Issue 20

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Previews from Berlin show

LOVING COUPLES

$1500 stereo speakers tested

REVIEWED THIS ISSUE • • • • • • • •

KOGAN PRO42 LINKSYS DMA2200 JBL ES800 CINEPACK SAMSUNG BDP1500 ALTEC LANSING T612 PIONEER SUSANO SC-LX90 PHILIPS SOUNDBAR HTS8140 PANASONIC VIERA TX-32LZD800A

INCAR ENTERTAINMENT SPECIAL How to take music and video on the road

TURN VINYL INTO MP3

Sony PSLX300USB

YOU WISH: JBL EVEREST LOUDSPEAKERS S U PL DIGITAL SHACK: AWARD WINNING AUSSIE TECH HOMES

A SPECIAL PLAYSTATION 3 PROMOTION

“THE MEDIA HUB THAT JUST LETS YOU PLAY”

Having one piece of gear take care of all your video, photo and music needs seems unbelievable, but don’t worry about not understanding how it all works. Because, if PLAYSTATION 3 were a school teacher, it wouldn’t be the stuffy, bossy maths professor who shouted at you when you didn’t understand right away, but rather the cool, laid back art teacher who just let you get all the paints and stuff out and encouraged you to forget the rules and just play.

So come on in and discover PLAYSTATION 3’s amazing digital media abilities for yourself.

A photo album the size of your TV Lots of equipment these days seems capable of grabbing the photos from your digital camera and letting you play them back. But how many stick your creations up there on your gorgeous flat panel TV accompanied by brilliant visual effects and music to show them off to your friends? PLAYSTATION 3 has a bunch of different ‘slideshow’ modes that are lot more creative than pictures displayed one after another, like your Grandad’s slide projector does.

Just one of the many excellent modes ‘slings’ the photos onto the screen, like a blackjack dealer at a casino handing out cards – presenting them in a whole new, fresh, way and grouping them by date to boot! But they don’t have to be in the order you took them either – create your own custom ‘playlist’ and you can group the photos how you like. There are plenty of presentation options to choose from and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what PLAYSTATION 3 can do.

A digital DJ in your lounge room Regular CD players just, well, you know, play your CDs but the musicplaying capabilities of PLAYSTATION 3 are a little more sophisticated. Slide a CD into the PLAYSTATION 3 and if you have it connected online, it’ll go and fetch information about the CD to ‘teach’ itself what to display, saving you the trouble. Better still, it will play all sorts of other types of music files, so if you’ve bought an album online in MP3, WMA or any other popular music formats, PLAYSTATION 3 will treat it just the same. And just like with digital photos, copying the music to the hard disk on your PLAYSTATION 3 allows you to create your own playlists and edit them whenever you want.

A home cinema showing Full HD movies

“Much more than a powerful games console, the PLAYSTATION 3 handles just about any type of media you can throw at it.”

You’ve probably heard of Blu-ray – it’s the next big step forward for movie fans and it’s all in gorgeous, full high definition! A huge advancement in quality over the standard definition DVDs you’ve been enjoying for years, Blu-ray will finally do justice to the flat panel TV that’s taken pride of place in your lounge room. Displaying pictures at a resolution of up to 1080p, the amazing clarity, colour and definition from your Blu-ray discs will make you think you’ve had your eyes washed and blow-dried!

Blu-ray discs come with a lot more potential for interactivity, too, so if you have your PLAYSTATION 3 connected online, you’ll be able to watch exciting new content that can be updated regularly.

PLAYSTATION 3 is the most advanced Blu-ray player on the Australian market today but if you haven’t made the leap to Blu-ray just yet, no worries. Because PLAYSTATION 3 can play your existing DVD movies and, incredibly, improve the quality of your collection by ‘upscaling’ the film to higher definitions. It’ll play high definition home movies from hard drive camcorders using the AVCHD format and, of course, you can connect any digital camcorder with USB up to PLAYSTATION 3 to store and watch the footage you’ve taken yourself.

Online at all times As if all that weren’t enough, PLAYSTATION 3 is capable of surfing the web, so you can browse the Internet from the comfort of your sofa, access your emails and catch the latest news headlines, and you are totally free to choose which websites you want to visit. And, naturally, with anything you want to play, see or hear, you know PLAYSTATION 3 is waiting to help you enjoy doing it.

For more information head to au.playsation.com/PS3

The Latest Technology.

HD Audio? That’s just the Marantz Home

QLF435 L

The Greatest Sound. beginning of your Entertainment Experience…

The new Marantz SR8002 AV Receiver maintains the high standards for which Marantz has been known for since 1953.

With performance levels arguably surpassing that of separate pre-power components in both sheer brawn and subtle sophistication, this THX Certified AV Receiver offers a clean power output of 125 Watts RMS from each of its seven current-feedback amplifiers, accurately recreating both movie soundtracks and music.

With HDMI 1.3 connectivity providing brilliant High Definition video switching (Deep ColorTM compatible) and full HD Audio (Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital TrueHD, DTS High Definition, DTS Master Audio and Multi-channel PCM), the SR8002 is ready for High Definition Blu-ray and HD-DVD soundtracks.

Reflecting Marantz’s music heritage, the SR8002 incorporates customised components for superior sound quality, a copperplated chassis to minimise unwanted interference and a huge Toroidal Transformer with shielding for instant delivery of high power levels.

Even MP3, WAV or AAC compressed music files (including iPod music) will now sound better with the activation of the built-in M-DAX (Marantz Dynamic Audio eXpander) compressed audio enhancement feature.

Setting up your system could not be easier, thanks to Marantz’s application of Audyssey’sTM ‘one touch speaker set-up’ feature.

The programmable main remote allows control of your entire system – and for music in additional rooms of your home, Marantz have even included a separate dedicated remote control.

To experience the phenomenal performance of the new SR8002 (or its smaller brother, the HD Audio-equipped SR7002), please contact us or your nearest Marantz stockist.

Distributed in Australia by QualiFi Pty Ltd • (03) 8542 1111 • info@marantz.com.au www.marantz.com.au

QLF435 R

FAST FOREWORD

On board with Blu-ray Since our last issue, the commencement of digital radio broadcasting in Australian was announced (see page 14), as were two new iPod models (see page 66), and the withdrawal of Philips Electronics from the audio-visual landscape, effective from 31 December 2008.

Being that curious thing called ‘the future’, the next eight weeks holds revelations we can’t yet know, but one thing is certain: Blu-ray will be taking a lot of headlines in the lead up to Christmas.

When DVD players hit $499 just prior to Christmas eight years ago, people began abandoning the VCR in serious numbers. The same is expected to occur when Blu-ray hits that magic price point, and this should be by the time you’re reading this edition of Home Entertainment.

Sharp and Olin already have models priced at around $450 in the market, but the $399 ‘go’ price of Sony’s BD350 will give other brands something to chase, and trigger, at last, real interest in the high definition movie format among mainstream shoppers.

And it should be of interest, at least according to Andrew Gardiner, Managing Director of Franchise Entertainment Group, the owners of Blockbuster and Video Ezy rental chains. There are, he says, 2.3 million HDTVs in Australian homes and around 400 000 Blu-ray players, including PS3s. That means, he argues, that 1.9 million televisions are surviving on a diet of high definition (or less!) television broadcasts alone, and owners simply aren’t getting the most from their HD centrepiece.

Affordable hardware is now here to feed HD movies to these 1080p-starved screens, but compelling and plentiful content is critical for building the case for a consumer to buy a Blu-ray player.

Franchise Entertainment Group will do its part to address this by boosting the number of Blu-ray titles that go into its rental stores, with plans for BD titles to comprise five percent of the Group’s annual $133 million turnover in the next year, according to Gardiner.

Publisher Peter Blasina peter@gadgetgroup.com.au Managing Director Valens Quinn valens@gadgetgroup.com.au Editorial Director Anika Hillery anika@gadgetgroup.com.au Editorial Contributors Anthony Fordham, Justin Worthy, Tomas Bartlett, Max Everingham, David Hellaby, Alex Kidman Art Director Bill Chan bill@gadgetgroup.com.au Advertising Sales Daniel Russell daniel@gadgetgroup.com.au Director Tony Read tony@gadgetgroup.com.au Printing The Quality Group Distributed by Gordon & Gotch www.gordongotch.com.au

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The software houses are on board too. With players hitting the sweet spot for family budgets, Disney is taking its popular catalogue into shopping malls around the country over the next few months to convert mum, dad and the kids with remasters of Pinocchio, Snow White, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and more.

Twentieth Century Fox will be offering select BD (and DVD) titles with a value-add feature called Digital Copy. This allows a copy of the movie to be ripped (Fox prefers ‘transferred’) to a PC or Mac and a single portable player, such as an iPod, for a premium of five bucks or so (see page 95). It means people can consume the movie they’ve paid for on whichever device happens to be most convenient, and the act that accomplishes it won’t actually make them a criminal.

Which brings us to Nintendo and a big New York investment bank.

The US Financial Times reports that the profit generated by each of Nintendo’s 3000 employees was greater than that made by the average person at Goldman Sachs. The average Nintendo employee earned $US1.6 million for the maker of Wii and DS gaming devices, compared with $US1.24 million at Goldman Sachs.

For everyone with a super fund that’s been hammered by the Wall Street robber barons in the last month, here’s the criminal part: the bankers are paid more than seven times what the typical Nintendo worker is.

Cheers Anika Hillery

All care is taken in the compiling of this magazine,the editors and proprietors assume no responsibility for the effects arising therein.Correspondence,manuscripts and photographs are welcome,and books, equipment and materials may be submitted for review.Although care is taken,the editors and publisher will not accept responsibility for loss or damage to material submitted.The magazine is not aligned with any company or group within the Australian electronics industry.Its editorial policy is completely independent.Views expressed are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher.

All rights reserved and reproduction without permission is strictly forbidden.

Price on cover is recommended retail price only. ISSN 1327-0338 Copyright 2008

Regza XV500A LCD TV

The 1080p pursuit Picture this: the full intensity of Team Toshiba’s Anna Meares on a 1080p Toshiba LCD TV. Full HD jaw dropping, pixel-packing clarity thanks to Exact Scan Mode. The X-series also supports 24Hz via HDMI™ input for movie content. See it, feel it now at leading retailers.

For more details visit www.toshiba.com.au/TV

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FEATURES Living la Vida Luxe

REGULARS Play 22 Random Home entertainment news and product highlights.

Anthony Fordham delves into the arcane world of luxury entertainment, where a stereo sound system can cost as much as a Ferrari.

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You Wish

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Whether you live in a large house or small apartment, have mega funds or modest means, there’s a high definition to suit your circumstances.

Digital Shack

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Best of Berlin: IFA 2008

Ultimate AV

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Gear Log

92

Ear Eyes Thumbs

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Time Warp

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HD for Everyone

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Europe’s biggest electronics show previewed the TVs we’ll be buying next year, with networking and even higher resolutions just some of the features in store. Nathan Taylor reports on highlights from the show.

Want Home Entertainment delivered straight to your door?

Subscribe on page 72, or online at www.isubscribe.com.au

Creating a pair of high-end speakers is a tall order, but JBL has cracked it with the Project Everest DD66000.

Award winning Aussie tech home. A showcase of winners from the 2008 CEDIA Custom Installation Awards.

A tour of the inflight entertainment offerings on board Singapore Airlines’ new Airbus A380.

A showcase of standout electronica.

Watch, listen, play. Max Everingham’s roundup of the best movies, music and games.

A retrospective of milestone entertainment products and technologies. This issue: Quadraphonic sound.

VISIT US AT

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Reviews, articles and news from Home Entertainment magazine online

Exciting digital page-turning format!

WIN A PIONEER INCAR ENTERTAINMENT WORTH $3000

See page 53 for details and enter online at www.gadgetguy.com.au

COLUMNS Guy Talk

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Tech Corner

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Channel Seven’s GadgetGuy, Peter Blasina, reports today’s technology trends.

Like HDMI, ‘DLNA’ are the letters to look for when making home entertainment purchases in the future.

HOW TO BUY Happy Couples

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TechLife

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A quality pair of loudspeakers will deliver fine stereo music, and form the basis of a good surround system when it’s time to embrace home cinema. Thomas Bartlett compares five $1500 models.

Cabin Fever: Incar Entertainment Hots Up

You enjoy quality entertainment in the living room, so why not in your daily drive? We explore your options for introducing music, video, GPS and more into your car.

BOX FRESH Bowers & Wilkins CM1 Focal Chorus 806V Jamo C407 KEF IQ7SE Krix Phoenix Altec Lansing T612 Philips SoundBar HTS8140 Pioneer Susano SC-LX90 Kogan PRO42 Panasonic Viera TX-32LZD800A Linksys DMA2200 Apple iPod Touch (2nd Gen) Apple iPod Nano (4th Gen) JBL ES800 Cinepack Samsung BDP1500 Sony PSLX300USB

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Swiss sound For those who want a bit more power in their iPod dock, Swiss manufacturer Geneva Labs has released a range of new high-end docks, from the 7.3kg, 4 x 25 watt Model M, up to the 17.2kg Model L (which has the same wattage but larger drivers) and the 38kg Model XL, which boasts 6 x 100 watts power output. Both the Model M and L have dual tweeters and dual woofers, while the XL adds a pair of 200mm subwoofers to that package as well.

All three models are compatible with all dockable iPod models, including the iPhone. They also include remotes, FM radio tuners as well as integral slot-loading CD players (with MP3 support, of course). All three models have 3.5mm audio inputs for non-iPod source devices, and the Model L and XL also incorporate RCA inputs.

DISTRIBUTOR Each comes in red, black or white ďŹ nishes, with the M costing $1499, the L $1999, and Audio Dyanamics (03) 9882 0372 the XL, $3499. www.audiodynamics.com.au

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Kuro returns The video processing and deep, inky black levels of Pioneer’s Kuro plasma TVs have set new picture quality benchmarks, and with “five times black improvement”, the Kuro2 range promises even better performance. The five models all meet the 1080p full HD spec, and comprise a 50 and 60 inch monitor pitched at the custom installer, 50 and 60 inch HDTV ‘LX’ series versions (with HD tuners and speakers) and an an entry-level (non-Kuro) C Series 50 incher. The 60 inch monitor is available now, costs $11 000 and is just 64mm thin – quite an achievement in such a massive panel. The 50 inch monitor will arrive in November along with the 60 inch TV, and the C Series and 50 inch Kuro are expected by February 09. No pricing was available for these at the time of going to print.

Pioneer’s five new panels are supported by a range of high definition AV receivers (see our review of the flagship SC LX90 on page 58), three standalone Blu-ray players ranging from $699 up to $1199, a $1500 HD-ready home theatre in a box system (it will decode HD surround from connected PS3s and Blu-ray players), and an integrated DISTRIBUTOR stereo music system, the PDXZ9, which has just picked up a gong from the High End Society Pioneer Electronics www.pioneer.com.au for ‘Best Value Hi-Fi Stereo’.

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Something you don’t see every day TEAC has covered some weird ground in the design area with its PCDV125L. This unit mates an LCD screen with a conventional-looking boombox in what TEAC describes as a portable DVD player. At 447 x 246 x 166 mm, the unit is, in fact, massive by any ‘portable DVD player’ standards, but for $299 you get multi-region DVD playback out of the box, radio and CD functions, a JPEG viewer thanks to the USB and SD and MMC card slots, and a 15cm screen for your viewing pleasure.

And it’ll run off eight ‘C’ type batteries, too, in true shoulder-carrying DISTRIBUTOR boombox fashion.

TEAC Australia www.teac.com.au 1300 769 824

Television gains a brain Launching its Regza AV500 range of LCD televisions with a five-year extended warranty on every one and boasting that it achieves “an unsurpassed level of image quality”, Toshiba is making bold new moves with its 2008 range.

The warranty matches that offered by Pioneer for some years now, but must be claimed post-purchase by visiting Toshiba’s site.

The four AV500 models, ranging from the $999 26 inch TV to the $1899 42 inch model (with 32 and 37 inchers in between), all have a native resolution of 1366 x 768 but will upscale to 1080p over HDMI, and have ‘Meta Brain Pro’ technology at their core, which claims to produce clearer, smoother imagery. Combined with dynamic backlighting and improved LCD response times, the AV500 is presented with a workmanlike DISTRIBUTOR straight black finish.

Toshiba Pty Ltd www.toshibaav.com.au 13 30 70

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Like a mirror, but not You’ve probably seen the technology in mobile phones such as LG’s Shine and several Nokia models. Now it’s available in full-size TV sets as well: an active matrix LCD that becomes a mirror surface when switched off.

Available with a 81cm/32 inch, 94cm/37 inch or 117cm/46 inch screen, the New Living Mirror Image isn’t yet at the cutting-edge of technology (as a TV screen, at least): it doesn’t support full HD (it’s limited to 1366 x 768), it has an analog rather than DTV tuner and doesn’t have native HDMI inputs (though you can get an adapter). But it is thin and designed to be wall mounted, and who couldn’t resist the temptation to shock your friends when your wall mirror suddenly turns into a large DISTRIBUTOR screen TV? The 81cm costs Len Wallis Audio (02) 9427 6755 $6999, the 94cm is $8999, www.ad-notam.com and the 117cm is $11,999.

WINNER OF SIX CATEGORIES IN THE PRESTIGIOUS 2008 CEDIA AWARDS

High Recognition Home Theatre

Len Wallis Audio celebrates 30 years of operation in 2008.

WINNER – CEDIA 2008

Much has changed over this time except our dedication to providing excellence in audio, video and home technology. Whilst our products and services largely entail speakers, cables, tv’s, amps and control panels, we’re primarily in the industry of enriching lives and improving lifestyles. This philosophy, along with expert staff, rigorous high standards and a lifetime of experience is what makes us the most respected and most highly awarded Audio Visual design and installation company in Australia.

Best Integrated Home $150K - $300K

We have earned the highest industry recognition yet again with 8 awards at this year’s CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association) Awards. More importantly, our customers also continually acknowledge our excellence by coming back. 67% of our business is repeat clientele looking to further enrich their everyday lives – they’re hooked on the Len Wallis Audio Experience. Fortunately there’s plenty to go around,available for a wide range of requirements, budgets and outcomes.

Taste award-winning lifestyle for yourself. Drop into our state-of-the-art showroom for a demonstration or call 02 9427 6755 for a free consultation.

OPEN 7 DAYS 64 BURNS BAY RD LANE COVE PH 9427 6755 WWW.LENWALLISAUDIO.COM.AU

Best Home Theatre under $50K Best Home Theatre $50K - $100K Best Media Room Best Special Project – Commercial Best Dressed system And Highly Commended for Best Integrated Home over $300K Best Home Theatre over $100K

Low Life with Bowers & Wilkins If you’re entirely unafraid of the wrath of your neighbours (who will invariably complain at the sound of a powerful subwoofer rattling their fillings), Bowers and Wilkins has just released the bass beasty for you.

Available separately or as part of the 683 Theatre ($6996), the ASW610SP subwoofer boasts 500 watts power output, a long-throw 250mm (10 inch) driver with dual voice coils and a paper and Kevlar cone, and a 25–140Hz frequency response.

In spite of its power output, it’s DISTRIBUTOR a relatively compact speaker, Convoy International (02) 9700 0111 measuring a little 32cm in each dimension, and weighing just over 15kg. It costs $1999 and is www.e-hifi.com.au available in a number of finishes, including black ash, light oak, red cherry and wengé.

Edifying Playlist Looking a little more like a portable printer than the iPod dock that it is, the new Edifier iF330 is an affordable way to let everybody experience your awesome (or perhaps less-than-awesome) collection of iPod music.

It’s 30cm long, 12cm high and 9cm deep and contains two 6 watt speakers, powered by mains power or batteries. The iPod plugs into a retractable drawer, and for people without iPods there’s a 3.5mm stereo audio input. It also supports video output, so you can watch videos DISTRIBUTOR from your iPod on a big Audion Australia screen if you want to.

1300 300 364 www.audion-mm.com It sells for $99.95

Digital radio on hold Digital Radio will now be coming to Australia mid-way through next year, according a joint announcement by ABC Radio and Commercial Radio Australia. It was originally scheduled to come online on January 1, but suffered a four-month delay as a result of infrastructure and branding delays, according to the announcement.

As it stands, it won’t be until May 1, 2009 that digital radio makes its debut in the five mainland capital cities.

Much like digital TV, digital radio offers more radio channels as a result of improved spectrum usage and clearer sound thanks to end-to-end digital transmission. It will also allow audio transmissions to be accompanied by textual information that can be displayed on the radio (such as weather and traffic information, program schedules and ‘currently playing’ information) and enable devices to have PVR-like pause and rewind functions. New receivers will be required to listen to digital radio.

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DLO meets iPhone As expected, it wasn’t long after the Australian launch of the iPhone that various vendors came out with a variety of accessories for it.

Philips has well and truly hopped onto that bandwagon, with an announcement of a variety of products in its Digital Lifestyle Outfitters (DLO) range.

The DLO range incorporates home and car chargers, car mounts, portable speakers, protective shells and fashion cases for both iPhones and iPods. Of course, most of these were available for the iPod well before the iPhone appeared, but now support for the phone has been incorporated into the lineup. There’s the XStand, a stand specifically for the iPhone, as well as several battery chargers that will work with the iPhone. Most notably, the current range of speakers and docks – like the Philips Speaker iPhone DISTRIBUTOR & iPod (a strange three-piece iPod iWorld Australia dock) and HomeDock HD (a dock with (03) 9532 3300 high definition video outputs) – both www.iworldaustralia.com.au work with the iPhone.

H/K hots up

Active Style

Its 2008 lineup of AV receivers is, according to Harman Kardon “one of the most significant product introductions in the company’s history”. Features include HDMI 1.3a and upscaling video to 1080 via Faroudja’s acclaimed DCDi Cinema chip on all models (including the $799 AVR155),

New from Sony’s design factory, the Active Style Headphones aren’t actually a single style of headphone but a suite of different products with a common thematic element: they’re light, shiny and designed to stay attached to your head even when you’re doing something vigorous (such as this “jogging” activity we hear so much about).

The family encompasses such varied styles as ear-hooks, behind-the-head wraparounds, over-the head earbuds and the weird (but strangely compelling) around-the-ear MDRAS20J, which has a loop that fully encircles the ear, holding the in-ear buds in place.

The price range of the different products

plus Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio and 7.1 channel PCM decoding on the two more expensive machines, the $1399 AVR355 and $999 AVR255. These two also have a colour screen, and are multi-room capable; the AVR335 unit is even A-BUS compatible, so installers can use just a single Cat5 cable to hook up whole multi-zone, multi-room system. At the same time, H/K has announced a new version of ‘The Bridge’ (pictured) docking station, allowing the connection of DISTRIBUTOR a suitable iPod to the company’s Convoy International www.e-hifi.com.au AVR355, 655 and 755 (pictured) AV 02 9700 0111 receivers, for $129.

varies considerably, from the $49 MDR-AS20J right up to the $199 MDR-AS100W Vertical EX Monitor Sports Headphones, which are earbuds that attach to an over-the-head bridge. Prices range from $49 to $199, depending on style DISTRIBUTOR Sony Australia 1300 720 071 www.sony.com.au

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Intelligent Panels Television is rapidly evolving. Just to be clear, I’m talking about the hardware rather than the content. The content issue is probably best left for another time!

