Home Entertainment Buyers Guide - Summer 2011

GEAR TO GO: TOP TECH FOR YOUR TRAVELS

E S S E N T I A L

S H O P P I N G

A D V I C E

A N D

B E S T

ISSUE 31

B U Y S $8.95

ROCK YOUR

3D CHALLENGE 7 days, 5 brands, 1 champion

THE KEY TO

BETTER

SOUND

Tips from the THX experts

DESKTOP 10 speakers that do it right

HOW TO

Choose a Blu-ray player Stream music and movies around the home

TESTED • FETCH TV • XBOX 360 S • YAMAHA RX-A3000 • APPLE TV

• EPSON EH-R400 • PIONEER SC-LX83 • MITSUBISHI HC3900 • APPLE IPOD NANO 6G • AUDIO TECHNICA ATH-W1000X • SHARP LC-40LE820X QUATTRON • BELKIN BLUETOOTH MUSIC RECEIVER • TOSHIBA REGZA 46WL700A

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PRIMED Your next phone will be a smartphone.

But there the certainty ends. So how do you pick a single device from the growing ranks of mobile brainboxes on offer? Meet LG’s latest offerings

roid and 2 2.

LG optimus one

C

hoosing a smartphone is a daunting decision.

Some phones are boringly commonplace, others live on the edge of extinction. LG smartphones are at the cutting edge, offering a choice of Google’s most powerful software to date, Android 2.2 (Froyo), or Microsoft’s revolutionary new Windows Phone 7 platform.

the Android connection

LG’s Optimus One is a beacon of common sense, offering the reassuring support of Android 2.2 (with all its benefits – but we’ll come to those in a minute) quietly mixed with an understated flair. That slender body holds considerable appeal, with a high resolution 3.2 inch capacitive touch screen and rear mounted 3MP camera with face detection. The real goods, however, are inside. Because LG’s Optimus One runs Android 2.2, www.lg.com.au

it can act as a Wi-Fi hotspot for you and your friends’ laptops and tablets.

Android 2.2 also offers Google’s fastest mobile web browsing to date, plus multi-tasking and smart notifications.

Google power

The LG Optimus One comes with access to the world’s most advanced search tools from Google – including Voice Search and Voice Actions. Of course, there’s plenty of other cool stuff waiting to be found amid the 100,000plus apps in the Android Market. Which is why only LG has the App Advisor.

Every couple of weeks, this invaluable guide recommends 10 of the most useful or entertaining new apps to help you tool up your LG Optimus One with the best guns. Now that’s what you call a smart idea!

tech spec LG Optimus One Dimensions 113.5 x 59 x 13.3 mm (LxWxD) Weight 127g Standby time 450hr (2G), 450hr (3G) Talk Time 5hr (2G), 6hr (3G) Display 3.2in HVGA (320 x 480) Capacitive Touchscreen OS Android 2.2 (Froyo) Wi-Fi / Bluetooth Yes / Yes Audio Codecs WMA, AAC+, WAV, MP3 Video Codecs H.264, H.263, MPEG-4,DivX, Xvid Video encoding H.263, MPEG-4, VGA 30fps Camera 3MP with autofocus

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T

he LG Optimus 7 and 7Q are two of the few elite phones running Microsoft’s totally overhauled mobile platform, Windows Phone 7. Owing to a two-year-long collaboration with Microsoft, LG Optimus 7 and 7Q have been developed in perfect harmony with the intuitive hubs and live tiles of the new OS, bringing exclusive enhancements to Windows Phone 7 such as DLNA-DMR based Play To*, augmented reality, and Voice to Text**, that will give consumers a revolutionary new taste of mobile life.

Game and watch

Entertainment is the LG Optimus 7’s specialist subject – a top-rated 5MP camera capable of shooting HD movies is good, but being able to share your pictures over superfast Wi-Fi or stream HD video to your TV is life-changing. Images or video can literally be slid from the

phone’s screen to a TV using Play To technology. And with the console pedigree of Microsoft’s Xbox in its corner, the LG Optimus 7 promises a portable experience second to none.

A new vision

At the heart of Windows Phone 7 are six centralised hubs - People, Pictures, Games, Music + Video, Marketplace and Office. Each brings together related content from the Web. It’s a whole new way to interact.

For example, the People hub unites all your social media content, including live feeds from social networks and photo sites. It also provides a central point from which to post updates to Facebook and Windows Live. The Games hub brings Xbox LIVE to your phone. For the first time Xbox Live Avatars, Achievements and Gamer Profiles can be accessed on the move.

LG Optimus 7 and 7Q are the evolution of mobile social entertainment.

tech spec LG Optimus 7 Dimensions 125x 59.8 x 11.5 mm (LxWxD) Weight 157g Standby time 350hr (2G), 250hr (3G) Talk Time 6hr Display 3.8in WVGA (800 x 480) TFT Touchscreen OS Windows Phone 7 Wi-Fi / Bluetooth Yes / Yes Audio Codec MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WAV, WMA pro, AMR-NB Video Playback H.263, H.264, WMV, MPEG4, 720p 30fps Video Encoding H.264, MPEG4, WMV, MPEG4 @720p 24fps Camera 5MP with autofocus

Join our Facebook page LGMobileAustralia

tech spec LG Optimus 7Q Dimensions 119.5x 59.5 x 15.2 mm (LxWxD) Weight 185g Standby time 350hr (2G), 250hr (3G) Talk Time 6hr Display 3.5in WVGA (800 x 480) TFT Touchscreen OS Windows Phone 7 Wi-Fi / Bluetooth Yes / Yes Audio Codec MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WAV, WMA pro, AMR-NB Video Playback H.263, H.264, WMV, MPEG4, 720p 30fps Video Encoding H.264, MPEG4, WMV, MPEG4 @720p 24fps Camera 5MP with autofocus

s dow win ne pho 7

LG optimus 7 And 7Q *The Play To function will only operate in conjunction with compatible DLNA-DMR enabled devices. Consumers are advised to check the compatibility of their DLNA-DMR device. The streaming function will only operate when both the phone and the DLNA-DMR enabled devices are connected to the same wireless network. Certain High Definition content may not be capable of being streamed without a high speed router supporting the Wi-Fi ‘n’ standard. ** Services available via download from LG Store on Marketplace late 2010.

Specifications are subjected to change depending on the region

www.lg.com.au

FAST FOREWORD

Third degree success

I

t’s the month before Christmas as I write, but the big electronics nameplates are already promoting their Xmas deals. LG is bundling select model 2D televisions with an Xbox 360 and Kinect motion controller system; Sony is pairing select television models with camcorders, cameras and sound systems from its stable; Panasonic is including a 3D Blu-ray surround sound system with some of its 3D TVs and has the exclusive on the 3D version of Avatar, while Samsung is throwing in a 22 inch LCD TV, four 3D Blu-ray movie titles and four pairs of 3D glasses, plus a 3D Blu-ray player on some purchases.

Toshiba trumps them all, though, with a 3D Blu-ray player, 3D Blu-ray discs, four pairs of 3D glasses and a 22 inch TV for the study when you buy its 3D TV. We’ve reviewed this on page 68, and in the short week between being advised of the set’s $4200 asking price, we’ve seen it instore for $3600.

So the industry wants Australia to stay at home and watch TV this summer, and they want us to do it with a 3D TV. That’s because they make a way bigger margin on 3D televisions than they do on conventional 2D sets, with Gfk sales data to September showing that average selling prices on the former are around $2700, while the former are $850. In short, that means retailers and suppliers can sell a 3D TV for three times as much as a 2D model.

Australians have been taking the hint too, buying more than 40,000 3D-ready televisions in the seven months since the technology debuted in March 2010. Samsung says its has around 89 percent of these sales, and as first to market with the greatest number of models, this probably isn’t far wrong.

So there’s momentum in 3D, and this pokes something of a blunt burnt stick in the eye of the technology naysayers.

Granted, 3D is still some way off becoming mainstream, but early indications are that it will take off.

Which brings me to an excellent article by the chief technology editor of EH Publishing, Stephen Hopkins, as published on the US-based Electronic House website. In it he provides ten very sane reasons explaining why 3D is here to stay, and while I recommend reading the full article*, follows is a paraphrased and abridged

version of his responses to some of the most common arguments against 3D. 1. Glasses. People willingly wear ill-fitting 3D glasses in public places such as the cinema, so why wouldn’t they wear them in the privacy of their own home? Besides, 3D glasses are only an interim necessity until auto-stereoscopic technologies currently in development mature.

2. Nothing to watch. Surround sound, CD, DVD, HDTV – in the audio-video arena, hardware always arrives first. Once software catches the lag, customer investment moves from early adoptor trickle to mainstream flood. In short, if they build it, we will come.

3. Discs are dying, so will 3D. Content in 3D isn’t dependent on a physical media for survival. Like surround sound and high definition video, it too can be stored on HDD or in the cloud, or injected in the home over broadband pipes.

4. It’s too confusing. Eighty percent of households are now digital, yet HDTV continues to create confusion despite multimillion dollar government education campaigns. While it’s hard for many people to see the benefit HD over SD, it’s easy notice the picture difference 3D makes.

5. Lessons from history. Hardware accommodates new technologies, and we either upgrade right away or do so through attrition. Those people who said they didn’t need DVD, or surround sound or a HD flat screen TV now have them in their homes, and the pattern will repeat with 3D. Cheers

Anika Hillery

*www.electronichouse.com/article/10_reasons_3d_will_succeed Managing Director Valens Quinn valens@gadgetgroup.com.au Publisher Peter Blasina peter@gadgetguy.com.au Editorial Director Anika Hillery anika@gadgetgroup.com.au Art Director Bill Chan bill@gadgetgroup.com.au Advertising Director Athan Papoulias athanp@gadgetgroup.com.au Advertising Manager Nathan Yerbury nathan@gadgetgroup.com.au Director Tony Read tony@gadgetgroup.com.au Editorial Contributors Anthony Fordham, Thomas Bartlett, Max Everingham, Nathan Taylor, Colin Hinton, James Powell Production Shout Media www.shoutmedia.com.au Distributed by Gordon & Gotch www.gordongotch.com.au

Australian Home Entertainment Buyers Guide is published quarterly by The Gadget Group Pty Ltd, 120 Cathedral Street, Woolloomooloo, New South Wales, Australia 2011. Australian Home Entertainment Buyers Guide is available for licensing overseas.

For further information, please contact The Gadget Group on +61 2 9356 7400 or email info@gadgetgroup.com.au 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 2010

2 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

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Windows®. Life without walls™. Samsung recommends Windows 7.

Samsung’s latest notebook

The power to move you

Samsung QX310 The 13” notebook’s extra powerful battery life of up to 7.7* hours gives you more freedom to move. *Battery life based on BatteryMark test scores and are subject to configuration.

RANDOM PLAY

Loewe Individual Revealing a new series of LCD TVs with edge LED backlighting and screen sizes ranging from 32 to 55 inches (81–139 cm), Germany luxury TV manufacturer Loewe is aiming for the perfect fusion of style and technology. Dubbed the ‘Individual’ and available in two designs – the 400Hz ‘Compose’, with a glass filter screen and the ‘Selection’ with a high-gloss frame – the Individual looks fantastic and can be customized extensively – the TV is housed in anodized aluminium and available in black, silver or white finishes but purchasers can also select inlay colour, speaker configuration, stands, and so forth - you can even specify a version of the television with a built-in highdefinition PVR with a 250GB hard disk.

And, with Loewe’s proprietary ‘Media+’ functionality using the WLAN online features standard on the ‘Compose’ (optional on the ‘Selection’), owners can access images, music and videos via MediaHome, internet radio, video and TV via MediaNet and install upgrades or updates with MediaUpdate.

Price: $4499 to $9999 DISTRIBUTOR

Audio Products PHONE 1300 134 400 WEB www.audioproducts.com.au

6 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

Eye-fi European manufacturer Cabasse has added to its very idiosyncratic range of speaker systems with two new arrivals; the Eoole2 surround sound system and the iO2 satellite speakers. The magnetically-shielded iO2 satellites come in bookshelf, floorstanding or in-ceiling variants, with the floorstanders sporting an extremely distinctive wooden stand resembling the tail fin of an aircraft, but also cleverly hiding the cables away from view.

The tiny spherical speakers of the iO2s are mirrored in the other system, the Eole 2, with 13cm globes allowing for extremely varied placement in the room. Included steel stands support one pair, making them look like eyeballs on long stalks, while the other three speakers sit on their own tiny bases. The Santorin 21 subwoofer with 21cm bass driver and 250 watts output provides the oomph, and the satellite speakers are also available as in-ceiling versions or for sale separately, in black or white gloss finishes.

Price: iO2 $1999 floorstanding ($1099 inceiling or base) Eole 2 5.1 system $2499 Eole 2 satellite $499 ea Santorin 21 subwoofer $1199

DISTRIBUTOR

International Dynamics PHONE 1800 456 393 WEB www.internationaldynamics.com.au

VISIT US AT WWW.HEBG.COM.AU | 7

RANDOM PLAY

D-ILA returns, better than before JVC has reinvigorated its D-ILA projector (Direct-Drive Image Light Amplification) line-up with three new models that are 3D-ready and capable of delivering unmatched contrast ratios.

The flagship $9999 DLA-X9 is built using handselected, hand-tested components and achieves 100,000:1 native contrast ratio, which according to JVC, is unrivalled by any three-panel projector. The step-down DLA-X7 ($7999) offers a 70,000:1 native contrast ratio, while the DLA-X3 ($5499, pictured) offers a 50,000:1 native contrast ratio. JVC says these numbers are ‘true’, and not inflated by electronic circuitry or a dynamic iris.

DISTRIBUTOR

All are full high definition.

Videophiles will be impressed that the DLA-X7 and the DLA-X9 are in the process of being tested by THX, and will include an ISF C3 mode for professional calibration and 99 screen correction modes to help maximise viewing environments.

All three models support 3D Blu-ray formats and sideby-side and above-below 3D broadcasts formats, and can display 3D images with the addition of JVC’s PK-EM1 3D Signal Emitter and PK-AG1 active shutter 3D glasses (both sold separately).

Hagemeyer WEB www.jvc.com.au

Samsung debuts Ultra HD TV

Radio daze Benefitting from the company’s expertise in DSP and the patented SR-Bass subwoofer system, Yamaha says its TSX-80 delivers a “remarkable level of sound quality”. In addition to direct iPhone/iPod docking, DAB+ and FM tuner the TSX-80 includes a 3.5mm auxilliary input on the rear panel for connecting additional audio sources.

Oft-visited controls are on the front panel and include source, volume and radio preset, while less-frequently used controls – timer, memory, DAB+ tuning, alarm setting – are located on the top panel alongside an LCD screen.

Available in ivory, light blue and purple, it costs $399.

DISTRIBUTOR

Yamaha Music WEB www.yamaha.com.au

8 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

Samsung has shown a prototype LCD panel capable displaying of 4K resolution, and in 3D. The technology, touted as a world first, provides up to 8.8 million pixels of picture detail – four times the resolution of current full HD (1920 x 1080) systems – and goes by the name of ‘Ultra Definition’.

While 4K panels are several years away, and will only gain traction with the introduction of supporting source material and playback devices, there are already plans for video display systems with even higher resolution.

‘Ultra High Definition TV’, or UHDTV, is in development and promises resolutions of 8K. DISTRIBUTOR Samsung WEB www.samsung.com.au

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RANDOM PLAY

To the wall The latest addition to Pioneer’s expanding range of iPod docks, the XW-NAW1K is an 83mm-thin wall-moutable or table-top unit with 2 x 15 watts stereo speakers that, designed with neodymium tweeter magnets, produce bigger sound than you’d expect from a small audio system.

The system charges any docked iPhone or iPod, and blue, illuminated touch-sensitive controls, component video output and a compact infrared (IR) remote control round out the $299 package.

DISTRIBUTOR

Pioneer Electronics PHONE 1800 060 852 WEB www.pioneer.com.au

Now E.A.R this A revamp of Sennheiser’s premium headphone series, the HD 598, HD 558 and HD 518 feature proprietary E.A.R. (Eargonomic Acoustic Refinement) technology, which involves slightly angled baffles that guide the audio signal directly to the ears. Powerful neodymium magnets and Duofol diaphragms are credited with providing natural, lifelike musical reproduction, while low-vibration plastic materials are claimed to prevent distortions to the sound image. The HD 558 and HD 598 also feature a sound DISTRIBUTOR

reflector for improved spatial effect, plus a gold-plated 6.3 mm audio jack plug with detachable cable.

The topline HD 598 offer frequency response of 12 to 38,500 Hz, luxe cream-coloured surfaces, a dark woodgrain finish and glossy metallic trim for $440. The HD 558 cost $320 and a claim frequency response of 15 to 28,000 Hertz, while the HD 518 cost $230 and provide 14 to 26,000 Hz response.

Syntec International WEB www.sennheiser.com.au

10 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

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Setting a new benchmark in AV Receivers.

Experience today.

Superior Audio With Yamaha’s 5th leg, a reinforced chassis, optimised power amplifier design and superior components, the AVENTAGE receivers will provide unparalelled audio performance.

RX-A3000

Superior Video Using the latest HQV® Vida Chipset and best in class cinematic processors, Yamaha’s AVENTAGE range ensures sharp, accurate video reproduction.

RX-A2000

Intuitive Control Intuitive control of your AVENTAGE receiver is achieved through integrated touch-screen controllers, or via the built-in web browser control through an iPad or iPhone.

RX-A1000

4 YEA EA R WARR RANT TY

For more information on Yamaha products visit www.yamahamusic.com.au/av www.yamahamusic.com.au/blog

facebook.com.au/yamahaAVau

twitter.com/yamahaAVau

compressed music

ENHANCER

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RANDOM PLAY

Let’s Metz

The Metz Axio Pro 26 LED CT Z Pro “sets new standards in the entry level category for premium televisions,” according to the Melbourne-based importer, International Dynamics. The 26 incher has what the company describes as “progressive” Edge LED technology, where each individual LED light source segment is modified independently of one another, enhancing contrast and improving energy consumption by up to 40 percent. The full HD television also integrates a hard drive for timeshifting, and PVR features such as pause/rewind live TV. It will even pause a live show for up 300 minutes – and that makes it ideal for, um, when you have to draw water from the well in the next village before boiling it to make your cup of TV. It costs $1999.

DISTRIBUTOR

International Dynamics WEB www.internationaldynamics.com.au

Marantz’ suite 16 A restructure within its parent company has meant an absence of new-model Marantz products for more than a year, but the brand is back with vigour and 16 new home theatre and hi-fi components. Stereo aficionados are catered for by two integrated amps – the $1499 PM7004 and $599 PM5004 – and ‘lite’ versions of the company’s acclaimed Pearl components, the $2499 PM-KI integrated stereo amplifier and identically priced SA-K1 SACD player. The NA7004 is the company’s first networked audio player, providing DAB+ as a bonus to its $1499 price.

Multichannel offerings include the 3D-capable AV7005 preamplifier and its complement,

DISTRIBUTOR

the 5 x 140 watt MM7055 power amp. The set will cost $5798. AV receivers are all 3D capable and start at $1399 for the SR1601, with the multi-room capable step-up SR5005 and SR6005 models costing $1699 and $1999 respectively. The flagship SR7005 (pictured) provides audio streaming, 7 x 125 watts and Wizz App for iPod-based remote control functions for $3199.

QualiFi Pty Ltd PHONE 1800 24 24 26 WEB www.marantz.com.au

12 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

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AktiMate

The AktiMate Mini was originally designed not only to capture a share of the ever growing iPod market, but first and foremost to provide a pair of active hi-fi speakers that would hold their own in the best of company.

To that end, Australian company Epoz licensed technology from two highly regarded British companies - Creek, experts in the field of electronics and Epos, equally proficient when it comes to loudspeaker design. Released in December 2007, the Mini was an instant success and attracted immediate interest from all corners of the world.

Within months global reviews were singing its praises from Australia to the U.S.A., Germany and the U.K. Its award record speaks for itself and highlights the versatility of the AktiMate Mini.

2008 Lifestyle Product of the Year 2009 Best iPod Dock of the Year 2010 Desktop Speaker of the Year Talk of the AktiMate Maxi has been around ever since the Mini took the world by storm.However to complement the Mini, the Maxi needed to be something very special indeed.

And special it is! The Maxi is a complete entertainment system in itself - first and foremost a pair of extraordinarily dynamic active hi-fi speakers but with a vast array of amazing extras. It is also the heart of a brilliant hi-fi system with ample connections for any source product.

The system includes a Reciva media module which brings the wonders of direct access to internet radio, together with the ability to stream from any Windows or UPnP shared network on your computer. To access the network you either connect via the Ethernet RJ45 on the rear panel, or wirelessly using the AktiMate Maxi’s internal Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g.

There is an FM radio as well (with a string antenna supplied).

The USB host socket on the Maxi allows replay of music files from memory sticks or MP3 players. The iPod dock situated on the top of the active speaker has an elegant cover flap.

The enhanced functionality is easy to use thanks to the addition of an illuminated LCD screen on the front of the more powerful active speaker.

The Maxi also has a versatile alarm function where a number of alarms can be set - apart from that morning wake-up to your music of choice, you can set different alarm times for weekends, reminders - whatever you want. They can be held in memory or be a once only. All options have been covered!

Both Mini and Maxi are simple to use and come complete with everything you need right in the box, including connecting speaker wire. Both can be operated either by remote or from the control on the front of the speaker.

AktiMate Simplicity

Heritage

Performance

Brought to you by

EPOZ www.aktimate.com

Tel: 02 9450 0789 info@epoz.com.au

www.epoz.com.au

RANDOM PLAY

Something so Strong

TV boxes directly to its 500GB drive. An SD card reader is provided and, with the USB 2.0 port, provision to add more memory in the form of an external hard disk. All the usual pause/rewind live TV functions are present, and its twin tuner allows you to record two programs from the same network (say, ABC1 and ABC2) while recording one show from, say Nine’s primary service, while watching another on its Go channel. It costs $499.

Strong’s SRT 5495A high definition personal video recorder comes with component and composite AV inputs for recording video and audio from camcorders, VCRs, digital cameras, games consoles, DVD/CD players and Pay DISTRIBUTOR

Strong Australia WEB www.strong.com.au

Unwired for sound The Audio Pro LV2 speaker system shares your iTunes or WMA library wirelessly throughout the house, within a range of 50 metres (100 metres line-of-sight). The music is transmitted at CD quality via a USB dongle that plugs into your Mac or PC to a pair (or multiple pairs!) of leather-bound LV2 powered speakers in remote rooms.

While transmission is wireless, the speakers need to plug into mains power.

The LV2 speakers integrate IR receivers, so you can control track selection and volume from remote rooms and, with an analog input on the USB dongle, you can add another audio source and send its signal DISTRIBUTOR

QualiFi Pty Ltd

to LV2s around the home too. The system provides for three zones of operation, allowing three dongles to send signals to many different pairs of LV2 speakers. One set of LV2 wireless powered shelf speakers cost $1199.

PHONE 1800 24 24 26 WEB www.qualifi.com.au

14 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

TECH CORNER

Remotes face apptitude test

C

ould the age of the universal remote be at an end? Are these devices – lifesavers for those of us with complex AV setups – on the way out, destined to be replaced by apps running on your mobile phone or tablet? That’s definitely the way things are looking.

As usual Apple is one of the leaders in this area. The remotes provided with Apple TV, and before it the Mac Mini, are pretty basic: scroll wheel, okay button, play/pause. And why not, when the device the remote is controlling is so dependent on software and a clever interface? Besides, if you want to get fiddly with your Apple TV, just download the remote control app to your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. You can even queue shows and browse iTunes on the handheld device while watching a full-screen movie or TV episode.

It makes a lot of sense: why spend money and resources on a dedicated device when everybody is already carrying something that can do the job – and probably better. What’s more, since devices such as the iPod Touch and iPad have Bluetooth, they can establish a permanent wireless link to the device they are controlling. Current IR remotes can have their signal blocked by pets, furniture, thrown pillows, popcorn fights etc. And a wireless link lets you hide all your equipment inside cabinets – as long as the doors are fairly lightweight and radio-transparent.

One of the main benefits of running a remote app is that the app can use the computing power of the device it’s running on. That means many, many more features than even the fanciest of universal remotes. Picture-in-picture, lots of sophisticated calendar and recording features, buying content from providers, scheduling all sorts of recordings and building playlists.

Folks who spend big bucks on high-end universal remotes – because they have five or six devices that all need to be switched to various inputs to get a signal – can find it frustrating that they have to sit there with the remote pointed at the AV rack for up to 30 seconds while the remote cycles through the various IR commands it has to send out.

Consider the activity ‘Watch a movie’. From scratch, that means turn on the TV, turn on the AV receiver, turn on the

Blu-ray player. Switch the TV to HDMI, switch the AV receiver to Blu-ray, press play on the Blu-ray player.

With an IR link, this is slow. With an integrated system that combines wireless with HDMI’s Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) standard, it’s not only faster, you can’t accidentally interrupt the process by pointing the remote ‘off axis’ and failing to link up with one of the IR receivers.

But why limit your iPod or iPad to merely controlling other media players? Both devices – as well as many others – are capable media players in their own right. Hook a Bluetooth receiver to your AV receiver, and you can play content directly off your handheld, up onto the TV. Your little device has plenty of power (and bandwith) to send out a quality (if not full HD) signal and surround sound.

The ultimate end to this progression are personal devices that handle all our entertainment content and beam a digital signal to a dedicated decoder. In other words, if your phone had a 2TB flash chip on it, you could store all your music, movies and photos on your mobile and would need only one slim device under the TV – a box that decodes a digital datastream and converts it to analog audio and sends vision via HDMI to a TV. So maybe a decoder box and an AV receiver.

Your mobile could even receive free-to-air TV, especially if it’s delivered over the net via IP. After all, smartphones already have 802.11g wireless, the same wireless as your Telstra T-Box or similar IPTV device uses.

The main limitations today are processing power and wireless bandwidth. An iPod can handle a compressed video signal, even up to 720p, and surround audio, but we demand full Blu-ray quality 1080p and lossless HD audio in 7.1 format.

Don’t think that won’t come though, and soon. Advances in low-power processors, as seen in the iPad and in a new generation of Intel-based devices, will bring serious datacrunching capability to smaller and smaller players.

Within the next five years, you can expect to own a device that can handle any media format you throw at it, and play that media not only on its own display, but narrowcast it wirelessly onto any other output – be it projector, TV, someone else’s handheld player, car stereo, you name it.

Anthony Fordham is the editor of Australian Popular Science

VISIT US AT WWW.HEBG.COM.AU | 15

P R O U D LY S P O N S O R E D B Y

GEAR • GAMES • MOVIES

How much extra for 3D in a TV? Obviously buying a 3D TV is a more expensive proposition than buying a regular 2D one. But how much is the difference? That’s important in judging whether it’s worthwhile.

