A U S T R A L I A ’ S C O M P L E T E D I G I T A L L I F E S T Y L E C O M P A N I O N

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The new, bigger 80GB PLAYSTATION 3 allows you more of everything: more fantastic games, plus photos, video, internet, fi lm and music – and more space in your living room.

LOVE GAMES BUT WANT MORE?

The new 80GB PLAYSTATION 3 is making a serious play for the centre of your home – and it’s worth taking a look at what’s on offer. The best in games, media capabilities and ample storage space means this bit of high-tech kit enables you to experience all-round entertainment for the whole family.

Of course, this is PlayStation – so you can expect great, original games as standard. You can give your brain a workout, enter an off-road race or, with a broadband internet connection, become part of the huge online family building new challenges for other players in LittleBigPlanet. You can invite the family over and download a game for the kids, giving you space to catch up with the gossip before causing family strife with a National Geographic Buzz! trivia quiz. When the weekend rolls around, you can throw a roof-raising SingStar party where everyone becomes a performer.

But it’s not only about great games: with PLAYSTATION 3 you can choose your own form of entertainment. PLAYSTATION 3 plays high defi nition Blu-ray movies, standard DVDs and audio CDs. Then, there’s the web as well as your music, photo and video collections, which you’ve now got in one handy place.*

The sizeable memory – 80 gigabytes worth – means that you don’t have to fi ght with friends, family or fl atmates for storage space. You just have to fi ght about what to do with your PLAYSTATION 3 next – whether that’s trying out the latest downloadable games, chatting with a pal overseas via PlayStation Network, subjecting everyone present to a slideshow of holiday snaps, or throwing a party and letting PLAYSTATION 3 provide your favourite music.

So what’s the catch? Well, when you consider its amazing gaming power as well as all its other abilities, PLAYSTATION 3 is fantastic value. It also delivers in terms of actual space: imagine a games machine placed on a Blu-ray player stacked on top of a stereo balanced on a PC (with a digital video recorder teetering on the top of the pile); it’s an unpleasant image compared to this sleek black box that opens up a world of digital entertainment. As far as we can see, the only catch is that your sofa’s going to take some wear and tear in the near future.

LOVE GAMES BUT WANT MORE?

* Broadband internet connection required for online functionality Check out au.playstation.com for more details.

FOR A LIMITED TIME, IFYOU BUY A PLAYSTATION 3YOU CAN GET A FREE GAME. CHOOSE FROM ONE OF FOURNEW-RELEASE TITLES:• LITTLE BIG PLANET • SINGSTAR ABBA • RESISTANCE 2 • MOTORSTORM: PACIFIC RIFT

10 THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR PS3 AND ITSHANDY HARD DRIVE Play top-selling games at great prices with Platinum from just $49.95 Party with your friends on SingStar or Buzz! Register with PlayStation Network and play online for free with PSN communities Download demos, trailers and videos Buy great add-ons for your games Surf the web Play your favourite music Keep and view your photos Buy a PlayStation Eye camera and video chat online with friends Enjoy movies on DVD and Blu-ray

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The Latest Technology.

QLF435 L

HD Audio? That’s just theMarantz Home

The Greatest Sound.

QLF435 R

beginning of your Entertainment Experience…

The new Marantz SR8002AV Receiver maintainsthe high standards forwhich Marantz has beenknown for since 1953.

With performance levels arguably surpassingthat of separate pre-power components inboth sheer brawn and subtle sophistication,this THX Certified AV Receiver offers aclean power output of 125 Watts RMS fromeach of its seven current-feedback amplifiers,accurately recreating both movie sound-tracks and music.

Reflecting Marantz’s musicheritage, the SR8002incorporates customisedcomponents for superiorsound quality, a copper-

plated chassis to minimise unwanted inter-ference and a huge Toroidal Transformerwith shielding for instant delivery of highpower levels.

With HDMI 1.3 connect-ivity providing brilliantHigh Definition videoswitching (Deep ColorTM

compatible) and full HDAudio (Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby DigitalTrueHD, DTS High Definition, DTSMaster Audio and Multi-channel PCM),the SR8002 is ready for High DefinitionBlu-ray and HD-DVD soundtracks.

Even MP3, WAV or AACcompressed music files(including iPod music) willnow sound better with theactivation of the built-in

M-DAX (Marantz Dynamic Audio eXpander)compressed audio enhancement feature.

Setting up yoursystem could not beeasier, thanks toMarantz’s applicationof Audyssey’sTM ‘one

touch speaker set-up’ feature.

To experience the phenomenal performance

of the new SR8002 (or its smaller brother, the

HD Audio-equipped SR7002), please contact

us or your nearest Marantz stockist.

Distributed in Australia by QualiFi Pty Ltd • (03) 8542 1111 • info@marantz.com.au

www.marantz.com.au

The programmable main remote allows controlof your entire system – and for music inadditional rooms of your home, Marantzhave even included a separate dedicatedremote control.

4

FAST FOREWORD

There’s good news and bad news. First, the bad.

The high cost of exchange rates following the

decline of the Australian dollar on world markets

means New Year pain for home entertainment

and technology buyers. Since October, the dollar has dropped

around 30 percent in value against the Greenback, from a high

of 95 cents down to a low of just over 60, the rock-bottomest

bottom in eight years. With Australian electronics distributors

negotiating product deals with overseas factories in US dollars

(or Japanese Yen or Korean Wan, against which the Aussie is

doing equally dismally) their shopping lists are now signifi cantly

more expensive. Someone has to pay, and it’s us.

After Christmas, just about all consumer electronics gear –

including the tellies, amps, speakers and AV source equipment

so beloved by us at Home Entertainment – will cost more. Sony

has said its Bravia TVs will increase by between 5 and 15 percent

from 1 February 2009, with rises in audio, visual, digital imaging,

personal audio and recordable media products also slated for that

time. Sony warns the cost of its digital imaging products will rise

by between 5 and 30 percent, with notebook PCs and car audio

products to increase from 1 January.

Samsung and LG have also indicated their AV products will

be more expensive from late-January or early-February, with

LG indicating increases of 5–10 percent. Panasonic, too, has said

prices will rise, but didn’t specify when.

These forthcoming price rises are something of a precedent

for the audio-visual industry, where heavy discounting is

commonplace and consumers routinely negotiate with ready and

receptive retail staff for even better bargains.

According to Sony Australia General Manager – Consumer AV/

IT Sales, David Hargreaves, currency fl uctuations have never in

the history of the Australian television market given rise to a price

increase, and that next year’s hikes will be the fi rst to the Bravia

range since its introduction three years ago.

Panasonic echoes that position, with Electronics Director, Paul

Reid, saying he’s never seen a price rise in the television category

in over 20 years of sales experience.

So our favourite toys will soon cost us more, but not, at least,

before that time of the year when we bend the plastic more than

we would usually. So that’s good news, but not the good news.

All year we work, work, work and work and just as we’re ready

to expire we get a glimpse of Christmas and the week or more

that follows where we don’t work and it’s like we can breath again.

From late November, we see bus drivers wearing Santa hats, carol

singers at train stations, our neighbour’s eves festooned in lights,

council trucks draped in tinsel, presents under the tree and, from

the 24th to New Year’s Day, the shimmering promise of sarongs

and boogie boards, sleep-ins and the guiltless consumption of

lethal amounts of pavlova.

To help you enjoy whatever time out you have coming to you,

this edition is brimful of ideas for keeping you and your nearest

and dearest entertained, whether you’re home or away, or in

transit between the two. Be it one of the new sharply priced

Blu-ray players hitting the market, a portable media device, your

favourite movie or TV show on disc, or a fl at panel TV and sound

system to enjoy with the family during

the year to come, we’re confi dent you’ll

fi nd something in these pages you

never knew you wanted.

So start making your list. Spend

with your head not over it. And if you

wind up with any ‘excess’ baggage

after the holidays, we hope it came

with a frothy umbrella drink and gold

lame hotpants.

Cheers

Anika Hillery

Publisher Peter Blasina peter@gadgetguy.com.au

Managing Director Valens Quinn valens@gadgetgroup.com.au

Editorial Director Anika Hillery anika@gadgetgroup.com.au

Editorial Contributors Anthony Fordham, Nic Tatham, Thomas Bartlett, Max Everingham, Nathan Taylor, Alex Kidman

Art Director Bill Chan bill@gadgetgroup.com.au

Advertising Sales Daniel Russell daniel@gadgetgroup.com.au

Director Tony Read tony@gadgetgroup.com.au

Printing The Quality Group

Distributed by Gordon & Gotch www.gordongotch.com.au

All care is taken in the compiling of this magazine,the editors and proprietors assume no responsibility for the effects arising therein.Correspondence,manuscripts and photographs are welcome,and books, equipment and materials may be submitted for review.Although care is taken,the editors and publisher will not accept responsibility for loss or damage to material submitted.The magazine is not aligned with any company or group within the Australian electronics industry.Its editorial policy is completely independent.Views expressed are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher. All rights reserved and reproduction without permission is strictly forbidden. Price on cover is recommended retail price only. ISSN 1327-0338 Copyright 2008

system to enjoy with the family during

the year to come, we’re confi dent you’ll

Good, bad and Santa

powered by passion

6

CONTENTS DECEMBER 2008 – JANUARY 2009

FEATURESBlu Yule 22Compelling movies. Affordable players. The best picture and sound achievable at home. Nic Tatham outlines the many reasons why the time to take the Blu-ray leap is right.

Power Trip 30Large-screen TVs are becoming a signifi cant contributor to green house gas production. Ella Smith reports on the scheme designed to make them greener and cheaper to run.

Kid-proof your Kit 34Got killer sprogs? Max Everingham outlines how to keep them safe around your precious home entertainment setup.

Gift Rap 38Anthony Fordham presents 12 gift ideas for each of the 12 days of Christmas, any of which work as the bulk of a stocking with serious home entertainment intent.

REGULARSRandom Play 8Home entertainment news and product highlights.

You Wish 28From the land of the Kiwi comes the Prerenaissance, a 4000 watt $US140 000 speaker system its maker prom-ises will be the last of its kind.

In Motion: Taking it with You 82A roundup of audio and video gear that allows your movies and music to be as mobile as you are.

Gear Log 89A showcase of standout electronica.

Ultimate AV: Laps in Luxury 92Designed by audio guru Mark Levinson, the entertain-ment system in the Lexus 600hL is worthy of the car’s

$250 000 price tag.

Ear & Eyes & Thumbs 94Watch, listen, play. Max Everingham’s roundup of the best movies, music and games.