In the late ’90s we moved quite rapidly from CRT TVs into new LCD and plasma televisions, embracing the flat panel technology with gusto. We moved quickly from SD (standard definition) panels to high definition then to Full HD (high definition). Panel size increased exponentially, so that now many people are trading their two- and three-year-old 76 and 81cm models for behemoth 128cm and even 154cm screens for the living room.

More recently, gorgeously finished bezels, impossibly thin panels and TVs that look like they have just popped out of the edgiest fashion magazine you could find have started to appear.

Colour, industrial design and newly developed materials have replaced the earlier focus on performance elements such as contrast ratios, pixel counts and response times.

Intelligent televisions with large screens, high resolution and highly stylised designs have tremendous potential to serve as the centre of information flow into and out of the home In parallel with these developments, the IT industry became increasingly jealous of all the attention the home entertainment market was receiving. IT started to cosy up to the TV, attempting a concerted migration from the study to the living room with the promise of ‘intelligence’ that would herald a new way of watching TV, or as the IT industry puts it “consuming entertainment, news, information and sport.”

Of course, this was never going to work. Despite the promise there are few people who will tolerate a noisy, buggy, non-living room friendly PC next to their TV. After spending some time in the past few weeks reviewing new ranges from panel vendors such as Samsung, Sony, Pioneer and Panasonic, what has become very clear is that television technology is again undergoing rapid change and development.

The next generation of panels has a great deal of built-in intelligence, a high degree of interactivity and, thanks to a new level of connectivity via Wi-Fi and DLNA, access to a range of 18

content, other than broadcast programming.

DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) is new connection standard developed through an international, crossindustry collaboration of consumer electronics, computing industry and mobile device companies. Members of DLNA share a vision of wired and wireless interoperable networks where digital content such as photos, music, videos, entertainment, news, etc can be shared through consumer electronics (CE), personal computers (PCs), and mobile devices in and beyond the home.

DLNA-based ‘smart’ sets will have enough embedded intelligence to surf the Internet, access an enormous amount of content as well as wirelessly tap into digital music, family albums and home movies stored on the home PC. Some of these new TVs come preloaded with games and are able to record TV shows internally.

In the era of TiVo, the possibilities of what the TV can do have dramatically expanded as well. Essentially, television can serve as the centre of an elaborate home network. And as Pioneer demonstrated with its ninth generation Kuro plasma recently, a TV can be ‘smart’ enough to email you and the service agent when in need of maintenance or calibration.

Intelligent televisions with large screens, high resolution and highly stylised designs have tremendous potential to serve as the centre of information flow into and out of the home. And in the future they will sport even larger screens and higher definitions, with ‘Quad HD’ developments already promising eight million pixels, four times as much as full HD. What this tells us is that technology is advancing at a rate faster than at any other time. The progress of the last five years may be equivalent to the advances of the past ten years. In turn, these advances might be eclipsed by the pace of innovation of just a single year in the future.

The GadgetGuy™, Peter Blasina, is the technology reporter for Channel Seven’s Sunrise program, appears regularly on other network programs and is broadcast weekly on various national radio stations.

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TECH CORNER

This Goes with That Assuming recent reader research we've done is correct, your home – like mine – is slowly filling up with awesome digital gadgetry. And as you spend more time with this stuff, you're coming to realise the true potential of it, especially when you attach it to a home network.

Gone are the crazy days of plonking a portable tape recorder in front of your hi-fi speakers and then recording your favourite vinyl album through the tape deck's miniscule microphone so you can listen to it in your Walkman. Thank goodness.

Yet even though you have the potential to watch or listen to all your entertainment in any room in the house on a variety of devices – from a massive LCD TV to a portable movie player and even your PC – actually getting your content from device to device is still quite a technical exercise.

Enter the DLNA, the Digital Living Network Alliance. By its own admission, you haven't heard of it, but you've certainly heard of most of the 245 members – including such companies as AMD, IBM, Intel, Kenwood, Lenovo, LG, Panasonic, Microsoft, Nokia, Philips... the list goes on!

The aim of the DLNA is to vastly simplify the business of shuffling your digital content – including your business, not just entertainment – around your increasing variety of devices.

Gone are the crazy days of plonking a portable tape recorder in front of your hi-fi speakers and then recording your favourite vinyl album through the tape deck's miniscule microphone so you can listen to it in your Walkman. Thank goodness But to explain why the industry needs the DLNA, we need to look at the current reality. Let's use a case study, and let's call him Steve.

Steve is lucky enough to own a house full of sweet kit. He has a big TV with a digital media player attached to it via HDMI, he has a couple of PCs, a terabyte external hard drive full of movies and music, and a wireless router running his home network.

If Steve wants to play one of his movies on the TV in the lounge, he has to go to his PC with a USB thumbdrive, load the movie on the drive, then bring it into the lounge room, plug it into the digital media player, and hope that the format the movie has been encoded in is compatible with his player.

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Meanwhile, if Steve wants to look at some of the photos he has on his external hard drive, he has to bring that into the lounge room along with his notebook PC, and plug the PC into the TV via an analog video-out port, and the hard drive into the PC. For a tech-head all this is pretty straightforward, but for the rest of us it's positively arcane. It's also inelegant, and digital living is supposed to be about progress and simplifying the business of being entertained.

What the DLNA aims to do is massively streamline the whole process of playing content on different devices. All a DLNA-certified setup asks of you is a wireless network and a set of approved devices.

In Steve's case, to watch his movie all he would need to do is tell his digital media player to go on the network and look for storage locations with movies in them. The player would report back with a list of places – the notebook PC, the desktop PC in the study, and even the external hard drive.

Because DLNA supports ‘network addressed storage’ (or NAS), hard drives don't need to be attached to a PC to work, they just need to be on the network, either via Ethernet or wireless.

Okay, you might still need to be a tech-head to set all this up in the first place, but once all the devices are communicating, it should only be about as complicated as using a cable or satellite set-top box.

Steve and Mrs Steve just grab the digital media player's remote, click through a bunch of menus on the TV, and they can watch their movie, listen to music or even browse photographs without any tedious mucking around with cables, discs or thumbdrives.

Of course, the DLNA has a long way to go. You can check out the organisation's roadmap at www.dlna.org but the days of just plugging your new toy in and it instantly going on the network and making itself available to every other device are still a little way off – though definitely looming.

The association is currently working on a single, standard protocol for streaming audio and video from any device to any other device.

Mobiles and printers are also due to be added to the standard, as is all-important support for MPEG4 video: emerging as the most popular format for portable devices such as the iPhone.

There are even plans to get your car in on the action: switch on your entertainment system in range of your home wireless network and update the car's hard drive for the trip ahead.

And then ultimately, you'll have access to all your digital content not just at home, but from anywhere in the world. Just log in and then browse as if you were on your very own PC. Many people believed this decade would be all about convergence. But instead, it's emerging that we're living in the age of interoperability. There are lots of devices to choose from, each suiting a different user's style. But thanks to organisations like the DLNA, no matter whether you choose the iPhone or the Logitech Transporter, everyone can have access to the same music, movies and more!

Anthony Fordham

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7/10/08 9:39:10 AM

HD VIDA FOR ALL LA LUXE B&W 800 SERIES Featuring technology from the company’s flagship Nautilus, the Bower’s and Wilkins 800 Series speakers cost up to $35,000 a pair, and with some extra budget, are offered as part of a surround package.

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Living la vida Luxe

How can pair of speakers, an amp or turntable cost more than your house, and who are the crazies that buy them? Anthony Fordham shines a light into the world of luxury AV gear.

Do you ever get the Buyer’s Remorse? When you’ve dropped $2000 or more on a single piece of tech, and no matter how awesome it actually turns out to be, you still feel that kind of terrified hollow feeling in your wallet? Well, take that feeling and multiply it by two hundred, because that’s how much some people are prepared to spend on audio visual gear.

We’re talking the very, very top end of the market. An end so high, it sort of snaps off the scale and floats away into the stratosphere, so rarefied are its adherents.

You’ve seen the products in this very magazine, in the You Wish section. You think the companies that make those $200,000 speakers can’t sell them? According to the retailers we spoke to, they sell them easily.

But how exactly is it possible for a pair of speakers to be worth more than your house?

How can you justify spending the cost of a luxury car on a mono bloc amplifier? And if CD is a digital medium, and the player just spits out a line of ones and zeroes, how can it command the sort of price you normally associate with a full kitchen renovation?

Obviously, these products are well made, by hand. Obviously, they use the very best components, in the very best designs. But to get the full story, we had to talk to the retailers who literally put their livelihoods on the line in their belief in these products.

Read on, to find out who buys a $400,000 stereo, what he (it’s almost always a he) gets for it, and how he chooses from a surprisingly large range of absolutely beautiful components.

All about audio To get a hold of a super high-end system, you’ll need to visit one of only a few specialist retailers. We spoke with Adam Merlino of Audio Connection and Len Wallis of Len Wallis Audio, two Sydney stores where you can spend house money on home entertainment.

That both businesses have ‘audio’ in the title is no coincidence: because according to both, it’s audio that drives this exclusive segment.

“I don’t really think of it as a luxury market,” says Len Wallis, “but as more of an enthusiast market. I liken our customers to people who collect stamps: they will spend enormous amounts of money because they have a passion.”

Wallis makes a point of differentiating his range of products from the likes of Bang & Olufsen.

“Those products are very much about decor, about the ‘look at me’ factor.

For my customers, it’s 99 percent about performance.”

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LA VIDA LUXE “The kinds of people who spend this money on home entertainment differ widely, but of course they have one thing in common: ready cash” Steinway’s Model D is a CD system (here and opposite) with big audio cred (it was developed by audio legend Peter Lyngdorf) and the piano maker’s trademark lush, high gloss finishes. The CD system costs around $220 000.

Adam Merlino says his high-end customers know what they want, and rely on the relationship with their dealer or specialist to get the right set up for their situation.

“We see two-channel audio and cinema as equally important,” he says. “We’ll have customers spend $400K on a system just for music, or install a similarly-priced cinema in a multi-million dollar home.”

Money to burn

Clear Audio’s Staement turntable is sound-equipment-meets-work-of-art.

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The kinds of people who spend this money on home entertainment differ widely, but of course they have one thing in common: ready cash.

For retailers at this price point, it’s less about haggling an awesome deal, and more about providing a personalised service.

“It can be a lot of work,” says Wallis. “A typical sale will take up to seven hours of auditioning different products.” Customers listen to many different systems and combinations to find one that’s just right for them.

Merlino says some of his customers walk in and a deal is done in ten minutes. Others can take much longer, with customers taking weeks or even

The Goldmund amplifiers and speakers in this room cost a few digits shy of a million dollars.

WHAT DO YOU ACTUALLY GET? Okay, so you’ve decided not to buy a house after all, you’ve decided to buy a $400,000 two-channel audio system. What do you actually get for all this money, that a $4000 or even a $40,000 system can’t provide?

Some of it is obvious of course: you get the very best materials, manufactured into the very best components, assembled into the very best designs. But Audio Connection’s Adam Merlino has an extra perspective: “These products go through a much longer development process than the mass market,” he says. “The manufacturers need to recoup that development cost, which is why these items attract such a premium price.”

Len Wallis of Len Wallis Audio, points out that in the showroom, even the most ignorant of listeners can instantly tell the difference between a $20,000 speaker and a $200,000 speaker.

“Take any person, and they will recognise the quality. It’s a universal thing, everyone recognises quality.”

The fact is, the big players in consumer electronics rely on factory automation and economics of scale to be able to offer even a ‘common’ or ‘garden’ AV receiver at a mainstream price.

These luxury products, on the other hand, are built individually, for individual users, and almost always by hand. The personal touch, that’s what you’re really paying for. months to make a final decision. And why not? When half a million dollars is on the line, you need to be sure you want to spend it on a CD player.

How hard is it to convince someone – even someone with the cash – that they get their money’s worth when they spend $229,000 on speakers, like the pair from French marque, Focal, Wallis sold just recently?

“When the speaker is two metres tall and weighs 380kg, the customer knows it’s a serious piece of technology,” he says.

Performance before beauty As mentioned, the enthusiast who spends so much on a system is after the ultimate in performance and quality. Aesthetics come second.

It’s fortunate then that, with these products receiving so much development time, that the vast majority are also beautiful to look at.

“The Steinway Music System is an interesting example,” says Merlino, “because it combines performance with simplicity, which is something that’s hard to do at the high end.”

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LA VIDA LUXE “Go to a dinner party at a friend’s place and you’ll find out he’s a Sony man, or a Pioneer man, with all his components matching, from TV to speakers.

High-end enthusiasts don’t buy like that”

Focal’s Grand Utopia III stand 2 metres tall, weigh close to 400kg and cost almost $230 000.

The Steinway Lyngdorf Model-D he’s talking about costs more than $150,000, but is supposedly as simple to operate as an iPod. That’s unusual in a market where multiple single-channel amps need to be stacked and arranged in the perfect configuration to produce awesome sound, and juggling multiple remotes is de rigueur.

The thing with the Model-D is that it’s also beautiful to look at. And that’s common among almost all these uber-expensive products.

Take the Clear Audio Statement, for instance. It’s not just a turntable, it’s a work of modern art. It also costs $185,000.

“That’s without the cartridge though,” Merlino points out. “That will cost you another $30K.”

Brand loyalty Go to a dinner party at a friend’s place and you’ll find out he’s a Sony man, or a Pioneer man, with all his components matching, from TV to speakers. High-end enthusiasts don’t buy like that.

“No two systems are the same,” says Wallis. “The components in a system are dictated by musical tastes, by musical interests.”

Indeed, a user who primarily listens to jazz on vinyl will need a different amp and different speakers (not to mention that $185K

WHERE TO BUY Audio Connection

Stores in Sydney suburbs of Leichhardt, Caringbah and Drummoyne NSW Phone 1300 761 022 Website www.audioconnection.com.au

Len Wallis Audio

624 Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove NSW Phone 02 9427 6755 Website www.lenwallisaudio.com.au

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turntable) to someone who prefers DDD (the format used on SACD) recordings of the latest classical concerts.

When the total bill runs to six figures, a customer’s choice of brand will be based on the research they’ve already done.

“The net has made a difference to our business,” says Wallis.

“Customers arrive well-educated, they know what they want.”

Merlino points out that it’s important for him to be able to work with a customer to build a system that suits their unique needs. “Our job is to explain to them what we offer, what we can do for them. It’s all about our knowledge.”

Sure, neither Wallis nor Merino will refuse your briefcase full of cash if you walk in and point at the thing you want on the shelf, but the best retailers in this market are set up with showrooms, where products can be auditioned, different combinations tried, personal taste taken into account.

Musical Fidelity sits towards the ‘cheap’ end of the luxury entertainment market, with a stereo system costing around $20 000.

That’s why so many of these sales can take hours, if not days, to complete.

Subjectivity rules Both Len Wallis Audio and Audio Connection have what they call their middle-market, the volume segment. It starts at $10,000 and goes all the way up to $30,000. This segment is a little more like buying a consumer-grade set up: some brands are more popular than others, set ups are more general rather than individual.

It’s also a starting point for many enthusiasts, people who’ve saved up and decided to leave the mass produced stuff behind and try something special. But what’s the hook that gets them started?

Merlino points at HDTV as a real driving force. “People have acute vision. They can see a picture on an HDTV and they say yes, that really is amazing. And we say, if that’s what we can do with vision, imagine what we can do with audio.”

The inference being that the difference between a standard audio setup and a high-end installation really is like the difference between analog TV and Blu-ray on a big 1080p display.

Interestingly, Merlino says the pace of change in the high-end audio market is not quite as breakneck as we see down on the department store floor.

“We do get some big jumps in technology. The new Cinemascope projectors with their curved screens are very cool. And the Steinway Music System really is a big leap forward.”

Another world For most of us, the thought of spending this kind of money on home entertainment ranges from the incredible to the offensive. Yet the market is going strong, with retailers reporting strong performance even in times of economic slowdown.

The middle-market (as theses guys understand it, anyway!) is affected a little more, and even though Len Wallis sees his products as enthusiast rather than luxury items, he recognises that economically, they certainly fall into the luxury band.

“When times are tough, and people are looking at things they can do without, a $229,000 set of speakers is obviously going to be pretty high on that list,” he says.

If you ever get the chance to listen to an audio system that cost its owner more money than we’ll make in ten years, you will hear the difference. You’re not just listening to the music, you are the music.

And that’s why, when an enthusiast has the money, he’s prepared to spend it where it counts.

Krell’s Evolution One puts out 450 Class A watts from fully independent power supplies.

BRANDS TO LUST AFTER Forget your Sony, your Philips, your Pioneer. Actually, don’t forget your Pioneer because it has some high-end gear, as does another familiar logo, Denon. But for serious audio (albeit at what the high-end people call mid-range, ie. less than $50,000) you’ll want to check out the following very serious brands.

B&W Based in: UK Speciality: Speakers Bowers & Wilkins should be familiar to most keen AV fans as the company does produce a range of consumer products too, such as the Zeppelin iPod dock. The company also does incar audio for Jaguar. But in this space, it’s speakers that make B&W’s name, including the famous Nautilus and 800 Series. www.e-hifi.com.au www.bowers-wilkins.co.uk

Focal Based in: France Speciality: Speakers Most of us will know Focal from its car audio business, but these clever Frenchmen are also responsible for some very high-end home audio. The 800V series of speakers are popular with enthusiasts who want to spend less than $30,000 on their entire system. The company also makes the Dome satellite, a tiny speaker suitable for wall mounting. www.audiomarketing.com.au www.focal.tm.fr

Musical Fidelity Based in: UK Speciality: Amplifiers Started by a celebrated concert clarinettist, this UK company focuses on amps and other core electronics. Key products include the Supercharger, which boosts the power of a 50 watt system to over 330 watt. Prices are relatively modest for this segment, making Musical Fidelity a popular choice for systems costing less than $20,000. www.audiomarketing.com.au www.musicalfidelity.com

Krell Based in: US Speciality: Amplifiers While companies like McIntosh and a few others espouse the purity of valve amplifiers, it’s left to the likes of Krell to get on with the business of creating integrated amps that sound every bit as good. Krell’s Evolution One is popular with music enthusiasts, while the modestly named Theater Amplifier Standard is an extremely serious five-channel amp. www.audiomarketing.com.au www.krellonline.com

MartinLogan Based in: US Speciality: Speakers Unlike most manufacturers, MartinLogan uses thin film electrostatic speakers. Each one includes a horizontallycurved panel made from Mylar and other old-school ‘space age’ materials. The famous Monolith speaker was launched in 1983 and since then the company has provided that rare combination of performance and superior aesthetics. www.audiconncection.com.au www.martinlogan.com

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OBJECTS OF DESIRE

JBL Project Everest DD66000 Loudspeakers According to JBL, they’re the finest loudspeakers it has ever created, which probably explains why the DD66000 speaker set is also known as Project Everest. A set of massive cones in a curve-backed wooden case, the DD66000 was first released in Japan in 2006 to commemorate JBL’s 60th anniversary – and now they’re being made available to Australian buyers.

Designed to be the biggest, baddest high-end domestic speakers that money can buy, the Everests are the audiophile’s fantasy speaker: 500 watts maximum power handling, 96dB sensitivity, and an incredible frequency response of 32Hz to 50kHz and higher. They’re also designed to reach high volumes with no distortion, deliver uniform directional sound and linear frequency response.

Each Project Everest speaker comprises two low frequency drivers, 380mm in size and using an Aquaplastreated pulp cone that’s designed to dampen unwanted resonances to preserve audio purity.

The top part of the speaker houses two more speakers – a 100mm compression driver for mid- to highfrequency response as a well as a 25mm driver made for ultrahigh frequencies. This latter component works with a 50mm neodymium magnet to give the Everest its unheard-of high frequency response range.

And here’s the kicker – both of those drivers are made of beryllium, which explains in part why you’ll probably never be able to afford a pair of Everests for yourself. Beryllium is used because it’s actually more rigid yet lighter than even titanium, making it the perfect material for driver diaphragms. It’s also notoriously hard to work and many times more expensive than titanium (and many, many times more expensive than aluminium), so only the most high-end equipment uses it – and even those tend to use alloys. The JBL uses pure beryllium.

At the base of each 142kg speaker is a complex control panel that allows the owner to fine tune frequency response levels and optimise the speaker for whatever conditions it happens to find itself in.

Nearly a metre tall, a little over a metre wide and half a metre deep, they’re not speakers that are going to fit into a small space. But then again, if you can afford these, you’re probably well sorted on the real estate front too.

Like most of the products featured in these pages, if you have to ask the price of the JBL Everest, then you probably can’t afford them. At $80,000 for a pair, they’re not going to appear in too many ordinary suburban homes. In fact, if you want to hear what they sound like, you’ll have to trek to SE Asia, Japan, Europe of the US to get a taste, since Convoy International (JBL’s Australian Distributor) doesn’t keep any in the country, they’re so rarely sold. They’re imported to order, and you can ask for them with a cherry, rosewood, ebony or maple finish, as you desire. According to Convoy’s Brand Manager John Martin, the factory may be also prepared to consider a special finish at extra cost.

Martin noted, however, that special finishes were not what people are after with this speaker. “The most common accessory (more a necessity to get the best performance) would be high quality cables connecting to the rest of the system. Of course that is another area – the rest of the system must be of a very high standard to do justice to the Everests,” he said.

If you don’t have the budget for the Everests (and who does?), Martin also recommended another set of high-end speakers from JBL, the new LS80. While not quite the monster that the DD66000 is (having ‘only’ 200mm twin drivers, a 50mm titanium mid-high range transducer and an ultra-high frequency transducer capable of responses up to 40KHz) it may be as close as many of will get without breaking the bank too badly. The LS80’s price tag is a far more reasonable $4999.

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JBL Project Everest DD66000 $80,000 for a pair Convoy International (02) 9700 0111 www.e-hiďŹ .com.au

Both of those drivers are made of beryllium, which explains in part why you’ll probably never be able to afford a pair of Everests for yourself 29

HD FOR ALL

Where do you start with a system to enjoy high definition pictures and sound?

We’ll show you how.

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You can come up with a plan that ensures that you get the best high definition experience now, while working towards having a full home theatre system that suits you perfectly in the future All of us are in widely different personal circumstances. You may have money to burn on your enjoyment of high definition home entertainment. Or, more likely, your finances may be more constrained.

You may have a massive room just waiting to be turned into a dedicated viewing venue, or you may have a cosy lounge room in your apartment, which will only be properly fitted out for home movie high jinx with considerable care.

We shall outline, over the next few pages, three HD ‘starter systems’ to give you an idea of what you need in various circumstances. Before that, though, we shall make a few suggestions that apply in all cases.

YOUR PLANS

The first thing to consider is: where do you want to go with all this?

Is a high definition picture your end goal, or are you looking beyond that? Are you planning on eventually enjoying the full HD home theatre experience, even if you may not yet be able to afford it all?

These considerations should influence your plans. For example, for a given amount of money you may choose a small (but still high definition) TV screen and a home theatre in a box. This will give you good performance right now, but not the very best. If it is the best that you are after, perhaps deferring the home theatre in a box may be wise, and instead pour your entire budget into a larger TV, one that will meet your final, not just your interim, needs.

it is at the cinema, then you will need a powerful and efficient home theatre sound system. A home theatre in a box isn’t going to do the trick. It just won’t go loud enough, even though it might be fine for a compact apartment.