Assessing the premium charged for 3D TVs is difficult when models don’t necessarily offer the same performance and feature set, 3D aside. Well, that at least is the case for most brands, but we’ll come back to one brand that is directly comparable in a moment.

So what is the difference between a 3D TV and a regular one? The former requires three additional elements, at least as presently implemented. First, it needs to have 3D processing built-in. That is, the electronics need to be able to handle the ‘frame packed’ format from Blu-ray 3D, or the side-byside 3D broadcast format, split up the left and right eye images appropriately, and then flash them up on the screen.

Second, the 3D TV needs eyewear that allows each of your eyes to see only the images intended for it as the TV flashes them.

Finally, it need an infrared transmitter in the TV to send synchronisation signals to the glasses to make sure they flash perfectly in time with the images on the screen.

Sony includes only the first of these in most of its 3D TVs. The other two are optional extras (the transmitter plugs into a special socket on the TV).

One set of glasses and the transmitter costs just

$168, so it doesn’t seem an expensive proposition … except that this doesn’t account for the processing element.

So to get an overall figure, we turn to Panasonic.

It has several V20A 2D models, and VT20A 3D models that seem to be otherwise almost identical.

The 50 inch versions are the same size and other than 3D have the same features, except that the 3D version, perhaps fittingly, gets three speakers and 30 watts, rather than 2 speakers and 20 watts.

The price difference? $1200. The 3D version costs $3299 while the 2D version costs $2099, the difference representing a 57 percent premium.

The 54 inch (137cm) versions share the same differences, but the pricing discrepancy increases to $1400, with the 3D version costing 54 percent more than the 2D’s $2599.

The 3D version of Panasonic’s 50 inch V20A is 57 percent more expensive than the 2D model.

Fuji’s unique 3D digicam Fuji’s Finepix Real 3D W3 is one of the only cameras available today with the ability to snap photos and video in 3D, and then display them in 3D – without the need for special glasses – on its built-in screen. Central to Fuji’s 3D capture system is a series of lenticular lenses and a 3.5 inch LCD panel integrating lenticular surface technology for 3D presentation.

The screen also handles more pedestrian, everyday viewfinder operations, allowing you to frame and view plain ole vanilla 2D images as well.

Fuji’s $599 compact camera comes with a HDMI connection for showing your 3D images on a compatible 3D TV or on Fujifilm’s dedicated Real 3D digital photo frame viewer. It is also supplied with software for viewing video and images on a computer.

www.gadgetguy.com.au/3d VISIT US AT WWW.HEBG.COM.AU

HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SPRING 2010 17

The wearing of 3D glasses has been linked with instances of sudden knee clutching.

IR issues and the third degree So you’re sitting there watching a 3D movie, and find that some of your remote controls just won’t work. Don’t panic! Chances are your other devices haven’t broken. Pause for a second and look at your TV. It’s probably just the TV interfering with the operation of your remote controls.

The reason is that 3D TVs – when running in 3D mode – emit an infrared beam themselves, as though they are remote controls. Which indeed they are! The infrared signal is used by the 3D eyewear to synchronise its operation with the parade of left-

More 3D from Foxtel and Tivo

Early 3D adopters looking for something to watch on their high definition 3D screens can now access 3D programming from internet portal Yabazam via a Tivo media device, as well as a new 24-hour 3D channel on Foxtel.

Yabazam content downloaded to a Tivo device includes animation and extreme sports, documentaries, indie shorts, comedy and music videos, with programs running between four minutes and one hour in length.

Prices range from $3 to $7, and the pay-per-view content can be viewed an unlimited number of times within 48 hours of the download commencing.

Foxtel’s dedicated 3D channel (Foxtel 3D, channel 201) is available only via the IQ2 high definition set-top box and will comprise movies, sports and documentaries in the side-by-side format. The 3D channel will be available to HD subscribers who also subscribe to the Sports Package.

Details about headline titles and the appearance of advertising on the 3D channel remain unclear, with Foxtel’s spokesthingy saying it is still in negotiations with partners about these matters.

and right-eye images being displayed on the screen.

Unless the timing of this matches perfectly, the whole 3D effect will fail.

The problem is that this IR signal is not piped into the glasses, but blasted out into the room. If you’ve ever tried to use two remote controls on two different devices at the same time, you will realise that it simply doesn’t work very well.

The IR from the TV can have the same effect.

Indeed, we recently spent half a day thinking that the remote control for our PVR had died – we even

replaced its batteries – until we discovered that the remote of one of our Blu-ray players was also incapacitated. And the one for the AV receiver.

So we switched off the 3D mode in the TV and instantly everything worked again.

The solution is simple: put your other equipment against the wall with the TV so that their IR receiver’s aren’t in direct line of sight of the TV screen. Unless you have a particularly reflective back wall, they will be shielded from the TV’s IR blaster and their remotes should work fine.

Weird world of Blu-ray 3D giveaways Earlier this year, if you purchased a Samsung 3D TV you also received a copy of the Dreamworks computer animated movie, Monsters vs Aliens, presented in Blu-ray 3D. Samsung wasn’t alone.

Panasonic 3D TVs came, for a while, with two Blu-ray 3D movies: Coraline and Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. And right now, Sony has a Christmas promotion on: purchase an eligible 3D TV before Christmas day and you get a 3D pack, including a PS3, two sets of 3D glasses and a transmitter to work them, a 3D game and two Blu-ray 3D movies. Those movies are Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, and yet another computer animated flick, Bolt.

Those five movies come from four different film companies and in their 2D versions are handled by four different distributors, but they all have one thing in common: none of them is available for separate purchase.

Indeed, the local disc distributors say that none of them are even scheduled for release in Australia for purchase (one said that he was uncertain that they even had distribution rights for the 3D version of a movie his company distributes in 2D).

What’s weird about all this is that you would have thought the bulk of the work done: the Blu-ray 3D mastering has been completed. All that the companies need to do is slip the discs into retail cases with appropriate artwork, and release them for sale to the 40,000-odd Australians who now own 3D TVs. But still we wait.

Fortunately some titles have been foreshadowed by Universal: Step Up 3D for 8 December this year (that should make it the first live-action Blu-ray3D title in Australia); Despicable Me for 6 January 2011, followed by Sanctum in June and Hop in August 2011.

www.gadgetguy.com.au/3d 18 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

P R O U D LY S P O N S O R E D B Y

Toshiba’s glasses-free 3D TV A Toshiba prototype television offers hope to those who love 3D, but not the special glasses required to view it. In a move described as the first step towards the future of 3D home cinema, the Regza 20GL1 and Regza 12GL1 were presented at this year’s CEATEC show in Japan as examples of Toshiba’s autospectrosopic display technology. This approach uses the company’s Cell Broadband Engine to provide “nine different perspective of each single 2D frame”, which are then superimposed by the viewer’s brain to create a three dimensional impression of the image.

The processing combines with a special screen surface that appears to be based on ancient (in technology terms, at least) lenticular or parallax barrier display. This is best likened to those 2D pictures (often presented on greeting cards, placemats and books) which are overlaid by a fine corrugated surface that makes a zipping sound when you run your fingers across it.

There are a number characteristics of this type of surface, including limited display size and viewing angles, both of which are borne out by Toshiba’s glasses-less 3D TV samples. Each of the LED LCD sets has an extremely narrow 40 degree viewing angle, so you need

to sit pretty much straight on to the screen, and must be viewed from a seated position just one metre away.

Outside these parameters, and the 3D effect is lost.

(Current LCD and plasma televisions have horizontal viewing angles of 160 degrees or greater.)

In addition, while most consumer televisions these days are 40 inches in diagonal or greater and offer full high definition resolution, the Regza 20GL1 is 20 inches and offers 1280 x 720 pixels. The Regza 12GL1 is 12 inches with a resolution of 466 x 350 pixels. And if we were in any doubt as to how living room-friendly Toshiba’s glasses-free 3D are not, there’s the price: around $US2900 and $US1400 for the 20 inch and 12 inch respectively.

Toshiba also showed a 56 inch prototype of its glasses-less 3D TV at the CEATEC technology expo, but said it had no plans to bring it to market. The two smaller sets will be available for sale exclusively in Japan, and while they demonstrate that large-screen glassesfree 3D home cinema is still some years off, they might just be the way forward for the displays of small mobile devices and notebooks.

Watch this space.

Setting up for optimum 3D

To make use of Blu-ray 3D, your TV and Blu-ray player and home theatre receiver will most likely be equipped with the newest version of HDMI, version 1.4. In practice, some home theatre receivers with HDMI 1.3 may still be able to pass 3D signals, but there are no guarantees.

HDMI 1.4 included some other enhancements, of which one is of particular interest in the home. It is the Audio Return Channel, or ARC. Few TVs have good sound quality. It’s a simple matter of physics: the speakers built into panel displays must be small, and often point in the wrong direction. So getting sound from your home theatre receiver – even if you’re using the TV’s own internal tuner – makes sense.

You have always been able to do this. Indeed, you’ve always had digital sound available, because virtually all recent TVs include an optical digital audio output (a small number have coaxial instead).

So you could just run an optical cable from the TV to your receiver, and then select the appropriate input for sound.

What ARC does is skip the extra cable and automate the process. You have a HDMI cable running from the receiver to the TV to deliver the picture. ARC allows this same HDMI cable to carry sound from the TV back to the receiver.

So that eliminates the need for another cable.

In addition, when you switch from watching, say, a Blu-ray movie to watching TV from the TV’s own internal tuner, all you have to do is press the ‘TV’ button its remote. Then the receiver will switch to the relevant ‘TV’ input and produce the sound.

Adjust the TV’s volume, and it is the volume of the receiver that will change.

All the TVs which support ARC that we have seen only support it on one of their inputs (this is always labelled ‘ARC’), so make sure you use the correct connection.

Designer 3D specs For around $225, you will soon be able to pick up Gucci’s 3D eyewear, providing cool comfort for the fashion conscious at 3D cinema screenings. Like all 3D glasses, these aren’t designed for outdoor use – or for use with with domestic 3D televisions setups – and include “optically correct six-base curved lenses with circular polarised technology”. This just means they work with the RealD projection systems currently used in 3D-enabled cinemas around the world.

Oakley, too is in on the lark, with 3D glasses inspired by the upcoming 3D movie Tron: Legacy, a sequel to the first Tron film released in the ’80s. With an asking price of around $150, these are a tad more affordable than Gucci’s offering, but still a whole lot more than those that come for a couple of bucks extra on top of your cinema admission.

www.gadgetguy.com.au/3d VISIT US AT WWW.HEBG.COM.AU | 19

P R O U D LY S P O N S O R E D B Y

3D plasma, and four times as good Panasonic has grabbed the big-screen 3D bragging rights with a 152 inch (386 cm) plasma whopper featuring 4K resolution.

Current Full HD TV sets provide a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, which all up amounts to a little more than two million pixels.

Panasonic’s behemoth displays 4096 x 2160 pixels, or 8.8 million pixels – more than four times the picture detail of full HD What’s missing, of course, is the video material to fill every one of those 8.8 million display pixels. The means to create such content, does exist, but only via very expensive video cameras such as the Red One. Panasonic’s television weighs approximately 590 kilograms, which makes it slightly awkward for domestic installation. The biggest obstacle for most home cinema devotees though will be the price: expected to sell for more than $500,000, this set is one intended for the corporate mob.

3D toy for iPhone Toy maker Hasbro is bringing 3D to the iPhone and iPod Touch with My3D, a plug-in accessory similar to the View-Master and designed to work with apps from the iTunes store.

Expected in the US by March 2011, My3D will sell for around $US30, but beyond advertising trailers for 3D movies and games, content remains a question mark. The cost of creating compelling 3D content for the mobile platform is expensive, and may prove too discouraging for app developers.

New 3D projectors Front projector manufacturer SIM2 is one of the first on the Australian market with a 3D model. And this works quite differently to most existing 3D displays.

The 3D effect always requires each eye to see different images to the other. There are three common techniques for achieving this. One – used from time to time on DVDs – has been to have both images in the one picture, and using specially coloured glasses to decode them for each eye. Another common one – particularly in cinemas – is to use polarising filters when projecting the left and right eye images, with matching filters in the viewers’ eyewear.

In the home, the most common technology has been to flash the left and right images up on the TV screen rapidly, with liquid crystal shutter glasses synchronised to make sure each eye sees only the images intended for it.

But the SIM2 C3X Lumis 3D projector uses something called ‘Infitec Wavelength Multiplex Imaging’ to generate its 3D effect. This is very different.

It relies on our eyes detecting colour by using just three types of colour sensitive cells in our retinas. One type detects the wavelengths of light in about a 60nm band centred on a wavelength of 450nm. Our brains interpret any radiation within this wavelength band as blue. Not shades of blue according to the wavelength, but just one fixed shade of blue. Another type of cell detects a different range of wavelengths, which

our brains interpret as green. And the third does the same for yet another band, and we see red.

The full subtle spectrum of colours we see is simply made up of different proportions of these three colours. Out brain creates the pinks and apricots and mauves to distinguish these mixtures in a useful way.

The Infitec system works by delivering two different wavelengths within that blue band, two within the green and two within the red. Special 3D glasses allow only one of the bands from each colour into the left eye, and only the other one into the right eye.

Separation is achieved and you see 3D. The system is claimed to have superior separation to the other systems.

We don’t expect too many people will experience it in these early days, though. The SIM2 C3X Lumis 3D projection system costs between $109,999 and $114,999, depending on lens choices.

www.gadgetguy.com.au/3d 20 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

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MOBILE MAESTRO It’s the thinnest and lightest 13 inch notebook Toshiba has ever produced, but the R700 is fat on features for no-comprise mobile computing.

You don’t expect a lithe 1.1 kilo roadster like the R700 to have the pulling power of a tractor, but this executive series manages all the heavy lifting expected of a high performance notebook, and with nary a wrinkle to its pinstripe perfectness.

All R700 models in the series come with Windows 7 Professional onboard and are driven by Intel’s® new Core™ family processors: i5 or i7 – you choose, depending on your appetite for speed and power.

And when you need more headroom, just dial in some extra RAM. Toshiba has innovatively stacked the memory slots vertically, meaning the R700 can accommodate up to 8GB, for even more powerful performance.

WiFi and Bluetooth are standard, as is the high definition (1366 x 768) LED backlit screen and built-in webcam, while storage is a pick’n’mix of hard disk and solid state drives (from 128GB up to 500GB) to suit your midrange, high-end or premium needs.

All the usual connections are provided, including USB up to 3.0 for super-quick data transfers and HDMI for hooking up your favourite AV kit, plus there’s a suite of security features to ensure all the corporate goodness on your R700 is kept under wraps.

Speaking of which, the streamlined wrapping on these notebooks is a luxe magnesium alloy honeycomb structure with superhero-grade protection qualities: light yet

CONTACT YOUR AUTHORISED TOSHIBA RESELLER, CALL 13 30 70 OR VISIT WWW.MYTOSHIBA.COM.AU

durable to flexing, it throws a force field around the R700’s screen and hard disk, so the only bumps and knocks you need worry about are those on the way to the corner office.

Work fast, travel light, look good.

Toshiba R700.

Put all the family, especially the ones who don’t get along, in a single room on one of the hottest days of the year and add 12.5 percent per volume alcohol beverages, grudges, differences of opinion over football, politics, schools and real estate and something’s going to give.

So welcome to the season of giving, and our guide to gifts that will help ensure peace reigns for you and yours this Christmas, and beyond. There’s something for everyone in your life or on your list in the following pages, and remember the opening weeks of 2011 will be prime shopping time, so keep a little credit on the plastic for yourself.

Words by Max Everingham

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LA FAMILIA

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Samsung UA65C8000

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RRP $6999 Website: www.samsung.com/au A 3D, IPTV-enabled television, this LCD beauty has a massive 65 inch screen (there’s a 45 and 55 inch model too, but this is the droid you’re looking for) displaying in 1080p full HD. With a smart ‘brushed titanium’ bezel and matching counter-top stand, the television uses LED edge lighting for better detail in dark scenes and is capable of displaying the limited 3D content available, but that’s incidental; it’s a superb regular 2D television as well, and that’s mostly what you’d be using it for. The TV also has an integrated wireless widget, so your family can waste hours of their precious lives on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, as well as hook up an optional camera to connect to Skype and video call friends and family. PVR functionality allows you to plug in a USB thumb drive or HDD to record programs and that lovely stand even swivels.

BFF

Yamaha MCR040

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RRP: $499 Website: www.yamnhamusic.com.au One of the funkiest combo units on the market today, the Yamaha MCR-040 is available in 10 modern colours to suit any décor in your home or small business, and is the perfect gift for BFFs (best friend forever) of either sex. Functions include a charging iPod dock, CD player and, critically, integrated DAB+ digital radio; something the majority of even the most expensive iPod docking music systems still don’t have. It’s a snap to setup, with the DAB+ radio automatically locating and tuning into all available stations. Sound quality is, unexpectedly, best for iPod playback and it’ll go loud enough for most situations, although starts to distort on CD play at maximum volume. The speakers are detached from the main unit so can be moved further apart on a bookshelf for better stereo effect.

WORKAHOLIC

Samsung Galaxy Tab

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Price: $999 Web: www.samsung.com.au Steve Jobs might have poo-pooed the 7 inch tablet formfactor, but if you’re on the road, an inch shaved is an inch gained... or something. Anyway, the Galaxy Tab is slim and svelte and just that little bit more mobile than the iPad. It also runs the latest, unadulterated Android OS. So why take along a tablet instead of just a smartphone? Because having a screen this big really does make a difference to portable entertainment – both movies and e-books are just that much more consumable at this size. Samsung is first out of the blocks with an Android-based tablet, but others will follow.

This is a very pleasing start, though!

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Jill-e small yellow camera/carry bag

RRP: from $299.99 Website: www.jill-e.com.au Owned and run by women, Jill-e designs was established to provide female photographer types with high-quality camera bags that weren’t quite so macho or nerdy looking and all made out of canvas or nylon. Fabricated from high-quality materials such as leather, neoprene and weather-resistant sailcloth with attractive, designs in a range of interesting colours, the Jill-e products are custom-built to hold all the electronic devices a modern professional on the go might need. Convenient adjustable velcro dividers mean you can divvy up the inside space to fit phone, keys, cameras, netbook and what have you and, best of all, you’re going to ooze style bringing the gear back out. Local importers have been hurt by the recent surging exchange rates, so small camera bags sell here for $299.99, medium sizes for $150 more, and large, air-hostess style wheeled versions for $499.00.

DAD

DeWalt DC011

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RRP: $359 (or in package with power tools bundle) Website: www.dewalt.com.au Looking for the next great addition to the man cave but want something a bit more portable than a Wurlitzer jukebox? Look no further: the DeWalt DC013 is the ultimate macho AV rig, with tough looks, a heavy-duty AM/FM radio and the ability to run off the very same 7.2–18 volt DeWalt rechargeable battery units found in the company’s excellent power tool range for portable use. Built like a rhino, the unit is doggedly resistant to poor weather, housing a digital radio tuner with 15 memory presets, clock, LCD readout and auxiliary port. There’s even a USB power outlet to run small devices like phones and MP3 players, and if you can find somewhere to plug it in, the system will charge your battery packs in an hour while you stop to have lunch.

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NET-GENNER

DJ Hero 2

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Price: $148 (bundle) Website: www.djhero.com The latest in a long line of music rhythm games with the ‘Hero’ tag from Activision, DJ Hero 2 is a lot more fun than it has any right to be. Whether you’re a fan of the antics of club DJs or not, this console game sticks a very high quality CD turntable controller under your nose and practically demands you mess with the tunes spinning up on the screen in front of you. Thanks to a really accessible tutorial, you – or the Net-gen teenager on your Xmas list – will be adding your own scratching and crossfading style to the excellent mixes in minutes and, with several great game modes, online play and the option to add a second turntable peripheral for DJ face-offs in your own home, this is a brilliant game to bring out when your mates come round.

SPROGLET

Nintendo DSi

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Price: $248 Website: www.nintendodsi.com A portable entertainment machine that has become so much more than just a handheld games console, thanks both to an excellent and diverse array of software and the incorporation of cameras, SD card slot and built-in wireless, the DSi is a great gift for the child, or children, in your life. The DSi allows them to take and play with photos, make fun recordings, play music and games and generally keeps them quietly amused on trains, planes and automobiles. It’s a godsend. Once they have the console, future present dilemmas are resolved as easily as buying a new game. And for ‘games’ that have more of an educational leaning for your child, pick up ‘Professor Layton and the Lost Future’ and ‘Super Scribblenauts’ titles at the same time.

GRANDMA

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Telstra T-Box

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FILM BUFF

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Price: $299 ($908 min cost for new BigPond customers over 12 months) Website: www.telstra.com.au/t-box The Teltstra T-Box may make your Gran grin, even if she isn’t too handy with today’s new-fangled gadgets. Ideal for current Telstra Bigpond customers, the T-Box is essentially a digital set-top box that allows viewing of all the digital free-to-air TV channels without having to buy a new TV. The twin-tuner allows Gran to record one broadcast and watch the other at the same time, which may seem like overkill until you consider that she probably watches mostly free-to-air TV, with their notorious overruns on scheduling, so she won’t miss the start of one show if something on another channel runs late, as they invariably do. Better still, the onscreen guide is very clear and once connected to your BigPond broadband service, the T-Box comes into its own, providing access to on-demand movies, TV and videos, none of which counts towards your Gran’s monthly download limits so she can watch all the free TV she wants.

Playstation 3

Price: from $499 Website: www.au.playstation.com/ps3 If you’re a film fan, nothing beats the PS3 as a single-box movie player. Everyone knows the Playstation 3 is a great games console but few realise just how versatile it can be. As well as being a superb Blu-ray player, the PS3 upscales DVD content to 1080p extremely well and, with the addition of the ‘Play TV’ widget, transforms into a decent PVR, or Personal Video Recorder, recording TV and movies even while you’re playing games. PS3 offers ABC iView, the Mubi service for art-house and international films and a video delivery service direct to your console via the Playstation Network Video Store, allowing you to buy or rent titles in standard or high definition.

A recent firmware (hardware) update now means the PS3 is capable of recording in 3D, too – what more could you possibly want!?

THE GAMER

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Epson EH-TW3600 projector & limited edition Xbox controllers

Price: Epson EH-TW3600 projector, $2499; Fable III limited edition controller, $79.95; Reach wireless $89.95 Website: www.epson.com.au, www.xbox.com/en-AU If you’re a gamer, there’s no such thing as a TV that’s too big. So move up to a full HD projector, soldier! The Epson EH-TW3600 1080p, full HD projector is very quiet in operation, working even in a room that you can’t fully black out. It has significant zoom and physical lens-shift functions that make it simple to position the image exactly where you want it regardless of placement – a key advantage over regular digital ‘keystone’ correction, which compresses and alters the image – returning breathtaking picture quality even if you can’t ceiling-mount it in your games room. Round out the system with a surround sound system and a couple of fancy controllers – like the new Fable III limited edition or, for a classier look, the Halo Reach limited edition controller – both wireless and fairly rare.

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MUSIC LOVER

Akai ATT023U Component USB turntable

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Price: $399.95 Website: www.audion-mm.com If you’re a true music nut, then you’ll still love the vinyl as much as you ever did, and in this digital age it’s hard to see them stacked up in the spare room or garage, gathering dust.

But with the Akai ATT023U you can give them a new lease of life by converting them to ones and zeroes and virtually spinning them up on your iPod. As the flagship model, the ATT023U USB belt-drive turntable couldn’t be simpler to use, allowing direct recording to a connected USB hard drive to lay down the tracks on either 33rpm or 45rpm vinyl records into digital files. You can connect to a Mac or PC via USB too, if you wish, and it comes with free Audacity and Bias Soapbox sound editing software.

ONE WHO HAS EVERYTHING Bang & Olufsen incar sound system

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Price: free with purchase of the Aston Martin Rapide Website: www.bang-olufsen.dk If you’re trying to find a present for someone who wants for nothing, you’re probably on safe ground picking up an Aston Martin Rapide with B&O sound system fitted as standard.

They won’t be expecting that. Gracing the new four-door Aston Martin Rapide, the 15-speaker Bang & Olufsen BeoSound Rapide setup is designed and tuned specifically for the vehicle cabin of each Aston Martin model and totally integrated into the car’s control system. Its ICEpower amplification delivers over 1000 watts total power and features adaptive sound, raising or lowering the volume to compensate for speed and cabin noise as well as automatically detecting the number of people in the car and adjusting the sound focal points to suit.

Like magic.

FITNESS FANATIC Monster ‘Beats by Dr Dre’ Tour

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Price: $259 (Beats Tour model with ControlTalk) Website: www.ehifi.com.au Those who use a portable music player while exercising will have already discovered that the stock ’phones bundled with such devices aren’t too flash. Replace them with the Beats by Dr Dre headphones and the recipient will instantly appreciate better bass, detail and sound dynamics or, as Dr Dre himself puts it, “hear what the artists hear”. Produced in collaboration with the sound production master, the headphones come in a beautiful presentation box, reinforcing the sense of quality when you open it.

THE HOME

Sonos S5 ZonePlayer

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Price: $699 per unit Website: www.playback.com.au A multi-room digital music streaming device, the Sonos S5 ZonePlayer retrieves music from your household broadband network and plays it out over as many speakers as you choose to connect. Once the main speaker unit is wired to your network via Ethernet and the desktop controller software installed on your PC, the Sonos finds your digital music wherever you might have put it and will also stream Internet radio and music services like Audible, Last.fm and Rhapsody. You can download a controller app for an iPad, iPhone or iTouch for free, which makes it feel almost miraculous, as you sit out on the deck with your Apple device, airily waving it around and changing the music playing all over your house. Great for impressing dinner guests.

GRANDAD

Sangean DPR-34+ pocket digital radio

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Price: $189 Website: www.canohm.com.au For a sports or news radio-loving Grandad, what better gift than a portable radio – but not just any portable radio! Digital is the new thing these days and digital DAB+ radio is the aural equivalent of getting a new aerial for a TV with fuzzy pictures.

This portable radio from Sangean can receive both DAB+ and FM, has a built-in rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery, AC adaptor, telescopic antenna and low-battery indicator. Its size means Grandad can take it with him anywhere he goes, the battery lasts for about 18 hours using the headphones, there’s a nice, clear backlit LCD backlit, and the radio can be set for a total of 20 preset stations.

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OBJECTS OF DESIRE

30 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

Cabasse Sphere F

irst introduced in Las Vegas in 2006, the Made of ‘expensive polyether’ by computer Cabasse Sphere has the kind of looks that in a laboriously slow but error-free process, the would make it perfect for use by membranes connecting each driver are rigid, light and J.J. Abrams as a prop in the next Star Trek uniform to ensure that linearity, the end result being a movie. To us, it resembles a gigantic Turkish ‘nazar’ evil four-way ‘coincident’ design, whereby all four of those eye stone or, more prosaically, a bloody great eyeball drive units share the same acoustic centre. on a stick.

