItemContainerButton The first RGB …

Samsung Micro RGB R95H Review (2026): Not the Brightest

Samsung Micro RGB R95H Review (2026): Not the Brightest

Published by skeptic

I tested Alexa+ and was mostly pleased with how it worked, allowing me to adjust the volume and search for obscure ’90s psychological thrillers. You can enable the Alexa voice prompt and skip the mic button on the remote, but that didn’t work as reliably as I would have liked. A few times, saying “Alexa” didn’t trigger the TV. Benched on Benchmarks Benchmarks don’t lie, or at least that’s the theory. We all see colors differently, and we respond to contrast and brightness based on our own visual perception. While the R95H met all of the BT.2020 color gamut specs, results of the Spears & Munsil Benchmarks made clear that the R95H’s performance is not as outstanding as that of competitor LG Micro RGB Evo. I could tell skin-tone variance on the Samsung was not quite as obvious: two people who don’t look that similar, complexion-wise, looked about the same on the screen. Picture-quality settings didn’t help that much. Dynamic mode (which other TV makers call Vivid) caused some color blooming and bleeding, and Filmmaker …

Emmy nominations: From Rob Reiner’s nom to shocking snubs for TV’s biggest night

Emmy nominations: From Rob Reiner’s nom to shocking snubs for TV’s biggest night

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter The critically acclaimed drama “The Pitt” dominated this year’s Emmy nominations with an impressive 25 nods, marking a formidable sophomore season, while the beloved comedy “Hacks” received a record-setting 24 nominations in its final run. These totals position HBO Max at the forefront of both drama and comedy categories, with “Hacks” surpassing the previous record for most nominations for a comedy series, jointly held by “The Studio” last year and “The Bear” in 2024. Overall, HBO Max led all outlets with 122 nominations, boasting three shows vying for both best drama and best comedy series. Among the 118 Primetime Emmy categories announced on Wednesday, several notable figures received recognition. The late Rob Reiner earned a nomination for his guest acting on “The Bear,” Bad Bunny was acknowledged for his Super Bowl halftime show, and newlywed Taylor Swift secured a nod for …

LG Micro RGB Evo Review: Brilliant, Bright, Not Budget-Friendly

LG Micro RGB Evo Review: Brilliant, Bright, Not Budget-Friendly

Published by skeptic

The TV supports 100 percent of the color gamut specs for BT.2020, DCI-P3, and Adobe RGB. Very few movies actually meet the BT.2020 spec, but I tested a few that do, such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Inside Out, both on Disney+. Each looked amazingly colorful. Micro RGB, Macro Picture Quality Photograph: John Brandon As a first test of the new micro RGB tech, I ran through the usual Spears & Munsil Benchmark tests. Skin tones looked phenomenal, easily beating out the Hisense UR9, the Sony Bravia 7 II, and the TCL RM9L in terms of tonal variation. Lighter skin tones didn’t look washed out, and there was a nice differentiation in color. A scene with a fence had bright green grass in the background, something that is often less obvious with an older LED or QLED television. A yellow flower looked more vibrant to me than just about any art television I’ve tested recently. Sunset scenes looked incredibly vibrant, proof positive that the micro RGB tech is working overtime. However, OLED …

Hisense UR9 RGB MiniLED: An Affordable TV in Its Class

Hisense UR9 RGB MiniLED: An Affordable TV in Its Class

Published by skeptic

RGB Mini-LED TVs have officially arrived, and Hisense’s UR9 was the first to hit the market, followed by Sony’s Bravia 7 Mark II and TCL’s RM9L. I wouldn’t blame you if you weren’t jazzed to learn what the new display technology means, particularly if you were just getting used to terms like OLED, QLED, and art TV. Thankfully, understanding why the Hisense UR9 RGB MiniLED is a step up in picture quality compared to its competitors is more about the experience it provides than knowing the technical terms. Even so, the general function of mini RGB tech is not so difficult to understand: Traditional LED and QLED televisions achieve their bright and colorful images by shining white or blue LEDs through an LCD panel. The newer mini RGB works by emitting red, green, and blue lights, resulting in better color accuracy, excellent contrast and brightness, and finer control over color zones. LG and Samsung use new tech called micro RGB, claiming it to be more advanced than mini RGB thanks to smaller LEDs, although both …

Sony Bravia 7 Mark II: Midrange but Priced High (2026)

Sony Bravia 7 Mark II: Midrange but Priced High (2026)

Published by skeptic

During a demo reel test, the color quality and contrast weren’t great. Mist over a white mountain didn’t look distinct; grass behind a fence should have looked greener; brown buffalo roaming a field didn’t look varied enough in color. To test contrast, I viewed a scene with dark trees in the foreground, but they blended too much into the background. Another component of color contrast is that dark colors should look deep and rich, but dark scenes in The Creator and Awake on Netflix both just looked too dull. None of the picture modes helped, including the XR Contrast Booster. In Awake, the main character rides a bike at night, and you can see her face but not the background or a guy in a blue shirt. The movie Hoppers on Disney+ did sell me a bit more on True RGB. (Though, to be fair, the animated movie with vibrant colors looked great on my iPhone 17 Pro.) The Bravia 7 Mark II’s understated backlighting and average contrast gave Hoppers a more artistic look. Project …

Review: TCL RM9L RGB-Mini LED (2026)

Review: TCL RM9L RGB-Mini LED (2026)

Published by skeptic

With the RM9L RGB-Mini, TCL doesn’t skimp on HDMI 2.1 ports. There are four total, and each one can support a 144Hz refresh rate for low latency PC gaming or whatever you want to throw at the television. One of the HDMI 2.1 ports is for eARC passthrough audio to powered speakers or a receiver. I added an Xbox Series X and a Google TV for testing and connected Klipsch the Nines II speakers. There are two USB ports (one coaxial), an Ethernet port for a wired connection, and a digital optical port. The TV uses Wi-Fi 6, which is fast and compatible. I liked the remote for the most part, since it is clean and easy to use. The brightness controls are on the right-hand side, which is a surprisingly brilliant design choice. For late-night gaming sessions you can crank down the brightness quickly or pump it up when the sunlight pours in. Tiny notches on the remote for volume and channels help you locate them without looking. The buttons for free television channels …