Indholdsfortegnelse for Autumn 2024 i Home Cinema Choice

Apart from, apparently, Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, all good things must come to an end. And so it is that Home Cinema Choice is bowing out after thirty years and 356 issues… but not before we've put Panasonic’s Z95A OLED TV through its paces (p40), blown away the cobwebs with the Atmos soundmix of Bad Boys: Ride or Die (p80), dug into the cinematic history of Batman (p26), talked tornadoes with the director of Twisters (p24), and much more. I started work on HCC in 2005, sub-editor to then-editor Steve May, and have loved every minute of it. In the intervening years I haven't quite seen attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion, but I've seen (and heard) a lot that has blown me away. There’s nothing better than…

Wireless/multiroom hi-res audio outfit Bluesound has comprehensively rethought its Node line of music streamers. On sale now are a new-generation Node, plus entry-level Node Nano, while a flagship model, the Node Icon, is set to arrive in November. All three units are built around the company’s BluOS network platform, which allows them to connect wirelessly to compatible speakers and amplifiers, and integrates a slew of streaming services and app control. Of course, you can also wire any Node unit into an existing AV system via its analogue and digital outputs. Selling at a wallet-friendly £299, the Node Nano is all about offering 'just the essentials,' says Bluesound. Features include an ES9039Q2M DAC supporting 192kHz/24-bit playback; analogue RCA stereo, optical, coaxial, and USB outputs; and DSD playback and two-way Bluetooth via…

TCL used this year’s IFA technology show to launch a flagship Mini LED model that, courtesy of a new partnership with high-end sound brand Bang & Olufsen, promises an 'immersive audio-visual experience.' There’s no confirmed price or launch date yet for the X11, although TCL says it will sell at 85in and 98in screen sizes. The set uses a Quantum Dot panel and full array Mini LED backlight to boast a whopping peak brightness output of 6,500 nits, and supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision HDR. Bang for your bucks The team-up with B&O, said to be 'the first step in a long-term collaboration', has resulted in a built-in sound system with a 6.2.2-channel configuration. Enhanced Dialogue Mode and BeoSonic technologies are provided to user customisation. Says TCL’s Stefan Streit: 'By…

October 7 Air America 4K An Inspector Calls 4K Bloodbath at the House of Death The Boy and the Heron 4K Breakdown 4K Columbo: The Final Years 1989-2003 – Complete Collection Exorcist II: The Heretic - Ltd Ed The Exorcist III: Limited Edition 4K For All Mankind: Season Four Friday the 13th Part II 4K Gaira’s Guts Trilogy Night of the Living Dead 4K [1968] A Quiet Place: Day One 4K Sleepy Hollow 4K Steelbook The Sword and the Sorcerer: LE 4K The Tai Chi Master 4K Twilight of the Warriors: Walled-In October 14 Béla Tarr: A Curzon Collection The Crown: The Complete Series Duchess [2024] I Walked With a Zombie & The Seventh Victim 4K A Nightmare on Elm Street 4K To Catch a Thief: Col. Edition 4K Twisters…

1 Sony shrinks Bravia 9 Sony is expanding its flatscreen range in November a 'compact' 65in version of its flagship 77in Bravia 9 Mini LED TV. Citing 'customer and media feedback' as the driving force behind the new model, Sony Europe bigwig Shoji Ohama says the TV further cements the company’s 'commitment to innovation and delivering the best possible viewing experience.' Pricing had yet to be revealed when we went to press. 2 Gore buys more Hammer Films owner John Gore has bought Silver Salt Restoration, the London-based facility responsible for a string of acclaimed 4K restorations for clients including Arrow, 88 Films, Second Sight, Criterion, Indicator and the BFI. The purchase brings fresh hope for new restorations of Hammer’s sizeable catalogue of classic fright films. 3 Picture (even more)…

SONY HAS UNVEILED two new high-performance laser projectors for the home, and introduced its familiar Bravia branding to its PJ range for the first time. The Bravia Projector 9 (aka VPL-XW8100ES) and Bravia Projector 8 (VPL-XW6100ES) fall in line with Sony’s Bravia 9, 8 and 7 series TVs, and Bravia Theatre home audio products, fitting in with its 'Bringing Cinema Home' marketing mantra. But there’s more to these models than a name change. They also usher in numerous refinements designed to enhance image quality, sport 4K/120Hz playback, and are intended to be more installation friendly. Keystone correction is no longer verboten. 8.3million reasons to buy Sony’s new XW series models share the same slightly angular chassis design, and tip the scales at 14kg. Although a tad more compact than what…