YOUR FAMILY

How will you watch movies and big TV sporting events? If you prefer to share the experience with friends and family it means providing a big enough picture for half a dozen people. If you will be a couple sharing it together, then a smaller TV should do the trick.

Put these all together – where you want your system to end up, what environment it will be going into, who you will be sharing it with, and how much money you have available now, and into the future – and you can come up with a plan that ensures that you get the best high definition experience now, while working towards having a full home theatre system that suits you perfectly in the future.

Of course, some may have the resources to be able to achieve that perfect system now. If that’s you, see ‘Money No Object’.

For the rest of us, check out ‘Apartment Living’ and ‘Family’ over the next couple of pages.

YOUR ENVIRONMENT

A panel TV – plasma or LCD – will work pretty much anywhere. But a front projector simply must have a dark room in which to operate effectively. Sure, it gives the biggest picture, but what’s the use if you can’t see what is happening in darker areas of the picture.

Consider your room. Your equipment will generally have to fit into the environment you already have available for it. Some changes can be made, but for most of us there are limitations.

Are you in a lovely suburban home with a huge room that you plan to use for everyday viewing as well as movie watching? If, when you are watching movies, you want the sound to be loud like

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HD FOR ALL

Apartment Living A small living space doesn’t have to stand in the way of good home entertainment.

It can be tempting to think that you simply must have huge speakers, a massive subwoofer, and a 2.54 metre projection screen for the best home theatre. But that’s not the case at all. Proportion is what matters above all. The screen you see in a commercial cinema would do a poor job in any home because it’s just too large.

What matters is the relative size of a picture. If your room is smaller than average, you will be sitting quite close to screen. The screen, consequently, will occupy a larger proportion of your entire field of vision than if you were sitting further away. So in more compact living areas, TV screens ranging from 82cm (32 inches) to 107cm (42 inches) are ideal, especially if they provide true high definition resolution (that is, 1920 x 1080 pixels). For the smaller size you will be looking at LCD, while at the larger end both LCD and plasma are available.

HD OR FULL HD?

You may want to consider the lower resolution displays: 1024 x 768, or 1366 x 768 pixels are commonly available and are very low in cost. But if so, remember that you will need to sit further away from the screen because the pixels (the dots that make up the picture) will be larger, and thus more easily seen. So, we reckon that it’s worth stretching a little to go the full 1920 x 1080 hog.

You will want this to be a real HDTV, meaning it should be fitted with a HDTV receiver. There really isn’t much choice now, anyway, because just about all true high definition TV displays include a HDTV receiver.

If budget is tight, consider a DVD recorder for time shifting purposes. It’s not HD, but at least you’ll be able to view any TV shows you’re unable to watch in person as they go to air. If you can find the extra funds, a basic personal video recorder with only one HD tuner will allow you to record an event while watching another station via your TV’s built-in tuner.

SOUND

If at all possible, though, you will enhance the sound from the TV. The loudspeakers built into TVs are okay for watching the news, but for TV shows and movies broadcast in surround sound, and all DVDs of course, they will be seriously deficient. The good news for those with a cosy living room is that there are plenty of low-cost options for good quality surround sound.

The size of your room helps here. The bigger a room, the more power your system needs to fill it with sound. With a small room, you can get by with a set of compact ‘satellite’ speakers, small enough to be attached to walls and thus staying well out of your way, plus a subwoofer to deliver the bass. Or you may find it more convenient to choose one of the new ‘soundbar’ surround systems that project surround sound entirely from speakers at the front of the room.

Either way, you’re in for a fine experience.

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LOOK FOR • Mid-size full HD flat panel TV • Home theatre in a box or soundbar speaker • DVD recorder or PVR

Front surround/ soundbar speaker — tidy and convenient sound solution

Compact LCD (32-42 inches) won’t dominate small room.

Full HD of course!

DVD recorder with hard drive for catching the events you can’t watch live

You will want this to be a real HDTV, meaning it should be fitted with a HDTV receiver 33

HD FOR ALL

family home Bring high definition into your family home!

Both apartments and mansions have their attractions, but most of us live somewhere in between the two, on the great Australian quarter-acre block, in a comfortable suburban home. Thus most of us have a family room or a lounge room where we will be expecting to enjoy television, sports and movies this year, and this will typically have dimensions of five to six metres long, with a proportionate width.

You will not be sitting right upon your TV screen. You will not have the advantage of a small room to make a small sound system seem large. You will need gear that suits your larger environment. That will also suit groups of you enjoying high definition entertainment together.

THE PICTURE

So, first, there is the screen. Once again, we strongly recommend that you go for full high definition: 1920 x 1080 pixels. This will give you the smoothest, sharpest, most detailed and most realistic image possible.

For size, we recommend something larger than 107cm (42 inches). If you can manage it, 127cm (50 inches) or thereabouts is a great size. This really does look large in a home, producing a hugely involving picture, yet remains manageable in terms of placement.

The TV will almost certainly have a high definition digital TV tuner built-in, but you may want to consider adding a HD personal video recorder here. Especially if you’re in a modern family where not all of you can be together when your favourite high definition TV shows are broadcast.

SOUND MATTERS

For sound, you should get fairly serious. You should be prepared to fill your room with sound. Not just for the growing number of television shows broadcast in surround, but for DVDs and Blu-ray movies as well. Even if you don’t plan purchasing Blu-ray straightaway, you should have it in mind for your system because eventually you will most likely want to add a player.

So one of the better home theatre in a box systems, or preferably a separate home theatre receiver and surround speakers, will be what you need. Make sure that whichever system it is, the home theatre receiver part handles HDMI inputs and outputs. That will make switching between your HD PVR and your Blu-ray or DVD player convenient.

And with this extra equipment, consider a good universal learning remote control. This allows every member of the family – not just the one who know which remotes to use and in which sequence – to just walk in, sit down and ‘drive’ the system.

For sound, you should get fairly serious… Not just for the growing number of televisions shows broadcast in surround, but for DVDs and Blu-ray movies as well 34

50 -65 inch plasma for magical full HD widescreen action

PS3 console for hi-def games action

Quality speaker system for surround sound and music listening

HD personal video recorder for automatic capture of favourite shows and sporting events AV receiver for big sound effects and easy switching between equipment

Learning remote makes for simple system operation

LOOK FOR

Subwoofer to handle all the bass the other speakers can’t

• Big, full HD flat panel TV • Quality surround sound speaker system • AV receiver with lots of HDMI connections for other equipment • Twin tuner HD PVR or DVD recorder • Learning remote

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HD FOR ALL

We love projectors for movies and big screen sporting events. But for everyday viewing, especially sharing the family’s favourite TV dramas with each other, we want a panel TV LOOK FOR • Full HD front projection system for special-event viewing • Super-large full HD flat panel TV for everyday viewing • Large floorstanding surround sound speaker system • High powered high definition AV receiver with 1080p upscaling • Blu-ray recorder for the ultimate in HD recording and archiving • Touchscreen learning remote

Projection sys tem for movie nights and ser ious “event style” spor ts s creenings with friends fa mily

ive for mass a m s a l p 70 inch r ts action o p s D H l ful

Mighty Av receiver connects all equipment and delivers powerful sound to 7 speakers

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r tainment te n e f o s t o L s Blu-ray options, plu rding for HD reco

Money no Object If you have the room and the budget available, then your system will be make high definition TV and movies even better than being on the set!

An increasingly popular inclusion in Australian homes is a dedicated home theatre room, although many without such a retreat still manage to achieve similarly high levels of performance. All this is achieved by applying money wisely to the purchase of the correct equipment, and modifying the environment in which that equipment will be located.

PROJECTION AND A TV

Floorstanding speakers provide big volume levels in large living areas

Large centre speaker, voicematched to the rest of the speakers

Most such systems are based, on the video side of things, around a front projector. For the next few years at least, the front projector will remain the only way to produce a truly huge picture.

As we write, panel TVs top out at 165cm (65 inches) – at least those that don’t reach into the stratosphere when it comes to pricing. A $5000 front projector can produce a high quality 254cm (100 inches) or bigger picture – if your room has been suitably treated.

However, every home theatre projector needs to be accompanied by a panel TV. Because, much as we love the whole home cinema experience, in just about every way other than picture size, projectors produce an inferior picture. They are slow to start up. The lives of their lamps are limited. You have to be in deep darkness to use them effectively.

We love projectors for movies and big screen sporting events. But for everyday viewing, especially sharing the family’s favourite TV dramas with each other, we want a panel TV. For that, we reckon that there are several brilliant 152cm (60 inch) and 165cm (65 inch) models around.

For sure, also have a projector installed in a ceiling lift, and an automatically lowering projection screen, but for most of your high definition viewing experience, stick with the TV.

HEAR, HEAR

Once again, consider your time shifting requirements. The most capable digital recorders are twin tuner HD PVRs, which allow you to record two channels at once while watching a recording of a show off the hard drive. The best even search for forthcoming programs they think you will like and automatically record them. Better still, a Blu-ray recorder will allow you to record all your favourite TV shows, and then archive the keepers to disc.

A high-end sound system will complete the HD scene. If money is not a problem, and a large space is available, then the need to compromise on speakers and sound is eliminated. Consider a full 7.1 channel system. Those extra two surround channels help tie the sound together better if there is a group of you watching an event or movie. Think about high quality, floorstanding front stereo speakers, as this will enhance your music enjoyment as well as deliver benefits to the surround experience in your room. And do not skimp on the subwoofer. Its bass will provide a foundation for your movie viewing.

Universal learning remote

drives entire system with one-button ease — even automatically dims lig hts, closes curtains and descends the screen (brand dependent) 37

BEST OF BERLIN:

IFA 20

38

008 Top trends and electronic delights from Europe’s biggest tech show. Report by Nathan Taylor Each year, Europe’s biggest consumer electronics show, IFA (known less colloquially as Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin) showcases the latest in consumer technology, with many of the world’s largest electronics manufacturers turning up to launch and show off their latest technology.

Of course, Berlin’s IFA is a massive show, and we don’t have the space to cover everything in it here, but we’ve managed to put together something of a highlight reel for you. Read on to find out about the biggest trends in the show.

TV Consumer electronics of all stripes were on display at IFA in 2008, but as usual it was the television sets that took the centre stage. And if the models launched and displayed in Berlin are any indication of what is to come, then TV is set for a major shake-up in the next few years.

Undoubtedly the focus of many of these new TV sets was device networking. Instead of just having AV inputs like television sets of old, many of these new sets are also integrated media players, taking digital files stored on a PC, on a USB device or even on the Internet and displaying them directly, without the need for a set-top box.

Indeed, a considerable proportion of the television sets on display boasted a technology that nobody had even really heard about a year ago: DLNA, short for Digital Living Network Alliance.

A television that supports DLNA is capable of playing back media stored on a PC over a network – so all the movies, music and pictures you’ve downloaded and stored on your PC can be streamed from that PC without the need for burning it to a disc or copying it to a thumb drive or MP3 player.

Not all DLNA implementations are created equal, of course – most still require wired networking to a PC or DLNA-capable media server, and some don’t yet support the full range of media types.

Sony’s new DLNA-capable TVs don’t yet support video, for example.

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IFA REPORT

LG adds Bluetooth

Networked TVs have become all the rage, with many vendors showing off televisions sporting Ethernet ports and the capacity to play movies stored on a remote PC or streamed from the Internet. LG’s 7000-series plasma and LCD displays (the PG7000 and LG7000 respectively) go one better – they add Bluetooth support as well. The Bluetooth link allows users to beam images and content directly from their phones to the screen for display, and it also allows users to sync Bluetooth headsets with the televisions, so you can watch TV at maximum volume without annoying the neighbours. The screens also feature USB 2.0 support and MP3 playback, so you can attach USB storage devices and play the media directly from it.

Samsung embraces playback

Nobody has pushed DLNA and Internet connectivity in TVs further and faster than Samsung. At IFA 2008, it showed of its latest LCD and plasma designs – the Series 7, Series 8 and Series 9 televisions, which have more connectivity options than just about any set we’ve yet seen.

All three series support DLNA networking (wired and wireless) for a start, and are capable of playing back most of the common Internet media formats such as MPEG4, MP3, DivX, JPEG and more. They also boast a feature called WiseLink Pro, which allows the TV to read data and play media files stored on USB devices such as thumb drives, MP3 players and external hard disks as well.

The connectivity options don’t stop there. In addition to a number of games stored in the television’s internal memory, Samsung TVs that are hooked up to the Internet can access online news and weather feeds from Yahoo using a system called InfoLink, which Samsung says will be available by the end of this year.

The Series 7, 8 and 9 televisions will be on sale by the end of the year in Australia, with plasma screens ranging from 50 to 63 inches/127–160cm and LCDs from 40 to 55 inches/ 101–140cm.

Sony shows off Sountina

In amidst new displays and Blu-ray players, Sony showed off its new high-concept Sountina speakers. The Sountina speakers use a two-metre vibrating glass tube to produce sound, which emanates in the 360degree arc from the speakers (as opposed to regular directional speakers). The Sountina NSA-PF1 speakers are available in Japan for a mere US$10,000 or so.

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JVC pushes QuadHD

Just as full HD screens are finally coming down to mainstream prices, the manufacturers have gone and upped the ante again. JVC spent a good deal of the IFA show talking about and demonstrating its 4K2K screens, projectors and cameras.

4K2K devices have a resolution of 4096 x 2160, compared to full HD which is 1920 x 1080. If you do the math on that, that’s about 4.3 times as many pixels in QuadHD as full HD (hence the name).

Of course, QuadHD presents a whole new range of problems. It requires a new way to connect the screen to other devices; it requires a new kind of disc to store movies (Blu-ray just doesn’t have the capacity) and a new mechanism for transmitting the massive amount of video information required between devices.

Some of the televisions even go beyond the basics of DLNA, however. Samsung, for example, showed off its new TV that can take online news from Yahoo and display it onscreen. YouTube streaming and Internet TV (like the Japanese acTVila service) also rated a mention, and we’re likely to see more products support that kind of service next year.

Of course, DLNA was not the only TV technology achievement on display at IFA. The push for larger and thinner screens continues, with Panasonic especially pushing massive screens (including one 150 inch/381cm monster) and Sony, Philips and Sharp showing off TV sets less than 25mm thick, making them perfect for hanging on a wall.

WirelessHD also had a small but notable presence at IFA, with Toshiba in particular pushing this cordless video technology (in essence, it does away with HDMI and other video cables, and allows a single media server box to send signals to multiple TVs).

Although it did not have a huge presence at IFA this year, we also saw a glimpse of what’s to come with several QuadHD models from Samsung, Panasonic and JVC on display and a good deal

The Skinny on Sharp

Sharp, meanwhile has been showing off it’s own ultra-thin screen, the Aquos XS1. Just 23mm thick at their thinnest part, the full HD XS1 looks and works a lot like the Philips Essence: the connectors attach to a separate box, and the speakers are a detachable bar. The XS1 models are available in 52 and 65 inch/132–165cm screen sizes.

of talk (especially from JVC) about how QuadHD is the future of television. QuadHD has four times as many pixels (and therefore four times the definition) of FullHD. Samsung’s QuadHD screens have a resolution of 3840 x 2160, while JVC went right up to 4096 x 2400 (for comparison, Full HD is 1920 x 1080).

Philips slims down

Philips has been struggling to compete in the flat screen market, but is hoping that its new range of Essence TV screens, first showed at IFA, will help it out. Essence is a 42 inch/106cm full HD LCD that’s just 38mm thick in total (that’s not just the LCD panel, but the entire package). To make that possible, it comes with a small ‘connectivity hub’ that hosts all the different connectors for the screen. The speakers are housed in a separate 2 x 15 watts SoundBar that’s as thin as the screen is.

The screen itself boasts a 100Hz refresh rate and a 2ms response time, which means it should stack up well against plasmas and other current-generation screens for image quality.

At press time, a price for the Essence had not been announced.

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IFA REPORT

The Philips Cinema One uses Ambisound to create surround-like effects

Finally, Sony and Samsung were shooting it out at the show, both claiming to have delivered the very first 200Hz LCD TV. The technology builds on existing 100Hz processing — which inserts additional frames into the video using interpolation to produce a smooth, blur-free motion — by inserting even more frames of interpolated video for, er, even smoother, blur-free motion.

Other equipment While television technology was clearly the centrepiece of the show, other technology also got a look in, including a range of portable media players. Sony, for example introduced three new Walkman media players, the S, B and E models, which take the best elements from its mobile phone Walkmans, such as the SenseMe mood detection technology, and move it to dedicated media players. iRiver was also at the show, showing off its lauded SPINN PMP with its touchscreen and a design that clearly sets it against the iPod touch. LG likewise is going with a touchscreen media player – of particular note was its T80 media player, which, in addition to boasting a 3 inch/7.6cm touchscreen also supports mobile TV viewing with an integrated DVB-T (digital TV) tuner.

A few ‘netbook’ PCs also made an appearance, although nothing that couldn’t really be described as a clone of the Asus Eee PC. LG, for example, announced its Netbook X110, a Windows XP device with

Although it did not have a huge presence at IFA this year, we also saw a glimpse of what’s to come with several QuadHD models from Samsung, Panasonic and JVC a 10 inch/25.5cm screen. Samsung’s X360, also on display at the show, was more like a Macbook Air, a PC focusing not so much on cost reduction but on looking ultra-thin and cool. Meanwhile, Mio was showing off its Sat Nav Netbook, a Eee-alike that comes with integrated GPS navigation and an 8.9 inch/22.6cm screen.

Some cool speakers were also on display, such as Sony’s omnidirectional Sountina, Harman-Kardon’s crystal GLA-55 (which look like chunks of ice with speakers set in them) and Philips CinemaOne iPod dock and DVD player, which uses Philips’ Ambisound technology to create the illusion of surround sound.

All up, its been an impressive year at the IFA, and with CES – America’s largest trade show – just around the corner we’ll no doubt have more technology to show you in the coming months.

Panasonic goes big Thin is in

Both Philips and Sony have been competing to show off the thinnest screen in recent times, and the winner is not yet entirely clear. Philips showed off the thinnest display, a 32 inch/81cm LCD with full HD resolution that is just 8mm thick. However, the display was only a demonstration – the LCD panel is not yet in production and we don’t have an indication of when it will be.

Sony’s KDL-40ZX1 (pictured), however is already moving into mass production and will be available in Japan at least by the time you read this. The 40 inch/101cm LCD is just 9.9mm thick, and is designed to be a true “window on your wall”. It also happens to be a networked TV, with support for remote media playback and acTVila Internet TV as well as DLNA. It costs 490,000 yen (about $5600), so it’s not something that everybody will be able to afford, however.

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Panasonic has been very much intent lately on showing the potential of plasma screens to scale up to massive size.

The centrepiece of its display at IFA was a 150 inch/381cm screen that’s large enough to show a small elephant… in actual size. The 150 incher is also likely to require that you mortgage several houses in order to afford it when it goes into production next year.

For those on a more modest budget – say US$50,000 or so – Panasonic also showed off an array of new 103 inch/261cm screens.

A few days before IFA, Panasonic announced the new TH-103PZ800 screen, a networked 103 inch full HD Plasma with more inputs than you could possibly ever use – including flash memory card slots from which you can even play HD videos. It also happens to suck around 1450 watts per hour.

At the same time as it showed of the TH-103PZ800, Panasonic also announced the rather more modest new ZR900 LCD screens, which range in size from 42 to 50inch/106–127cm. In addition to Network TV and YouTube support, the ZR900s actually have one terabyte built-in hard disks, effectively turning the TVs into PVRs as well.

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HOW TO BUY Happy Couples

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When music is what matters most, you need a quality set of stereo loudspeakers. Choose correctly, and they will be the mainstay of any future surround system too.

BOX FRESH Reviewed in this Issue

68 73

Bowers & Wilkins CM1 48 Focal Chorus 806V 49 Jamo C407 50 KEF IQ7SE 51 Krix Phoenix 52 Altec Lansing T612 54 Philips SoundBar HTS8140 56 Pioneer Susano SC-LX90 58 Kogan PRO42 61 Panasonic Viera TX-32LZD800A 62 Linksys DMA2200 64 Apple iPod Touch (2nd Gen) 66 Apple iPod Nano (4th Gen) 67 JBL ES800 Cinepack 68 Samsung BDP1500 70 Sony PSLX300USB 70

Cabin Fever: Incar Entertainment Hots Up 73 How to upgrade your car entertainment system with aftermarket music, video, GPS and Bluetooth options.

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46

Whether it’s for music or the foundation of a surround set-up, when it comes to speakers it takes two. Thomas Bartlett reviews five pairs of note.

These days we are all about home entertainment.

And that has almost come to be a code for home cinema. But prior to the DVD, it really meant music, which in turn meant stereo.

So we’ve decided to turn the clock back a few years here, and look at a bunch of stereo loudspeakers. We haven’t gone back irreversibly in time, though, because each of the stereo pairs we examine here have suitable surround and centre channel speakers, plus subwoofers, available from their manufacturers, able to deliver the full surround sound experience.

Think of it this way: if you are a lover of stereo music, why not make your decision about your home theatre sound system primarily about choosing a pair of stereo speakers that will deliver the goods for you? Once that decision is made, decisions on the other parts of the surround system fall into place.

Of course, you may not be interested in surround sound at all, and simply want fine stereo music.

Here we decided to choose a tight price band that we reckoned would allow you to buy some pretty decent speakers, and then examine five of the options available. While all fall within a $101 price spread from $1399 to $1500, they are not strictly comparable.

Stereo loudspeakers

What to look for

The good

• A size fit for your home

• The best way to enjoy most music, which is recorded in stereo • Additional speakers can be added for full surround sound • Wide range of choices to get the best sound from your music collection

• Sound that best suits your tastes and preferred music

The less good

• If you like loud music, high sensitivity to give you the biggest sound

• So many speakers, selecting the best performance balance can be time consuming • No loudspeaker is perfect in every respect so may be some disappointment

• Models that have matching centre and surround channels

Big and small Part of the reason for that is our collection includes both floorstanders and compact models. Normally one chooses between these two categories for reasons unrelated to performance. Another part is that loudspeaker choice has to be the most subjective, individualistic part in assembling a sound system. Your most treasured CDs can often sound much better on one pair of loudspeakers than they do on an equally good alternative pair simply because of the choices made in optimising their respective designs. That other pair could well sound better with a different genre of music.

So if music is what you are after – with home theatre either figuring behind that, or not at all – be prepared to spend some time with your favourite high fidelity store’s staff, listening to a range of loudspeakers. Take with you your favourite music. If you enjoy several genres, take examples of them all with you. If you love bass, don’t forget to include some CDs containing some of the more thrilling bass elements.

And then listen.

How to audition Listen for a natural balance in the tone of the speakers.

Listen, also, to how the various instruments and voices array themselves between the two speakers. Are they precisely located? Focused? Do they have ‘body’?

If you already have an amplifier or home theatre receiver that you will be using, ask the store to connect candidate speakers to a similarly powered receiver so that you can be confident that it will provide adequate volume for your needs.

