'Home cinema for people who don't want home cinema'. That's how Denon's product marketing consultant Roger Batchelor described the brand's new D-X100BD Blu-ray receiver when it made its launch yesterday.  read more »

Buzz Hays has many handles. His current preferred one is Executive stereoscopic 3D producer. He’s also the senior vice president of the Sony 3D Technology Center, out of the Sony Pictures' facility in Culver City. For the past few days, he and his Hollywood team have been holding 3D workshops for the UK broadcast industry at the BBC television Centre in West London. Between the various demonstrations of 3D footage (delivered using the class-leading, jaw-dropping  read more »

3D Blu-ray may have yet to show signs of life, but 3D TV owners scrabbling for content can breathe easy now that Sky has confirmed its 3D channel will go live on October 1.  read more »

After a faltering start, Blu-ray has well and truly come of age. It was always meant to be the successor to DVD and now that the discs and players have become almost commodity items in the supermarket, there’s really no excuse to put off that upgrade into the world of high-definition entertainment.

In fact, the players themselves have become much more than just HD disc spinners, as these feature-laden machines prove. As well as dipping to tantalizingly low price points, these budget boxes will also juggle your other digital media files through USB ports, or stream them from your PC. And the Ethernet ports, that were originally intended just for grabbing BD-Live content, now invite all manner of clever online widgets, including BBC iPlayer and LoveFilm downloads. Of course, different brands are taking different approaches to Blu-ray hardware, so consumer options vary quite a lot even at the low end of the market...

First published in Home Cinema Choice 184

You can also download the pdf here

Will Panasonic’s first domestic 3D camcorder change the way people think about home 3D? I'd say it's highly likely, after having had an early hands-on with this remarkable product. After just a few minutes shooting it's easy to see its creative potential.

And not only does it open up a whole new world of opportunities for home video enthusiasts, it also removes 3DTV's dependence on commercially produced software (which remains nigh on unavailable).  read more »

Speaking at the launch of the revolutionary new HDC-SDT750 3D camcorder, European CEO Laurent Abadie says that the roll-out of 3D was exceeding Panasonic’s expectations. In an interview over at 3D Radar, Abadie says Panasonic’s mission is ‘to think bigger – and do bigger!’

‘Demand for the VT20 50in plasma is far, far, far above our highest expectation,’ he says. ‘We introduced it in April this year, but demand has been three times higher than availability. Which was a pity, because in many stores the product was sold out. Our mission now is to  read more »

A report by industry body Ofcom has revealed that while broadband speeds in the UK are increasing, the gap between advertised and actual speeds is widening.  read more »

Blu-ray innovator Sony has teamed up with scientists at Tohuku Univsersity in Japan to develop a new blue-violet laser that could enable Blu-ray discs to reach one terabyte (1TB) capacity.

In a press release clearly aimed at the technically-minded, Sony revealed it has successfully developed an 'all-semiconductor laser picosecond pulse source' with a wavelength of 405 nanometers.  read more »

Of all the badges, on all the fascias, in all the world, THX remains a branding guaranteed to bring on anticipatory goosebumps. For me, the acronym is synonymous with home cinema excitement, and I still get chills when I hear the classic THX theme (played at the right reference level, of course).

While THX continues as a badge of honour on components at the higher end of the AVR market, it remains relatively unusual to see a full-on pre-power-component system built around the stamp. But that is exactly what we have here...

First published in Home Cinema Choice #183

You can also download the pdf here

For those who don’t know, Synthesis is intended to be JBL’s most signature’ statement product line, and there’s a large slice of Hollywood aristocracy that swears by it. The line comprises amplifiers, passive subwoofers, loudspeakers and a brace of processors, all arrayed into no fewer than nine ranges of kit. They vary in size, might and looks, but the whole lot can be married and blended range-from-range to fit with whatever room size and channel setup your cinema requires..

First published in Home Cinema Choice #183

You can also download the pdf here