The Day After Tomorrow Director Roland Emmerich’s monster hit from 2004 throws Jake Gyllenhaal and Dennis Quaid into a new ice age after climate change causes all manner of weather tantrums. Highlights include tornados, tidal waves and – er – wolf attacks in Manhattan. The Wizard of Oz In this 1939 classic, a tornado sucks up Dorothy Gale’s farmhouse, causing her (and her dog Toto) to end up in the Land of Oz. Soon they're battling flying monkeys and the Wicked Witch of the West. Talk about extreme weather. Crawl In this tense, soggy 2019 thriller, Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper’s father-daughter duo come face to face with some hungry alligators when a Category 5 hurricane floods their Florida home. The Perfect Storm George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg don chunky…

PROOF THAT YOU can go on holiday and still get your AV fix, this cinema room designed by Bespoke Home Cinemas is the icing on the cake of the Falcon Farmhouse, an upmarket holiday property in the Staffordshire countryside. The installer was tasked with fitting a high-performance system suitable for up to eight guests, with an aesthetic to match the rest of the renovated building. It also had to work to a hard deadline to ensure pre-booked holiday makers weren't left watching movies on their mobile phones. Design-wise, a standout feature of the finished room is the building’s original beams, now contrasted by an Infinity star ceiling from specialist outfit Starscape, and a sleek interior finish with fabric walls concealing acoustic treatments and surround speakers. A 3.2m projector screen underneath…

AFTER IT LAUNCHEDin 2021, Cambridge Audio’s Evo range quickly expanded to include a pair of streaming stereo amplifiers, a CD player, and matching bookshelf speakers – all traditional hi-fi products. The newest arrival, the Evo One, is therefore a little bit different. An all-in-one music system, it’s squarely aimed at the likes of Ruark Audio’s R410 'radiogram' and the Naim Mu-So 2, but could also win favour as a high-end soundbar replacement. It sells for £1,249, and has a distinctly premium look, with a wooden wrapped cabinet, dark acoustic fabric grille, and full-colour LCD screen. Comparable to that seen on the Evo 150 and Evo 75 amps, it’s an ideal size (6.8in) to display album artwork. You can also opt for a retro-style VU simulator. Drive time Under the bonnet, the…

Klipsch’s R-40PM powered speakers hail from the company’s fourth-generation Reference Series. Compact and fairly priced at £429, they're ideal for AV setups, computer audio or discreet bookshelf placement. Klipsch is no stranger to two-channel music and AV so, while the R-40PM drops an HDMI connection, it does support an optical input from a TV. Other connections are Bluetooth – there’s no Ethernet or Wi-Fi – plus phono/line-level input, USB-B and auxiliary 3.5mm. The speakers are 'powered' not 'active', so the right speaker houses both 35W Class D amps and crossovers for the two enclosures, which connect with a long speaker cable (included). The R-40PMs are well-made and shrouded in a classy matt black wood veneer. The dinky front-side proportions (14.5cm wide, 30cm high) complement a serious-feeling 26cm depth and 8.3kg…

I VIVIDLY REMEMBER my first demonstration of Dolby’s new spatial audio system. As I sat through a series of impressive demos, the engineer waxed lyrical about how the object-based nature of this new format would revolutionise cinema sound. Like Paul on the road to Damascus I emerged a convert, ready to evangelise the benefits of immersive audio to anyone who'd listen. Over a decade later Dolby Atmos is the dominant sound format for both commercial and home cinema, promising a fully immersive sonic experience using discrete audio objects that adapt to the available number of channels in the system. As a true believer I expanded the speaker count in my dedicated theatre to the maximum that space and my Trinnov Altitude16 processor would allow. I'm lucky enough to now have…

