Home Cinema Choice March 2017

OLED is the TV technology that has been teasing us for years. First seen on diddy desktop sets as far back as 2007, it's since gained a toe-hold in the UK market via premium bigscreen models – predominantly from LG – but played second fiddle to more traditional LCD designs. Yet all this could be about to change in 2017. Our cover star, Philips' 55in OLED debut, is the first of a new wave of screens that pledge to bring greater choice, better performance and – hopefully – more enticing prices. OLED TVs use a self-emissive panel that brings your movie collection to life via pristine black levels, wide viewing angles and accurate colour blends. So, it's the best TV tech around, then? Not so fast! As we report on…

John Archer: The UK’s most experienced TV tester cut his teeth as an early HCC staffer Jon Thompson: Film producer and post-production expert delves deep into Hollywood and AV Steve May: HCC’s former Editor-in-Chief is one of the UK’s most respected AV journos Martin Pipe: Technical expert Martin is renown throughout the home cinema industry Richard Stevenson: Industry veteran and former Editor of UK CE trade journal ERT Adrian Justins: Made his name as the editor of What Video & TV and What Home Cinema…

Sony's X-factor? Sony XE94/Sony XE93 www.sony.co.uk Dubbed 'the definitive 4K HDR TV', Sony's new XE will arrive in 75in (XE94) and 65in/55in models (XE93) this Spring. As with last year's XD series, only the 75-incher employs a full-array direct LED backlight; the two smaller screens use the brand's Slim Backlight Drive+ edge LED illumination tech. Aiming to deliver a precise performance across the range is Sony's X1 Extreme processor (also featured on its A1 OLED TV). Dolby Vision HDR support is on the menu, as is Android TV. Pricing is still TBC. 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…

Arcam AV860 → www.arcam.co.uk Entry-level AVR ready for HDR Onkyo's latest AV receiver may be a budget model, but the company is still catering for key features – not only does the new 5.1-channel TX-SR373 provide 4K passthrough (supporting HDR 10, HDCP 2.2 and 4K/60p video) via its 4-in/1-out HDMI stage, it also offers Onkyo's AccuEQ Room Calibration tech for the first time at a £300 price point. Other goodies include Bluetooth streaming and USB hookup (but no 'net connection), with associated compressed audio enhancement. www.uk.onkyo.com Compact soundbar, big audio Monitor Audio has launched a new stereo soundbar. Within its slim-line casing, the £400 ASB-10 finds room for a quartet of 3in C-CAM mid/bass drivers and dual 1in Gold C-CAM dome tweeters, powered by four Class D amplifiers delivering a…

Sky has announced plans to drop the satellite dish and make its Sky Q service available over broadband internet for the first time. The company says it expects the new service to launch in 2018. Currently, Sky Q (and Sky+) employ a mixture of satellite and broadband to deliver content, and a satellite dish installation is a requisite part of the package, although since 2013 it has made certain material available to non-satellite owners through its Now TV subscription platform/hardware. The new-look service will still be based around hardware – Sky says it will be 'delivered through a box' – but there's no world as to what the channel lineup will be, or whether it will include the 4K content that is a USP of Sky Q. It would be…

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (All-region BD) Plenty of quotable lines and catchy songs make Andy Samberg's music industry mockumentary tailor-made for repeat viewings. Star Wars: A New Hope (All-region BD) Rogue One… left us with a pressing need to see the story continue by rewatching the original Star Wars yet again. But why stop there? Blair Witch (Region B BD) This belated horror sequel makes a strong impression on Blu-ray with its stonking Dolby Atmos sonics. Girls: Season Five (All-region BD) Lena Dunham's comedy-drama bounces back from a middling fourth year with its funniest batch of episodes to date. The Infiltrator (All-region BD) A superb central performance by Bryan Cranston makes this true crime story well worth a look.…