Performance can make or break a hi-fi or AV product, but so can software
Summary
And it’s actually reached the point where I’d have to think long and hard about committing to buying a product at launch if I knew I’d have to wait a month or two for boxes to be ticked and features enabled. If initial reviews pointed to buggy apps and a disjointed user experience, this would also make me question my purchase, even if said product was a class-leader in all other regards. When Bowers & Wilkins’ Formation range of wireless multi-room speakers first landed in our test rooms, we were big fans of the hardware, but found the control app a little limited. We’ve seen LG sets (in 2020) and those from Sony (in 2021) remove Freeview Play from their suite of software, which saw models launch without BBC iPlayer onboard. We’ve also seen Sony TVs launch without some features that some prospective buyers might consider vital, such as VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode).