In early 2017, video game publisher ZeniMax successfully sued Oculus and its founders for $500 million in damages for breach of contract, copyright infringement and trademark infringement.
ZeniMax then argued that Oculus must cease all sales of the Oculus Rift permanently, since the headsets were built, allegedly, based on stolen code. Oculus appealed both the $500 million figure and the potential sales ban.
This week, US District Judge Ed Kinkeade denied the ZeniMax’s request, ensuring Oculus and Facebook can continue to develop and distribute Rifts. Bloomberg first reported this news.
Kinkeade also halved the total damages owed to $250 million, plus $54 million in interest.
Palmer Luckey
Oculus co-founders Palmer Luckey and Brendan Iribe had initially been found guilty for “false designation of origin”, meaning they had tricked the public by marketing ZeniMax headsets as Oculus headsets.
The judge threw this portion of the case out for insufficient evidence. This means that Luckey and Iribe won’t have to pay millions in damages out of pocket.
In a company statement, ZeniMax said, “Based on a strong evidentiary record, the jury in this case found that ZeniMax’s breakthrough VR technology and its verdict reflected that harm, and expressed disappointment that the damages had been reduced.”
Facebook’s representatives, meanwhile, told Bloomberg that the verdict “was a positive step toward a fair resolution, and we will be appealing the remaining claims.”
It also has participated in a number of high-profile lawsuits beyond its battle with Oculus. It sued Minecraft developer Mojang in 2012 for making a game called Scrolls.
Most recently, it sued Warner Bros. over its Westworld game, which ZeniMax claims uses code from its own game, Fallout Shelter.
Facebook and ZeniMax appear poised to continue to appeal aspects of Kinkeade’s decision in a higher court. But, for now, Oculus is free to continue its work on the rumored Oculus Rift 2 headset with an extra $250 million in development money.
However, ZeniMax will likely continue to make its most popular franchises exclusive to HTC Vive and PlayStation VR.
It’s a great time to buy a new TV – especially something in the 65-inch range. While there might be one or two more surprises in store for 2018, at this point we’re fairly confident we know which TV offers the best value, the best performance, and which are worth paying extra for the quality boost.
Today we’ll be focusing on 65-inch 4K TVs. While monsters screens might be too big for some homes, they get you the best bang for your buck in terms of TV tech. They are the closest you can get to a cinema at home without buying a projector, or spending outrageous cash on the kind of TV Kanye West might buy.
So what 65-inch TV should you be looking at buying?
Our favorite TVs right now are LG’s series of OLEDs. They have exceptional black levels and deliver premium HDR in the form of Dolby Vision. The downside is that they’re not the best for brightly lit rooms. If your living room’s ratio of windows to doors is too high, you might want to consider Samsung’s QLED TV series. These are bright and colorful, and pack in technology that helps them cope with overly bright environments. Of course, Sony TVs come with both OLED and LED panels – either of which you can’t go wrong with.
With those ideas bubbling away, let’s look at our favourite 65-inch TVs of the moment. All these sets have been tested and approved by our expert reviewers.
1. The best 65-inch TV: LG OLED65C8
The love affair with LG OLED continues
Screen size: 65-inch | Tuner: Freeview | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel technology: OLED | Smart TV: WebOS | Curved: No | Dimensions: 57.0 x 34.7 x 9.1 inches (W x H x D)
Superb picture quality
Comprehensive features
Elegant design
Limited peak brightness for HDR
No HDR10+ support
The big question this year for TV buyers with money to spend is QLED or OLED? QLED is Samsung’s LCD-based screen tech, while LG makes not just the panels for its own OLED TVs but the other makers too.
An OLED like the OLED65C8 is hard to beat for a cinema-like environment. This TV actually has much better contrast, and probably colour, than your local cinema screen.
It uses WebOS software, just about the best smart TV interface out there.
Cinematic images, smart software and slick design – what more could you want? Samsung’s QLED TVs are much brighter, which does wonders for HDR. And its motion handling is a little better too. However, for the image quality fundamentals of colour and contrast, the LG OLED65C8 still wins.
