Technology

• Trillium has hit general availability just months after preview release
• Powerful AI chip offers more than four times the training performance
• Google uses it to train Gemini 2.0, the company's advanced AI model

Google has been developing Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), its custom AI accelerators, for over a decade, and a few months after being made available in preview, has announced that its sixth-generation TPU has reached general availability and is now available for rent.

Trillium doubles both the HBM capacity and the Interchip Interconnect bandwidth, and was was used to train Gemini 2.0, the tech giant’s flagship AI model.

Google reports it offers up to a 2.5x improvement in training performance per dollar compared to prior TPU generations, making it an appealing option for enterprises seeking efficient AI infrastructure.

Google Cloud’s AI Hypercomputer

Trillium delivers a range of other improvements over its predecessor, including more than four times the training performance. Energy efficiency has been increased by 67%, while peak compute performance per chip has risen by a factor of 4.7.

Trillium naturally improves inference performance as well. Google’s tests indicate over three times higher throughput for image generation models such as Stable Diffusion XL and nearly twice the throughput for large language models compared to earlier TPU generations.

The chip is also optimized for embedding-intensive models, with its third-generation SparseCore providing better performance for dynamic and data-dependent operations.

Trillium TPU also forms the foundation of Google Cloud’s AI Hypercomputer. This system features over 100,000 Trillium chips connected via a Jupiter network fabric delivering 13 Petabits/sec of bandwidth. It integrates optimized hardware, open software, and popular machine learning frameworks, including JAX, PyTorch, and TensorFlow.

With Trillium now generally available, Google Cloud customers have the opportunity to access the same hardware used to train Gemini 2.0, making high-performance AI infrastructure more accessible for a wide range of applications.

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Microsoft's gift this Christmas was an outage of its Xbox cloud gaming service.

• Apache Software Foundation discovered flaws in MINA, HugeGraph-Server, and Traffic Control
• One of the flaws was given a 10/10 severity score
• All bugs were patched, and admins are urged to apply the fixes ASAP

The Apache Software Foundation has released fixes for multiple vulnerabilities discovered in three different solutions: MINA, HugeGraph-Server, and Traffic Control. One of the flaws received a maximum 10/10 score.

Apache MINA is a network application framework that simplifies the development of high-performance and scalable communication protocols and applications by abstracting low-level I/O operations. Multiple versions (2.0 - 2.0.26, 2.1 - 2.1.9, and 2.2 - 2.2.3), were found vulnerable to a flaw that allowed threat actors to remotely execute arbitrary code, and as such, was given a severity score of 10/10.

It is tracked as CVE-2024-52046, and was addressed in versions 2.0.27, 2.1.10, and 2.2.4. However, as BleepingComputer reports, simply applying the patch will not suffice, since users also need to manually set the rejection of all classes, unless explicitly allowed by following one of three methods provided.

Attacks during winter holidays

Other two vulnerabilities are tracked as CVE-2024-43441, and CVE-2024-45387. The first, described as an authentication bypass issue, one was found in Apache HugeGraph-Server versions 1.0 - 1.3, and was addressed in version 1.5.0. The final one, an SQL injection vulnerability impacting Traffic Ops versions 8.0.0 - 8.0.1, was addressed in version 8.0.2. It was given a 9.9 critical severity score.

Winter holidays are notorious for being the time of the year when hackers are most active. With increased traffic, and many employees being on holiday leave, businesses are exposed more than usual. Cybercriminals are aware of this, and take advantage of the fact by launching devastating attacks, starting with Christmas eve onwards.

Therefore, Apache Software Foundation urged system administrators to upgrade their software to the latest version as soon as possible.

Via BleepingComputer

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I’ve got a plan to go in a different direction when it comes to my living room gaming in 2025 – and you might be in a similar boat to me with your setup.

If so, I reckon my alternative couch gaming scheme might be of interest, and it goes a little something like this…

PS5 Pro stumbling blocks

First off, I’ll outline the vessel I’m currently aboard for my sofa-based gaming (and I’ll drop the sailing analogy while I’m at it). That’d be the good ship PlayStation 4 Pro (that’s the last one, promise) which is used in my living room. And in the study, down the hall, is my gaming PC, which I point out for reasons that’ll soon become clear.