Run and gun Bad Boys: Ride or Die ➜ Sony Pictures ➜ 4K Blu-ray Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return as Miami cops Lowrey and Burnett for a fourth slice of Bad Boys action comedy. We fire up Sony Pictures' explosive 4K Blu-ray release on p80. All prices quoted are approximate and may have changed HCC RATINGS KEY… Outstanding Above average Acceptable Disappointing Dire…

Radiance Films ➜ Region B BD £45 This eagerly awaited follow-up to one of last year’s best Blu-ray boxsets doesn't disappoint, rounding up three more gripping and stylish crime thrillers from Germany (1961’s Black Gravel), France (1963’s Symphony for a Massacre) and Japan (1964’s Cruel Gun Story). Radiance’s well-appointed three-disc 1080p set houses attractive restorations and an informative array of extra features, including commentaries for each film, newly shot critical appreciations, archival interviews, and an 80-page booklet. It would be great if we didn't have to wait quite so long for Vol. 3.…

Shout Factory ➜ 4K Blu-ray & Region A BD £70 This US boxset includes all three Bill & Ted… films on 4K disc, with the superb 1991 sequel Bogus Journey making its debut on the format. Presented in their correct 2.35/1.85/2.39:1 aspect ratios, with high bitrates and HDR10/Dolby Vision grades that deliver excellent image quality, the first two enjoy filmic presentations, while the third is more digital. All three have boisterous 5.1 soundtracks dominated by rock songs and a surprising amount of bass. There are so many features, including multiple commentaries and documentaries, you'll need a time machine to get through them all.…

➜ Prime Video That the spirit of Batman: The Animated Series lives on in this stylish new 10-part Prime Video series shouldn't come as much of a surprise to fans of the former. After all, the first name to appear in the credits that play over each episode’s black-and-white intro is that of executive producer Bruce Timm, one of the key architects of the beloved 1990s 'toon. Much more so than fellow producers Matt Reeves and J.J. Abrams, it’s Timm’s fingerprints that are all over this particular Caped Crusader. Outside of some new takes on familiar characters (including a gender-swapped Penguin that has riled up some corners of the internet), the main selling point for this latest take on the Dark Knight is the decision to set the show in…

Boy Kills World Despite the lack of an HDR grade, this over-the-top action-comedy still packs a heck of a punch on 4K Blu-ray. Terminator: Zero Sophisticated storytelling, stylish visuals and a killer voice cast make this eight-part Netflix anime the best Terminator outing in decades. Red Sun: Ltd. Ed. A gorgeous 4K BD for this quirky Wild West buddy movie teaming Charles Bronson’s sardonic outlaw with Toshiro Mifune’s samurai. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy Stay classy with this gorgeous-looking, 4K Blu-ray edition of Will Ferrell’s funniest film. Who Saw Her Die? Former 007 George Lazenby plays a grieving parent hunting his child’s killer in this slick 1972 giallo, newly restored on BD.…

Norwegian loudspeaker maker Arendal Sound has announced a new generation of its top-of-the-range, EISA Award-winning 1723 series, and once again it’s targeted at multichannel system builders. Models in the new series stretch in price from €1,050 to €3,800, and all feature HDF (High Density Fibreboard) cabinets in matt black and matt white finish options. Leading the line is the 1723 Tower, a 2.5-way floorstander with a quartet of 8in bass/midbass drivers and waveguided tweeter, plus trio of bass reflex ports for in-room tuning flexibility. Surround, Center and Monitor options complete Arendal’s mix-and-match series, the first of those being an on-wall dipole speaker with full-range side-firing drivers and front-facing 8in bass/mid and tweeter. Subwoofers in the 1723 series have also been revised with improvements to driver design, DSP and amplification. A…

Do all high-end home cinema projectors need to be big and bulky? JVC doesn't think so, and has added two new models to its native 4K projector lineup that claim a 35 per cent reduction in chassis volume compared to its previous DLA-NZ7 model. The new arrivals are the DLA-NZ700 and DLA-NZ900, and they fill out the lower end of JVC’s range, next to the flagship DLA-NZ900 (£25,999) and DLA-NZ800 [£15,999, HCC #353]. Both feature third-generation D-ILA imaging devices for a claimed improvement in black level performance, new 80mm lens arrays and a Blu-Escent laser light source suggested to be good for 20,000 hours. Slimming down its entry-level 4K projector cabinet involved redesigning 'almost everything from optical unit, lens, and circuit board', says JVC. Contrasting fortunes The NZ700 is the…