Time Warp 98A retrospective of milestone entertainment products and technologies. This issue: 3-D video.

6

stocking with serious home entertainment intent.

WantHome

Entertainment delivered

straight to your door?

Subscribe on page 81,or online at

www.isubscribe.com.au

22 3834 92

7

LEXUS L600hLLEXUS L600

COLUMNSGuy Talk 18Channel Seven’s GadgetGuy, Peter Blasina, reports today’s technology trends.

Tech Corner 20 When HDMI replaced many cables with one cable, there was much rejoicing. Now with wireless HDMI around the corner, Anthony Fordham says it’s time to party like never before.

HOW TO BUYBlu Movie Stars 45With the current batch of Blu-ray players fully tricked up and costing often less than $400 in shops, DVD’s replace-ment is earning its place under the TVs of Australia. Thomas Bartlett evaluates fi ve of the latest models.

TechLife: Notebooks 73Light, small and portable, with a design and feature-set to suit all needs, the notebook computer is becoming a staple of today’s digital households. Nathan Taylor explains what upgraders and fi rst-time buyers should know before hitting the shops.

VISIT US AT

Reviews, articles and news fromHome Entertainment magazine online

Exciting digital

page-turning format!

BOX FRESHLG BD300 Blu-ray player 49

Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray player 50

Yamaha BD-S2900 Blu-ray player 51

Sony BDP-S5000ES Blu-ray player 52

Panasonic DMP-BD35 Blu-ray player 53

Klipsch CS-700 AV system/RoomGroove dock 54

Geneva Model XL speaker 56

Pioneer Kuro PDP-LX609A plasma TV/BDP-LX71 Blu-ray player 58

Grundig Misuro GLCD2206HDV LCD TV 62

Sony XBR KDL46XBR45 LCD TV 66

Samsung LA46A950 LCD TV 68

Denon AVR-589/SYS-56HT package 70

Denon AVR-789 AV receiver 72

WIN Digital Lifestyle Package worth $6500, plus one of three Kodak

Camera prize packs See page 61 and 64 for details and

enter online at www.gadgetguy.com.au

38 284692

8

RANDOM PLAY

Sony’s UCHI (Japanese for ‘home’), a converted warehouse in an inner Sydney’s industrial suburb, is the place that Sony likes to show off its technological wares. In the run-up to Christmas it had a lot of new gear to demonstrate, including the world’s thinnest LCD TV – the Bravia ZX1, which at just 9.9mm is approximately the same width as a CD case. Its new Z series LCDs shows what the company’s 200Hz Motionfl ow technology is all about – another TV fi rst for the company – and the full HD VPL-SW80 projector combines SXRD panels (Sony’s name for Liquid Crystal on Silicon, or LCoS) with the company’s Bravia2 video processing engine and Advanced Iris 2 technology to deliver a contrast ratio of 60 000:1, a two millisecond response rate and an image up

to 300 inches in diagonal. The SW80 (below) costs $6999 and the ZX1 is not

available for sale locally, but look out for aZ Series review in our next issue.

On the audio front there’s the world’s fi rst digital noise-canceling headphones and a new series of MP3 playing Walkmen (above). The NC500D ($699) headphones offer the benefi t of reducing up to 99.1 percent of the noise at 160Hz, the peak frequency of a jet engine, according to Sony, while the E Series Walkman offer extended battery life, the A Series Bluetooth connectivity and theS Series inbuilt noise cancellation claimed to reduce “up to 75 percent of ambient noise at the fl ick of a switch”. Prices range from $129 to $249, with capacities from 4–16GB.

First seen at the IFA show in Berlin, the Soutina loudspeakers (opposite) were also on show at UCHI. These illuminated 1.85m columns are made of glass and leather and produce sound around a full 360 degrees, but are not available for sale locally.

RANDOM PLAY

Sony’s UCHI (Japanese for ‘home’), a converted warehouse in an inner Sydney’s industrial suburb, is the place that Sony likes to show off its technological wares. In the run-up to Christmas it had a lot of new gear to demonstrate, including the world’s thinnest LCD TV – the Bravia ZX1, which at just 9.9mm is approximately the same width as a CD case. Its new Z series LCDs shows what the company’s 200Hz Motionfl ow

available for sale locally, but look out for aZ Series review in our next issue.

On the audio front there’s the world’s fi rst digital noise-canceling headphones and a new series of MP3 playing Walkmen (above). The NC500D ($699) headphones offer the benefi t of reducing up to 99.1 percent of the noise at 160Hz, the peak frequency of a jet engine, according to Sony, while the E Series Walkman offer extended battery life, the A

Sony’s technology comes home

Walkman offer extended battery life, the A

S Series inbuilt noise cancellation claimed to reduce “up to 75 percent of ambient noise at the fl ick of a switch”. Prices range from $129

First seen at the IFA show in Berlin, the Soutina loudspeakers (opposite) were also on show at UCHI. These illuminated 1.85m columns are made of glass and leather and produce sound around a full 360 degrees, but

available for sale locally, but look out for a

On the audio front there’s the world’s fi rst digital noise-canceling headphones and a new series of MP3 playing Walkmen (above). The NC500D ($699) headphones offer the benefi t of reducing up to 99.1 percent of the noise at 160Hz, the peak frequency of a jet engine, according to Sony, while the E Series Walkman offer extended battery life, the A

SONY AUSTRALIAPHONE 1300 720 071WEB www.sony.com.au

DISTRIBUTOR

9

In a prelude to a multitude of downloadable movie and TV content services planned for March 2009, Tivo owners will receive a free weekly movie download from Blockbuster from 1 December. Movies will be released every Monday, with TiVo users notifi ed in the preceding week of the next fi lm to follow. The aim, according to Tivo’s distributors, Hybird Televsion Services, is to “allow people to road test downloading video content over the internet straight to the lounge room and understand the critical role both internet speed and download quotas play in ensuring the service is a pleasurable one”. While next year’s service will enable progressive downloads and greater fi le compression, download costs and speeds will still have an impact on household broadband allocations.

The Tivo media device provides twin HD tuners, an internet-based EPG and a 160GB hard drive for recording. A Tivo-certifi ed terabyte drive can be added in 2009 to expand storage, and with the latest fi rmware update the device can share photos stored on a PC with the home entertainment system in the living room over a wireless network. While currently priced at $699, Hybrid Television Services has hinted that the Tivo media device will cost more in the new year.

Tivo movie of the week

Buyers of any Panasonic Viera full high defi nition (1080p) plasma TV between now and 24 December will receive a free Wii games console, with Wii Sports game valued at $400. The games bonus can be claimed via redemption from a dedicated website.

Paul Reid, Panasonic’s Director of Consumer Electronics Group, says “the latest models offer 134 billion viewable colours for powerfully-rich and smooth colour, while the dynamic contrast ratio of

1,000,000:1 creates deep blacks for an amazing viewing experience.”

Panasonic’s plasma lineup includes 42, 46, 50, 58 and 65 inch models, with prices ranging from $2500 up to $12,000. While all plasma televisions included the promotion provide full high defi nition resolution, the Wii console and Wii games are standard defi nition video only.

Free Wii

9

PANASONIC AUSTRALIAWEB www.panasonic.com.au/vierabonus

DISTRIBUTOR

stored on a PC with the home entertainment system in the living room over a wireless network. While currently priced at

TIVO AUSTRALIAWEB www.tivo.com.au

DISTRIBUTOR

10

RANDOM PLAY

Making it musical Two new Marantz AV receiver models continue the company’s tradition of delivering movies and music in equal measure. The $1399 SR5003 and $1899 SR6003 (pictured) have been designed to meet the needs of today’s high defi nition AV formats, while sounding the business with music. Both are clad in Marantz’ new-look ‘M1’ chassis, and incorporate an independent audio circuit that is isolated from noise produced by the video processing and other circuitry.

Decoding of all the latest HD audio formats is supported by both models, including Dolby True HD,

Dolby Digital Plus and both DTS-HD formats. To make the most of compressed music from your iPod or MP3 player, both receivers feature Marantz’ M-DAX system which boosts the audio quality of digital music fi les. The SR5003 is rated at 7 x 90 watts per channel, while the SR6003 musters some 100 watts across each of its seven channels. Both will upscale video sources to 1080p quality via HDMI, and feature Audyssey’s Multi-EQ Auto setup for optimising the soundfi elds in up to six separate seating positions.

Making it musical QUALIFI PTY LTDPHONE (03) 8542 1111WEB www.qualifi .com.au

DISTRIBUTOR

Sharp’s $499 BD-HP21X Blu-ray is described as “Final Standard Profi le for Picture-in-Picture (PinP) function”, however it’s far from fi nal. The player meets the Profi le 1.1 standard, meaning it has the PinP feature, but no BD-Live compatibility, which only comes with Profi le 2.0. Sharp informed us that a fi rmware update to Profi le 2.0 is not being made available for this player.

One of the nifty features of Blu-ray and the BD-HP21X is the PinP function which pops a second video window up on screen, allowing you to view additional content such as actors or directors commentary and cast/crew interviews – all while the main feature is

playing. Its specifi cations boast full HD 1080p24 HDMI video output as well as x.v.Colour support, and the player’s audio decoding includes Dolby True HD and Dolby Digital Plus. DTS HD-Master Audio needs to be output digitally in bitstream via HDMI to an AV receiver with the appropriate decoders.

Connections include a single HDMI 1.3 output, plus the usual composite, S-Video and component video outs. The player also comes equipped with Sharp’s Aquos Link which allows it to integrate with the company’s Aquos LCD TVs, allowing both to be controlled from one remote handset.

Not quite fi nalSHARP CORPORATION AUSTRALIAPHONE 1300 135 022WEB www.sharp.net.au

DISTRIBUTOR

11

NOTEBOOK BUYERS GUIDE

AUGUST 2007

Mercury F1 Custom speaker–group test winner

“A wonderfully articulate andexpressive performer.”

“These Tannoys are brilliantperformers for the money, and

they’ll work well with a wide rangeof systems.”

For more information please contact:

Syntec International | Free Call 1800 648 628 | www.syntec.com.au

A compact and effi cient bookshelf or stand mount loudspeaker with excellent dynamic performance. Where space is at a premium, the Mercury F1 Custom is the ideal solution for home cinema front and surround or as an exceptionally refi ned compact two channel stereo system.

Tall and impressive, this loudspeaker uses a 25mm (1.00”) soft dome HF, 165mm (6.50”) mid range and a supplementary 165mm (6.50”) bass driver. Huge scale dynamics combine with tight, punchy bass, open mid range and clean high frequency to make it an ideal solution for medium to large home cinema or hi-fi systems, especially in larger rooms.

