Audio - Page 17 of 104

ASRock Z590 PG Velocita Review: Network Speed, Ample USB

Our Verdict

ASRock’s Z590 PG Velocita is a full-featured Z590 motherboard that includes three M.2 sockets, Killer based networking (including Wi-Fi 6E), capable power delivery, premium audio, and more. It’s a well-rounded mid-ranger for Intel’s Z590 platform.

For

Killer based 2.5 GbE and Wi-Fi 6E Networking
10 USB ports on rearIO
Capable power delivery

Against

Last gen audio codec
No USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C on rearIO

Go to page:

Features and Specifications

Next up out of the ASRock stable is the Z590 PG Velocita. The Z590 version of this board comes with an improved appearance, enhanced power delivery, PCIe 4.0 capability for your GPU and M.2 device, fast Killer-based networking and more. Priced around $300, the PG Velocita lands as a feature-rich mid-range option in the Z590 landscape.

ASRock’s Z590 lineup is similar to the previous-generation Z490 product stack. At the time we wrote this, ASRock has 12 Z590 motherboards listed. At the top is Z590 Taichi, followed by the PG Velocita we’re looking at here, and three Phantom Gaming boards, including a Micro-ATX option. Additionally, there are two professional boards in the Z590 Pro4 and Z590M Pro4, two Steel Legend boards, two Extreme boards (also more on the budget end), and a Mini-ITX board round out the product stack. Between price, size, looks, and features, ASRock should have a board that works for everyone looking to dive headlong into Rocket Lake.

Performance testing on the PG Velocita went well and produced scores that are as fast or faster than the other Z590 boards we’ve tested so far. The PG Velocita eschews Intel specifications, allowing the Intel Core i9-11900K to stretch its legs versus boards that more closely follow those specs. Overclocking went well, with the board able to run our CPU at both stock speeds and the 5.1 GHz overclock we’ve settled on. Memory overclocking also went well, with this board running our DDR4 3600 sticks at 1:1, and DDR4 4000 was nice and stable after a few tweaks to voltage to get it there.

The Z590 PG Velocita is an iterative update, just like most other Z590-based motherboards. The latest version uses a Killer-based 2.5 GbE and Wi-Fi 6E network stack, adds a front panel USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C port, premium Realtek audio codec (though it is last generation’s flagship), three M.2 sockets and more. We’ll dig into these details and other features below. But first, here are the full specs from ASRock.

Specifications – ASRock Z590 PG Velocita

Socket	LGA 1200
Chipset	Z590
Form Factor	ATX
Voltage Regulator	14 Phase (12+2, 50A MOSFETs)
Video Ports	(1) HDMI
	(1) DisplayPort (v1.4)
USB Ports	(2) USB 3.2 Gen 2, Type-A and Type-C (10 Gbps)
	(6) USB 3.2 Gen 1, Type-A (10 Gbps)
	(2) USB 2.0 (480 Mbps)
Network Jacks	(1) 2.5 GbE
Audio Jacks	(5) Analog + SPDIF
Legacy Ports/Jacks	✗
Other Ports/Jack	✗
PCIe x16	(2) v4.0 x16, (x16/x0, x8/x8 – Also x8/x8/x4 – PCIe 3.0)
PCIe x8	✗
PCIe x4	(1) v3.0 x4
PCIe x1	(1) v3.0 x1
CrossFire/SLI	AMD Quad CrossFireX, 3-Way, and CrossFireX
DIMM slots	(4) DDR4 4800+(OC), 128GB Capacity
M.2 slots	(1) PCIe 4.0 x4 / PCIe (up to 80mm)
	(1) PCIe 3.0 x4 / PCIe (up to 80mm)
	(1) PCIe 3.0 x4 / PCIe (up to 110mm) *Supports RAID 0 and 1
U.2 Ports	✗
SATA Ports	(6) SATA3 6 Gbps *Supports RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10
USB Headers	(1) USB v3.2 Gen 2×2 (Front Panel Type-C)
	(2) USB v3.2 Gen 1
	(1) USB v2.0
Fan/Pump Headers	(7) 4-Pin
RGB Headers	(2) ARGB (3-pin)
	(2) RGB (4-pin)
Legacy Interfaces	✗
Other Interfaces	FP-Audio, TPM
Diagnostics Panel	Dr. Debug 2-character LED
Internal Button/Switch	Power and Reset buttons, reset CMOS button
SATA Controllers	✗
Ethernet Controller(s)	(1) Killer E3100G (2.5 GbE)
	(1) Intel I219-V (GbE)
Wi-Fi / Bluetooth	(1) Killer AX1675x (WiFi-6E, 2×2 160 Hz/6 GHz, MU-MIMO, OFDMA, BT 5.2)
USB Controllers	Asmedia ASM1042A (plus re-drivers)
HD Audio Codec	Realtek ALC1220
DDL/DTS Connect	✗ / ✗
Warranty	3 Years

Along with the motherboard, the box includes several accessories ranging from cables to graphic card holders and an additional VRM fan. The included accessories should get you started without a trip to the store. Below is a complete list of all included extras.

Support DVD / Quick installation Guide
Graphics card holder
Wi-Fi Antenna
(4) SATA cables
(3) Screw package for M.2 sockets
(3) Standoffs for M.2 sockets
Wireless dongle USB bracket
3010 Cooling Fan with bracket
4010 Cooling Fan bracket

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: ASRock)

Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: ASRock)

Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: ASRock)

Once you remove the Z590 PG Velocita from the box, one of the first things you’ll notice (if you’re familiar with the previous model) are the design changes. ASRock sticks with the black and red theme but forgoes the red stenciling on the black PCB from the last generation. The VRM heatsinks are large, connected via heatpipe and actively cooled out of the box by a small fan hidden in the left heatsink. ASRock includes an additional small fan and brackets for the top VRM heatsink (we did not use this in any test). The rear IO cover also sports the black and red Phantom Gaming design theme, along with the ASRock branding lit up with RGB lighting. The heatsinks on the bottom half of the board cover the three M.2 sockets and the chipset heatsink. The latter sports a PCB and chip under clear plastic for a unique look. Overall, I like the changes ASRock made to the appearance of this board, and it should fit in well with more build themes.