And, of course, it’s spherical. The outer casing As is often the case with the highest-quality audio eschews the traditional ‘box’ design and instead adopts manufacturers from Europe, the name Cabasse was first a sphere, with all the rigidity and volume characteristics associated with the production of world-class musical inherent in the geometry of that shape, such as minimal instruments; in Cabasse’s case, violins, the first of which vibrations, no parallel surfaces that can create standing to bear the name appeared in 1740 in far-eastern France, waves, the ability to fit the woofer in a smaller space and just a short jog from Germany and Switzerland. The perfect internal symmetry for zero diffraction. fact that most of the stringed instruments the family Digital filtering and processing delays each of the made are still in use today bodes well for units to create a single, acoustic focal point with the build quality of these distinctive no variation in a 60 degree diffusion cone, speakers. according to Cabasse. Even the speaker In a quest to produce stand is assured to be rigid and speakers with a single point dampened, utilising a single piece source – an ‘acoustic Graal’ of twisting, Escher-like die-cast (Holy Grail) that Cabasse aluminium that complements modestly claims to have the spatial coherence. Viewed achieved with the Sphere as a whole, the Sphere twin – the company has given set is absolutely enormous, pesky marketing and for disembodied eyeballs, International technical folk the cold weighing 100 kg and standing shoulder, excluding them 70cm x 70cm x 140cm.

Dynamics from the build process International Dynamics internationaldynamics.com.au completely less they Australasia (IDA) has just (03) 9426 3600 interfere with the goal of been awarded the Australian producing speakers entirely distribution rights for the Cabasse without compromise. Devout speakers and will be able to show you audiophiles planning a pilgrimage representative products from the entryto their Cabasse dealer will no doubt level Oceo, mid-level Idea and high-end Artis appreciate this rigorously ascetic philosophy! lines but not, sadly, the ‘La Sphère’ itself.

Comprised of a QC55 four-way coaxial driver – itself An Artis 2.1 system consisting of two Riga the combination of a TC23 three-way unit and a 21cm floorstanders and a Santorin 30 sub will set you back subwoofer aligned on a single axis – low-mid, mida mere $19,997 but the Sphere, selling for about and high-frequency ranges achieve a perfectly linear £90,000 a pair in the UK which is about $150,000 with response up to 25,000Hz, according to Cabasse. All are the most generous of exchange rates and no ‘penaltyplaced in front of a 55 cm (22 inch) Nomex honeycomb for-living-in-Australia’ surcharge, may take a little dome woofer that plumbs down to 25Hz. longer to save for.

Cabasse Sphere

$US150,000

The outer casing eschews the traditional ‘box’ design and instead adopts a sphere, with all the rigidity and volume characteristics inherent in the geometry of that shape” VISIT US AT WWW.HEBG.COM.AU | 31

BETTER SOUND

It is now 28 years since George Lucas – the man behind the six Star Wars pictures – established a rather different franchise. It was called THX, and there are probably few well-known letter triplets more misunderstood.

By Colin Hinton

32 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

E

arlier in 2010, one of the world’s foremost experts on sound, Senior Fellow and Director of Education at THX, John Dahl, visited Australia as a guest of Pioneer Electronics, and shared what THX can mean to the home cinema lover.

And most importantly, he settled the vital matter of what ‘THX’ actually stands for. The competing theories are that it comes from George Lucas’ first feature film, 1971’s THX 1138 (based on his short student film of the same name), or was derived from the name of THX’s first main movie and thus stood for the Tomlinson Holman eXperiment.

Dahl’s answer: both!

the equipment would deliver a result in keeping with the movie makers’ intentions.

It’s the standards that matter

“THX runs some 2000 tests on the pieces of equipment on the road to their certification”

Now THX is not primarily about creating electronic products or new audio formats, although it has participated in developing some. It has largely remained true to its origin of setting standards. This might seem like a foreign concept in Australia, but standards need not necessarily be set by government bodies alone.

It all started when George Lucas found that experiencing his movies in cinemas was highly variable, in large part depending upon the cinema itself. Many contained poor equipment, or decent equipment that was poorly calibrated or installed. Lucas created THX with the mission of developing standards for cinemas. He wanted his movies to look and sound out in the real world exactly the way he made them to look and sound.

So THX set standards for how a cinema should be constructed and the specifications of its equipment, and then offered certification services. If a cinema met THX’s tests, it was allowed to display the three magic letters, and run the rip-tearing THX surround sound trailer.

Good marketing, indeed, and a guarantee that the movie would be free of lousy focus, tinny sound and other distractions away from the movie-viewing experience.

Since then some 2000 cinemas have been THX certified.

Unfortunately, only two of them are in Australia, both in Melbourne: the Village Regent in Ballarat and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne.

With extraordinary prescience, as early as 1990 THX also developed standards for home theatre equipment.

The aim, as with cinema certification, was to ensure that

But THX isn’t everything

You cannot go into a home theatre shop and buy a THX brand device, but you can buy any number of Blu-ray and DVD players, home theatre amplifiers and receivers, subwoofers and loudspeakers, with the THX logo. This attests to those devices having met THX’s standards, so you can be assured that they will deliver the true home theatre experience … if used in the environment for which the standard is designed.

Initially THX had just one level of certification for home theatre audio equipment, but it has extended this into a number of levels, while moving into new, non-home theatre areas. For the latter, it also now has standards for computer/multimedia and car audio systems.

John Dahl was quick to point out, though, that THX certification is a completely voluntary action on the part of equipment manufacturers, and there are many fine systems and pieces of equipment that have never even been submitted for certification. What the THX logo gives you is, in effect, confidence in a certain level of performance.

And that assurance is now in the process of moving into home theatre display technology.

VISIT US AT WWW.HEBG.COM.AU | 33

BETTER SOUND THX was started with the mission of setting standards for commercial cinemas, and later expanded those standards for home cinema equipment.

Audio standards

According to THX, good sound is all about the combination of the following: • Quality of the recording • System setup and calibration • Loudspeaker quality • Room acoustics

This last point is central to the THX approach, because the performance of loudspeakers and home theatre receivers is intimately connected with the space in which they operate. Our own fine home theatre system would sound quite lost in a large hall, but is glorious in our listening room. So THX has three levels of certification, each of which is designed for a particular room size.

The original THX level is now THX Ultra2, and equipment bearing this label will deliver the full home theatre experience in rooms of about 3000 cubic feet in size, where you sit some 12 feet or more from the screen.

THX is American, so those are its official figures.

Converting the Australian, we’re talking about sitting at least 3.5 metres from the screen, in a room of 85 cubic metres. This last is, with a typical ceiling height, a room

measuring about 7 metres by 5 metres: a large room, but not enormous.

For smaller spaces (3 to 3.5 metres from the screen, 4 x 6 metre room), the THX Select2 certification guarantees all the performance you need.

Finally, the newer THX I/S Plus System certification is intended for small home theatre systems, including home theatre in a box systems, for small rooms (it specifically mentions ‘dorm rooms’ where you sit about two metres from the screen).

Regardless of the size, THX runs some 2000 tests on the pieces of equipment on the road to their certification, and frequently there is a great deal of to-and-fro between THX and the manufacturer as deficiencies are drawn to the latter’s attention and improvements are requested.

TIPS FOR BEST SOUND For THX audio performance standards to be guaranteed in your home cinema setup, all components in the chain should ideally be THX certified. This is rarely the case however, because while THX electronics such as DVD players and AV receiver, are relatively affordable, surround sound speakers aren’t. The starting point for a THX speaker system in Australia is around $5000, for example, and as far as we’re aware, there are three brands in the club (Jamo, MK Sound, Klipsch).

According to Dahl, the reason for this is that many speakers, even very expensive speakers, fail to meet THX’s exacting requirements. The new THX I/S Plus System standard adjusts the performance bar somewhat to make certification attainable for a wider range of speakers, but when it comes to an

in-home sound experience that replicates that of a commercial cinema, Dahl says that around $US50,000 (excluding the display) will achieve it.

If your purse doesn’t quite stretch to that budget, Dahl’s tips for optimum sound from any equipment include: • Locate seating in front of the stage, and at least one metres from the walls.

• Aim the speaker’s output at the audience by listening to pink noise.

• Locate speakers correctly in the room, and so that their sound output provides good coverage of the listeners.

• Send all bass to the subwoofer/s, even if you are using large speakers. And keep the same setup for music.

• Keep sound and visual distractions to a minimum.

34 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

Senior Fellow and Director of Education at THX, John Dahl.

VISIT US AT WWW.HEBG.COM.AU

BETTER SOUND

Danish speaker maker Jamo is one of only three brands to market THX surround systems in Australia.

THE THX CHAIN

SOURCE MATERIAL

PLAYBACK DEVICE

“All this is not to say that THX is perfect.

For example, its recommended subwoofer location – centre, front – belies the standard advice”

AV RECEIVER

Now for the eyes

GOOD

BETTER

In 2006 THX introduced standards for home video displays, including large flat panel displays and projection devices. At this stage it’s partnering with JVC and Epson for projectors, and Panasonic and LG for panels.

This is not the same type of thing as Imaging Sciences Foundation calibration of displays. ISF is for tuning of a specific display to deliver the most accurate picture it is capable of in its particular location. An ISF calibration can improve any display, and can draw the very best out of it, but even so it still might not be very accurate.

THX runs 200 tests to ensure that the displays it certifies deliver highly accurate picture quality, straight out of the box. Sure, it can still be tuned by an ISF calibrator to work even better in the environment in which it is sited, but very good results should be expected even without this.

THX certification also deals with things not normally adjusted by calibrators. They manage colour and brightness and black levels and ‘gamma’ (the mapping of intermediate brightness levels in the signal to that on the display).

But THX also demands high levels of performance in dealing with interlaced video signals from TV or external source devices, high quality scaling of the picture, where necessary, to the display’s own resolution. And so on. And the THX picture mode eliminates ‘overscan’, the process by which the edges of the picture overflow the edges of the screen, so you get to see everything.

THX and the future BEST

All this is not to say that THX is perfect. For example, its recommended subwoofer location – centre, front – belies the standard advice, which is to put it in a room corner at the front. That enhances its output considerably, and subwoofers tend to be designed on the assumption that’s where they will end up.

And in the early days of DVD, certain THX-certified titles (eg. Titanic) were rather disappointing, because they

36 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

SPEAKERS

DISPLAY

were formatted in letterboxed widescreen aspect ratio, rather than anamorphic. This meant that they actually had lower resolution than the format was capable of delivering.

Nonetheless, THX has become, de facto, the international standard setter for home theatre performance. Even equipment which does not carry the THX certification logo is improved, indirectly, by THX, for it has to compete with real THX certified products. n

When you want to get into home entertainment but need to learn more, our How to Buy section is the perfect starting point. Our expert advice, buying and setup tips will help put you in the know before you venture onto the shop floor.

38

HOW TO BUY Desktop rockers

38

Rhapsody in Blu

44

Laptop speakers torture your tunes and your ears, but these desktop rockers bring real hi-fi to your work space.

Today’s Blu-ray players do everything you need, and a lot you never knew you needed. Our sample shows the diversity, with models that provide 3D playback, YouTube streaming, online video rentals, TV recording and amps for driving speakers.

Digital Shack

Media streamers are go!

78

Get up and go gear

85

How to share movies and music around the home, plus ten top media streamers to help you get the job done.

44

From DSLRs to pocket camcorders, portable storage to personal navigators, tablet devices to mobile broadband dongles, this is the tech to take on your travels.

REVIEWS Group test: 3D Television 50 LG Infinia 47LX9500 Panasonic Viera TH-P65VT20A Samsung PS50C7000 Sharp Aquos LC60LE925X Sony Bravia KDL40NX710

52 54 56 57 58

Box Fresh

78

Fetch TV Epson EH-R4000 Mitsubishi HC3900 Pioneer SC-LX83 Belkin Bluetooth Receiver Apple TV Toshiba REGZA 46WL700A XBox 360 S Audio Technica ATH-W1000X Yamaha RX-A3000 iPod Nano 6G Sharp LC-40LE820X Quattron

60 62 63 64 65 66 68 70 71 72 74 76

OUR RATINGS

The Home Entertainment Buyers Guide star rating systemindicates how any given product compares to other products in the same category and price range. A $1000 product that earns a five star rating, for example, is not directly comparable to a $10 000 product from the same category – the ratings are specific only to the product category and price range of the product under review. Products are rated for feature set, performance, price and ease of use. Where stated, an ‘Overall’ rating is an average of these criteria.

Poor

Fair

Good Excellent Reference

Performance Features Ease of use Value for money VISIT US AT WWW.HEBG.COM.AU | 37

HOW TO BUY

38 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

Desktop rockers

By Anika Hillery

W

ith so many of us listening to music and watching video on our computers, there are good reasons to upgrade your audio experience with a set of desktop speakers. Primary among these is the inferior sound produced by a notebook’s onboard speakers, which – being tiny in diameter, incapable of handling a decent range of frequencies, located in a shallow enclosure, and driven by miniscule amplifier chips – have none of the attributes of speakers that make for enjoyable listening.

While much of the choice in multimedia speakers has concentrated at the cheap and nasty end of the market, many hi-fi marques are now lending their expertise to

compact, stylish and functional designs that bring a premium audio performance to the table… er desktop.

Best results are usually found in 2.1 systems, with eye-catching satellites passing bass duties onto a compact subwoofer that tucks out of sight at ground level. Style is a key differentiator between different systems, but don’t let a pretty face blind you to important convenience and performance features.

Multiple drivers typically mean better sound reproduction; analog RCA, 3.5mm and USB ports provide broad compatibility with computers and other audio devices, and on-speaker controls allow handy adjustment of power on/off, volume, treble and bass.

Focal XS Multimedia Sound System Benefiting from trickle-down technologies developed for the French company’s super-high-end speakers, Focal’s XS Multimedia Sound System sounds as classy as it looks. Each two-way speaker is driven by 30 watts of power, with 70 watts provided by the 16.5cm subwoofer, so it’s little wonder this compact hi-fi system achieves sound pressure levels of 104 dB. Designed as a cosmetic match for iMacs, the system integrates a USB soundcard with Burr Brown DACs that better those in your computer and, in a nice touch, docked iPods and iPhones automatically charge and sync with iTunes without the need for a separate cable.

Price: $799 Web: www.audiomarketing.com.au

Edifier MP300 Plus A 2.1 system with a unique design that won the attention of judges at the 2010 European Red Dot Awards, Edifier’s MP300 Plus mates a pair of diminutive spherical satellites with metal weave grilles to a tube-shaped 9 watt subwoofer. On/off and volume functions are mounted to the satellites, and connection to a laptop, MP3 player or desktop is via a 3.5mm port. The supplied padded carry case ensures the 1.5 kilo sound system is protected and portable, plus there’s a range of snappy brushed aluminium finishes to choose from.

Price: $99.99 Web: www.edifierinternational.com

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HOW TO BUY

Logitech Z-623 The Z-623 won’t win any beauty pageants, but this THX certified 2.1 system meets the performance criteria set down by the experts who specify the acoustic standards for the world’s premier commercial cinemas. So they’re good, and at $299, good value. Total output is rated at 200 watts – 130 for the sub and 2 x 35 watts to the satellites – and the satellites sport handy front-mounted on/off, bass and volume controls. The subwoofer provides pair of 3.5mm inputs and an RCA plug for connecting gaming, video or audio devices, and there’s a headphone socket on one satellite for private listening.

Price: $299 Web: www.logitech.com/en-au/home

Bose Companion 2 Series II One of the first hi-fi brands to enter the desktop arena, Bose keeps it simple with its Companion 2 Series II. There’s no sub here, but Bose says the enclosures work to deliver “full, deep low notes”, while onboard TrueSpace DSP processing helps create a wider sound stage for improved stereo effects.

Twin ports allow simultaneous connection of a computer and portable music device, and with its conservative design and slim footprint, the Companion 2 is the epitome of CEO chic

Price: $150 Web: www.bose.com.au

Harman Kardon Sound Sticks II The transparent design has made Harman Kardon’s Sound Sticks II a fixture in groovy SOHO spaces and funky creative studios for nigh on a decade, proving, if nothing else, that people like their audio equipment to look naked. Performance specs are modest – a 20 watt sub and 2 x 10 watt satellites, with bass down to only 44Hz – but, despite this, the Sound Sticks II sound A-OK, and with just a single stereo mini-jack connection to make to either a computer or portable player, they are a doddle to set up. Clear and simple, iconic, funky and fab, these H/Ks won’t ever go out of style.

Price: $299.95 Web: www.conexus.com.au

NuForce S-X Designed to mate with the 2 x 24 watt Icon desktop amp, the NuForce S-X makes use of an angled front baffle and integrated waveguide design to achieve a wide sound stage and minimal distortion. Proprietary drivers, a die-cast basket, vented voice coil and Neodymium motor speak to the quality of components at play here, and a versatile shape means the S-X can be located in an upright, sideways or upside-down position around the desktop. Bass response reaches to 90Hz, but the matching W-1 subwoofer extends this down to 50Hz. Available in black, silver, red or blue.

Price: S-X $349; W-1 subwoofer $369; Icon2 amp $469 Web: www.internationaldynamics.com.au

40 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

BeoLab 4 PC A miniature variant of Bang & Olufsen’s bookshelf BeoLab 4 hi-fi speakers, the tweeter and woofer in each of these satellites is powered by a dedicated ICEpower digital amplifier, ensuring good volume levels, low distortion and cool running. B&O’s patented Adaptive Bass Linearisation wrings the best low-end performance from these weeny cabinets, making redundant the need for a subwoofer, and with signal sensing technology they power-on only when your computer or portable player does.

Price: $1550 Web: www.bang-olufsen.com

Harman Kardon GLA-55 Made from the same stuff as bullet-proof glass, the distinctive enclosures of the GLA-55 are designed with variable thickness that H/K says increases bass and reduces distortion. The cause of bass – which extends down to 35Hz – is further enhanced by the purposeengineered Atlas AL woofer and some fairly meaty digital amplification of 55 watts to each speaker. DSP equalisation and proprietary compression technologies heap more merit on this audiophile-grade computer speaker, with the whole package nicely topped off by onetouch volume, mute and standby controls.

Price: $999 Web: www.conexus.com.au

Bowers and Wilkins MM-1 Designed by the acoustic engineering team behind the speakers used in Abbey Road Studios, the MM1 feature EQ for maximising bass output, a headphone socket with DSP, a USB connection to your computer and a 3.5mm jack for other devices. On-speaker controls are duplicated on the pebble-shaped remote and, constructed of materials that scream quality, there’s a lot to like about these small, musical speakers.

Price: $700 Web: www.e-hifi.com.au

Altec Lansing MX 6021 Expressionist Ultra Following the design cues of the ‘undressed’ Sound Sticks II, the Expressionist Ultra exposes the twin drivers in each of its distinctive-looking satellites behind angled planks of Perspex and adds some low-end doof with a front-firing 6.5 inch woofer. This contains the system’s 200 watts of amplification, RCA and 3.5mm jacks for connecting other devices. A separate dome-like controller provides volume, treble and bass controls and while this ensures the face of each satellite is kept clean of knobs, it does add another item of clutter to your work space.

Price: $250 Web: www.altechlansing.com

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ROUND UP

44 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

Rhapsody in

BLU Blu-ray players have become much more than a device to simply play a movie disc. Max Everingham takes a look at the diversity on offer.

W

hen it comes to software, there’s always going to be a new format. However Blu-ray, which essentially is high definition DVD, still seems to be causing all sorts of confusion. ‘Why do we need a new kind of DVD?!’ ‘Do I need to start a new collection?’

‘What does Blu-ray have over DVD anyway?’ we hear you cry.

The answers depend on what kind of viewer you are. But if you like movies and you like watching stuff in high definition – and you bought that big, flat-screen TV for a reason, didn’t you? – then you’re going to need to consider Blu-ray. Because, just to make it really, really clear – crystal clear – DVDs are not high definition!

You know that collection of DVDs you’ve built up over the years? Not high definition. So they won’t look great up there on your flat screen.

Blu-ray, on the other hand, will look magnificent, because it’s designed to complement big LCD and plasma TVs and handle images with the kind of resolution that beats most cinemas hands down in the visual quality department.

Another advantage of the Blu-ray format over DVD is space: Blu-ray has heaps of it, meaning that (some) movie studios will

put a load more bonus content on the discs or, if you’re lucky, clever new functions like being able to shop for that exact jacket Tom Cruise is wearing in the film you’re watching, or checking film archives online to learn more about the real-life CIA or NSA. Most Blu-ray machines will ‘upscale’ your regular old DVDs to make them look better. Some can record, some handle 3D, some access the internet and home network files, and some do all that stuff. And the good news is that the prices have plummeted to around what you’d have paid for a decent DVD player a year or so ago. And a Blu-ray player will still play all your DVDs and CDs. Yes, you’ll have to start a new collection, but humans love collecting stuff, right? We made the switch, kicking and screaming, from vinyl records to shiny CDs that, we were told, we could use even if we spread strawberry jam all over them or used them as coffee table coasters or Frisbees in the garden.

Maybe that didn’t turn out quite so well, but there’s no denying that quick access, no rewinding and better quality came with CD. Blu-ray takes it all a step further: drop-dead visual quality and amazing surround sound, both in HD, more content, more functionality and 3D.

Marantz ER308 Melody Movies Blu-ray receiver Marantz has invested all its knowledge gained in building premium AV receivers in the ER308 Blu-ray receiver. The result is a beautiful-looking machine that does a lot more than just spin up Blu-ray discs. The ER308 will pump out virtual surround sound using just two speakers at 140 watts RMS, upscale DVD to 1080p and play music from your iPod, mobile phone or an external hard drive, with or without wires. Plus it has a tuner. For serious audiophiles wanting a multi-function unit.

The inclusion of an AM/FM radio, Image quality, Dolby Virtual Speaker for surround sound, Build quality Only HDMI 1.3a out of the box, Cannot be upgraded Price: $1999 Contact: www.qualifi.com.au

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ROUND UP

Sony BDPS570 3D Top of the new range from Sony, this slimline player is ready to go in a lightning-fast three seconds after power-up, features built-in Wi-Fi to connect to Bravia Internet video channels and is capable of displaying full HD. It’s also ready for 3D, so is the perfect choice for tech-savvy movie buffs who want all the latest functionality without the premium price.

Very fast bootup, Built-in Wi-Fi, 1GB integral memory XMB (XrossMediaBar) navigation not as cool or intuitive as you think it is, Sony Price: $379 Contact: www.sony.com.au

Panasonic DMR-BW880 A true ‘do it all’ machine, the DMR-BW series of Blu-ray players also record to built-in hard drives - 500GB in this case, allowing up to 350 hours’ worth of high-def recordings, according to Pana – via twin HD TV tuners. That means you can record two things and watch back a recording or disc all at the same time. You can pause and mess with live TV, connect all manner of devices via USB and, uniquely here in this roundup, record to Blu-ray disc in 1080p (or to DVD in SD). This is the ideal machine for those who want it all!

Twin HD tuners, Record to Blu-ray, Simple operation No AV input, even in the most expensive model, No high-def sound output Price: $1199 Contact: www.panasonic.com.au

Arcam FMJ BDP100 The first ever Blu-ray player from this world-class, boutique hi-fi British outfit, the BDP100 employs the same ‘direct path’ and damping philosophy seen its other award-winning products.

Audiophile grade conversion and a full set of remote IR and RS232 control codes makes this one for cashed-up home theatre installation nuts and sound purists.

Gorgeous design (esp. in silver), Premium components and build quality Only HDMI 1.3a, Breathtaking price Price: $1998 Contact: www.absoluteaudiovision.com.au

46 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

Samsung BD-C5500 The cheapest machine in the roundup but fully loaded out of the box with content-streaming, Internet and wireless LAN capabilities, the BD-C5500 does require an adaptor, at additional cost, to exploit all its clever bits. But it’s a great choice for someone looking for a ‘future proof’ Blu-ray player with functions they can grow into.

DviX HD compatibility, Plays anything Wireless ‘dongle’ required (not built-in) Price: $229 Contact: www.samsung.com.au

LG HR559D A Blu-ray player and digital set-top box for satellite, cable and freeto-air TV, this all-in-one LG machine represents fantastic value for money. It plays every format going, records and plays back 3D, and can connect to your home network and the internet – a simple user interface and its ‘all in one’ nature means this is perfect for non-techsavvy and novice users.

Recording ability and a 500GB hard drive to stick programs on!

HDMI 1.4a, Excellent value Doesn’t actually record to discs, only to the hard drive, Single TV tuner Price: $719 (HR558D 250GB model); $999 (HR559D 500GB model) Contact: www.lg.com/au

Pioneer BDP-LX54 3D Blu-ray player Part of Pioneer’s flagship LX component range, the BDP-LX54 is full HD and 3D capable. And if you hook it up to your wireless network – by wired Ethernet or an optional dongle – you can use Pioneer’s superb ‘iControlAV’ app for remote operation over WiFi from your iPhone or iPod Touch. For discerning AV enthusiasts who value world-class image and sound quality over gimmicks they’ll probably never use.

Free remote control app, HDMI 1.4a (with 3D), MKV format playback Classy looks but virtually identical to its cheaper stablemate the 430, Overly complicated remote Price: $599 Contact: www.pioneer.com.au

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ROUND UP

Yamaha BD-A1000 Benefitting from a redesign to twin perfectly with its ‘Aventage’ AV receivers, including powering-on and playing when you hit a single button on a paired receiver, Yamaha’s 3D-capable A1000 streams every conceivable AV format over DLNA and has 7.1 mutlichannel audio output. The Yammy even plays those higher-quality SACDs and DVD Audio discs and would be a great choice in a 7.1 surround sound home theatre setup.

Pleasing aesthetic redesign to match the AV receivers, Multichannel output, IR control Tacky remote doesn’t match player build quality Price: $699 Contact: www.yamahamusic.com.au

Onkyo BD-SP308 Onkyo puts its money where its mouth is with an unmatched threeyear warranty on its third-generation Blu-ray player, the SP308.

Positioned in the premium space, owners of other Onkyo gear will see this as the perfect companion, despite its rather retro design ethic. Like most other performance AV brands, this really just plays Blu-ray disc really, really well, rather than go big on the gadgets.

Three-year warranty, Fast disc access ‘80s looks, Very bare bones features-wise Price: $599 Contact: www.ambertech.com.au

Cambridge Audio UK audio maestros Cambridge Audio enter the fray with a machine that emphasises top-quality sound, boasting 192kHz/24-bit DACs and the ability to handle SACD and DVD-Audio discs. All the HD sound formats are decoded on board in stereo, 5.1 or 7.1, including the true lossless Dolby True HD and DTS HD Master Audio formats, making it ideal for anyone truly serious about peerless audio reproduction.

And it’s the only player here that is officially multi-region.

1GB internal storage, 7.1 multichannel output, Gorgeous, matte ‘brushed aluminium’ front panel, ‘Pure Audio’ mode, Multi-region playback No HDMI 1.4a, No 3D Price: $1199 Contact: www.synergyaudio.com

48 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

VISIT US AT WWW.HEBG.COM.AU

GROUP TEST

When you want more from a TV, 3D walks all over widgets, YouTube and Skype. Thomas Bartlett compares five LCD and plasma models to reveal today’s best 3D television.