Perfectly matched to the rest of the range, the Mercury FC Custom centre speaker is voiced to deliver clarity, tonal balance and well focussed imaging and effects across the front soundstage. Compact and solidly constructed, this centre channel speaker has magnetically shielded drive units.

SHIELDED LONG THROW DRIVER WITH COATED MULTI-FIBRE PAPER PULP CONE.

25MM NITRO-URETHANE LAYER DAMPED WOVEN POLYESTER DOME, SHIELDED NEODYMIUM MAGNET ASSEMBLY.

The neat, compact design of the Mercury FR Custom makes it the ideal solution not only for rear effects / surround applications, but also as a front stereo pair where installation space is at an absolute premium. Pre-fi tted to the rear panel is a fi xing device that allows the speaker to be easily fl ush mounted to a wall.

test winner

ully articulate andive performer.”

nnoys are brilliantfor the money, and

well with a wide rangesystems.”

and effi cient bookshelfount loudspeaker with

dynamic performance.ace is at a premium,ry F1 Custom is theion for home cinemasurround or as an

lly refi ned compactel stereo system.

Tall and impressive, this loudspeaker usesa 25mm (1.00”) soft dome HF, 165mm(6.50”) mid range and a supplementary165mm (6.50”) bass driver. Huge scaledynamics combine with tight, punchybass, open mid range and clean highfrequency to make it an ideal solutionfor medium to large home cinema or hi-fi systems, especially in larger rooms.

Perfectly matched to the rest of the range,

The neat, compact design of the Mercury FRCustom makes it the ideal solution not only forrear effects / surround applications, but also asa front stereo pair where installation space isat an absolute premium. Pre-fi tted to the rearpanel is a fi xing device that allows the speakerto be easily fl ush mounted to a wall.

12

RANDOM PLAY

Sony’s PlayStation has changed a lot over the years and 2008/2009 is set to see a number of hardware and software innovations to the popular gaming console. The recently released 80GB Playstation3 doubles previous storage capacity, and with the a wireless keypad that fi ts into the top of the Dual Shock 3 controller, PS3 users can now use a a QWERTY keyboard instead of the system’s onscreen one.

Play TV has also been promised early next year. Equipped with dual tuners, this add-on module will allow you watch and record high defi nition digital TV broadcasts via your PS3 (though 80GB won’t store a

heck of a lot of HD video, so get yourself some outboard storage), record a whole series at the touch of a button or watch a program on the go via Remote Play on the Playstation Portable (PSP). Speaking of which, the PSP-3000 (the latest iteration of Playstation’s little take-anywhere gamer) has received an upgrade in the form of a higher resolution LCD screen and a built-in microphone.

On the software front, EyePet will please many a parent as this title, used in conjunction with the Playstation Eye camera, creates a responsive virtual pet (which looks a bit monkey-like) that follows your every move.

PS3 evolution SONY AUSTRALIAPHONE 1300 720 071WEB www.sony.com.au

DISTRIBUTOR

A new batch of AV receivers from Onkyo is always something to look forward to and the latest models all carry THX certifi cation. At the midpoint in the marketplace are the new $1999 TX-SR706 (pictured) with THX Select2 Plus certifi cation and the $2650 TX-SR806, which is THX Ultra2 Plus certifi ed. Both are 7.1-channel confi gured and power output from the 706 is 100 watts per channel, while the 806 rates at 130 watts per channel. Video upconversion to 1080p via HDMI is handled by Faroudja DCDi processing, and both receivers have onboard decoding for the latest multichannel audio formats, including Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

Heading a rung or two further up Onkyo’s receiver ladder is the $3399 TX-SR876, and topping off Onkyo’s range is the $4999 TX-NR906, both with THX Ultra2 Plus certifi cation. The 876 comes equipped with tasty technology such as HQV Reon-VX video processing, and it’s one of the fi rst to employ ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) video processing, as does the 906. The latter is also a home network-capable receiver, meaning it can make the most of virtually any media be, it internet- or computer-based.

THX tick of approvalAMBER TECHNOLOGYPHONE 1800 251 367WEB ambertech.com.au

DISTRIBUTOR

[PIC FROM XMAS GIFT GUIDE HE 21]

Logitech Australia Computer1800 133 274 www.logitech.com.au

and DTS-HD Master Audio.

13

NOTEBOOK BUYERS GUIDE

64 Burns Bay Road Lane Cove NSW 2066 • Ph (02) 9427 6755 Fx (02) 9427 2490 ABN 40 001 592 383 • sales@lenwallisaudio.com.au

www.lenwallisaudio.com.au

THE HI–F I HEADLINESN E W S L E T T E R N o . 1 7 3

Good, Better, and BestThe past year has been a big one in many ways. Len Wallis Audio marked its 30 Year Anniversary in a business which constantly changes and adapts to new technologies and lifestyles. It was a big year for Awards – we won 6 CEDIA Awards (runner up in two more) and also the Sound & Image Custom Installation of the Year. There were a lot of new products released in 2008; it’s impossible to list them all here, but we’ll run through a few highlights:Surround Receivers came to grips with the fact that Blu-ray will deliver higher grade multi-channel audio. By the time this magazine is out we will have the Yamaha RX-V1900, RX-V 3900 and the RX-Z7. All of them offer the better surround modes such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio, and optional Bluetooth adaptors can be used with them. HDMI 1.3a and USB connections are on the increase too. Marantz are in the process of releasing their new “003” series of surround receivers, which offer all the new technologies plus very attractive premium styling.

The use of compact and in-ceiling or in-wall speakers has continued to expand. While we know that larger speakers will still provide the best sound, the options for sound quality in a less obtrusive form continue to multiply. The Focal Dome range represents another boost on the quality scale for the satellite brigade. Using superior drivers and very rigid enclosures this new range sets a high standard, guaranteed to win converts to the sat/sub approach.

The development of HD Projectors has reached a new and exciting stage, with full 1080p capabilities now available at extremely competitive prices. In fact the Mitsubishi models we now stock are equipped with a 17-element (14 groups) glass lense and the Silicon Optix Reon-VX chip to project stunningly good HQV (Hollywood Quality Video) images in the $3999 to $4999 price range. Lamp life is also reaching out towards the 5000-hour mark. They’re still made in Japan too!

High-end Audio in the classic stereo form has seen new players and amplifiers in the ranks too. Musical Fidelity’s A1 Amplifier and A1 CD Pro player are new technology but delightfully retro in appearance. Likewise the Yamaha stereo components, starting with the A-S2000 and CD-S2000 but now reaching down to the extremely affordable A-S700 and CD-S700 are reviving the quality music system at whatever level your budget can stretch to.

N o . 1 7 3

The past year has been a big one in many ways. Len Wallis in a business which

The development of HD ProjectorsThe development of HD ProjectorsThe development of has reached a new and

budget can stretch to.budget can stretch to.

14

RANDOM PLAY

Sonos’ multi-room wireless music system has proved remarkably popular for its simplicity of confi guration and use, but it could only be controlled by its own remote. This forced people wishing to integrate control of their house-wide AV system to use two remotes; one for their multi-room system and another for everything else. Until now, that is.

Technology developed by Sydney-based AVD Australia now enables Sonos multi-room systems to interface with the Philips’ Pronto TSU9600 and Marantz RC9001 touchscreen remote controls, allowing whole-house AV systems to be controlled using just a single handset. The usual Sonos menus can be enjoyed on the Pronto or Marantz, including the ability to: see current and next track info (including album cover art); browse music by artist; control volume and play modes’ link; control playback in different areas (up to eight); manage and edit the music queue, as well as

control your home’s entire multi-room AV systems or smart home devices such as lighting or air conditioning.

Pricing starts at $695 for a single remote and Sonos zone, with confi gurations using up to eight Sonos zones and Pronto remotes available.

Meetingplace

system to use two remotes; one for their multi-room system and another for everything else.

Technology developed by Sydney-based AVD Australia now enables Sonos multi-room systems to interface with the Philips’ Pronto TSU9600 and Marantz RC9001 touchscreen

control your home’s entire multi-room AV systems

AVD AUSTRALIA PTY LTDPHONE (02) 9906 2424WEB www.avd.com.au

QUALIFI PTY LTDPHONE (03) 8542 1111WEB www.qualifi .com.au

DISTRIBUTOR

Developed from Sennheiser’s extensive recording studio-based know-how, the new IE range of ear canal headphones puts the listener in control of monitor-style audio quality. There are three models – the IE 6 ($299), IE 7 ($399) and $599 IE 9 – all of which are full-range dynamic transducers by design, and each of which has individual musical tastes in mind.

The IE 6 (pictured) has been developed for those who like a bit of bass with music on the move. Suitable for lovers of rock and pop, the frequency range extends down to 10Hz and reaches a high 18kHz. For a more neutral sound, there’s the IE 7. This is said to give a more natural, lifelike sound quality, with particular attention paid to reproducing a faithful top end (treble). The top of the range IE 8s are for the sound techies among us. You

can decide how much bass response you want from these earphones by using an adjustable screw to regulate the lower frequencies. Noise attenuation is also addressed, with up to 95 percent of ambient noise (up to 26dB) dealt with, according to Sennheiser.

All feature small, medium and large ear-fi t sets for a comfy insertion into your ear canal, and Kevlar-strengthened cables for durability.

From the studio to the streets SYNTEC INTERNATIONAL

PHONE 1800 648 628WEB www.syntec.com.au

DISTRIBUTOR

from these earphones by using an adjustable screw to regulate the lower frequencies. Noise attenuation is also addressed, with up to 95 percent of ambient noise (up to 26dB) dealt with, according to Sennheiser.

All feature small, medium and large ear-fi t sets for a comfy insertion into your ear canal, and Kevlar-strengthened cables for durability.

15

Foxtel has switched on its iQ2’s four-tuner functionality, which means subscribers can now use the PVR to record two programs while watching a third one live, simultaneously. For example, a typical night in might mean watching live Monday Night Football while recording Project Runway and a movie for the kids, all at the same time. The IQ2’s fourth tuner is reserved for Foxtel’s interactive HD and Box Offi ce on-demand services.

This ability to record what you want, when you want and not argue over the remote produces “a more harmonious household for both families and couples”, according to research on PVR use. The research (by Consumer Analysis Limited for electronics fi rm NDS) also revealed that some 75 percent of households fi nd

their PVR an indispensable bit of technology, and 76 percent reported fewer household arguments over what to watch. Furthermore, 78 percent of couples surveyed said that their relationships had been dramatically enhanced thanks to their PVRs, as each person can enjoy their own programs.