As you no doubt noticed, this year, in November, the PlayStation 5 Pro was released, which led to a considerable amount of mulling about whether to sell off my PS4 Pro and buy Sony’s newest console. It was a tempting prospect initially, but the PS5 Pro’s weighty price tag – and worries around the potency of the graphical upgrade it delivered, as pointed out our PS5 Pro review – made me have a rethink.

It was, after all, a lot of money to spend on a console. Cash that, in the end, I felt could be put to better use in my plan B, which can basically be described as using my gaming PC in the living room. But not moving my gaming PC into that room, of course – that’d never work.

No, my PC will stay exactly where it is – where I need it for actual work in the study – and the plan is to run some long cables from it, through the hallway, to the 55-inch 4K TV in the living room, while upgrading my computer with a very fast new (4K capable) graphics card.

(Image credit: Future)

A low-tech solution? Yes, fair point, but I reckon it’s still a good plan, and I’ve got some of the pieces together already. The final piece of the puzzle will be that new desktop GPU, which I’m playing a waiting game for right now. Why? Well, I’ll come back to that.

Cables first, GPU to come as 2025 kicks off

Before coming to the graphics card upgrade, let’s consider those cables. I’ve already bought what I need in this department: first and foremost, that’s a very long (10m) HDMI cable, and two lengthy snaking (12m) USB booster extension cables.

The latter are IOGear USB 2.0 Booster Extension Cables – GUE2118 – with boosters to amplify the signal along the lengthy lead. As for the HDMI cable, I bought a plain low-cost effort, nothing fancy.

(Image credit: IOGear)

If you’re thinking of going this route, you may not need cables quite that long, depending on where your PC is relative to the TV – or you may need longer. Those USB booster extension cords can be daisy-chained, with up to three of them, incidentally, although running leads down the stairs may be impractical or even dangerous.

I want two cables so I can plug in my two PS4 controllers so my wife and me can play couch co-op. Or I can hook up my PC’s mouse and keyboard for single player shooters (or similar) on my 55-inch screen, with the peripherals on a tray over my lap perhaps (not ideal ergonomics, no doubt, so I’ll just have to see how that goes and experiment).

An alternative is that you could use wireless connections rather than the USB booster cables for the controllers or peripherals. It’s true that running three long cables from one room to another is clunky, and that’s the least ideal part of this plan of mine – though it’s something I can live with.

(Image credit: Future / IOGear)

So, wireless controllers (and/or a wireless mouse and keyboard) might be a better path for you. It depends on the distance between the living room and the room where your PC is located, of course, and if the signal strength is okay (and how much interference there might be from other wireless signals in the area). In my case, it’s a fair distance – likely too far – and I’d rather not worry about a flaky connection, or the controllers cutting out, which is definitely not a concern with a direct wired hook-up.

Right, onto the mentioned GPU upgrade. My gaming PC is now showing its age, having an ailing Nvidia RTX 2060 Super inside. When I bought the machine a few years back, that was okay for 1080p gaming, but I was always intending to upgrade eventually. That’s more urgent now, as I subsequently bought a new 1440p (165Hz) monitor.

In short, my graphics card needs an upgrade anyway, so I figured, why not spend that PS5 Pro money on getting a really good GPU that can handle 4K gaming to look truly spectacular on the large 4K TV in my living room.

Then we come to the reason why I want to wait until the New Year before putting this plan into action. Both AMD and Nvidia have new GPUs coming out at the start of 2025 – they’ll (almost certainly) be revealed at CES 2025 imminently, in fact – and those will likely include some good, relatively more affordable, 4K options.

(Image credit: Future / AMD / Nvidia)

I’m thinking of the Nvidia RTX 5070, or even better, the rumored RTX 5070 Ti, or the AMD RX 8800 XT, or maybe the RTX 5080 even, depending on what happens with these next-gen GPU launches and how pricing shakes out. (Okay, the RTX 5080 is clearly overly optimistic, given that pricing rumors suggest it’ll be seriously expensive – but I can dream, don’t take that from me).