Remember that the higher the ‘sensitivity’ of a loudspeaker, the louder it will go for a given amount of power. The differences can be dramatic.

A loudspeaker rated at 84dB sensitivity will need four times as much power to achieve the same volume as a speaker rated at 90dB sensitivity.

But that may be a trade-off that you are prepared to make in the pursuit of sheer quality, as we will see with at least one of these five pairs of stereo loudspeakers.

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Stereo loudSpeakerS teSt 01

Bowers and Wilkins CM1

Do you occasionally sneak a glance at a high-end audiophile magazine from the United States or England? Read their wordy, but nevertheless interesting, subjective impressions of this or that piece of exotic high fidelity equipment?

They write of musical impressions other than frequency response or bass extension or controlled harmonic distortion. They write in a poetry of revelation: how this tweak or that speaker cable removes one more pane of grubby glass that has been interposed between you and the artistry, the actuality, of the real music.

But have you then sighed, and decided that you cannot devote your entire life, and financial future, to this pursuit?

Well you don’t need to. Instead, prepare for a compromise and consider the Bowers and Wilkins CM1 stereo loudspeakers. These are bookshelf-sized two-way loudspeakers. But it might be better to consider them the top portion of a world-class audiophile speaker system of which any music lover would be proud.

Each contains only a 130mm bass/midrange driver and a 25mm aluminium dome tweeter. So, to make the sound good B&W has limited their efficiency somewhat in order to allow them to deliver listenable bass.

Truth is, they sound essentially balanced, but it is clear that there is nothing truly deep there. But just listen. At first they sound like any old loudspeaker,

Bowers & Wilkins CM1 Price: $1499 Warranty: five years Contact: Convoy International (02) 9700 0111 www.e-hifi.com.au drivers: 2 way: 1 x 25mm aluminium dome tweeter, 1 x 130mm bass/midrange Frequency Response: 45–50,000Hz –6dB sensitivity: 84dB Impedance: 8 ohms Rec. Amplifier Power: 30–100 watts dimensions (Whd): 165 x 280 x 276mm Weight: 6.7kg except too quiet. I had plenty of power available, so I wound up the volume. And what was revealed was a tangible reality. I noticed this first with the first CD I happened to play: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy’. The male vocal … well, I could close my eyes and imagine a bearded rockbluegrass 1970 singer there between the speakers, and it made perfect sense.

CD after CD, the result was the same. Forget your tweaks and your thousands of dollars of bits and pieces. Couple these speakers to half-decent electronics and you will get true high fidelity.

PRos • Glorious high fidelity sound • Superb transparency • Compact enclosures CoNs • Low sensitivity requires plenty of amplifier power • No really deep bass RATINgs overall performance features ease of use Value for money 48

Stereo loudSpeakerS teSt 02

Focal Chorus 806V

Well, I have to admit that this pair of speakers had me startled for a few minutes… before I’d even plugged them in. I opened the box and before me were the tops of these two largish-bookshelf sized loudspeakers. Upon their marbled-black tops were large orange stickers insisting that the ‘User Precautions’ on page 6 be read. I idly started to peel off one of the stickers, only to find it very firmly affixed! I could see no way of getting it off without causing damage.

But then I realised that it was actually attached to a rather thick transparent film that was protecting the speaker’s piano gloss top (and giving it a marbled appearance). These speakers come well protected.

That includes the aluminium/magnesium inverted dome tweeter. This has a metal grille over its face – removable, but Focal recommends that you don’t in order to protect it. By ‘inverted dome’ I mean that it is concave out, rather than convex, which is Focal’s long-established way of doing things.

Being bookshelf sized, these speakers failed to

plumb the extremes of bass, but down to their 50ish hertz cut-off they were magnificent in the bass solidity and articulation. Only the lack of certain known elements on familiar CDs indicated that they were anything other than large.

I’ve always liked the no-nonsense sound of Focal speakers and these ones were no exception. They delivered an excellent frequency balance, with a slightly forward and very revealing nature. In fact, I felt that they matched the B&W CM1 speakers for revealing the content of the music, especially in the higher registers.

Aside from that super deep bass, you will hear everything on your CDs. And hear it with surprising volume levels because the bass reflex enclosure allowed Focal to tune these speakers for remarkably efficient operation for small speakers, so it was only at quite ridiculous levels that they began to sound a little stressed.

focal Chorus 806V Price: $1499 Warranty: five years Contact: Audio Marketing Pty Ltd (02) 9882 3877 www.audiomarketing.com.au Features: 2 way: 1 x 25mm inverted dome tweeter, 1 x 165mm bass/midrange Frequency Response: 55–28,000Hz +/-3dB sensitivity: 90dB Impedance: 8 ohms Power handling: 120 watts maximum dimensions (Whd): 222 x 390 x 293mm Weight: 8.2kg

I’ve always liked the no-nonsense sound of Focal speakers and these ones were no exception PRos • Compact enclosures yet good sensitivity • Good tonal balance CoNs • Lack extremes of bass RATINgs overall performance features ease of use Value for money 49

Stereo loudSpeakerS teSt 03

Jamo C407

If you purchased loudspeakers like you do potatoes – seeking the best price per kilogram – you could stop right here. When I was collating the specifications for this article, I paused over Jamo’s claim of 25.8 kilograms each. Perhaps, I thought, that was actually the figure for a pair.

So I weighed them. The figure I used in the specifications is that from my scales: 23.90kg.

These are heavy speakers, and especially for this price category.

Part of that is excellent construction of their bass reflex loaded cabinets, but part would be due to the four drivers used in each. These are real three-way loudspeakers with one of the 165mm drivers dedicated to the midrange alone (150 to 2500 hertz) and two more solely for bass (up to 150 hertz).

The cones of these speakers invite attention due to their dark copper colour. Jamo doesn’t say, but they appear to be made, or at least surfaced, with some kind of fibreglass.

The 25mm tweeter features Jamo’s ‘DTT’ technology, which decouples it from the cabinet, reducing interference with its operation by the larger drivers.

Befitting a large cabinet and plentiful drivers, the speakers are rated at high sensitivity and power handling. The latter is said to be good for 220

I certainly found the speakers easy to drive loudly, and they remained very clean even at ridiculous levels

Jamo C407 Price: $1499 Warranty: five years Contact: QualiFi Pty Ltd 1800 242 426 www.qualifi.com.au drivers: 3 way: 1 x 25mm dome tweeter, 1 x 165mm midrange, 2 x 165mm bass driver Frequency Response: 35–20,000Hz sensitivity: 90dB Impedance: not stated Power handling short/long Term: 150/220 watts dimensions (Whd): 209 x 1082 x 365mm Weight: 23.9kg watts for peaks. I certainly found the speakers easy to drive loudly, and they remained very clean even at ridiculous levels. Part of this sense of volume was from the bass performance which was, perhaps, a touch more forward than with the other speakers examined here.

Not so much forward as to colour the spoken male vocal, but enough to give bass content in music considerable grunt. Nonetheless, the smooth midrange and cleanly delivered treble counterbalanced this to ensure that the music was delivered in full, with a detailed and accurate stereo image.

PRos • Fine sound quality • Good efficiency and with tremendous power handling Went very loud CoNs • Bass a touch forward RATINgs overall performance features ease of use Value for money

50

Stereo loudSpeakerS teSt 04

KeF iQ7se

KEF has for the past few years been employing what it calls its Uni-Q speaker arrangement. Basically, you have a regular two way design – with a tweeter and bass/midrange driver – but with one difference.

Instead of the tweeter being located above the larger driver on the front of the loudspeaker, it is located within a hole in bass/midrange’s centre.

Why? Because it makes the sound a genuine ‘point source’. That is, the treble and the midrange and the bass are coming from exactly the same place, not one a number of centimetres above the other.

The KEF iQ7SE features a Uni-Q driver that operates as a 19mm aluminium dome tweeter within a 165mm bass/midrange driver, but in this model it enhances the deeper bass by including an additional bass/midrange driver. The specifications were a little confusing on the point, but it seems that the additional large driver handles only frequencies below 250 hertz, so it has minimal directional effects to detract from the point source nature of the other speakers.

Quite aside from the theory, I find that in practice KEF has done an excellent job in this driver arrangement. I pulled out a bunch of CDs which I know to test stereo imaging, and with this

kef iQ7Se Price: $1399 Warranty: five years Contact: Amber Technology 1800 251 367 www.ambertech.com.au drivers: 2.5 way: 1 x 19mm aluminium dome tweeter, 2 x 165mm bass/midrange Frequency Response: 36–40,000Hz sensitivity: 90dB Impedance: 8 ohms Rec. Amplifier Power: 15–150 watts dimensions (Whd): 220 x 865 x 327mm Weight: 14.5kg speaker pair the image was delivered very nearly as well as the very best I have experienced. It had real depth, real sharpness and, nicely, real height.

KEF has also made these speakers pleasant sounding, with balanced a well controlled sound.

They tended just a little towards that famous English mellowness, but without sacrificing punch and dynamism. And, like the Krix speakers, they deliver a lot of sound (90dB) for a watt of input. Combined with their 8 ohm impedance, they are easy to drive and could well be used to lift the performance of relatively modest electronics.

PRos • Fine sound quality • Superb imaging • Good efficiency CoNs • A mellow feel to the sound RATINgs overall performance features ease of use Value for money 51

Stereo loudSpeakerS teSt 05

krix phoenix

Krix Phoenix

South Australian speaker maker Krix – known around the world for its cinema loudspeaker installations – offers here a modestly priced pair of two-way, three-driver floorstanders. The review speakers were finished in one of Krix’s real timber veneers, but if you can cope with a slightly lower level of quality in the finish, you can have vinyl veneer finishes in several styles for $150 less.

As for the real timber veneer, the review speaker’s ‘American cherry’ finish was gorgeous.

Within each enclosure you get a 28mm soft dome tweeter and two 165mm bass/midrange drivers. The enclosures are solidly made, with lots of internal bracing, weighing 19kg each.

All this allowed them to produce sound that will satisfy music fans of most musical genres. They went deeply enough to produce the fundamental frequencies of a kick drum, yet seemed to avoid any kind of upper-bass boost that is sometimes employed to make speakers sound more basscapable than they really are. The midrange was smooth, and so was the treble. But it also had a real zing with cymbals.

Best of all, though, was the efficiency of these speakers. They produced a lot of sound for a given input, and they had plenty of capacity for absorbing power as well, so they produced very high volume levels in my listening room. Often high efficiency means that you can skimp on the amplifier if necessary, but I wouldn’t recommend that with these loudspeakers because they have a fairly low 4 ohm impedance rating. Many lower cost amplifiers and home theatre receivers specify 6 ohm minimum loads.

Their stereo imaging was nicely tangible, with body, and stability. I tried some recordings specifically engineered to produce fore-aft movement in the stereo image and the Krix Phoenix speakers delivered that brilliantly, suggesting that they have good phase alignment between the drivers.

Price: $1500 Warranty: five years Contact: Krix (08) 8384 3433 www.krix.com.au drivers: 2 way: 1 x 28mm doped fabric dome tweeter, 2 x 165mm bass/ midrange Frequency response: 35Hz–20kHz ‘in room response’ sensitivity: 90dB Impedance: 4 ohms Rec. Amplifier Power: up to 150 watts into 4 ohms dimensions (Whd): 205 x 935 x 320mm Weight: 19kg

PRos • Excellent sound balance • Good efficiency • Well constructed CoNs • Four ohm load may be a problem for some electronics RATINgs overall performance features ease of use Value for money

CoNCluSIoN With home theatre receivers and panel TVs and such, I don’t mind having a stab at saying this one or that one is the pick of the bunch.

But that doesn’t work so well with loudspeakers.

Theoretically a perfect loudspeaker could be built (though it may not fit in any of our homes), but at $1500 it certainly is not available. So all five of these stereo pairs of loudspeakers involve compromises. What’s impressive is how few compromises have been necessary. We get all excited about how fast digital technology 52

is moving, but I find that in its own quiet way, the ancient art of building a loudspeaker continues to improve step by step.

I could live very happily with any of these five pairs. My preference would be for the B&W CM1, except that over time I would eventually come to miss the deeper bass register too much.

So, on balance, I’d probably settle eventually on the Jamo C407 (for the volume levels) or the Krix Phoenix (for the tonal balance).

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To enter the Pioneer incar entertainment competition visit www.gadgetguy.com.au, click on the Win ‘Pioneer Incar Bling’ graphic, and answer the 25 words or less question. Eligible participants are required to provide their name, address, postcode, telephone number and a valid email address to complete their entry.

2. There is a limit of one entry per each valid email address.

3. Entry is open to all permanent residents of Australia, but to be eligible to win the prize the email address you submit with your entry must be actively subscribed to the weekly GadgetGuy Grapevine newsletter at the time of the prize judging.

4. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence shall be entered into.

Prizes cannot be transferred or redeemed for cash.

5. This is a game of skill and chance plays no part in determining winners.

6. Judging for the competition will take place on January 10, 2009 at Gadget Group, 120 Cathedral St, Woolloomooloo NSW 2011.

7. The promoter will not be held responsible for any late, lost or misdirected mail.

8. No employees, relatives or associates of Pioneer Electronics or Gadget Group Pty Ltd can enter the competition.

9. The winners shall be notified by email, and upon confirmation of the winners’ contact details the names will be published in the weekly GadgetGuy.com.au newsletter.

10. Prize value is the recommended retail value as provided by the supplier and is correct at the time of printing. All prize values are in Australian dollars.

11. The promoter shall not be responsible for any loss or damage whatsoever that is suffered (including but not limited to direct or consequential loss) or any

personal injury suffered or sustained in connection with any prize/s, except for any liability that cannot be excluded by law.

12. The competition commences October 10, 2008 and concludes on January 10, 2009. All entries become the property of the promoter.

13. Prize winners once notified by email of their win have 3 months from the despatch of our email to supply us their contact details. If no reply is received then the prize will be re-drawn on April 10, 2009, at 12 pm at the offices of Gadget Group, 120 Cathedral Street, Woolloomooloo NSW 2011.

14. There is one prize, comprising three components - the Pioneer AVIC-F900BT multimedia navigation head-unit, the ND-BC20PA backup camera, and installation. Together they are valued at $3048 RRP 15. The promoter of this competition is Gadget Group Pty Ltd, ABN 52050106502.

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BOX FRESH

Altec Lansing T612 Altec Lansing’s T612 iPod/iPhone speaker system solves a couple of nasty issues for iPhone 3G owners (and wannabe owners), but offers little advantage over standard speaker docks for iPod users.

Features It’s clear from just looking at the T612 that it’s an iPod speaker dock; the iPod or iPhone sits at the front of a bulky speaker array that’s topped with control buttons. It’s a design that Altec Lansing has used before with success in the form of the M602 dock, and from an aesthetic perspective it does a good job of showing off your iPod or iPhone.

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Still, an iPod dock is hardly earth shattering stuff in these times, and as such any dock has to go a little further to excite us, especially when you’re asking just shy of 400 bucks for it. Where the T612 earns its money is if you plug an iPhone 3G into it. On the basic side, it’ll dim the audio when an incoming call comes in, which is a nice semihandsfree operation (you’ll still need to actually press the screen to answer calls, though), but it’s at a technical level that the T612 actually impresses.

Lots of people (us included) were wowed by the iPhone 3G when it launched, but that instant appeal was somewhat dimmed when existing iPod owners worked out that a lot of accessories, despite

Altec Lansing promotes the fact that the T612 has been designed with the iPhone 3G in mind, and is shielded appropriately wearing a ‘designed for iPod’ badge on them, wouldn’t quite work properly with the iPhone.

Two problems reared up. Firstly, the iPhone 3G uses only the USBbased pins for charging, and this meant that older chargers (which used Firewire pins, not that consumers would know this) wouldn’t charge the unit. The T612 solves that, as it uses the USB pins, which are slower to charge than Firewire – but at least work.

The second problem is one that’s endemic to mobile phones and speakers – electromagnetic interference. When the iPhone 3G is plugged into most iPod Speaker docks, it’ll suggest switching to Flight Mode – switching off the phone parts – to reduce interference.

If you’ve ever placed a phone down near poorly shielded speakers and then had it roam for a mobile tower, you’ll be familiar with this.

Altec Lansing promotes the fact that the T612 has been designed with the iPhone 3G in mind, and is shielded appropriately.

Performance The key factor that you want out of an iPod/iPhone dock is sound quality, and while the T612 can manage that old hi-fi store trick of being very loud, it does so at the cost of audio quality. Simply put, if you pop this unit up to top volume, you’ll hit a very solid wall of sound distortion. At lower and mid-range volumes, it’s quite acceptable – we could see it fitting very nicely onto a work desk, for example.

We’ll credit the T612 with this; it’s very easy to set up and use, and not once did we hit a problem with charging or interference from incoming calls. As such, iPhone 3G owners have a very solid option on their hands, although we suspect the T612 won’t be alone on store shelves for terribly long.

Conclusion Put simply, the T612 is of interest to iPhone 3G owners only, or those who plan on becoming iPhone owners. It will work with other iPods, but at an asking price of $399 it’s a somewhat rich option unless you need the shielding it offers.

Matt Robinson

SPECIFICATIONS Price: $399 Warranty: 12 months Contact: Amber Technology 02 9452 8600 www.ambertech.com.au Altec Lansing 1800 089 681 www.alteclansing.com Drivers: 2 x 25mm tweeter, 2 x 6.5cm midrange Connections: auxiliary audio line-in Power Output: 60 watts RMS/120 watts peak Sound Pressure Level: 100dB (distortion not quotes) Accessories: remote control; wall mounting kit (optional) Dimensions (WHD): 354 x 137 x 208mm

PROS

• Interference-free music playback from iPhone 3G • Mutes music to receive phone call • Fair mid-range sound

CONS

• Sound distortion at top volume

RATINGS Performance Features Ease of use Value for money

BOX FRESH

Philips SoundBar HTS8140 The Philips SoundBar HTS8140 is a combination of surround sound speakers and subwoofer, DVD player, digital audio decoder, radio tuner, high definition media player and iPod dock. It’s really a complete home theatre system in one neat package.

Features A product with an unusual aesthetic, the HTS8140 looks rather like an enormous iPod speaker dock, a little over a metre long with an attached subwoofer. It’s designed to sit beneath a flat screen, even supporting wall mounting.

It takes media from a variety of sources – stored on DVD or CD discs, iPods or USB devices – and plays the audio through its integrated speaker set, while pumping the video out to a high or standard definition television.

Analog and digital audio sockets for connecting outboard equipment such as a

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VCR, games console or pay TV decoder are provided, with the video from these sent directly to an accompanying TV. HDMI, component and composite (though no S-Video) connections handle the export of video to a display, with 1080p upscaling over HDMI provided. All connections are at the rear of the SoundBar behind a backplate, so if you’re wall mounting the system you will need to remove the SoundBar to access them.

The integrated speaker set, comprising six angled drivers and two tweeters along with an external (and massive) subwoofer, is designed to give you that surround sound feeling without the cables.

It will play back 5.1 channel audio on a DVD disc without the need for metres of cabling or satellite speakers; instead it uses a technology that Philips call Ambisound. The speaker drivers are angled in such

It’s all controlled using a supplied remote or a very cool touchscreen interface on the front of the SoundBar.

Performance

It will play back…

DivX and Xvid, as well as MP3 and Windows Media, which means it will handle just about any type of downloaded or ripped video or audio a way as to spread the sound around the lounge room, giving the impression of surround sound without the inconvenience of having speakers everywhere.

It will play back most of the common media types, including DivX and Xvid, as well as MP3 and Windows Media, which means it will handle just about any type of downloaded or ripped video or audio.

It will also display JPG pictures stored on USB devices and iPods.

SPECIFICATIONS Price: $1099.95 Contact: Philips 1300 363 391 www.hometheater.philips.com Speakers: 2 x 25mm soft dome tweeters, 6 x 6.35cm full range woofers, 1 x 16.5cm long throw woofer Audio Systems Supported: Ambisound, Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Pro-Logic II, stereo Inputs: USB, iPod dock, 3.5mm line-in (for MP3 players), coaxial digital audio, optical digital audio, 3 x stereo aux, FM antenna, AM antenna Video Outputs: HDMI, component video, composite video Supported Video Formats: DivX (3.11 to 6.0 and Ultra), MPEG1, MPEG2, WMV9 Supported Audio Formats: MP3, WMA Supported Media: DVD-Video, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, Video CD/ SVCD, CD-R/CD-RW, USB storage Size (WHD): main unit: 1047 x 174 x 154mm; subwoofer: 322 x 425 x 322mm Weight: main unit: 8.9kg; subwoofer: 12.7kg

Although it’s not a true replacement for a conventional 5.1 channel speaker set, Ambisound works well. For the most part it delivers an experience that’s almost like having satellite speakers around the home theatre, but sometimes the surround experience gets weird, with rear effects apparently coming from slightly in front of the seated listening position, rather than behind.

If you want the best possible surround sound experience, a full set of speakers is still your best bet. If you want convenience with acceptable performance, however, the SoundBar is a very good option. It produces clean sound with very good range and virtually no noise we could detect. Even the heavy subwoofer doesn’t muddy sounds at high volumes, and speech in films remains intelligible even when the volume is jacked up. And while Philips does not specify power output for the system, it went plenty loud enough in our tests.

The other elements of the SoundBar are also well implemented.

The touchscreen control system works very well (even though you’ll be using the remote most of the time); the DVD upscaling actually delivers improved video quality that looks good on a high def screen; it plays downloaded media stored on USB devices with aplomb, and it handled all the different video formats we threw at it, including DivX and Xvid-encoded movies.

Conclusion SoundBars are a growing category of audio, neatly solving for many households the problem of where to put five or so surround speakers.

The Philips HTS8140 is a good implement ation of the breed, and styled to look the goods too. It’s sleek, produces quality audio (though not quite as ‘surround’ as Philips would have you believe), upscales DVD video well and plays back downloaded media without a problem. It supports the iPod directly and other external players indirectly, and

PROS • A complete home theatre system • Good quality audio • Excellent DVD upscaling

CONS • Ports inconveniently located • Surround not as convincing as discrete 5.1 speaker systems

RATINGS Performance Features Ease of use Value for money

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BOX FRESH

Pioneer Susano SC-LX90 Well, Pioneer has pulled all the stops out on this one. Its ‘Susano’ SC-LX90 home theatre amplifier offers no less than ten channels of amplification, and connectivity that must exceed in versatility that of every other comparable amplifier.

Features Why ten amplifiers? For flexibility. You can make them provide bi-amplification (ie. separate amplifiers for the tweeters and bass/ midrange drivers) for all the speakers in a 5.1 channel system, or you can have them power a 7.1 channel system along with speakers in a second zone. And so on.

Each of those amplifiers is rated at 140 watts and thanks to the highly efficient ‘IcePower’ digital amplifier technology, all ten can run to full power at the same time.

The amplifier has – get this – six HDMI inputs, lots of analog ones and plenty of regular digital audio inputs. Less commonly, it also supports phono input, radio frequency Dolby Digital from late model 30cm LaserDisc players, and even iLink connections from Pioneer’s own universal disc players from a few years ago.

