Up your wormhole: Star Trek Deep Space 9 turns 20
Defiantly different yet still boldly going
I’ve always been strangely fascinated by Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary - amazing how time flies, even when you’re not an agent of the Federation Department of Temporal Investigations - it’s the densest and most mythology-rich of all the Star Trek TV shows. Often ambitious and audacious, it won …
2012: an epoch-defining year for home entertainment
Analogue telly out, 4K Ultra HD in... and more besides
2012 may have confounded Mayan predictions of global catastrophe, but it certainly proved an epochal year for home entertainment technology. The past 12 months have seen seismic changes to the living room landscape, with analogue TV finally running out of steam, the first sighting of a higher resolution future and a wholesale …
ViewSonic Pro 9000 laser hybrid LED projector review
Can a brand new light engine tech make projectors cool again?
Following the extinction of gloriously bulky CRT video projectors, big screen aficionados have had a clear choice between LCD and DLP. Both technologies are capable of great results, yet have distinct weaknesses: single chip DLP projectors often suffer from rainbow fringing, created by the use of a spinning colour wheel, while …
Sony KD-84X9005 84in ultra-HD TV review
4K picture, £25k pricetag
Huzzar! The resolution revolution is finally underway. Sony’s 84in KD-84X9005 is the first 4K consumer television to herald a seismic change to the consumer electronics and broadcast landscape. Look beyond its stratospheric price tag – all that expensive R&D has to be recouped somehow – and you’ll find a siren of a screen …
Jaws restored Blu-ray disc set review
The great white is back in Blu
Jaws is back, and the old shark’s gnashers are looking sharper than ever thanks to a painstaking remastering job by Universal’s backroom boffins. The title is being released as part of the studio’s centenary classics program for Blu-ray, which also includes E.T The Extra Terrestrial, The Birds and Frankenstein. The timing couldn …
View 21 IPTV Freeview+HD DVR review
iOS telly addicts, look no further
The Freeview+ HD market has suddenly sparked into life. Having spent an age coasting on the coattails of Humax’s HDR-FOXT2, there are suddenly a slew of better-specified recorders hitting the streets. The View21 VW11FVRHD50 is one such newbie, mixing Freeview+ HD with IPTV connected services. While it doesn’t offer full-on Catch …
Build a bonkers home cinema
Product Round-up It's showtime
It’s a curious fact that when you ascend into the rarefied atmosphere of specialist hi-fi, products transform into creations of often astounding beauty. Do the same with home cinema, and they usually mutate into the unapologetically hideous. This is doubtless a consequence of hi-tech Darwinism. Top class AV gear sits unseen in …
Sony NSZ-GS7 Google TV internet player review
Second sight
Google and hardware BFF Sony will be hoping the second time’s the charm for their latest joint foray into the living room. The first Google television adventure floundered in the States, scuppered by hardware complexity and inadequate software. This time around we have a simpler set top box proposal, the NSZ-GS7, and the Google …
Ten monster tellies to suit all budgets
Product Round-up Olympic winners
If you’re gearing up for the London Games, a gargantuan new TV should be top of your shopping list. The good news is that there’s plenty of choice if you want to go large, with prices to suit most pockets: our Top Ten kicks off at a modest £480, before reaching a wallet-busting £7,000.
The cheaper end of the market has become a …
Build a bonkers hi-fi
Product Round-up Aural fantasies
And lo the command came from El Reg to assemble a hi-fi so extreme, so “bonkers” that only oligarchs, rock stars and the sporting elite would actually be able to afford one. So, avoiding the obvious temptation to simply cherry pick telephone number hardware, I’ve assembled a sound system of such extravagant exquisiteness I …
LG 55LM960V 55in Smart TV
Review Olympic champion?
The 55-inch LM960V is nothing if not formidable. LG has packed its new flagship LED with every digital doodah it can muster, and at £2,700, has priced it uncharacteristically high. This, the brand is clearly saying, is a telly to challenge the best there is – it’s worth paying through the nose for. In some ways, it’s right.