T

he hottest new home entertainment technology is 3D. At last, full colour 3D is available, from free-to-air broadcast TV, from pay TV and from disc in the form of Blu-ray 3D. The problem is that this content remains rare. As I write, there are only two or three Blu-ray 3D movies available for purchase, and the winter trials of 3D broadcast TV have come to an end.

Nonetheless, if you’re in the market for a TV, making it a 3D TV might be a very good idea, because we reckon that 2011 will mark the release of quite a few Blu-ray 3D

WHAT TO LOOK FOR • • • •

Low crosstalk on 3D Good and even black levels Screen-size that fits your room HDMI inputs – the more the better

50 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

movies. Already another half dozen are expected to be released in the US in time for Christmas.

And for the most part 3D TVs are also excellent 2D TVs. That was certainly the case with the five 3D models one each from the biggest nameplates in television - we spent a week evaluating for this groups test. Seven days with five TVs adds up to a lot of third-degree eyeball hours, and our pick as to the best all-round performer came down to two things: tolerable eyewear and low crosstalk.

To explain, we must dig a little into how 3D TV works.

The essence of 3D is that your left and right eyes see the world from slightly different angles. The goal of a 3D TV is to allow each eye to see the image intended for it, and none of the image meant for the other eye. Present technology attempts to achieve that by flashing the left and right eye images onto the screen in turn. You wear active liquid crystal eyewear. The liquid crystals flash opaque and transparent in time with the flashing images on the TV, allowing your right eye, then your left eye, then your right eye – and so on – see whatever is on the screen.

The timing for all this must be very precise, so the TV uses an infrared transmitter to send a synchronisation signal to the eyewear, ensuring they flash in time.

All this flashing happens so quickly that you can’t actually see any flicker. And the opaque/transparent switching happens at a molecular level, so you feel no vibration.

But despite this, no 3D TV that we have yet experienced is perfect at ensuring the left eye sees only the left eye images, and the right eye sees only the right eye images. Instead there is always some leakage. This is called ‘crosstalk’, a term borrowed from older audio technology where the sound from the left channel would sometimes leak to the right, and vice versa.

With 3D TVs the crosstalk can be caused by such things

as the liquid crystal shutters not being fully opaque, and slight timing discrepancies between the picture display and the shutter operation.

Crosstalk manifests as ‘ghosting’, where some objects on the screen seem to have a faint shadow of themselves to their left or right. A little ghosting is no more than an irritation, but when it gets to a certain level, it can interfere with the 3D effect.

The other thing that makes a good 3D TV is how comfortable the eyewear is. Remember, a movie typically lasts from 90 minutes to two hours. Movie viewing shouldn’t be physically painful, so when you’re shopping, ask to try on the 3D spectacles, and leave them on for several minutes at least.

3D TELEVISION THE GOOD

THE LESS GOOD

• • • •

• 3D performance is still a work in progress, with

Enjoy 3D movies the way they were produced Generally first class 2D performance as well Most have excellent multimedia support All offer excellent free-to-air DTV performance

crosstalk issues limiting quality

• Very little 3D content • You pay a significant premium over very good 2D TVs

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GROUP TEST

PROS AND CONS

Superb black levels Excellent 2D picture quality Truly impressively thin frame around picture Excellent new media versatility Disappointing crosstalk performance in 3D RATINGS PERFORMANCE FEATURES

LG INFINIA 47LX9500 O ne thing about the LG Infinia 47LX9500 3D LCD TV stands out beyond everything else: its so-called ‘Borderless’ design makes it look absolutely gorgeous. When it’s running, the picture extends almost all the way to the edges. There is only 16mm of black framing above and to the left and right of the picture. From my usual sitting position, the image

EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY

SPECIFICATIONS Category: 3D LCD TV Price: $3499 Warranty: three years Contact: LG Electronics Australia 1800 725 375 www.lge.com.au Image: LCD, dynamic LED array backlight; 119cm diagonal; 16:9 native aspect, 1920 x 1080 pixels; brightness not stated; contrast ratio 10,000,000:1 dynamic; panel response time 2ms Inputs: 1 x composite video, 0 x S-Video, 3 x component video, 4 x HDMI, 1 x D-SUB15, 5 x stereo audio, 2 x USB, 1 x Ethernet Outputs: 1 x optical digital audio Audio: Stereo, three speakers, 2 x 10 watts Features: 3D TV, analogue TV tuner, HD digital TV tuner, ‘Borderless’, 400Hz TruMotion frame interpolation motion smoothing, Dynamic LED array backlight, DLNA media support, Internet Widgets and Video (YouTube & BigPond movies), WiFi dongle support Supplied accessories: remote control; manual; desktop swivel stand; 2 x 3D glasses Dimensions (WHD): 1086 x 655 x 32mm (without stand) Weight: 26.7kg (incl. stand)

almost seemed to be floating there, independently of any device to produce it.

But not far behind is the TV’s superb 2D performance.

Despite the very thin panel, the TV uses full LED array backlighting, rather than edge LEDs. That means that the TV can exercise finer control over the black and brightness levels on different parts of the screen. The result was excellent black levels and a great contrast ratio, all the time, regardless of the picture content.

The colour was fine and there are special memories set aside for Imaging Sciences Foundation (ISF) calibration, should you want to pay a specialist to tune up the TV for you.

In short: 2D picture performance from this TV was excellent.

The TV comes with its 3D infrared transmitter built-in, and two sets of 3D liquid crystal eyewear. These have builtin rechargeable batteries and are charged up by plugging them into a USB port (there are two on the TV).

The 3D performance was adequate, as compared to presently available 3D consumer TVs. That is to say that it produced a creditable 3D effect, but one that was noticeably marred by ghosting. Much of the time, whether it was lighter images on dark backgrounds or vice versa, there was marked breakthrough of images intended for one eye into the vision provided to the other.

The TV supports side-by-side broadcast 3D TV, and of course Blu-ray 3D, but doesn’t have a 2D to 3D simulator.

In short: 2D picture performance from this TV was excellent… It produced a creditable 3D effect, but one that was noticeably marred by ghosting”

52 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

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GROUP TEST

PROS AND CONS

Massively large screen Good value for money Excellent crosstalk performance Support for hard disk recording Excellent new media versatility Quite bulky 3D IR transmitter interferes with some equipment RATINGS PERFORMANCE FEATURES EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY

SPECIFICATIONS Category: 3D plasma TV Price: $5999 Warranty: one year Contact: Panasonic Australia 132 600 www.panasonic.com.au Image: plasma; 165cm diagonal; 16:9 native aspect, 1920 x 1080 pixels; brightness not stated; contrast ratio 5,000,000:1 dynamic, 40,000:1 native; panel response time not stated Inputs: 4 x composite video, 1 x S-Video, 2 x component video (supporting progressive scan and HD), 1 x D-SUB15 RGB, 4 x HDMI, 4 x stereo audio, 2 x USB, 1 x SD card, 1 x Ethernet Outputs: 1 x optical digital audio, 1 x stereo audio out, 1 x composite video out, 1 x 3.5mm headphone Audio: 2 x 40mm x 160mm full range, 1 x 70mm woofer; 2 x 10 watts + 10 watts for woofer Features: 3D TV, Neo Plasma technology, THX Certified, analog and HD digital tuners built in, DLNA certification for Ethernet for multimedia playback, supports wireless LAN with optional dongle, desktop swivel stand, Intelligent Frame Creation, 2 x USB for multimedia playback/WiFi dongle/ Skype, Viera Cast Internet access (Picasa, YouTube, Bloomberg, Weather), Timeshift/recording with USB device Supplied accessories: remote control; manual; desktop stand; 1 x 3D glasses Dimensions (WHD): 1580 x 967 x 90mm (without stand) Weight: 54.5kg (incl. stand)

PANASONIC VIERA TH-P65VT20A T he two most startling things about the Panasonic Viera TH-P65VT20A 3D plasma TV are the size and the price: how big the first is, and how little the second. Six thousand may not seem little, but at 165cm, this is the biggest readily available TV. Three years ago its predecessor cost three times as much, and being plasma it is considerably cheaper on a cost/square centimetre of screen basis than LCD. As it happens, it also had the best 3D performance of the five TVs in this roundup. Part of this was due to the sheer size of the screen: you can’t help but feel very involved with a screen this big unless you are at least four or five metres away. I used it at 2.5 metres. Brilliant!

The other part was the total absence of crosstalk most of the time. In particular, there was no visible dark-ghostingon-light-background that is so evident on 3D LCD TVs. In this regard it was even better than the Samsung plasma.

In the reverse situation – light objects on a black background – some ghosting was evident, but once again it was a touch better than the Samsung.

The default picture setting – ‘Normal’ – seemed a little too dull, though, in 3D mode. Flicking it over to ‘Dynamic’ brought up the brightness nicely.

You get one set of 3D glasses with the TV, and the infrared transmitter is built-in. The transmitter’s operation interfered with the remote control function of a couple of other pieces of equipment in my system, so it’d be wise to have other equipment near the TV, not on a side wall like mine. There is no 2D to 3D simulator.

The 2D picture performance was excellent as well, and the TV did a good job with a wide range of other functions, including network operation and the convenient ability to plug in a USB hard disk drive for recording.

The best 3D performance of the five TVs in this roundup – Part of this was due to the sheer size of the screen”

54 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

GROUP TEST

PROS AND CONS

Excellent value for money Very good crosstalk performance Support for hard disk recording Eexcellent new media versatility Black levels a little disappointing Susceptible to short-term plasma burn-in RATINGS PERFORMANCE FEATURES EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY

SPECIFICATIONS Category: 3D Plasma TV Price: $2499 Warranty: one year Contact: Samsung Electronics Australia 1300 369 600 www.samsung.com.au Image: plasma; 127cm diagonal; 16:9 native aspect, 1920 x 1080 pixels; brightness not stated; contrast ratio not stated; panel response time 0.0001ms Inputs: 1 x composite video, 0 x S-Video, 1 x component video, 4 x HDMI, 1 x D-SUB15, 3 x stereo audio, 2 x USB, 1 x Ethernet Outputs: 1 x optical digital audio, 1 x 3.5mm headphone Audio: stereo, two speakers, 2 x 10 watts Features: analogue TV tuner, HD digital TV tuner, 3D TV including 2D to 3D conversion, 3D HyperReal Engine, 600Hz Subfield Motion, frame interpolation motion smoothing, Mega Dynamic Contrast, DLNA media support, Internet Widgets and Video (YouTube), WiFi dongle support, HDMI Audio Return Channel supported Supplied accessories: remote control; manual; desktop swivel stand; 1 x 3D glasses Dimensions (WHD): 1210 x 747 x 29mm (without stand) Weight: 30.6kg (incl. stand)

SAMSUNG PS50C7000 A

rguably 3D is giving new life to plasma TV technology. I’ve looked at three different Samsung LCD 3D TVs, and now the Samsung PS50C7000 3D plasma TV, and there is no doubt that the plasma is the better performer when it comes to 3D. It’s also a lot cheaper.

The TV comes with processing built-in, along with the necessary infrared transmitter to control the liquid crystal 3D eyewear. You get one set of these with the TV (these use a replaceable button cell rather than the rechargeable battery models also available from Samsung). Note: the eyewear is the same for both the LCD and plasma models from Samsung.

The performance boost for 3D comes when strongly coloured and darker items are shown over a lighter background. With this TV there was almost no ghosting at all. Even when I looked for it, it was only occasionally perceptible, and only when I strained.

There was more significant crosstalk with white material over a black background, most obviously in the credits at the end of movies where a 3D effect had been used. This tends to be much less frequent than the other situation, so it rarely caused a problem.

The TV also offered a fairly effective 2D to 3D simulation.

The TV offered Samsung’s network connectivity, offering widgets (eg. weather reports, games), and some video content, primarily YouTube. It also supports media from connected USB devices, or DLNA-compatible server software on the network. You can plug a USB hard disk drive in and use this as a PVR. This worked beautifully.

There were two main limitations on the TV: its black levels were disappointing compared to leading plasma display, and indeed compared to Samsung’s LCD TVs! And it suffered fairly readily from plasma burn-in. Fortunately the latter tended to wash out in normal viewing within a few minutes.

There is no doubt that the plasma is the better performer when it comes to 3D”

56 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

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PROS AND CONS

SONY BRAVIA KDL40NX710 T he Sony Bravia KDL40NX710 LCD TV does offer 3D, but only at a cost. It has all the necessary processing built-in, but you will need to add at least one set of 3D eyewear ($99 per pair) and the 3D infrared transmitter ($69) to make it work.

The transmitter plugs into a special socket on the back.

The glasses are powered by a low-cost button cell. Plugged in and switched on, this compact full high definition TV offered a very good 3D effect. It suffered from crosstalk – with both dark and coloured objects ghosting over light backgrounds, and lighter objects ghosting over dark backgrounds – but the crosstalk was soft enough that it didn’t seem to detract significantly from the 3D effect.

In addition to Blu-ray 3D and side-by-side 3D TV broadcasts, it features a 2D to 3D simulator. This produced some decent effects much of the time when working with high quality sources.

This TV was most susceptible to losing 3D if you tilt your head, and viewing at some horizontal angles introduced fuzziness to parts of the picture.

The Edge LED backlighting operated dynamically, and allowed different brightness levels on different parts of the screen, generally allowing excellent black levels.

The TV supports both USB media devices, and networking. The latter can use the Ethernet port or the built in WiFi. The full range of Sony’s Internet TV package is available, including YouTube, Yahoo7, SBS and ABC iView. Internet Widgets provide Flickr, Twitter and several information services. Some of these were rather slow in operation.

As usual with compact LCD TVs, the built-in speakers were good enough for the news, and that’s about it. But Sony provided one of its new active speaker display stands (these cost $349). The TV slots into this cleanly. You plug the TV into the stand using a HDMI cable, and the unit is fed sound via the Audio Return Channel capability of HDMI. It isn’t home theatre, but with its forward’s facing speakers and small woofer, it sounds far better than just about any currently available TV.

With the transmitter plugged in and switched on, this compact full high definition TV offered a very good 3D effect” VISIT US AT WWW.HEBG.COM.AU

Good 3D crosstalk performance Very good 2D picture Good black levels Optional active speaker stand available Excellent new media versatility 3D comes at additional cost for peripherals Must keep head very level for 3D Some fuzziness from glasses RATINGS PERFORMANCE FEATURES EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY

SPECIFICATIONS Category: 3D LCD TV Price: $2299 Warranty: one year Contact: Sony Australia Limited 1300 137 669 www.sony.com.au Image: LCD, Edge LED backlight; 102cm diagonal; 16:9 native aspect, 1920 x 1,080 pixels; brightness not stated; contrast ratio not stated; panel response time not stated Inputs: 1 x composite video, 0 x S-Video, 1 x component video, 4 x HDMI, 1 x D-SUB15, 3 x stereo audio, 1 x USB, 1 x Ethernet Outputs: 1 x optical digital audio, 1 x stereo audio, 1 x 3.5mm headphone Audio: stereo, two speakers, 2 x 8 watts Features: analog TV tuner, HD digital TV tuner, 3D TV including 2D to 3D conversion, Bravia Engine 3, Motionflow PRO 100Hz motion smoothing, Dynamic Edge LED Backlight, DLNA media support, Bravia Internet Video and Widgets, Integrated WiFi, HDMI Audio Return Channel supported Supplied accessories: remote control; manual; desktop swivel stand Dimensions (WHD): 994 x 641 x 64mm (without stand) Weight: 22.6kg (incl. stand)

X/X 2009 | HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE 57

GROUP TEST

PROS AND CONS

Very large screen; slim panel Support for USB and DLNA Attractive styling Disappointing crosstalk performance in 3D Black levels only adequate RATINGS PERFORMANCE FEATURES EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY

SPECIFICATIONS Category: 3D LCD TV Price: $5999 Warranty: three years Contact: Sharp Corporation of Australia 1300 135 530 www.sharp.net.au Image: Quattron 4 colour LCD, Edge LED backlight; 152cm diagonal; 16:9 native aspect, 1,920 x 1,080 pixels; brightness not stated; contrast ratio not stated; panel response time not stated Inputs: 1 x composite video, 0 x S-Video, 1 x component video, 4 x HDMI, 1 x D-SUB15, 3 x stereo audio, 1 x USB, 1 x Ethernet Outputs: 1 x optical digital audio, 1 x 3.5mm headphone Audio: stereo, two speakers & woofer, 2 x 10 watts + 1 x 15 watts Features: analog TV tuner, HD digital TV tuner, 3D TV including 2D to 3D conversion, AquoMotion 200Hz motion smoothing, Timeshift function, Dynamic Edge LED Backlight, DLNA media support, HDMI Audio Return Channel supported Supplied accessories: remote control; manual; desktop swivel stand; 1 x 3D glasses Dimensions (WHD): 1439 x 913 x 40mm (without stand) Weight: 55.5kg (incl. stand)

SHARP AQUOS LC60LE925X T he Sharp Aquos LC60LE925X 3D LCD TV enters hard on the heals of its other ‘Quattron’ LED models, and shares with them a unique feature: four colours. Virtually all TVs generate their pictures using triplets of dots to make up the pixels.

These are coloured red, green and blue. This TV adds yellow to the mix, potentially expanding the gamut (that is, range) of available colours.

The panel is backlit using Edge LEDs, allowing a thin 40mm unit. With its rounded corners and unbroken glass sheet across the entire front of the TV, it looks very attractive indeed.

The black levels were adequate, but not outstanding, and the default colour scheme tended, perhaps not surprisingly, just a little towards a yellow bias. This was quite adjustable, though, and overall the 2D picture quality was fine.

The 3D picture was problematic. The review unit had quite severe ghosting visible, both with darker coloured

Conclusion

As you can see, 3D TV performance is highly variable, but it does seem that at this early stage, plasma is better than LCD. A good LCD implementation, though, can be quite acceptable, as demonstrated by Sony.

Two of the TVs do not offer a 2D to 3D simulation capability. In the past I’ve been quite blasé about this, thinking it no more than a gimmick that few would ever bother using. But recently I’ve spoken to a couple of 3D TV owners who enjoy using this mode, particularly

58 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

items on light backgrounds and vice versa. In the latter case (light on dark) there were times when parts of the image became quite confused, simply because of the overlapping ghosts in both eyes.

The TV has an infrared transmitter built-in, and comes with one pair of 3D glasses. These use a rechargeable battery and are charged up by connecting them to the USB port on the TV. The TV supports 2D to 3D simulation.

The menu structure of the TV is a little unusual.

Rather than overlaying the picture, the TV scales the picture down to about three-quarter size, pushing it to the bottom left, so that the main menu can be laid out across the top of the screen, and the submenu down the right side.

The TV supports multimedia playback from USB and Digital Living Network Alliance-compliant networks.

However it lacks the wider Internet capabilities available from some of the other TVs.

on sports, so you might want to take that into account.

After all, for the moment at least, interesting 3D content remains really quite rare.

Crosstalk performance will improve over the next couple of years – after all, this 3D business is still very new. Until then, this review sample – with Panasonic’s 65 inch leading the pack – represents the best of 3D as currently implemented. And by happy default, the most fully featured 2D televisions your dollars can buy. n

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*

*Image simulated. Reaction is not.

NEW SHARP AQUOS WITH QUATTRON™ TECHNOLOGY. TAKE IN OVER A BILLION COLOURS. Introducing the new AQUOS LED series with Quattron™ technology. It adds a fourth colour – yellow – to the standard RGB TV format creating colours never before seen on TVs with 3-colour technology.

Experience over a billion intense colours at a Sharp retailer near you. You have to see it, to see it. © 2010 Sharp Corporation. Sharp, AQUOS, and Quattron and all related trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sharp Corporation and/or its affiliated companies.

sharp.net.au

BOX FRESH

iiNET FETCHTV F A selection of apps from the FetchTV service.

etchTV is a newcomer to the personal digital video recorder (PVR) category, competing with big-name living-room moguls like Foxtel’s IQ2, TiVo and Telstra’s T-Box to name a few.

Like the other PVRs, FetchTV enables you to tune in free-to-air digital TV and pause, rewind and record live broadcasts. Also similar is a selection of video-on-demand movies and TV shows, which can be purchased and downloaded from the Internet.

However, what makes the FetchTV stand apart is that it also offers ‘IPTV,’ which is additional TV ‘channels’ that are ‘broadcast’ through a broadband connection instead of over the airwaves or through a Pay TV cable or satellite.

This is an advantage for those who want more than just free-to-air TV, but don’t live in an area where they can

get Foxtel, or for people who are looking for a cheaper alternative.

FetchTV is distributed through partnerships with Internet Service Providers, and the first company to sell it in Australia is iiNet, with others expected to follow.

Downloads from the FetchTV service don’t count towards your monthly iiNet quota, meaning you can watch as much as you like without incurring extra broadband usage costs.

HARDWARE AND CAPABILITIES FetchTV is designed to connect to your standard or high definition television, either directly or via an AV receiver.

It comes with a number of connection options including HDMI, component and composite video, S-Video and analog stereo audio. For 5.1 surround sound systems, digital optical and coaxial connections are also included.

FetchTV tops the pack when it comes to on-board storage, with a massive 1 terabyte included as standard.

There are also three, rather than two, HD digital TV tuners built-in, which means you can watch one channel while recording on two others.

CONTENT FetchTV is more than just a HDTV tuner that sits in your entertainment console. Think of it as an international content aggregator. The service combines the 16 or so digital free-to-air TV channels with content purchased from international broadcast networks, and delivered via 15 IPTV channels, as well as pay-per-view movies and TV. Webbased content is provided in standard definition quality.

In terms of the quality of content, Fetch has struck content deals with Discovery Networks, National Geographic, MTV Networks, Fox International Channels, E! Entertainment Television, BBC World News, CNBC, ABC, Roadshow

60 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

Entertainment, Disney Media Distribution and MGM, so a lot of the shows that you’ll find on Foxtel’s subscription TV service can be watched on FetchTV as well.

Fetch also provides a rolling list of 30 video on-demand movies, which is included in the subscription price. There’s a new movie added each day, and while many are classic catalogue titles or niche films, this gives you a wide range of viewing choice. For new release movies, there are plenty of options as well, plus you don’t’ have to hike to the video store. New release movie rentals cost $6.95.

USER EXPERIENCE A unique feature of FetchTV is that it will download all of the on-demand movies and TV shows to a dedicated space on the hard drive. It does this ‘in the background’, or while the machine is inactive, and it takes about a month to complete. The advantage of doing this is that you won’t have to wait for your movie or TV selection to download before watching, as it’s already resident on your machine.

A downside is that all this content takes up hard drive space that you could normally use for free-to-air TV recordings, but considering that you have 1 terabyte to start with, there should still be plenty of space.

FetchTV tops the pack when it comes to on-board storage, with a massive 1 terabyte included as standard. There are also three, rather than two HD digital TV tuners built-in” The electronic program guide (EPG) is where you can browse the different channels, and Fetch has combined both the IPTV and terrestrial channels into one seamless interface. It’s straightforward and easy to use, as are most of the menus and remote control. However, the lag when populating the EPG with information is frustrating. Also, changing free-to-air channels takes a maddening couple of seconds, much slower than competitor alternatives, and takes some getting used to.

I was impressed with the quality of the Fetch IPTV channels (available only via FetchTV2 serive – see opposite).

For the most part, the TV programs looked like regular television, although some National Geographic shows needed to be scaled to fit the entire screen, despite the FetchTV being set to 16:9. Overall, switching between IPTV channels was seamless (and faster than free-to-air) and I didn’t experience any excessive pixilation or frame stuttering.

Setting up the Fetch unit does require that you have an iiNet Bob wireless router/modem installed, and iiNet also requires that you use a wired, rather than wireless, network connection. If you don’t have an Ethernet cable that runs to your living room, iiNet provides an Internet over Powerline solution, which installed in seconds and

New release movie rentals supplement the 30 free movies a month provided by the FetchTV2 service. worked without a hitch. Apart from a few teething issues that needed a support call to rectify, such as a missing PIN code and iiNet forgetting to switch the IPTV channels on, the FetchTV unit has worked flawlessly since.

While there are a few games and social networking applications included, these are nothing noteworthy. Most, especially Twitter and Facebook, are difficult to use via the remote control, and it would be magnificent if Twitter’s tweets would appear while watching TV – but they don’t.

PRICING iiNet offers two different pricing packages. There’s FetchTV1, which is a slimmed down service available to all customers. For $14.95 per month (including rental of the FetchTV box and content subscription and no setup fee), customers get the box, pay-per-view movies, games and social network apps, but not the 30 on-demand movies or 15 IPTV channels.

For the complete package, called FetchTV2, iiNet broadband customers pay $29.95 per month, or $19.95 if they buy the box outright. And if you do this, there’s no contract period, while there is a 24-month period if you rent the box. Keep in mind that the costs for FetchTV2 are in addition to your iiNet broadband rental (minimum speed of 4.5Mbps), and a Bob Internet gateway/modem.

BOTTOM LINE Overall, FetchTV – or something like it – is where the future of living-room content is headed. By combining the best of free-to-air television with internationally sourced quality Internet content, along with a seamless electronic program guide, the experience really is impressive. Also, iiNet uses a QOS (Quality of Service) technology to ensure that the FetchTV IPTV channels receive priority over other devices in your home that are also using the Internet, so the picture quality should remain consistent.

If you don’t mind paying a subscription fee for your content, but don’t want, or can’t get Foxtel, then FetchTV is a very attractive alternative. Telstra’s T-Box will soon receive Foxtel IPTV channels of its own, but until then, FetchTV is the only game in town. Beyond that, innovations such as background downloading and 30 free movies per month to FetchTV2 subscribers, give the FetchTV2 service a unique and compelling point of difference, and throw down the challenge to other operators in the space.