Riddick rolling Filming has got underway on Riddick: Furya, the fourth instalment in the sci-fi saga that kicked off with Pitch Black (2000). This time Vin Diesel’s character heads home and discovers the survivors of his race are battling a new type of monster… Snakes alive! Jack Black and Paul Rudd are in talks to star in a reimagining of Anaconda. The film follows a group of friends who head into a rainforest to remake their favourite movie, only to run afoul of giant snakes and violent criminals. Groovy 'toons Former Community and GLOW star Alison Brie will play Skeletor’s sidekick Evil-Lyn in a new live-action Masters of the Universe movie. Bumblebee helmer Travis Knight directs, with Nicholas Galitzine playing Prince Adam/He-Man.…

A DISTRIBUTOR OF smart home and home cinema products, many of which are exclusively available to professional installers, AWE has been in business for 90 years, having started as as a hi-fi shop before evolving into a key player in the AV industry. The company has maintained a demo suite, known as the Show Apartment, for nearly a decade. Located in Epsom, Surrey, it’s a go-to destination for UK integrators and their customers, and offers several different zones and experiences including a pair of home cinemas. Hardware, naturally, comes from its catalogue of brands, including Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, Sony, Marantz, Stealth Acoustics and Hisense. For your reference AWE’s Show Apartment first opened in 2014, with the 'Reference Cinema' opening the following year and benefitting from upgrades in 2018 and…

COMIC BOOK LORE has it that Batman was born when billionaire orphan Bruce Wayne decided he needed a disguise to aid in his war on crime. Believing criminals to be 'a superstitious and cowardly lot,' inspiration arrived on leather wings when Wayne was startled by a huge bat flying through an open window. 'A bat! That’s it! It’s an omen. I shall become a bat!' The truth, of course, is rather more prosaic. Aware of the boost in sales Superman had given DC’s Action Comics since the character’s debut in 1938, editor Vin Sullivan decided he'd like something similar for sister publication Detective Comics, bringing the suggestion to artist Bob Kane. The duo of Kane and writer Bill Finger came up with an idea for a dark, brooding vigilante inspired…

Ahead of the curve Samsung’s second-gen flagship ultra-short-throw projector has finally arrived, armed with an expansive Atmos audio system and AI picture engine. But is the Premiere 9 now the living room projector to beat? We find out on p44… All prices quoted are approximate and may have changed HCC RATINGS KEY… Outstanding Above average Acceptable Disappointing Dire…

With its affordable Prime range and bang-for-your-buck Ultra models, over the years the Ohio-based SVS has shown itself to be a worthy supplier of appealing but rarely cutting-edge loudspeakers. However, with its new Ultra Evolution range, it’s upping its game considerably. How so? Where previous models were competently built, their acoustic design didn't really push the envelope very much. Now the Ultra Evolution series introduces a novel cabinet design, curved to place drivers in optimal positions for time alignment. There’s also an entirely new tweeter featuring 'a hyper-rigid diamond-like coating on an aircraft-grade aluminium dome', and a nifty idea or two nicked from the company’s subs. Introducing no less than seven models, the Ultra Evolution range also aims to be more appealing to hi-fi shoppers – while retaining the brand’s…

Mid-range cinema projectors seem to be something of a dying breed these days, under attack from ultra high-end units on one side, and all manner of portable/affordable/gaming focused models on the other. But if you're reading this magazine, you're likely still interested in a projector like BenQ’s W5800. This new beamer, which slots in above the venerable W5700 [HCC #300] is all about serving up movies in a dedicated home theatre room without costing the earth. Well, relatively speaking – the price tag is £4,599. The features list is headlined by a laser lighting system claiming an output of 2,600 Lumens. This won't sound all that much in a world where 3,000 Lumens and more [see p44] is becoming pretty common. Yet experience suggests that too much brightness can compromise…