This TV is so high up our list for its practicality, though. It costs less than other OLEDs, or Samsung’s top QLED.
Screen size: 65-inch | Tuner: Freeview/FreeSat | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel technology: QLED | Smart TV: Samsung Eden | Curved: No | Dimensions: 57.1 x 34.1 x 14.2 inches (W x H x D)
Best image quality from an LCD TV
Amazing HDR
Good sound quality
Sony beats it for motion handling
Slightly limited viewing angles
The Samsung 65Q9FN deserves bold statements. This is the best LCD TV we’ve ever seen. It might be the best TV to date for some.
Sure, it may not be perfect but this is the closest you can get to a TV that has it all. Its HDR images are amazing, and its upscaler engine makes content of almost all resolutions look great.
The Samsung 65Q9FN uses direct LED lighting to avoid the halo’ing seen in older LCD TVs while delivering blacks that, in most conditions, don’t look too far off those of an OLED TV. Even the sound is the best than we’ve heard from a Samsung TV in years.
In perfect cinema-style conditions you’ll see deeper blacks from an OLED, Sony’s latest TVs have more advanced motion handling and image quality does take a hit at an angle. However, you can’t do any better if you want ultra-bright HDR images as well as great contrast.
For our European readers, Pana’s flagship OLED makes a great centerpiece
Screen size: 65-inch | Tuner: Freeview HD/Freesat | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel technology: OLED | Smart TV: My Home Screen 3.0 | Curved: No | Dimensions: 1449 x 909 x 330 mm (W x H x D)
Superb 4K image quality
Elegant smart platform
Technics-tuned soundbar
No Dolby Atmos or Vision
The Panasonic TX65FZ952B is perhaps the classiest OLED TV around. It comes with a clever soundbar, but detach it and the TV looks restrained and minimal. The soundbar also has a mammoth 12 drivers, for audio worth actually listening to.
Picture quity is fantastic, edging out LG’s models with better handling of shadow areas, which can look a little noisy in the LG sets. Not so here.
There’s no Dolby Atmos or Dolby Vision processing, though, which seems a shame when the audio and visual sides are otherwise so strong.
The price also needs to be considered. At several hundred dollars or pounds more than the LG C8 or Sony KD-65AF8, you had better appreciate the extra magic Panasonic has put into this TV’s processing and calibration.
For larger budgets, the E8 OLED offers a bit more oomph in audio
Screen size: 65-inch | Tuner: Freeview HD | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel technology: OLED | Smart TV: webOS | Curved: No | Dimensions: 57.0 x 36.0 x 8.7 inches (W x H x D)
Awesome picture quality
Excellent operating system
Much improved gaming potential
Occasional picture noise
Lacks brightness vs LCD
The LG OLED65E8 is similar to the LG C8 you’ll find above. But why is it lower on our list?
This is the premium alternative to the C8. It has a better speaker system and a more impressive-looking “floating” stand design.
However, underneath the gloss and audio improvements, you get more-or-less the same TV with the same Alpha 9 processor.
The OLED65E8 is a few hundreds dollars/pounds more expensive than the C8, so think carefully about whether the upgrade is worth it. We use a surround sound speaker system with the TV, so the benefits of the improved drivers are minimal.
Most of your content in HD/SDR? Sony’s upscaling tech is second to none
Screen size: 65-inch | Tuner: Freeview HD/Freesat | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel technology: OLED | Smart TV: Android TV | Curved: No | Dimensions: 1447 x 841 x 255 mm (W x H x D)
Outstanding picture processing
Clever, effective audio system
Well-designed picture presets
Lacks brightness with HDR
Android TV is frustrating
There are nowadays a handful of choices if you want an OLED TV. Sony, Panasonic and LG all make them, and each offers multiple options.
In some ways the Sony KD-65AF8 is the best of the lot. Its processing is excellent, making SD and HD look better than the LG competition. This is down to great upscaling algorithms.
Its motion is excellent too. And when you add that to the vivid colour and flawless contrast of OLED, you’re onto a winner.