The odds are very much in favor of there being some great new choices for the best mid-to-upper range graphics cards appearing on shelves in January 2025 (or across the first quarter at some point). And it’d be madness not to wait and see the kind of value I’ll get from these GPUs relative to what’s on the market now.

Further price drops may, of course, happen with current-gen GPUs as the next-gen models arrive, so either way, it should be rich pickings for a great value proposition. Fingers firmly crossed, as ever.

(Image credit: LG) The pros and cons of my grand couch gaming plan

For me, the advantages of going this way are that not only do I get a living room setup for an excellent 4K gaming experience on my TV with couch play – that’s going to outgun the PS5 Pro for graphics quality – but I also get the benefit of truly supercharged 1440p frame rates when PC gaming in my study. A double win, essentially.

Furthermore, I can keep my PS4 Pro in the living room (I wouldn’t have got that much for it anyway, looking at current second-hand prices, in my PS5 Pro swap-out upgrade scenario) and still enjoy my PlayStation library (and maybe further games that emerge next year).

On the downside, I’ll miss out on those PS5 exclusives, true. But still, these days, PlayStation ports are coming to the PC with increasing speed and frequency (and they tend to be good versions of said games, too).

(Image credit: TechRadar)

My plan won’t be for everyone, I realize that – trailing a trio of cables isn’t exactly an idea solution. It’s rather clumsy and low-tech, as I mentioned, but I think it’s something I can easily live with. I’ll probably only haul the cables out for longer weekend gaming sessions, when we camp out at the TV to plough through a game.

I’m really keen to give this idea a shot and am very hopeful it’ll work out well. I’ve already tested the setup, naturally, with my current RTX 2060 Super GPU, which obviously isn’t up to much for 4K gaming. It did okay with some less taxing games at that resolution, though, and the controllers worked like a dream, as if they’re plugged directly into the PC – which, of course, they are – plus the picture on the 4K TV (an OLED) is perfection.

Some argue you might need a better (fiber optic) HDMI cable, ideally, for fluid 4K gaming in this kind of setup, but I tried a less demanding shooter and found it ran smoothly enough, even on my creaking old graphics card. An upgraded HDMI cable is a potential investment I might look into down the line (the long leads can get pricey). For now, though, I’m happy – well, I will be when I get that new GPU as 2025 kicks off.

There are alternatives, of course, to cables, and not just running the controllers wirelessly as I already mentioned. What might also work in your own scenario is ditching the HDMI lead, too, and opting for a different solution entirely to get a PC in another room onto your living room TV. Namely, streaming using something like the Nvidia Shield TV (with the Sunshine and Moonlight apps, since Team Green killed off GameStream last year). With that scheme of things, and wireless controllers, you wouldn’t have any trailing leads at all.

There are a number of possibilities for powering up a gaming PC to play games on your big-screen TV in the living room while relaxing on your couch. And I believe it’s well worth exploring those options rather than forking out a whole load of cash for a top-of-the-line PlayStation (or Xbox), particularly given how pricey the PS5 Pro turned out to be if you’re in the Sony camp.

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• Hackers were recently spotted abusing a flaw in multiple Cleo software tools
• Cl0p ransomware gang took responsibility for the attack
• The group has started listing victims on its website

The prolific ransomware threat actor Cl0p has added partial names of some of the companies that were successfully targeted through bugs in Cleo software. This is likely part of its pressure tactic, as it tries to extort money from its victims.

In early December this year, news broke that multiple managed file transfer tools from the same developer called Cleo Software were being abused to launch attacks and possibly steal data. At the time, cybersecurity researchers at Huntress claimed LexiCom, VLTransfer, and Harmony were all vulnerable to CVE-2024-50623, an unrestricted file upload and download vulnerability that could lead to remote code execution.