(Image credit: ASRock)

As we look closer at the top half of the board, we start by focusing on the VRM area. These aren’t the most robust parts below the heatsink, so additional cooling is welcomed. Just above the VRM heatsinks are two 8-pin EPS connectors (one required) to power the processor. To the right of the socket area are four unreinforced DRAM slots with latches on one side. ASRock lists supported speeds up to DDR4 4800(OC) with a maximum capacity of 128GB. As always, your mileage may vary as support depends on the CPU’s IMC and the kit you use to reach those speeds.

Located above the DRAM slots, we find the first two (of seven) 4-pin fan headers. The CPU/Water Pump and Chassis/Water Pump headers both support 24W/12A, with the remainder of the fan headers supporting 12W/1A. There are plenty of fan/pump headers on this board to support the motherboard running them all without a controller if you choose. A third 4-pin header is located in this area, while a fourth is in an odd spot, just below the left VRM heatsink. Outside of that, all headers auto-sense if a 3- or 4-pin connector is attached.

Just to the right of the fan headers up top are an ARGB (3-pin) and RGB header (4-pin). You’ll find the other two on the bottom edge of the board. The Polychrome Sync application controls these LEDs and any attached to the headers.

On the right edge are power and reset buttons, while just below those are the 24-pin ATX header for power to the board. Just below this is the first USB 3.2 Gen1 front panel header and the USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C front panel header.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

ASRock uses a 12-phase configuration for the CPU. Power goes through the 8-pin EPS connector(s) and is sent to the Renesas ISL69269 (X+Y+Z=12) controller. The controller then sends power to six Renesas ISL6617A phase doublers and finally onto the 12 Vishay 50A SIC654 DrMOS power stages. This provides 600A total to the CPU. While not the highest value we’ve seen, the VRM’s easily handled our CPU at stock and overclocked, with some help from the active cooling fan. This board comes with another fan, however, we chose not to use it and after testing, found there wasn’t a need for it.

(Image credit: ASRock)

Moving down to the bottom half of the board, we’ll start on the left side with audio. Hidden below the plastic shroud is the premium Realtek ALC1220 codec. ASRock chose to go with the last generation’s flagship solution instead of jumping up to the latest 4000 series Realtek codec, likely to cut costs. We also spy a few Nichicon Fine Gold audio capacitors poking through the said shroud. This board doesn’t have a fancy DAC as more expensive boards tend to, but this solution will still be satisfactory for an overwhelming majority of users.

In the middle of the board, we see three full-length reinforced PCIe slots (and an x1 slot) as well as the heatsinks that cover the three M.2 sockets. Starting with the PCIe configuration, when using 11th gen CPU, the top two slots are PCIe 4.0 capable with the slot breakdown as follows: x16/x0, x8/x8, or x8/x8/x4 (PCIe 3.0). ASRock says the PG Velocita supports Quad CrossfireX, 3-Way CrossFireX and CrossfireX. As is increasingly common, there’s no mention of SLI support. The x1 slot is connected via the chipset and runs at PCIe 3.0 x1 speeds.

Looking at M.2 storage, the top socket, M2_1, is connected directly to the CPU and offers the fastest speeds (PCIe 4.0 x4 @ 64 Gbps), supporting up to 80mm devices. The second slot down, M2_2, is chipset connected, supporting PCIe 3.0 x4 speeds and accepting SATA-based modules. The bottom socket, M2_3, is also fed from the chipset and runs both SATA-based drives and PCIe, at 3.0 x4 speeds. If M2_2 is occupied, SATA ports 0/1 will be disabled. If M2_3 has a SATA-type drive installed, SATA 3 will be disabled. In the worst-case scenario, when all M.2 sockets are populated (one with a SATA drive), you’ll still have three SATA ports available as well. The top two sockets hold up to 80 mm modules while the bottom supports up to 110 mm drives.

To the right of the PCIe socket sits the chipset heatsink and its PCB-under-plexi look. Continuing to the right edge, we spot another 4-pin fan/pump header, the second USB 3.2 Gen1 header and six SATA ports. Below that is another 4-pin fan header and finally a clear CMOS button to reset your BIOS. Around the SATA ports are the mounting holes for the included GPU support bar. Including this in the box is a great value add, especially with graphics cards seemingly getting larger and heavier as time goes on.

Across the board’s bottom are several headers, including more USB ports, fan headers and more. Below is the complete list, from left to right:

Front-panel audio
Thunderbolt header
UART header
RGB and ARGB headers
USB 2.0 header
TPM header
(2) Chassis/WP headers
Dr. Debug LED
Temperature sensor, water flow headers
Speaker
Front panel header

(Image credit: ASRock)

Flipping the board around to the rear IO area, there’s the pre-installed IO plate which matches the colors and design of the rest of the board. There are 10 USB ports: You get two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (Type-A and Type-C), six USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and two USB 2.0 ports, all of which have ESD protection. Two of these ports, outlined in red, are the Lightning ports. The ports are sourced from two different controller interfaces, allowing gamers to connect their mice/keyboard with the lowest jitter latency–according to ASRock. On the video front, the PG Velocita includes an HDMI port and DisplayPort for use with the integrated video on the processor.

Also here are the Intel (black) and Killer (blue) Ethernet ports on the networking front. The Killer LAN can communicate directly with the CPU, yielding lower latency than chipset-connected LAN–again according to ASRock. Next up are the antenna ports for Wi-Fi 6E and, finally, the gold-plated 5-plug audio stack plus SPDIF.

