Opinion

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Mark Craven  |  Feb 12, 2020  |  0 comments
Recommendations engines and thumbnail VOD menus tease ease of use, but this is why linear TV still has appeal...
Anton van Beek  |  Nov 20, 2019  |  0 comments
While Anton van Beek was prepared to have his brain battered by some Michael Bay mayhem, he didn't expect Channel 4 to adhere to the director's intent when it came to ratio shifts
Anton van Beek  |  Nov 01, 2018  |  0 comments
Oo-er! Things are getting a little steamy around here as Anton van Beek reminisces about the heyday of the big-budget erotic thriller and wonders why Hollywood studios seem so scared of sex these days...
Mark Craven  |  Oct 09, 2018  |  0 comments
Those with an interest in film criticism, and movie history in general, will find a lot to enjoy in new book The Times On Cinema. Edited by Brian Pendreigh, it collects nearly 100 years of cinema writing from both The Times and Sunday Times newspapers, and I've found it utterly fascinating.
Anton van Beek  |  Oct 05, 2018  |  0 comments
When he's not watching movies, Anton van Beek loves to kick back with a good book – especially when they offer alternate versions of some classic films...
Mark Craven  |  Sep 24, 2018  |  0 comments
Going from a Steinway Lyngdorf/Sony 4K home cinema system to an IMAX Laser screening finds Mark Craven singing the praises of both. But...
Anton van Beek  |  May 02, 2018  |  0 comments

When it comes to movie soundtracks, it's often assumed that home cinema fans like them as loud and brash as they can be. After all, unlike friends and family members who are content listening to films through the piddly drivers crammed into their flatscreen TVs, we've actually gone to the effort of filling our living room or movie den with honking great speakers. So it only stands to reason that we'll be cranking them to the max. Doesn't it?

Steve May  |  Aug 01, 2017  |  0 comments
1. Only you can work your system

The additional power amp. The Darbee Darblet. The trio of media players, all necessary to cover esoteric file formats. Over the years you’ve assembled a home cinema of such fearsome complexity that successful operation is beyond the talents of mere mortals (or other family members, basically). Of course, it doesn’t help that you insist on still using seven individual remotes, and haven’t bothered to relabel the HDMI inputs on your AVR – but that’s only an issue when you’re not around to cue up a Blu-ray. Which hardly ever happens, as you’re in your cinema room every day…

Mark Craven  |  Sep 28, 2016  |  0 comments

The Ultra HD Blu-ray format, launched during an era when streaming services are eating into physical media sales, has posted impressive retail figures that compare favourably to the first few months of Blu-ray, according to US industry mag Home Media Magazine.

Jon Thompson  |  Sep 19, 2016  |  0 comments

Earlier this year, the topic of dialogue intelligibility raised its head once again, this time around the blockbuster Warner Bros flick Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Some people were complaining that they couldn't hear the dialogue, yet Hans Zimmer, the soundtrack composer, blamed cinema loudspeakers, affronted by the suggestion that his pounding score made the chatter in the latest superhero match-up inaudible. 

Mark Craven  |  Aug 02, 2016  |  0 comments

Home cinema used to be oh-so simple. Partner a bigscreen TV with a home theatre in a box (HTIB) and you were sorted for whatever DVD or Blu-ray you wanted to play. You could go the separates route, splitting your speakers, AV amp and disc-player purchases in pursuit of greater quality, but an all-in-one system couldn't be criticised when it came to covering the basics. It was wonderfully democratic.

Mark Craven  |  Jul 05, 2016  |  0 comments

I'm a big believer in giving your AV setup a Spring clean. Untangling cables, repositioning speakers that have been shunted about and putting Blu-ray discs back in their correct cases can help bring a sense of calm to a fraught AV mind. 

Anton van Beek  |  Apr 25, 2016  |  0 comments

There’s something in the air in the world of superhero movies right now. After several years of beating up bad guys, we're getting two comic book blockbusters in quick succession based around the idea of superheroes punching seven shades of hell out of one another instead.

Steve May  |  Apr 18, 2016  |  0 comments

Generally speaking, our modern connected world is a good thing, particularly when it comes to electronic doodads. Back in the day, before the 'net, we would buy a gadget, happy to know that what it did when first unboxed would be what it would do forever (wear and tear not withstanding) – play DVDs, amplify music, time an egg.

Steve May  |  Apr 08, 2016  |  0 comments

Virtual Reality makes me sick. No, it really does. I've donned VR goggles more than once, and more than once I've ended up looking for a brown bag afterward. There's something about the disorientating sense of motion and the sensory deprivation of VR that snafus my equilibrium. I reckon I'm not alone in this. Yet this hasn't prevented VR being hailed as The Next Big Thing.

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