Cleo allegedly released a patch in October which didn’t entirely fix the issue, leaving the doors open to hackers. Huntress, alone, said it observed at least 24 victims. At the time, the researchers could not attribute the attack to any specific group, since the evidence was inconclusive, but it wasn’t long before Cl0p came forward to claim responsibility.

Listing victims

For those unaware, Cl0p is a threat actor best known for exploiting flaws in MOVEit, another managed file transfer tool. This attack resulted in thousands of breached organizations, and sensitive data on millions of people being stolen.

Now, TechCrunch reported that the group took credit for stealing data from at least 66 companies, as it listed their partial names on their website. The gang apparently said it would soon reveal full names of their victims.

“Victim organizations so far have included various consumer product companies, logistics and shipping organizations, and food suppliers,” Huntress said at the time.

Soon after Huntress’ announcement, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added the Cleo bug to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming the findings and giving federal agencies three weeks to patch up or stop using the tools entirely.

Via TechCrunch

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The price of the Microsoft 365 service is going up in some parts of the world due to the inclusion of the Copilot AI assistant.

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It's been a packed year of great TV shows and new movies, so much so I'm still working through my watchlist! But, as 2024 draws to a close, there are plenty of new releases to tide us over till the new year. It seems the best streaming services aren't slowing down one bit, with some of this year's most highly-anticipated returning series and Christmas specials still to come.

There might not be any leftover turkey in the fridge, but that shouldn't stop you from watching the best Doctor Who Christmas specials after this week's latest installment. For even more streaming recommendations, make sure to also check out these seven underrated movies in 2024 and nine canceled Netflix shows in 2024 to round out this year's watchlist with some of the lesser known hits, too! - Amelia Schwanke, senior entertainment editor

Squid Game season 2 (Netflix)

The wait is over! Squid Game season 2 is here and Netflix is inviting us to dive back into the deadly trials this holiday season. I've been excited about this for so long as I was among the millions of viewers who tuned into last time and was myself absolutely blown away by it. Set three years after the original, protagonist Seong Gi-hun decides to go back into the games instead of running off with his prize money. It's not a decision everyone would make, admittedly, but he's donning his Player 456 tracksuit once again.

I can't ignore my excitement for Squid Game's return anymore, so it's definitely a show I'll be binge watching over the holidays. It's high time one of the best Netflix shows returned, after all!

Lucy Buglass, senior entertainment writer

Doctor Who: Joy to the World (Disney Plus)

Ever since Doctor Who was rebooted in 2005, the British sci-fi institution has become synonymous with the festive season. Indeed, we've been treated to a new holiday special every year (well, almost every year) since then – and, thankfully 2024 is no different.

Joy to the World, which will air on Disney Plus everywhere except in the UK (it'll launch on BBC One/BBC iPlayer) on Christmas Day, will follow the eponymous Time Lord and new temporary companion Joy (Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan) as they explore the Time Hotel. Doctor Who festive specials have been hit and miss over the years, and I hope this one is more of the former than the latter.

Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter

What If...? season 3 (Disney Plus)

The final season of What If...?, the first animated TV show from Marvel, is already airing as we speak. Like its forebear, new episodes of season 3 have been dropping daily since December 22, so you've already got five to catch up on (if you're reading this on December 27, anyway) with this Marvel Phase 5 TV show.

So far, I've largely enjoyed the stories that What If...? season 3 has told, but I'll always feel like the MCU project was something of a missed opportunity for the comic giant. Indeed, considering the premise of this series and its comic book namesake, it could've been a wilder and more creative affair. Alas, it isn't and it's for that reason that it'll never be part of our best Disney Plus shows guide.

Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter

Your Fault (Prime Video)

My Fault (Culpa mía) might not be considered one of the best Prime Video movies, but soapy young adult dramas are a guilty pleasure of mine, so I'll be watching the sequel Your Fault (Culpa tuya). Based on the Culpables book series by Mercedes Ron, the Spanish-language romantic drama sees Noah (Nicole Wallace) and Nick's (Gabriel Guevara) passionate romance face new challenges as Noah heads off to college and Nick starts his career.