MORE: Best Motherboards

MORE: How To Choose A Motherboard

MORE: All Motherboard Content

30 Apple Music tips, tricks and features

Since its launch in 2015, Apple Music garnered 72 million subscribers by the end of 2020 and even more impressively (depending on who you ask) racked up a five-star review from us.

Five iOS updates and a couple of hefty interface refreshes later, the arrival of the splendid HomePod Mini (despite the discontinuation of the original HomePod) means there’s no better time to get fully acquainted with the ins and outs of Apple’s music streaming service. You won’t get far with Apple’s little smart speaker if you don’t, at any rate – and there’s so much to enjoy.

Whether you’re on the free three-month trial or already a subscriber and regular user, we’ve pulled together some key tips, tricks and features to make sure you get the utmost from Apple Music.

Read our Apple Music review

Set-up

1. How to unsubscribe

Sure, this is something of a negative note to start on – but if you’re signing up for the three-month Apple Music free trial and don’t want to commit to paying for the service afterwards, you can opt out straight away.

To do this, click on your profile icon in the top right corner of the screen in the For You tab, hit View Account, then View Apple ID and sign in to your iTunes account.

Next, tap Subscriptions halfway down the page. Here you can ‘cancel’ your free trial so it won’t automatically renew – don’t worry, you can still use it free for the three months. This is also how to select your subscription choice in future. Savvy.

2. Bulk unfollow artists

When you sign up to the Apple Music service, Apple will take the liberty of ‘following’ any artist already in your library as part of its Connect feature. This means your Connect section (now relegated to the Made For You tab) will be full of new and seemingly never-ending content from these artists. This may not be what you’re after, especially if you once bought Baby Shark (for a kid’s party or something. We don’t judge).

It’s on by default, but you can switch it off by tapping the profile icon, then clicking on ‘Notifications’ (to see the artists you supposedly ‘like’) and then sliding the ‘New Music’ and ‘Show in Library’ buttons to ‘off’. Now you can make sure you only hear from the artists you really like.

3. Sign in to iCloud Music for extra features…

You might want to enable iCloud Music Library to get the most from Apple Music if you’re using an iPhone or iPad. A number of features are only available with iCloud Music activated – most notably offline listening. In your iPhone/iPad, go to Settings > Music and toggle iCloud Music Library on.

4. Or don’t…

This can present some problems to users with a big existing library, especially if you have your own playlists. Apple will match these with its own tracks so you can listen offline – but it may not always get the right version. So if you’re precious about your existing downloads (and rightly so), you may want to turn off iCloud. To do this, simply toggle the iCloud Music Library option off.

5. Or have iCloud Music on mobile only

If you have a big existing music library and you’re not sure about Apple matching it for access on your mobile, you can turn this feature off on your computer but leave it on for your mobile. This way your existing library is left alone but you can still have offline tracks on the Apple Music mobile app. Turn off iCloud Music Library on your Mac by going to Preferences > General, then unchecking iCloud Music Library.

6. Multiple devices

The Apple Music Individual Membership plan, yours for £9.99 per month, can be associated with up to ten devices, five of which can be computers. You can only stream on one device at a time, as is the case on Spotify, Tidal and other services.

7. Multiple devices at once

If you want to listen to multiple devices at the same time then you’ll need a Family Membership. This gives simultaneous streaming access for up to six different people for £14.99 per month.

Interface

8. View album information for now-playing track

One slightly hidden feature is viewing the album of the track that’s currently playing. You can do this in two ways. The easiest way is to tap on the artist and album name at the top of the now-playing window. A pop-up will appear asking if you want to ‘Go to Album’ or ‘Go to Artist’. Click on the Album option.

The second, slightly longer method is to tap the three-button icon in the bottom corner of the screen, then tap ‘Show Album’ on the pop-up menu. That’ll take you there.

9. View artist page

Same as above, but select ‘Go to Artist’.

Or, if you’ve used the longer method: once you’re transported to the album page, click the artist’s name (highlighted in that pinky-red text). For both methods, you’ll be taken to the artist’s landing page where you can see all their music and related content (such as new releases, playlists they’re featured in, bio, and similar artists).

10. Explicit tracks

If you were wondering what that little ‘E’ was next to certain tracks, it doesn’t stand for exclusive, it’s for explicit. So prepare your ears (or your child’s).

Organising your music

11. Optimise your storage

This one is a no-brainer. Because why fill up your phone’s storage space with music you’re not listening to? The Optimise Storage feature in Apple Music will automatically delete downloaded songs if storage is running low and you haven’t listened to them in a fair while.

It’s a neat, simple feature that keeps your phone free of music you don’t need. And once you’ve toggled a button, you’re all set. It works when you’re low on storage. To set it up, open the Settings menu on your iPhone, scroll to Music, then Optimise Storage. Boom.

12. Offline music

You can save tracks, albums and playlists to your phone for offline playback (when you don’t have an internet connection) if iCloud Music is enabled (see point 3).

You can only download music that’s been added to your library. If there’s a ‘+’ icon next to a song, that means it isn’t added to your library. Tap it to add. It’ll then transform into a cloud icon, meaning it’s not been downloaded yet. Tap the cloud to download.

You can identify the songs downloaded on your device as they won’t have any icon next to them.

13. Viewing offline music

No mobile or network coverage? Simply select the Downloaded Music category in the Library tab to only see the music stored on your phone for offline listening.

Remember: this is both downloaded songs and playlists from Apple Music, as well as your own music files physically stored on the phone.

14. Sort songs alphabetically by artist (or however you’d prefer)

Want to sort your music library alphabetically by title instead of by artists (the default setting)? In the Library tab, select Songs and tap ‘Sort’ in the top right corner. Then select Title, Recently Added or Artist in the pop-up menu. Hey presto.