On the front panel it has a 12.7cm diagonal 16:9 LCD screen upon which you can watch – not that you would, but it is cute – the actual video program being fed through the unit. But only if it is being delivered by an analog connection. It doesn’t work for HDMI. Generally the screen is used for program information and menus, but if you choose to house the Susano in, say, a projection room or equipment cabinet out of sight of the display in the main viewing area, it can be used to cue movies, ready for screening.

The unit can decode any sound, pretty much, from every digital disc format. That includes the new Blu-ray standards of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, and older multichannel formats such as that used on Super Audio CDs.

This amplifier is AIR Studios (founded in 1965 by Sir George Martin, aka the fifth Beatle) certified for sound quality.

Performance The only difficulty in installing this home theatre amplifier was in reaching over its considerable bulk to manage the rear connections.

Even that was eased a little by the widely spaced, well-constructed loudspeaker terminals.

Once that was done, all that remained was running Pioneer’s ‘Auto

The LX strategy Imagine you’re a manufacturer selling your gear through both mass market retailers and specialist retail stores. Your specialist dealers complain they can’t compete with the heavy discounting offered by mass market retailers and refuse to stock your product. They need a point of difference in order to keep their customers, and you need both types of retailer to range and promote your brand, so what do you do?

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You get smart and divide your product range into standard and premium lines, with mass market stores retailing the former and specialists stocking the latter.

Many consumer electronics nameplates adopt the strategy – think Sony’s ES line-up of AV receivers, Onkyo and Integra receivers, and Yamaha’s RX-V and Z series amplifiers. Similarly, the ‘LX’ range is Pioneer’s premium offering,

“born companions”, it says, to its highly regarded Kuro plasma panels, “both technologically and aesthetically”. The line-up includes a Blu-ray disc player (LX BDLX71), home theatre system (HTZLX61) and two AV receivers (SCLX81, SCLX71) that sit below the flagship Susano. This was four years in development and is named after Susano-oh, the Japanese god of storms and sea.

MCACC’ calibration system. This automatically set the speaker sizes, delays and loudness levels, and adjusted the tonal balance to provide optimum performance within the listening room.

And that optimum performance was what it indeed provided.

I used the system primarily in 7.1 channel mode and it ran flawlessly with DVDs, Blu-ray and SACD. Even with the heavy data load of the soundtrack from the Blu-ray version of Hairspray (DTS-HD Master Audio, 7.1 channels, 24 bits) the sound quality was immaculate, with excellent punch from the loudspeakers.

I used the system primarily in 7.1 channel mode and it ran flawlessly with DVDs, Blu-ray and SACD 59

BOX FRESH

The six HDMI inputs were very welcome since I normally have at least half a dozen HDMI-based source devices, and the amplifier worked perfectly with them all. It also worked with three different front projectors, a large plasma display and a small LCD TV. In short, it offered complete reliability with every device I connected it to, including my computer network, and the thousands of MP3 tracks available there.

Conclusion The Pioneer Susano SC-LX90 home theatre amplifier is certainly not inexpensive, but if you want high performance within your room, complete reliability, access to computer-based digital media, and still have some amplifiers left over to pipe music to another room, there aren’t too many other choices. If you have a LaserDisc player that you still use, then there are no other choices!

Thomas Bartlett

SPECIFICATIONS Price: $10,999 Warranty: Three years Contact: Pioneer Electronics Australia 1800 060 852 www.pioneer.com.au Power: 10 x 140 watts, 20Hz-20kHz, 8 ohms, 0.05% THD Inputs: 8 x composite video, 4 x S-Video, 5 x component video, 12 x analog stereo audio, 1 x 7.1 analog audio, 1 x phono, 7 x optical digital audio, 4 x coaxial digital audio, 6 x HDMI, 1 x iPod, 1 x USB, 2 x iLink, 1 x Ethernet, 1 x calibration microphone Outputs: 3 x composite video, 3 x S-Video, 1 x component video, 3 x analog stereo audio, 1 x 10.2 pre-amp, 2 x HDMI, 1 x optical digital audio, 2 x analog stereo audio for Zones 2 and 3, 1 x coaxial digital audio for Zone 2, 1 x optical digital audio for Zone 3, 2 x composite video for Zones 2 and 3, 1 x component video for Zone 2, 1 x headphone Surround Standards: Dolby Digital EX, Plus and TrueHD; DTS ES and 96/24; DTS-HD Master Audio and High Resolution; Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS Neo:6; SACD Features: AIR Studios certification; Decodes new Blu-ray audio formats; Digital Living Netowrk Alliance compliant Ethernet connectivity plays music, video and still photo files from computer; USB plays media files; amplifiers may be configured a wide range of ways; Automatic calibration; Video conversion (composite, S-Video & component to HDMI); onscreen display; front panel AV input (including S-Video and optical digital audio); USB front panel input; AV sync adjustment Supplied Accessories: remote control; calibration microphone Dimensions (WHD): 440 x 247 x 479mm Weight: 35.5kg

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PROS • Brilliant performance all around • Very configurable to support wide range of systems • Excellent zone support

CONS • Have to buy tuner separately • Won’t scale HDMI

RATINGS Performance Features Ease of use Value for money

Kogan PRO42

When HDTV was first being touted in Australia, its opponents warned that true HDTV televisions would cost $20,000 or more. And while not that expensive, when they first came in they certainly were extremely pricey.

But here we are, in 2008, and Web-based retailer, Kogan Technologies is offering a full 1080p high definition digital TV, complete with built-in HDTV tuner, for under $1400. What can I say but: incredible!

As I implied, the 107cm (42 inch) LCD panel in the Kogan PRO42 TV delivers a full 1920 x 1080 pixels of resolution. This is mounted in a piano gloss black frame, sitting on a swivel stand and, to be frank, it looks anything other than cheap. I’ve seen cheaper-looking $3000 TVs! There are no easily accessible video inputs – all are at the rear, underneath a ledge, but all the options are covered, including two HDMI inputs. There is also a coaxial digital audio output ’round back, which ought to permit you to feed Dolby Digital from some HDTV channels to a home theatre receiver. The only problem is that the TV converts Dolby Digital internally to two channel PCM, so you lose discrete surround sound.

glowed visibly through near the top of the screen during dark scenes.

Aside from that, the colour was quite good and highly configurable if you’re of a mind to tweak it.

Proper advantage is not taken of the 1080p panel. The reason is that the picture is always scaled up – even 1080p material being delivered over HDMI. This TV added a couple of percent of overscan to each edge of the picture, so that the edges were lost and detail unnecessarily softened. Yet, at the same time, using Blu-ray and HD DVD, the TV seemed to insert what looked like film grain into the image, making it noisy.

The TV supports full 1080p50 and 60, and operates smoothly at both of these. It also support 576i input over HDMI, but the deinterlacing is rudimentary so I suggest you use a good progressive scan DVD player.

The preferable 1080p24 video is not supported by this TV (it will display it, but drops a lot of frames), which means that images from Blu-ray discs will appear with a certain jerkiness.

Performance

Conclusion

At this price, I was disposed to forgive quite a few performance weaknesses.

But that doesn’t mean that I should gloss over them, or you may think you are getting more for your (modest amount of) money that you actually are.

So first, the HDTV tuner was rather disappointing. It produced a picture that was beset with softness, a marked loss of detail, and frequent blockiness. It really didn’t look like HDTV at all, even though I knew from the programming that it was.

The black levels of the display were quite restricted. Do not use the ‘Dynamic’ picture setting, as this pumps up the brightness from the backlight so much that even full black appears like something close to 50 percent grey. ‘Standard’ gave probably the best picture, but even under strong room lights some mottled patches of light from the LCD’s backlight

I did look forward to our time with this LCD TV from Kogan, especially as our experience with one of the company’s previous models was a good one and resulted in a complimentary assessment. Unfortunately – and I really do hesitate to be mean – but we must recommend to readers that they do not purchase this TV. That you are reading this magazine suggests you are interested in quality, and this TV just doesn’t provide it.

Thomas Bartlett

Feature

SPECIFICATIONS Price: $1399 Warranty: one year Contact: Kogan Technologies 1300 304 292 www.kogan.com.au Image: LCD; 107cm diagonal; 16:9 native aspect, 1920 x 1080 pixels; brightness 600cd/m2, 1600:1 contrast ratio (10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio), panel response time 5ms Inputs: 2 x composite video, 1 x S-Video, 1 x component video (supporting progressive scan and HD), 1 x D-SUB15 RGB, 2 x HDMI, 4 x stereo audio Outputs: 1 x composite video, 1 x analog stereo audio, 1 x coaxial digital audio Audio: stereo, 2 x 12 watts Features: HD and SD digital TV tuner, analog TV tuner, MotionMax Technology video processing, noise reduction Supplied Accessories: remote control; manual; desktop swivel stand (attached) Dimensions (WHD): 1023 x 675 x 100mm (without stand) Weight: 24kg (with stand)

PROS • Very inexpensive • Pleasing styling • Full high definition display • Built-in HDTV/SDTV tuner

CONS • Picture quality generally problematic • HDTV tuner inclined to blockiness

RATINGS Performance Features Ease of use Value for money

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BOX FRESH

Panasonic Viera TX-32LZD800A I don’t think that I have ever before reviewed a Panasonic LCD TV. The reason is simple: Panasonic is one of the diminishing number of companies which stands firmly behind plasma technology. It goes further than most in distinguishing the two technologies: plasma for big, LCD for small. In Panasonic’s case, ‘small’ is anything under 107cm (42 inches).

The Panasonic Viera TX-32LXD800A is small, at 80cm (31.5 inches), but it still has plenty of high-end features.

You get three HDMI inputs, one conveniently located on the side with a group of AV inputs. Underneath this is a swinging panel which conceals an SD card slot. This allows a beautiful showing of photos taking full advantage of the high definition display, but doesn’t support MP3 music playback.

The TV has both an analog TV tuner and a full high definition one. The latter provides a full multi-day EPG (for those stations which broadcast this).

Features

Performance

The LCD panel, for example, offers a full high definition resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. This is supported by some pretty nifty video processing – although as we’ll see in a moment one element of this has been omitted.

Let me cut to the chase, if this TV is the right size for you then you will find it absolutely magnificent 90 percent of the time.

That’s because it is.

The digital TV tuner worked well and provided a very watchable picture, especially on high definition stations. But even SDTV stations were fine, with limited MPEG compression artefacts, nice colour and good picture stability.

With Blu-ray the results were excellent. The picture was so sharp that any improvement on this front would, I think, be quite impossible. The colour was excellent: rich and strong. Most importantly the colour graduations on human faces were smooth, not banded or posterised, resulting in a very natural look.

The black levels were adequate and, most importantly, smooth and even.

With Blu-ray the results were excellent. The picture was so sharp that any improvement on this front would, I think, be quite impossible

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The TV accepts the highest quality 1080p24 signals from Blu-ray players and displays them smoothly. But it can display them even more smoothly when the ‘24p Film’ item under the ‘Setup Menu’ is set to ‘Yes’ (this is the default). This delivers super smooth motion by generating intermediate frames, but can also generate some ‘heat haze’ artefacts from time to time. Most of the time I preferred to leave it off.

The one real weakness of this TV was its treatment of 576i source material, such as that from PAL DVDs. Even when delivered over HDMI, this was all treated as video sourced, rather than analysed to determine whether it was film or video sourced. The result was that most DVDs, if delivered at 576i, were not shown at their optimum picture quality. Indeed, sometimes jaggies were apparent on strong moving diagonals. So I recommend that you use a high quality

SPECIFICATIONS Price: $1999 Warranty: one year Contact: Panasonic Australia 132 600 www.panasonic.com.au Image: LCD; 80cm diagonal; 16:9 native aspect, 1920 x 1080 pixels; brightness not stated; 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio Inputs: 4 x composite video, 2 x S-Video, 2 x component video (supporting progressive scan and HD), 1 x D-SUB15 RGB, 3 x HDMI, 4 x stereo audio, 1 SD card reader (for photo display) Outputs: 1 x composite video, 1 x analog stereo audio, 1 x optical digital, 1 x headphone Audio: 2 x 42mm x 160mm speakers, stereo, 2 x 10 watts Features: HD digital TV tuner, analog TV tuner, Motion Picture Pro 2 100Hz Technology, photo display from Secure Digital cards (including SDHC), Viera Link via HDMI, Sub-Pixel Controller for reduced jagged edges Supplied Accessories: remote control; manual; desktop swivel stand Dimensions (WHD): 821 x 539 x 98mm (without stand) Weight: 18.5kg

progressive scan DVD player. Get one with 1080p output, and you can use the ‘Just Scan’ aspect ratio of the TV to make sure that the picture is displayed right up to its edges.

Conclusion If I was in the market for an 80cm TV, without a doubt the Panasonic Viera TX-32LXD800A would be on my very short list.

Thomas Bartlett

PROS • • • •

Full high definition picture Excellent colour Excellent HDTV tuner Excellent video processing with all but 576i

CONS • Deinterlacing of 576i video (eg, from PAL DVDs) of inadequate quality

RATINGS Performance Features Ease of use Value for money

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BOX FRESH

Linksys DMA2200 Many of us now have massive amounts of ripped, created, downloaded and otherwise ‘obtained’ media – video, audio and pictures – stored on our PCs. But the PC monitor is often not the place we want to view them.

The Linksys DMA2200 is a product that allows you to take that media on your PC and transmit it to your big-screen television set, so you can watch downloaded movies, for example, on your TV rather than your computer monitor. It connects to your computer via a wired or wireless network.

Features Although it’s called a Windows Media Center Extender, you don’t technically need to have a PC running Windows Media Center to use the Linksys. It also supports what’s called UPnP AV. UPnP is special software running on a PC that serves up media to network media players such as the DMA2200.

You can get UPnP AV software for free, and all versions of Windows Vista actually have it built in (it’s part of Windows Media Player, accessible under Media Sharing).

To take full advantage of the DMA2200, however, you need Windows Media Center. With the DMA2200, you can take remote control of a PC running Windows Media Center, controlling recording and playback of video and music just as if you were sitting in front of the PC. In effect, it makes the DMA2200 work very much like a PVR, except that it uses the computer to store recorded video.

Perhaps the most notable feature of the Linksys DMA2200 is its support of 802.11n wireless networking. The newer ‘n’ standard is much faster than ‘g’ wireless networking, and is actually capable of streaming high definition video from a PC without a hitch – something that 802.11g struggles with.

The DMA2200 can also be connected to a PC over a wired (Ethernet) network if you prefer the reliability of a physical connection and don’t mind running a bit of cable around the house. It outputs to a TV screen via HDMI, composite or component connections (though annoyingly it doesn’t actually come with an HDMI cable). It also outputs stereo audio and has digital and optical audio outputs for connecting to surround decoders such as AV receivers, DVD receivers and SoundBars.

SPECIFICATIONS Price: $399 Contact: Linksys 1800 605 971 www.linksys.com.au Type: Media Center Extender with DVD Player Supported Media Formats: Windows Media, AC-3, MP3, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, VC-1, JPG Video Outputs: HDMI (1.2), composite, component Audio Outputs: stereo RCA, optical and coaxial digital output, HDMI Networking: fast Ethernet (wired), 802.11n wireless networking

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Performance

When we hooked the DMA2200 up to our plasma screen using HDMI it worked very well indeed. It played high definition video over an 802.11n wireless network without any fuss, and the picture on the TV screen was perfect, with no artefacts, errors or stuttering. In short, the Linksys was entirely up to spec.

It also proved easy to set up. With our Windows Media Center (running on Windows Vista Ultimate) already running, the DMA2200 picked it up immediately.

It played back most of the formats we had on our Windows Media Center PC. However, it does have a few notable omissions from its support list. Older videos, recorded in once-popular codecs such as DivX 3 failed to play back correctly or at all, which means that people with an array of existing videos may find that a number of them just won’t play.

The DVD player also worked well, the high definition video upscaling delivering clear pictures on the plasma screen.

Conclusion There’s nothing deficient about the DMA2200 – it does its job and it does it well enough. There are, however, more affordable options on the market and, of course, the Xbox 360. This, too, is a Windows Media Center Extender; one that’s capable of playing all the same formats and doing all the same things as the Linksys, but which also throws killer games action into the mix. This presents as a real challenge for the DMA2200, but it has a something of trump card that will appeal to many consumers – it is wireless and the Xbox 360 is not.

PROS • Easy to set-up • DVD upscaling • 802.11n networking

CONS

• Limited media format support • Expensive against the competition

RATINGS Performance Features Ease of use Value for money

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BOX FRESH

Apple iPod Touch 32GB, 2nd Generation Apple’s dropped the price and slimmed down the body of the iPod Touch in its second outing, but aside from that — and new features that you can implement on existing Touch models — it’s largely business as usual. That still means it’s a great player but the imperative to upgrade for existing Touch users probably isn’t there.

Features The iPod Touch has undergone a very slight diet, as the new model is ever so marginally slimmer than the first generation Touch units were. It’s also gained a few new features, most notably an embedded speaker — so you can annoy people on the bus with your music — and a dedicated volume control on the left-hand side. It’s further blurring the line between the iPod Touch and the iPhone 3G, essentially. For the fitness enthusiast, the new model Touch supports Nike+iPod technology, so keen runners with an affection for only one shoe brand can track their exercise progress with the iPod Touch.

As with the other recently announced iPod models, the new iPod Touch supports Apple’s ‘Genius’ playback functionality. This allows you to select an icon when listening to any song, and have the iPod build a compatible playlist on your iPod based on the music that’s already there. You’ll need to have iTunes 8, and the Genius feature enabled in iTunes, to make use of Genius playlists.

Like the iPhone, the iPod Touch supports Apple’s App store, which lets you install programs — everything from games to social networking software, all the way up to enterprise level CRM applications. That’s not exactly a new feature for this model of iPod Touch; existing Touch users with the 2.1 firmware can perform the same trick.

Performance We liked the original iPod Touch a lot, and even in the context where the iPhone is available, it’s still a quite compelling little gadget. Adding App functionality makes it even better, as there’s a wide range of very easy to use applications. As before, audio and video quality are very good, although we’d suggest you ditch the awful white bud headphones that Apple slaps into the box. They might be a fashion statement, but they aren’t very good. Speaking of not very good, we’re going to mentally place the iPod Touch speaker in that bin as well, as it sounds awful. Acceptable perhaps for demonstrating a song lyric quickly, but a boombox this is not.

SPECIFICATIONS Price: $549 (32GB); $419 (16GB); $329 (8GB) Warranty: 12 months Contact: Apple 133 622 www.apple.com.au Display: 9cm 480x320 Dimensions: 110 x 61.8 x 8.5mm Weight: 115 grams Battery: Lithium Ion Rated battery life: 36 hours audio, 6 hours video Supported audio: AAC, MP3, WAV Supplied accessories: earphones, USB cable, dock adaptor

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The battery life of the Touch has been improved in this release, up from 22 hours to a claimed 36. That’s going to vary very widely depending on what you do with it; with WiFi enabled and a relatively heavy App usage model running alongside music we could exhaust it within 12 hours during our test period. That’s probably still enough for most uses, and unlike the companion Nano 4th Generation, at least the battery life hasn’t actually decreased.

Apple touts the new iPod Touch as the “funnest” iPod ever, and we’re not entirely sure we agree with that. It’s not that it isn’t “fun”, but the essential differences between this model and its predecessor really aren’t that great, and aside from the slight thickness difference, you wouldn’t even necessarily tell which model was which if you put them side by side.

Conclusion Apple hasn’t done anything strikingly wrong with the second generation Touch. At the same time, they haven’t done anything all that striking.

Yes, it’s slightly slimmer and lighter, but beyond that, and the slight price drop — which you might expect over time anyway. — it’s much the same as its predecessor. It’s still a great little unit, and with the inclusion of App support, it’s a good choice if you’re tempted by the iPhone but either can’t afford the plans or don’t want or need another phone.

Alex Kidman

PROS

• Inbuilt speaker • Volume controls • Nike+ compatibility

CONS

• Screen is still a smudge/scratch magnet • In-built speaker sounds awful

RATINGS Performance Features Ease of use Value for money

Apple iPod Nano 8GB, 4th Generation

Apple’s fourth take on the iPod Nano returns to the style of the slender second generation model — although improbably it’s even more slim — and adds some neat playback features along the way. If you don’t need the App functionality of the new Touch or iPhone 3G, this is the iPod to buy.

Features The fourth generation iPod Nano comes in two capacities — 8GB or 16GB — but an astonishing eight different colours, and unlike previous generations, all colours are available for both capacity sizes. In order, they’re silver, gunmetal, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, and pink — a little something for everybody. The core basics of every iPod model are present in the Nano — a simplified interface, scroll wheel, iPod dock connector and the like. What Apple’s added to the fourth generation Nano has, for the most part, been cribbed either from the iPod Touch and iPhone lines, or straight from iTunes 8.

From iTunes 8, the Nano picks up the ‘Genius’ playlist feature (although you’ll have to to have it enabled in iTunes 8), which allows you to automatically create playlists based on the data you (and other users) have uploaded to Apple.

From the iPod Touch and iPhone, the Nano gains an inbuilt accelerometer, which allows it to perform a number of rather neat tricks. One such trick is to use the accelerometer to enable an instant shuffle feature. Just shake your Nano while a song is playing, and it’ll automatically shuffle to a different song.

Firstly, the screen display is now rotatable, which is essential given that it’s flipped from the third generation widescreen display to a vertical one. It also allows for accelerometer-based games to be played on the Nano. A simple Maze game is supplied, but it’s worth noting that this doesn’t make the Nano compatible with App store games, just ones specifically written for the Nano.

Apple’s also finally got on board the recording bandwagon. While you’ve been able to buy thirdparty add-ons to enable iPod-based recording for years now, the Nano features in-line recording from the headphone socket, although you’ll need a microphone specifically designed with this in mind; Apple’s official versions will set you back a rather steep $109.

Performance Apple rates the Nano fourth generation’s battery life at much the same level as its immediate predecessor, at least in audio terms, with a promise of up to 24 hours

SPECIFICATIONS Price: $199 (16GB $279) Warranty: 12 Months Contact: Apple 133 622 www.apple.com.au Display: 5cm, 320x240 pixel LCD Dimensions: 90.7 x 38.7 x 6.2mm Weight: 36.8 grams Battery: Lithium Ion Rated battery life: Up to 24 hours audio playback, 4 hours video Supported audio: AAC, MP3, WAV Supplied accessories: earphones, USB cable, dock adaptor

audio listening time from a full charge. Video has curiously dropped by an an hour to only four hours, although we’re left wondering how many people would really watch four hours continually on such a tiny screen. We were highly impressed by the Nano third generation’s durability when we tested it, as it sailed well past the 24 hour audio mark in our tests, and the fourth generation model repeated the trick, managing thirty-odd hours before going flat.

The ‘shake to shuffle’ feature is quite neat, and a great easy way to skip over a track you might not care to listen to right now. We’d like to say that the Genius feature is pure genius, but it’s rather limited at the moment, because if iTunes doesn’t know the track (which usually equates to it not being sold on the iTunes store), or if you’re trying to get any kind of classical genius list going, you’ll be stopped from trying to create a Genius list together. It’s perhaps preferable to what iTunes 8 does in this case, by giving you an error message — but it could still be better.