Be prepared for some frustration, though, because the Android TV software is awkward and prone to crashes. It has made us want to snap the remote a few times in the past.
Like other OLEDs, the Sony KD-65AF8 can’t go as bright as Samsung’s latest QLED TVs either, making HDR look a little less potent.
Top LCD picture quality with improved HDR and motion
Screen size: 65-inches | Tuner: Freeview HD | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel technology: Direct-lit LCD with local dimming | Smart TV: Android TV | Curved: No | Dimensions: 1,447 x 898 x 297 (W x H x D)
Excellent motion handling
Great contrast
Contentious design
Android TV can annoy
The Sony XBR-65X900F was one of the first 2018 TVs, taking over from 2017’s Sony XBR-65X900E.
Improvements include greater brightness, which improves HDR performance, and even better motion handling. You won’t find smoother motion handling.
Image quality is also fantastic, with great black depth and insight. Even SD content looks good. As this is an LCD you don’t quite get the perfect blacks of OLED. But it gets close as LCD can.
Like previous Sonys, the Sony XBR-65X900F uses Android TV, which can be frustrating at times. However, it does give you access to masses of apps, games and streaming services. Sound quality has improved too, although this TVs speakers won’t, of course, make an action movie’s explosions shake your floorboards.
Screen size: 65-inches | Tuner: Freeview HD | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel technology: OLED | Smart TV: WebOD | Curved: No | Dimensions: 1,611 x 1,360 x 518 (W x H x D)
OLED image quality
Striking design
Motorised stand
Very expensive
Do you have serious money to spend? No other TV makes the visual impact of the B&O BeoVision Eclipse.
It has a motorised stand that tilts the screen to match your viewing position. And it has an oversize, ultra-loud soundbar built into the frame. The B&O BeoVision Eclipse stands on the floor, not on a TV stand or perched on the wall (wall-mounting is an option, though).
B&O teamed-up with LG to produce this set. You get roughly the same image quality and the same software as one of LG’s top-performing OLEDs. That means stunning contrast and flawless black levels. Sure, a high-end LCD has higher brightness and more powerful-looking HDR, but the cinematic look of OLED is hard to beat.
And the price? At $15,595 (£10,795, $19,990) this is the most expensive TV on our list. It’s not for everyone, but is a piece of striking living room furniture as well as one of the best TVs around.
Sony’s flagship TV from last year returned to OLED
Screen size: 65-inch | Tuner: Youview | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel technology: OLED | Smart TV: Android TV | Curved: No | Dimensions: 1228 x 711 x 86mm (W x H x D)
Gorgeous picture quality
Innovative and excellent sound
It’s not very bright
Android TV is clunky
If you have the money to bankroll them, the 65A1E – and the A1E OLED series overall – are crowd pleasers in just about every way. Their ‘picture only’ design has been beautifully realized, managing to be simultaneously subtle and dramatic. Their vibrating screen delivers a far more powerful and effective sound performance than we’d ever thought possible.
The real stars of the show here, though, are the A1’s exquisitely detailed, contrast-rich and colorful pictures. These prove emphatically what we’ve long suspected: More brands using OLED technology can only lead to good things.
In 2018 Sony has replaced the A1 with the BRAVIA A8F, but the only real difference is the stand design. If you find this TV at a great price, jump on it.
Screen size: 65-inch | Tuner: Freeview Play, Freeview Satellite | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel technology: OLED | Smart TV: webOS 3.5 | Curved: No | Dimensions: 57.1 x 34.7 x 8.9 inches (W x H x D)
Excellent all-round image quality
Complete HDR support
No Dolby Atmos passthrough
Mediocre onboard audio
LG’s ‘B’ line of OLEDs has consistently offered a great entry point into the display technology without compromising on what makes it so exciting.
And the B7 series is no different.
Contained within the TVs is exactly the same panel and processor that powers the more expensive C7, E7 and yes even the W7 LG televisions, which means an exceptional bump over last year’s OLED panels at a much lower price.
So where has LG saved the money? In a word, sound. The B7’s downward firing speakers are the worst all the company’s OLED TVs.