LG …
The Beatles Yellow Submarine restored
Review At last, the Blue Meanies on Blu-ray
Long absent from video stores, The Beatles' trippy 1968 animation Yellow Submarine has been painstakingly restored for its Blu-ray debut. With the original elements in a perilous state of decay, the movie has been meticulously cleaned and repaired frame by frame. The soundtrack has also had a 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio makeover. …
Ten... active camcorders
Product Round-Up Shoot to thrill
Focus in on the camcorder market and you’ll find a boom in active compacts underway. Despite the ubiquity of video in smartphones, there’s plenty of demand for pocket shooters that are more rugged and versatile than the average mobile. Typically, these compact cams are used to create clips for YouTube and social media sites, but …
Philips 46PFL9706T 46in 3D smart TV
Review Inspired by the eyes of a moth
Philips TVs have long been synonymous with technical ingenuity. From an evangelical support of HD Mac and PAL Plus, through to the launch of 21:9, the brand has never shied away from pushing the televisual envelope. At least in the short term, that tradition looks set to continue under the stewardship of its new owner, TP Vision …
LG 47LM670T 47in passive 3D smart TV
Review Fashionably thin
If design is the most potent weapon in a TV manufacturer’s armoury right now, LG is wielding a pretty big shooter with its new Cinema Screen line. Offering corner to corner glass, a 10.5mm bezel and what the brand calls a ‘floating metal ribbon stand,’ these 2012 flatties are genuine head-turners.
LG 47LM670T 3D Smart TV …
Ten... Freeview HD 42-47in TVs
Product Round-up Panel beaters for under a grand
Looking for a top deal on a 42-47-inch Freeview HD TV? Then you’re in luck, there’s a wide choice in screens out there for less than £1K and a tight budget doesn’t necessarily mean cutting back on all the nice toys, if you shop smart. So which one will be your next TV?
Finlux 46S6030-T
RH Numbers
The Finlux brand has been …
Sony KDL-55HX853 55in 3D LED TV
Review Flagship Bravia with the Olympics in mind
The 55inch KDL-HX853 is currently the highest ranked of Sony’s 2012 TVs. It heads up a new Spartan range from the brand intended to rebuild its TV fortunes. Interestingly, it doesn’t come laden with features seemingly pulled at random from a brainstorming session down the local Karaoke; which means it’s not competing directly …
Panasonic DMP-BDT320 3D Blu-ray player
Review Disc spinner with a new twist
Panasonic’s DMP-BDT320 is both fabulous and frustrating. Leading the brand’s mainstream Blu-ray brigade, and positioned as an understudy to the audiophile grade DMP-BDT500, it packs a towering performance into a chassis barely 27mm tall. It also comes with a new-style remote control that tries far too hard to be clever. …
Panasonic PT-AT5000E LCD projector
Review Fully loaded home Hollywood
Panasonic has notched up some memorable firsts when it comes to home cinema projection. Not only was it the first brand to introduce a native 16:9 widescreen model, it led the way with Full HD too.
Panasonic PT-AT5000E Full HD 3D home cinema projector Putting on a display: Panasonic's PT-AT5000E
Its latest cineaste offering, …
Toshiba Regza 46YL863 46in Smart TV
Review A visible difference
Powered by a multitasking image processor and dressed by Danish design house Jacob Jensen, Toshiba’s 46YL863 is not your run-of-the-mill 3D TV. Indeed, its maker’s herald it as one of the most sophisticated TVs ever. But can it really justify such hyperbole?
Toshiba Regza 46YL863 TV Cell mate: Toshiba's Regza 46YL863
The …
Game of Thrones Blu-ray disc set
Review The greatest fantasy TV show ever made?