Cabinet reshuffle Linked to Martin’s letter in HCC #354 about problems finding an AV shelf to fit his centre speaker, I attach a photo of over 500 Blu-rays neatly shelved, plus some DVDs atop. I took a chance on a big two-piece unit about two metres tall by one metre wide. It transformed my living room from tower haven to a spacious movie-going home. Blu-rays are so well-fitting you can barely get your finger above to remove them. When shopping for units you can’t tell if the space is made for what you want; this one actually came ready for all CDs. It could be all DVDs at eight rows with 60 each, a bit of wasted space but not much. It also has no recess for the skirting board…

→ KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES The fourth film in the reboot series that began with Rise of the Planet of the Apes in 2011, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes jumps forward several generations to pick up the story of Noa (Owen Teague), a young chimpanzee from an isolated ape clan which specialises in falconry. When his family and friends are captured by another ape clan led by the tyrannical Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), Noa is forced into an uneasy alliance with an orangutan archivist (Peter Macon) and an unusually intelligent human (Freya Allan’s Mae) in a quest to free his tribe from enslavement. Despite taking viewers further into an ape-dominated future, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' story treads familiar ground for the rebooted…

Lionsgate ➜ 4K Blu-ray £25 According to the filmmakers, The Strangers: Chapter 1 kicks off a standalone trilogy that will add major new twists and turns to the home invasion franchise. If so, they must be saving them all for the follow-ups, as this Renny Harlin-helmed opener is merely a bland and boring retread of the 2008 original. Visually it’s no great shakes either, the Dolby Visionen-hanced 4K encode looking surprisingly flat at time. At least the final act’s artless jump scares give the Atmos soundtrack plenty to work with. Bonus bits include a chat-track and two behind-the-scenes featurettes.…

Star Wars Outlaws Ubisoft ➜ PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC ➜ £70 The majority of Star Wars games have something in common: they either feature characters and sequences from the movies, Jedis, or both. Very few, if any, focus on the grittier, less salubrious side of the story – the side that Han Solo comes from. Up steps Star Wars Outlaws. With nary a Jedi or lightsaber in sight, the game is an open-world, third-person adventure starring a female rogue called Kay Vess. And it’s refreshing. After falling foul with the leader of a criminal syndicate, Vess is recruited to put together a team to rob him, setting up an Ocean’s 11 in space kind of vibe that mostly works. Each specialist she needs has their own skillset and can…

Indicator ➜ Region B BD £50 In the mid-1970s, Robin Askwith starred as the apparently irresistible Timothy Lea in a quartet of British sex comedies, and now this Complete Confessions… boxset brings them to Blu-ray for the first time. Sourced from HD masters supplied by Sony Pictures, the 1.85:1 Full HD encodes easily improve over the films' old DVDs. Generous extras include new commentaries from Askwith on all four movies, plus the similarly saucy 1978 romp Rosie Dixon - Night Nurse, which is upscaled from an SD source.…

I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE/THE SEVENTH VICTIM Facing bankruptcy following the box office failures of Orson Welles' Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons in 1941 and 1942 respectively, RKO Pictures needed a way to make some quick money. Hoping to repeat the success of Universal’s Dracula and Frankenstein films, it hired producer Val Lewton to head a new department that would specialise in the production of inexpensive horror movies. Beginning with 1942’s Cat People, auteur-producer Lewton oversaw the creation of nine landmark chillers whose lyrical storytelling and brooding atmospheres elevated the genre beyond the lurid titles he was given to work with. Having already added Cat People to its Blu-ray range in 2016, The Criterion Collection returns with a double-bill of two more unmissable Lewton-produced genre classics, both from 1943…

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Q Acoustics says 'listen up' E300A ➜ www.qacoustics.co.uk We're all familiar with in-ceiling speakers, but what about an in-ceiling amp? Q Acoustics' E300A tucks a 2 x 25W-rated Class D power stage into a circular, ceiling-mountable enclosure, with connections ranging from Wi-Fi/Ethernet (including Apple AirPlay, Tidal Connect and Spotify Connect) to Bluetooth and 3.5mm/mini Toslink. Amazon’s Alexa technology is integrated via a trio of far-field mics, supporting voice control in addition to the unit’s supplied IR remote. Pick one up for £599, or a bundle (pictured) with a pair of the brand’s Qi65C in-ceiling speakers for £795. HCC ONLINE… For breaking AV news, blogs, features and reviews visit www.homecinemachoice.com Follow us on Twitter @hccmag Like us on Facebook facebook.com/homecinemachoice…

