LATEST ADDITIONS

Ed Selley  |  Jan 20, 2011  |  0 comments
Pride of the mounties Chris Jenkins hangs out with a super-thin wallmount

There’s little point in wall-mounting an ultra-thin flatscreen TV if the bracket is so bulky it makes the set stand out from the wall; hence the demand for thin and flat wallmounts.

Ed Selley  |  Jan 20, 2011  |  0 comments
Tiny TV terrier just wants to play Chris Jenkins checks out the latest and dinkiest media player

As the baby in the WD TV lineup, the Mini is perhaps best connected to your SD bedroom TV, rather than to your HD living room set.

Ed Selley  |  Jan 19, 2011  |  0 comments
Incredible speaker vanishing act Martyn Williams auditions a totally invisible, full-range home cinema speaker system

There are plenty of ‘almost’ invisible systems about, but Stealth Acoustics has produced a range of flat panel speakers which cover all ranges and can all be flush-fitted into a wall.

Ed Selley  |  Jan 19, 2011  |  0 comments
I love a purist. When I buy kit I want it to be the offering of those obsessive designers, who create trends that get the ultimate kudos of being copied. That’s why I love Velodyne – for its approach and its purity. A company run by utter bass heads.
Ed Selley  |  Jan 19, 2011  |  0 comments
Get HD on the go Kevin Gallucci catches up with TV remotely thanks to Sling Media

Sling Media’s Slingbox PRO-HD is finally available in the UK, after being on sale in the US for over a year. Its key advantage over the original Slingbox Solo is HD support; where the original model was restricted to only streaming standard-definition, the PRO-HD is capable of streaming 1080i hi-def via component. In addition, Sling Media has added a Freeview tuner to enable users to stream over-the-air broadcasts as well. This is a handy feature that allows those who don’t have a set-top box to still enjoy the convenience the Slingbox provides.

Ed Selley  |  Jan 19, 2011  |  0 comments
Connected Blu-ray Yamaha’s BD-S667 Blu-ray player is a whizz at multimedia file playback, reports Steve May. It’s not a bad disc-spinner, either

It’s perhaps ironic that Yamaha, the original proponent of home cinema and multichannel sound, came to the Blu-ray party a little late in the day. But the brand has been playing catch-up fast.

Ed Selley  |  Dec 29, 2010  |  0 comments
Newish Swedish manufacturer XTZ only sells its subwoofers online in the UK. This practice often means good value, but as you can only audition the kit by paying a deposit for a two-week trial, it has to review well and beat most in its class, irrespective of price.
Ed Selley  |  Dec 29, 2010  |  0 comments
Nero plays while video burns Martin Pipe explores a comprehensive software suite

Many PC owners will be familiar with Nero’s ‘Burning ROM’ – this disc-writing software is, after all, bundled with many drives and PCs. The Nero Multimedia Suite 10 now takes matters on a step further by enabling users to create and organise content as well as commit it to disc. When the software is installed, you’ll find a collection of applications that cover a wide range of tasks including video/photo editing, soundtrack mixing, DVD authoring, video (re)compression, disc-burning and even the backup or recovery of important computer data. Some of these programs link to others, as and when they’re needed.

Ed Selley  |  Dec 29, 2010  |  0 comments
The great media escape Break multimedia free of your PC with this bijou NAS, says Martin Pipe

Many of us now store photos, music and video on our PCs to stream to our TVs over a network. But doing so does have its flaws. Using a PC as a media server means coping with operating noise, power consumption and susceptibility to malware. A far better proposition is to copy content to a NAS with inbuilt media server, such as this inexpensive Verbatim MediaShare. The PC can then be turned off, until it’s needed again.

Ed Selley  |  Dec 29, 2010  |  0 comments
Sonic compromise Samsung's not usually an audio big hitter. Danny Philips wonders if the Koreans are spreading their AV dominion a little thinly with this budget amp

Samsung isn’t known for its AV receivers, but that hasn’t stopped the Korean behemoth having a stab with this affordable 5.1-channel effort. It doesn’t have the reputation to rival audio luminaries like Onkyo, Yamaha and Denon, but the HW-C500 may attract owners of other Samsung kit who like their system’s collars and cuffs to match.

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