Valens Quinn

PROS AND CONS

15 IPTV channels mean lots of content and smooth (SD) playback Background downloading of free movie ondemand library means no delays before playback Unmetered FetchTV downloads with ISP partners Integration of IPTV and FTA channels in EPG Premium FetchTV2 package limited to iiNet customers, and requires iiNet’s BOB service Delay when switching between FTA channels Populating the EPG is labouriously slow RATINGS PERFORMANCE FEATURES EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY

SPECIFICATIONS Category: PVR / media hub Price: FetchTV1: $14.95/mo FetchTV2: $29.95/mo on 24 month contract Outright purchase $399 Warranty: two years Contact: FetchTV 1300 701 006 (iinet support) www.fetchtv.com.au Features: 3 x digital TV tuners; PVR functions with 1TB storage (&50GB available); media streaming Connections: Ethernet, USB 2.0, composite video, component video, S-video, HDMI, optical and coaxial digital audio, analog RCA stereo audio Supplied accessories: remote control, assorted cables PowerLine adaptor Dimensions (WHD): 360 x 260 x 69mm Weight: 2.8 kg

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BOX FRESH

PROS AND CONS

Excellent audio performance Excellent video handling Full 3D support, excellent GUI overlays even 3D video Versatile media support No Dolby Pro Logic IIz A USB port on the rear would be worthwhile RATINGS PERFORMANCE FEATURES EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY

SPECIFICATIONS Price: $2499 Warranty: four years Contact: Yamaha Music Australia 1300 739 411 www.yamahamusic.com.au Power: 7 x 140 watts, 20Hz-20kHz, 8 ohms, 0.06% THD Inputs: 9 x HDMI, 5 x composite video, 5 x S-Video, 4 x component video, 8 x analog stereo audio, 1 x 7.1 analog audio, 1 x phono, 4 x optical digital audio, 3 x coaxial digital audio, 1 x iPod dock port (dock included), 1 x USB, 1 x Ethernet, 1 x calibration microphone Outputs: 2 x composite video, 2 x S-Video, 1 x component video, 1 x analogue stereo audio, 1 x 7.2 preamp, 2 x HDMI, 1 x optical digital audio, 2 analogue stereo audio for other Zones, 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 Features: HDMI version 1.4; Supports Blu-ray 3D signal; Decodes all audio formats; DLNA media support for music; Internet radio/podcasts; USB media support; Composite/SVideo/Component Video/Optical digital Audio can be redirected to Zone use; 4 Zone support; YMAO Automatic calibration; HQV Vida video processing; on screen display Supplied accessories: remote control; calibration microphone and accessories; iPod dock Dimensions (WHD): 435 x 182 x 430mm Weight: 17.0kg

YAMAHA RX-A3000

Y

amaha has introduced a new line of home theatre receivers, the Aventage range, which will be sold only through specialist retailers.

The top model – the RX-A3000 – was supplied to us for review, and I’ve got to say that this seems to be the best all round home theatre receiver I’ve yet seen.

FEATURES The receiver fully embraces the standards of today, with eight HDMI inputs (one on the front panel) and support for both Blu-ray 3D signals and the Audio Return Channel available from some new TVs. This last lets to the TV send its sound back to the receiver via the same HDMI cable by which it receives video signals.

Perhaps not every standard, though: the receiver does not include Dolby Pro Logic IIz processing, which generates two ‘front height’ speaker channels. However Yamaha has included its own long-standing DSP modes that do the same, and more.

The receiver supports digital music in the usual (eg.

MP3, WMA, WAV) and less usual (FLAC) formats over a network or from a USB device.

Its seven amplifiers are each rated at 140 watts. It actually has 11 sets of speaker binding posts, so you can wire up several loudspeaker configurations and simply switch between them, since the two surround rear channels can be redirected to other functions.

PERFORMANCE Yamaha includes its own YPAO process for automatically calibrating the system and calculating EQ settings to adjust for problems within the room. This worked well in taming some somewhat difficult speakers I had deployed, while providing excellent balance.

The results with all movies, and with multichannel high definition music from SACD (which the receiver supports),

Front panel of the RX-A3000.

62 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

was simply excellent. The receiver packed plenty of power to deliver realistic volume levels in a medium-large listening room.

The receiver also passed through all the Blu-ray 3D video content I had to hand (some four different Bluray titles) to a 3D TV with no problems. Which is what you’d expect from a receiver with HDMI 1.4 inputs. What was unusual – the first I’ve seen, for sure – was that the receiver’s own neat GUI was able to pop up over the top of 3D signals. That made control of the receiver very easy since interaction was virtually instantaneous.

If you have the receiver plugged into your home network, then you can control it using a web page from any computer on the network. If your iPhone is connected to your home network via WiFi, then you can use this for control as well.

The video processing provided by the receiver was excellent. It is a new system from the HQV (‘Hollywood Quality Video’) stable, called HQV Vida. The scaling was excellent, and the automatic progressive scan conversion reliable. It may actually yield an improvement in your DVD’s picture quality over your player’s internal video processing.

Just set the DVD player’s HDMI output to 576i if available.

Supplied with the unit was Yamaha’s latest wired iPod dock, which plugs into a dedicated port on the rear. Using this, the receiver displays the relevant iPod menus on your TV. Scrolling through long lists of artists was assisted by a feature which allows you to jump through one or ten pages at a time. This came in useful with the Internet radio feature as well, given the literally thousands of stations available. There was also a good range of podcasts linked to it.

The ability of the receiver to play back high quality ‘FLAC’ format files from a USB device was hindered by the location of the USB socket: on the front panel. Leaving a jukebox-like arrangement in place would mean leaving the front panel open the whole time with an ugly cable sticking out.

CONCLUSION And since that’s all I can think of to complain about, it is clear that the Yamaha Aventage RX-A3000 home theatre is a very fine unit indeed. That would be at any reasonable price. At $2499 it is also brilliant value for money.

Thomas Bartlett

MITSUBISHI HC3900 T he ideal home theatre has one characteristic above all else: it is entirely dark. We can talk all we like in our reviews about the black levels achieved by a home theatre projector, but even a few lumens of ambient light can wipe out dark detail.

But if black levels are limited by ambient light, there is only one way to combat this: by moving the other end of the scale. That’s what the Mitsubishi HC3900 home theatre projector does. The company has other models that produce immaculate darkness. This one produces enormous brightness.

FEATURES Based on DLP technology, Mitsubishi rates this projector at an extraordinary 3000 lumens of brightness. Most home theatre projectors offer between 1000 and 1500 lumens.

Despite this, its lamp is good for a lifespan of 3000 hours.

If you are prepared to accept a little less brightness, the lamp life extends in the low (well, low-ish, for this projector) output mode to 5000 hours.

The projector uses a 0.65 inch (16.5mm) Digital Micromirror Device which offers the full high definition resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels. DMD projectors such as this require a colour wheel to allow the three (or more) colours to be delivered in sequence. This one uses a five panel wheel (that is, it has five tinted panels which are synchronised with the movement of the mirrors on the DMD) running at double speed.

You have to install the projector fairly carefully because it does not include a lens shift feature (which allows some projectors to be offset from the screen), but it does have a generous 1.5:1 zoom range, allowing some flexibility in the distance at which it need be placed from the projection screen.

It has inputs for all video standards including, of course, HDMI. It also has an RS-232C port for system integration, and a 12 volt trigger output.

PERFORMANCE At first, having set the projector up in my usual room, and having taken the usual precautions about light, I found the black levels somewhat less deep than the present state of the art. But the next day I discovered something else. With the twin fluorescent tubes blasting light out in my office, the picture produced by this projector remained extraordinarily clear and detailed. Normally under these conditions I have to peer very closely at the screen to make out what is happening.

Lowering my leaky room blinds and turning out the light, there was still plenty of light in the room. But the image on the projection screen was bright and clean and engaging. That’s what you get from a high output projector: the ability to see a fine picture in sub-optimal conditions.

To be fair, while the blacks in a dark room were by no means the darkest, they would have been a performance to die for only a few years ago. They still permitted plenty of dark detail to be shown on the screen.

The image was nicely configurable. As with other Mitsubishi projectors, I found it necessary to switch off ‘Overscan’ manually, but once this was done all 1080p signals were handled perfectly, without any scaling at all.

Blu-ray signals delivered at 24 frames per second – the best setting – were nicely handled as well.

The projector did not include any frame interpolation motion ‘smoothing’ system, and with the extremely precise operation of the DLP technology, it tended to allow judder to be a little more apparent than LCD projectors.

Sometimes the more accurate a projector, the more revealing it can be!

On occasion, there was a small touch of the rainbow effect, to which I am especially sensitive. But it wasn’t particularly troublesome.

PROS AND CONS

Excellent picture quality Very good Reon-VX/HQV video processing Easy and flexible setup with powered controls Blacks not as deep as dynamic models Some rainbow effect RATINGS PERFORMANCE FEATURES EASE OF USE

CONCLUSION If you want excellent blacks in an ideally darkened home theatre room, then it might be worth checking out Mitsubishi’s HC3800 projector – a bargain at under $3300 and optimised for this role. But if you find yourself needing to produce a good picture, even with a bit of light in the viewing room, the Mitsubishi HC3900 stands alone.

Thomas Bartlett

VALUE FOR MONEY

SPECIFICATIONS Category: Projector Price: $4490 Warranty: two years (Lamp: 500 hours or one year, whichever comes first) Contact: Mitsubishi Electric Australia 1800 652 216 www.mitsubishielectric.com.au Image: 16:9 native, 1 x 1920 x 1080 16.5mm LCD panels; 3000 lumens Brightness; 2000:1 contrast ratio Lamp: 3000 hours in regular mode, 5000 hours in low output mode Inputs: 1 x composite, 1 x S-Video, 1 x component, 1 x HDMI, 1 x D-SUB15 computer Features: powered zoom, focus, vertical and horizontal lens shift; 20dB noise in low output mode; Reon-VX HQV video processing; anamorphic lens support; RS-232C control port; 12V trigger port Supplied accessories: remote control Dimensions (WHD): 345 x 129 x 270mm Weight: 3.6kg

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PROS AND CONS

So much power, so much connectivity!

Justifies expensive speakers Cool iPhone remote app Internet radio Video and audio quality 3D compatible Dual HDMI outputs Actual remote is complicated Not for the casual user RATINGS PERFORMANCE FEATURES EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY

SPECIFICATIONS Category: AV receiver Price: $3499 Warranty: two years Contact: Pioneer Electronics 1800 988 268 www.pioneer.com.au Power output: 7x 190 watts per channel Inputs: 6 x HDMI 1.4, 3 x digital coax, 4 x digital optical, 4 x composite, 3 x component, phono Outputs: 2x HDMI 1.4, 2 x digital optical, 1 x composite, 1x component, 9.1 preouts Features: DTS and Dolby HD audio decoding, Direct Energy HD Amplification, Air Studios Sound Tuning, Internet radio via vTuner, THX Ultra2 Plus, IP control, iControlAV iPhone/iPod remote app, MCACC calibration, Zone 2/3 Audio & Video, DLNA support, Accessories: IR/RF Remote, RF remote receiver module, AM antenna, FM antenna, MCACC microphone Dimensions (WHD): 420 x 200 x 460mm Weight: 18.5kg

PIONEER SCLX83 A V receivers often seem to fall into two categories: those that pander to the predilections of the audio-videophile elite, and those that offer all the latest whiz-bang technology and features. Why can’t we get one that does both? One that has that crazy one million plugs on the back, Bluetooth, USB, internet radio and other 21st Century gew-gaws, but also produces incredible sound and audio?

Obviously, the Pioneer SCLX83 is such a beast.

FEATURES Features? How long do you have for us to go through them? How about we just say this receiver does everything, and highlight a few of the more impressive aspects. Let’s start with connectivity – there are six HDMI inputs (all 1.4 and thus 3D ready) and two HDMI outputs. That means you can rig the SCLX83 to a projector and a TV at the same time and flick between them with the remote, shaving valuable frustrating setup time from your next movie night.

There’s an internet radio receiver, but you’ll need to connect to a router or WiFi bridge via an Ethernet cable.

Jumping on the network also allows you to control the SCLX83 via an iPhone app, which is much more elegant than the frankly confusing main remote.

The amp itself is a D-class, using a design Pioneer calls Direct Energy HD ICEpower. In short: superior audio quality and lower power consumption than traditional amps capable of pumping out the SCLX83’s 7 x 190 watts. It’s a 7.1 channel amp on the face of it, but you can add a preamp module and turn it into a 9.1 channel, with support for front-height and rear-height speakers as well.

The whole audio-video setup is enough to get the receiver THX Ultra2 Plus certification. You could use this thing to run a cinema in a converted wing of a motel in a country town...

Pretty much anything else you can think of, the SCLX83 has it. Special circuitry for handling compressed audio (called Sound Retriever Air), 1080p upscaling of everything (natch), an optional A2DP compliant Bluetooth module... on and on it goes.

controls on the remote, but you don’t need to fiddle with any of them to get excellent results out of the box – the default settings are well suited to both film and TV. However, it is good to know you can tweak away to your heart’s content.

Audio is exemplary, with real character and presence, but be warned: if you don’t already have a $10K speaker system, the SCLX83 will sorely tempt you to buy one” PERFORMANCE For this kind of money, and with these kinds of features, the SCLX83 is hard to beat. Not only will it justify the purchase of a $10,000-plus speaker system, it will even make your $1000 speakers sound better.

Audio is exemplary, with real character and presence, but be warned: if you don’t already have a $10K speaker system, the SCLX83 will sorely tempt you to buy one.

The only nagging feeling we have is that today’s TVs and projectors don’t do this receiver justice. Video is excellent, yes, but it doesn’t eclipse the competition to the same degree that the audio does. But we just don’t think that’s the SCLX83’s fault.

Yes, the remote is about four metres long with a thousand buttons and its own LCD, and you’ll probably only use three or four of those buttons on a regular basis, but that’s where the iPhone remote app comes in. It’s lean and elegant and will enrage your friends because you’ll want to tinker with it for hours instead of just watching the movie.

SETTING UP

CONCLUSION

Pioneer’s setup system is called MCACC (Multichannel Acoustic Calibration System - sic) and like many other AV receivers, involves placing a microphone at your preferred seating position. The receiver then configures the speakers for the best acoustic performance in your listening room.

A couple of niceties include the way the SCLX83 can identify certain consumer electronics, automatically labelling its HDMI inputs ‘T-Box’ and ‘PS3’.

There are roughly nine hundred thousand other

Why wouldn’t you buy this? If you see yourself as the kind of person who spends five figures or more on core components. Otherwise, the Pioneer SCLX83 is simply the AV receiver to own if you love complex tech of exceptional quality. It’s not for the tone deaf, and it’s wasted on many speakers (though again, it will make them sound as good as they can), but if this is in your price range, mind you don’t get crushed in the inevitable stampede.

James Powell

64 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

BELKIN BLUETOOTH MUSIC RECEIVER N ow here’s a convenient thing: instead of having your iPod or other media device dangling out the back of your hi-fi stereo by an ugly cord, secrete this little lozenge of Bluetooth goodness somewhere and connect wirelessly. Switch your AV rack to the relevant input, and all control reverts to your MP3 player! Of course, there are a couple of limitations...

FEATURES This is a refreshingly simple device: a basic Bluetooth receiver with a little electronic DAC inside that turns a stream of wireless info into music. Output is via a 3.5mm stereo jack, though Belkin includes a 3.5mm-to-RCA cable as well as a 3.5mm-to-3.5mm. This makes it suitable for really basic all-in-one sound systems as well as a big amp. Though of course, you’re not going to be using it for audiophile-grade tunes.

SETTING UP Simple stuff again: the receiver is always discoverable and doesn’t have any encryption options. Why would it? It only decodes sound, not sensitive data. Plug it in, then go to the Bluetooth option in your music device’s setup menu. The Belkin will appear, click ‘Connect’, and away you go.

Bluetooth on the latest generation iPod Touch is very easy to use – other devices might have slightly more arcane Bluetooth arrangements (such as the need to specify stereo) but it’s easy stuff.

And in the case of iPod and iPhone, unlike when you connect to a dock, the volume controls on the i-device still work.

PERFORMANCE There’s not much to complain about here: Bluetooth is a well-established protocol that just works. There are two caveats though.

First up, Bluetooth’s bandwidth is not especially large so uncompressed audio will get compressed, and that can affect audio quality. If you’re only listening to MP3s, you won’t notice it. Lossless or uncompressed formats will suffer, though.

Secondly, the box claims a range of about 10 metres (33 feet in Ameri-speak), but you’ll be lucky to get this.

The unit does seem to be sensitive to architecture, especially things like metal fireplaces or door jams – the audio will stutter or cut out. Recovery is quick if you move, and typical couch-to-stereo range is well within the unit’s limits.

PROS AND CONS

There’s basically no good reason not to buy this handy little receiver. It cleans up the whole business of listening to your latest downloaded album on the big speakers in the living room”

Simple set up Compact size Decent sound quality from compressed files Actual range less than 10m Poorer sound quality from high quality files RATINGS PERFORMANCE FEATURES

CONCLUSION

EASE OF USE

There’s basically no good reason not to buy this handy little receiver. It cleans up the whole business of listening to your latest downloaded album on the big speakers in the living room, and for casual listening, an iPod connected wirelessly to an AV rack is fun indeed.

Our only regret is that it doesn’t offer a digital output. This would enable it to simply pass the audio signal through to a device that’s better equipped to decode it, such as the thousand-dollar AV receiver it will be plugged into! Still, analog-only keeps it simple, and low-cost.

In fact, the only reason for not grabbing one is if you have an AV receiver that already has Bluetooth itself!

James Powell

VALUE FOR MONEY

SPECIFICATIONS Category: Media streamer Price: $59 Warranty: one year Contact: Belkin 1800 235 546 www.belkin.com Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.1 stereo A2DP Output: 3.5mm stereo Cables suppled: 3.5mm–3.5mm, 3.5mm to stereo RCA Range: 10 metres Compatibility: any device with stereo Bluetooth Dimensions (WHD): 45 x 20 x 45mm

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APPLE TV T

he second generation of Apple’s video serving platform has arrived, three years after the original was released. Looking at it, you’d think the unit was born from a completely different family, so what’s changed?

FEATURES

Apple TV’s slick interface has been further streamlined.

As with most Apple products, the attention to design is excellent. Apple has shifted from the larger set-top box style to a form factor that is barely bigger than a hockey puck.

Strong black plastic surrounds the entire unit, a departure from the aluminium casing we’ve come to

66 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

expect from Apple’s design department. The remote is now the aluminium component and communicates with an infrared strip that surrounds the entire perimeter of the device, an arrangement that allows for an extremely wide angle of operation.

Obviously, the change in size has meant that a few things had to go. Unlike the previous Apple TV, there is no longer a hard drive to which you download movies. Instead, everything on the slimmer, smaller Apple TV streams from the web or your computer over a home network.

So you can’t download movies from iTunes to the new Apple TV, and indeed, none were availalbe for sale via the device during our time with it. You can, however, stream

movies downloaded to your PC from iTunes and stream them to your TV that way.

Support for Apple’s streaming music controller “AirPlay” has been included and requires iTunes to work, but provided your Apple TV is logged into your iTunes account and set for “AirPlay Speaker” on, you can control what music gets streamed from any iTunes 10 installation in your home.

Apple has also redesigned the hardware, shifting the Intel Pentium hardware-based design to one that contains components very similar to that of the iPad and iPhone 4.

Connectivity-wise, you’ll find inbuilt WiFi 802.11n, an Ethernet port and an optical audio output for exporting digital stereo and surround soundtracks to an external AV receiver, an HDMI out for connecting to HD displays and a microUSB port Apple says is for receiving firmware maintenance and repairs.

As long as you’re logged into your iTunes account, you can rent and buy titles at will. Pick one, and buffering takes but a few minutes, depending on your connection speed” PERFORMANCE Much like most Apple products, setup and operation is a doddle. Whether you’re wired or wireless, Mac or PC, you just connect the Apple TV to your network and the device will work. Wired connections involve a network plug, while wireless is automatically turned on and can be easily set up through the settings menu.

Provided you run iTunes on your Mac or PC computer at home, you’ll also be able connect it to your network for media sharing using ‘Home Sharing’. Setup is fairly easy, but requires you be logged into your iTunes account on said computer.

The original Apple TV interface has been streamlined to make access and use even easier, yet it still manages to display all the information you need to successfully navigate to various content areas. You can jump straight into a new release at the top of home screen, for instance, or hit up one of the sub-menus to access web features such as YouTube and internet radio, content on other networked computers, device settings, additional movie selections and trailers.

Movies can be browsed by new release or genre, or searched by typing in the name of the film. Once you’ve made a selection, information about the title will display, accompanied by ratings from the Rotten Tomatoes website and links to other movies with the same cast or crew.

We would like the search facility to be more powerful.

The categories are standard, but you can browse only alphabetically by title, not by actor or director or some other criteria.

Rental period is 48 hours from when you first start watching, and in that time you can watch the video as many times as you want.

Titles rented from Apple TV comprise the feature film only, meaning you’ll not enjoy the bonus features that might accompany the DVD or Blu-ray version. You do, however, receive some chapter control via a timeline displayed at the bottom of the screen, through which you can fast-forward and rewind

THE EXPERIENCE Movie prices sit at $6.99 for a new HD release and $5.99 for a new standard definition title, with older movies costing $1.99-2.99. This is competitive with other online rental services, but the SD service is delivered in the lower quality NTSC 480 standard.

HD movies are streamed at 720p rather than the higher 1080p high definition standard. This is in line with other HD streaming devices, such as some programs via the PS3, and betters the standard definition services currently availalable from Fetch TV, Telstra T-Box and Tivo.

As long as you’re logged into your iTunes account, you can rent and buy titles at will. Pick one, and buffering takes but a few minutes, depending on your connection speed.

Provided you’ve got a decent broadband connection of 1.5Mbps DSL or higher, you shouldn’t ever see slowdowns.

We’d recommend ADSL2+ or cable as a minimum.

WHAT’S WRONG While the entire Australian iTunes movie catalogue is availalbe via Apple TV, TV shows listed for rent from iTunes were not available during our review period. In addition, some movies from iTunes cost a dollar more than their iTunes store price when rented from Apple TV. So you pay more to access a library with less choice.

Then there’s the quirk: all the iMacs in our office fell under the control of Apple TV’s swanky little remote whenever we started waving it about. According to forums, the cause is a function of infrared issues within the computers. While the solution is easy – turn off infrared on your Mac – it’s not going to be known to everyone, and seems like something Apple could have programmed around.

PROS AND CONS

Movies ondemand, made easy Beautifully designed interface Extra features like YouTube, internet radio, Flickr, and podcasts bring the web to your TV No TV shows for rent (yet) Some iTunes rentals more expensve via Apple TV Infrared interference with Apple computers Maximum resolution only 720p RATINGS PERFORMANCE FEATURES EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY

CONCLUSION An excellent interface and the ability to conveniently and easily watch movies on-demand (without having to pay a monthly subscription fee) makes the Apple TV a solid choice for those seeking an alternative to the brick and mortar video store. It’s not as capable as the model it replaces, and the entire iTunes rental catalogue really needs to be made available, but at $129, Apple TV is a supremely affordable entertainer.

Leigh D Stark

SPECIFICATIONS Category: Media streaming device Price: $129 Warranty: Contact: Apple TV 133 622 www.apple.com.au Format support: Video: H264 video up to 720p, MPEG4, Motion JPEG up to 1280 x 720; Audio: Aac, MP3, Apple Lossless, Dolby Digital 5.1 passthrough, WAV; Photo: JPEG, GIFF, TIFF Connectivity: HDMI output, Optical audio output, IR, Ethernet, Micro-USB System requirments: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n or 10/100 Ethernet, iTunes account, iTunes 10.0.01 or later Dimensions (WHD): 991x 229 x 991mm Weight: 270 grams

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PROS AND CONS

Very good 2D picture quality Only modest amount of crosstalk on 3D TV Ecellent multimedia feature set Built-in WiFi A little pricey compared to the competition RATINGS PERFORMANCE FEATURES EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY

SPECIFICATIONS Category: 3D TV Price: $4199 Warranty: two years Contact: Toshiba Australia 13 30 70 www.mytoshiba.com.au Image: LCD with Edge LED backlight; 116.8cm diagonal; 16:9 native aspect, 1920 x 1080 pixels; brightness 370cd/sq m; 5000:1 contrast ratio, 7,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, panel response time 6ms Inputs: 2 x composite video, 0 x S-Video, 1 x component video (supporting progressive scan and HD), 1 x D-SUB15 RGB, 4 x HDMI, 2 x stereo audio, 1 x Ethernet, 2 x USB Outputs: 1 x optical digital audio, HDMI (Audio Return Channel) Audio: stereo, 2 speakers (20 x 65mm each) + woofer (60mm), 2 x 10 watts + 10 watts for woofer Energy: 5.5 stars, 427kWh per year Features: 3D support, HD and SD digital TV tuner, analogue TV tuner, Premium Meta Brain video processing, Clear Frame 200Hz mode, Dynalight active backlight control, Ambient light sensor brightness control, DLNA music/ photo support, USB music/photo/ video (including HD DivX) support, WiFi built-in Supplied accessories: remote control; manual; swivel desktop stand Dimensions (WHD): 1092 x 663 x 28.9mm (without stand) Weight: 24.5kg (with stand)

TOSHIBA REGZA 46WL700A LCD TV 3

In addition to the usual range of inputs – the analog ones made via slimline adaptor cables, which are included – the unit has two USB sockets and Ethernet, plus built-in WiFi. All the inputs are at the back right of the panel.

D TVs are really starting to roll out of the high quality TV manufacturers now, with Toshiba joining the game in time for Christmas. It also has a 3D Blu-ray player out for Christmas too, if not quite in time for our deadline. Indeed, the Toshiba Regza 46WL700A TV was one of just two in Australia at the time of writing.

FEATURES As the model number implies, this is a 46 inch TV (which Toshiba helpfully translates as 116.8cm). A 55 inch (138.7cm) model is also available.

Of course it offers full high definition performance, and of course it delivers 3D. It has support for Blu-ray 3D (technically known as ‘frame packed’), and for the side-byside format commonly used for broadcasting 3D TV. It also supports the up-and-down format. But it doesn’t have a process to fake 3D from 2D material, the absence of which I cannot bring myself to lament.

You get one set of 3D liquid crystal shutter glasses with the TV, with more available as optional extras ($129 each).

The IR transmitter, required to keep the eyewear in sync with the TV picture, is built into the TV. Designed by Jacob Jensen, the panel is beautifully thin, at just over an inch. A swivel stand is supplied with the TV. A set of touch sensitive controls are at the bottom right of the panel.

68 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

PERFORMANCE

The TV set itself up with a minimum of fuss, requiring the user to make a few selections, such as which State you are in Australia, and whether you want it to scan for both analog and digital TV, or only the latter.

After five minutes it was running properly, although I immediately changed a couple of the default settings. For example, even with 1080p content from Blu-ray, it used the ‘Wide’ rather than ‘Native’ setting. A key on the remote allowed a quick change, which resulted in the entire picture being presented on the screen rather than having its edges overflow the TV’s display into invisibility.

The colour was excellent, underpinned as it was by strong black levels. Watching the TV in a darkened room resulted in strong black levels most of the time, but with a very dark grey glow during mostly black scenes. While the TV did not quite match the extreme state of the art on this front, few would be disappointed.

The colour was excellent, underpinned as it was by strong black levels”

The 3D TV performance didn’t match-up to the standard of 2D viewing. The TV had a penchant for warning the viewer of potential doom whenever a 3D signal was received.

The main alert could only be switched off by arrowing down through a long block of text before reaching a line, which allowed this to be switched off, and to remain switched off. By default, another half-screen warning appeared whenever 3D was received, and required an ‘OK’ press to the remote.