Conclusion The fourth generation iPod Nano shows Apple doing what it’s done with the iPod line for a very long time now — tweaking around the edges, rather than reinventing the whole thing each and every time. Given that with the Nano, they had an already pretty good product, that leaves them with something that’s better — but only really by a small margin.

Alex Kidman

PROS

• Variety of colours • Genius Playback • Accelerometer features

CONS

• Video playback life has decreased • Headphone socket in base • No supplied video conversion software

RATINGS Performance Features Ease of use Value for money

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BOX FRESH

JBL ES800 Cinepack

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We frequently prattle on about making sure that all the loudspeakers in your 5.1 channel system match, otherwise you are going to have trouble achieving really good surround sound. An excellent way of doing that is with the JBL ES800 Cinepack surround loudspeaker system. Because this system demonstrates nicely just how good a reasonably priced, well-designed surround speaker system can sound.

The front stage is covered by the ES80 floorstanders. These are tall and, unusually these days, have a dedicated midrange driver (which covers from 700 to 3600 hertz).

The 300 watt ES150P subwoofer has its enclosure tuned by a large downwards-firing port (pre-attached feet give this the clearance to breathe).

Features

Performance

A big part of the way to make all the speakers sound the same – even when they are obviously very different in size and shape – is to use the same tweeter in each. That’s what JBL has done here, except that there are two tweeters for each speaker. A 19mm titanium dome tweeter carries all the sound from about 3000 hertz up to 12,000 hertz, and then an ‘ultra-high frequency transducer’ takes over, extending the upper range to 40,000 hertz.

This provides excellent matching between the speakers, and also allows them to take some advantage of the formidable new sound standards available on Blu-ray, some of which can extend the high frequency response even beyond 40,000 hertz.

The small ES10 speakers do the surround sound job in a compact wall-mounted enclosure. They have the twin tweeter assembly next to, rather than above, their bass/midrange driver.

There are wall mounting fixtures on the back and their twin bass reflex ports are actually on the top of the enclosures. That keeps them nicely out of sight, but I do wonder about an accumulation of dust.

There were two especially notable things about this system. First were the wonderfully high volume levels it achieved with those movies that called for it. The system – and especially the front three speakers – combined the twin virtues of absorbing plenty of power, and making effective use of it. The net result of this was the availability of masses of volume.

The other was the excellent tonal matching between the five loudspeakers. The ‘steering’ of sound around my room was excellent, with razor sharp images to the left, right, rear and front. In other words, the speakers meshed together superbly to produce a full 360 degrees of sound field, rather than sound seeming to come from just five specific points.

This was especially revealed by the Blu-ray version of I Am Legend. One word describes the aural experience with this movie and these speakers: ‘full’. Vampires, atmosphere, whatever, it was entirely encompassing and convincing, and fully supported at the bottom end by the ES150P subwoofer.

As often happens in my room, the automatic calibration system of my home theatre receiver wanted to declare the front floorstanding

SPECIFICATIONS Price: $2999 Warranty: five years (two years on subwoofer) Contact: Convoy International (02) 9700 0111 www.e-hifi.com.au Drivers: ES80: 2 x 160mm bass drivers; 1 x 100mm midrange driver; 1 x 19mm dome tweeter; 1 x 10mm ultrahigh frequency transducer ES25C: 2 x 130mm bass/midrange drivers; 1 x 19mm dome tweeter; 1 x 10mm ultrahigh frequency transducer ES10: 1 x 100mm bass/midrange driver; 1 x 19mm dome tweeter; 1 x 10mm ultrahigh frequency transducer ES150P: 1 x 250mm driver Frequency Response: ES80: 45–40,000 hertz –3dB ES25C: 80–40,000 hertz –3dB ES10: 65–40,000 hertz –3dB ES150P: 27–150 hertz Nominal Impedance: All: 8 ohms Power: ES80: 100/400 watts (continuous/peak) ES25C: 75/300 watts (continuous/peak) ES10: 50/200 watts (continuous/peak) ES150P: 300/500 watts (output continuous/dynamic peak) Sensitivity: ES80: 90dB ES25C: 90dB ES10: 86dB Dimensions (WHD): ES80: 223 x 1084 x 330mm ES25C: 476 x 178 x 254mm ES10: 305 x 201 x 140mm ES150P: 337 x 457 x 387mm Weight: ES80: 21kg ES25C: 7.6kg ES10: 4kg ES150P: 17.7kg

PROS • • • •

High quality surround sound, Excellent speaker matching Good efficiency for high volume levels Solid construction

CONS

• Large floorstanding speakers may be too big for some rooms loudspeakers to be ‘Small’. I over-rode it, but it probably would not have made a great deal of difference because the subwoofer had plenty of capacity to keep up with the rest of the system.

Conclusion Three thousand dollars isn’t, I suppose, exactly cheap for a home theatre speaker system. But that isn’t an unreasonable amount to spend on the visual interface to the world of movies – aka the display.

So match your large LCD or plasma TV – or front projector – with a speaker system like this one. It will provide the other half of the real home theatre experience.

Thomas Bartlett

RATINGS Performance Features Ease of use Value for money

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BOX FRESH

Samsung BD-P1500 Samsung, one of the first to the Australian market with Blu-ray, has now introduced its third model, the BD-P1500. And this one is the best yet, for a number of reasons.

Features The first reason is that this unit supports the more advanced BonusView functionality of Blu-ray. This adds two main capabilities: persistent storage and picture-in-picture. Persistent storage allows the player to remember interactive content, while PIP provides the ability to have special pop-up video commentaries and so forth in the midst of a movie. Already these have appeared on such titles as Jumper and Batman Begins, and are likely to become standard ‘special feature’ fare on an increasing number of Blu-ray titles into the future.

The second is that Samsung says that the firmware will be upgradeable in the future to turn the unit into a BD-Live player … that is, one with Internet connectivity. Discs are appearing (eg. Men in Black and the Heroes box set) which allow trailers to be downloaded or other program relevant online activities to be undertaken.

As for regular movies, this unit provides the all-important 1080p24

output so that it replicates the smooth motion shown in cinemas, and has the ability to deliver the new audio formats in their original bitstream format for decoding in a home theatre receiver. This is important because the unit does not include a decoder for the DTS-HD Master Audio sound provided on many Blu-ray discs, and so would otherwise have to use those discs’ standard DTS ‘core’ sound.

Performance The first thing I noticed about this player is how fast it is. It switches on quickly, loads discs quickly, and even seems to read in the BD-Java code included on many discs faster than any other player, Playstation 3 aside.

It was also highly responsive to presses of the remote control keys and allowed excellent navigation on Blu-ray discs, including jumping to a specified time and performing A-B repeats (although some discs would not permit this last).

The playing of discs was completely reliable. The only stutter the unit exhibited was that when it was popping up the extensive ‘Special Features’ menu on Batman Begins, instead of a smooth progression it jerked upwards.

Sony PSLX300USB One of the almost-forgotten injustices of the whole recording industry versus the common man thing, is that many classic albums – especially jazz – have never been released on CD. Sony’s USB turntable aims to give new voice to vinyl collections, combining a straightforward USB interface, internal AD converter and sophisticated software to help you record and restore your favourite albums from the Land Before Time.

Features This turntable is more of a tool than a piece of audio gear. The design is basic and functional, and no expense has been spent on quality plastics or heavy-duty components. There’s a USB cable for the PC, and a pair of stereo RCA cables should you want to use this unit to play records

directly into a hi-fi system.

The way Sony intends you to use it, however, is to connect it to your PC via USB, play each of your albums into the included software – Sony’s own Sound Forge Audio Studio LE – where a range of wizards allow you to split the audio into tracks.

You can name tracks, name the album, clean up crackly or popping audio, up the sample rate, and essentially turn your slowly disintegrating pressed vinyl into theoretically indestructible MP3.

Setting up Set up is physically simple: plug the turntable into your USB port. After that, though, things can get a bit fiddly.

The turntable is identified as a ‘USB Audio Codec’ on your Windows PC. Unfortunately, Windows will sometimes divert all audio functionality to the turntable, even though it has no playback capability.

You will need to be familiar with Control Panel and the Sound settings for Windows, where you can change audio settings to accept input from the turntable but still output via the PC’s own audio subsystem.

Performance The PSLX3000USB offers few concessions to audio quality. Sony instead relies on the fact most users will be more than happy with 44KHz sampling, converted into an MP3 or similar compressed format at 128 or 192kbps.

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On movies, the picture quality was excellent. That’s all there was to it, especially using a front projector and 1080p24 output.

According to the HQV HD Blu-ray test disc, the unit was not very good at deinterlacing 1080i material. Fortunately there isn’t much of this around. It was quite good with PAL DVDs though, generally producing a very high quality picture.

The PIP feature worked nicely on three of the four BonusView discs I had available, but there was a problem with the sound levels with Batman Begins. Using this feature on the Sony Playstation 3, the main sound quietens down whenever the PIP audio starts up, but with the Samsung player the movie sound didn’t diminish. The result was that at the start the commentary was quite inaudible under the flapping of thousands of batwings.

SPECIFICATIONS Price: $699 Warranty: one year Contact: Samsung Electronics Australia 1300 369 600 www.samsung.com.au Outputs: 1 x HDMI, 1 x component video, 1 x composite video, 1 x stereo analog audio, 1 x optical digital audio Disc types supported: BD-ROM, DVD Video, CD Audio, BD-R/RE HDMI output resolution: 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 576p, 480p @ 50 or 60 hertz, 1080p @ 24 hertz Component output resolution: 1080i, 720p, 576p, 480p, 576i, 480i @ 50 or 60 hertz Dimensions (WHD): 430 x 59 x 271mm Weight: 2.85kg

This is fine for Top 40 pop songs, but anyone serious enough to have kept a vinyl collection for the last 20 years will surely demand a little more from their equipment.

The audio cleanup functionality in the software is able enough, but it is just software-based. It seems almost bizarre to send an analog audio signal through so many low-end digital circuits. Yes, you can understand the music when it comes out the other end, but it carries with it almost none of that classic vinyl sound.

Here’s another oddity: you can’t play vinyl through the USB and out your computer speakers using this turntable. Windows treats it as a microphone, and mutes the output to prevent feedback. A few hacks will solve this, but it’s a huge fiddle.

Conclusion There are two essential problems with this turntable: if you have a big vinyl collection, odds are you have a decent hi-fi system that you play it on. Plugging this into your PC via analog cables and playing it into a good audio software package will get the same – if not superior – results to using this $300 unit.

SPECIFICATIONS Price: $299 Warranty: 12 months Contact: www.sony.com.au Outputs: USB, stereo RCA Speeds: 33 / 45rpm Cartridge: MM Tonearm: static balance Extras: fully automatic operation, diamond stylus, dust cover, beltdriven Software: Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio LE

Conclusion I shall draw this issue to Samsung’s attention and I expect it will be addressed in the future firmware release. In the meantime, this is a fast and powerful Blu-ray player at a very good price. Samsung is on a winner here.

Thomas Bartlett

PROS • BonusView player • Good value for money • Good disc navigation features • Upgradeable to BD-Live

CONS • Not BD-Live capable yet • Sound level issue with PIP feature on Batman Begins Blu-ray

RATINGS Performance Features Ease of use Value for money

Still, if you’re on the verge of chucking out all your vinyl and you want a simple, straightforward way to convert it all to basic MP3 so you can go jogging to old Blues records, then the PSLX300USB will get the job done.

Anthony Fordham

PROS • Easy to use once set up • Filters and cleanup on software work • A Godsend for obscure vinyl albums

CONS • Unit feels very plasticky • No playback via USB • Very basic as a phonograph

RATINGS Performance Features Ease of use Value for money

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GEAR GUIDES FOR DIGTAL LIVES

CABIN FEVER

Incar Entertainment Hots Up 73

BLING FOR YOUR BUGGY The options for injecting audio and video into your jalopy are as varied as they are comprehensive. Anthony Fordham explains how to make drive time, prime time.

What’s that thumping noise? You can feel it, right up through the floor. Is it an earthquake? Is the Large Hadron Collider finally destroying the Earth? No, it’s just some kid in a blinged-up Suzuki Swift driving around the block testing out his new incar entertainment system.

Since the days of the 8-Track cartridge, there have been aftermarket car audio systems. And they’ve kept pace with technological change elsewhere in the AV world. From radios, to tape decks, to CD players, CD stackers, DVDs, head-units that play MP3 from disc or USB, and today hard-drive based do-everything devices that integrate audio playback, movies and GPS navigation into one double-high install.

If you buy a new car today, and unless you’re investing in the sort of vehicle that attracts luxury car tax, then the entertainment options within will be rudimentary at best. You’ll get a CD player, a radio tuner, maybe a line-in socket into which you can plug a limited range of portable players. An iPod dock will be extra.

Sound quality will be... okay. You’ll be able to understand the lyrics, it will be loud enough to drown out

High-end head-units play music and video, offer GPS functionality and provide handsfree phone connectivity via Bluetooth.

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traffic noise. But it won’t have that extra something you, the entertainment junkie, really want.

For that, you need to go aftermarket. Making a choice depends very much on what you want from your incar entertainment, and that can be broadly broken down into versatility, quality and noise.

Big complex head-units with video playback and GPS give you a nearly unlimited range of possibilities, while other head-units offer the sort of signal processing you normally find on a quality AV receiver. Fill the car with speakers and chuck in a couple of dedicated amplifiers and you have yourself a party bus.

Still, by the time you’ve finished this article you should be well-equipped to upgrade your car entertainment to such an extent that choosing between watching a DVD in your lounge room and watching it sitting in the driveway could involve serious thought.

ON THE ROAD: AUDIO As mentioned, choosing an aftermarket audio system depends highly on what you want out of it. Need power?

Amplifiers are overkill for modest installations as the head-unit includes an integrated amp, but discrete units make all the difference if you take your audio seriously.

Then dedicated amps and subwoofers, maybe even a special wooden box in the boot, all these are for you.

Just want good audio quality? Then a high-end head-unit plus good speakers should be enough.

The audio experience begins with the head-unit. Think of it as an AV receiver for your car: it does everything,

including signal processing and amplification, and a good head-unit can provide up to 200 watts of power split across a number of channels. Eight is common.

Your installer will route cabling from the head-unit to your speakers, all neatly hidden away behind door and other interior panels. With the head-unit, you’ll be able to control what audio goes to which speaker. With a proper set up, you can even split the system, so the speakers in the back of the car are on an auxiliary circuit. This allows the kids to watch Pixar movies while you enjoy a little jazz up front.

THE HEAD-UNIT Head-units conform to a standardised size called DIN ISO 7736. It’s actually an acronym for Deutsches Institut für Normung, the German standard that established the form factor.

THE ELEMENTS OF ENTERTAINMENT A proper incar entertainment system requires a number of components, chosen to complement each other. Here are the main elements in any good system:

AMPLIFIER

As mentioned, head-units include an integrated amplifier. This is fine to drive stock speakers or modest speaker systems, but if you’re looking for super-clean sound or super-loud beats, a dedicated amp – or two or three! – will give better results. These are rated in watts per channel, and your chequebook is pretty much the limit in terms of power.

Multiple amps come into play when you want to get serious about your subwoofers: a dedicated amp for bass will provide the doof-doof power you crave.

DISPLAYS

Incar displays are pretty much exclusively LCD, though we hope to see OLED units make their way to market in the next 18 months or so. These are much brighter, making the picture easier to see in conditions of high ambient light. A typical size is 18cm (7 inches), measured diagonally.

Displays can be encased units that strap onto the back of seats, or they can be mounted in the seats or even in a hinged mount from the ceiling.

Some head-units also incorporate a smaller LCD display for in-dash viewing.

HEAD-UNIT

This is the chunk of electronics that goes in your dashboard. It has a fascia which has all the buttons and displays, and into which you’ll insert media such as CDs, DVDs or flash drives. Most head-units include a remote, and various security features (see ‘Security Detail’) The head-unit can also do a fair bit of signal processing on audio, and also has an integrated amplifier. It will also control where an audio signal is sent, allowing you to run a ‘split system’ with different music in the front or back of the car.

Higher-end units will integrate video playback, and some also have sophisticated GPS functionality too, including gyroscopebased inertial tracking to maintain a nav lock when travelling through tunnels.

SPEAKERS

Installing speakers in your car is much like installing architectural speakers at home. You want best results, with minimal intrusion into your cabin space.

Or, if you’re about the audio bling, you can select from hundreds of designs that have outlandish speaker covers that resemble everything from Ninja throwing-stars to cart wheels.

An interesting feature of many good quality car speakers is that they can be installed with tweeter and midrange inside the same housing, or the tweeter can be removed. This allows you to mount the tweeters on or in the dashboard, while the midrange drivers and woofers are secreted elsewhere in the cabin.

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Many head units provide a cable-like connection to an iPod, but this model accepts an iPod just as a cassette deck would ‘load’ a tape.

Fusion MS-IP500 www.fusion.com.au In terms of functionality, all head-units will include an AM and FM tuner. Come Christmas, you’ll also be able to grab a digital radio receiver, and this feature will become more common, eventually making its way to low-end units too. Digital radio is great for on the road, because the name of the station is displayed, along with song and even playlist information.

Next, there’s the optical drive. On basic units, this will only accept music CDs, MP3/WAV CDs and if you’re lucky, audio on DVD. Systems designed to be the hub of an audiovisual Head-units are either single-DIN or double-DIN, with the latter usually offering far more features as a trade off for the bigger demands they place on your dashboard. install naturally play DVD, and Blu-ray is on track with many manufacturers (though we’d have to wonder about the Basic units are single-DIN, taking up a slot in your advantage of full HD video on small monitors). dashboard. Bigger units, especially those that include For non-optical media, a good unit will include a USB GPS or video capability, use a double-DIN form factor, port and enough data processing software to decode a and look like two regular units stacked. range of audio formats directly from a thumbdrive or Thanks to the DIN standard, you can be confident any hard drive. head-unit you buy will fit in your car. That said, watch out Given the dominance of iPod in the market, it should if you have a car with trendy contoured dashboard, such come as no surprise that there are iPod-specific modules as an increasing number of European hatchbacks. for many head-units that allow full iPod control via the While there is also a DIN plug standard, most headcontrols on the unit and its remote. Other brands of MP3 units today use RCA plugs running directly to speakers player rely on a USB connection or even low-tech analog (or an outboard amp if your decide the power from the auxiliary inputs. head-unit is insufficient for your needs). The head-unit will take care of all digital-to-analog processing, and Beyond the put out an analog signal of good quality. This includes head-unit, are the surround sound processing for video or high definition CD (such as SACD) playback. speakers. Broadly • Choose a head-unit that provides split into tweeters, all the functionality you want midrange and • Factor in the cost of a woofers, their professional speaker installation position in the • iPod modules are convenient: the iPod goes in the glovebox and car will have a connects via dock port significant effect • Subwoofer in the boot, midrange on audio quality. in doors or on shelf, tweeters at Again, a ear-height professional • Amplifier is only needed if you install will get the want super-powered or superior placement right, quality audio but as a general rule, subwoofers go in the back where they can use the boot as a resonance chamber. Midrange speakers are typically mounted in doors or on the rear parcel shelf.

Tweeters, typically the size of a 50c piece, can be integrated into the midrange housing, or removed and Speakers consist of a driver with a stylised protective covering. positioned on the dashboard or in the C-pillars. This The covers can be subtle or outlandish. Circuit boxes allow you to puts them closer to ear-height, improving the split mid-range and tweeters for better positioning.

Sony XSGTX1620S clarity of spoken words and lyrics. www.sony.com.au

THE SPEAKERS AUDIO CHECKLIST

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AVIC-F900BT

Premium navigation with all the extras.

The Pioneer AVIC-F900BT delivers premium navigation with all the extras. Extra audio, extra visual, extra information and extra communication combine in a stylish, functional and intuitive system. The intelligent features of the Pioneer AVIC-F900BT is engineered to deliver an exceptional in car experience that is more enjoyable, more exciting and more precise. A seamless connection that enables you to take all of the extras in your life, on the road.

ALL SYSTEMS GO

iPOD® CONNECT Take your complete iPod® music and video collection on the road without the hassle and clutter of an additional adapter and enjoy all of your favourite music and video whenever and wherever you want.

BLUETOOTH® Parrot Bluetooth® technology connects your Bluetooth® enabled mobile phone. Your phone can be anywhere in the vehicle and AVIC-F900BT gives you full communication control and all the phone’s functionalities on the touch panel.

NAVIGATION Navigation accuracy and efficiency is the Pioneer trademark and with multi sensor technology, inbuilt mapping for all of Australia and over half a million POI’s, Pioneer will keep you on track.

DVD/MUSIC Mobile entertainment should be an extension of the driving experience. That is why the AVIC-F900BT range can handle a variety of DVD, MP3, audio and video formats.

www.navxtra.com.au

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FLASH/PIOM234

7/10/08 9:27:53 AM

Just because your audio is in the car doesn’t mean it can’t be audiophile grade. Go the extra mile with a digital signal processor or similar high-end module, such as this unit which is used to boost bass.

Talk to a professional about speaker placement and you will be amazed how much they can do for your car. Even down to making fibreglass housings to conceal speakers in the most unlikely of places: anything can be done, for a price of course.

ON THE ROAD: VIDEO The promise of in-car video is alluring indeed. A • Budget for professional new generation installation to keep cabin neat of parents, when and tidy asked how far it is • Consider IR headphones before to the beach, don’t spending big on speakers answer “only three • Be aware that by law, dash displays will not work when car is more hours” but in motion instead answer • Roof mounted displays can be “only two more larger, headrest displays are movies!” closer to the viewer Check our ‘Quick • Head-units with hard drives and Cheap’ boxout mean no more juggling movie (opposite) to get the discs, but you need the tech nouse to convert and upload your lowdown on bolt-on collection DVD systems. For something more serious, you’ll want a professional install.

VIDEO CHECKLIST

Indash LCD monitors are integrated into their head-units. Most fold away when the car is in motion to prevent distracting the driver.

Incar video screens can be integrated into the cabin fittings, or simply bolted on to the ceiling like this unit. Strap on displays for the seat backs are also a quick video fix.

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Windscreen-mount GSP devices offer Bluetooth for handsfree talk with a Bluetooth phone, music playback and JPEG photo display.

Mio Moov 370 www.mio.com.au A system like this will also allow you to split audio between front and rear, so the front seat passengers can talk or listen to music while Hollywood blares in all its glory in the back.

The most typical install involves mounting two LCD monitors (they typically won’t integrate a TV tuner) inside the head rests of the front seats, giving the rear passengers a screen each (unless you get stuck in the middle!).

You can also mount a display in the ceiling, which folds down when in use. These displays can be larger, but are necessarily further from the viewer.

Again, the head-unit will control surround sound, with good examples coming fully specced with all the familiar formats for Dolby and DTS, pumping the relevant channel to the appropriate speaker located in the correct corner of the cabin.

However, an alternate audio option is of course headphones. These can connect to audio outputs on the display itself, or communicate wirelessly with an IR receiver, often mounted in the ceiling where there’s unobstructed line-of-sight.

It’s also possible to get a display for the front seat of the car, either a smaller LCD in a double-DIN head-unit or a foldaway screen that slides into the dash or into a unit mounted on top of the glovebox.