Joker: Folie à Deux October 4: Two years after the events of its predecessor, Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck gets a second shot at the limelight – only this time he'll be making a right old song and dance about it with Lady Gaga’s delusional Harley Quinn. Transformers One October 11: While the live-action films enjoy a break, this animated prequel takes fans back to Cybertron to explore the events that shattered the friendship between 'bots Orion Pax and D-16, leading to their eventual rebirth as Optimus Prime and Megatron. Smile 2 October 18: This sequel to Paramount’s 2022 horror smash finds pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) becoming sucked into the creepy curse just as she’s preparing to embark on a new world tour.…

Costing a cool £12,000, Marantz’s Model 10 stereo amplifier kicks off a new ‘reference-quality’ 10 Series that has music lovers in its sights – a network player and Super Audio CD player (the format’s not dead yet!) will follow. Marantz says the Model 10 is the most powerful integrated amplifier it’s ever produced, thanks to a Class D output stage using Purifi-designed modules to deliver 2 x 250W into 8ohm loads, and 2 x 500W into 4ohm – ideal for power-hungry loudspeakers. The amp carries on the retro-modern look of other Marantz hi-fi and AV products, and is offered in silver or black. An analogue only design, the Model 10’s connectivity runs to balanced and unbalanced line-level inputs, MM/MC phono in, and a headphone output. www.marantz.com…

TONIGHT’S WEATHER ADVISORY is for strong winds, high-flying cows and barnstorming adventure. Our advice is stay in, stock up on popcorn, and spin a copy of the 2024 box office phenomena, Twisters. This belated sequel to Jan de Bont’s classic 1996 natural disaster flick dials up nature’s fury to tell a tale about next-generation storm chasers that’s guaranteed to leave you wide-eyed and windswept. The movie, which stars Daisy Edgar-Jones (Where the Crawdads Sing) and Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick) as two very different storm chasers pursuing wild weather across Oklahoma, banked $123m at the global box office across its opening weekend, the biggest ever haul for a disaster movie. In advance of the film’s 4K Blu-ray release on October 14, HCC sat down with director Lee Isaac Chung –…

Zeus is turning purple with fury. Jeff Goldblum, King of the Gods in the hit Netflix show Kaos, is in a dark rage but his white tracksuit positively glows, while the gardens of Mount Olympus vibrate with colour. Panasonic has clearly pulled out every stop for its flagship OLED – the Z95A is a titan of a telly, offering blisteringly sharp and dynamic images, Atmos audio and an all-new smart TV platform. The gods be praised. The price might make you wince, though. The 55in model I have before me retails for £2,999, which is a lot compared to many other 55in OLED sets. Yet as I binge watch this star-studded update of Greek mythology, I rather think it’s worth it… Hello, Freely Also available at 65in for £3,899, the…

WHEN I REVIEWED M&K Sound’s X15+ subwoofer a couple of years ago [HCC #331] I was enamoured of its infrasonic depths but also intimidated by its size and weight. That model, certified THX Dominus, runs two drivers and stands 83cm high. What I really wanted was a sub that offered a similar level of performance, but was a bit more practical. What I wanted, it turns out, was the V15+. This unit sits at the top of the company’s mid-tier range of (relatively) compact subwoofers, and uses a single 15in long-throw driver powered by 500W of RMS grunt. Specs-wise that scratches my low-end itch, but the V15+ also ticks a few other boxes by being half the size, half the weight, and – at £2,895 – half the price of…

MONITOR AUDIO IS well known for its traditional loudspeakers for both stereo and multichannel systems, from the affordable Bronze series up to the reference-level Hyphn. But a huge chunk of its business is actually concerned with architectural/custom install speakers and amplifiers. On this side of Monitor Audio you'll find in-wall, on-wall and in-ceiling speakers, various forms of CI-friendly subwoofer (including an 'under-floor' model), a suite of installation amplifiers and streamers, and the Cynergy speaker series designed for high-end theatres. Most of the time, everyday AV-Holics won't be looking here, but what about if you want to top off your home cinema or music room with in-ceiling speakers? The C3M is a mid-tier option from Monitor Audio’s Creator series of in-wall and in-ceiling models, selling for £650 each. Immediately, that price tag…