If you find this troublesome you can drill down into the 3D setup menu, create a PIN for access to the ‘3D Safety Settings’ section, and switch it off. In the same area you can bar the TV from doing 3D at all unless the PIN is provided, and set up a timer to ensure that 3D is used for no more than a preset time.

As for the 3D effect itself, it worked quite nicely, but was diminished by crosstalk. That is, the left and right eye images, which are supposed to be quite separate to each other, tended to leak noticeably into the other eye, so there was clearly visible ‘ghosting’ much of the time, especially with darker objects on lighter backgrounds. In this regard, it was up with the best of the LCD TV 3D implementations, but lagged the 3D plasma televisions we’ve seen.

The TV has integrated WiFi in addition to the usual Ethernet connection. Using either you can get music or photos from DLNA servers on your network, or YouTube direct from the Internet. You can also get photos, music or video from a USB storage device. This last supported all my test DivX, AVI and MPEG2 files.

CONCLUSION The Regza 46WL700A is a fine TV with all the features you could want, that also does 3D TV. It is up with the best in this regard among LCD TVs, but also shares with this company the crosstalk artefacting affects LCD, rather than plasma, 3D implementations.

In our ratings we’ve made comment that the value for money from this Toshiba is perhaps not the best, but the Christmas promotion, available until 17 January 2011, changes all that. This includes $1364 worth of goodies, comprising a Toshiba 3D Blu-ray player (BDX3100KY), three sets of Toshiba 3D glasses, one 3D Blu-ray title (Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Film Trilogy), and a Toshiba 22 inch LED Backlight LCD TV (22SL700A).

Can’t complain about that!

Thomas Bartlett

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XBOX 360 S A PROS AND CONS

Now with 250GB storage capacity WiFi 802.11n now built-in Slimmer and quieter in operation that previous models Still no HD video support Hard drive can no longer be detached easily; still proprietary RATINGS PERFORMANCE FEATURES EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY

SPECIFICATIONS Category: Games console Price: $299 Warranty: one year Contact: Microsoft www.xbox.com/en-au/ Memory: 250GB hard drive Optical format support: DVD Outputs: HDMI, component, composite video; stereo audio, optical audio Connectivity: 5 x USB (2 front, 3x rear), dedicated Kinect port, WiFi 802.11n Supplied accessories: wireless controller, wired headset, two AA batteries, power supply and cord, composite AV cable Dimensions (WHD): 310 x 80 x 260mm Weight: 2.9kg

lmost five years have passed since the release of Microsoft’s second video game console, the Xbox 360. It’s none too soon, then, for an update from Microsoft, and while many of the changes on the new Xbox 360 250GB version appear cosmetic, the truth is that it is quieter, slimmer, and equipped with far more storage capacity than previous iterations.

Measurements show Microsoft has trimmed the old Xbox 360 console, with the new S version (‘S’ for slim) more than 3cm shorter and 1cm thinner. It certainly looks less chunky and, as with the previous model, can be stood upright or laid flat to suit the requirements of your AV rack. The box also sports a slightly tapered ‘waist’ so that, in the standing position, it appears kind of ‘X’-like.

The 20, 60, and 120GB capacities available previously on the 360 have been upped to 250GB, and with the ability to now download movies from online rental services, this is a sensible (and necessary) move.

Microsoft has, of course, passed on the opportunity to provide high definition playback out of the box by failing to convert the DVD drive to Blu-ray, and there’s still no digital TV and PVR functionality like that offered by the Playstation 3 PlayTV accessory. But you can use this Xbox 360 (and other iterations) to stream select Foxtel Pay TV channels, provided you’re in a service area. (This requires an Xbox Gold Live and Foxtel subscription.)

The hard disk now resides within the 360 chassis, and while it’s still proprietary, it’s more easily upgradeable. The new design, however, means you can’t just pop on over to your friend’s house with the hard drive to show them what you grabbed from Xbox Live Arcade.

Wireless in the form of faster, built-in 802.11n is now included, and it’s a welcome upgrade. For owners of the older Xbox 360, WiFi connectivity to a home broadband service meant stumping up a $150 for a wireless adaptor.

HDMI has also been integrated onto the box, and this, too, is long overdue.

This means you can now connect the Xbox via a single cable to a high definition television or AV receiver.

IN ACTION We were keen to see if Microsoft had dealt with the high level of operating noise that characterised the older model 360 and, while drive noise remains audible, the console is definitely quieter, with less hum and fan ‘chuffing’ than the original.

The new model also provides touchsensitive buttons that emit sound, a

70 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

feature that will remind gamers of the Playstation 3. While we like touch-sensitive buttons, the noises from the Power and Eject buttons annoyed us. They’re loud, high-pitched and not adjustable. We much prefer the silent operation of buttons on the original 360.

Microsoft appears to be catering to first-time buyers with this new console, as the package omits a cable essential for exporting stored data from existing consoles. The $25 ‘Xbox 360 Data Transfer Cable’ makes the job a quick and easy affair, but should you wish to forgo the purchase, you’ll need to move any information stored on the drive of an older 360 console via a USB key. This process could take a long time if you have a lot of data stored on the hard drive.

You can use this Xbox 360 to stream select Foxtel Pay TV channels, provided you’re in a service area” Microsoft has been scabby with the cables it supplies in the box too. Standard definition-grade RCA audiovideo cable are all that’s on offer, and while the PS3 doesn’t provide anything better, the previous Xbox came with component video cables that allowed you to take advantage of the console’s high definition capabilities, straight out of the box.

It’s a miserly and retrograde step from Microsoft, which would surely benefit from the good will that would flow from mating its $300 play centre to equally premium cables.

CONCLUSION If it’s an upgrade you’re after, added WiFi and HDMI probably aren’t going to be compelling enough to make you want to spend money on the revamped 360. And with the new Kinect motion gaming accessory compatible with existing 360s, you won’t be locked out of any new experiences either.

If you don’t already have an Xbox, the new 250GB model addresses many of the gripes about previous models to be the bestspecced 360 yet. Put one in the living room to do duty as your primary games centre and de-facto Foxtel Pay TV box. Or mate it to an existing console for multi-player gaming over a home network, and music, photo and video streaming to remote rooms.

Leigh Stark

AUDIO TECHNICA ATH-W1000X W

ith ‘Grandioso’ emblazoned in gold script on the packaging, and in black script along the lacquered wood of Audio Technica’s ATH-W1000X, it’s clear these headphones are not intended for the hoi poloi. No, these are ‘important’ headphones.

They employ wood their construction, for instance, a material valued for its acoustic properties and used for centuries to make the great and serious instruments of orchestra, including violins and pianos (and glockenspiels!).

Indeed, the virgin black cherry wood in the ATH-W1000X is the same as that employed in concert halls and many pianos. So the W1000X are referencing musicality – and quality too, of course.

Following the cues, then, Audio Technica is being ambitious with these headphones, and has priced them accordingly at a dollar shy of $1000.

FEATURES The W1000X are a closed-back design suspended inside a magnesium frame, the latter offering the twin attribites of strength and lightness. Inside each earcup is a single 53mm driver, with a stated frequency response of 5Hz to 42kHz. Suspended from the frame is what Audio Technica calls ‘3D wing support’. This comprises two movable plushcovered counterweights that rest atop your head, adjusting the fit of the heapdhones to individual head width and height as they do so. The system is extremely comfortable, with the headphones sitting as light as air and providing good isolation from ambient sound to create a nicely enveloping experience, but without the listener ever losing their sense of place.

The counterweight adjustment arrangement doesn’t really achieve a ‘secure’ fit on small noggins, though – the headphones slipped down the ears of the office ‘pinhead’. It also requires those with larger heads to remain still during listening sessions – any exhuberant head movements and the ‘relaxed’ fit of the ATH-W1000X becomes a very loose fit that needs to be resettled.

Audio Technica says these headphones also include a ‘floating mount system’ that ‘reduces unwanted vibration’ to ’enhance the natural and warm sound inherent to wood.’

The materials used in the earcups aren’t described, but appear to be soft vinyl. They were comfortable enough, but a higer quality product would better complement the luxe frame and wood highlights.

This luxe continues to the 6.3 mm headphone jack, which is gold plated and finished in the same timber. The cable three metres long.

Note that this large-sized plug won’t fit directly into the 3.5mm headphone sockets of computers, portable music players and many entrylevel audio components. Even with an adaptor, these devices would be unlikely to drive the ATH-W1000X’s to anything near satisfactory volume levels.

PERFORMANCE The W1000X require a good amount of power, ideally an audio component of good quality with a headphone input, or a dedicated headphone amplifier. Our test setup comprised an M-Audio high-end sound card for a computer connected to a Lehmann Audio headphone amp.

We tested with a variety of music on CD, such as Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue, Nigel Kennedy’s Vivaldi, Radiohead’s The Best Of, as well as live music from the Standing In The Shadows Of Motown soundtrack.

Highs and mids are definitely a thing of beauty here; there was a pronounced sense of ‘air’ around instruments, and percussion was vibrant and thrumming. Bass lacked the same presence, and failed to sound as ‘alive’ as the rest of the spectrum, even after selecting higher and higher volume levels. In both the jazz and classical samples, the highs and mids greatly overpowered the bass.

That’s not to say these headphones don’t sound excellent. On Kind Of Blue, it was like we were in the room with the jazz legend himself. The headphones revealed subtleties in the recording we’d not heard before, and we returned to it again and again, track after track, during what rates as one of the most enjoyable days we’ve ever spent at work

CONCLUSION While we would have liked the bass to be more forward, we would happily live with other aspects of the ATH-W1000X. We recommend, them but with a caveat: test drive them for fit before commiting the funds.

Leigh Stark

PROS AND CONS

Excellent sound reproduction Light as air to wear High build quality (earcup materials exempt) Need to factor in the cost of a headphone amp Won’t be a good fit for all heads Bass performance could be stronger RATINGS PERFORMANCE FEATURES EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY

SPECIFICATIONS Category: Headphones Price: $999 Warranty: one year Contacts: Audio Technica www.audiotechnica.com.au Design: circumaural Transducers: closed-back, dynamic, 53mm Impedance: 42 ohms Frequency response: 5–42,000Hz Maximum input power: 2000mW Output sound pressure level: 100dB/mW Plug: 6.3mm gold-plated stereo Cord length: 3m Weight: 350g

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BOX FRESH

PROS AND CONS

EPSON EH-R4000 E

The best, best blacks, ever Excellent video processing Excellent installation flexibility Useful ‘lens position’ memories A bit pricier than we are used to for Epson equipment RATINGS PERFORMANCE FEATURES EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY

SPECIFICATIONS Category: Projector Price: $6999 Warranty: three years (including lamp) Contact: Epson Australia 1300 361 054 www.epson.com.au Image: 3 x reflective HTPS LCD panels; 16:9 native aspect, 1920 x 1080 pixels; brightness 1200 ANSI Lumens; 40,000:1 native contrast ratio, 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio; lens zoom 2.1:1 Lamp: 200 watts UHE TORL, 4000 hours rated life Inputs: 1 x composite video, 1 x S-Video, 1 x component video (supporting progressive scan and HD), 2 x HDMI, 1 x D-SUB15 Connectivity: 2 x 12 volt trigger out, 1 x RS-232C, 1 x Ethernet Features: full high definition; HQV Vida video processing; motion smoothing frame interpolation; anamorphic lens support; vertical and horizontal lens shift, powered focus, zoom lens shift; memories for lens setting Supplied accessories: remote control; manual; power cable Dimensions (WHD): 440 x 185 x 405mm Weight: 10kg

pson’s home theatre projectors are noticeable for the way in which they have advanced the art of three panel LCD technology. They have over the past few years brought the native contrast ratio of their panels up to a very impressive 6000:1. But the new Epson EH-R4000 marks a revolutionary change.

FEATURES How about 40,000:1? Yes, that is the claimed native contrast ratio on this projector, not its dynamic one. Yet the dynamic iris is still fitted, and this can stretch the ratio to a full million to one.

The improvement is largely due to Epson’s new panels.

While still employing the same high temperature polysilicon technology that Epson has used in recent years, the new ones are reflective rather than transmissive. That is, like LCoS panels, the light bounces from their surface rather than passing through the panel. This also makes for a reduced screen door effect (never a particular problem with Epson projectors anyway).

Epson says that the brightness available from the projector is 1200:1 lumens.

The projector offers excellent installation flexibility, with both vertical and horizontal lens shift and a wide 2.1:1 zoom range. All these and the focus are powered and controllable through the remote (or via the RS-232C or Ethernet connectivity features), and memories are provided. Combined with a special ‘stretch’ aspect ratio, these memories make the use of third-party anamorphic lenses viable for those who prefer ‘Constant Image Height’ home theatre operation.

PERFORMMANCE Over the years we’ve had dozens of projectors pass through our office, some priced north of $40,000. Yet never have I seen a projector better able to deliver blacks than this one.

Even with the automatic iris switched off, the black levels were outstanding. And with them switched on, they were incomparably good. The only way I could see how performance could be improved on this front would be by carefully lining every surface of the viewing room with black felt or velvet to absorb back-reflections from the screen. The light being cast by this projector, when called on to be black, is noticeable only by its complete absence.

That performance acts as a foundation for every other light-related aspect of picture quality. The bright

72 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

and colourful parts of the image seem to be bright and colourful without limit, because by contrast with the blacks they very nearly are.

Aside from that, the brightness available from the projector was plenty for normal home theatre use on medium to large screens in light-controlled rooms. The colour was highly configurable if you wish to make adjustments yourself (or get in an ISF calibrator to do it for you). But for peace of mind if you aren’t entirely confident making such adjustments, the projector comes THX certified, which means that its default settings will deliver very accurate results.

The memory settings worked perfectly. You get ten for the various picture settings – which ought to be enough for any installation – plus three separate ones for the lens position. These can be invoked through a home automation system, but a key on the remote brings up the main menu memory. Select one of the loaded lens memories, and the little servo motors in the projector whir busily for a few seconds, one after the other, putting the picture back to the set position and state of focus.

The Epson EH-R4000 is a game changer” The video processing is top notch. Based on the new HQV Vida system, the scaling and progressive scan conversion is as good as it gets. The projector also employs Epson’s motion smoothing system, which analyses the existing picture frames, and then inserts between them newly generated intermediate ones. This, in effect, increases the frame rate to the point where you cannot see any stuttering or juddering of movement in the image. This worked well, holding up even with the most complicated and detailed Blu-ray scenes, while very rarely producing any visual artefacts.

CONCLUSION The Epson EH-R4000 is a game changer. The new technology offers such great black levels that I’d suggest there is almost no further room for improvement.

Yes, it is just that good.

Thomas Bartlett

VISIT US AT WWW.HEBG.COM.AU

Tune in to the digital radio revolution.

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BOX FRESH

IPOD NANO 6G W ith the latest incarnation of the Nano, Apple has removed more features than it’s added, creating a super Shuffle that qualifies as an excellent exercise companion.

Size is one of the most obvious reductions made by Apple, with Nano 6G now resembling the small clip-on rectangular iPod Shuffle from two years ago. Except that, at 37.5 x 40.9mm, it’s more square than rectangular, and at just under 1cm thick and a mere 21.1 grams, it’s also one of Apple’s smallest and lightest devices ever.

Being so small, the Nano is no longer a device that can be easily gripped in the hand, as were previous iterations.

Now, much like the iPod Shuffle, the Nano clips onto your clothing or nestles easily inside a pocket.

74 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

Despite the small size, Apple has kept the capacity the same as the 5G. Customers can choose between the 8GB ($199) and 16GB ($229) versions in seven different colours.

Then there are the buttons. Or rather, there are no buttons, because Apple has forgone the click-wheel of older Nanos and replaced it with a 4cm (1.54 inch) square touchscreen. The operating system resembles a ‘lite’ version of the one found on the iPhone and iPod Touch, so people who have used those devices will be at home here.

Video recording and playback, a feature of the fifth generation Nano, has been banished too. No great loss in our books, as the screen was too small for viewing video (the Touch is ideal for this) and it was nigh on impossible to capture video without your thumb obscuring the built-in camera.

Most of your favourite control functions from previous iPod Nano devices remain though, including EQ, Shake to Shuffle, photo and album artwork display, Genius mixes, VoiceOver to increase accessibility for people with disabilities, and support for the Nike+ iPod and pedometer.

Considering this nod to the exercise crowd, and the dedicated portable music listening focus, the omission of Bluetooth, however, is hard to fathom.

PERFORMANCE The Nano’s small square touchscreen doesn’t take long to get used to. If you’ve ever used an iPhone or iPod Touch, the layout will make sense and you’ll find that navigating through music playlists and podcasts is as fluid as ever.

Swiping from left to right, for example, will take you back a screen, the movement very much like clearing away the branches of a tree. You can flick up and down to sort through songs, and even change the order of the menu by holding the screen down for a second until the buttons ‘jiggle’.

Icons for information and choosing favourites are a little smaller than you may otherwise be used to, but they’re still easy enough to discern.

An accelerometer is included to enable Shake to Shuffle, but unlike on other Apple touchscreen devices, changing the orientation will not change the screen perspective. That’s because, with this Nano, there is no real ‘up’. Instead, you can rotate the display by pinching and turning on the multi-touch screen, making the Nano fit your view.

The portable companion for people who want something more than the Shuffle’s 2GB of portable music pleasure and something less than the all-singing all-dancing multimedia banquet that is the Touch” The volume controls on the top have been updated to resemble the circular metal buttons found on the new iPhone 4, and we like the software change too.

Your volume will now increase or decrease in controlled increments, and you won’t have to deal with the sudden bursts of volume that are typical to other iPods.

FEATURES A neat gimmick – and one that we love – is the clock display.

You can configure the clock face to appear automatically at switch on, and have it permanently display on the screen. Paired with some sort of wrist strap (which will surely appear as an accessory item), this Nano will kick goals with the cool kids.

Radio over the FM band can also be enjoyed through connected headphones, with the new Nano scanning stations and allowing you to choose favourites. It will also pause live radio, which is neat.

Station IDs are tuned, but not, however, saved in favourites. Instead, you’ll be greeted with merely the station frequency. For instance, Sydney’s Triple M comes up as as ‘104.9 MHz’.

VoiceOver is present, introduced last year as an accessibility function for people, such as the visually impaired, who need the computer to speak aloud what is being selected on the device. Apple has included it on the Nano, but made the controls more complicated, with up and down swipes and double-taps replacing the standard swipe gestures.

Also included is the ability to switch the user interface to a white-on-black display, making it easier to read in certain environments.

Battery life is a mixed. Apple quotes “up to 24 hours” on its website, but in our tests the Nano lasted between 7 to 12 hours before running out of puff. If you’re listening to music non-stop with very little touchscreen or radio use, you’ll probably get closer to rated life from a charge.

Sound-wise, any portable music device is only as good as what you feed it and the cans you connect to it.

Encode your music at the highest bitrate and plump for an aftermarket set of earbuds (those supplied in the box by Apple are still rubbish) and you’ll enjoy the best the Nano can deliver.

CONCLUSION

PROS AND CONS

Superb compact design and touchscreen user interface FM radio Volume control improved from previous model Pause live radio No Bluetooth Battery depletes faster than expected RATINGS PERFORMANCE FEATURES

A smaller form factor, nifty clock application and Apple’s excellent music control make the new Nano the portable companion for people who want something more than the Shuffle’s 2GB of portable music pleasure and something less than the allsinging all-dancing multimedia banquet that is the Touch.

As a replacement for the traditional click-wheel, the touchscreen – despite being so small – offers surprising utility, and as a feature from the premium Touch, reminds us that Apple is ever the innovator in this category. Now, all it needs is Bluetooth.

Leigh Stark

EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY

SPECIFICATIONS Category: Portable media player Price: $8GB ($199) and 16GB ($229) Warranty: one year Contact: Apple Computer www.apple.com.au Features: Music, audiobooks, podcasts, photos, FM radio, pedometer, Nike+ iPod, multitouch, EQ, Shake to Shuffle, album display, Genius, VoiceOver Rated battery life: 24 hours Supplied accessories: USB cable, earphones Capacity: 8GB, 16GB Dimensions: 37.5 x 40.9mm

VISIT US AT WWW.HEBG.COM.AU | 75

BOX FRESH

PROS AND CONS

Good image quality Extra colour pixel makes a real difference Ugly and confusing interface Too much image processing enabled by default RATINGS PERFORMANCE FEATURES

SHARP LC46LE820X QUATTRON S ince humans have red, green and blue colour receptors in their eyes, it seems logical that a TV should only need an RGB pixel configuration to produce top-notch colour. But Sharp is banking on the human eye being a more complex thing, and has added a yellow pixel into its LCD grid in order to improve both colour and brightness. Pleasingly, it works!

FEATURES EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY

SPECIFICATIONS Category: LED TV Price: $2499 Warranty: two years Contact: Sharp Corporation 1300 135 530 www.sharp.net.au Image: Edge-lit LED LCD, 117cm (46 inch) diagonal; 16:9 aspect ratio, 1920 x 1080 pixels, brightness not stated; contrast ratio not stated:, viewing angle 176 degrees; refresh rate 24Hz, 50Hz, 100Hz, 120Hz Inputs: 4 x HDMI, 1 x component, 1 x composite,1 x SVGA, , 1 x USB, 1 x headphone, 1 x Ethernet Outputs: 1x optical audio out Audio: stereo; 2x 10 watt tweeters, 1x 15 watt woofer; SRS TruSurround HD and Bass Enhancer Features: RGB + Yellow Quattron technology, DLNA, 100Hz Fine Motion, USB port, Aquos Link, 7-day EPG, Eco function, Advanced OPC (Optical Picture Control), 1080/24 support Power consumption: 137 watts (0.3 standby) Dimensions (WHD): 1127 x 785 x 340mm Weight: 30.5kg

The Quattron isn’t a 3D TV, but apart from that it offers the full suite of features we demand at this price-point.

Four HDMI inputs is handy for folks who don’t rock an AV receiver, and the onboard sound isn’t as anaemic as some TVs thanks to the inclusion of a 15 watt woofer alongside two 10 watt tweeters.

There’s also SRS TruSurround HD for creating pseudo surround effects from the inbuilt speakers, and an optical audio output for sending surround sound encoded on broadcast programming to an outboard AV receiver.

The main draw card here though is Sharp’s proprietary Quattron panel. The yellow pixel (well, actually there’s thousands of yellow pixels, with each of the 1920 x 1080 points on the display having red, green, blue and yellow elements) gives an extra level of subtlety, especially to natural objects, and actually makes the screen brighter – because yellow blocks less light from the TV’s LEDs. Speaking of light, this is an edge-lit display, which means the LED backlights are pointing in toward the centre of the display rather than pointing from the back out toward the screen. Some purists prefer backlit LED because even though those TVs are bulkier, the lighting is more even.

Sharp must be using some very good diffusers to spread the light across the whole display because lighting

76 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

is very even across the screen. Turn the TV on but give it no input so it shows a black screen, turn off the lights, and you’ll be looking at a very dark grey, very even display.

PERFORMANCE

Big LCD TVs are becoming pretty cheap, and nowadays when you spend $2500 on a 46 inch (117cm) model you expect something special. Fortunately, Sharp delivers something a bit special in Quattron. That little yellow pixel really does seem to make a big difference, especially to brightness.

This is a dazzling screen. In a dark room, you’ll want to turn it down. What’s more, you’ll want to feed this display something a bit better quality than the heavily compressed images that pass for free-to-air TV in Australia.

Blu-ray is really something else on the Quattron, with movies gaining a subtle something extra in depth. It’s warmer, less digital and clinical, and even a little bit hypnotic.

The only irritation is that this TV comes out of the box with all its image smoothing, 100Hz, film-mode etc features turned up to max. If you only watch sport, this will be a good thing. If you watch period dramas or classic movies, the image will look flat out wrong until you get into the ugly interface and start hitting stuff with a virtual spanner to make it stop.

CONCLUSION If Quattron is a marketing gimmick and Sharp could have achieved the same results with more sophisticated (and expensive) image processing hardware in the back of the TV... well, call me a sucker. Colour is everything when it comes to high definition content, and the Quattron delivers.

We think the little yellow dots are the real deal.

James Powell

DIGITAL SHACK

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MEDIA STREAMERS ARE GO! Media streamers make multi-room entertainment cheap and easy, bringing all the entertainment stored on your PC in the study to the big screen and good speakers in the living room. Many spread the goodness around without wires too, and provide a swag of useful extra functions into the bargain, writes Anthony Fordham.

R

emember VHS? Remember DVD? Remember when you had to physically carry a disc or a cartridge to your media playback device, plug it in, and then wait around for the movie or album to start? Yeah – those were the days.

Okay, so most of us probably aren’t yet entirely above inserting a disc, but there is a better and more convenient way to consume media – if you’re happy to risk a small drop in quality.

It’s calling media streaming, and odds are you’ve already heard of it. Why not? The concept is the latest thing, the coolest fad, and manufacturers from Apple to Logitech are getting in on the streaming scene.

WHAT IS IT?

Media streaming is actually quite a broad term, but at its essence it means the movie or music you’re consuming on your TV is coming from somewhere else. Instead of the entire movie stored on a disc in your Blu-ray player, the movie is a file on a hard drive... somewhere.

Where? Well, that’s where things get a little broad.

This file could be on a portable hard drive sitting next to your TV. Or that hard drive might be on the bench next to your wireless router. Or it could actually be on your desktop or notebook computer’s hard drive – Mac or PC. The file could even be on the internet, downloaded on demand either in its entirety for temporary storage, or minute-by-minute as you watch.

Streaming is really a catch-all term to describe a way of getting content to your TV or speakers that doesn’t rely on you having a disc.

“Streaming is really a catch-all term to describe a way of getting content to your TV or speakers that doesn’t rely on you having a disc”

VISIT US AT WWW.HEBG.COM.AU | 79

DIGITAL SHACK

A slick, quick, and easy to navigate interface is an important user feature for media streaming devices. The Telstra T-Box (above) and Apple TV (below) rate among the best.

NETWORKED ENTERTAINMENT One thing that all the various methods of streaming have in common is that they rely on computer networks. Be it the global network of the internet or your own home wireless environment, your entertainment is handled by network management software and becomes just like any other file

“The more clever boxes will go online and access music and movies from services like Telstra’s BigPond Movies or US favourite Netflix” on a storage system – albeit a movie or music file rather than a document.

Thinking of your entertainment as a file can save a lot of headaches when it comes to locating your movies, photos and music on a storage device.

Streaming a movie to your TV works like this: You buy a dedicated media streaming device – Apple TV is one example, but everything from the Playstation 3 to $100 boxes from companies like DLink and Western Digital works too – and attach it to your TV via, ideally, HDMI (most boxes offer component outputs too).

This little box then goes on your home network via WiFi or Ethernet cable and looks for media files – music, movies and photos.

It will display a list of the files, up on your TV, and you can select and play using an included remote. In other words, once you’ve set up the box and located your media (more on this in a minute), using a media streamer is much

ISLANDS IN THE STREAM Here are ten very different media streaming devices, with different strengths and abilities. How will you choose? It all depends on how you like your entertainment!