Historically, TV generally doesn’t do ‘epic fantasy’ well: Merlin, Robin of Sherwood, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. All noble efforts, but ultimately flawed in vision and execution. Heck, outside of Jackson’s Rings trilogy, even the movies often fail to get the genre right.
Game of Thrones Season One Blu-ray Thrown in …
Philips 42PFL7666 42in 3D LED Smart TV
Review Passive aggressive
Philips spent much of 2011 on the periphery of the televisual market, bereft of Freeview HD tuners and dogged by confusion over its long-term ambitions, having off-loaded its TV business into a joint venture. But things are off to a better start in 2012.
Philips 42PFL7666 Smart TV Collaborative effort: Philips' 7000 series TV …
Pioneer SC-LX85 9.2 AV receiver with AirPlay
Review An amp for all seasons
The Pioneer SC-LX85 is AV receiver royalty. It lords it over the rest of the brand’s home cinema range, resplendent in the latest audio visual finery. Priced at £2K, this is red carpet home cinema.
Pioneer SC-LX85 AV receiver AV aristocracy: Pioneer's SC-LX85
There’s little doubt that the SC-LX85 is exquisitely built. It …
Inside Sony's Home Entertainment HQ in Japan
Feature Image is everything, say Bravia boffins
Sony is getting back to basics in an effort to revitalise its underperforming TV division. After haemorrhaging cash for eight long years, a fresh management team are betting the farm on new display technologies and a return to core values in order to turn things around.
To see just how sweeping these changes are, the iconic …
Sony to ship passive 3D, OLED TVs in 2013
Giant's TV chief spills the beans
Sony is to release a passive 3D TV, and will follow it with OLED televisions next year, Reg Hardware has learned.
The Japanese giant, which currently sells passive 3D monitors to broadcasters, has already begun shipping consumer-friendly models into the Chinese market.
Sony’s passive Bravia screens are expected to make their …
LG DM2350D 23in passive 3D monitor and TV combo
Review Gaming desktop telly, anyone?
The DM2350D is the first 3D combination monitor/TV released by LG. Sharing the same passive FPR 3D panel technology as its Cinema 3D TV siblings, it’s presumably aimed at wannabe 3D PC gamers and those looking for a jack of all trades screen that’s easy to accommodate in student digs or wherever.
LG DM2350D 3D monitor and TV …
Ten... Freesat TV receivers
Product round-up Orbital options for the digital switchover
Whether you’ve cut the cord and churned away from Sky, or need to survive the digital switch-over without recourse to Pay-TV or aerial, it’s worth considering Freesat. The gratis satellite TV service matches Freeview for SD channels, and offers a smattering of high-def plus the BBC iPlayer, hardware permitting. It’s a good bet …
Toshiba Regza 40RL858 40in LED TV
Review Smart, but no mortarboard
Toshiba is a bit of a wild card when it comes to TVs. While some of its screens are genuinely exciting, others are merely bargain bin fillers. Buying a cheaper Tosh is a classic case of caveat emptor.
Toshiba 40RL858 LED Smart TV Media savvy: Toshiba's Regza 40RL858
But while this 40in slimline LED LCD sits at the affordable …
LG HLX56S net savvy 3D Blu-ray soundbar combo
Review Smart deco
LG’s HLX56S is an audacious all-in-one home cinema system, cast in the guise of a mild-mannered soundbar. With integrated 3D Blu-ray player, copious amplification and IPTV portal, it’s got everything you need for the upmarket man-cave, in a package easily parked beneath a 40in or larger flatscreen.
