Launching as a Gravity-esque space survival flick, this new Apple TV+ Noomi Rapace sci-fi vehicle soon flashes its mystery box teeth with heady notions of quantum physics and a lot more going on under the hood than you might expect - UPDATED WITH A FULL SEASON REVIEW
LG 2024 TV line-up: From OLED to QNED – everything you need to know
by Ian Collen
UPDATED 28-Mar-24: A detailed round-up of all the major new additions and upgrades coming in 2024, from the flagship G4 OLED with Meta technology 2.0 to the C4, MiniLED, webOS 24, and more.
Bowers & Wilkins launches 700 Series S3 Signature speakers
by Ian Collen
The new-and-improved range adds further refinements to the 702 S3 floorstander and 705 S3 standmount speakers, along with the HTM71 S3 marking the first centre to earn its illustrious Signature status.
Samsung 2024 TV line-up: QD-OLED, 8K QLED & more – all you need to know
by Ian Collen
A full round-up of all the mainstream models ready to drop in the coming months, from the flagship S95D QD-OLED and QN900D Neo QLED, to their more affordable alternatives, along with lifestyle TVs and projectors.
Improbably turning what sounded like a low budget straight-to-video 'lite' version of Bat 21 meets Lone Survivor - replete with a questionable cast - into a minor gem of a military survival thriller, Land of Bad is a genuine surprise winner.
The new True Wireless Stereo package incorporates an xMEMS Cowell speaker alongside the company’s own custom mid/bass driver, while thankfully avoiding the premium price tag of its high-end siblings.
Philips 2024 TV line-up: OLED+, MiniLED and more – all you need to know
by Ian Collen
An in-depth guide covering all of the year’s big new arrivals, including its flagship OLED+959 with second-generation MLA technology and an enhanced Ambilight system, with Philips also introducing the Titan operating system to its line-up.
Game of Thrones' David Benioff and D. B. Weiss reward Netflix's $200 million 2019 exclusivity gamble with a long overdue - and second out of the gate - adaptation of the acclaimed Chinese sci-fi novel... and it's a heady slice of likely divisive hard sci-fi.
Looking for a mains distribution system that combines hefty power delivery capability with some useful smart features? Powergrip thinks they have exactly what you need.
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Movies & TV Shows
A Blade in the Dark 4K Blu-ray Review
by Mark Costello
Lamberto Bava’s too-gory-for-TV riff on all things Argento and De Palma is an average entry into the late Giallo cycle, which earns its keep thanks to some well executed kills. And 88 Films deliver all that blood in a really strong technical 4K package to boot…
What are the best ISP options without a long-term contract?
by Ian Collen
With one member looking to replace a monthly rolling solution, this thread weighs up some alternative internet service provider options against the recent improvements found in those longer fixed-term contracts.
The Ghosts have returned and they need a-bustin’ in Gil Kenan’s follow up to the super-charming and exceedingly lovable Afterlife…which sadly makes all the mistakes Jason Reitman’s film deftly managed to avoid…
Echoing a similar (though more console-oriented) thread from a few months back, this fresh confessional could prove tempting with more great games to potentially immerse yourself in if you have a lot of spare time on your hands.
Twisted Metal (Paramount +) Premiere TV Show Review
by Mark Costello
The PlayStation videogame franchise series NO-ONE wanted comes to UK shores nine months after a tepid US bow, but it’s probably slightly more fun than you expected it to be…
Is a dedicated DAC preferable to a streamer for Hi-Res audio?
by Ian Collen
While many of the answers to this fair question point to the latter option, this discussion also opens up some welcome recommendations and use-case solutions for getting the best sound at a sensible price.
Doug "Edge of Tomorrow" Liman may be frustrated by this going straight-to-streaming, but Jake Gyllenhaal is absolutely on board for this utterly unabashed 80s remake which totally knows its place, bringing us delicious throwback video rental beat-em-up carnage.
With an all-in fan-service-only self-assuredness, ’97 takes a decision to appeal whole-heartedly to the Millennial nostalgia which holds the original show in such high regard, recreating the feel of a thirty-year-old show as closely as possible... but is this enough?
Halo 2 the game was known for its truncated and confusing narrative, the controversial introduction of an alien playable character and more of the same of its legendary gameplay. What does Halo 2 the series have to offer? Well, after less than hour we already know it’s got a truncated episode count and features more of the same as season one…for better and for worse…UPDATED for full Season review.
Having already provided two different takes on the Borea BR03, Triangle is back again with a spec that feels tailor made for 2024. Does it deliver on the promise?
The second of Lucio Fulci’s classic Gates of Hell splatter trilogy to get a UK 4K release, Arrow deliver their usual strong technical presentation with an almost overwhelmingly excellent array of extras…
Cyrus is billing this as more of an update over the Phono Signature stage it's replacing rather than a complete redesign, but that could still make it a big deal for those serious about their vinyl.
Staggeringly heartfelt, Andrew Haigh's All of Us Strangers is a sublime reflection on grief, repression and identity - past and present - a supremely resonant masterwork of quietly profound poignance.
And so it is that we turn our attention to another super high end home cinema leviathan. But rather than a processor, this time it’s the new installation-friendly AVR from Storm Audio. What does SA get right that the luxury competition doesn’t?
Developed in collaboration with JVC, the new ultraportable solution introduces K2HD technology to the line-up to help restore the source audio to its original master quality.
This week we ask if home theatre/home cinema is still a popular addition to homes or are people consuming music, movies, sports and TV in different ways in their living spaces. Is Home Cinema or Home Theater as we used to know it, now dead?
Can a ‘phantom’ centre speaker work as well as the real thing?
by Ian Collen
With several members happy with stereo speakers for their home cinema viewing, this discussion weighs up the pros and cons of a two-channel audio system against dedicated LCR and 5.1 set-ups.
Pre-orders for the 4K UHD RGB laser projector are now open, ready to offer a plug-and-play simplicity that can deliver 120-inch displays around the home.
Brosnan and Baccarin afford this cheap low-rent 'thriller' from Dead Calm's Phillip Noyce a distinctly YMMV justification for sitting through its amateurish hijinks.
Never have the words ‘Based on a True Story’ had such a profound effect on a generation…and never have they been such a lie, with the controversy around Stuart Rosenberg’s seminal haunted house classic proving to be almost as interesting as the story of the Lutz Family themselves. And with 88 films releasing the 1979 classic on a brand new 4K UHD, we can decide for ourselves what actually happened and what didn’t…
Thinking of starting your own DIY home cinema project?
by Ian Collen
This detailed thread covering an impressive room conversion offers a timely reminder that the forums can provide a wealth of inspiration and support for all manner of professional or personal AV projects.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version) (Disney+) Movie Review
by Cas Harlow
The concert epic that shook the blockbuster landscape to the tune of a quarter of a billion, Eras is a thoroughly grand and impressively choreographed celebration of the sheer star power of Taylor Swift.
What are the best sources for watching 4K UHD content?
by Ian Collen
With most new TVs catering for 4K as standard, this thread discusses some of the best options for making the most of that premium UHD technology, such as the main streaming services and Blu-ray discs.
This annual update offers up some welcome refinements over 2K23, but with a few pre-existing flaws still pinning it against the ropes can the franchise once again be named king of the ring?
Shooting for Bottoms meets Pulp Fiction, this cheap, tonally awry, distinctly un-funny, try-hard, sack-full-of-dildos romp utterly misfires, clearly coming from the wrong solo Coen Brother, and both awkwardly and shamelessly wasting the talents of a couple of good actresses.