15. Shuffle and repeat

Wondering where the shuffle and repeat icons have gone? On the Now Playing screen, you’ll see them right underneath the track and artist, next to ‘Playing Next’.

Music curation

16. Love tracks (or don’t)

Much of Apple Music’s draw is centred on the For You tab, where you’ll find recommended albums and artists based on the music you like. To give Apple’s algorithms a steer, you need to tap the Love (heart) icon on the pop-up menu for every song (or album) you like.

There’s now also a Dislike option right next to it (with a thumbs-down icon) to tell Apple songs you don’t want it to recommend. You can do this for whole playlists, too.

17. Adjust the EQ

You can use Apple Music to change the way music sounds on iPhone with EQ settings, volume limit options and Sound Check. Simply go to Settings > Music > EQ to choose from an exhaustive list of presets. To normalise the volume level of your audio: go to Settings > Music, and toggle on Sound Check.

18. New music

Need to find new music? Click on the Browse tab and you’ll find a section called New Music dedicated to the latest releases, albums, playlists, music videos and more.

In Browse’s Playlists section, you’ll find curated playlists from the likes of Pitchfork, NME and Sonos, as well as playlists for your every mood and activity.

19. Browse new music by genre

Tailor to your musical tastes even further by going to the Genres section and filtering music by, you guessed it, genre.

You can filter playlists by genre, too, in the Playlists section.

20. Use built-in Shazam

Here’s a bit of insider knowledge: Shazam is built right into iPhones, even without a download of the app. This nifty tool can help you figure out what songs are playing when you’re in the car and can’t scrutinise your screen (do not scroll and drive), or while watching shows or movies.

If you’re trying to put a name to a song, simply tap the Shazam button on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. And here’s the best bit: the app will identify the music you’ve captured and save it to your library.

To use this feature, open the Control Center in your device’s Settings and add the Music Recognition icon to your ‘Included Controls’ – if music recognition is enabled on your device, you’ll be able to swipe up and see the Shazam icon from your iPhone’s lock screen. Now, tap this Shazam music recognition button to swiftly identify what’s playing around you.

Radio and TV

21. Create your own radio station

You can play an Apple-curated selection of music based on a certain artist or track. Simply click on the three dots on an artist or a track and select Create Station from the pop-up menu to listen to related music. Tap the ‘love’ icon on subsequent songs to tell Apple to keep playing more songs like it.

22. Listen to live radio on Apple Music

Apple Music subscribers can now tune in to not one but three live radio stations: Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits, and Apple Music Country. Click on the Radio icon at the bottom of the home screen, then scroll down to Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits, or Apple Music Country to tune in live, see upcoming shows, and listen to previously aired shows on-demand.

23. Listen to broadcast radio

You can also tune in to your favorite broadcast radio stations, including your local ones. To do this, go to Search, search for the radio station by its name, call sign, frequency, or nickname, then tap or click the radio station to listen to it live. And don’t forget, you can also ask Siri to play a radio station by name.

24. Play music videos on Apple TV

Apple Music makes it easy to watch music videos on Apple TV. There’s actually a Videos screen in the Apple Music app that includes the hottest new music videos and video playlists, and it’s accessible right from the app on your Apple TV. To use it, open Music on Apple TV and swipe to Videos. Then, swipe down to see a menu of video categories. Depending on the video, you can add it to a playlist or your library or remove it from your library.

More features

25. Share your listening history with your friends

Fancy sharing new sonic discoveries with your friends? You can do it by creating an Apple Music profile within the app. Then, if your friends subscribe and create a profile, you can see what they are listening to, too.

To create a profile, tap Listen Now and, in the upper-right corner of this screen on your iPhone, tap the photo icon. (On an Android device, tap the More button, then tap Account). Now, tap See What Friends Are Listening To. Follow the onscreen prompts to create a username, find and follow friends, share playlists and more.

You can also control what you share (nobody needs to know all of your listening habits, right?) hide certain playlists, block or unblock users or follow your friends’ accounts.

26. Siri + Apple Music = clever

You can use voice control to play your music, whether you’re on your iPhone or Apple Watch ( for instance: “Hey Siri, play AC/DC”). But it’s actually even cleverer than that. You can start a radio station by saying “play AC/DC station”.

Apple Music can also play by date, popularity and release date, so “play the number one hit from April 1988”, “play the top songs by AC/DC” or “play the newest song by AC/DC*” all work. It can be a little hit and miss at times, but it’s worth experimenting with all sorts of commands.

(*other bands are available. They’re not as good, though)

(Image credit: Apple)

27. Siri + Apple Music + HomePod Mini = cleverer

Siri voice commands and Apple Music are the key ingredients to a great Apple HomePod Mini speaker experience, so if you’ve bought yourself a new HomePod Mini, you can ask it all sorts of questions to get your favourite tunes playing. Start off with “Hey Siri, play something I like” and it’ll use your Apple Music profile to create a personalised radio station of songs you know and like.

Amazon Echo vs Apple HomePod Mini: which is the best smart speaker?

28. Turn off Listening History for Apple HomePod Mini

If you have a HomePod Mini, you might not want your kids or that friend who only loves country music messing up your carefully curated For You recommendations when they start shouting out song requests.

Keep your Apple Music profile separate from what the Mini’s been playing by firing up the Home app (which you should’ve downloaded when setting it up), head to the Details section and switch ‘Use Listening History’ to off.

29. Wake and stream

Want to wake up to the sound of your favourite song? When setting an alarm in your iPhone’s Clock app, tap Sound > Pick a song (under the Songs section) and then choose a track from your Apple Music library.

30. Lyrics

You can karaoke! Scroll up from the now playing screen, and lyrics (where available) will appear. Alternatively, tap the Lyrics tab in the pop-up options menu.