Logitech Squeezebox Touch

Price $550 Web www.logitech.com Just for music, the Squeezebox Touch is notable for the quality of its output – it’s worthy of an expensive hi-fi set up. Supports internet radio as well as the full range of digital music formats, and can be controlled via remote or touchscreen.

Boxee Box

Price $350 Web www.boxee.tv Has massive geek cred thanks to its range of supported formats, but the software is more complex than some others. Can you live with the eccentric form-factor? If the answer is yes, this is an impressive bit of kit.

80 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2009/2010

Apple TV

Price $129 Web www.apple.com.au Apple confesses this is just a ‘hobby’, but the unit is cheap and the interface super-slick. You’re locked in to Apple’s preferred media formats and DRM though – this isn’t a device for tinkerers or champions of open content.

UNDERSTANDING NETWORKING Before you can stream movies, music or photos around the home, you need to setup a network.

The core components of a home network are below, but – and this is important – you don’t need to buy every one of these separately.

Many modern networking devices actually incorporate several or even all of these components in one box. For example, a wireless ADSL router is actually a modem, a router, a wireless access point and probably a switch as well – all in one box. For the majority of people on ADSL, this is the only purchase you need to make.

WHAT YOU NEED 1. Access to a broadband network, such as ADSL or cable, and a service agreement with an ISP (internet service provider).

2. A modem to connect to the broadband network. If you use ADSL or cable broadband, nearly every modem is also a router

(see point 3). Hence the terms ‘ADSL modem’ and ‘ADSL router’ are pretty much interchangeable.

3. A router, also referred to as a Home Network Gateway, works out how to get data from your computer to its destination, such as a media streamer.

They’re also used to share a single internet connection between multiple computers. Some routers are also modems, some are not.

4. A switch (sometimes called a hub) connects multiple computers on your home network via what’s called an Ethernet cable. If you plug all your computers into the switch, they can talk to each other. If the switch is plugged into a router (or is built into the router), it can also give those computers access to the Internet. Most ADSL modem/routers have a switch built in, usually with four local area network (LAN) ports to connect up to four computers to the modem/ router.

the same as using a DVD player. Play, pause, rewind, all the usual controls are there.

The more clever boxes will go online and access music and movies from services like Telstra’s BigPond Movies or US favourite Netflix. These files are stored remotely on an internet server, and first stream from the net at large to your home ADSL or cable connection, then through your home network to the box under your TV.

THE HARD PART

All that is the easy part. The hard – or at least tricky – part with media streaming comes from the extra levels of complexity in the process. Like a DVD, a media streamer just

A wireless router usually integrates a modem for connecting to the web, and access points through which multiple internet devices – such as a computer, media streamer, printer – can connect to the web and share data.

5. Wireless access point. A wireless access point allows computers in your home to talk to each other and to the Internet wirelessly. It actually serves the same function as a switch, but does so without wires.

delivers a, well, stream of digital information to a decoder that turns it into a picture on your TV. But managing that stream of information to the decoder is more complex. It has to negotiate its way through your home router, and over your WiFi. If you’re streaming from online, it needs to handle fluctuating bandwidth and internet traffic. And if you’re streaming from a computer’s hard drive, you have to negotiate with that computer’s operating system to get permission to access the files.

You do this by making folders full of media files ‘visible’ on the network. Depending on your media streaming

WD TV Live Hub

Price $299 Web www.wdc.com This latest iteration of the TV Live family packs a massive 1TB hard drive, so it can be the hub of a media library even while it streams content to and from other TVs and computers. It can even handle multiple streams at once!

Telstra T-Box

Price: $299 Web: www.bigpond.com BigPond’s TV tuner and internet video player combo continues to impress thanks to its slick interface and range of options. You can’t stream your own files off a home network, but there’s a fully-fledged online movie service via BigPond, plus YouTube.

Marantz NA7004

Price $1499 Web www.qualifi.com.au Marantz has optimised the DLNA 1.5 audio streaming standard for audiophiles in its first networked audio player, and with the new Apple Airplay feature made it possible to present artist information, elapsed and remaining time, as well as album art from your iTunes library on a connected display.

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DIGITAL SHACK

Available via Playstation 3, the Mubi service provides a catalogue of classic, arthouse, Indie and festival winning movies for rental.

device, this can be as simple as enabling file sharing on your PC, or you may have to install additional software.

This software is included with your media streamer. To access files on a PC, you install a small program on that PC, and nominate which folders on your hard drive hold your media.

A dedicated ‘network addressed storage’ or NAS hard drive is even easier – it offers up files to devices looking for them.

If you have a wireless network at home that reports a ‘good’ connection to any device that looks at it, then your streaming will go without a hitch.

If your computer connects via connection that’s listed as ‘poor’ then you might experience drop-outs and stuttering.

The solution to this is to relocate your wireless router so it’s not behind thick walls or near a source of interference – such as a microwave or clothes dryer.

Streaming via the internet? Well you’re at the mercy of traffic on the net at large. There are many factors that affect your actual bandwidth (as opposed to the bandwidth your modem reports, or ISP claims) including peak-hour times. If you’re keen on media streaming via the net (and it’s the future of media – make no mistake), then you should get behind the National Broadband Network: fibre to the home will massively improve the quality of connections, as well as overall speed.

THE DOWNSIDE

If you’re a quality purist, then media streaming might not yet be for you. Blu-ray is currently the gold standard for high

Price: $499 Web: au.playstation.com Despite its age, this is still a quality media device with the bonus of being able to play games, Blu-ray and DVD too. Can be finickity about picking up media folders on your network and doesn’t support all formats, but great interface and constant updates mean constant improvements!

Price: $229 Web: www.sony.com.au With WiFi built-in, this delivers more than 20 on-demand video channels from the Bravia Internet Video service – including YouTube and catch-up TV from ABC and Channel 7 – to a connected TV. You can also stream photos, music and videos stored on a PC via DLNA, and control it all from your iPod, iPhone or Android phone.

THE UPSIDE

If you can get past the fiddly technical aspect of streaming, then a whole new world of convenience will open up to you. A good streaming set-up is like having a giant iPod in your lounge room – a massive music and movie database where you can choose anything at the click of a remote (in fact, some media streamers let you use your iPod Touch as the remote).

And when you factor in streaming off the net, well the entertainment possibilities are endless. n

Seagate Freeagent Theater+ HD

Playstation 3

Sony SMPN100

definition entertainment, and the bandwidth requirements of this format are higher than most WiFi connections can reliably provide.

There is an increasing range of devices that offer full 1080p HD playback (though it’s not as good quality as Blu-ray due to heavier compression), but most content is supplied at slightly higher than DVD quality. Streaming is a step up from DVD, though.

You also need to ‘rip’ all your movies and music to a hard drive. We’re used to this with music thanks to iTunes, but movie ripping takes a lot longer – sometimes up to an hour per movie depending what software you use. Digitising your existing DVD collection will be the most tedious step of the streaming experience.

Obviously though if you rent or buy content over the net, then there’s no waiting – beyond a minute or so buffering the file so it doesn’t stutter. A poor net connection can ruin this though.

Price: $219 Web: www.seagate.com Has a nifty dock that allows you to slot in a hard drive... as long as it’s a Seagate hard drive! The interface isn’t best in class, but there’s good support for a range of formats. WiFi isn’t built-in which is a shame, so maybe hang out for the inevitable upgrade.

Hybrid TV Tivo

Price: $499 www.tivo.com.au With its easy-as interface and HDTV/PVR functionality, Tivo is a family favourite that adds value by connecting to networked PCs for sharing photos, movies and music in the living room.

On-demand video and TV show downloads sweeten the meal, as do unmetered deals with eight ISPs. Mac households will find it far tougher to benefit from networked features, though.

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CEDIA 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 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

NSW Andrew Parker Custom AV Installations 5 Honeysuckle Place Kellyville, NSW 2155 02 8824 7177 www.andrewparker.com.au Audio Connection (Drummoyne) 137 Victoria Road Drummoyne NSW 2047 02 9561 0788 www.audioconnection.com.au Audio Solutions 1133 Botany Road, Mascot, NSW 2020 02 9317 3330 www.audiosolutions.net.au Audiovisual Unlimited 5/686 New South Head Road Rose Bay, NSW 2029 02 9371 2052 www.audiovisualunlimited.com.au Audio Visual Advisor PO Box 721 St Ives NSW 2075 02 9440 5379 www.audiovisualadvisor.com.au Audio Visual Lifestyle 86 Merewether Street Merewether NSW 2291 02 49 635304 avlifestyle@exemail.com.au Automated Innovation 1 / 12 Channel Road Mayfield NSW 2304 02 49676666 www.automatedinnovation.com.au AVD Australia Pty Ltd 55 Atchison Street St Leonards NSW 2065 02 9906 2424 www.avd.com.au BJM Integration PO Box 2344 Redhead NSW 2290 02 4944 9333 www.bjmelectrical.com.au Castle Integrated Media 372 B Military Road Cremorne NSW 2090 02 9953 8037 www.castleintegrated.com.au

CHM Electronics 138 / 2 - 18 Buchanan Street Balmain NSW 2041 02 9566 2570 www.chmelectronics.com CONNEXIONS (NSW) Pty Ltd 19C Grace Ave Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086 02 9453 2766 connexions@cnxns.com.au Control Freq Suite 422, 29 Smith Street Parramatta NSW 2150 02 9632 5999 www.controlfreq.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 E.C.S. Services Pty Ltd 22 Forestwood Cr West Pennant Hills, NSW 2125 02 9871 4061 www.ecss.com.au EBM Systems PO Box 1865 Hornsby Westfield, NSW 1635 02 9029 9245 www.ebmsystems.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 Home Control & Audio PO Box 1324 Sutherland NSW 2232 02 9528 0071 www.homecontrolandaudio.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

Sturman Electronics Pty Ltd 443 Crown Street West Wollongong, NSW 2500 02 4226 6690 www.sturmans.com.au

Instinct Electrical PO Box 557 Dee Why, NSW 2099 02 9938 3188 www.instinctelectrical.com.au

Sydney HiFi ASV PO Box 150 Mascot, NSW 2020 02 9578 0118 www.sydneyhifi.com.au

Intelligent Control Systems ‘ICS’ 13/3 Apollo Street Warriewood, NSW 2102 02 9999 0766 www.icsonline.net.au

Sydney Home Cinema Pty Ltd PO Box 6072 Narraweena NSW 2099 0413 397 256 www.sydneyhomecinema.com.au

Intelligent Installations PO Box 219 Northbridge NSW 1560 0425 250 646 www.intelligentinstallations.com.au

TJA Communications PO Box 300 Seven Hills, NSW 2147 02 9838 4622 www.tjacom.com.au

JFK Audio Visual L3, 18/81-91 Military Road Neutral Bay NSW 2089 0414 434 535 www.jfk.com.au

The Silent Butler 57 Himalaya Crescent Seven Hills NSW 2147 0416 153 433 www.thesilentbutler.com.au

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

Tomorrows Home & Business 430 New South Head Road Double Bay NSW 2028 1300 880 840 www.tomorrows.com.au

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

Wavetrain Cinemas 10, 1 - 13 Atkinson Road Taren Point NSW 2229 02 9526 5497 www.wavetrain.com.au

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

Zeale Group P.O. Box 1196 Albury NSW 2640 02 6041 1484 www.zealegroup.com.au

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

QLD

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 New Fidelity Pty Ltd 392 Darling Street Balmain, NSW 2041 02 9818 2333 www.newfidelity.com.au Nova Comm Pty Ltd 8 / 280 New Line Road Dural, NSW 2158 02 9651 6430 www.novacomm.com.au Onetouch PO Box 3002 Balgownie, NSW 2519 0437 649634 mick@onetouch.net.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 Smart Home Solutions Unit 21 56 O’Riordan Street Alexandria, NSW 2015 02 9304 4700 www.smarthomes.com.au

Audio Connection (Kawana Waters) Shop 3/ 70 Nicklin Way Kawana Waters QLD 4575 www.audioconnection.com.au 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 Digital Brilliance PO Box 981 Buderim QLD 4556 07 5445 2180 www.digitalbrilliance.com.au Electronic Interiors Brisbane (Formerly Toombul Music) 2 / 180 Northgate Road Northgate, QLD 4013 07 3266 2533 www.einteriors.com.au Electronic Living 14 Smallwood Place Murarrie QLD 4012 1300 764 554 www.electronicliving.com.au Harvey Norman Home Automation PO Box 5935 GCMC Bundall, QLD 4217 07 5584 3128 joe.blair@au.harveynorman.com

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CEDIA

HomeTech Systems Pty Ltd PO Box 979 Nerang QLD 4211 07 5502 0760 info@hometechsystems.com.au Hoopers Sound Centre 97 Sorensen Road Gympie NSW 4570 07 5482 3409 www.hooperssound.com Home Theatrix Unit 11 Nautilus Business Park 210 Queensport Rd Murarrie, QLD 4172 1 300 555 270 www.hometheatrix.com.au In Sight & Sound Pty Ltd 125 Shamley Heath Road Kureelpa, QLD 4560 07 5445 7799 www.in-sight.com.au Look & Listen 6 Ascot Street Murarrie QLD 4172 1300 765 322 www.lookandlisten.com.au Power Integration 9 Senden Crescent Manly West QLD 4179 1300 797 468 www.powerintegration.com.au

VIC Advanced Lifestyle Solutions Pty Ltd PO Box 360, Niddrie, VIC 3042 03 8307 5618 www.advancedlifestylesolutions.com.au Audio Trends 10 Argent Place Ringwood Vic 3135 03 9874 8233 www.audiotrends.com.au Automated Living Systems Shop 4, Bellevue Arcade, 75 Barrabool Road Highton VIC 3216 03 5241 9660 www.alsys.com.au Cableman Pty Ltd Level 1/1227 Glen Huntly Road Glen Huntly, VIC 3163 03 9572 8900 www.cableman.com.au Carlton Audio Visual 164 - 172 Lygon St, Carlton, VIC 3053 03 9639 2737 www.carltonaudiovisual.com.au Custom Home Theatre PO Box 963 Berwick VIC 3806 03 9796 2617 www.customhometheatre.com.au

Inteverge Pty Ltd PO Box 2501, Kew, VIC 3101 0409 178 076 www.inteverge.com Smart Systems Pty Ltd 0Church Street, Hawthorn, VIC 3122 03 9818 8006 www.smartsystems.com.au Tasman AV Pty Ltd 6 Hood St, Collingwood, VIC 3066 03 9416 2255 www.tasmanav.com.au Urban Intelligence 292 Hoddle Street Abbotsford VIC 3067 03 9001 3001 www.urbanintel.com.au Zentec.com.au PO Box 438 Ocean Grove, VIC 3226 1300 362 972 www.zentec.com.au

WA

Lynx Integrated Systems Unit 5 / 74 Kent Way Malaga WA 6090 sales@lynxis.com.au Northam Home Cinema 5 Oliver Street Northam, WA 6401 08 9622 5198 bevanautopro@westnet.com.au Surround Sounds Unit 3, 83-85 Stirling Highway Nedlands, WA 6009 08 9389 6900 www.surroundsounds.com.au Ultimation 488 Scarborough Beach Rd Osborne Park WA 6017 1 300 880 544 www.ultimation.com.au

NZ Automation Associates PO Box 109722 Newmarket - Auckland +64 9 377 3778 www.aa.net.nz

AVARNTI 1/ 325 Harborne St Osborne Park, WA 6017 08 9443 1288 www.avarnti.com

iCue Ltd PO Box 11481, Elleslie Auckland +64 9 524 6620 www.icue.co.nz

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

Digital Interiors 319 Hay Street Subiaco, WA 6008 0417 921 223 www.digitalinteriors.com.au

Image Audio 723 Main Street Palmerston North 64 6 357 1969 www.imageaudio.co.nz

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

Douglas Hi Fi Enterprises Pty Ltd 401 Murray Street Perth, WA 6000 08 9322 3466 www.douglashifi.com.au

Liquid Automation P.O. Box 300753 Albany Auckland 632 +64 9 444 2440 www.liquidautomation.co.nz

Good Vibrations Sound Installations Po Box 4511 Langwarrin VIC 3910 03 9789 7078 www.gvhometheatre.com.au

ECA Systems Unit 2/13 Clark Street Dunsborough WA 6281 1300 858 897 www.ecasystems.com.au

Sandman Audio Video Unit 1, 69 Kaiwharawhara Road Wellington +64 4 499 2228 www.sandman.co.nz

Hidden Technology P.O. Box 1084 Altona Meadows 3028 03 8685 8544 www.hiddentechnology.com.au

Electronic Interiors WA 125 Burswood Road Burswood, WA 6100 08 9472 4800 www.einteriors.com.au

Sound Advice First PO Box 12-145 Christchurch 8002 +64 3 379 9416 www.soundadvicefirst.com

IBS Audio Visual Pty Ltd 43 Dalgety Street Oakleigh VIC 3166 03 9568 2800 www.ibsav.com.au

Essential Cabling 1 / 6 Chullora Bend Jandakot WA 6164 08 94141961 mcairns@arach.net.au

Soundline Audio PO Box 9680 Newmarket, Auckland +64 9 307 1238 www.aletro.com

Harvey Norman Mile End PO Box 288 Torrensville, SA 5031 08 8150 8000 www.harveynorman.com.au

Impact Electrics 3 England Street Bentleigh East, VIC 3165 03 9209 8140 impactelectrics@optusnet.com.au

Frank Prowse Hi-Fi 6-14 Glyde Street Mosman Park, WA 6012 08 9384 1362 www.frankprowsehifi.com.au

Soundline Audio Ltd Box 2650, Christchurch 8002 +64 3 379 5695 www.soundline.co.nz

Sound & Vision Studio 237 Greenhill Road Dulwich, SA 5065 08 8364 4000 www.sv-studio.com.au

Insight Systems Group Factory 1, 256 Bolton Street Eltham VIC 8008 1300 369 451 www.insightsystems.com.au

Hillstone Communications PO Box 599 Kalamunda, WA 6926 08 9293 3621 hillstone@westnet.com.au

TAS

Integrated Technologies Australia PO Box 570, Kilsyth, VIC 3137 03 9761 8700 www.integratedtechnologiesaustralia.com.au

Soundline Audio Ltd Capital Gateway Centre, 56 Thorndon Quay Wellington +64 4 471 0542 www.soundline.co.nz

Home Cinema Systems 2 / 18 Port Kembla Drive Bibra Lake WA 6163 08 9434 5556 www.homecinemasystems.com.au

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

Intelligent Home Automated Solutions 25 Wittenoom Street East Perth, WA 6004 08 9325 7775 www.intelligenthome.com.au

The Big Picture 14/96 Gardens Drive Willawong QLD 4110 1300 799 734 mskehan@thebigpictureav.com.au Todds Hi Fi 1 308 New Cleveland Road Tingalpa, QLD 4173 07 3907 7777 www.todds.com.au Videopro Level 1 1062 Ann Street Fortitude Valley, QLD 4006 07 3250 0000 www.videopro.com.au Visiontronics Unit 1/7 Endeavor Drive Kunda Park QLD 4556 1300 306 893 www.visiontronics.com.au Visual Focus 16 Clifford Street Toowoomba QLD 4350 617 4632 0402 www.visualfocus.com.au

SA

Nation Technology Level 1, 2 Trotters Lane Prospect, TAS 7250 03 6343 0655 www.nationtechnology.com

Light Application Pty Ltd 78 Erindale Road Balcatta WA 6021 08 9240 6644 www.lightapplication.com.au

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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 The Listening Post 657 Victoria Street Hamilton +64 7 839 0135 www.listening.co.nz

GEAR GUIDES FOR DIGTAL LIVES

Adventure holiday-making doesn’t have to mean leaving all your favourite entertainment devices at home.

Here’s a collection of handy gadgets that keep delivering you content, even in places room service can’t.

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Nintendo DSi XL

Price: $300 Web: www.nintendo.com.au Of all the various portable gaming systems, this is the most versatile. A massive catalogue of both family-friendly and hardcore games keeps the gamers happy, but there’s also a big range of more traditional puzzle and brain-training titles.

Even Sudoku and cryptic crosswords. Add in the camera, microphone, touchscreen and wireless networking, and you’ve got an extremely well-specced little device. The XL is a larger version of the standard DSi, with bigger screens – though not higher resolution. One of the killer features of the DSi is its battery life – you can expect 12 hours or more out of a single charge. Nintendo does have a 3D version – the 3DS - in the works, but it’s not due out until next year and is more focused on movies and action games.

Telstra Elite USB Mobile Broadband Price: $129 Web: www.telstra.com.au

Casio Exilim EX-FH100 Price: $350 Web: www.casio.com

Using a compact camera over a DSLR shouldn’t mean having to give up all the awesome features of the bigger, bulkier device. The EX-FH100 has a few tricks up its sleeve, including an ultra-wide 24mm lens, but the real bonus is its ability to shoot 40 frames a second in still mode. Hit the button, grab all those images, then pick the best one later. Even more extreme is the high-speed video mode, which depending on the setting, allows you to capture at 1000fps – so you can view movies roughly 33 times slower than in real life! Of course if you prefer normal speed film, the EX-FH100 supports full 720p HD output via an HDMI connection. There’s also 10x optical zoom, but that’s to be expected on a camera this clever!

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Broadband via 3G is one of the great boons for the person who is obsessed with staying up-to-date via Facebook. Sure, your smartphone probably has it, but wouldn’t it be nice, after a long day seeing the sights, to be able to curl up in the hotel with a proper computer, with a proper keyboard, and use the internet as nature intended it? Telstra’s Mobile Broadband is a prepaid service, so you can control the size of the bill. The initial cost includes 3GB of data, and the Elite modem has a micro-SD card slot for extra storage. Naturally, you can roam internationally and use various 3G networks in most countries. It’s a lot handier, cheaper and easier than locking yourself into a contract with a specific 3G-enabled gadget.

Flip minoHD 8GB Price: $230 Web: www.theflip.com

Sometimes you don’t necessarily need a traditional-style camera that’s all about f-stops and focal points. You just need something ultra-compact you can whip out to grab either pics or video. Something for parties, clubs, spontaneous paragliding and so on. Flip’s minoHD bumps up the specs of its range of mini-camcorders, without bumping up the size. The 8GB version holds two hours of 720p video (though the battery is only good for an hour and a half of continuous shooting!) and weighs just 120 grams What’s more, it records at 60fps – double the older models. It’s simple to use, and there’s a USB plug built right in so you don’t need to scrabble around in your bag for a cable the next time you hit a skanky Net cafe to upload your exploits to YouTube.

HTC Desire HD

Price: $69 (contract) Web: www.htc.com

HTC’s latest smartphone boosts the entertainment features while maintaining the clean, fast Android OS we’ve come to take for granted. It packs Dolby Mobile audio and SRS virtual surround sound. The 4.3 inch display runs at 800 x 480, and the phone uses the latest iteration of HTC’s Sense – which as mentioned is a tweaked Android operating system. Unlike the previous Desire, the HD doesn’t have any physical buttons on the front, going for a super-clean design with four touchsensitive icons that provide a haptic response when you use them (ie. they buzz under your fingertips). GPS, compass, all the good travel-focused stuff is here, and the Android Marketplace continues to blossom with handy apps. Bonus cleverness: HTCSense.com allows you to page your phone if you lose it, or even remotely wipe all its data should it be stolen.

Uniden iGO 50

Price: $250 Web: www.uniden.com.au

For obsessive travellers who want a dedicated GPS unit, this is a good choice. The device itself is smartphone-small, smartphone-light and crucially, smartphone-thick. What’s more, you can hire foreign maps month-by-month instead of having to pay hundreds for a set of roads you might only use for a couple of weeks.

Why not just use a smartphone? Because smartphones rely on an internet connection to display maps, while the iGO 50 has all its maps on board. Plus it has a much better set of turn-byturn instructions and route-finding features. Best used in a car but still quite effective on foot.

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Sony Vaio VPXZ138GGXQ

Price: $4099 Web: www.sony.com.au

Apple iPad

If you want real computing power but you still need to travel light, well you’re just going to have to dig a bit deeper into the old bank balance. What you’re paying for with the Z-series Vaio is a combination of build-quality and miniaturisation.

The chassis is aluminium and the lid is carbon-composite, so you know it can take a few knocks and nicks. Under the hood is Intel’s top-shelf Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM (instead of the usual 4GB) and NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics, so it can chew up games too. Most impressively, the 13.1 inch display runs at 1920 x 1080, so you can watch Blu-ray on this thing (though you’ll have to rip your BDs to the 256GB quad-SSD hard drive, since there’s only a DVD drive on board). And 1080p on a 13 inch screen? Eat your heart out Retina display!

And it only weighs 200g more than a MacBook Air!

RRP: from $629 Website: www.store.apple.com/au

The iPad may be an oversized iPhone (that doesn’t make phone calls), but if you’re the type that can’t bear to be out of touch with the greater interweb community for more than a few minutes, the iPad is the perfect combination of utility and entertainment. Check your email, chat with buddies, read newspapers, magazines, comics and even books, watch movies, videos and TV; it’s all easy and clear, thanks to the superb 9.7 inch, high-resolution LED-backlit display.

So you can check the weather before you leave the hotel, read the Wall Street Journal on the train to the next local attraction, check email when you get there, ask Urbanspoon to find a great place nearby for lunch, use Google Maps to tell you where the museum is, play a few games on the journey back to the hotel then download a new movie from Netflix to entertain the family at night.

Panasonic Lumix GF2-K

Price: $TBA Web: www.panasonic.com.au

Part of the reason DSLR cameras are so bulky is they need space for the flip-up mirror inside that allows you to see what the lens is seeing, through the viewfinder. The Micro Four Thirds format eliminates the mirror (and the viewfinder, in favour of the LCD on the back) but still lets you use interchangeable lenses. Panasonic’s GF2 is an update to the GF1, now shooting at 12.1 megapixels. The LCD viewscreen is in fact a touchscreen, and includes a neat feature whereby touching a subject’s face or the background tells the camera where to set its focus. Video records at 1080i and outputs via HDMI. And for photography purists, there’s a full manual mode, just like on a proper DSLR. All the functionality and flexibility of a multi-lens camera with none of the bulk!

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Audio Technica ATH-CK70PRO earphones

Price: $195 Web: www.audio.technica.com

You have a couple of options when it comes to earphones for travel, and one of those is active noise cancellation. But wait – noise cancelling earphones have bulky control boxes and require extra power, either in the form of a battery or by sucking electric goodness from your music player. The other option then is to get high-quality in-ear speakers, like these. Soft silicon tips go deep into your ear, and seal out quite a lot of ambient noise passively. The armature-based speaker (instead of membrane-based) delivers more power for its size, and because there’s no noise-cancellation circuit, it won’t suck as much juice from your iPod. Audio quality on the CK70PROs is what you’d expect from much bulkier over-ear pair of headphones, making them a great choice for travelling light.