Foxtel has also extended its EPG to provide 14 days of advance programming information for IQ and IQ2 subscribers. A fortnight’s worth of advance program information can also be viewed online at www.foxtel.com.au, with the schedule searchable via genre, keyword and classifi cation. Recordings can be automatically scheduled from a PC or 3G phone using the Remote Record function.

First with fourFOXTEL PHONE 1300 785 622WEB foxtel.com.au/hd *

DISTRIBUTORFirst with four

Canadian speaker manufacturer PSB has a new fl agship range of home theatre loudspeakers it has dubbed ‘Synchrony’. There are seven models in all, comprising the Synchrony One ($5999) and Two

($3499) fl oorstanders, One C ($1999) and Two C ($1499) centre channels,

One B ($2499) and Two B ($1999) bookshelf speakers and the tri-mode Synchrony S ($2499) surrounds. The unique design of the Synchrony S surround allows it to be used in three ways – either in dipole, bipole or monopole modes, making it very fl exible for 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 channel confi guration.

Three years in development, the Synchrony line-up is described by designer Paul Barton as “his

most exciting speaker system to date”. Improvements include a new titanium dome tweeter, laminated cone drivers and a re-engineered crossover network. The Synchrony’s cabinets have also been refi ned compared to previous models and use extruded aluminium front and back panels together with seven-layer, hand-veneered sides. The result is a very strong,

resonant free enclosure, according to PSB.

In Sync with PSB

($3499) fl oorstanders, One C ($1999) and Two C ($1499) centre channels,

monopole modes, making it very fl exible for 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 channel confi guration.

Three years in development, the Synchrony line-up is described by designer Paul Barton as “his

most exciting speaker system to date”. Improvements include a new titanium dome tweeter, laminated cone drivers and a re-engineered crossover network. The Synchrony’s cabinets have also been refi ned compared to previous models and use extruded aluminium front and back panels together with seven-layer, hand-veneered sides. The result is a very strong,

resonant free enclosure, according to PSB.

AUDIO PRODUCTSPHONE (02) 9669 3477WEB audioproducts.com.au

DISTRIBUTOR

16

RANDOM PLAY

‘Greatness’ was part of the design brief for JBL’s new LS series loudspeakers, apparently, with the company borrowing the Bi-Radial Horn compression driver used in some its most fanciful speakers – namely its $80,000 Everest DD66000 – to achieve it. The high-spec driver is used throughout the LS range, which starts with the $2299 LS40 bookshelf monitors. Then there are The two fl oorstanding models – the $3799 LS60 and $4999 LS80 – with dialogue handled by the $1499 LS Centre and the low stuff courtesy of the $1999 LS120P 12 inch active subwoofer.

Cabinet construction of the LS series has a dual purpose – to look good and improve sonic performance. Gently curved sides and a wedge shape help reduce unwanted internal resonance, according to JBL, and high-mass MDF is used throughout. Each is fi nished with high gloss, rich mahogany side panels. Partnering the horn compression driver, the lower frequencies are provided by pulp cone woofers using a staggered crossover network. This new series is, according to JBL, a speaker system that “doesn’t favour music over movies, or small rooms over large ones”.

Designed for greatness

CONVOY INTERNATIONALPHONE (02) 9700 0111WEB www.e-hifi .com.au

DISTRIBUTOR

Akai’s ATT10U Professional USB turntable not only plays your collection of vinyl, its USB port enables connection to a computer so that you can import LPs to the hard drive for archiving and/or copying out to portable players. The included Audacity software is compatible with Mac and PC, and allows you to remove clicks, pops and other noises, as well as export the tracks into WAV or MP3 formats.

The ATT10U supports 331/3 , 45 and 78 RPM playback speeds, and provides a static balanced tonearm with detachable headshell, a built-in phono preamp, and anti-skating control for minimising the ‘skating’ force that pulls the tonearm towards the centre of the record as it plays. This, says Akai, helps deliver a clear, balanced sound. A slip pad is also a feature, and allows you to produce ‘scratching’ sounds and other special effects without damaging records. It costs $300.

Spin me roundAUDION INNOVISIONWEB www.audion-mm.com

DISTRIBUTOR

For more information, visit www.crestonline.biz

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With wasteful standby power contributing up to 10%

of households energy consumption, Crest’s Earth Smart

power board will not only protect your equipment,

it eliminates standby power with one switch.

Saving time, energy, money and the environment.

Now that’s Earth Smart. Now that’s Earth Smart.

SUPERIOR PROTECTIONEarth Smart’s unlimited connected equipment warranty and high end surge protection (144,000 Amps and 3672 Joules) will ensure your valuable AV and IT equipment is always protected.

SIMPLY PLUG & SAVEWith a ‘master’ outlet socket to plug in your key AV component or desktop computer, the remaining ‘slave’ sockets power ‘on’ or completely ‘off’ cutting standby power as though each device has been turned off at the wall.

CARBON NEUTRALCrest has teamed with the Carbon Reduction Institute to assess and offset each product, making it 100% Carbon Free

18

GUY TALK

The GadgetGuy™, Peter Blasina, is the technology reporter for Channel Seven’s Sunrise program, appears regularly on other network programs and is broadcast weekly on various national radio stations. At the time of writing, Peter Blasina had a commercial arrangement with Tivo.

When launched into the Australian market in

August 2008, TiVo was categorised by the

market and the Channel Seven Hybrid TV

Services group distributing it as a Digital

Video Recorder (DVR) or Personal Video Recorder (PVR). Hybrid

TV made it clear at this time that, down the track, fi rmware

upgrades would allow Tivo to become more of a media hub

device, but that the product’s time shifting and intelligent

program search would be the focus of all promotion during its

introduction period.

Now journalists hear a lot of hype and hope from companies

spruiking new businesses and products, so were understandably

sceptical about what Tivo promised and, in general, ignored

representations about how functionality would be upgraded

in line with Hybrid TV’s marketing schedule. Instead, many

criticised the product for being too late into the market,

too expensive (even though it was half the price of some

comparable products) and nothing like the American version

of TiVo. Many concluded that Tivo in Australia was doomed to

failure, and still is.

Tivo has also started

packing in more free games

and services with a free Games

Pack, including ‘Skull & Bones’,

‘Wordsmith’, ‘SameGame’,

‘Sudoku’, as well as ‘Classy

Couples’ (matching famous

couples) and ‘Wild Pairs’ – a

children’s game.

On top of the Sunrise Weather application

launched in October 2008, the new ‘Service Pack’ includes

Horoscopes with daily updates, World Clock to set national and

international time zones as well as PixelEyes, a unique service

that allows users to view photos on their TV via Tivo once they

have been uploaded to either Picasa or Photobucket. Tivos in

different locations can even be linked, allowing online photo

albums to be shared between friends and family members.

According to Minicola, TiVo will receive a major memory

expansion with the arrival of a terabyte hard drive in 2009, and

‘Tivo To Go’ will allow video recorded to Tivo to be copied to a

portable player. Regular upgrades will continually add value to

the product, she says, with the addition of pay-per-view movies,

channels of non-mainstream international programming,

and ‘Tivo uncapped’ deals with internet service providers all

possibilities. Along with the new 2009 digital channels from

free-to-air networks, the accelerating adoption of digital high

defi nition TVs, and consumer desire for a variety of different

programming, Tivo is perfectly placed as an enabling technology

in the living room, she says.

Despite these forward steps in functionality and services and

the promise of much more to follow, TiVo’s critics persist. Maybe

Tivo is just too tall a poppy? Or maybe those who trade on

website clicks simply fi nd it useful to post inaccurate, narky and

negative comments to deliver more site traffi c?

In its most basic iteration, Tivo has the potential to provide the

70-something percent of Australians watching only free-to-air

television with an easy-to-use, high defi nition time-shifting alternative

to videotape. I absolutely love that it does that for my household, just

as I love how the IQ2 allows the same for pay TV. What’s more,

I speak to lots of consumers who feel exactly the same way.

Tivo time

The numbers tell a different story. Australians buy around

5000 PVRs a month, according Gfk fi gures, and that fi gure is in

decline. In its fi rst month onsale, Tivo sold 4500 units – making

it the leading PVR brand at debut – and is currently outselling

the leading PVR by a factor of fi ve, according to Tivo CEO,

Robbee Minicola. Gfk fi gures report that 14, 000 units have been

sold into store, and the target, according to Minicola, is

50 000 units in 2009.

So here we are down the track in phase two of the

marketing strategy and Tivo is now a media device, offering

content and services in addition to its staple of free-to-air

high defi nition recording. An alliance with DMG Radio has put

Nova and Vega radio content into the living rooms of TiVo

users, and a partnership with Dominos means that users can

also order pizza via their television sets. This dovetails nicely

with the free weekly movie download from Blockbuster.

Perhaps some members of the media need to wander into their local retail store and get a ‘smell of reality’ when it comes to home entertainment products.

Australian distributor Amber Technology Ltd.AMB4407

Built with the same state-of-the-art technology of the legendary NevoSL, the new NevoQ50 now offers a customisable control solution on a lower budget.

Stylish, elegant and designed to eliminate the need for multiple remotes, theNevoQ50 offers complete control of any audio and video device, giving you the ultimate control experience. With 31 programmable hard buttons and endless personalisation options, the NevoQ50 is the perfect choice for any home.

NevoS70 takes technology a step further with the capability to control AV media via WiFi from supported UPnP media servers along with a larger, higher resolution touch screen.

The optional NevoConnect wirelessly links with both the NevoQ50 & NevoS70 via Z-Wave to allow control of remote devices by way of RS-232 and IR.

The Optional NC-50 NevoConnect, offers complete control of components in another room or hidden away.

For more information or a personal demonstration of the international

award-winning NevoQ50 & NevoS70 remotes, call 1800 251 367, (02) 9452 8600 or visit our website www.ambertech.com.au

004407_Nevo_297x210.indd 1 8/12/08 2:48:59 PM

20

TECH CORNER

One of the ironies of HDMI – the all-in-one AV cable of

the future – is that even though you eliminate the

old-fashioned composite video and RCA cables of older

gear, you’ll then install three or even four HDMI-enabled

devices in your rack.

In other words, HDMI simplifies any given device, but encourages

you to buy more devices, so you end up with just as many cables in

behind the TV!

The other thing about HDMI is that even though you can get five

metre cables, often you’ll find yourself having to position everything close

together, because the cables you can afford are only one metre long.