If you already have your own speaker setup, though, the B7 is a fantastic entryway into a piece of TV tech that still feels futuristic in 2018.
Screen size: 65-inch | Tuner: N/A | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel technology: LCD | Smart TV: Roku TV | Curved: No | Dimensions: 57.1 x 10.7 x 35.6 inches
Bright, colorful HDR
Supports Dolby Vision
Roku TV is amazing
Loss of darker details
Limited motion settings
There’s no doubt in our minds – the TCL P6-Series was hands down the best budget TV of last year in the sub-$1,000 price range. It made our Best TVs of 2017 list, as well as our Best 4K TVs of 2017 list, alongside OLEDs from Sony and LG, and QLED TVs from Samsung – all of which cost two, three, four or even five times as much as TCL’s budget-friendly series.
If there was a downside to last year’s models, one that could’ve and should’ve been fixed by year’s end, it was the fact that the TVs were limited to one size – a paltry 55-inch screen. Worse, production couldn’t keep up with the heavy demand once word got out how spectacular those TVs were.
Thankfully that’s all changed this year and the TCL 6-Series is now available in a gorgeous, affordable 65-inch TV size that not only looks phenomenal, but goes easy on your wallet as well.
While Microsoft Office dominates the productivity app sector there are many flexible alternatives. In this guide, you’ll learn more about some of them.
Many free and open source suites such as LibreOffice support the Open Document Format, which is used by the UK government. Open standards are useful as when developers discontinue software, users may not be able to access documents stored in a proprietary format. This has happened in the past to former users of Microsoft Works.
If you manage an organisation, you may be unable to pay for MS Office software licenses for every machine. For this reason all the products discussed here are available free of charge, or offer a free tier such as WPS Office.
Some of the tools in this guide also incorporate useful features not found in Microsoft Office, like converting PDFs to DOC format. All of the suites listed below can both open and save Microsoft Office documents such as DOCX, XLSX and PPTX.
A free alternative which looks very similar to MS Office
Interface very close to MS Office
Touchscreen compatibility
No macOS version
If you are looking for a free and easy alternative to Microsoft Office, then FreeOffice is the suite for you. The company, SoftMaker, has been developing office software since 1987 and its office suite is their flagship product.
FreeOffice is a complete office suite that is free to use for both home and in the workplace. It is developed for both Windows and Linux, and offers a basic version for Android users.
The suite itself is fully compatible with all Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint formats. This means that you can not only view but save files in formats such as DOCX, XLSX and PPTX. It also supports older file types such as PPT and XLS.
The new interface that was launched this year gives you the option of either working with modern or classic menus and toolbars. This makes switching from Microsoft Office easy to do as the interface is eerily similar.
For those users who have the luxury of a touchscreen PC you can use touch mode with larger icons. This mode is available for both the newer version look and the classic menu-based interface.
In order to download FreeOffice you must register an account via the website first. The download link will then become available.
LibreOffice is the offspring of The Document Foundation and split from OpenOffice in 2010. The suite itself is free and open source, and is made up of a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation software, and is available in 110 languages.
While LibreOffice uses the ODF (OpenDocument) format it still supports a range of other format types such as those used in Microsoft Office. LibreOffice is the default suite for most Linux distros and it is also available for use on Windows and macOS. There’s also a LibreOffice viewer for Android.
As with most open source software all your technical support comes from online, but seeing how easy this is to use, support will be rarely needed. The platform also offers the option to export your files into PDF format amongst others.
You can add extra features to LibreOffice via extensions from its website. These include extra templates for documents.
While still a smaller download size than Microsoft Office, LibreOffice weighs in at 228MB so is still a fairly large suite to install.
One of the criticisms that has been noted in relation to LibreOffice is that if you create a document within its word processor and then open it within a Word document, it may interfere with fonts and formatting.
Has an excellent free tier and advanced features for subscribers
Generous free tier
Multi-language support
Android app too large
WPS Office was released in 2016 by Chinese software developer Kingsoft. It is an office suite that is available for Windows, Linux, Android and iOS. The suite is available in English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish and Russian.
