Category: Information Technology

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The LG C5 OLED is one of our favorite TVs here at ZDNET, and for good reason. You get signature OLED picture quality, VRR support for console gaming, built-in voice controls, and support for both Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos virtual surround sound, along with “dazzling brightness and color,” according to our reviewer. 

Right now at Best Buy during the Black Friday in July sale, you can pick up the 65-inch version for 48% off, bringing the price down to $1,399. The sale ends this weekend, and we aren’t sure if this deal will stick around.

Also: LG C5 OLED review

It may be last year’s flagship model, but the C5 OLED still gives you plenty of reasons to buy (aside from the discount). The OLED panel uses individually-lit pixels to create billions of colors, deep inky blacks, and bright whites. This creates sharper contrast, more accurate colors, and finer details than LED and LCD screens. It also works with built-in sensors that monitor ambient lighting and automatically adjust brightness for the best visibility in any room.

As our reviewer noted, “the C5 has a unique construction and a futuristic aesthetic,” including “one of the thinnest screens I’ve ever seen — at a mere 0.25 inches thick.” 

Also: LG C6 vs. LG C5

The 120Hz base refresh rate is perfect for live sports, as well as streaming, but it can be boosted up to 144Hz with support for both Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync VRR for console gaming. The dedicated gaming picture mode also automatically lowers input latency for response times as low as 0.1ms, bringing it on par with PC monitors purpose-built for gaming. 

You’ll also get premium sound to match your OLED picture, with support for Dolby Atmos virtual surround sound, native 2.2CH audio, and Bluetooth connectivity for setting up custom home audio equipment. Pair the LG C5 OLED with an LG-branded soundbar to take advantage of the LG Sound Sync feature, which makes the soundbar and TV speakers work in tandem for fuller, richer sound.

How I rated this deal 

This is one of the best deals I’ve seen on an OLED TV this year, bringing signature picture quality within reach of more shoppers. You’ll get a 120Hz refresh rate, built-in voice controls, support for both Nvidia and AMD VRR for console gaming, and both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for enhanced picture and audio. All for half the price of what it would normally cost. That’s why I gave this deal a 5/5 Editor’s rating.

Making these available for download indefinitely and without restriction is something we consider a risk to our customers, particularly in business environments. There’s also the technical and organizational overhead of maintaining and supporting old versions and their associated keys indefinitely.

Although TreeSize says this is a long-standing policy, the backlash highlights the disconnect between what many people expect when buying a perpetual license and what they get when a software vendor shifts its business model toward subscriptions.

“To make sure customers aren’t caught off guard, we proactively notify them by email, well before their maintenance ends, to back up their installation file and license key themselves. This is meant to ensure no one loses access to software they’ve already purchased,” Christ said.

Should this be a subscription?

There’s also the question of whether it makes sense to subscribe to a disk space analyzer, especially when there are free alternatives like WinDirStat.

Christ admitted that the change has been “frustrating for some customers.” When asked about online requests for refunds, Christ said, “since our customers do receive what was agreed, namely indefinite use of the software version they purchased, we don’t consider a refund to be warranted…”

A free version of TreeSize exists, but it lacks some features, including the ability to search for duplicate files, deduplicate redundant files, and compare disk space usage over time. It is not for business use.

TreeSize’s evolution illustrates the growing subscription economy, particularly the software industry’s fixation on recurring revenue. Over the past decade, software vendors have increasingly shifted to subscriptions in pursuit of more predictable revenue streams.

In TreeSize’s case, JAM Software wanted to “continue offering our customers a relevant, well-maintained product over the long term,” Christ said.

“The broader economic environment is more challenging today than it was a few years ago, and we feel that too as a software vendor,” he added. “To continue meeting our own standards and our responsibility to business customers who rely on high-quality software, we are placing greater emphasis on predictability in development and support. A subscription model gives us that predictability in a way one-time purchases do not.”

Turns out the Iron Throne isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

It’s only be a few episodes now since Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) made her big return to King’s Landing, but things only seem to be getting worse and worse for her. In the trailer above for House of the Dragon Season 3, episode 6 the walls are closing in, with the Small Council floundering in the wake of all those Gold Cloaks being murdered and Lord Ormund Hightower (James Norton) saying ominous things like “The patient hunter gets the kill.”

It’s not looking good for Team Black.

House of the Dragon Season 3 is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes premiering Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

For all things House of the Dragon, Mashable has you covered.

The smart speakers above are our current favorites, but you still have other options if you’re looking for something specific in audio performance. Options that didn’t make this list include:

Apple HomePod: I really like the HomePod’s sound, which is possibly the best in the business, but it’s simply too expensive for the average budget at over $250 to $300 — which is why Apple released a mini version. The smaller HomePod doesn’t have quite the same incredible sound, but it’s a whole lot more affordable, which is why it ended up on the list.

Echo Dot 4: I really like this Echo Dot and use it in my house, but it’s starting to become an older model and I’m not sure how much longer Amazon is going to sell it since there are new models like the Echo Dot Max.

Echo Show 11: This smart display offers surprisingly good sound with its updated design, but it’s more focused on the 11-inch screen, which is why it ended up on my picks for best smart displays instead.

Sonos Era 100: The Sonor Era 100 has incredible sound for its $199 price, but if you really want an elite model, why not go all the way and get the better Sonos Era 300? I chose the highest-end Sonos option for this list if your budget isn’t a problem, but the 100 is still an option for those who like Sonos features but want a lower cost.

Bose SoundLink Home: Bose’s home speaker sounds great but the “Home” moniker is a bit misleading. This is a portable Bluetooth speaker that doesn’t have any smart capabilities and can’t even link with the Bose app, so it’s a thumbs down for this list.

Wiim Pro: The Wiim Pro is an interesting smart speaker receiver if you already have speakers you like and want to give Alexa/Google/Siri capabilities, but it’s not actually a smart speaker itself, so it didn’t make this list. I’m also waiting on the Wiim Sound, which is its own standalone smart speaker and could win a spot if it tests well.

Google Nest Audio: The Google Nest Audio is Nest’s latest larger smart speaker attempt. There’s nothing wrong with it, especially with its $100 price tag, but I liked the design and sound of other larger smart speakers if you want to go big. For Nest fans, it’s still a viable option. Ultimately, I chose the smaller Nest Mini as a great desk side companion.

Denon Home 150: I chose the more versatile Sonos over the A/V-friendly Denon brand for this list. However, if your home entertainment system uses Denon products and you’re very happy with them, it’s well worth investigating this $199 smart speaker from the same maker.