Even if you do manage to set up the perfect HDMI-enabled AV rack,

you’ll be left with this nagging feeling: aren’t wires just a little bit 20th

Century? After all, your internet is beamed around your house via the

wireless transmitter on your router, so why not your AV entertainment

as well?

Fortunately, Wireless HDMI does exist. It uses the 5GHz band and

has enough bandwidth to carry a full 1080p signal. It’s not a proper

standard like HDMI itself, but more of a marketing term so consumers

can understand what it’s all about. Actual implementations of it can

be non-proprietary, which means it’s potentially cheaper because no

license fees have to be paid to a consortium.

The system does use some common elements, such as the

ZeroWire chipset, which ensures there will be universal compatibility.

Companies such as Belkin and Monster have announced their first

generation of Wireless HDMI boxes, with several smaller manufacturers

promising devices too. You’ll want to count your pennies before splurging

on a pre-order though: the entry price ranges from $700 to $1000!

No strings attachedWhat’s more, the system Wireless HDMI uses – called ultrawideband

or UWB – transmits its data in a fundamentally different way to the

current WiFi standard, with the result that the signal is either on or off.

There’s no fading or interference problems. A mere boast? Time will tell.

I mentioned above that Wireless HDMI isn’t actually a standard, but

there is a wireless high definition standard. To keep things simple, it’s

called WirelessHD and it aims to work above the layer of different plugs

and data formats, and provide a more mechanical standard for all sorts

of wireless high definition applications.

Like most transmission standards, WirelessHD is being developed

by a groups of companies, which includes Intel, Samsung, Sony and

Toshiba. You’ll note a couple of those names are ones you’d normally

associate with IT rather than AV, and that’s because WirelessHD will

probably first see action in PC displays.

Since PC desktop resolutions are in fact higher than 1080p HD,

WirelessHD will have plenty of capacity for Blu-ray and other high-def

content.

Want some numbers? Well, HDMI 1.3 can push 10.2 gigabits of

information down the wire every second. WirelessHD, by contrast, has

a maximum bandwidth of 25 gigabits a second. This means it’s well

future-proofed for greater colour depth and high resolutions. Maybe

even 3-D!

Shrewd readers will realise a potential pitfall of all this wireless

HD streaming, though. And that’s piracy. We already know how

unscrupulous internet users can leech off your wireless router if you

don’t use proper security, and the same risks apply to WirelessHD.

Fortunately though, physics is on the side of the copyright holder.

Because WirelessHD operates in the 60GHz Extreme High Frequency

band, it needs direct line-of-site between transmitter and receiver.

You’ll get around this in your house thanks to a clever radio thing called

beamforming, but as a result people could also theoretically pick up

your wireless signal and record it.

But one of the peculiarities of the 60GHz band is that it is readily

absorbed by oxygen molecules. So the very air itself will serve as a sort

of shield, and pirates will need to be very close to the transmitter to get

any meaningful signal.

One of the more interesting things about this sudden tech-grab

for true wireless interoperability is the sheer number of proposed

standards. Joining Wireless HDMI and WirelessHD is Wireless USB,

which will help IT products communicate at a more modest bandwidth

of 480 megabits per second. There’s also much work being done on

the Wireless High-definition Interface, which like all the other formats

here aims to eliminate wires from the workplace.

Oddly, though, all this technology is taking some time to make it to

the market. Even though several companies have announced devices,

release dates keep getting put back... and back. Belkin was supposed to

have its FlyWire unit ready for Christmas, but you’ll have to wait until the

new year (or even later) to see it. Monster too promised a 2008 release

for the Digital Express HD, but this has also been delayed. The technical

challenges are mighty indeed when you’re dealing with this much data.

Still, there’s little doubt the future will be wireless, and for Australia’s

woeful broadband internet, wireless could be our best hope. Just

imagine: the rats nest of cables behind the AV rack, not tidied up, not

simplified, but banished altogether.

Shrewd readers will realise a potential pitfall of all this wireless HD streaming, though. And that’s piracy

The kit includes a rather stylish transmitter box, encrusted with

inputs, and a receiver that plugs into your AV receiver or TV’s HDMI

port. The transmitter doesn’t just accept HDMI inputs from Blu-ray

players and the like, it also has ports for humble RCA cables, and optical

too. Standard definition inputs are automatically upsampled to 1080p

and beamed to the receiver.

One of the more important elements that need to work is support

for High-bandwith Digital Content Protection, or HDCP. And it’s the

ZeroWire chipset that has the certification to work with HDCP. This

means movies so protected can be beamed across the room wirelessly.

The benefits to making your HDMI devices wireless should be

obvious. Your gear doesn’t have to sit in a stack underneath or next to

your TV, and for users of projectors – which must of course go at the

back of the room – the system could be a real boon.

Navigating with Uniden is so easy with Spoken Street Names (Text to Speech) now on all navigation systems.

Experience driving from A to B with Uniden’s 360° 3D Landmarks and

3D Terrain software, to make navigating so much more realistic. Plus enjoy:

• The latest Sensis mapping data

• Speed and red light camera warnings

• Over speed alert

Discover a new dimension for in-car navigation. Visit Uniden on

www.uniden.com.au for full range details or call 1300 366 895 today.

A B INTO

U n i d e n G P S A d _ F i r s t S i . p d f P a g e 1 8 / 1 2 / 0 8 , 2 : 3 2 P M

22

BLU YULE

23

The ball is now well and truly rolling for Blu-ray as more and more

manufacturers and fi lm studios get behind the effort to make Blu-

ray the de facto format, not just for high defi nition, but for movies

full stop. It’s taken a while, though, with hardware and software

sales remaining sluggish, even after Toshiba pulled out of the rival HD DVD

format almost a year ago.

Extremely cheap upconverting DVD players had a part to play in this, as did

the comparatively high cost of BD players and software, but all that is changing

now. LG, Sharp, Samsung, Panasonic, Pioneer and Sony are targeting the mass

market with aggressive pricing on new models, offering sub-$500 players with

the interactive Bonus View and BD-Live features that take full advantage of the

format’s capabilities.

The $500 ticket price and the festive timing is historically signifi cant. DVD

only really started to kick when hardware reached that price in Christmas 2001,

with households quickly embracing the format and all its advances on videotape.

Naysayers argue that times are different now. That Blu-ray doesn’t offer the

same compelling quality and convenience improvements of DVD over video

tape; that the benefi ts of full HD on a sub-40 inch screen is indiscernible from

DVD; that people don’t want to feel forced into replacing their library of DVDs

with a new format; that pricing needs to be more like $299 to entice ‘working

families’ to open their wallets, or that the global fi nancial crisis will keep wallets

fi rmly shut and all but crush the ambitions of Blu-ray’s backers.

WhY TimE iS RiGhT FOR BLU-RAY

• Latest Profi les now supported• Hardware now less than $500• Great retail bonus incentives on offer before Christmas• Hardware prices will increase in 2009• Plentiful choice of software• Software widely available• Provides a quality match with your full HD TV• Best quality sound and picture that can be enjoyed at home• Inbuilt upconversion makes conventional DVDs look better

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

Dreaming of a Blu Christmas? Nic Tatham explains why there’s never been a better time to make the leap

24

BLU YULE

All systems goThe industry, however, is confi dent that Blu-ray will replicate

the pattern set by DVD. LG’s TV category marketing manager,

Warren Kim, speculates that 100,000 Blu-ray player units will

be sold in 2009, excluding gaming consoles. Figures from

September put Blu-ray player sales at 400 000, with just

40,000 being standalone players. The other 360,000 are

accounted for by the Playstation 3 console.

He also pointed out that the latest Blu-ray pricing trend

indicates that prices are eroding faster than the industry

expected, more so than it did with DVD hardware. For

consumers, that means that Blu-ray is actually cheaper than

DVD was at the same stage in its life cycle.

“Locally,” Kim adds, “there has been a BD push from various

manufacturers. In the case of LG, we are offering bonus BigPond DVD

rentals for four months valued at $79.80. This is an added incentive

for consumers who are considering purchasing a BD player.”

Samsung is adding value too, giving away a Blu-ray player

with select model televisions, while Pioneer is supplying free

Blu-ray movies with its

entry-level player. When it

comes to seeding Aussie

homes with BD players,

though, Sony tops the

honours list. In July 2008

it bundled a Playstation 3

console with select model

Bravia LCD televisions,

with the allotted 35,000

consoles all accounted for

before the month was out.

The company is currently

promoting Blu-ray to a wider

audience, running television

advertising telling viewers

“what a waste” it is to watch

standard defi nition video on a

high defi nition TV.

Lots to seeThe big movies houses have put their backs into supporting

the hardware camp too, strengthening the appeal of Blu-ray to

consumers by expanding their offering of back catalogue and

new-release titles for sale and rental.

Blockbuster and Video Ezy are promoting the format in

more than 200 stores, with active displays demonstrating

both BD software and hardware. Some rental stores will also

be offering Blu-ray discs for sale. Online vendor, BigPond

movies, has some 400-odd BD titles available for hire, with the

web-based Quikfl ix and MovieGuys also offering Blu-ray titles

for rent via the Australian postal service. Typically, it costs the

same to rent a Blu-ray Disc as it does a DVD.

Building up a Blu-ray movie collection is becoming

more affordable as well. When fi rst released, BD software

commanded a substantial premium over DVD, but that

WhY YOU’D WAiT FOR BLU-RAYREviEWED ON PAGE 46

• Internet-based supplementary material still in development, so not terrifi cally compelling

• Region coding rigorously implemented, restricting access to titles available in other markets

• Prefer to download movies

LG BD300, $499Sony BDP-S350, $449 Yamaha BD-S2900, $1499Sony BDP-S5000ES, $2299Panasonic DMP-BD35, $495

Blu-ray is actually cheaper than DVD was at the same stage in its life cycle

Blu-ray discs, such as The Dark Knight are available for hire and purchase from Australia’s major online vendors

Pioneer, Samsung and LG are offering incentives to Blu-ray buyers

25

Download bonus features, out of the blu.

With BD Live on LG’s new BD300 Blu-ray Disc Player, you can download and view bonus features for selected Blu-ray DVDs, via the internet. All you have to do is connect your BD300 to the internet, insert a Blu-ray Movie Disc and follow the link.

Kick-start your Blu-ray viewing with LG’s bonus BigPond DVD Rentals* deal, valued at $79.80 for four months. There are 32,000 DVD titles to choose from, including more than 300 Blu-ray titles. Offer available at participating retail outlets. Ends 31st January 2009.