LG HLX56S Network 3D Blu-ray …
Ten... smart TVs
Product round-up Net set and catch up
IPTV Week logo
Smart functionality has become the new must-have feature for TV. With hi-def and 3D pretty much taken for granted, it’s now ‘net connectivity, media streaming and IPTV which are driving sales. But with huge differences between proprietary network portals, both in the amount of free and subscription content on …
Sony BDP-S185 Blu-ray player
Review A little gem
IPTV Week logo
The BDP-S185 is the latest entry-level player in Sony's standalone Blu-ray range. It’s also the smallest and lightest model, at a mere 290mm wide and 1.15kg. With these reduced dimensions, comes a similarly diminished specification: the player isn’t DLNA compliant and can’t stream content across a network. …
Sony SVR-HDT1000 Freeview+ HD DVR
Review No-nonsense telly recorder with HDD archiving
IPTV Week logo
At first glance, the Sony SVR-HDT1000 may appear rather unprepossessing. It’s a Freeview HD digital recorder which bucks the trend for ubiquitous Smart-ness and has no integrated Blu-ray player or fancy multi-platform functionality. It does, however, make a virtue of simplicity. Those looking for a no-nonsense …
X-Dream Rocker wireless gaming chair
Review Are you sitting comfortably?
CES 2012 Week
With a design lifted straight from Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds school of home furnishings, the X-Dream rocker is not your average game-playing bench. It’s a lads-mag throne with integrated stereo sound system, subwoofer, pseudo-Shiatsu vibrator and wireless audio system.
X-Dream Rocker gaming chair While away …
HD JuiceBox HDMI over Powerline kit
Review High voltage hi-def
CES 2012 Week
Hey, guess what? There’s another way of routing hi-def around your house, in addition to unfeasibly long HDMI cable runs, wireless transmitters and Cat 5. You can actually send it via the ring main, using the HDJuice Box from JustHDMI.
HD Juice Box HDMI over Powerline kit The cable guys: JustHDMI's HDJuiceBox …
Ferguson Hill FH009 home theatre system
Review Transparent horn speakers for your telly
If you’ve ever considered bolting a hulking great stereo system onto your TV, then make a beeline for Ferguson Hill. Its FH009 could be just thing you're looking for.
Ferguson Hill FH009 home theatre system Clearly different: Ferguson Hill's FH009 home theatre system
Comprising a pair of the brand’s characteristic transparent …
Dixons Logik LE423ED11 42in passive 3D TV
Review Specs 'n' plugs 'n' rock 'n' roll
Now that the big name TV makers have made 3D a mainstream commodity, traditionally cheaper own-brand vendors are moving in for a slice of the pie. But does it make sense to nab a cut-price stereoscopic TV? Not on the evidence of this 42-incher, released under the Logik marque and distributed exclusively through Dixons, Currys …
3M CP45 pocket camcorder and projector combo
Review Making light of your photography
The 3M CP45 is a combination HD camcorder, 5Mp camera and LED-lit LCOS projector. Not much bigger than a couple of copulating iPhones, it can film and throw an image up to 65in onto a convenient wall.
3M CP45 Camcorder Projector Shoot and show: 3M's CP45 camcorder projector
3M seems to be touting it at families who can’t be …
Marmitek Gigaview GV820 wireless HDMI sender
Accessory of the Week Give me stream
When it comes to HDMI senders, it’s the quality of transmission and ease of set up which generally sets one apart from another. The smart-looking Marmitek Gigaview - yes, it does sound like the name of an Austin Powers villain - does well on both counts.
The TX/RX pair sport a curvaceous glossy design and are supplied with …
2011's Best... Hi-Fi and AV Kit
Xmas Gift Guide Sonic boon
With hi-fi and home cinema now two sides of the same coin, it’s inevitable that these 2011's Best... heroes come in every shape and size. But while price points and technologies differ, all can be considered solid gold entertainers.
So if you’re looking for the UK’s best value Blu-ray player, the highest-performing dock, or …
2011's Best... HD TVs
Xmas Gift Guide New telly for Chrimble? Here are our faves
If there’s one thing we’re not short of for this annual review, it’s good TVs. Large and small, thin and thinner, the things are legion.