Since iOS 12, searching for songs by lyrics is a thing, too. Just start typing lyrics in the search box and voila – you’ll get the song you’re looking for (or at least suggestions for what it could be).

Best music streaming services 2021: free streams to hi-res audio
12 of the best-produced recordings to test your speakers
If you’re more into hi-fi than music, that’s a problem

Netflix

Our Verdict

It’s nigh-on impossible to find meaningful fault with Netflix

For

Excellent video quality
Big, easy-to-navigate catalogue
High quality Originals

Against

Rarely first for big film releases

Netflix just keeps on getting better, making a more compelling case for your money at every turn. It’s everything you want from a video streaming service: simple to use, available on your preferred platform and filled with content you want to watch.

But it’s now got more rivals than ever and they’ve also upped their game, so is Netflix really the best video streaming service out there?

Pricing

Netflix UK pricing and features (Image credit: Netflix)

Netflix subscriptions start at £5.99 ($8.99, AU$10.99) per month for standard-definition streams to a single screen. Up your spend to £9.99 ($13.99, AU$15.99) per month and get high-def stuff available to watch on a couple of screens simultaneously.

Or go the whole hog (provided you’ve already gone the entire pig on a 4K Ultra HD TV) and spend £13.99 ($17.99, AU$19.99) per month for 4K content on as many as four screens at a time.

MORE: How to use Netflix Party: watch Netflix with friends online

Features

It goes without saying not all content is available in HD (720p) or Full HD (1080p), let alone Ultra HD or 4K. One of the great pleasures of a Netflix subscription is happening upon classic films such as Easy Rider and old episodes of cult TV shows such as Peep Show, and it would be optimistic in the extreme to expect them to represent the state of the technological arts.

But there’s now a huge stack of 4K content available, from The Crown and Last Chance U to Shadow Bone and Snowpiercer, and that stack is forever growing.

Netflix has a continuing good relationship with Sony Pictures that also grants the streamer exclusive rights to some Sony films. There’s also the excellent Studio Ghibli oeuvre now available in most countries.

In terms of bespoke content, Netflix distances itself from any nominal competition.

Netflix now prioritises its own content to such an extent that it seems less committed to adding blockbuster films from other studios than its main rival Amazon Prime Video. And now that Disney+ is on the scene, it’ll likely never be the first streaming service to add a Disney, Marvel or Star Wars title to its catalogue. But Netflix still has a strong selection of older favourites and not-too-aged blockbusters such as, at the time of writing, Arrival and Rocketman.

And as a content provider in its own right, Netflix goes from strength to strength, whether that’s through cinematic adventures or its increasingly impressive run of excellent documentary features and series.

And if you have an HDR (High Dynamic Range) compatible TV, there’s now loads of HDR content on Netflix too. It’s not immediately obvious, as there isn’t an HDR section anywhere in the menus, but if you type HDR into the search box you’ll find a list of HDR content such as After Life, The Witcher and Lupin. You’ll see an HDR logo (or Dolby Vision logo, if your TV supports it) on relevant content.

MORE: Best 4K TVs 2021

Provided your broadband connection is up to the task, it has always been a fuss-free and stable experience, and its broad compatibility is a strong sell too.

PCs and Macs, Google Chromecast, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV devices, Roku streamers, any smart TV worth its salt, games consoles, Blu-ray players from all the big brands, tablets and phones, whether iOS, Android or Windows, are all on the menu. In fact, there’s a strong argument that if a smart device doesn’t have Netflix, it can’t really be considered smart at all. It’s certainly the first app we look for whenever testing a new streaming product.

There’s good news for mobile users too. In the early days it wasn’t possible to download anything from Netflix to watch offline. Since November 2016, though, content can be downloaded to your phone and tablet to watch, glitch free, at your leisure on the Netflix app – and it does not count toward the limit of how many screens you can watch on at the same time. You can’t download literally everything, but there’s plenty of choice and lots of the most popular content is there for you to stick on your device.

MORE: Amazon Prime Video review

Ease of use

(Image credit: Netflix)

Ergonomically, things could hardly be simpler.

Aside from the TV app’s rather retrograde A-Z keyboard (rather than QWERTY) search function, it’s straightforward to browse, create a shortlist and enjoy Netflix’s more-hit-than-miss recommendations based on your previous viewing habits.

You can establish multiple user profiles, including parental locks to prevent the kids stumbling onto Zombeavers or similar.

There are also handy and fun features such as Play Something/Shuffle Play for when you’re stuck for what to watch next, and Netflix Party to watch online with friends.

MORE: 25 Netflix tips, tricks and features

Performance

Whether 4K, Full HD or standard definition, Netflix serves video streams at exactly the sort of quality you expect. Watch a 4K HDR stream such as Formula 1 Drive to Survive on an appropriate display and it’s prodigiously detailed, vibrant and stable.

Colours pop, contrast is punchy and the sheer amount of information available for your enjoyment is thrilling. It almost goes without saying, but if you own a 4K TV or 4K projector, the top tier £14 ($18, AU$20) subscription should be considered almost compulsory.

It’s all equally high-contrast, steady-motion, fine-detail good news for Full HD too. Native 1080p content looks accomplished, though obviously the exact amount of detail revealed in dark scenes (for instance) is to an extent dependent on the source material.

MORE: 15 of the best movies of the 1990s to test your home cinema

Given a fighting chance, though, Full HD stuff such as Collateral is vivid, stable and eminently watchable. As regards standard-def stuff, you take your chances.

The majority of decent TVs – and certainly all the screens we recommend – are equipped with effective upscaling engines and won’t make you regret your partiality for schlocky thrillers such as Ravenous.

5.1 audio is now available on many titles, and Netflix serves it up in the same manner as it does pictures: robustly and positively.

Provided you have the necessary home cinema set-up (or even the right soundbar) at home, Dolby Atmos is also available on a good portion of Netflix’s own TV shows and movies. It presents an altogether more substantial and immersive sound than anything your TV’s integrated speakers can manage.