*Conditions apply.www.lge.com.au/BD300

4 Month DVD Rentals valued at

$79.80with every purchase of

LG Blu-ray Player BD300

S L G 0 0 4 2 _ F P C _ H E . p d f P a g e 1 2 3 / 1 0 / 0 8 , 4 : 3 4 P M

26

BLU YULE

gap is closing. Expect to pay around $5-8 more for the same

movie on BD, but as developers recoup development and

tooling costs and mass market economies of scale kick in,

pricing will only become more affordable. Blu-ray discs can be

bought at all the usual places too: off the shelf in your K-Marts,

Big Ws and JB Hi-Fis, or if you prefer online, Ezy DVD has over

500 titles to buy. Prices range from $29.97 to $44.97 for a

single disc release, with boxsets costing around $80.

OverseasBlu-ray is certainly gaining momentum, and it’s widely

predicted that Blu-ray player and software sales will triple

in 2008. That’s in line with international trends. In Europe,

BD accounts for some 79 percent of all HD movie sales (the

other 21 percent comprise sales of residual HD DVD discs)

with the two million mark reached in BD disc sales. To quote

from the European Blu-ray Disc Association now’s the time “to

move Blu-ray Disc into the mainstream,” a sentiment echoed

throughout the global consumer electronics industry.

In the US, disc sales have topped the 11 million mark and

research by American market watcher, Redhill, also revealed

that more BD titles were bought in the fi rst fi ve months of this

year than during the whole of 2007.

The mating gamePlayers are more affordable and capable than ever before,

movies more plentiful and the outlook positive, but if you need

another reason to buy into Blu ray, consider that nice big full

HD fl at panel TV you’ve got, or is on your end-of-year reward

list. Only BD will really show you what it’s capable of. Similarly,

the latest Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master surround sound

encoding can make Blu-ray sound better than your local

cinema, so with the latest AV surround gear you can enjoy

7.1 channels of uncompressed audio at home.

As Blu-ray evolves, it’s been changing what’s called ‘Profi les’

and the latest, Profi le 2.0, offers the best interactive feature

- BD-Live - and is the most future-proof. BD-Live allows you

to do funky online things like download previews and special

features related to the movie, or access live events and gaming

activities. These are features DVD simply can’t deliver and

although upconverting DVD players squeeze the last drop out

of standard defi nition DVDs, it’s no comparison to the full high

defi nition picture quality of Blu-ray, especially if you’re viewing

on a large screen TV or projector.

Play a DVD in a Blu-ray player and its own digital number

crunching will actually make them look better than in a

conventional player also. Blu-ray also makes home theatre

better than what you’ll see and hear at your local multiplex

cinema – for the fi rst time you can enjoy the latest HD movies

at home without having to worry about someone’s head in the

row in front blocking your view, or those notoriously uncomfy

cinema seats spoiling your movie viewing.

Another encouraging sign for Blu-ray’s mass adoption is that

many other manufacturers are releasing players. Brands such

as Marantz, Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha, Sherwood and Cambridge

Audio are already onboard. Locally, Panasonic markets a Blu-ray

Specialist nameplates are joining the Blu-ray camp, with Maranz, Onkyo and Denon releasing models in 2009

Blu-ray recorders integrate a HDD for timeshifting from the telly, with the complementary BD recording drive allowing you to archive favourite high defi nition shows to disc

XBOX 360 AND hD DOWNLOADS

Industry speculation is rife that Microsoft has been working on a Blu-ray playing version of its Xbox 360 gaming console. Having initially backed HD DVD, Microsoft and Intel are both now looking at adopting Blu-ray, with Microsoft in the US saying it has already developed a standalone Blu-ray player that can be connected to the Xbox 360. Availability could be as early as May 2009, although the company warns that the HD format war is likely to move online, with consumers choosing to download 1080p video content in the future rather than buying it on a physical disc.

27

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

recorder, with models from Samsung, Sharp and Sony available

in overseas markets. These are designed to make the most of

the format’s ability to record high definition and will even allow

you to playback pre-recorded material while simultaneously

recording high definition video being broadcast on digital TV.

Blu horizonsBlu-ray will probably be the last time we buy movies as a

physical format. Already devices such as Foxtel IQ, Apple TV

and Tivo allow movies to be delivered as digital files direct

from the Web onto our screens over a home network, and the

convenience this offers is undeniable. In two minutes you’ve

selected and received your movie ready for viewing, and

ThE BLU mOviE ScENE

With hardware now hitting family friendly pricing, Disney has been marketing its family friendly Blu-ray catalogue strongly through a three-month-long shopping centre promotional tour on the eastern seaboard. Last year’s heavy hitters – Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Cars, Ratatouille and TV’s Lost – will continue to figure well in stockings this Christmas, with this year’s top-notch HD transfers being No Country for Old Men, Kill Bill and The Nightmare before Christmas. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, Paramount and Universal are the other main studios now producing BD software, but even the smaller film companies are dabbling with the HD medium. Hot Christmas BD releases to look out for include Hancock, The Dark Knight and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. From the big players, look for Shine A Light, the Bond boxset, Iron Man and Transformers.

without having to leave the couch to find the car keys or find a

place in the entertainment rack for the hard case.

Online download will, eventually, be the way we consume

all our entertainment, with whatever movies, music or games

we purchase or rent stored on a hard drive server somewhere

in our homes… or on a server farm in Belarus. But before this

occurs, such services need to streamlined, content choice

expanded, broadband infrastructure vastly improved and made

more affordable, and people’s attitudes to purchasing in this

new way changed.

In short, a lot has to happen for the online high definition

alternative to become a mainstream proposition, and until then

Blu-ray is the best show in town. n

Hancock on Blu-ray

Wall-E: Family titles are crucial to Blu-ray’s success

28

OBJECTSOF DESIRE

Arvus PrerenaissanceAll of the speakers we feature here in You Wish punch well above the weight of the average stereo system, and not just in terms of performance. Speakers actually weighing 100-plus kilos are the norm, but none go quite as far as the Arvus Prerenaissance.

Even before we get to performance, the sheer physicality of these speakers will take your breath away. Especially if you try to lift one, because it’s 2.25 metres tall and weighs 348 kg.

Arvus calls the Prerenaissance a quad-chamber, quasi fi ve-way active DSP corrected loudspeaker system. It also uses Arvus’ trademark Hypacoustic technology.

Hypacoustic was originally developed for cinemas, because Arvus founder Matthew Simmons says, psychologically, audio makes its biggest impact in the fi rst 100 milliseconds – and that’s precisely when most speakers distort.

In fact Arvus claims its loudspeaker systems engage people emotionally, and Hypacoustic technology has been so successful in the select New Zealand cinemas in which you’ll fi nd it, it’s managed to drag people away from their DVDs and back into the matinees.

Let’s rockBut back to these amazing speakers. That the Prerenaissance intends to make a design statement should be obvious. Arvus says it took design cues from all the world’s beautiful machines: musical instruments, high-end sports cars (the Prerenaissance is often photographed alongside the Maserati Granturismo) yachts and their scientifi c keels, even the Coca Cola bottle.

And of course, from nature the female torso gets a nod. The plinth is hand-carved from a solid block of Indian granite,

so there’s not much chance of you knocking it over during one of your exclusive cocktail parties.

Though if you did use the Prerenaissance for party music, conversation might be difficult. The system packs 4000 watts RMS power output, with three channels of amplification per speaker.

The curve on the front panel focuses the sound, but you can select from a distance of three metres all the way up to ten.

The active variable frequency response is 87dB to 120dB and the system responds fl at from 0 to 87dB, thanks to that

trademarked Hypacoustic tech. Room-corrected frequency response at the selected focal length is 17Hz up to 43kHz, and crossover frequencies occur at 240Hz and 3570Hz. The system has a maximum continuous output of 120dB.

What’s in a name?What’s the deal with the name? Well Arvus claims – rather coyly – the company has been working on a revolutionary new loudspeaker technology that is radically different from the conical drivers we take for granted.

According to Simmons, Renaissance Loudspeaker Technology (or RLT) has been in development for eight years and still needs another two or three years of work: he’s expecting a launch in 2011.

But it seems fans of Arvus can’t wait another two or three years. Simmons says the company was actually pressured into creating and releasing the speakers you see here. And on a promise of a sale from a close friend, the project went ahead and this is the result.

Arvus says this is the last set of speakers it will produce using traditional drivers. It’s the fi nal release before the Renaissance. Thus: Prerenaissance.

The system will set you back $140,000. But that’s in US dollars so depending on the state of the Aussie at the time you read this, could mean up to $250,000. And don’t forget to take into account customs charges.

Worried you don’t have the fortitude to install a 696 kg speaker system and its custom pre-amp crossover, or concerned you lack the quarter-century of acoustic engineering experience you need to set it up in a way that does it justice?

Don’t worry: as part of the package, Arvus will fl y a technician to your location to install and confi gure the whole thing. Even if you’re one of those Bond-style supervillains who lives in a volcano.

Just so long as your mansion has a minimalist polished concrete forecourt with a Stromboli Grey Maserati Granturismo (or Ferrari 430 Scuderia at a pinch) parked in it, the Arvus Prerenaissance will feel right at home.

Anthony FordhamAnthony Fordham

29

ArvusPrerenaissance loudspeakers

$US140,000 per pairArvus Loudspeakers

New Zealand+64 3355 1950

www.arvusloudspeakers.com

…If you did use the Prerenaissance for party music, conversation might bediffi cult. The system packs 4000 wattsRMS power output, with three channels of amplifi cation per speaker

30

The Power TriP

The Power TriPTVs that save money and the environment are on the way, but what’s taking so long? Ella Smith reports the slow progress of the energy labelling scheme

With Australian households having an average

of 2.4 each, it’s easy to see how our appetite

for televisions is contributing more than ever

to levels of greenhouse gases. But it’s not just

that we’re watching more sets in more rooms of the house more

often, and all at once, it’s because the LCD and plasma panels

that are stampeding out of retailer stores into Australian lounge

rooms demand far more energy than the traditional, smaller-

screen CRT sets we’ve moved into the kids’ room, or placed on

the median strip for the council clean-up.

TV energy use has increased fourfold from 1986 to 2006,

according to an E3 Television Industry meeting report tabled in

July 2008. One industry source we spoke to for this story claims

that if you compare the average size CRT at 68cm and the

average-sized LCD and plasma at 106cm, there would be around

a 2:1 power consumption difference between CRT televisions and

LCD and plasma televisions.

