LATEST ADDITIONS

Blu-ray
Deep Red
Anton van Beek  |  Jan 03, 2012  |  0 comments

Deep Red is arguably Dario Argento’s most important and accomplished film. Having made a name for himself with his ‘animal trilogy’ of thrillers, 1975’s Deep Red saw Argento pushing the genre into new areas, stretching himself as both a storyteller and a visual stylist. What resulted is every bit as gorgeous as it is gruesome, a film of spellbinding beauty and staggering cruelty that satisfies just as much as a murder mystery as it does as an all-out horror.

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InterviewsSoftware Features
Exclusive Interview: Disney's 3D guru
Anton van Beek  |  Jan 01, 2012  |  0 comments

While many wait for the 3D conversions of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and Titanic (well, maybe not...) to hit cinemas next year, Disney has wasted no time in serving up its own slice of stereoscopic nostalgia in the form of The Lion King 3D. And cinema-goers have lapped it up, with US box office receipts hitting $90m in five weeks.

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Blu-ray
Captain America: The First Avenger
Anton van Beek  |  Jan 01, 2012  |  0 comments

The final part of the foundations for next summer’s superhero 'battle royale' The Avengers are set with the arrival of Captain America: The First Avenger. Directed by journeyman filmmaker Joe (Jurassic Park III) Johnson, the film is a surprising treat, mixing gung-ho WWII action with plenty of superhero spectacle. Chris Evans does excellent work in the lead, and Hugo Weaving proves an enjoyable foil as the diabolical Red Skull.

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Blu-ray
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Anton van Beek  |  Dec 29, 2011  |  0 comments

Maybe it was the horrible aftertaste of what Tim Burton’s remake did to the franchise, but for some reason nobody really expected too much from this contemporary prequel to the beloved 1968 sci-fi classic. But, thanks to its smart storytelling, winning performances and groundbreaking visual effects (a vital issue here, as the main character is a combination of CG effects and Andy Serkis’ motion-captured performance) Rise of the Planet of the Apes is one of the year’s best and most satisfying blockbusters.

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Subwoofers
Velodyne SPL-800 Ultra (£1,000)
Ed Selley  |  Dec 13, 2011  |  0 comments
Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing Adam Rayner finds that the power behind this sub belies its cute size

If you have a copy of Men in Black II or even Stuart Little II on DVD then you have the 2001-2002 Academy Award-winning animated short, The ChubbChubbs. Its stars are some impossibly cute, fuzzy things that look like ducklings with noses like piglets – yet they turn out to be scary monsters with huge teeth and a terrifyingly large appetite.

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Subwoofers
Wharfedale SPC-10 (£300)
Ed Selley  |  Dec 13, 2011  |  0 comments
Wharfedale is one of the UK speaker brands that has been in my awareness for longer than most as it makes stuff that is generally better VFM than just about anyone. And that keen value continues today with this particular line of subs, the PowerCube. This woofer comes in 8in, 10in and 12in flavours and I reckon it’d be brilliant if it also came in a 15in or an 18in, as Wharfedale has packed some lovely stuff in here, but the price is kept low, despite recent increases in the cost of electronics from China.
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Blu-ray Players
Marantz UD7006 universal Blu-ray player review
Steve May  |  Dec 13, 2011  |  0 comments
Musical maverick Not just another cookie cutter disc spinner, Marantz’s new Universal Blu-ray deck has a mind of its own. Steve May explains

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Blu-ray Players
Panasonic DMR-PWT500 review
Ed Selley  |  Dec 13, 2011  |  0 comments
Dual-function fun Panasonic’s combination PVR and disc-spinner is slick and convenient, reckons Steve May, but a larger HDD would be welcome

You might think that a Blu-ray player with a Freeview HD recorder shoehorned into its case would suffer from clicks and thrums, or that co-habitation would add unflattering pounds.

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Blu-ray Players
Sony BDP-SX1
Ed Selley  |  Dec 13, 2011  |  0 comments
Sony frees Blu-ray In this age of tablets and video streaming is there still room for a portable Blu-ray player? Sony thinks so. Steve May takes some BDs on the road

If you’ve been building a collection of Blu-ray discs you may well be wondering how you’re going to watch your movies on the move. Ripping BDs is impractical and, despite a great deal of puff, digital lockers have yet to open for business. Enter the BDP-SX1, Sony’s first stab at a transportable.

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Loudspeakers
Acoustic Energy Compact Neo review
Ed Selley  |  Dec 13, 2011  |  0 comments
Six shooter hits all its targets in style A package that goes one speaker better than the rest, says Ed Selley

In the same week when all six Star Wars films appear on Blu-ray with a brand, spanking new six-channel soundtrack, Acoustic Energy has launched the Compact Neo 6.1 system. This £850 setup matches the existing Neo subwoofer with six Compact One speakers.

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