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Projectors
JVC DLA-X7 review
Ed Selley  |  Jul 15, 2011  |  0 comments
If you still aren't convinced about 3D, John Archer has no doubt at all that JVC’s latest projector will change your mind

Not everyone ‘gets’ 3D. Indeed, there are days when I’m not sure I totally need it myself. But not so today.

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Blu-ray
Battle Los Angeles
Anton van Beek  |  Jul 11, 2011  |  0 comments

Battle: Los Angeles desperately wants to be the Hurt Locker of alien invasion movies. Unsurprisingly, it isn’t. Despite all of the attempts at cinema vérité-style naturalism on show here (shaky-cams and crash zooms abound) there’s none of the intelligence of Kathryn Bigelow’s film at work here. Instead what we have is a traditional gung-ho action flick that feels more like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - The Movie, only replacing fictional Middle Eastern-types with equally fictional extra-terrestrial invaders. That’s not to say the film isn’t fun. Behind all of the lazy characterisation and obvious plotting lies 116-minutes of enjoyable action and spectacle – just the thing then for those of you who have got bored of spinning ID4 on Blu-ray over and over again.

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Blu-ray
Ironclad
Anton van Beek  |  Jul 11, 2011  |  0 comments

Ironclad is rather nicely summed up by its director as being ‘best described as a medieval Magnificent Seven or a medieval Seven Samurai'. A fictionalised retelling of the siege of Rochester Castle by King John’s forces in 1215, the film stars Paul Giamatti as the regal despot, with James Purefoy’s Templar knight and Baron Cox’s baron leading a rag-tag group of warriors holding the castle against him. It’s very silly stuff, but filmed with so much gusto and lashings of gore that it’s hard not to get caught up in the action.

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AV Receivers
Anthem MRX700 review
Ed Selley  |  Jul 10, 2011  |  0 comments
Raiders of the ARC With its quirky and complex setup, the ARC-based MX-700 still manages to put Richard Stevenson into a state of audio-induced euphoria

Canada: a land of sweeping mountains, pine forests and ice hockey, where maple syrup rules and giant moose walk the streets. But what the country is becoming increasingly famous for is its rather tasty AV equipment.

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Blu-ray Players
Oppo BDP-93EU review
Ed Selley  |  Jul 08, 2011  |  0 comments
Oppo-tunity knocks When it comes to image and audio quality, Benny Har-Even can’t get enough of Oppo's new 3D Blu-ray player

They say the best things come to those who wait and in the case of Oppo’s BDP-93EU, that most certainly is true. Having already forged a reputation amongst AV-holics for its high quality, yet affordable, upscaling DVD players, its debut Blu-ray player, the BDP-831, (HCC #175) impressed UK buyers at the end of 2009 before distribution issues spoilt the party.

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Soundbars/Soundbases
Yamaha YSP-2200 review
Steve May  |  Jul 08, 2011  |  0 comments

The Quick Start guide supplied with Yamaha’s YSP-2200 system concludes with a clear message in bold, overlarge type. It reads: ‘Then have fun for playback!’

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Televisions
LG P50PZ950T review
Ed Selley  |  Jul 08, 2011  |  0 comments
Fine-tuned powerhouse With THX certified 3D and net connectivity, this high-end plasma heavyweight is no wallflower. Steve May finds beauty within the beast

LG’s plasma screens have a reputation for unassailable value, but the brand was also first to ink deals with THX and ISF for certification and calibration, and has generally impressed with the finesse of its larger panels.

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Televisions
Samsung UE55D8000 review
Ed Selley  |  Jul 08, 2011  |  0 comments
3D writ large The flagship model from Samsung’s 2011 3D TV range makes John Archer a very happy man

A couple of issues back, we brought you our first impressions of Samsung’s flagship UE55D8000 when it arrived too late in the day to run through our Tech Labs. To recap, this is a £2,500 55in edge LED 3D set sporting an insanely thin bezel of just 5mm, plus Samsung’s new Smart TV functionality, which combines a superb new onscreen menu hub (providing instant access to just about every input, app and content source) with a web browser and a much stronger app offering than you got with Samsung’s previous Internet@TV system.

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Projectors
InFocus SP8604 review
Ed Selley  |  Jul 08, 2011  |  0 comments
Sensible cinema While InFocus' new projector is a fairly conventional beast, its picture performance is good enough for John Archer

InFocus has developed a reputation over the years for not being afraid to be different. A few years ago, its original ScreenPlay and subsequent Play Big projector ranges arguably revolutionised the way affordable projectors were designed for the home market.

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Projectors
Sharp XV-Z17000 review
Ed Selley  |  Jul 08, 2011  |  0 comments
Import duty Martin Pipe gives his verdict on Sharp’s first DLP 3D projector and makes a case for its appearance on these shores

When asked by Sharp if we wanted to audition its 3D projector, we weren’t about to say no, even though the machine hasn’t yet been confirmed for a UK release. Oddly, Sharp is prevaricating about whether there’s a market for a 3D PJ with a retail price of around £4,000. But AV retailers’ shelves aren’t exactly heaving with such items. There’s only Sony’s VPL-VW90ES (£5,400) and a trio of JVC models, ranging in price from £3,500 to £9,500. And that’s currently it.

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