Verdict

It’s difficult to think of a downside to Netflix. Set your mind to it and you can search for plenty of films it doesn’t have, but the same is true of any movie streaming service and Netflix is better than almost all of those when it comes to the combination of original content, cherry-picked classics, video and sound quality, usability, and individual recommendations.

Disney+ will have turned many a head, but there are plenty who are left cold by the House of Mouse’s output, and, with recent price hikes to Netflix and Disney+, signing up to both services is not quite the financial no-brainer it once was.

Sure, the Premium tier (£13.99, $17.99, AU$19.99) now feels a more considerable monthly outgoing than before. All the same, if we had to live with just one video streaming service, it’s no contest. The quality, consistency and breadth of content available mean that Netflix is still king.

MORE:

Amazon vs Netflix – which is better?

9 simple ways to get better Netflix recommendations

10 of the best sports films and documentaries on Netflix UK

Best movies on Netflix

The 40 best TV shows to watch on Netflix right now

BBC iPlayer

Our Verdict

With quality programmes, vast platform support and a great interface, iPlayer is the best video-on-demand catch-up TV service out there

For

Superb content
Intuitive and slick interface
Extensive platform support

Against

Still no permanent 4K offering

It’s free (although you need a TV licence). It’s the home of superb TV shows. There are no ads. And you can download programmes for offline watching. Put simply, BBC iPlayer is the UK’s best catch-up TV service.

Even without considering all the live broadcast TV and radio the corporation provides across many channels, iPlayer is almost worth the licence fee on its own.

Missed the last episode of Line of Duty, need another Pointless fix or want to see what all the Killing Eve or Fleabag fuss is about? BBC iPlayer is your answer. It was already a great desktop service when first introduced in 2007 and, well over a decade on, it’s even more excellent in its incarnation as an app for your TV, smartphone and tablet.

Features

(Image credit: BBC)

Unlike Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, iPlayer is free to use – so long as you pay the BBC’s annual licence fee (currently £159), which has been in place, in some form or another, for almost a century.

The on-demand service is the home of BBC shows that have recently aired, offering a (typically 30-day) window to catch them before they are free to whizz off to the BBC and ITV’s relatively new, £5.99-per-month BritBox streaming service, which is where you’ll find the biggest collection of British TV content ever, combining current and classic boxsets for on-demand viewing.

BBC iPlayer does host some of its most popular TV shows for longer durations, however – Killing Eve (which became the first British-made show to be named the best comedy series at the Emmy Awards last year), Line of Duty (multiple BAFTA Television Awards nominee), Luther (multiple Golden Globe nominee) and Doctor Foster (two-time National Television Awards winner) are, at the time of writing, available to binge in their entirety on iPlayer, for example.

In a bid to boost the nation’s spirits during lockdown, the BBC helpfully added a slew of new long-term boxsets to iPlayer. The ‘from the archive’ tab in ‘categories’ is where you’ll find full series’ of classic fare such as Absolutely Fabulous, Black Adder and The Vicar of Dibley as well as pretty much every Michael Palin documentary ever made.

It would be difficult to guess how many hours of content iPlayer offers at any one time, but there always seems to be at least one show on iPlayer that everyone is talking about – and that’s a credit to the broadcaster’s consistency for quality programming.

As with many streaming services these days, BBC iPlayer lets you download shows onto your smart device for offline watching for up to 30 days. This is great for long train journeys, if you’re travelling out of the country (iPlayer is only available in the UK) or can’t get any internet or data signal.

You can choose whether to restrict downloading to when you’re connected to a wi-fi network or allow downloading over your mobile network data in the app’s settings.

Best media streamers: the best TV streaming devices

(Image credit: BBC)

BBC iPlayer’s familiar grid layout is neat and stylish, with its home screen logically presenting you with ‘Featured’, ‘Recommended for You’, ‘Continue Watching’ and ‘Most Popular’ suggestions. The service dynamically highlights programmes, too, mixing documentaries and comedy panel shows so that there’s something for everyone.

You can also browse programmes by channels (BBC One, BBC Two or CBeebies, for example), categories (Arts, Food and Documentaries, say) or TV guide schedules. Or you can simply search for them. You can add shows to your ‘My Programmes’ list, too, so new episodes are easy to access.

Essentially, each update to iPlayer over the years has made it fresher and more intuitive to use. Scrolling through the service is a swift and smooth process, regardless of what platform you’re using.

This is probably a good time to mention that the iPlayer app is everywhere: on pretty much every smart TV and media streamer, available to download across iOS and Android devices, even on Xbox Series X/S. iPlayer’s not currently on the PS5, but it’s still one of the most prevalent apps across smart devices in the UK.

Just be aware that you need to create a BBC ID account to watch any iPlayer content, although it is free to sign up and stays logged in at all times, keeping your favourites list and watching history synced across all devices.

29 BBC iPlayer tips, tricks and features

Picture

(Image credit: BBC)

With increasingly high-quality screen resolutions on smartphones and tablets, both standard and high-definition shows on iPlayer look as good as you’d reasonably expect them to.

Naturally, we would urge you to play HD whenever you can. Most programmes are available in HD, so long as they’ve first been broadcast on a BBC HD channel.

Then there’s the BBC’s next-level 4K Ultra HD content, which offers a huge step up in picture quality – namely in resolution and detail. While the BBC still doesn’t yet have a regular, permanent 4K offering, it has run several 4K trials on iPlayer since 2016, including Planet Earth II and Blue Planet II on-demand viewing and, even more excitingly, live broadcasts of the 2018 FIFA World Cup football and Wimbledon tennis.