Compounding the issue is our appetite for larger screen

sizes. Every square centimetre of screen draws power (though

the relationship between size and watts is logarithmic rather

than linear), and while 106cm televisions are currently the

most popular size, the 127cm upgrade option (and tomorrow’s

replacement market leader) presents almost 20 percent more

surface area. Ever larger screens are in the works too, with

31

The Power TriPPanasonic offering a 261cm (103 inch) model and Sharp a 274cm

(108 inch) model. There might not ever be a huge domestic

market for these sizes, but as more homes tool up for the 2013

digital TV switchover you can bet the number of large-screen

flat panel TVs being installed into living rooms will explode.

If the environmental imperatives aren’t enough to motivate

you, consider the personal dollar cost to your household.

Your televisions are now costing you more to run that ever

before, and with across the board price hikes forecast by major

electricity suppliers next year, there will be only more to pay.

Labelling to create better products In household appliance terms, flat panel televisions rank behind

fridges, freezers, air conditioners and hot water systems as

major contributors to greenhouse gases. Energy labels were

mandated nationally for these products – and clothes washers,

clothes dryers and dishwashers – nearly two decades ago, so the

time is ripe for a similar scheme to inform consumers about how

to make an energy efficient TV purchase.

The Federal Government has set a timetable for such a

scheme, with a proposed start date of 1 April 2009. From

this time, TVs (plasma, LCD and CRT TVs) released into the

Australian market should feature an energy label, indicating

their energy efficiency and energy consumption.

The theory behind such labelling programs is that energy

consumption, along with features and price, will become another

important point of difference influencing a consumer’s TV

buying decision. As consumers vote with their wallets for TVs

with green cred, manufacturers will focus more research and

development into energy efficiency, with benefits for all.

Judging successIf the experience of energy labels for whitegoods is anything

to go by, it’s unlikely that an energy label alone will be the key

driver to any TV purchase. Whitegoods brands interviewed by

Home Entertainment said the influence of the energy label

usually becomes apparent only once shoppers made a shortlist

of models in a price bracket. It’s here that the energy efficiency

has an influence on the final buying decision.

Overall, though, the results of regulation and labelling for

fridges serves as a positive example for the TV industry, with

one supplier interviewed indicating that the amount of energy

fridges consume has halved in around ten years. This is a

significant reduction in energy consumption in anyone’s terms,

but it certainly hasn’t been achieved quickly.

Today, you can still buy fridges with only a few stars, but

regulation has meant manufacturers with poorer performing

models cannot hide their inferior products.

It’s highly unlikely, however, that an energy label alone will be the key driver behind which model people ultimately buy

fast facts

• TVsaccountfor7.5megatonnes(MT)ofCO2emissionsannually.WiththegrowthofLCDandplasmaTVtakeuprates,thiscouldgrowtoasmuchas20MTin2020—thesameamountgeneratedannuallyby5millioncars.

• Australiansownaround2.4TVsperhousehold.• Therearemorethan17millionTVsinAustraliawitha

furthertwomillionsoldeachyear.Ofthese,55%areLCDTVs,21%areplasmaTVsandconventionalsetsmakeuptheremaining19%,accordingtoGfKdataforthe12monthstoSeptember2008.

32

As for policing the integrity of TV labelling, manufacturers

will be randomly audited by The Department of the

Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) to ensure

they meet relevant guidelines displaying the sticker on all TVs,

as well as making accurate energy claims. If discrepancies are

found to exist and a consultation process between DEWHA and

the manufacturer/supplier fails, the Australian Competition and

Consumer Commission then steps in to manage the problem

and apply heavy fi nancial penalties if necessary.

What the label will look likeThe proposed energy label will feature a one-to-six star rating

with increments of half a star. Super-effi cient models with seven-

plus stars are also being accommodated in the new label and

these will be rated in full star increments, although it’s unclear

when these super-effi cient varieties will hit stores.

In addition to an energy label, TVs will also need to meet

Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS). Planned

for late 2009, this aims to do for the TV arena what a similar

scheme did for fridges, and that is to remove from the

Australian market products that consume more than certain

amount of energy. Under a MEPS scheme, the worst performing

TVs (with less than one-star effi ciency) simply will not go on sale

in Australia.

As for how much more effi cient forthcoming televisions

will be, neither government nor industry has put a fi gure

on it. They may be 30 percent more effi cient, or ten, fi ve or

two. Every one involved is staying mum about overall energy

reduction goals.

Slow progressMandatory labelling for TVs was originally proposed in the 1990s

when screen sizes averaged a mere 68cm against today’s metre

or so of diagonal. The scheme faltered, however, due to a lack of

agreement about how a TV’s energy effi ciency should be tested

and rated.

In 2008/09 TV manufacturers have been incredibly busy

behind the scenes working towards the creation of a TV energy

label that contains two types of information: a TV’s star rating

(for comparing like-for-like screen sizes), and a TV’s energy

consumption (measured in kilowatt hours, or KwH/year).

Like the previous attempt, however, similar issues have beset

development of a label. CRT, LCD and plasma technologies, for

example, generate an image in completely different ways, each

one with different power requirements. Finding a measure that

adjusts for this has been a squabbling point, especially between

the LCD and plasma camps.

Power use for LCD and plasma varies, too, according to the

video program material displayed, so a test disc replicating

‘average’ viewing habits (including cartoons, fi reworks, standard

defi nition and high defi nition, bright scenes, nature scenes etc)

had to be developed to aid the testing process.

These points help measure how much power is used by a TV,

but a further challenge is the development by industry players

of an algorithm that determines the spread of stars, or how

power used calculates as a star rating. At the time of going to

press, this important piece of maths had not been fi nalised.

The fi nal algorithm must account for increases in energy

effi ciency that occur when technologies improve. What is agreed

to be called six stars today could be called two stars in 12 months

if the algorithm is not carefully engineered!

Final wordEven though mandatory labelling for TVs has been timetabled

for 1 April, 2009, the current pace of progress makes this seem

unachievable. In the meantime, all suppliers of TVs and their

industry associations have committed to a voluntary, uniform

labelling scheme based on draft standards that are in place. A

handful of brands will market labelled products by Christmas,

and while these may not conform to the fi nal spec, it is certainly

a move in the right direction. ■

WHat tHE tV ENERGY LaBEL LOOKs LIKE

AdvicesuppliedfrommanufacturersandDepartmentoftheEnvironment,Water,HeritageandtheArts(DEWHA)isthattheenergylabelstickersforTVswillincludetwotypesofinformation.1. Astarratingthatenablesshopperstocomparelike-for-like

screensizes.2. Energyconsumption(inKwH/year),givingameasurement

oftheenergyconsumptionofaTVinkilowatthoursperyearforcomparingrunningcostsofalllabelledTVs,irrespectiveofthescreentechnologyorscreensize.TheKwH/yearmeasurementisbasedon10hours’dailyusein‘Home/Normal’picturemode.

ThestickerswillalsoexplainhowTVsonshowinstorewillbedisplayedatfullbrightness,orin‘Shop’or‘Display’mode.Asthetypicalfactorydefaultsettingformosttelevisions,thismakesthepicturestandoutontheshowroomfloorunderfluorescentlightingandconsumesthemaximumamountofpower.TheTV’s‘Normal’or‘HomeMode’settingislessbrightandconsumeslesspower.

As for policing the integrity of TV labelling, manufacturers

In 2008/09 TV manufacturers have been incredibly busy In 2008/09 TV manufacturers have been incredibly busy In 2008/09 TV manufacturers have been incredibly busy

The Power TriP

Premium navigation with all the extras.The Pioneer AVIC-F900BT delivers premium navigation with all the extras. Extra audio, extra visual, extra information

and extra communication combine in a stylish, functional and intuitive system. The intelligent features of the Pioneer AVIC-F900BT are engineered to deliver an exceptional in car experience that is more enjoyable, more exciting

and more precise. A seamless connection that enables you to take all of the extras in your life, on the road.

ALL SYSTEMS GO

NAVIGATIONNavigation accuracy and efficiency is the Pioneer trademark and with multi sensor technology, inbuilt mapping for all of Australia and over half a million POI’s, Pioneer will keep you on track.

iPOD® CONNECTTake your complete iPod® music and video collection on the road without the hassle and clutter of an additional adapter and enjoy all of your favourite music and video whenever and wherever you want.

DVD/MUSICMobile entertainment should be an extension of the driving experience. That is why the AVIC-F900BT range can handle a variety of DVD, MP3, audio and video formats.

BLUETOOTH®

Parrot Bluetooth® technology connects your Bluetooth® enabled mobile phone. Your phone can be anywhere in the vehicle and AVIC-F900BT gives you full communication control and all the phone’s functionalities on the touch panel.

AVIC-F900BT

www.navxtra.com.au FLASH/PIOM309

34

KID-PROOFING YOUR KIT

There are plenty of fi ghts and confrontations that you

can spot coming from a mile away when you decide

to start building your dream home entertainment

system. ‘Negotiating’ with the beloved signifi cant

other on allocating part of your house to be the home theatre area

or, if you’re really fortunate, entire room is the obvious fi rst one.

Persuading the same gorgeous partner that a heap of ‘piano

black’ boxes, as the manufacturers optimistically dubbed the

move from silver or gold to a glossy black fi nish, is probably

your second confl ict. But even then, once you’re through the

spouse-laid minefi eld of unreasonable objections and random

preferences, you might just have one last family hurdle before

you fi nally get into your stride – the kids.

Because as fabulous as your new home theatre system

looks, we’re still a ways away from achieving the invisible but

omnipresent, centrally located voice-controlled system – a home

entertainment ‘Hal’ for your lounge room, if you will – and, as

such, there are still plenty of buttons, trays, knobs, cables and

chunky boxes for your dear children to trip over, fall onto, crash

into or otherwise slowly demolish as you watch helplessly from

the snug nest you’ve just created for yourself on the couch

Heavy liftingAlmost certainly the heaviest and most cumbersome element

of your home theatre system, your fl at panel TV is also the

most prone to being accidentally knocked or otherwise abused,

because it’s so exposed. One of the most common assaults

suffered by your TV – small hands repeatedly bashing up against

the screen itself, whether in simple enthusiasm or plain boredom

– can be remedied in a couple of different ways.