The first movie became the most-watched non-English-language film on Prime Video in 2023, so I wouldn't be surprised if the second one is as popular among viewers.

Grace Morris, entertainment writer

ChiefsAholic: A Wolf in Chiefs Clothing (Prime Video)

Being a well-recognized sports fan is probably a pretty cool experience, and that's exactly what Xaviar Babudar, aka ChiefsAholic, was, with people in the above trailer comparing him to a god. Well, until he was unmasked as a bank robber, that is. Yeah this story is a pretty crazy one and I'm very keen to watch it!

When ChiefsAholic was arrested in Bixby, Oklahoma, it unraveled a series of bank robberies committed across the Midwest and opened up a secret life. His arrest is documented through his own interviews and the legal journey that followed as we find out how this internet sensation robbed 11 banks stealing more than $800,000 across seven states and laundering the proceeds through casinos. Even if you're not big on NFL, this story is wild and perfect for those who love a crazy true story. One for our best Prime Video shows list? Potentially.

Lucy Buglass, senior entertainment writer

NFL on Christmas Day (Netflix)

The wait for the the NFL’s big Christmas Day marquee games that'll see the Kansas City Chiefs (who won The Super Bowl LVIII) face the Pittsburgh Steelers, plus the Baltimore Ravens against the Houston Texans, ended this week, when Netflix subscribers were treated to a Christmas gift with both games live streaming on December 25.

To top it off, Mariah Carey kicked off proceedings with her Christmas staple before Beyoncé stole the halftime show with her first live performance of tracks from the 'Cowboy Carter' album. According to Nielsen data, both games became the most-streamed in NFL history with each having an average audience of 24 million viewers. Go sports!

Amelia Schwanke, senior entertainment editor

Alien Files: Reopened (Max)

Alien Files: Reopened, which has landed on Max, investigates 75 years of UFO phenomena as investigators try to find the truth behind well-known cases through forensic analysis. With the help from a team of experts, they uncover who's behind government disinformation, fake abduction stories, and the infiltration of the UFO community. This series challenges perceptions, leaving audiences trying to work out who and what they can trust.

I've never watched an alien docuseries before, but maybe it's time I give one a try. I still don't expect it to make it onto our best Max shows list, mind you...

Grace Morris, entertainment writer

For more streaming suggestions, read our guides on the best Netflix movies, best Max movies, best Paramount Plus shows, and best Hulu shows.

Raise your hand if you've been using Apple Intelligence regularly since Apple officially launched it with the iPhone 16 lineup and the iOS 18.2 update. It's powerful and woven throughout the platform, yet I know it's not yet part of my workflow and I've struggled a bit to know when it makes sense to call in the AI. Well, I did until this holiday season.

It was Christmas Day. The air was sharply cold and the ground still white from flakes that showed up just days before the jolly old elf. Aside from my wife and kids, none of my family lives nearby, so I usually send (and receive) texts wishing all a "very merry Christmas".

In this case, my niece sent me a note, and as I prepared to quickly text her back, I went in search of a funny and appropriate GIF. My niece is one of the few family members who appreciates my humor, so I hate to disappoint.

In Messages, I pressed on the plus next to the text box and started scrolling past the Camera, Photos, Stickers, Apple Cash, Audio (there's a lot in here) but before I got to the GIF store (hidden under"#images"), I found Image Playground.

Image Playground is creative but incredibly safe, you might even call it timid.

While Google Gemini, OpenAI ChatGPT, Midjourney. and others are letting people create almost any kind of generative AI image, Apple took a very Apple-ly approach to artificial intelligence images. Image Playground is like those bowling guides you pop up on either side of a bowling lane to keep your bowling ball out of the gutters, on track, and safely headed toward the pins. It's creative but incredibly safe, you might even call it timid. You can describe people on your contacts doing various things but they'll be rendered in safe and cartoony forms. There are lots of suggestions for fun backgrounds but you'd be hard-pressed to create an off-color or upsetting AI image.

When I asked Image Playground to make an image of monkeys eating Lance (that's how the platform knows me), I got an adorable cartoon of monkeys eating banana-like fruit but I was not included on the menu.

