Home Cinema Choice February 2023

January is when I tend to watch the most films. Why? Because the evenings are cold and dark, and Santa Claus has so comprehensively emptied my wallet that I can't afford to do much else. I also have a recurring New Year's resolution to expand my cinematic horizons, although I usually just end up rewatching Fast and Furious movies. Speaking of movies, 2023 looks like being a welcome return to form for Hollywood, following three years of cinema closures, lockdowns, SVOD launches and the rest. Our roundup (p22) shows 'blockbuster season' starting early (mid-February for Ant-Man 3) as the major studios cram the slate with new titles, some held over from last year and beyond. True, many of them are sequels, but leave it to Christopher Nolan to blag a…

Monitor Audio's 'Installation' amp range has four new models, all designed to allow 'more channels to be placed into less space than ever before'. The compact IA60-4 (£1,150) and IA125-4 (£1,650) support four-channel outputs, rated at 60W and 125W respectively, but use Power Share technology to enable a singlechannel 250W feed if desired. Need more grunt? Step up to the IA750-2 (£2,150, 2x750W) or IA750-4 (£3,150, 4x750W). The new quartet are pictured here atop the 12-channel IA60-12. 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…

Released to celebrate five years of the brand's partnership with Opéra national de Paris, Devialet's special edition iteration of its Dione soundbar (HCC #333) will glam up your movie room with its 22-carat 'moon gold' finish and new-look Orb centre driver and end panels. Pricing is £2,400, a £400 premium over the standard black iteration, and the underlying 17-driver, 5.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos array and proprietary amplification remains unchanged.…

The Bristol Hi-Fi Show will throw open its doors this February for the first time since 2020, following cancellations in 2021 and 2022 due to the Covid pandemic. Organiser Audio T, a hi-fi/home cinema retailer with 12 stores across the England and Wales, says the show is making a 'triumphant return'. The venue is again Bristol's Marriott City Centre Hotel. Audio from A to Y Running from Friday February 24 to Sunday February 26, the Hi-Fi Show (previously known as Bristol Sound and Vision), is set to feature over 150 exhibiting brands. Those confirmed so far include Acoustic Energy, Arcam, Bowers & Wilkins, DALI, Jamo, JBL, Lyngdorf, Marantz, Musical Fidelity, Naim, PMC, Pro-Ject, REL Acoustics, Sonus faber, SVS, T+A, Triangle and Yamaha. The Pioneer and Onkyo brands, now returned to…

Tokyo Vice (iPlayer) Michael Mann directs the pilot episode and produces this gripping, character-driven crime drama series starring Ansel Elgort. What We Do in the Shadows (Disney+) The fourth season of the hilarious supernatural mockumentary has finally taken a bite out of Disney’s SVOD platform. Mayor of Kingstown: Season One (BD) Jeremy Renner stars in this grim but gripping neo-noir from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan. The Dead and the Deadly (BD) Newly restored 1982 Hong Kong horror-comedy-action extravaganza casts a powerful spell on Blu-ray. Vigilante (BD) 1983 Death Wish cash-in blasts its way onto disc with a new restoration and plenty of extras.…

You've got the Fred Perry tennis shoes and polo shirt, but have you got the matching turntable? Designed by vinyl honcho Pro-ject, and priced £450, the 'Fred Perry x Pro-Ject Record Deck' borrows plenty from the brand's Essential III and Debut Carbon EVO models, but is an all-new design. As befits its mass market positioning, it's pre-fitted with an Ortofon OM 10 cartridge and features a built-in phono pre-amp. Three finishes are available, including Maroon/White/Ice (pictured). www.project-audio.com…