After temporarily removing 4K content during 2020 to help ease the strain on broadband networks, iPlayer has made UHD programming available again. The current ‘trial’ has nine shows available to stream, including His Dark Materials and Black Narcissus. We can’t help but feel it really is about time for 4K to become a permanent fixture of the service.

Despite broadcasting some HD programmes, such as The Proms, in 5.1 surround sound, all content on iPlayer is only available in stereo. This is a bit disappointing, especially when streaming modern films or the flagship 4K documentary Seven Worlds, One Planet, which we know has a lush Dolby Atmos soundtrack on its Blu Ray release. Although some paid-for streaming platforms do have tiers that support multi-channel sound, we understand that the BBC doesn’t have any plans to add that functionality to iPlayer in the short term.

The BBC does provide excellent accessibility features for the visually impaired and hard of hearing. Many programmes will have icons that tell you whether audio description (AD) or sign language (SL) options are available.

Here’s what’s next for 4K HDR streaming content on the BBC

Verdict

BBC iPlayer isn’t entirely free, of course. But when the license fee amounts to less than 45p per day, and you look at the incredible range and accessibility of programming available from the BBC, not to mention the cutting-edge picture technologies it strives to offer in the hopefully near future, we’d happily carry on paying so that we can see more of the broadcaster’s David Attenborough-narrated nature documentaries.

MORE:

Netflix review

Best TVs

Best smart TVs: which smart TV platform is the best?

Ikko OH10 In-Ear Monitors
Materials:	Pure copper cavity, titanium diaphragm drivers, silver-coated cable, chambers coated internally with platinum and externally with titanium
Driver Units:	10 mm dynamic driver + Knowles 33518 balanced drive dual hybrid drivers
Sensitivity:	106 dB
Frequency Response:	20 Hz – 40 KHz
Impedance:	18 Ω
Nozzle Size:	5.7 mm
Cable Connectors:	3.5 mm TRS plug to source + two 2-pin 0.78 mm plugs to earbuds
Cable Length:	4 ft/1.2 m
Warranty:	One year

Organising your digital music collection, you might be struck by the number of different audio file formats in your library. Almost everyone’s heard of MP3, but what about OGG, AIFF, MQA or DSD?

If the list leaves you wondering whether all those songs studied at different universities to get such official-looking letters after their names, don’t worry. We’re here to break down the meaning of the most common music file formats, the differences between them, and why you should care.

Whether you’re listening to low-quality MP3 files, probably slightly better AAC tracks, or hi-res audio in FLAC or WAV, it’s time to understand exactly what you’re getting – and which is the best file format for you.

Read on to learn about the pros and cons of each audio file format…

File formats and codecs at-a-glance

Want to cut straight to the chase? Here’s a handy guide to all the file formats and the differences between them. If you want to know more, read on below for a more in-depth look at the differences in size, sound quality and compatibility.

AAC (not hi-res): Apple’s alternative to MP3 – stands for ‘Advanced Audio Coding’. Lossy and compressed, but sounds generally better. Used for Apple Music streaming.

AIFF (hi-res): Apple’s alternative to WAV, with better metadata support. It is lossless and uncompressed (so big file sizes), but not hugely popular.

DSD (hi-res): The single-bit format used for Super Audio CDs. It comes in 2.8mHz, 5.6mHz and 11.2mHz varieties, but due to its high-quality codec, it’s (mostly) impractical for streaming. Uncompressed.

FLAC (hi-res): This lossless compression format supports hi-res sample rates, takes up about half the space of WAV, and stores metadata. It’s royalty-free and is considered the preferred format for downloading and storing hi-res albums. The downside is, it’s not supported by Apple (so not compatible with Apple Music).

MP3 (not hi-res): Popular, lossy compressed format ensures small file size, but far from the best sound quality. Convenient for storing music on smartphones and iPods.

MQA (hi-res): A lossless compression format that packages hi-res files for more efficient streaming. Used for Tidal Masters hi-res streaming.

OGG (not hi-res): Sometimes called by its full name, Ogg Vorbis. A lossy, open-source alternative to MP3 and AAC, unrestricted by patents. The file format used (at 320kbps) in Spotify streaming.

WAV (hi-res): The standard format in which all CDs are encoded. Great sound quality but it’s uncompressed, meaning huge file sizes (especially for hi-res files). It has poor metadata support (that is, album artwork, artist and song title information).

WMA Lossless (hi-res): A lossless incarnation of Windows Media Audio, but no longer well-supported by smartphones or tablets.

Best music streaming services 2021: free streams to hi-res audio
MQA audio: everything you need to know
What is DSD audio?

Compressed vs. uncompressed audio files

First, let’s talk about the three categories all audio files can be grouped into. It comes down to how compressed the data is (if at all) and as a result, how much quality or “loss” you’ll experience, as a listener.

If no compression algorithm (or codec) has been used to compress the audio within your file, two things happen: zero loss in sound quality, and soon-enough, a “startup disk full” warning on your laptop.

Essentially, an uncompressed track is a reproduction of the original audio file, where real-world signals are transformed into digital audio.

WAV vs AIFF vs FLAC: uncompressed file formats

WAV and AIFF are arguably the most popular uncompressed audio file formats, both based on PCM (Pulse Code Modulation), which is widely recognised as the most straightforward audio storage mechanism in the digital domain. Both WAV and AIFF files use similar technology, but store data in slightly different ways. They can store CD-quality or high-resolution audio files.

WAV was developed by Microsoft and IBM, hence it’s used in Windows-based platforms, and is the standard format all CDs are encoded in.

AIFF was developed by Apple as an alternative to WAV, and although not as widely popular, AIFF files have better metadata support, meaning you can include album artwork, song titles and the like.

The drawback? These babies are big. A CD-quality (16-bit, 44.1kHz) file will take around 10MB of your hard drive per minute in length.

