LATEST ADDITIONS

Opinion
Picture this: Grain versus noise
Vincent Teoh  |  Jul 18, 2015  |  0 comments

Most high-end TVs offer a dizzying array of picture-affecting controls in their user menu. So, in addition to traditional controls to adjust brightness, contrast and sharpness, users are also confronted with a multitude of other options for tweaking the image, ranging from white balance to colour management and automatic brightness adjustment. And then there's what I consider to be one of the most evil picture processing elements found on modern TVs: noise reduction.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray
Kingsman: The Secret Service review
Anton van Beek  |  Jul 17, 2015  |  0 comments

When a young agent is killed in action, his superior Harry Hart (Colin Firth) visits his widow and young son to offer his condolences and give them a number to call if they ever need a favour. Years later, the boy, now a young man called Eggsy (Taron Egerton) does just that after he's arrested by the police following a spot of joy riding. Freeing him from jail, Harry takes Eggsy under his wing and offers him a chance to live up to his potential by competing for a vacant position in a top-secret team of super spies: the Kingsmen.

Continue Reading »
Accessories
QNAP HS-251 review
Martin Pipe  |  Jul 16, 2015  |  0 comments

If you've been put off buying a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device, the HS-251 from QNAP might change your mind. It's capable of the stuff a typical modern NAS can do  – acting as a repository for all of your files (among them movies, TV programmes and music) that can be accessed by every networked gadget in your home – but it goes further. The appearance suggests this; the HS-251 looks more like AV equipment than something you'll tuck away out of sight.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray
The Book of Life 3D review
Anton van Beek  |  Jun 28, 2015  |  0 comments

Thanks to the likes of How to Train Your Dragon 2, Big Hero 6, The Boxtrolls and The LEGO Movie, 2014 will be remembered as a bumper year for animated films. And while it didn't enjoy the same kind of box office success, The Book of Life is just as deserving of praise as those others.

Continue Reading »
Projectors
Epson EH-LS10000 review
Steve May  |  Jun 23, 2015  |  0 comments
Thanks to the Epson EH-LS10000, I can see clearly now the grain is gone. I can literally see all obstacles in my way. Gone are the dark clouds... replaced by perfect shadow detail and absolute blacks. This is laser home cinema, and it’s nothing less than a revolution in bigscreen viewing.
Continue Reading »
Soundbars/Soundbases
Otone SoundBase
Martin Pipe  |  Jun 23, 2015  |  0 comments

TV manufacturers are thankfully paying more attention to sound these days, particularly in their high-end models. But what if you're happy with your existing telly in all respects bar audio? Here's the Otone SoundBase, a replacement TV speaker system with Bluetooth connectivity.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray
Ouija review
Anton van Beek  |  Jun 22, 2015  |  0 comments

Following in the footsteps of Transformers, G.I. Joe and Battleship, Ouija is the latest movie based on a toy or game produced by Hasbro. Yet while those flicks have some hi-octane merits, Ouija is about as undemanding (and unoriginal) a tale as has ever been committed to film.

Continue Reading »
Loudspeakers
Sonos Play:1 & Play:3 review
Adrian Justins  |  Jun 16, 2015  |  0 comments

When it comes to wireless audio streaming Sonos sets the benchmark. The company has been the top multiroom dog for over a decade thanks to its consistently good products and ease of use. But there are some aspects of the Sonos system that warrant improvement, including a lack of DLNA support.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray
LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League review
Anton van Beek  |  Jun 10, 2015  |  0 comments

When Superman's clumsy clone Bizarro makes his own Justice League using equally inept clones of Batman, Wonder Woman et al, the real versions face their toughest (and silliest) challenge yet. Fun for LEGO and DC Comics fans of all ages, this CG animation look pretty super on Blu-ray and comes equipped with a suitably dynamic DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack.

Continue Reading »
Loudspeakers
Pure Jongo T6X review
Adrian Justins  |  Jun 08, 2015  |  0 comments

Pure’s Jongo system is similar to Samsung’s Shape in that it features both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but the latter is restricted to single-speaker streaming by Samsung, whereas Pure’s so-called Caskeid Bluetooth can help create a multiroom wireless network. Caskeid is not aptX standard but Pure claims that it does offer the lowest latency of any multiroom system. Arguably of more importance is that without Bluetooth you wouldn’t be able to stream from subscription services such as Spotify, Deezer and Google Play. You would, of course, be able to access Pure’s own online subscription service called Pure Connect, plus music stored on the playback device (tablet or smartphone)and DLNA-connected devices.

Continue Reading »

Pages

X