TALK TO A PROFESSIONAL ABOUT SPEAKER PLACEMENT AND YOU WILL BE AMAZED HOW MUCH THEY CAN DO FOR YOUR CAR. EVEN DOWN TO MAKING FIBREGLASS HOUSINGS TO CONCEAL SPEAKERS IN THE MOST UNLIKELY OF PLACES

YOU CAN ALSO MOUNT A DISPLAY IN THE CEILING, WHICH FOLDS DOWN WHEN IN USE. THESE DISPLAYS CAN BE LARGER, BUT ARE NECESSARILY FURTHER FROM THE VIEWER Traffic laws prohibit displays operating in the front of the car while the vehicle is in motion (you must engage the handbrake for video to play), but a dashboard display can still be great for those rainy nights camping.

It’s possible to get head-units that incorporate a TV tuner, but reception can be problematic. Still, if you have space and budget for a dedicated digital TV receiver (a box about half the size of a single-DIN headunit), results can be quite watchable.

ON THE ROAD: NAVIGATION AND COMMUNICATION The latest new functionality to be incorporated into your car’s entertainment system is navigation. There are a few head-units that incorporate GPS, and on luxury cars they are standard; a double-DIN unit with touchscreen and full navigation software and maps.

Aftermarket units with this kind of functionality exist at the top end of the segment, but your $3000-plus gets you a lot of functionality.

These are never GPS-only units. They incorporate audio and video playback and can include a hard drive for storage too. They will also integrate with reversing cameras to show the lay of the road behind you and be equipped with Bluetooth for handsfree talk and

Incar accessories for iPhone plug into the cigarette lighter, helping to boost poor battery life, and allow you to mute music playback when a call comes in.

Kensington Liquid AUX Deluxe www.kensington.com.au

automatic syncing of mobile phone contacts lists.

Some also have advanced navigation features, such as an internal gyroscope that allows for fairly accurate navigation even when satellite lock is lost. This is especially useful in urban areas where tall buildings can impede the GPS signal. And tunnels are no problem to this class of device.

QUICK AND CHEAP Professional installs are expensive and take you off the road for up to week.

Fortunately for car audio, there are a number of quick ways to improve your experience without breaking the bank.

Audio The volume of the market is in products that cost less than $300. Even a cheap head-unit will upgrade your car with MP3 compatibility, and the ability to play music off DVDs - that’s seven CDs worth of raw audio or more than a hundred hours of MP3 or similar compressed format.

Head-units can be installed while you wait, usually for about $80.

MP3 If you’re not ready to rearrange your dashboard for audio, consider one of the many clever FM transmitted iPod docks.

These plug into your cigarette lighter and broadcast the iPod’s audio on an FM frequency, to which you listen by tuning your existing car radio accordingly.

Naturally, they also charge your iPod as you drive, which means no battery life concerns. You can also get brandindependent units that work with any MP3 player, though they aren’t as elegant.

Video Want movies on the road without cutting holes in the back of your bucket seats?

Grab a ‘portable’ incar DVD system.

These are cheap and consist of selfcontained displays which strap onto the front seat headrests.

Navigation and phone There are dozens of windscreenmount GPS units on the market at the moment, but look for those which include a Bluetooth unit. These essentially give you a handsfree module for your Bluetooth-equipped phone, and one that doesn’t require fiddling with wires and microphones to install - just stick it to the windscreen and you’re away!

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SECURITY DETAIL

iPod docks like these provide an instant upgrade to digital audio. They either make use of an old tape deck, or broadcast an FM signal, picked up by the car radio. www.belkin.com.au One thing people often forget about GPS units is the mapping software is actually a separate product to the unit itself. The price of almost all units on the market today take the cost of the maps into account, but if you want to upgrade the maps (essential in areas such as Canberra where significant new roads are added every 18 months) this means putting your hand back in your pocket.

ON THE ROAD: THE FUTURE For the moment, a double-DIN unit with GPS and gyroscope, audio, video and phone functionality, connected to a couple of dedicated amps and some serious speakers with LCD monitors in the back is as far as you can take your incar entertainment.

Sounds far enough? Pish paw. Jump on almost any premium airline today, and you’ll have access to a personal entertainment system with on-demand video, TV, internet and of course games.

This will come to incar entertainment soon enough.

You’ll purchase a head-unit that includes a sophisticated entertainment server, piping individual entertainment to individual touchscreens throughout the car.

Fact is, thieves love expensive car AV because it’s massproduced, expensive, and easy to fence. Or at least, it used to be. Various innovations in security have made some products much less nickable than others.

The most simple defence is obvious: a removable fascia both disguises the true quality of your kit, and also dissuades thieves from even breaking into your car.

However, car audio specialists all have stories of people who bring in head-units claiming the fascia ‘broke’ or ‘got lost’. Around $200 for a new fascia is more than worth it on a $1500 head-unit.

Now, many higher end systems now come with a coded CD. When power is cut to the head-unit (ie. it is completely disconnected from the car battery), a circuit is tripped which requires the coded CD to be inserted before the unit will operate again.

Some units also ask you to register ownership when you purchase them. A unique code identifies the head-unit as yours, and anyone bringing it in to a shop because they “lost the fascia and lost the CD” will get a nasty shock after presenting ID as the shopkeeper quietly calls the cops.

Ultimately though, professional thieves can get past any security system. You just need to be aware that filling your car with sweet, sweet AV gear makes it a target. If you’re aware of this and take sensible precautions – always putting it in the garage at home, installing an alarm system, etc – then you should be able to minimise, if never completely eliminate, risk.

And of the functionality listed above, internet will be the most significant new addition. As national infrastructure for wireless systems such as WiMAX rolls out, cars will offer their passengers broadband-speed web access even as they howl along the motorway at 110kph.

It’s a bright future for incar entertainment. Let’s just hope the petrol lasts long enough for us to enjoy it.

NAVIGATION AND COMMUNICATION CHECKLIST • In-dash units are expensive but have minimum impact on the aesthetics of the cabin • GPS with internal gyroscopes allow for short-term inertial navigation without satellite lock • Bluetooth remains the most universal wireless connectivity standard for your mobile • You’ll need space for a double-DIN head-unit to install the best of the best • Be prepared to pay to update your maps every five years or so 80

Many portable DVD players are packaged with straps for secure mounting to the headrests of front seats, providing up to six hours of movie distraction for back seat brats.

Philips DVD DCP951 www.philips.com.au

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DIGITAL SHACK

ELECTRIC

D

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D REAMS The number of homes featuring customised entertainment, lighting, automation and security features grows every year, with the expert professionals installing this technology achieving increasingly impressive levels of seamless integration, functionality and convenience for homeowners and renovators. The best projects in Australasia are judged at the annual CEDIA* Custom Installation Awards, and in the following pages you can feast your eyes – and fuel your aspirations – on the 2008 winners.

The Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) is an international trade association of companies that specialise in designing and installing electronic systems for residential environments. Hiring a CEDIA Certified professional means you receive qualified, reputable and insured design and installation contractors to work on your project. A list of current CEDIA members can be found on page 88

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DIGITAL SHACK

Best Integrated Home Installation Under $150,000

Auztech Industries 25/8 Riverland Drive, Loganholme QLD 4129 PH (07) 3806 3133 WEB www.auztech.com.au

Best Integrated Home Installation $150,000 - $300,000

Len Wallis Audio 67 Burns Bay Road Lane Cove NSW 2066 PH 9427 6755 WEB www.lenwallisaudio.com.au

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Best Integrated Home Installation Over $300,000

AVD Australia 55 Atchison Street, St Leonards NSW 2065 PH 02 9906 2424 WEB www.avd.com.au

Best Home Theatre Under $50,000

Len Wallis Audio 67 Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove NSW 2066 PH 9427 6755 WEB www.lenwallisaudio.com.au

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DIGITAL SHACK Best Home Theatre $50,000 - $100,000

Len Wallis Audio 67 Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove NSW 2066 PH 9427 6755 WEB www.lenwallisaudio.com.au

Best Media Room (Joint winner)

Len Wallis Audio 67 Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove NSW 2066 PH 9427 6755 WEB www.lenwallisaudio.com.au

Best Media Room (Joint winner)

Harvey Norman Commercial 15-21 Atkinson Road, Taren Point 2229 PH 02 9710 4155 WEB www.harveynormancommercial.com.au

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Best Commercial Project (Joint winner)

Liquid Automation Winner PO Box 300-753 Albany, Auckland, New Zealand PH 64 9 4442440 WEB www.liquidautomation.co.nz

Best Commercial Project (Joint winner)

Len Wallis Audio 67 Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove NSW 2066 PH 9427 6755 WEB www.lenwallisaudio.com.au

Best Special Project (Domestic)

Ultimation 6/488 Scarborough Beach Road, Osborne Park WA 6017 PH 1300 880 544

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CEDIA INSTALLER DIRECTORY

Want a custom install?

Make sure you use a CEDIA CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL and have peace of mind.

CEDIA members specialize in the planning, design, supply, installation and concealment of automated electronic systems for the modern, intelligent home. They can install anything from multi-room audio and home cinema systems to complete home networks and sub-systems which intelligently

LovemyTV PO Box 3320 Bangor, NSW 2234 0439 888 113 www.lovemytv.com.au

control lighting, HVAC and even garden areas.

For more information go to www.cedia.com.au

ACT Millennium Audio Visual Unit C, 66 Maryborough St. Fyshwick ACT 2609 02 6162 3330 www.mav.com.au Sound Advice Australia 21 Molonglo Mall Fyshwick ACT 2609 02 6280 8777 www.soundadvice.com.au

NSW Advanced Entertainment Systems Unit 14 12 Cecil Road Hornsby, NSW 2077 02 9477 3377 www.aesonline.com.au Advanced Living 2/29 Mitchell Road Brookvale NSW 2011 02 9939 0188 www.advancedliving.com.au Andrew Parker Custom AV Installations 5 Honeysuckle Place Kellyville, NSW 2155 02 8824 7177 www.andrewparker.com.au Audio Connection 455 - 40Parramatta Road Leichhardt, NSW 2040 02 9518 3000 www.audioconnection.com.au Audio Connection (Caringbah) 381 Port Hacking Road Caringbah NSW 2229 02 9518 3000 www.audioconnection.com.au Audio Connection (Drummoyne) 137 Victoria Road Drummoyne NSW 2047 02 9561 0788 www.audioconnection.com.au Audio Junction 4/74-84 Tudor Street Hamilton, NSW 2303 02 4962 1490 www.audiojunction.com.au Audio Solutions 1133 Botany Road, Mascot, NSW 2020 02 9317 3330 www.audiosolutions.net.au

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Audio Visual & Security Unlimited 5/686 New South Head Road Rose Bay, NSW 2029 02 9371 2052 www.audiovisualunlimited.com.au AVD Australia Pty Ltd 55 Atchison Street St Leonards NSW 2065 02 9906 2424 www.avd.com.au Castle Integrated Media 372 B Military Road Cremorne NSW 2090 02 9953 8037 www.castleintegrated.com.au Chase Design 43 Junction Road, Summer Hill, NSW 2130 02 9798 2155 chasedesign@bigpond.com CONNEXIONS (NSW) Pty Ltd 19C Grace Ave Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086 02 9453 2766 connexions@cnxns.com.au Custom Home Electronics PO Box 564 Hamilton, NSW 2303 02 4940 0409 jefferson@customhomeelectronics.com.au David Leisk Electronics 25/1 Short Street Chatswood, NSW 2067 02 9882 3733 www.davidleisk.com.au

Electronic Environments 1 Lansdowne Parade Oatley, NSW 2223 02 9585 1233 www.electronicenvironments.com.au Eris McCarthy Home Technology PO Box 8099 Tumbi Umbi, NSW 2261 02 4389 1990 www.erismccarthy.com.au Harvey Norman Commercial Home Automation Systems 15 - 21 Atkinson Rd Taren Point, NSW 2229 02 9710 4321 www.hncommercial.com.au Infra Red Entertainment & Automated Interiors Ste. 2, 11 Albany Street St Leonards, NSW 2065 02 9439 6444 www.infrared.com.au Insound Pty Ltd 108 West Street Crows Nest, NSW 2065 02 9954 9122 tex@insound.com.au Intelligent Control Systems ‘ICS’ 13/3 Apollo Street Warriewood, NSW 2102 02 9999 0766 www.icsonline.net.au IntelliStream PO Box 4018 Kotara East,NSW 2305 02 4957 8820 www.intellistream.com.au

Domayne AV/IT Castle Hill 16 Victoria Avenue Castle Hill NSW 2154 02 9846 8831 mark.borg@au.domayne.com www.domayne.com

JFK Audio Visual PO Box 78 Seaforth, NSW 2092 0414 434 535 www.jfk.com.au

E.C.S. Services Pty Ltd 22 Forestwood Cr West Pennant Hills, NSW 2125 02 9871 4061 www.ecss.com.au

Jory Home Systems Pty Ltd 6 Morrisey Way Rouse Hill, NSW 2155 02 9836 5132 www.joryelectric.com

EBM Systems PO Box 1865 Hornsby Westfield, NSW 1635 02 9029 9245 www.ebmsystems.com.au

Len Wallis Audio 64 Burns Bay Road Lane Cove, NSW 2066 02 9427 6755 www.lenwallisaudio.com

Electronic Enterprises Shop 2, 9 - 11 St Johns Ave Gordon, NSW 2072 02 9880 02111 www.electronicenterprises.com.au

Life Style Store Pty Ltd Unit 8 - The Junction, 2 Windsor Road Parramatta, NSW 2150 02 9683 7222 www.lifestylestore.com.au

Mac Hi Fi Pty Ltd 17 Flinders Street Wollongong, NSW 2500 02 4227 6767 www.machifi.com.au Matrix Audio Visual Services 22 Palm Street St Ives, NSW 2075 02 9440 0282 bradley@matrixaudiovisual.com.au McLeans Smarter Home Entertainment Cnr Minto & The Entrance Roads Long Jetty, NSW 2261 02 4333 3545 www.mcleans.info Neutral Bay Hi Fi 89 Spofforth Street Mosman, NSW 2088 02 9908 1285 nbhifi@bigpond.net.au New Fidelity Pty Ltd 392 Darling Street Balmain, NSW 2041 02 9818 2333 www.newfidelity.com.au OPOC Solutions Pty Ltd 1 Campbell Avenue Normanhurst NSW 2076 02 9489 0906 www.opoc.com.au Pacific Hi Fi 62 Macquarie Stree Liverpool NSW 2170 02 9600 6655 www.pacifichifi.com.au SKE Communication & Automation Pty Ltd Unit 2, 51 Pacific Highway Bennetts Green NSW 2290 02 494 867 60 www.ske.com.au Smart Home Solutions Unit 21 56 O’Riordan Street Alexandria, NSW 2015 02 9304 4700 www.smarthomes.com.au Soundys Electrical and Computers 383 Goonoo Goonoo Road Tamworth, NSW 2340 02 6765 4477 day1@bigpond.net.au Sturman Electronics Pty Ltd 443 Crown Street West Wollongong, NSW 2500 02 4226 6690 www.sturmans.com.au

Sydney HiFi ASV PO Box 150 Mascot, NSW 2020 02 9578 0118 www.sydneyhifi.com.au Sydney Home Cinema Pty Ltd PO Box 6072 Narraweena NSW 2099 0413 397 256 www.sydneyhomecinema.com.au The Directors Chair Sydney 1st Floor, 527 Botany Road Alexandria NSW 2015 1300 652 480 www.thedirectorschair.com.au TJA Communications PO Box 300 Seven Hills, NSW 2147 02 9838 4622 www.tjacom.com.au Tomorrows 430 New South Head Road Double Bay NSW 2028 1300 880 840 www.tomorrows.com.au Zeale Group P.O. Box 1196 Albury NSW 2640 02 6041 1484 www.zealegroup.com.au

QLD Audio Dreams Australia 17 Lillypilly Place Mooloolaba, QLD 4557 07 5444 8122 www.audiodreams.com.au Auztech Industries Pty Ltd PO Box 4368 Logenholme DC, QLD 4129 07 3806 3133 www.auztech.com.au AVTEC 12 Buckle Court Sinnamon Park QLD 4073 07 3279 6353 www.avtec.com.au AV Design 463 Flinders Street Townsville, QLD 4810 07 4772 3470 www.avdesign.com.au Complete Audio 3 Rose Street Maroochydore, QLD 4558 07 5443 6721 www.completeaudio.com.au Custom Install PO Box 1250, Spring Hill, QLD 4004 07 3277 9823 www.custominstall.com.au

Electronic Interiors a Division of Toombul Music Shop 13, Sandgate Rd, Centro Shoppingtown Toombul, QLD 4012 07 3266 2533 www.toombulmusic.com.au Fi Audio Video 3/3 Gibson Road Noosaville, QLD 4566 07 5455 6300 www.fiaudiovideo.com.au Harvey Norman Home Automation PO Box 5935 GCMC Bundall, QLD 4217 07 5584 3128 steve.cavalier@au.harveynorman.com HomeTech Systems Pty Ltd PO Box 979 Nerang QLD 4211 07 5502 0760 info@hometechsystems.com.au Home Theatrix - Bundall 56 Ashmore Road, Bundall, QLD 4127 07 5531 7244 www.hometheatrix.com.au Home Theatrix - Murarrie Unit 11 Nautilus Business Park 210 Queensport Rd Murarrie, QLD 4172 1 300 555 270 www.hometheatrix.com.au Hoopers Sound Centre Shed 11 Durietz Court Gympie, QLD 4570 07 5482 3409 www.hooperssound.com.au In Sight & Sound Pty Ltd 125 Shamley Heath Road Kureelpa, QLD 4560 07 5445 7799 www.in-sight.com.au Skehan Antenna’s Pty Ltd 14 Goombungee Rd Kingstaorpe, QLD 4400 07 4630 0447 mjskehan@bigpond.com.au Star Home Theatre 9 Bonavista Avenue Doonan QLD 4562 07 5471 1194 www.starhometheatre.com.au

Todds Sound & Vision 1 308 New Cleveland Road Tingalpa, QLD 4173 07 3907 7777 www.todds.com.au

Carlton Audio Visual 164 - 172 Lygon St, Carlton, VIC 3053 03 9639 2737 www.carltonaudiovisual.com.au

The Directors Chair 3 / 49 Jijaws Street Sumner Park QLD 4074 07 3376 7065 www.thedirectorschair.com.au

Custom Home Theatre PO Box 963 Berwick VIC 3806 03 9796 2617 www.customhometheatre.com.au

Videopro Level 1 1062 Ann Street Fortitude Valley, QLD 4006 07 3250 0000 www.videopro.com.au

Encel Stereo - Richmond 84 Bridge Road, Richmond, VIC 3121 03 9428 3761 www.encelstereo com.au

Visiontronics PO Box 11, Landsborough, QLD 4550 0412 314 466 www.visiontronics.com.au

Frankston Hi Fi 450 Nepean Highway Frankston, VIC 3199 03 9781 1111 www.frankstonhifi.com.au

Visual Focus 16 Clifford Street Toowoomba QLD 4350 617 4632 0402 www.visualfocus.com.au

howdoi.com pty ltd 6a / 4 Rocklea Drive Port Melbourne, VIC 3207 03 9646 9116 www.howdoi.com.au

SA Harvey Norman Mile End PO Box 288 Torrensville, SA 5031 08 8150 8000 www.harveynorman.com.au Sound & Vision Studio 237 Greenhill Road Dulwich, SA 5065 08 8364 4000 www.sv-studio.com.au

IBS Audio Visual Pty Ltd 43 Dalgety Street Oakleigh VIC 3166 03 9568 2800 www.ibsav.com.au Integrated Technologies Australia PO Box 570, Kilsyth, VIC 3137 03 9761 8700 www.integratedtechnologiesaustralia.com.au

TAS

Interior Sound and Vision PO Box 1093, Niddrie, VIC 3042 03 9336 7643 www.isvinfo.com.au

Soundtech Integrated Systems 262 York Street Launceston TAS 7250 03 6331 9900 www.soundsmart.biz

Inteverge Pty Ltd PO Box 2501, Kew, VIC 3101 0409 178 076 www.inteverge.com

VIC Advanced Lifestyle Solutions Pty Ltd PO Box 360, Niddrie, VIC 3042 03 8307 5618 www.advancedlifestylesolutions.com.au

Stereo Supplies Gold Coast Mail Centre PO Box 6817, Gold Coast QLD 9726 07 5531 7955 www.stereosupplies.com.au

Audio Trends 10 Argent Place Ringwood Vic 3135 03 9874 8233 www.audiotrends.com.au

Stereo World Pty Ltd 139 Sheridan Street Cairns, QLD 4870 07 4051 1725 www.stereoworld.com.au

Cableman Pty Ltd Level 1/1227 Glen Huntly Road Glen Huntly, VIC 3163 03 9572 8900 www.cableman.com.au

Livingstone Audio Pty Ltd 3 Lawrence Street Blackburn South, VIC 3130 03 9878 4800 www.livingstoneaudio.com.au Smart Systems Pty Ltd 0Church Street, Hawthorn, VIC 3122 03 9818 8006 www.smartsystems.com.au

WA AVARNTI 1/ 325 Harborne St Osborne Park, WA 6017 08 9443 1288 www.avarnti.com Digital Interiors 319 Hay Street Subiaco, WA 6008 0417 921 223 www.digitalinteriors.com.au Douglas Hi Fi Enterprises Pty Ltd 401 Murray Street Perth, WA 6000 08 9322 3466 www.douglashifi.com.au Electronic Interiors WA 125 Burswood Road Burswood, WA 6100 08 9472 4800 www.einteriors.com.au Frank Prowse Hi-Fi 6-14 Glyde Street Mosman Park, WA 6012 08 9384 1362 www.frankprowsehifi.com.au Hillstone Communications PO Box 599 Kalamunda, WA 6926 08 9293 3621 hillstone@westnet.com.au Home Cinema Systems 2 / 18 Port Kembla Drive Bibra Lake WA 6163 08 9434 5556 www.homecinemasystems.com.au Innovative Home Systems 7/3 King Edwards Rd Osborne Park WA 6017 08 9242 8983 www.innovativehomesystem.com.au Intelligent Home Automated Solutions 25 Wittenoom Street East Perth, WA 6004 08 9325 7775 www.intelligenthome.com.au Light Application Pty Ltd 78 Erindale Road Balcatta WA 6021 08 9240 6644 www.lightapplication.com.au Northam Home Cinema 5 Oliver Street Northam WA 6401

Steve Bennett Hi Fi 174 Ryrie Street, Geelong, VIC 3220 03 5221 6011 www.sbhifi.com.au

Surround Sounds Unit 3, 83-85 Stirling Highway Nedlands, WA 6009 08 9389 6900 www.surroundsounds.com.au

Tasman AV Pty Ltd 6 Hood St, Collingwood, VIC 3066 03 9416 2255 www.tasmanav.com.au

Starship Industries PO Box 30 Claremont WA 6010 0428 912 099 starship@global.net.au

Ultimation 488 Scarborough Beach Rd Osborne Park WA 6017 1 300 880 544 www.ultimation.com.au Vince Ross Audio World 162 Stirling Highway Nedlands, WA 6009 08 9386 8144 www.vinceross.com.au

NZ ALETRO Ltd PO Box 9680 Newmarket, Auckland +64 9 307 1238 www.aletro.com Automation Associates PO Box 109722 Newmarket - Auckland +64 9 377 3778 www.aa.net.nz Liquid Automation P.O. Box 300753 Albany Auckland 632 +64 9 444 2440 www.liquidautomation.co.nz Smartline 37 Cracroft Street, Waitara, Fitzroy New Plymouth 64 6 754 6771 www.homenet.net.nz Sound Advice First PO Box 12-145 Christchurch 8002 +64 3 379 9416 www.soundadvicefirst.com Soundline Audio Ltd Box 2650, Christchurch 8002 +64 3 379 5695 www.soundline.co.nz Soundline Audio Ltd Capital Gateway Centre, 56 Thorndon Quay Wellington +64 4 471 0542 www.soundline.co.nz The Listening Post 657 Victoria Street Hamilton +64 7 839 0135 www.listening.co.nz Strawberry Sound 90 Falsgrove Street Christchurch +64 3 379 8477 www.strawberrysound.co.nz Strawberry Sound 21 Bath Street Dunedin +64 3 477 7742 www.strawberrysound.co.nz

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ULTIMATE AV

Mile HigH EntErtainmEnt Club

With entertainment on tap, time really flies onboard the A380 Airbus, writes Scott Fitzgerald.