(Image credit: Image Playground)

Still, now that I was in it, I realized I could try sending my niece a funny, cartoony image of me doing something stupid. I asked for me as Santa with a reindeer. Image Playground didn't take long to create a few images and if I kept swiping through, it would generate more new looks.

One of Image Playground's key superpowers is its ability to generate characters that look cannily like you. This takes some training with images of you in your photo library. I think the result is pretty good though my teeth will never be that perfect.

I sent the image and a brief message to my niece who quickly replied, "Omg, haha". I think that meant she liked it, despite my wife, who was on the message thread adding, "ignore your crazy uncle".

Emboldened, I spent the rest of the day using Image Playground to send each family member a custom image. In each case, I tried to tailor the prompt to something that related to each of them.

(Image credit: Image Playground)

For my older sister who lives in Colorado, I sent an image of me as Santa climbing a mountain. She read it and was stunned into silence.

For my brother who has some interest in the tech space, I sent him Santa Lance at work on the computer. I sensed his confusion in his response, "Is this an Apple Me thing?" I explained what it was and he appreciatively replied, "Nice."

(Image credit: Image Playground)

For my younger sister, I replied to her "Merry Christmas" with an image of me as Santa carrying packages. Granted, I had asked for me to carrying a huge bag of gifts, but this would suffice.

Her one-word response was: "Frightening."

(Image credit: Image Playground)

I struggled a bit on the one for my parents until I hit upon the idea of generating an image of me with their dog, Abby. She's a small, black terrier who loves me. At the time, I couldn't remember the dog breed so I simply asked Image Playground to depict me with a small, furry, black dog. The result wasn't terrible. It did some nice guesswork on Abby's partially white snout but the beady eyes are a little unnerving.

(Image credit: Image Playground)

My mother quickly responded with "Merry Christmas. What's with the pic?", I told her it was AI-generated. The lack of response was a clear indication she had no idea what I was on about.

The good news is, this is the most I've used Image Playground since it launched and, aside from testing iOS 18 features for TechRadar, it's the most I've used Apple Intelligence in my personal life.

I'm not certain Image Playground is a reason for Apple Intelligence to exist but I like that my little creative/artificial intelligence efforts at least elicited some response. Perhaps it'll inspire my relatives to look further into this emerging technology and if they upgrade their phones and enable it try out Apple Intelligence for themselves.

Though I'm guessing not.

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What just happened?

Apple TV Plus treated Severance fans to a sneak peek of the first eight-minutes of the new season this Boxing Day, building up even more anticipation (as if there wasn't enough already) for the return of one of the best Apple TV Plus shows.

Severance season 2 will be back on our screens in exactly three weeks from today, with the first episode set to premiere on Friday, January 17, followed by nine more that will be released weekly until the finale airs on Friday, March 21.

To watch the opening scene of the second season, you'll have to head over to the Apple TV app on your phone, tablet or TV, search for the show 'Severance' and scroll down to the section 'Bonus Content', where you'll see 'Season 2 Sneak Peek'.

Need a quick reminder of everything that happened in the first season before jumping back into the next? There's a very helpful recap on the Apple TV Plus YouTube account that'll get you up to speed in under two-minutes (see below).

What does the Severance season 2 sneak peek show?

Spoilers follow for Severance season 1 and the first eight-minutes of season 2.

If you don't mind spoiling the start of Severance season 2 for yourself, then there's a bit to unpack in these first eight minutes that might give us more clues for what's to come – don't expect any of the five biggest fan theories to be answered, though.

The first episode of season 2 sees Mark Scout (Adam Scott) return to his 'innie' at Lumon Industries, after we last saw him awakening in the real world in the season 1 finale to find out his wife is still alive. Understandably, he's a bit frazzled and tense following his escape.

Mark bursts out of the elevator to the jazzy tune of Les McCann's 'Burnin' Coal', giving us our first taste of what will undoubtedly be another phenomenal original soundtrack composed by Theodore Shapiro. This upbeat mix quickly turns more contemplative when the opening theme starts to play.

