LATEST ADDITIONS

Blu-ray
Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray review
Anton van Beek  |  Sep 12, 2011  |  0 comments

George Lucas' space opera is arguably the defining event in modern cinema - one that reshaped Hollywood the films it produces. As such, it's pretty much unthinkable that anybody visiting this website isn't already incredibly familiar with the films (albeit, maybe not the fan-baiting, re-tweaked versions Lucas has prepared for this release). As such, it seems like there's very little point in going over them in any great depth. So let's quickly breeze through this bit, before getting stuck into the really juicy stuff about this Blu-ray boxset...

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray
13 Assassins
Anton van Beek  |  Sep 05, 2011  |  0 comments

Is Japanese cinema’s enfant terrible finally growing up? To be honest, probably not. But 13 Assassins is undoubtedly Takashi (Audition, Ichi the Killer) Miike’s most assured and most mainstream film to date.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray
Scarface (1983)
Anton van Beek  |  Sep 05, 2011  |  0 comments

If the 1980s were truly the decade of excess, then no film better encapsulates that than Scarface. With a script by Oliver Stone, direction by Brian De Palma and a barnstorming central performance by Al Pacino, this loose remake of Howard Hawks’ acclaimed 1930s gangster film is anything but subtle as it plays out the almost Shakespearean tragedy of Tony Montana, a small-time hood from Cuba who arrives in Florida with dreams of making it big, only to end up self-destructing under the weight of his ego, a mountain of cocaine and some rather odd feelings for his sister. Great stuff.

Continue Reading »
Games
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
Anton van Beek  |  Sep 03, 2011  |  0 comments

Taking its inspiration from Jewish religious work the Book of Enoch, this unusual videogame charts the adventures of Noah's great-grandfather Enoch on a Heaven-sent quest to save the world from seven fallen angels.

Continue Reading »
Subwoofers
SV Sound PC-12 Plus DSP (£1,250)
Ed Selley  |  Sep 02, 2011  |  0 comments
Coming up with a natty little subwoofer that can look like a radiator just isn’t SVS’ style. Neither is designing a tiny box with a bonkers amplifier to make it all but explode with power.
Continue Reading »
Loudspeakers
Tannoy Arena Highline (£1,850)
Ed Selley  |  Sep 02, 2011  |  0 comments
Thumbs up for arena warriors Tannoy has updated its Arena range with the Highline 300. Ed Selley is seeing quintuple

Tannoy is among the elder statesmen of the British speaker industry, and the ethos of its Prestige range of speakers has gone unchanged for half a century, taking the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ dictum to a new extreme. More recently, the Arena series of sub/satellite packages has been Tannoy’s offering in this extremely competitive category and the Highline 300 LCR is newly released and tested here.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Players
Denon DBP-2012UD review
Ed Selley  |  Sep 02, 2011  |  0 comments
Audio-licious HD With its lofty price tag, Denon's DBP-2012UD will have to do a lot to lure Danny Philips away from the budget end of the Blu-ray market – and YouTube access isn’t what he had in mind

The DBP-2012UD is built like Vin Diesel and boasts high-grade internal electronics that aim to deliver superior performance to the masses. The £750 price tag is as hefty as the player itself, but will be viewed as peace of mind for any AV enthusiast looking for a machine to satisfy their videophile aspirations.

Continue Reading »
Loudspeakers
Magnat Quantum 650 Series review
Adam Rayner  |  Sep 02, 2011  |  0 comments

Branding is funny stuff. We expect some gravitas with excellent products – being too flippant about something of high-quality tends to put us Brits right off. There’s been a huge fuss about chavs wearing Burberry and ‘devaluing’ the brand, for instance.

Continue Reading »
Televisions
Panasonic TX-P42ST30B review
Ed Selley  |  Sep 02, 2011  |  0 comments
Poundstretcher Adrian Justins finds that, with a bit of patient tweaking, this no-frills, 3D-capable plasma acquits itself well

The P42ST30B is the most affordable Panasonic plasma yet to offer viewing in the third dimension, and in terms of both spec and looks, it is the runt of the brand’s 3D plasma range. Its appearance is somewhat unrefined with its grey-green screen, industrial-looking 2in-wide gunmetal grey frame and slab of a pedestal for a stand.The plasticky remote control doesn’t help matters either, but at least the TV is solid enough to withstand knocks and sticky paws.

Continue Reading »
Televisions
Samsung PS51D6900 review
Ed Selley  |  Sep 02, 2011  |  0 comments
Smarter and cheaper 3D plasma If your finances won’t run to Panasonic’s VT30 series, John Archer reckons Samsung’s 51-incher is an affordable way to go Smart

Samsung doesn’t seem to like plasma very much. Every year, the brand’s marketing focuses almost exclusively on its latest LED TVs, while its plasma models sneak into stores with little or no fanfare.

Continue Reading »

Pages

X