ALAC vs FLAC vs WMA Lossless: lossless audio formats

Everyone loves a FLAC. A lossless file, the FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is compressed to nearly half the size of an uncompressed WAV or AIFF of equivalent sample rate, but there should be no “loss” in terms of how it sounds. FLAC files can also provide a resolution of up to 32-bit, 96kHz, so better than CD-quality.

Other lossless audio file formats include ALAC (Apple Lossless) and WMA Lossless (Windows Media Audio). The former is a good iOS and iTunes compatible alternative to FLAC, although the files are slightly less compact than FLACs. Check for smartphone and tablet compatibility, though.

AAC vs MP3: lossy audio formats

Who’s heard of an MP3? Course you have. Steve Jobs famously pulled 1000 of them out of his pocket on 23rd October 2001. It is easily the most common audio format, and MP3s are convenient for storing music on portable players or tablets and work on almost all playback devices. But to do that, you have to lose a load of information in the process. In order to make audio files up to ten times smaller than CD quality files, some original data must be discarded, resulting in a loss of sound quality.

The bit-rate at which an MP3 is recorded also affects the sound quality. MP3s encoded at 128kbps will incur more sound loss than those encoded at 320kbps (kilobits per second, where each “bit” is essentially a “piece” of the song). Now that storage is so much cheaper, we’d avoid 128kbps at all costs, though 320kbps MP3s still have their purpose if your storage is limited – and they remain a standard on download stores.

Another lossy format is AAC (Apple’s Advanced Audio Coding) which is compressed much like an MP3, but it’s slightly more efficient and sounds better. AAC is used for Apple Music streaming (at 256kbps) and YouTube streaming.

The Vorbis format, often called Ogg Vorbis owing to its Ogg container, (the best way to think of this is that OGG is the can, Vorbis is the ring-pull) is a lossy, open-source alternative to MP3 and AAC, unrestricted by patents. Ogg Vorbis is the file format used (at 320kbps) in Spotify streaming.

If you’re sticking with lossy, it’s worth remembering this: while more “bits” usually means better sound, it depends on the efficiency of the codec in your file. Although you might notice that much of the music in your collection is encoded at 128kbps so should be much of a muchness, an MP3 will likely sound a fair bit (see what we did there?) worse than an AAC or Ogg Vorbis file, due to the inefficiency of the codec in an MP3.

What about high-resolution audio?

Unlike high-definition video, there’s no single universal standard when it comes to high-resolution audio.

However, in its simplest terms, hi-res audio tends to refer to music files which have a higher sampling frequency and/or bit depth than CD – which is specified at 16-bit/44.1kHz. Hi-res files therefore come in the form of 16-bit/96kHz or 24-bit/192kHz, for example.

So why should you care? Quite simply, hi-res audio files have a lot of extra audio information and thus sound a lot better than compressed audio formats, which lose information in the compression process. They will take up more storage space but we definitely think it’s worth the trade off.

Uncompressed files like AIFF and WAV are hi-res, as are those lossless FLAC and ALAC file formats. DSD (the somewhat niche format used for Super Audio CDs) is also hi-res, but it’s not as widely supported. When it comes to streaming, MQA is a file packing format used by the likes of Tidal Masters, which helps to bring hi-res audio to streaming services using as little bandwidth as possible.

As for playing hi-res audio, an increasing amount of products now support it. Premium portable music players such as the Award-winning Cowon Plenue D2 plus the newer and rather splendid Cowon Plenue D3 support 24-bit/192kHz WAV, FLAC, ALAC and AIFF files. Both players boast DSD128 file compatibility too – and that support is native, so DSD files aren’t converted to PCM during playback.

The Astell & Kern Kann Alpha and another 2020 Award-winner, the Astell & Kern A&futura SE200 digital audio players are like many A&K players (including the entry-level A&norma SR25) in that file support goes all the way up to 32-bit/384kHz and includes native DSD256 and MQA playback.

KEF’s new LS50 Wireless II speakers will play 24-bit/192kHz files in all their glory, and support for DSD256 is also onboard too this time, as is MQA decoding for the playback of compatible downloaded files and hi-res Tidal Masters.

Hi-res audio can also be played on most flagship Android smartphones, but you can’t play hi-res on a box-fresh iPhone. We’ve found ways around that, but it’s worth remembering that hi-res audio isn’t quite as portable as its lossy brethren – yet. You can find more info on which hi-fi products support hi-res audio here.

Which is the best audio file format for you?

The file format you choose will depend on whether storage or sound quality is your key concern, as well as which devices you intend to use for playback.

MP3s became hugely popular when storage was at a premium. Now that phones, music players and laptops have far more storage space, we think you really should be looking to use better-than-CD-quality files.

If you’re archiving your audio files, a FLAC or other lossless file might be a good shout for ripping your music, though. Lossless files strike a good balance between compression and sound quality, allowing you to listen to the best quality digital music without taking up all your storage space. Just make sure your devices are all compatible with your file format of choice.

High-resolution audio: everything you need to know
Best portable music players 2021: from budget to hi-res music

Our Verdict

For

Against

Features and Specifications

Specifications – ASRock Z590 PG Velocita

Set-up

Interface

Organising your music

Music curation

Radio and TV

More features

Our Verdict

For

Against

Pricing

Features

Ease of use

Performance

Verdict

Our Verdict

For

Against

Features

Picture

Verdict

Introduction

Specifications

File formats and codecs at-a-glance

Compressed vs. uncompressed audio files

WAV vs AIFF vs FLAC: uncompressed file formats

ALAC vs FLAC vs WMA Lossless: lossless audio formats

AAC vs MP3: lossy audio formats

What about high-resolution audio?

Which is the best audio file format for you?

Our Verdict

For

Against

Pricing

Features

Build

Sound

Verdict

Check Also

Monster Hunter Rise has outsold Street Fighter V in just one month

Cleanliness is not always next to Godliness

A wider problem

The duty of a music fan