Like we saw in Severance season 2's stunning new trailer, we see Mark meet new Lumon employees played by Alia Shawkat, Bob Balaban and Stefano Carannante that look to have replaced Helly (Britt Lower), Irving (John Turturro) and Dylan (Zach Cherry).

Don't be distracted by Mark's return to work balloons. (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

It's when Mark is welcomed back to work by his supervisor Seth Milchick (Tramell Tillman) where things start to get interesting. Not only do we learn that it has been five months since the season 1 finale but that Seth has succeeded Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette) to become the manager of the 'severed' floor.

The shift in management seems to be a consequence of Mark's team having successfully made contact with their 'outies' and in turn becoming incredibly famous as whistleblowers. So, where is Helly, Irving and Dylan? Seth tells Mark that their 'outies' refused to return to Lumon, but of course Mark's not completely trusting of everything he says, especially after his failed mutiny.

It's here when the clip fades to the Apple TV Plus logo, leaving us with so many more questions: Is Seth telling the truth? Will Helly, Irving and Dylan return? Why did Mark's 'outie' send him back? We'll just have to be patient to find out what happens next, but luckily it's only three more weeks until the full first episode drops.

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In 2024, we've seen the release of amazing TVs covering a range of technologies and budgets. We've witnessed incredible innovations at the high end, and also budget models that seriously outperform their price.

As TechRadar’s staff TV reviewer, I've been fortunate over the past year to get my hands on some of the best TVs I've ever seen – and that includes my time selling TVs in AV retail!

Now, these sets I've chosen here aren't completely the same ones as the TVs selected for this year's TechRadar Choice Awards, but are ones I have personally tested and reviewed. I've been lucky that I haven't really come across a bad TV this year, but the ones below are my personal favorites.

1. Samsung S95D

(Image credit: Future)

What better place to start than with TechRadar’s, and my personal, choice for TV of the year: the Samsung S95D OLED TV. While it impressed in all the ways you’d expect from one of the best OLED TVs, it was its relatively simple innovations that earned it high praise.

Screen reflections have been an enemy of OLED TVs, mainly due to their limited brightness. To combat this, the Samsung S95D uses OLED Glare Free anti-reflection tech, which is in fact a matte screen. While this may seem simple, it blew me away during testing, with reflections “all but eliminated” as I said in my Samsung S95D review.

It wasn’t just there that the S95D impressed. I was also blown away by the lifelike picture details made possible by the Real Depth Enhancer AI feature. Plus it delivered spectacular contrast, breath-taking color and superb black levels., The S95D also asserts itself as one of the best gaming TVs with an ultra-low 8.9ms input lag time for ultra-responsive gameplay plus a stack of gaming features including 4K 144Hz, VRR, ALLM and four HDMI 2.1 ports.

Round that off with very good built-in TV sound and a stunning, razor-thin design that gives a futuristic and sleek “floating” appearance, and the S95D presents itself as “the standard bearer in 2024”, as I said in my review.

2. Samsung QN90D

(Image credit: Future)

Another Samsung set, but this time a flagship mini-LED TV: the Samsung QN90D. While it didn’t quite wow me as much as the Samsung S95D, it did a lot of things very well, especially when watching sports.

Sport is a hard thing for some TVs to show accurately. Use too much processing and the image may appear smooth, but there will be clipping or ‘ghosting’ of the ball (where it disappears). Go too light on smoothing and the image will display judder and blur, especially during back-and-forth shots up a field in say, soccer.

Neither are an issue for the Samsung QN90D, though. Its incredible motion handling earned serious plaudits in my Samsung QN90D review, where I found that “intense sequences and fast panning shots were expertly handled.” Even when watching in Filmmaker Mode where there’s no blur or judder reduction processing applied, the QN90D made short work of fast motion pictures. It’s no wonder it sits atop our list of the best TVs for sport.

The QN90D’s high brightness and excellent reflection handling also make sports easy to watch during the day, and it delivers lifelike textures, bold colors and impressive contrast. Its built-in sound is great and it's well-stocked with gaming features, again with four HDMI 2.1 ports and 4K 144Hz, VRR, and ALLM all covered.