THE OLDER YOU get the more milestones you reach in your life. And September 2024 is a big one for me as it marks 25 years to the month since I moved to London to begin my first full-time journalism job as a staff writer on Home Cinema Choice’s sister publication TotalDVD. A quarter of a century. Blimey! That’s five years longer than the average artificial hip replacement is expected to last. Anyway, as it happened, my first day in the office came towards the back-end of the publication schedule for the next issue of TotalDVD, meaning there was nothing pressing for me to get started on. Which is why HCC’s then-editor Steve May felt able to load me up with a pile of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace tie-in…

Radiance Films ➜ Region A/B BD £45 This handsome set houses film adaptations of three Japanese ghost stories: Nobuo Nakagawa’s lush yet gruesome The Ghosts of Yotsuya (1959), Tokuzo Tanaka’s haunting love story The Snow Woman (1968) and Satsuo Yamamoto’s seductive The Bride from Hades (1968). Sourced from 4K restorations, the films looks frightfully good and are supported by critical appraisals, visual essays, trailers, and – in the case of The Bride… – an audio commentary. A bundled book contains essays, archival reviews and the original ghost stories.…

TRICK 'R TREAT: LIMITED ED. An unsuspecting married couple discover the cost of ignoring Halloween traditions. A high school principal struggles to balance murder and childcare. A cruel prank raises the ire of a busload of dead children. A young woman searches for that special someone with who she can share her 'first time'. A curmudgeonly Halloween-hater learns the error of his ways. Featuring five spooky stories that weave in and out of one another, 2007 anthology film Trick 'r Treat is a darkly humorous cinematic celebration of Halloween from writer-director Michael Dougherty (who would return eight years later with Christmas horror comedy Krampus). Across its tight 82-minute running time it perfectly capturing the mischievous spirit of the horror comics of the 1950s, while also giving the holiday an iconic…

With a 4K disc release looming, Anton van Beek celebrates 40 years of supernatural slasher icon Freddy Krueger. Don't have nightmares… 'I CAUTIONED WES: "I don't know if an audience is going to buy into this. Yeah, dreams are real. But at some point, you wake up."' This was Friday the 13th director Sean S. Cunningham on his response to his friend and former collaborator Wes Craven’s proposal for A Nightmare on Elm Street, and it was a sentiment seemingly shared across Hollywood. Every studio Craven showed his script to passed on the film. Little did anyone know, of course, that the idea Craven had dreamt up would become the first instalment in one of the most popular horror franchises of all time, and its villain – a former child…

All prices quoted are approximate and may have changed HCC RATINGS KEY… Outstanding Above average Acceptable Disappointing Dire Top 15 Televisions LG OLED65G4 ➜ £3,299 LG’s irresistible 65in 4K OLED TV flagship, with top-spec panel, improves on the ground-breaking efforts of last year’s G3 range. The result is the Korean company’s best-looking and sounding TV to date, and this time you don't have to pay extra for a desktop stand… HCC #353 Philips 55OLED809 ➜ £1,599 A sensational mid-range 55in Ambilight OLED flatscreen with excellent multi-HDR picture performance, solid 2.1 audio and advanced gaming capabilities. If you can live with Google TV’s relatively poor catch-up provision, it’s a steal. HCC #353 Samsung QE65S95D ➜ £3,499 For its third-gen Quantum Dot OLED flagship, Samsung has taken its hardware and AI processing…

SAMSUNG HAD THE most compelling argument for AI picture processing I've ever seen at IFA 2024. During a jam-packed press event, the company celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Berlin tech fair by showing a vintage clip of Albert Einstein opening the 1930 edition of the International Funkausstellung (as it was then known). Imagine the clip playing in the centre of a huge hall-wide display, small and low-res, with scratchy audio. Then the 8K AI-powered upscale is switched on, and Einstein fills the entire screen, still looking authentically archival but with zero pixel breakup, convincingly textured and cinematic. I gasped. Samsung also used AI to then upscale the audio. It turns out the real Albert Einstein doesn't sound anything like the virtual Einstein who sells smart meters on the telly.…