It offers a free and a premium tier. The free tier allows you to use Writer, Presentation and Spreadsheets, which are alternatives to the Microsoft Office suite which it also resembles closely. WPS offers a PDF to Word converter which is fast and easy to use. It supports bulk exportation and can also split-merge PDF files if needed.
The suite offers 1GB of free cloud storage for iOS and PC users, but this service is not yet available for Android.
The ‘Premium’ tier is $29.99 (£22.96) per year and allows the user to connect up 9 devices at once. It also gets rids of all those annoying adverts that are commonplace on the free tier.
WPS has been criticised for not allowing collaboration beyond those that track changes and allow users to insert comments. Users have also said that the interface can be quite slow at times when it comes to loading documents. Linux users have mentioned that not all fonts are automatically included and that they have to be installed separately.
For Android users installation is quite large and criticism has been levelled imploring the developer to make it more lightweight.
iWork is Apple’s alternative to Microsoft Office. It consists of Pages, Keynote and Numbers. These are broadly equivalent to Word, PowerPoint and Excel. It is exclusive to macOS for a local install, but there are versions on the cloud that can be enjoyed by users of other platforms.
iWork is much more lightweight than MS Office and this would suit most users. There are a lot of features in MS Office that the majority of users do not even know exist nevermind actually use. That might be a pro for power users but many users may just want a straightforward interface with only a few tabs to choose features from. This is where iWork comes in.
iWork is free and can be downloaded from the App Store on your Mac. There are three separate apps, each for word processing, preparing presentations and for creating spreadsheets. Numbers, Apple’s spreadsheet alternative, offers a blank canvas for you to begin on rather than showing a daunting grid view on your spreadsheet. It takes away that feeling of it being a ledger and it is very easy to use and add images, tables and charts as you go.
The word processor, Pages, is very simple and is perfect for straightforward documents, and it is not inundated with the layers of options that exist within MS Word. Pages also allows users to collaborate on their work and has now added a feature that supports EPUB, which can be created and shared to iBooks if you see fit to do so.
The presentation app, Keynote, has been referred to as the better alternative to PowerPoint by online users as it is easy to use. It creates beautiful presentations without the hassle that can be associated with PowerPoint.
MS Office may not be able to open documents created in iWork, but all iWork applications can export to other formats that are compatible with other suites.
A free office suite with some excellent advanced features
Free, open source software
Mind map and project management tools
MS Office compatibility issues
Calligra Office suite was initially released in October 2000 as part of KOffice. It is an office suite developed by KDE as well as being suitable to use for graphic art design. It is available on Linux, macOS, Windows and Android.
Calligra is a free and open source software suite and can be downloaded directly from its own website or from KDE’s downloads page. It is completely distinct from LibreOffice.
While LibreOffice has the familiar look and feel of MS Office, Calligra does not. A lot of the useable features tabs are set on the right-hand side of the screen and not on the top like MS Office and other office suites. This means that the page you are currently editing does not take up the full screen.
One of the extra features that makes Calligra stand out is that it offers a mind-mapping and project managing tool. Usually these cost extra.
Calligra allows you to read DOCX and DOX formats but you cannot edit them. This can cause difficulties if your contacts send you Microsoft Office documents, so ask them to use a different format such as ODT (Open Document Text) instead.
Has some excellent editing tools for those willing to pay for them
Allows syncing across devices
Free tier is basic
OfficeSuite is an application that was developed by MobiSystems and is available for Android, iOS and Windows. Devices that are made by Amazon, Toshiba, Sony and Alcatel come with OfficeSuite pre-installed. The Android app has been named amongst the top applications for business.
You can synchronize between devices using your OfficeSuite account and only one license is needed for all your devices.
It has several tiers to choose from. The ‘Basic’ tier is free and allows users to view and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. The suite has full compatibility with most formats such as ODT, RTF, CSV, DOC, and ZIP. The free tier also enables users to view PDF documents and offers cloud support via services like Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive.
