Home Cinema Choice February 2022

The news that cinemas are preparing to screen The Godfather in March to celebrate its 50th anniversary caught me by surprise. Not because the movie is getting another theatrical release – why not? it’s great – but because if Francis Ford Coppola’s gangster classic is turning fifty then… well, I must be getting near that too. The saying 'time flies when you're having fun' definitely seems to apply to home cinema. Technical innovations that in my head are fairly recent turn out to be aging gracefully – Blu-ray, for example, is now 16 years old. The new-fangled Ultra HD disc format is approaching its sixth birthday. The first 4K TV? It launched ten years ago. With this in mind, I wonder which of the tech treats announced at CES 2022 (see p20) will…

John Archer: The experienced TV tester cut his teeth as an early HCC staffer Jon Thompson: Film producer and post-production expert delves into Hollywood and AV Steve May: HCC’s former Ed. is one of the UK’s most respected AV journos Anton van Beek: Our avid movie watcher and disc collector cut his teeth on Total DVD Richard Stevenson: Former Editor of the UK CE trade journal ERT Ed Selley: Audiophile Ed mixes his home cinema passion with a love of vinyl Steve Withers: Movie fan, display calibrator and object-based audio obsessive…

➜ NEWS HIGHLIGHTS PANASONIC LZ2000 OLED flagship to debut 77in screen size PERLISTEN AUDIO The world’s first THX Dominus loudspeakers ESTELON Cost-no-object Extreme Mk II floorstanders AT THE PLEX This month’s cinema releases NEWS X10 The hottest news stories in bite-sized chunks ETERNALS Mystic Marvel movie makes its 4K move & MORE! Polk has unveiled its first Dolby Atmos soundbar. The Signa S4 combines a wireless 6in subwoofer with slim soundbar enclosure incorporating a front-facing driver array with dedicated centre channel, plus two upfiring Atmos units. Bluetooth, HDMI eARC, optical digital and 3.5mm analogue connections are provided for kit hookup, while sound tuning options include Polk’s bespoke VoiceAdjust DSP and Night Mode. Pricing is £320, which the US brand reckons offers 'unbeatable value'. HCC ONLINE… Like us on Facebook facebook.com/homecinemachoice For breaking AV news,…

Sony has announced its first 42in OLED TV, the Master Series A90K, at CES 2022. Predictably, the brand believes this new, smaller screen size makes it a fit for gamers, but it will also target the wider UK telly-buying public – 42in sets remain incredibly popular. The TV, which features Sony’s Cognitive Processor XR silicon and Acoustic Surface Audio+ system, can be partnered with a new Bravia Cam that introduces gesture control and video chat functions, and 'recognises where users are sitting' in order to optimise picture and sound performance. Pricing is still to be confirmed.…

UK distributor Karma-AV has added Perlisten Audio to its stable. The American brand, founded in 2016, is the first in the world to produce loudspeakers that meet the new THX Dominus specification, and its home cinema-centric S Series includes floorstander, bookshelf, monitor, in-wall, centre and surround/angle/height models. While a fresh endeavour, Perlisten co-founders Daniel Roemer and Lars Johansen are both audio industry veterans, the former previously working for pro/OEM outfit MiTek Corporation, and the latter having positions with Jamo, Klipsch, Harman and M&K Sound. The company name apparently alludes to the concept of 'Perceptual Listening'. The S Series is the result of a five-year process of 'advanced modelling, measurement and listening' and 'developing transducers, electronics and software entirely in-house', we're told. The flagship model is the S7t floorstander, priced £16,000. This features a…

Described as 'a completely new design' rather than an 'upgrade' on the previous generation – including a switch to HDF cabinets and new bass/mid and tweeter units – Acoustic Energy’s latest 100 Series features the 1002 bookshelf [pictured], floorstander (1092), centre (1072) and active subwoofer models (1082) with prices ranging from £229 to £599. All are available now in black and walnut veneer finishes (plus a white option for the bookshelf speaker). A larger 1202 floorstander will arrive later. www.acoustic-energy.co.uk…