Sandisk Extreme SDHC 32GB

Price: $299 Web: www.sandisk.com.au

Once upon a time, travelling with a digital camera involved that constant dance of wanting to take heaps of photos but only having a limited amount of space on a 128MB memory card. Then cards got bigger – you get a 2GB card with most cameras these days – but now cameras take HD video, sucking up even more space. Fortunately, cards are getting bigger too. Take this 32GB monster from Sandisk. Not only will it hold eight hours of 720p video, it’s super-fast as well, making it ideal for fancy DSLRs and other high-end kit.

But in a point-and-shoot compact camera it really shines.

You’ll have to take literally thousands of photos to fill it up.

Amazon Kindle 3G Price: $189 Web: www.amazon.com

There are an increasing number of e-readers on the market now, and it’s probably possible to show that some of the offbrand ones are better value than the Kindle, but there’s more to an e-reader than the hardware. It’s a good thing this latest iteration of the Kindle is so good though, with excellent contrast and great battery life – even if it isn’t the best hardware, it’s up there. More important though is Amazon’s free 3G service that comes on this edition (a WiFi only Kindle costs $139). It’s actually an AT&T SIM card with international roaming, but it means you can buy and download books anywhere (within the coverage map, which Amazon has on its website), and unlike data on a mobile phone, there are no data-usage costs, you only pay for the books.

There are hundreds of thousands of titles, and with the current state of the Aussie dollar, even the ‘expensive’ $17 books save you big bikkies over a typical $32.99 paperback.

Apple 11 inch MacBook Air

Price: $1449 Web: www.apple.com.au

When the Air was first launched, we were a little wary of its price. It was a lot of money for a slightly beefed-up netbook.

This generation though is a different story. Yes, you still pay double the price of a very good netbook, but this time you get double the machine. The Air has a proper notebook spec, but at 1.2kg, is the same weight as any big-battery netbook. We prefer the 11 inch version since it will slip into any magazine-sized space, but if you want to indulge yourself with some big-screen entertainment on the road, go for the 13 inch. Apple’s suite of standard software that comes with OSX is actually pretty good for travel – photo management, email, and iLife’s various calendar and note-taking functions are super handy too.

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WD My Book World Edition II 4TB Price: $520 Web: www.wdc.com

Here’s something a little different, because this is a piece of tech for travel... that you leave at home!

You know how it is: you’re overseas, you meet up with old friends, you get chatting about something that happened back home – an awesome party, the birth of a niece or nephew –but you don’t have the pics on your phone or tablet. With any internet connection, you can log into the My Book sitting at home attached to your router, and pull down files like it’s a regular website. Naturally, it also backs up all your data and you can send it files from abroad as well – just dump the contents of your camera’s memory card via FTP. It might take an hour or so to upload depending on your connection, but it means you can’t lose the photos!

Seagate GoFlex Pro 1TB Price: $200 Web: www.seagate.com.au

At last count there were roughly 19,000 different external portable hard drives on the market, so what sets this one apart?

Well, a terabyte of storage in something smaller than two iPods is a good start. But more interestingly, the GoFlex Pro has a detachable cable connector, which means you can use different kinds of connections depending on your situation. Out and about and relying on Net cafes? Use the ubiquitous USB2.0.

At home and want to dump gigabytes on or off the drive really quickly? Swap over to FireWire 800. And there’s included support for the upcoming USB3.0 format (which will be on the next generation of notebooks) – and USB3.0 is even faster again.

There’s also an impressive array of security and encryption features, and a nifty dock is included in the box!

STM Scout XS

Price: $80 Web: www.stmbags.com.au

So much travel kit, so many devices and gadgets and gew-gaws, no mere pair of trousers can handle them all. You need to put them in a bag, but if you chuck them in a standard bag they’ll all knock and rub against each other and their polished aluminium backplates will get all scuffed. Here’s a specialised bag from STM. STM has a whole range of notebook bags, but this one is extra small – XS – and just the right size for an iPad or any diminutive notebook or netbook.

There are plentiful pockets for your phone, e-reader, music player and so on, and since the bag itself is so compact it’s easy to deal with it in the cosy confines of an economy-class aircraft seat. Added bonus: the Scout XS even looks stylish. n

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SPONSOR NEWS

NEWS, PRODUCTS, EVENTS AND SERVICES FROM SELECT HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE SPONSORS.

Lenovo’s big, bright idea

The 15.6 inch IdeaPad Y560 multimedia laptop features a high definition 16:9 widescreen, JBL-designed speakers and Dolby Home Theater surround sound, making it ideal for users looking for the ultimate, mobile entertainment experience.

With Intel Core i7 processors featuring Intel Turbo Boost Technology to deliver extra GHz, the Y560 also features the Lenovo Energy Management 5.0 for extended battery life and long-term battery durability.

Right now, when you buy an IdeaPad Y series or an IdeaPad Z series you’ll receive a free high definition video camera valued at $199.

RRP: from $1699 URL: www.lenovo.com.au/funhd

Tea total with Breville

The perfect cup of tea is achieved only by careful preparation. Water that is too hot may scald the leaves and produce a bitter, astringent taste, as can tea that is brewed too long.

With five preset brew temperatures catering to tea types – green, black, white, herbal and oolong – three preset brew times for controlling tea strength, and a custom option for those who like to experiment, the Breville Tea Maker (BTM800) makes the perfect cup of tea every time.

RRP: $299.95 URL: www.breville.com.au Phone: 1300 139 798

BlackBerry Torch: shine a little light on me

For the things that inspire you, there’s our best-ever web browsing experience on a full-size touch screen, an enhanced media player, 5 megapixel camera with flash, and apps to download to your heart’s desire.

For getting things done, there’s the stuff BlackBerry is famous for: the immediacy of push email, real-time chats with BBM™, and of course, our legendary QWERTY keyboard. Instant social networking updates are now grouped together in one view as social feeds. Plus, with Wi-Fi® and GPS, you know the BlackBerry Torch is fast in, fast out, wherever you happen to get things done.

RRP: $869 (outright) URL: www.blackberry.com/gettorchnow

Asus, the fast Italian and the stylish Dane

Inspired by the Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Roadster, the ASUS-AUTOMOBILI LAMBORGHINI Eee PC™ VX6 is a new 12 inch netbook that features powerful second generation NVIDIA® ION™ discrete graphics with Optimus™ power management technology. The CPU is the dual core Intel® Atom™ D525, resulting in powerful hardware for multimedia while maintaining a 5.5 hour battery life. Bang & Olufsen ICEpower® technology ensures vivid and satisfying audio performance, while USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 3.0 are included for faster connectivity. ASUS is also bundling 500GB of cloud storage with every VX6 sold, giving users access to over 750GB of storage — a remarkable amount for a netbook.

RRP: from $899 URL: www.asus.com.au

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EARS & EYES & THUMBS

Entertainment for wherever you are — from movie room to laptop to mobile phone, and from HDTV to podcasts, DVDs and downloads. Compiled by Max Everingham.

HIGH DEFINITION MOVIES

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON STARRING JAY BARUCHEL, GERARD BUTLER, CRAIG FERGUSON, JONAH HILL, CHRISTOPHER MINTZ-PLASSE, T.J. MILLER DIRECTOR DEAN DEBLOIS, CHRIS SANDERS RATING PG SOUND 5.1 DOLBY TRUEHD DISTRIBUTOR PARAMOUNT/ DREAMWORKS

The best family animation from Dreamworks since Kung-Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon doesn’t need to be seen in 3D to be enjoyed.

Much more than the nominal coming-of-age story it depicts, the film mixes charming and sympathetic characters with an engaging storyline, world-class animation and a liberal dose of humor. Plus the coolest dragon ever. The voice acting is superb, with Jay Baruchel perfectly cast as the awkward, reluctantly rebellious main character Hiccup, with Gerard Butler playing his ferocious but ultimately endearing Viking hero father, Stoick, and Ugly Betty’s America Ferrera as Hiccup’s love interest Astrid. The story innovates away from the obvious with a liberating and rallying effect on the audience, and you’ll find yourself barracking for the extremely inaptly-named ‘Toothless’, the Night Fury dragon and his motley crew of baby Vikings.

This ‘double-play’ Blu-ray version of the film includes one disc with the Blu-ray feature film on it and another with the DVD version,

allowing families to keep one copy in the living room and one (entirely legal!) copy in the portable DVD player in the car, for example. Better still, there’s a completely new mini-movie, ‘The Legend of the BoneKnapper Dragon’ on the Blu-ray disc too. Voiced by the same cast as the main film, it’s an unexpected and quite brilliant bonus, making the title even better value.

Among the host of special features are a couple of standouts – the BoneKnapper story, of course, as well as a ‘How to draw Toothless’ masterclass from animator Gabe Hordos, who makes it look simple when it clearly really isn’t, plus ‘Viking-Sized Cast’, showing you the reallife actors doing their thing in the studio and appearing to really enjoy themselves.

FAMILY GUY: IT’S A TRAP! STARRING SETH MACFARLANE, ALEX BORSTEIN, SETH GREEN, MILA KUNIS, PATRICK STEWART, ADAM WEST, ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, PATRICK WARBURTON, WPATRICK WARBURTON DIRECTOR SETH MACFARLANE RATING M SOUND DTS-HD MASTER AUDIO 5.1 DISTRIBUTOR 20TH CENTURY FOX

Taking its title from the most memorable thing Admiral Ackbar said in Return of the Jedi, the latest spoof movie from Family Guy will be a great, last-minute stocking filler for the irreverent comedy fan in your family.

Appearing in stores on Blu-ray and DVD just a few days before Christmas, this third satire on Star Wars, the dysfunctional Family Guy crew re-enact Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi in their own way. Cameo voice actors include Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, Carrie Fisher and Adam West and the boxset comes with a bonus T-shirt and collector’s cards.

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There are no bonus features exclusive to Blu-ray but both formats have that excellent, additional ‘digital copy’, and some amusing segments such as ‘Star Wars Trivial Pursuit’, involving the cast and crew testing each others’ knowledge of Star Wars and some outtakes from the ‘Sock Puppet’.

IRON MAN 2

STARRING ROBERT DOWNEY JR, DON CHEADLE, SCARLETT JOHANSSON, GWYNETH PALTROW, SAM ROCKWELL, MICKEY ROURKE, SAMUEL L. JACKSON DIRECTOR JON FAVREAU RATING M SOUND 5.1 DOLBY TRUEHD DISTRIBUTOR PARAMOUNT/ DREAMWORKS

If a ‘double-play’ DVD is good, then a ‘triple play’ one is even ‘gooder’.

The Blu-ray version of Iron Man 2 comes with three discs in the pack: one with the feature film on Blu-ray plus some special features, another disc chock-full of more special features, then a third disc with the film on DVD, along with a ‘digital copy’, which is a legitimate copy of the movie for you to play on a computer or portable device such as an iPad or iPhone. That’s a lot of value. So it’s a shame that the actual movie is a bit of a disappointment.

In the sequel to what is possibly the best superhero movie yet made, Iron Man 2 dispenses with Stark’s affability and attractive eccentricity, replacing it with borderline psychosis and special effects. Robert Downey Jr’s megalomaniac character gives full rein to his ego, money and influence with a resultant chaos of sound and image that becomes downright infuriating. It’s a spectacle, for sure, but the sequel has little of the charm of the first film, where Tony Stark suffered a crisis of conscience that heralded both the coolest superhero suit in the universe and a reversal of intent for his private arms manufacturing company that made saving the world a moral imperative for its CEO, Iron Man himself. Here, we have the advent of War Machine, a romance with Pepper Potts, confrontations with Mickey Rourke as a new arch enemy, the appearance of Nick Fury, battles with a defence contractor rival and a whole ton of noise.

LIFE

The Blu-ray package has a lot of extra material, only some of which is actually in high definition, but there’s an entire disc devoted to it. The commentary from Favreau is good, though, both informative and illuminating regarding some of the choices he made, particularly regarding the deleted scenes. There are eight of them to watch, including an alternate opening for the movie, which we believe does a far better job of setting up Stark’s debilitating condition than the one that made the final cut. An early observation from Favreau in the commentary, that “the beginning of the movie is all about momentum” is extremely telling, and explains his apparent desire to substitute moments of humanity in the film with steroids. Another great addition on the main BD movie disc is the S.H.I.E.L.D. data, which pops up over the movie, framing it as it plays, giving you info on the people, weapons and tech you’re seeing. It’s a little intrusive but doesn’t happen too often and makes it feel a little more like a Tom Clancy video game, which is good fun.

NARRATED BY DAVID ATTENBOROUGH RATING G SOUND DTS-HD MASTER AUDIO 5.1 DISTRIBUTOR ROADSHOW

Taking four years to make and absorbing nine years’ worth of filming, Life is an extraordinary and fascinating look at life on our planet, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, the undisputed heavyweight champion of natural wildlife filming of the world – and a veritable institution in his native UK where this was originally aired as a 10part TV series on the BBC. The four-disc set is available on DVD and Blu-ray, and if you want to witness the extreme behavior of real-life (Komodo) dragons, fish that fly and walk on land, cross-dressing giant squid, cheetahs that team up to overwhelm a much bigger prey, and fearsome killer whales that risk their own life and limb to venture into the shallows to grab a meal, Life has it all. Much of the footage is of the ‘how on earth did they film that?!’ variety, showing extreme close-ups of the some of the world’s most dangerous animals, dramatic attack

sequences and the most desperate, intimate fights for survival.

There are no amazing bonus features on the Blu-ray set that aren’t on the DVD – and only a segment called ‘Life Diaries’ on that one – but with photography as stellar as this, it would be a crime not to grab yourself a copy of the Blu-ray version if you have a compatible player and large screen TV. Special kudos here to Roadshow Entertainment for releasing this TV treasure and offering what must be one of the best Christmas presents you can possibly give to anyone interested in nature and life on Earth.

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EARS & EYES & THUMBS

ALIEN ANTHOLOGY STARRING SIGOURNEY WEAVER, JOHN HURT, IAN HOLM, MICHAEL BIEHN, LANCE HENRIKSEN, PETE POSTLETHWAITE DIRECTOR RIDLEY SCOTT, JAMES CAMERON, DAVID FINCHER, JEAN-PIERRE JEUNET RATING MA15+ SOUND DTS-HD MASTER AUDIO 5.1 DISTRIBUTOR 20TH CENTURY FOX

Alien fans rejoice! Twentieth Century Fox has just launched its wares to the top of your holiday must-have list with the Alien Anthology; an enormous collection of everything Alien related in one, single acidspitting package. Comprising six discs, 60 hours of special features and 12,000 images, Alien Anthology unites absolutely every morsel of data from the home video releases of the Alien saga, including Alien Quadrilogy (Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien Resurrection), the Legacy and laserdisc releases from the ’90s. Claiming that the content has been ‘reinvigorated’ for Blu-ray, this magnificent boxset, under the supervision of producer Charles de Lauzirika, also includes two versions of each film (theatrical and special editions) as well as over 14 hours of previously unseen goodies (four hours of which is exclusive to the Blu-ray Anthology) such as dailies, new interviews and all manner of archival information; even the menus on each of the six discs provide an experience of their own! The best part of the massive collection has to be the sixth disc, ‘The Anthology Archives’, which has segments on preproduction (screenplays, storyboards, concept art, cast, etc), production and post-production, offering up a treasure trove of fascinating

information for the true Aliens fan.

Intriguingly, the Alien Anthology features what Fox describes as a “high-tech comprehensive interactive mechanism called MU-TH-UR Mode” that allows the viewer to gain access to all sorts of peripheral information as the movies run.

The ‘visual’ component of the MU-TH-UR Mode, for instance, permits the user to bookmark behind-the-scenes materials at any point, on any and all of the four movie discs, with ‘Data Tags’ then play them all back as a collection when you insert the fifth or sixth discs. The ‘Data stream’ feature does similarly with production notes, facts and trivia, and the ‘Auditory’ with commentaries and scores. Packaged either as the standard ‘Face Hugger’ boxset or an absolutely rocking ‘Alien Egg’ set with the goodies secreted underneath a replica of one of the eggs from the movies. If ever there was a disc-set destined to be the centerpiece of an entire weekend movie blowout with your mates, Alien Anthology on Blu-ray has to be it!

AVATAR: EXTENDED COLLECTOR’S EDITION STARRING SAM WORTHINGTON, ZOE SALDANA, SIGOURNEY WEAVER, STEPHEN LANG AND MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ DIRECTOR JAMES CAMERON RATED MSOUND DTS-HD MASTER AUDIO 5.1 + DOLBY DIGITAL 2.0 DISTRIBUTOR FOX

All Hollywood epics seem to be getting this kind of treatment these days, and we’re still not sure whether it’s just savvy-but-cynical marketing from the film’s director or great service for the movies fans.

Regardless, the ‘Extended Collector’s Edition’ of the jaw-dropping CGI epic Avatar is now in stores, bringing you three versions of the film.

Described by James Cameron as ‘the ultimate box set of Avatar’, there’s an ‘extended cut’ of the original theatre release that’s 16 minutes longer

than the original, the version of the film seen in cinemas as ‘a special edition re-release’, and 45 minutes of deleted scenes. Blu-ray customers also get a film cell, which is at least still relatively novel and collectable, as well as a substantial production journal.

DVD MOVIES

24: THE COUNTDOWN COLLECTION STARRING KIEFER SUTHERLAND, MARY LYNN RAJSKUB, CARLOS BERNARD, ELISHA CUTHBERT AND DENNIS HAYSBERT SERIES CREATED BY ROBERT COCHRAN AND JOEL SURNOW RATED MA-15+ SOUND DTS-HD MASTER AUDIO 5.1 DISTRIBUTOR 20TH CENTURY FOX

For the macho secret agent man in your life, nothing will be as gratefully received as the 24 Complete Series boxset. Spanning 49 discs on DVD in a premium tin box, this mammoth counter-terrorist collection comprises all eight seasons of Jack Bauer’s unlikely but thrilling worldsaving shenanigans and, at just under $300 retail, will ensure he stays put in the man cave freeing you up to engage in real-life pleasures like popping off down to the spa. Unless you’re a 24 fan yourself, in which case make some room for Keifer when the collection – Season 8 is also

arriving on DVD or Blu-ray on the same day – make their inimitable presence felt in the shops on 1 December. For diehard fans, the inclusion of an alternate ending for the series finale in the bonus features is probably worth the price of admission alone.

you only buy 20 discs this year, or want to give someone you love the holiday movie collection, these are the ones to get.

Top 10 picks of 2010 Ifultimate MOVIES 1. How to Train Your Dragon: A charming, funny, family-friendly animation from Dreamworks as good as Kung-Fu Panda and featuring the world’s coolest dragon.

2. Avatar: The movie that shook up the entire industry, both enlightening and a little preachy, but undeniably genre-changing, visually stunning and wonderfully cinematic.

3. Inception: Astonishing computer-generated imagery wrapped around mind-boggling conceptual brilliance make Inception best thriller of the year, poignant and startling.

4. Shutter Island: DiCaprio is superb in this haunting thriller with a gut-wrenching twist, with disc extras relating the horror of certain real-life psychiatric practices from the 1950s.

5. The Hurt Locker: Oscar-winning direction and a sobering, frightening portrayal of what life can really be like for our boys in Iraq make for compulsive viewing.

6. Ponyo: Fantastic, surreal and imaginative Japanese animation that perfectly captures a childlike sense of wonder with beautiful storytelling .

7. In the Loop: Frequently laugh-out-loud and utterly outrageous,

94 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

it’s impossible to tell how much of this political satire is accurate but it’s a riotous comedy nonetheless.

8. Toy Story 3: Not the best in the series and a little dark moodwise but a lavishly-produced and fun animation for the whole family.

9. Kick Ass: Matthew Vaughn, Director of the brilliant ‘Layer Cake’, amazes with this self-aware comic-book movie that is as mad as a hatter, violent and exciting.

10. Life: Fascinating insights, stunning photography and educational in a light-hearted way, ‘Life’ is an exceptionally entertaining look at life on our planet.

GAMES

HAWX 2 PLATFORM XBOX 360 GENRE FLIGHT/ACTION RATED PG DISTRIBUTOR UBISOFT

Perhaps in recognition of the fact that most flight sim games involve careening left, right, left again, up down and wherever to keep your crosshairs on a tiny speck in the far distance so you can unleash an, ultimately, underwhelming missile in the general direction of the little red box, Ubisoft this time around has instead woven together a much more complex game offering, requiring the player not only to fly fighter jets but also man the guns on support gunships, direct unmanned surveillance drones and other fun aerial-combat based activities.

This is more entertaining for a videogame as well as being a massive improvement over the last HAWX game. Now, the game is far more

DEAD RISING 2 PLATFORM XBOX 360 GENRE ACTION/ADVENTURE RATED MA-15+ DISTRIBUTOR CAPCOM

Dead Rising 2 is imbecilic, violent, button-mashing and juvenile. It epitomises the reasons why detractors of videogames decry our hobby.

By the same token, it’s escapist, excessively silly fun that significantly improves on its predecessor and, with zombies as its raison d’être, taps into the irredeemably geeky cultural lore of its intended manboy audience. Relentlessly gory, there are attempts to inject strategy into the core gameplay of wading though hordes of zombies while killing them in as many inventive ways as possible, but clunky, clumsy character movement, cut-and-paste zombie behavior and the ability

MEDAL OF HONOR PLATFORM XBOX 360 GENRE ACTION/ADVENTURE RATED MA-15+ DISTRIBUTOR EA

Presenting more credible scenarios than its arch rival, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, EA’s Medal of Honor shooter has great production values – the graphics, weaponry simulation, lighting and sound effects are superb – but provides an exceptionally linear playing experience.

Military jargon is lavishly painted on, and authentic, and the stealthy missions are most fun, combining tense sniping moments with good operational procedure so players really feel like they’re part of the squad. There’s a lot of variety, too, from sniping ground assignments GAMES 1. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West: A fantastic action adventure game with world-class storytelling, voice work and animation that elicits real empathy for its main characters. Game of the Year.

2. Assassin’s Creed II: Puts you in the agile and acrobatic shoes of a medieval assassin with Leonardo Da Vinci as a friend and personal gadget-maker; an irresistible premise with flawless execution. Ahem.

3. Halo Reach: Evocative of the first ever Halo game and as immersive,‘Reach is the acme of the series; unmissable.

mindful of the Tom Clancy advanced warfare treatment that has graced other Ubisoft titles, with slick presentation, competent and authentic scripting and an array of neat touches like the picture-in-picture chats with fellow pilots or chaps back at base and ‘incoming missile’ alerts showing up on your radar, giving you a better fighting chance of getting out of their way. The story is better and overall it’s a much more cohesive playing experience.

to just lightly jog past any encroaching danger – given that they encroach at about 0.1 km per hour with about as much menace as a snail crossing a paving stone – makes it a wasted effort. Dead Rising 2 will be embraced by the thrill-seeking kid in all of us, but to save embarrassment among the adults, we advise that any such embracing should be conducted entirely behind closed doors.

with your spotter to saddling up in a helicopter and delivering Hellfire missiles to the bad guys’ front doors. Online multiplayer is disappointing, though, without the slightest hint of originality, and features like unchanging spawn points make the game easy prey for cheats. A short shelf life is predicted, particularly given the imminent arrival of Call of Duty: Black Ops.

4. Mass Effect 2: The year had only just begun when spacefaring sci-fi epic ‘action RPG’ Mass Effect 2 screamed into our universe, setting the bar for every game to follow.

8. LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4: Best game ever to play with your kids, this LEGO release has a sure-fire hit theme, is witty, fun and stuffed full of content.

5. Red Dead Redemption: Offers players peerless ‘sandbox’ adventuring in a Western-themed environment – evocative, immersive, hilarious and more freedom than an uncaged Budgie.

9. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit: Cops and robbers in supercars, this latest EA racer is built by the Burnout guys and represents the epitome of male gamer wish fulfillment.

6. DJ Hero 2: Even if you hate music rhythm games, this will suck you in with its great mixes, empowering controller and liberty to stamp your own identity on the tracks.

7. Limbo: A classic left-to-right scrolling adventure providing an immersive, interactive, beguiling, entertainment experience.

10. Super Mario Galaxy 2: Better than the first in every way, and that was pure brilliance, SMG2 is the best game you can buy on Wii for more reasons than we have space here to relate.

Honourable mentions to Fable 3, Dragon Age: Origins, UFC Undisputed 2010, Super Scribblenauts, Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, Just Cause 2 and all the other Xmas games that might have made the list had we received them before our print deadline.

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TIME WARP

Surround sound revolution in the home W

ouldn’t it be great if you could have witnessed the whistling bullets and screaming drill sergeants of Platoon or screeching, scuttling Aliens come alive in the relative safety of your own living room, instead of hauling the whole family off to the cinema to properly appreciate the impact of the soundtrack of those epic movies? Or feel the shattering, supersonic speeds rattle your bones as the ace pilots of Top Gun tore around in the skies seeking out the Ruskies?

That’s what the boffins at Yamaha must have thought too, because just as those seminal films hit the cinemas way back in 1986, the Japanese company’s R&D department proudly bore the fruits of its recent labour, the Yamaha DSP-1, from the lab.

The same year, almost prophetically, that the wondrous Pixar Animation Studios was opened, Yamaha introduced the floppy-haired, flared jeans-wearing world to the concept

In one fell swoop, it provided a whole lot more exercise for our ears, plus the introduction of that trademark ‘DSP’ moniker” 96 HOME ENTERTAINMENT BUYERS GUIDE | SUMMER 2010/2011

of home theatre, changing the face – or rather ears – of home entertainment for ever. In one fell swoop, it provided a whole lot more exercise for our ears, plus the introduction of that trademark ‘DSP’ moniker to befuddle millions of tech newbies for generations to come.

Yamaha’s ‘Digital Sound Processing’ machine took the accustomed stereo audio signal and created from it six channels of sound. So, thankfully, DSP was a better innovation than it was an abbreviation, because it heralded no less than the advent of surround sound in the home of a regular Joe. Previously, you’d have to go to the cinema to experience the sound in its full glory as (directors like to tell you when they release Director’s Editions of their movies on DVD) “it was originally created and intended to be heard”.

If ever there was a friendly red flag to the bull of home entertainment junkies, the DSP-1 was it, none-too-subtly intimating that if you didn’t have surround sound in your lounge then, well, you had not in fact – as you might have previously thought – seen and heard it all.

Your ears and, perhaps more importantly, those of your mates who you intended to invite round to your place and demonstrate your God-like foresight, audiophilic erudition and immensely good taste could now enjoy up to 16 different ‘sound field’ programs to suit the source material.

So, in 1986, that meant you could hear John Farnham’s brand new release Whispering Jack play out on the ‘concert hall’ setting or watch Mike Tyson win his first world boxing title under ‘stadium’-like audio.

From here, it would only get better, but to be credited as the pioneer of domestic surround sound (and the home cinema phenomenon that grew from it), as the DSP-1 surely was, seemed like a pretty good start.

Max Everingham

VISIT US AT WWW.HEBG.COM.AU