3. TCL C855

(Image credit: Future)

The TCL C855, a mid-range mini-LED model, was for me one of 2024’s most surprising TVs. For the money, you can’t go wrong. I was generally wowed by the C855 when I reviewed it, but some areas in particular stood out.

Mini-LED TVs often suffer from backlight blooming (a ‘halo’ effect around brighter objects on dark backgrounds). While the C855 did suffer from this when viewed off-center when I tested it, when viewed straight on its black levels, local dimming and contrast were incredible. In some scenes, its blacks even rivaled OLED TVs! It also displayed vibrant colors and details that looked true to life.

The C855 has brilliant gaming features, with 4K 144Hz, VRR (AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, no less), ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming all on offer. As I said in my TCL C855 review, “Regardless of how chaotic the sequence I played, the C855 made light work of it.” It even has decent built-in sound!

But, the TCL C855’s real high point is its value. For the 65-inch model I tested, you’d be looking to pay £1,299, which is a steal for a TV with its features and performance. I went in with pre-conceptions about the C855 and what it could do and was very happy to be proven wrong.

It’s worth noting that this TV is only available in the UK, but if you’re looking for something with a similar price and even better performance in the US, you can get the C855’s cousin, the TCL QM851G, which also earned four-and-a-half stars in our review.

4. Hisense U7N

(Image credit: Future)

The Hisense U7N is another mini-LED TV that made the list. 2024 was a big year for mini-LED, and while it can be easy to focus on more premium models like the mesmerizing Sony Bravia 9, or the Samsung QN90D and TCL C855 mentioned above, there were also great TVs at the budget end of the price spectrum. And no TV in 2024 did budget mini-LED better than the Hisense U7N.

The U7N impressed me with its detail, vivid color and effective local dimming performance. It may not have the same picture quality as more premium sets, but it was easy to forget just how affordable this TV is when looking at it.

Value is the U7N’s biggest highlight, and it also has a great stock of gaming features such as 4K 144Hz, Dolby Vision gaming, VRR (AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync) and ALLM. In my testing, it performed at a level you wouldn’t expect at this price during gameplay.

Over Black Friday, I saw the Hisense U7N’s 65-inch model, the same size I tested, drop to a staggeringly low $680, which is a jaw-dropping price. In the UK, it’s not as well priced, but you can still get it for roughly £999 – again very good value.

The U7N isn’t the best-in-class in any area, but I still described it as an “overall great performer” in my Hisense U7N review. For its performance versus price alone, it has to be considered one of my top TVs of the year and one of 2024’s best mini-LED TVs.

5. Philips OLED809

(Image credit: Future)

It's no secret that I'm a fan of Ambilight, going as far as to say that I felt like a kid at Christmas when I tested the Philips OLED808 last year. So, it's no surprise that when I got my hands on its successor, the Philips OLED809, I was blown away once again.

Ambilight is a love/hate technology, but for me, it enhances the cinematic experience with its colorful lights that project around the screen.

But, the OLED809 does so much more than Ambilight. During my testing, I was impressed by its detail, bold, vibrant colors, refined contrast and stunning black levels. As I said in my Philips OLED809 review, "Working in tandem with Ambilight, it’s a stunning TV for those seeking a unique movie experience".

The OLED809 also delivers for gaming, with 4K 144Hz, VRR, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming all supported, and it has excellent built-in sound, with accurate placement and surprisingly punchy bass. It really is a fantastic all-rounder and easily one of the best mid-range OLED TVs of 2024.

The OLED809, like all of Philips' TVs, isn't available in the US, so if you're looking for an alternative, you can't go wrong with the LG C4.

You might also like

• Sony dropped OLED for its flagship 2024 TV – here's why
• I tested a mid-range OLED and a flagship mini-LED 4K TV side by side – here's what you need to know before you buy
• I compared premium Samsung and LG OLED TVs side-by-side – and this one key difference surprised me

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