Onkyo is famed for being first out of the traps with desirable new features, and the TX-NR807 is certainly no exception. This is the first receiver under £1,000 to feature Dolby ProLogic IIz and Audyssey DSX processing.

Opinions on the merits of both formats and the need to move rear-back speakers to front-height or front-wide position are divided (largely between me and the HCC editor) but I am right and anyone who disagrees is wrong. Audyssey DSX and Dolby ProLogic IIz are a revelation in home cinema sound and a must-have for any modern set up. And now Onkyo has made this available in a stunningly specified THX Select2 receiver all for £800. Thank you Team Onk!

It’s not my perfect solution though. The TX-NR807 is still a seven-channel amp, meaning you will have to dispense with rear-back channels to choose between either height channels or DSX width speakers...

First published in Home Cinema Choice 176

You can also download a pdf of this review here

Panasonic’s PT-AE4000 looks like the same big, grey shoebox the brand has been touting as a projector for the last three years. Indeed, there’s no visible difference between this and the outgoing PT-AE3000, but for good reason – it’s a shoebox with a remarkably successful lineage and exquisite picture quality.

While the unapologetically dull and corporate casing remains the same, inside you’ll find a new kind of lamp that promises better colour and contrast, and more of the picture-enhancing features that have made this series of projectors a favourite among home cinema enthusiasts...

First published in Home Cinema Choice 177

You can also download a pdf of this review here

It’s been called the world’s most advanced media server. And after an exclusive hands-on session with Imerge’s MS1-HD, it looks like the hype may well be justified. This beautifully designed home entertainment system takes many of the features that we’ve see from rival standalone servers, shakes them down and then adds a unique attraction that makes the experience more compelling than any I’ve encountered before.  read more »

Multimedia specialist Nanopoint is shipping a new range of multimedia keyboards designed to catch the eye of both gamers and media centre users alike. 
I’ve always been a sucker for backlit keyboards (functional yet pretty), so predictably think these new models look seriously cool.  read more »

Runco is the latest high-end projector manufacturer to launch an LED projector. Using a solid state light path and no lamp, the new QuantumColor Q-750d has an indefatigable life span, which promises to make things a lot easier for demanding PJ owners. It’s also relatively affordable (at least in the rarefied atmosphere that Runco traditionally operates in) at just  read more »

Yamaha’s £850 RX-V2065 is an altogether different type of AV receiver from the iconic brand. Yamaha has seen its fortunes ebb and flow in the AV market, and this new model effectively tries to draw a line in the sand and start over.
The most obvious point of difference over previous models is its  read more »

Few jukebox products have as fervent a fan base as those from Popcorn Hour. Built around a simple user interface and an accommodating approach to file formats, models like the A-110, and the HDX-1000 variant from HD Digitech, are fan favourites. Dubbed Network Media Tanks, they’ve set the bar for the growing new area of network-savvy, media-streaming home cinema kit.  read more »

There’s no shortage of iPod dock solutions available for the casual shopper, but those seeking a quality option have a more restricted choice – and finding the best hi-fi performer amongst them is a challenge.

Approaches vary considerably between brands, and some may suit your lifestyle better than others. For this sound-off we compare three very different iProducts from three rather different hi-fi brands, all with enviable reputations.  read more »

Samsung has rapidly (in the last few years, at least) taken over the flatscreen market with its LCD TVs. But, just as everybody else was catching up, the company has further flexed its technology muscles with its LED-backlit panels, and therefore taken a significant foothold in a new, unexplored sector.  read more »

I’ve tried out the Vuzix ‘video eyewear’ in the past and, to be honest, have tended to dismiss them as really just being a bit daft. The clunky visor design of their original iWear glasses looked plain silly, and I wasn’t terribly impressed by the video quality either.  read more »

If 2009 had a shape, it would probably be 21:9. Philips rocked the TV business with its revolutionary Cinema 21:9 LCD earlier this year, and now LG has launched the first mobile phone with a cinematic 21:9 display.

Targeted firmly at the forward-thinking fashionista, it looks dramatic and is clearly being pushed as a mobile to watch movies on – the theme runs through most of LG's advertising. But just how good is the phone as a portable movie device and can it really replace a more conventional personal media player (PMP)? HCC has taken a closer look at the BL40 with that very much in mind...  read more »

Western Digital's WDTV set the standard for easy-to-use media servers – now WDTV Live is adding network capability and more to what was already a highly-regarded product.

Western Digital's original WDTV was basically a dock which connected to your TV and acted as an interface for digital media files from connected USB devices, such as pocket hard drives or USB memory sticks.

It worked so well because  read more »

Pioneer blasted back into the AVR limelight last year with its SC-LX81 AV receiver, which went on to win Home Cinema Choice’s Best AV Receiver/Amplifier over £1,000 Best Buy Award last April. Now the brand is back with an update in the shape of the exciting SC-LX82.  read more »

Epson has launched a new range of home cinema projectors and HCC was first in line for a hands-on trial at its Paris based European headquarters.

Part of the Seiko group, the brand has enjoyed a leading market share in projectors worldwide, but it still has a bit to prove – in the last quarter it was pipped to the post by Optoma in the UK for sales of home cinema projectors, and competition continues to be tough.  read more »

JVC has updated its highly-regarded D-ILA projector range, announcing two new models at the IFA tech fest: the DLA-HD550 (expected to sell for £4,000) and high-end, THX-approved HD950 (£6,000). HCC has spent some hands-on time with the latter, and we’re prompted to ask: has the brand left any wriggle-room for its rivals?  read more »