To streamline the list, all our 2011's Best… TVs finalists embrace one key feature: net connectivity. Whether they connect to the net over integrated Wi-Fi or a wired Ethernet line, these …
2011's Best... DVRs and Media Streamers
Xmas Gift Guide Telly content, off your Lan, off the net
The days of piling shelves high with videotape recordings of shows once broadcast then forgotten are long gone. The current generation of DVRs and media streamers ensures that no TV programme remains unwatched for long, whether you snare it with a series link or stream it via a catch-up service.
These days it's hard to miss a …
Toshiba Regza 32UL863 32in LED TV
Review The sharpest picture we've seen?
This Toshiba delivers possibly the sharpest HD picture I’ve seen on any 32in TV all year. There, I’ve said it. If you’re looking for a good reason to buy this set, that’s it.
But there’s more to this screen than just kick-ass clarity. There’s also internet connectivity - in the form of the Toshiba Places Smart portal - local …
Ten... Monster tellies
Product Round-up The big picture show
Back in the day you had to resort to a cabinet-sized rear projection TV if you wanted to watch Dallas on anything larger than a 37in CRT. Thankfully times have changed. Technically advanced, visually stunning super-screens are now the order of the day from every major brand. You need only oust some living room essentials – sofa …
Panasonic SC-BTT270 5.1 Blu-ray home theatre
Review AV do-it-all for Lilliputian lounges
For an all inclusive Blu-ray home cinema, this Panasonic system sure comes in a small box. But everything you need for 21st century surround sound is inside, including satellite speakers and subwoofer, Blu-ray receiver and metres of colour coded bell-wire. Thankfully, the SC-BTT270 sounds somewhat larger than it looks. …
Sony Bravia KDL-55HX923 55in LED 3D TV
Review Viewing it large
The KDL-55HX923 is a remarkable Freeview HD TV for many reasons. It’s humungous for one, measuring 148cm diagonally. It’s also overflowing with image technology and network niceties, as befits a flagship product. Even from a design standpoint, this set knocks the ball out of the park.
Sony Bravia KDL-55HX923 55in 3D TV A 55in …
Sony HMZ-T1 3D head mounted display
Review Strap-on movies for your pleasure
Watching a movie with Sony’s strap-on Personal 3D Head Mounted Display is one of the more extraordinary cinematic experiences you can have. Imagine the intensity of large screen IMAX somehow ciphered through display panels more befitting a digital camera. It’s like watching TV in a sensory deprivation tank: weird, uncomfortable …
Ten... best Blu-ray movies of 2011
Round-up Disc Assessment
If you’ve recently migrated to Blu-ray, or are already a dyed-in-the-wool evangelist, you’ll doubtless have developed an uncontrollable compulsion to build a collection of 1080p platters. But what releases deserve your attention? To provide answers of a sort, I’ve compiled this invaluable (and not at all off-the-cuff) guide to …
Marantz NR1602 AV receiver with AirPlay
Review Slimline 7.1 sound master
With the NR1602, Marantz has nuked the traditional AV receiver. The old template of massive amplification is out. In its place is an emphasis on networking prowess and design. The result is arguably the most forward-thinking receiver we’ll see all year.
Marantz NR1602 AV receiver Big sound, slim frame: Marantz's NR1602 AV …
Samsung PS64D8000 64in plasma 3D TV
Review Widescreen whopper
With Samsung’s domination of the LED TV market all but complete (bwahahaha!) it’s perhaps easy to forget the brand is a major purveyor of plasma screens too. Its current largest is the 64in D8000, which with stand weighs in at over 38kg and dominates all but the largest of living rooms.
Samsung PS64D8000 64in plasma 3D TV …
Ten... Blu-ray disc players
Product Round-up HD hotshots
On mainstream Blu-ray players, 3D is fast becoming just another feature, so whether you want it or not, we couldn't really avoid it in this round-up – but don't let that put you off.
Here we have models ranging from the impulse buy to high-end kit, and you’ll find dimensional compatibility listed alongside other attractions …
