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Televisions
TCL 55C745K 4K QLED TV review
Mark Craven  |  Feb 08, 2024  |  0 comments
hcchighreccomend TCL's ambition is not just to be a purveyor of well-priced mass-market tellies. Recently it's been keen to promote its range of mega-sized sets (including the £3,000 98in P745K, and – as the first brand to ever bring a mini LED model to market – it's focusing a lot on that technology too. But the 55C745K auditioned here is one of its more bread-and-butter options, being a QLED, and not mini LED model, with a £649 asking price. Does that make it a bargain?
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Televisions
Panasonic TX-55MZ980 4K OLED TV review
John Archer  |  Feb 01, 2024  |  0 comments
hcchighreccomend The TX-55MZ980 is Panasonic's current mid-range OLED TV – which means you have to accept a couple of limitations right off the bat. What it does have going for it, though, is its price. At £1,399 it's not only substantially more affordable than its step-up siblings, but goes toe-to-toe with big-name rivals...
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Hardware Features
California dreamin' – behind the scenes at JBL
Steve May  |  Jan 31, 2024  |  0 comments
JBL is one of the most storied brands in hi-fi and cinema sound. Part of the larger Harman International portfolio (since 2017 a subsidiary of global behemoth Samsung), it's uniquely synonymous with theatrical sound systems, live music, and home audio. So how did this American company become so ubiquitous? I travelled to the Harman Center of Acoustics Excellence, in Northridge, California, to unravel its entertainment ancestry.
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News
Denon's announces AVC-X6800H, a new 11-channel Dolby Atmos powerhouse amp
HCC News Team  |  Jan 23, 2024  |  0 comments
Priced £3,000, new multichannel amp supports 4K/120 and 8K video passthrough, Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced and Auto 3D, and can be upgraded with Dirac Live room correction
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Opinion
Can the reborn Hammer and Amicus studios rekindle British cult horror cinema?
Anton van Beek  |  Jan 12, 2024  |  0 comments
As a pair of independent studios hope to kickstart a new era of British cult and horror flicks, Anton van Beek wonders if they should be looking to the future, not the past
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Soundbars/Soundbases
Bose Smart Ultra soundbar review
Steve Withers  |  Jan 12, 2024  |  0 comments
This new flagship soundbar from the American manufacturer certainly looks the part, but does it live up to its name?
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AV Receivers
Onkyo TX-RZ70 AV receiver review
Jamie Biesemans  |  Jan 10, 2024  |  0 comments
It was very quiet around Onkyo for the last few years, but an invigorating partnership between Sharp and the Premium Audio Company means the iconic Japanese brand is making a comeback. And the charge is being led by the TX-RZ70, an 11.2-channel AV receiver launched in 2023 at £3,099.
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Televisions
Sony XR-55A95L 4K Quantum Dot OLED TV review
John Archer  |  Jan 08, 2024  |  0 comments
As part of a strategy of trying to offer something for everyone, Sony has already given us traditional LED, Mini LED, and OLED flatscreens in its latest TV range. But, whether intentionally or not, the Japanese giant has saved its best till last in the shape of its Quantum Dot OLED sets. The 55A95L auditioned here sells for the rather princely sum of £2,499 – immediately establishing it as Sony's flagship 55in TV.
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News
Hands-on with the game-changing Mini LED backlighting tech that Sony hopes could dethrone OLED
Steve May  |  Jan 08, 2024  |  0 comments
Sony has taken the wraps off dramatic new TV backlighting technologies that it believes will elevate Mini LED above OLED (even QD OLED) in the picture performance stakes.

The company has developed new panel driver tech that it suggests will enable Mini LED screens to offer more dynamic HDR, delivered with greater precision. Intrigued, we travelled to Sony HQ, Tokyo, for a closer look.

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Loudspeakers
Wharfedale DX-3 HCP speaker package review
Mark Craven  |  Jan 05, 2024  |  0 comments
Someone once suggested the only things we can be certain of in this world are 'death and taxes'. To that I might venture you can add 'kick-ass compact speakers from Wharfedale', because the UK-born marque, when getting down to the business of delivering fine sounds from small boxes, never seems to put a foot wrong.
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