The ‘Personal’ tier enables the suite on one desktop, one tablet and one phone. This tier costs €29.99 ($35). It has all the free tier has to offer along with the ability to track changes, export PDF’s to other editable formats and advanced PDF features such as digital signatures and passwords. The ‘Group’ tier is €49.99 ($58) per year and allows you to use across five desktops, five tablets and 5 phones. The ‘Business’ tier offers up to 100 licenses for €3.99 ($5) per user per month.
OfficeSuite has received much praise online but it has also been criticised for pushing users to purchase premium subscriptions.
Use the Polaris arsenal of tools to edit and create multiple file types
Excellent free tier
Cross-platform
Ads can be distracting
Polaris Office is developed by Intraware and was initially released in March 2014. It is a free office suite that is available for Android, iOS, Windows and macOS. It appears to be a popular suite amongst businesses and is used by the likes of Amazon and Samsung.
While the free version is very generous there is a business version to which you can upgrade. To enquire about the cost, you will need to send Polaris a ‘Purchase Query form’ which can be found on their website.
With this powerful suite you can edit many different file formats including PPT, XLS, DOCX and HWP. As your account synchronizes amongst your devices you will be able to edit and create from wherever you are. All your data is secured by AWS (Amazon Web Services).
With the latest edition of Polaris you can now convert and edit PDF documents. Users can also convert voice and image files to documents if the need arises.
The suite supports several different languages such as French, German, Korean, English and Russian.
The only real criticism there is of Polaris is that while the free edition offers a huge range of features the ads can be a little distracting at times.
A useful range of features for users who don’t need extensive documentation
Free and open source
Excellent free version
Support issues
OnlyOffice is an open source office suite developed by Ascensio Systems SIA. It is available in over 22 languages and boasts of Oracle being one of their leading clients.
The completely free version, known as the ‘Community Edition’ is most suited for small business and allows up to 20 connections at once. This suite does not just offer the usual features such as word processing or spreadsheets but is very useful in relation to order fulfilment and for documenting sales.
The handy calendar feature allows user to keep up to date with personal and work-related tasks as well as keeping an eye on deadlines. Third party integration is also supported. You can create your own Mailboxes with the ‘Mail’ tool.
As with other office suites there is the ability to create and edit documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Users can collaborate on projects and make comments in files where necessary.
Users have reported that support can be hard to find and that the online chat forum community that is used to provide help can be a bit tricky to navigate.
WordPerfect proves there is no school like the old school
Free trial version
MS Office compatible
UI is unwieldy
WordPerfect was developed by Corel nearly 40 years ago and is available on Windows only. It was most popular in the 80’s where it was known for its DOS and Microsoft Windows versions. It was soon eclipsed by Microsoft Office upon its release.
It is an all-in-one office suite. The standard edition costs €372.99 ($432) for the full version. It offers its own word processor, spreadsheet program and a slideshow creator. The latest version now includes improved photo-editing and management. WordPerfect offer a free trial version which you can download from the main site.
Like other suites it can save to many different formats such as DOCX, PDF and HTML. The common file extensions for WordPerfect files is WPD. It also offers ebooks publishing and macro management.
The PDF feature gives users the ability to edit and fill in forms via PDF, as well as change the form’s appearance e.g. font/color. WordPerfect supports opening multiple documents at one time.
Online reviews have critiqued the UI saying that it is not user-friendly and it can cause problem with fonts. You also sometimes have to delve into the manual to fix problems which would not be an issue if using MS Word.
Apache OpenOffice (AOO) is an open source office suite that is available across all platforms. With over 20 years of development behind it, the suite is a consistent all-round performer.
Like LibreOffice, OpenOffice uses the Open Document format (ODF). It can view and edit a large number of other file types, particularly MS Office files. OpenOffice cannot save or edit documents using the open XML format e.g. DOCX. You can however open these files and save them as a different format.
As it is an open source suite anyone who has the know-how can suggest improvements or fix any bugs. As with other open source applications it has a great online community who are always willing to lend a hand to other users.
While the formula tool, Math, has the basic features needed to calculate equations, it is not for advanced users. OpenOffice has the option to create basic presentations through Impress, but there are very few design templates compared to PowerPoint.
