Brands getting banned are commonplace in today’s tech landscape. These usually happen because of geopolitical reasons, especially if it’s in the United States. In Europe, brands sometimes get banned for anticompetition reasons. Today, however, a commonly used codec, HEVC, is at the center of a controversy that has led to the banning of ASUS and Acer in Germany. Even crazier, Nokia is involved.

For context, Nokia owns several patents for video codecs. One of those codecs, HEVC (or High-Efficiency Video Coding) is ubiquitous in every PC, which means that every PC maker must purchase a license to include the codec in their machines. It’s an essential these days, so it’s unusual for ASUS and Acer to miss it.

In Germany, where licensing is stricter, both companies were found guilty of infringing the patent, as reported by German outlet Hardwareluxx. As a result, ASUS and Acer must stop selling PC and laptop sales until they obtain a license from Nokia.

To be clear, this doesn’t mean that the two brands have disappeared from the country. Third-party retailers can still sell their remaining stock. However, the companies cannot import or sell any new stock, pending a conclusion to the issue.

Naturally, the easiest fix is to just buy the license. Hisense, another company that found itself in the same mire, bought a license last month. Either ASUS and Acer are running into more technical issues, or they just didn’t feel the license was worth it for a single market.

SEE ALSO: ASUS is leaving the smartphone industry

Samsung Display has announced the launch of the QD-OLED Penta Tandem. This new premium technology brand built on is QD-OLED’s proprietary five-layer organic light-emitting structure unique to such panels. The technology is named after the Greek word for the number five.

Samsung Display completed trademark registration for the new brand. It was created to highlight the distinctive value of its five-layer organic light-emitting structure applied to QD-OLED panels for premium monitors and TVs.

QD-OLED expresses color using quantum dots that respond to light. The blue emitting layer serves as the light source, due to its high energy within the visible spectrum.

Beginning last year, Samsung Display advanced the blue emitting layer stack from four layers to five, and applied the latest organic materials, completing a new generation of QD-OLED that delivers superior picture quality, efficiency, and peak brightness.

In particular, the multi-layer stacking of organic light-emitting materials has emerged as a key differentiator.

Achieving higher resolution within the same panel size and increasing the pixel density reduces the light-emitting area of each individual pixel.

Under these technical constraints, effectively dispersing the energy applied to organic materials is essential to maintaining stable, high brightness levels.

For instance, the 27-inch UHD QD-OLED monitor panel released last year by Samsung Display achieves a 160 PPI pixel density. This is the highest among self-emissive gaming monitors.

The QD-OLED Penta Tandem forms the core foundation of this breakthrough. Panels featuring the technology also enable customers to obtain VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500.

In addition, Penta tandem improves luminous efficiency by 1.3 times and extends lifespan by 2 times.

Samsung Display plans to expand QD-OLED Penta Tandem across its full range of panel sizes this year. This shall supply flagship products.

Fresh off a stellar 2025 filled with award-winning titles, the world of games is now going through a calm before another inevitable storm. We’re still some ways away from the next explosion of amazing titles. For now, however, an upcoming major title is looking to kick off 2026 with a huge bang. Coming very soon, Resident Evil Requiem just got another trailer, and yes, there’s more Leon to go around.

Late last year, Capcom revealed a bombshell announcement it’s been saving up since the title’s big reveal. Resident Evil Requiem will feature the return of the franchise’s most iconic protagonist, Leon Kennedy. The suave agent will play alongside FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft, who heads to Raccoon City to investigate a series of strange deaths.

Since the two characters clearly have opposing personalities, fans have speculated that they will have opposing playstyles. Now, through a new trailer, Capcom has confirmed that Resident Evil Requiem will mix the two genres that the franchise is known for.

Ashcroft, unused to fighting, will have portions more tailored for survival horror, akin to the more recent titles in the series. Meanwhile, Kennedy is back to his gun-toting ways, featuring the same action he’s known for in Resident Evil 4.

Beside the playstyles, there are few Easter eggs for the upcoming title. For example, Sherry makes a very subtle appearance. Also, and this is the kicker, Leon is coming back to Raccoon Police Department in the trailer’s final moments.

Resident Evil Requiem is now available for preorders. The title will officially launch on February 27 for all major platforms.

SEE ALSO: Resident Evil Requiem unveiled at Summer Game Fest 2025