It’s a long, long flight from Australia to London. And even if you are able to sleep for part of that 22 or so hours, there’s still a lot of time left to entertain yourself. If you’re onboard the world’s largest commercial aircraft, though, you’ll be so spoilt for choice that time will really, er, fly.

The Krisworld inflight entertainment system on the new Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 could have you stowing away your computer or iPod for the duration of the trip. Krisworld offers more than 1000 on-demand options – movies, TV programs, games, hosted radio programming and business reference works – with more than 100 movies on offer at the time of writing. Almost half of these are in English, the others in a variety of European and Asian languages, all on-demand, so there’s no selecting a movie and being thrown in midway through.

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Like to watch?

Like your visual entertainment in a more digestible format? There are more than 150 on-demand TV shows to choose from, including House, CSI, Friends, and Dora the Explorer. And if you want to do a little prelanding research on your destinations, you could watch episodes of Lonely Planet Six Degrees, Great Hotels, Globe Trekker and more.

On the A380, flying high is flying high definition! In all classes the screens are the high definition 1280 x 768 LCD variety, with Economy offering 25cm screens, Business 40cm, and Suites 58cm. As with everything high definition, though, the picture is only half the story – there’s also the sound. The Airbus A380 has 50 percent less cabin noise than the Boeing 747, and if you’re lucky enough to be travelling in Business or Suite class, each seat has a custom-designed set of active noise-cancelling headphones. Supersonic sound and vivid vision!

“Like your visual entertainment in A more digestible format? There are more than 150 on-demand TV shows to choose from including House, CSI, Friends, and Dora the Explorer” Class comfort

Listening in

If you prefer to sit back and listen to music, there are 12 channels of audio, with choices ranging from pop to jazz, chillout to Bollywood, plus there’s a library of 180 CDs to listen to – and all on-demand, so you can treat the system like your own big, 1000 kilometre per hour iPod. Speaking about the iPod, you can use the A380’s power supply to charge it via USB, but no dedicated connectivity with the inflight entertainment system is offered yet. Also missing is Internet access, although it will, in all likelihood, be added once Singapore Airlines finds a suitable provider.

Comfort-wise, Economy is much like it is on other modern commercial aircraft, though work has been done on making the seats more ergonomic. Business Class looks impressive, like a travelling executive cubicle, with a wide black leather seat that can be turned into a decent-sized bed.

The pinnacle of comfort, however, is found in The Suites (Singapore Airlines doesn’t use the First Class moniker). These are reminiscent of a railway carriage, and configurations are available for either a single or double seat – or bed. That’s right, the seat in the Suites can be turned into a very comfortable bed.

Anyone, in any class on the plane, has access to a power supply. In Economy there is one outlet for every two seats, in Business and Suites every seat has an outlet. So your iPod or notebook computer alone could keep you entertained the entire flight. And if you must work, the A380 runs Sun Microsystem’s StarOffice platform – you simply turn over the remote control and there is a QWERTY keyboard, ready for you to work on spreadsheets, documents, presentations and more.

And the prices? From Sydney to London, in Economy you will pay the same on the A380 as you do on a 747. For Business, the fare is in the region of $17,000, and for a Suite, $24,000.

High comfort, high definition, high in the sky.

Opposite page: Travellers in The Suites enjoy 58cm LCD screens and noise cancelling headphones; This page: High definition 25cm LCD screens, plus movies and music on demand from Krisworld (top); room to move in Business Class (left).

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GEAR LOG Fab at 50 Even though the 10 megapixel 40D is only a year or so old, Canon has come out and improved the already popular shooter. Boasting a 15.1 megapixel sensor (as opposed to the 10 megapixel on the 40D) the EOS 50D is a powerhouse among prosumer digital SLRs. In addition to its extreme resolution, it’s capable of 6.3fps bursts of rapid shot photography for up to 60 shots, has an ISO speed of between 100 and 12800, supports HDMI connectivity to high definition screens and boasts new face detection technology that’s designed to ensure that faces remain in focus during photography. Expect to pay around $1700 for the body, with an EF-S 17–85mm lens adding around $600 to the package.

Canon PH 1800 021 167 URL www.canon.com.au

HD movie maker High definition camcorders have dropped in price so rapidly that even the most strapped consumer can now afford to record video in the highest quality. The $1699 HDR-CX12 is capable of recording video in full HD (1920 x 1080) and can also take still shots in 10.2 megapixel quality. That’s the kind of performance that would have cost many thousands more even two years ago.

The HDR-CX12 ($1699) records video directly onto Memory Stick PRO Duo, and comes with a 4GB and 8GB card in the box. It has a 12x optical zoom, an intelligent flash system, a zoom microphone and a new feature that’s unique to this Sony: Smile Shutter. Smile Shutter works with the camera’s face detection technology, and detects when the subject being filmed smiles. It then proceeds to automatically take a still image of up to 7.6 megapixels – without stopping the video recording. Parents, we suspect, will love this new feature.

Sony PH 1300 720 071 URL www.sony.com.au/handycam

Nano nanoo If you’ve ever owned a notebook computer, you’ll know how painful it can be to struggle with the glidepad. There’s the accidental double tab, the wrestling to get the pointer to move across the screen, the inhuman dexterity required to hold down a button while simultaneously moving the mouse pointer. For all these reasons, a lot of us carry around a mouse with our notebooks.

Logitech’s V550 Nano ($99) is designed to be the perfect product for that task – it’s small, light, wireless and according to Logitech has an 18-month battery life. The ‘Nano’ in the name comes from the wireless receiver that you plug into your notebook’s USB port: it’s tiny, barely protruding from the side or back of the notebook and designed to be left permanently attached, since it not long enough to be snapped off when the notebook is packed away. There’s also the Clip-and-Go dock, an attachment for a notebook that allows you to clip the mouse to the side of the notebook, which makes moving the notebook around the house a little easier.

Logitech PH (02) 9479 0800 URL www.logitech.com 92

The GadgetGuy™ presents great gear and top tech for your digital life

Cute-osaurus While Sony’s Aibo never really managed mass market acceptance, Ugobe, the creators of Pleo, clearly think there are still some legs to the concept of robotic pets.

The Pleo is robot modelled on a cute dinosaur (a camarasaurus to be precise), more organic-looking than the Aibo, that uses a camera-based vision system with facial recognition, touch sensors, twin microphones, force feedback sensors, infrared mouth sensor and a whole bunch of software smarts to make it act as lifelike as possible. It will dance when it hears a beat, cry when its in a bad mood or feeling neglected, wander around aimlessly, indulge in playful tugs of war with you, respond happily when it’s patted and is programmed to change behaviour over time as it gets older. It’s an expensive gift, without a doubt, but anybody who has owned a real pet will quickly realise that $450 is a bargain.

Next Technologies PH 1800 509 054 URL www.pleoworld.com

Get Smart, Tough The Tough range of Olympus cameras has one thing that really sets them apart from other digital camera models: they’re designed to be abused. They’re shock resistant, waterproof, shake-proof, snow-proof and generally kid-proof.

The newest addition to the Tough range is the $399 1050SW, a 10.1 megapixel compact that’s available in a variety of colours.

It has a 3x optical zoom, face recognition for autofocus, a night mode, a 2.7 inch LCD display and is waterproof to 3m and ‘snowproof’ to minus 10 degrees.

It also has anti-shake and panorama technology and an unusual tap control, which allows you to take and view photos just by tapping the top, sides or back of the camera (we’re guessing this most useful if you’re wearing heavy gloves).

Olympus PH 1300 659 678 URL www.olympus.com.au

Blue brew DeLonghi’s Nespresso range of coffee and espresso makers has remained popular with reviewers and buyers alike, and the newest addition to the range retains many of the elements that have made them successful, including the coffee-capsule based loading system that’s designed to ensure correct measurements to produce café-style coffee.

What sets the cyber-blue EN90APLUS apart, however, is its compact design and integrated ‘aeroccino’ frothing attachment. At only a fraction of the size of many espresso machines, it will sit comfortably and stylishingly in a kitchen without the need to sacrifice a large amount of bench space. It costs $349.

DeLonghi PH 1800 126 659 URL www.delonghi.com.au

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EARS & EYES & THUMBS MUSIC King of Pop: 50th Anniversary Edition Michael Jackson (Sony BMG)

Different in every country on account of the tracks lists being the result of public voting in each nation, Jackson’s new compilation album, released in celebration of his 50th birthday in August is a brilliant idea.

Voting on the www.mj50.com website resulted in a string of 20 hits that made it onto the disc and it’s impossible to name a few here without doing a disservice to the ones we miss out, given that there are 32 tracks in all and every one a winner.

There is also previously little-circulated material on each version (‘Got the Hots’ from the Thriller 25th anniversary edition for us), making this an absolute ‘must-have’ for Jackson fans, music collectors, hell, music fans in general.

Breakout

Miley Cyrus (Disney) A predictably wholesome, safe collection of songs from the smug teenage Disney ‘celebrity’ Miley Cyrus, or ‘Hannah Montana’ as your kids might know her, the songs here range from the admittedly excellent single release ‘7 things’, through a fun, cheekily taunting ‘Fly on the Wall’ to an up-tempo but somewhat hurried cover of ‘Girls just Wanna have Fun’. On the way, there are some disconcertingly self-aware lyrics, such as “I know you don’t want to hear it, especially coming from someone so young” in the slushy ‘Wake Up America’ – yes, my thoughts exactly Ms Cyrus – but there’s no getting away from the fact that the tween pop star, dodgy photos and morals aside, has what it takes to get the kids bopping in their bedrooms.

Block: Collectors Edition New Kids on the Block

(Interscope) Last month it was Donna Summer returning to the cash-making fray after 17 years away and this issue we have the ‘Visibly greying New Kids on the Block’, following a 15-year absence from the fans that clearly – say the executive-type folk – want them back. As is de rigeur for artists attempting to pile up street cred quickly, this album features several guest collaborations, including Akon, New Edition and The Pussycat Dolls. Incredibly cheesy, formulaic lyrics, such as “Baby i’mma be ur boyfriend” swamp the offering, compounding the offence by spelling them in awful ‘text speak’ in the booklet, just to be down with the kids and all. So that’s your not-so-new kids, still hangin’ tough.

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MOVIES

XXX: State of the Union Rated M Distributor Sony Pictures

We never thought we’d say this, but sometimes a movie just isn’t the same without Vin Diesel in it. Specifically, XXX, the supposedly sassy, street-wise modern-day version of James Bond. Without Diesel in the lead, who at least can look badass when he wants to, the waferthin veneer of credibility is stripped mercilessly away, leaving us with pussycat Ice Cube – how the man made a career as a hardman rapper we’ll never know – in an overblown, ludicrous secret agent romp. But with XXX crashing through the streets in a Hummer with a posse of ‘boys from the hood’, the boys-own, ludicrous tone never lets up and, unfortunately, never surprises.

So cliché ridden that you half expect Cube to swagger over and pronounce ‘the name’s Stone, Darius Stone’ during the cocktail party and we’re amazed Tamahori, director of Bond flick Die Another Day didn’t succumb here. But James Bond has been reinvented, and Daniel Craig has made the role cool and aspirational again, so Bond wins. Again.

Starship Troopers Marauder Rated MA 15+ Distributor Sony Pictures Harbouring very fond memories of the original Starship Troopers movie from over a decade ago – a clever, funny, retro sci-fi satire about blasting bugs on an alien planet in the back of beyond – the third movie is also on its third director (the writer of all three movies, in fact), but doesn’t come close to the excellence instilled in the beginning by Paul Verhoeven. While Casper Van Dien makes a welcome return as Rico – and is by now promoted to the lofty rank of Colonel – and the utterly gorgeous Seven of Nine, sorry, Jolene Blalock, enters the bug-busting fray as Captain Lola Beck, this direct-

to-DVD film arrives entirely devoid of the savvy humour we might expect, instead relying on bug gore and a ham-fisted political and religious commentary to push it along. It’s not big and it’s not clever so, unhappily not a patch on the original.

Juno

Rated M Distributor 20th Century Fox With an Oscar win that you could see coming a mile away, Juno arrives on DVD and Blu-ray formats so the Minister for War (wife) can settle down with a glass of wine and, hopefully, some female buddies having sent you off to the footy game, to revel in the drama and comedic potential of yet another high school pregnancy yarn. It’s reasonably funny, reasonably clever and achingly hip, but Ellen Page and Michael Cera in the lead lovebird roles do possess a certain charm and while nothing really ever happens, there’s a certain level of enjoyment to be derived – for us blokes, in particular, from the gruff but supportive papa McGuff, played sympathetically by JK Simmons

(alias Spidey’s newspaper boss J. Jonah Jameson). But the main reason for its inclusion here is not to comment on the movie so much as the underlying technology. Because movie software house 20th Century Fox has released this version of ‘Juno’ with what they’re calling ‘digital copy’ functionality – see opposite for an explanation.

Hitman (Extended Version) SE Rated R

Distributor 20th Century Fox

Videogame fans are going to try really hard to like this, given that Hitman is based on the game of the same name from UK publisher Eidos, and why not?

There may not be a whole lot of originality with this film, drawing as it does from Angel for the background story explaining the nurture and training of the little assassin kiddies and just about every action thriller movie before it for everything else, but the onscreen exploits are strangely satisfying despite an overdone lack of emotion from Timothy Olyphant – killers don’t always have to be the strong, silent type Tim (see Leon

and Grosse Pointe Blank for reference).

The real letdown – critically important to videogame fans, generally – has to be the ludicrous plain-asday flaunting of the ‘barcode’ tattoos the assassins all sport. I mean, haven’t any of them heard of a scarf?

GAMES

Battlefield: Bad Company EA Platform X360

The Battlefield games have established a very strong following online, and even with this game, where a big attempt has been made to make the single-player portion of the game fun and enjoyable in its own right, online is still where you’ll get most out of the title. While it’s peppered with some genuinely amusing moments, the single-player campaign can’t ditch its online roots, with frequent, frustrating deaths and ‘go there, fetch that’ style missions. Worse, your default weapon set is a crappy new AK variant, big on noise and low on accuracy, making hitting an enemy practically standing on top of you a challenge. Enemy AI is dodgy, too, and their movements erratic, glitchy and therefore targeting very difficult to pinpoint. Online multiplayer, however, the game comes into its own, providing a rich, frantic challenge where co-operation is not only beneficial but absolutely critical to success. The destruction that the game makes possible changes the playing field a bit, ridding the online games of ‘campers’. The amazing sound effects should be applauded, too, but online co-op is sorely missed. So, fun with friends but single-player fans should stick with the newest of Ubisoft’s incredible shooters, GRAW and Rainbow Six Vegas.

Buzz Master Quiz SCE Platform (PSP)

Not as much of a laugh as the more participatory Buzz quiz games on its console brethren, the PSP version of Buzz is, however, a lot of fun for the kind of gamer who likes a cerebral challenge every now and then. Focusing on a single-player question-fest, Buzz Master Quiz nevertheless ports a lot of the sense of humour over from the console versions, presenting itself in a manner much more reminiscent of Who Wants to be a Millionaire series, pitting the gamer’s wits against the clock and rewarding them for faster answers. Super fast responses and other quiz-related performances result in ‘achievement’ trophies to encourage your lonely endeavours but, if you must have multiplayer action here too, the ‘Pass Around’ game can be a hoot.

Echochrome

SCE Japan Platform PSP

If you’re looking for a challenging game for your PSP that is quite possibly smarter than you, try Echochrome for size. Provided you can make the mental leap required – imagining the 3D structures you’re presented with as purely 2D – then this game represents a refreshing departure for the unimaginative ‘ported’ games that come across from the machine’s bigger console rivals. In black-and-white and featuring a ‘stick man’ main character that you sort of control, Echochrome takes some gameplay inspiration from Lemmings, in that once a level has started, your stick man starts walking and can’t be stopped – instead, you have to manipulate the camera so that he can safely negotiate the environment. It’s easier to play than explain and, for us, a bit too clever for its own good.

The Incredible Hulk: The Official Videogame Sega Platform (X360)

Crashing onto the videogame scene but as hampered technically as it is with its over-long title, The Incredible Hulk: The Official Videogame achieves that rare thing with movie tie-in games, and that’s to be even worse than its predecessor. Sega, increasingly reliant on other companies’ IP for its own success, has taken a brilliant videogame and made it considerably worse this time around, with terrible ‘draw in’ obscuring most of the city you get to stomp around in, boring, routine enemies and an entirely unengaging storyline. This game doesn’t do justice to reasonably enjoyable movie, or to Marvel’s comic-book properties, resulting in a wasted opportunity all round. That said, younger players will probably really enjoy the one element that is handled very well, and that’s making your Hulk character crash around the place destroying everything in his path.

DVDs You Can Copy, Legally With Fox, anyway. Somewhat behind the curve but still miles ahead of its most direct competition, 20th Century Fox is launching a new service in October applicable to selected DVD releases that makes copying your DVD movies legit.

Coining a term for the service that would normally have them releasing the hounds outside your house, the new ‘digital copy’ functionality embedded in a bonus disc along with your regular DVD movie disc allows us, the feeble and grateful punter, to rip (Fox prefers ‘transfer’) the DVD to a PC or Mac computer then, if we wish, transfer the movie again over to what they’re calling a ‘portable device’ – meaning a video iPod, PSP or whatever.

The media giants are making this all as effortless as possible to both identify and use, they assure us. For starters, all movie releases with this function will be so marked right on the box – see picture – and when you insert the bonus DVD into your Net-connected PC, you’ll be presented with a videogame-like ‘serial code’ prompt, asking you to enter a special 16-digit string to unlock the film. Once the transfer is complete to your computer, it’s then available to you again to transfer across to your portable video device – just hook up the USB cable, choose the ‘start sync’ option, and you’re away.

Naturally, the movie media moguls’ magnanimity isn’t boundless. The copying lark is limited to once to your computer and once to a portable video device then, presumably, klaxons sound, metal shutters shoot down and men in dark glasses start beating your front door down if you try it again.

But this is certainly a step in the right direction to give the paying customer a bit more flexibility with how we use something we’ve, you know, actually bought and paid for. And, in fact, it’s not just Fox, but all the major movie houses that are getting on board with digital copy – even Disney – but for some bizarre reason, they’re not joining their comrades in dubbing the service ’digital copy’. I’m sure they have a great reason.

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TIME WARP

QUADRAPHONIC: ’70s SURROUND

The forerunner of today’s multichannel sound formats, Quadraphonic technology aimed to deliver a new era of audio fidelity by adding two extra speakers to the conventional stereo mix. In the studio, a Quadraphonic performance would be cut into four tracks – one each for front left and right, and rear left and right channels. A dedicated speaker for each channel would then reproduce the sound, cooperatively – or independently– of each other.

The effect was to create a dynamic ‘sound stage’ – complete with directional cues from all sides – that would more closely replicate the way our ears hear sound in the real world. In today’s surround sound nomenclature, Quadraphonic audio would probably be described as ‘4.0 channel surround sound’, though what we have today is substantially better, with more channels, higher fidelity and superior directionality.

Introduced around 1970-71, Quadraphonic audio divided into two main flavours – discrete and matrix.

Discrete ‘Quad’ systems required dedicated ‘Quad compatible’ players to pick up the four-track recordings and transmit them to the four speakers. There were a few discrete Quad formats released: Quad-4, Quad-8 and CD-4 (Compatible Discrete-4). Quad-4 needed a special reelto-reel quarter-inch tape player, Quad-8 a special 8-Track cartridge player, and CD-4 used a specially designed CD-4 turntable.

If you invested in a Quad player and its extra speakers, however, you might not have had much four-channel music to listen to. This is because a Quad recording wasn’t always created for each of the three formats, meaning you might have been locked out of music you wanted. In another strike against discrete Quad, some players could play only Quadraphonic sound, and wouldn’t work at all with stereo recordings.

While quite a few Quadraphonic recordings were made over the 1970s (who could forget The Who’s Quadrophenia), the music industry realised the system would only fly if it was made universally backward

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compatible with stereo. A standard was needed to squeeze quad recordings down to just two tracks, which could then be played on stereo-compatible devices, and then decoded back into four channels.

This is essentially what matrix Quad sound was all about, and a number of different formats developed that could encode four-channel sound into two channels and then a dedicated decoder box would expand it back for the four speakers at the listener’s end. The downside was that matrix audio quality was never as good as discrete Quad systems because some sound information was lost during the encoding process. Stereo Quadraphic (SQ) from CBS and Quadraphoic Stereo (QS) from Sansui, were two popular matrix formats.

Matrix Quad sound also had other drawbacks.

Through a number of engineering limitations, the audible difference between the front and rear channels was quite low – at around 3dB. While attempts were made to increase the levels to around 20dB, these were not perfected until late in the ’70s, and by that time, Quadraphonic’s run at making surround mainstream was all but over.

Restrictive formats, expensive components and the audio limitations of four-track reproduction culminated in the commercial failure of Quadraphonic, but not surround sound per se. A little company working in the same field at the same time learned much from the Quadraphonic experience, and now the multichannel systems championed by Dolby Laboratories are common in the cinemas and living rooms of the world.

Valens Quinn

Built with the same state-of-the-art technology of the legendary NevoSL, the new NevoQ50 now offers a customisable control solution on a lower budget.

Stylish, elegant and designed to eliminate the need for multiple remotes, the NevoQ50 offers complete control of any audio and video device, giving you the ultimate control experience. With 31 programmable hard buttons and endless personalisation options, the NevoQ50 is the perfect choice for any home.

NevoS70 takes technology a step further with the capability to control AV media via WiFi from supported UPnP media servers along with a larger, higher resolution touch screen.

The optional NevoConnect wirelessly links with both the NevoQ50 & NevoS70 via Z-Wave to allow control of remote devices by way of RS-232 and IR.

The Optional NC-50 NevoConnect, offers complete control of components in another room or hidden away.

For more information or a personal demonstration of the international award-winning NevoQ50 & NevoS70 remotes, call 1800 251 367, (02) 9452 8600 or visit our website www.ambertech.com.au Australian distributor Amber Technology Ltd. AMB4407

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