The easiest is to ‘enclose’ the screen in the middle of a big

ol’ entertainment centre, pushing the TV itself back into the

cubby hole and up against the wall, thereby ensuring it’s both

protected from the sides and is stable. Some fl at panel TVs

Kid-proofing your Kit

Making your system good is one thing, but how do you make it safe for the ankle-biters of your household? Max Everingham gives some family friendly pointers

Kid-proofing your Kit Kid-proofing your Kit Kid-proofing

35

Making your system good is one thing, but how do you make it safe for the ankle-biters of your household? Max Everingham gives some family friendly pointers

aid this by supplying robust cable ties that attach on one end

to the rear of the panel and screw at the other to the rear of

your cabinet, providing added bracing to ensure the panel can’t

topple forward on its plinth… and onto your toddler (see boxout).

This method is fine if you’ve: 1) already got a big ol’

entertainment centre, and 2) are prepared to sacrifice the

complementary aesthetic appearance of your new home

entertainment system for the sake of protection. If, however,

you’re all about a system that looks as good switched off as it

does when it’s in full flow, you might want to consider the trickier

option of wall mounting your television. Most, if not all, TV

manufacturers now charge a premium for this service, one way

or another, but if you have a good spot picked out with sufficient

wall space and it’s not above the fireplace, a wall-mounted flat

panel TV can be worth every cent.

Quite apart from the ‘show off’ factor of it looking very

professional and ‘lifestyle’, if it’s fixed firmly to a wall, it’s unlikely

to be in reach of the little people. If you don’t want to

real dangerIn October 2008, a two-year-old girl from the NSW Central Coast was hospitalised in a critical condition after suffering serious head injuries from a falling television. There are no statistics on the number of children hurt or killed in Australia by televisions falling on them, but in the US several children are killed each year (11 in 2006) and in 2007 more than 3000 were hurt. Most of the victims were under the age of five.

Young children are especially vulnerable to injury, as they are often tempted to climb up on dressers or cabinets to get closer to their favorite TV or movie character, or to reach toys or other objects of interest. They are not strong enough to protect themselves when the TV over-balances.

The Central Coast toddler was injured by a 15 inch television, not one of the heavier 40-plus inch behemoths starting to populate Australian lounge rooms. As our televisions become larger so does the likelihood of injury, making it more important than ever to ensure that your furniture supports any TV upgrade you make. If it doesn’t, upgrade the furniture as well.

When upgrading your television to a large flat panel LCD or plasma, be sure that your existing furniture can support the additional weight, or purchase furniture that does. Criterion Furniture www.criterion.com.au

36

KID-PROOFING YOUR KIT

pay for someone to do this for you, another option is to go

DIY, as most consumer electronics stores carry at least a

limited range of wall mount brackets, but we’re not sure we’d

actually recommend the minor savings you can make here –

remember kids, safety fi rst! Oh, and the last thing you want to

be woken up to in the middle of the night is the sound of your

new home theatre centrepiece crashing to the fl oor.

For extra security, you can go for a ‘Kensington’ cable

lock, which snaps neatly into the provided hole on the back of

your TV (most have this facility) and either secures to a metal

plate you can attach to a wall or loops back onto itself after

going around a heavy, fi xed object in the living room – your

Grandma, for example, if she’s settled in for the night. This is

probably overkill, though, unless you live in a shared student

house or really, really don’t trust your kids.

Spaghetti spasmsA pet hate of us all here at Home Entertainment has to be

the horrible ‘spaghetti’ mess of audiovisual leads that seems

to organically multiply behind your entertainment centre,

AV rack or inside those cupboards. This insidious build-up of

cables can present a challenge more frustrating than sifting

through tangled fi shing lines if you ever have to move or

alter the components of your system but, more importantly

for the family friendly system, can be a vipers-nest of snaring

opportunities for any kiddies venturing around back there.

The cheapest method of tackling this problem is, of course,

cable ties. Available in black, ‘neutral’ (which is a bit like the

beige colour everyone’s painting their homes these days), or

even coloured versions so you can coordinate with the item it

belongs to, or just mix up for easier identifi cation, cable ties

are simple strips of plastic that allow you to bunch the leads

together and tie them off. It’s easy, but they can still look pretty

ugly.

A smarter solution is ‘cable zippers’, which are long, coiled

plastic covers that allow you to gather several AV cables

together and then feed them into the zipper, effectively

SaFeTY TIPS Always keep a watch on young children when playing around the entertainment system, and back up constant supervision with these precautions: • For maximum safety, have a professional wall-mount your fl at panel TV• Push TVs as far back inside, or to the rear of, an entertainment cabinet

as possible; secure to cabinet with anchors • Make sure your furniture can support a bigger TV when you upgrade, or

upgrade your furniture at the same time• Don’t put toys (or anything that might tempt your child) on top of a TV • Anchor unstable speakers to a fl oor or wall• Never allow children behind the back of your AV system• Tape down any cables that trail across the fl oor

Front surround systems, with multichannel effects created by only two speakers, reduce cable trailsKEF FiveTwo Series, deskstand Model 7 www.ambertech.com.au

37

making one large cable out of all the smaller ones and keeping

them neat and tidy. Cable zippers come with the bonus of being

reusable, and very easily removed and reapplied if you need to

move your system around or add or subtract components from

the stack. Use these, follow the lines of the table or AV unit as

you lay down the cable zippers, and you’ve just removed an

annoying, messy obstacle from the equation.

Some products will help tame the mess of cables in your system,

and protect your equipment from power surges and spikes. Belkin’s

Conceal Surge Protector keeps the power cords of connected

equipment tidy in their sockets, with its hinged cover serving to

conceal the cables and keep them out of reach of kids.

Big shiny buttonsKids like to turn things off. And on. And off again. Buttons on

the front of your DVD player, TV, amp or whatever, can prove

to be just too much temptation for the average killer sprog, so

you might want to consider ways to reduce this kind of wear

and tear — and if you’re a videogamer, you’ll be keen to prevent

any accidental ‘offs’ before you have the chance to save your

progress!

There are widgets you can get to place over buttons and

controlling knobs, but the best option without defacing your

gear is to stick them in a cupboard, or invest in a professional-

looking, hinged AV rack that you can position above (adult) waist

level and swing out when required.

The advent of HDMI and, more accurately, HDMI-CEC, has

also given us all another way to tackle this problem because, if

you have compatible equipment and hook the system up with

HDMI cabling, you’ll find that you can control the whole game

show with a single remote – usually the one that comes with

your flat panel TV - allowing you not only to hide all the boxes in

cupboards away from view but also cutting down the number of

tempting shiny-button-filled remotes visible to the little people

to just one. Guard it with your life!

Speaker cablesThe last great kid-unfriendly element of your home

entertainment system is the speakers. Many floorstanding or

stand-mounted models can be top heavy and prone to tipping

when bumped, so anchor them firmly – as you would your TV –

where possible. And if you like how your speakers look with the

grilles off, bear in mind that your child might too. Keep the grilles

on spares your drivers any potential damage from enquiring

little fingers.

Whether it’s as a garage for Matchbox cars, a tunnel for toy

trains or a place to secret all manner of objects unsuitable for

storage within a speaker, bass reflex ports cannot be plugged

without impacting the performance of your sound system. If you

don’t fancy ruining the appearance of your speakers by taping

fine gauze across the ports, however, the alternative can only be

constant supervision.

Now to the wires running between all your speakers and your

amplifier. If you’ve built your home theatre room from scratch,

chances are you’ve gone the ‘concealed’ route and had the

smarts to hide all these wires inside the walls. If you’re like the

rest of us, though, you’ll be looking for something a little more

practical that doesn’t involve remodelling the whole room. So go

wireless, or go virtual.

Chief among the options available to you here has to be the

wireless speaker system. Most of these are not fully wireless

systems, usually offering just the rear two speakers as a wireless

option, but for most people it’s those back two units that present

the biggest problems and so they’re worth a look.

The other option, the virtual one, comes in many different

flavours, from single speaker boxes (or soundbars) attempting to

stand in for at least four others to full 5.1 systems that allow you

to place all the speakers right in front of you, flanking the telly.

This is known as ‘front surround’ and Sony, KEF and Pioneer

at least offer this solution right now, signalling an end to wires

trailing all across the floor and upsetting the wife, the dog and

your equilibrium-challenged offspring. n

Reduce tripping hazards in the home with surround systems that cut a few cords:1. Home theatre systems with wireless surround speakers

Sony DAVDZ870W (left) www.sony.com.au

2. Single speaker surround solution, such as soundbars; Yamaha YSP-4000BSWI (right) www.yamaha.com.au

38

GIFT RAP

Home Entertainment can be a hard magazine

to read at Christmas time. All these fabulous

products you’d love to give to your nearest and

dearest, but can’t because cumulatively they’d

cost more than your mortgage.

Is it time to accept that being an audio-visual enthusiast means

you can’t afford to buy people gifts? Not at all. There are plenty of

innovative products priced just right for the giving season. Sure,

these aren’t exactly Secret Santa material, but if you’re looking for

something for a husband, wife or favourite child, here are 12 ideas

for each of the 12 days of Christmas, any of which are more than

worthy as the bulk of any serious stocking.

In fact Christmas is a time to remember that home

entertainment is about more than just a giant LCD TV or

high-spec AV receiver. It’s also about some of the greatest

gadgets in the world. It’s about games that push the

boundaries of what videogames are all about. It’s about

new ways to buy and distribute music and movies. And it’s

about taking your entertainment on the road with you, and

escaping the lounge room.

Most importantly, this Christmas is about affordable,

powerful technology that can completely change the way

you think about home entertainment.

Whether giving or receiving this holiday season, check out Anthony Fordham’s presents with presence

GIFT RAP

39

GIFT RAP

TiVoIdeal for: Young families, the working sports fan, people without wristwatches Price: $699 More info: www.tivo.com.auYou know TiVo thanks to endless product placements in US TV shows and movies, but this digital media device is set to go new places in 2009. Most particularly, with functionality that expands on the unit’s core role as a TV receiver and recorder

Already, Tivo owners can download a free movie from blockbuster every week, order a pizza and check the weather up to fi ve days ahead using the Channel 7 Sunrise weather channel. And these are just the start of a range of proposed broadband-based services and content to become available via Tivo next year.

Also in 2009, the unit’s teeny 160GB drive will be expandable to one terabyte with the addition of a Tivo-certifi ed external drive (this uses the superior eSATA interface, which is much faster than USB2.0), and the TiVo To Go system will enable you to export recorded video to portable players (and vice versa). Tivo’s new networking capability will also allow you to stream content from your PC to the big screen and sound system in the lounge room. With all these new capabilities, your TiVo will end up just as versatile and useful as a custom-built home theatre PC… and a lot less expensive and bulky.

Apple TVIdeal for: Movie lovers, TV fans who hate commercials, minimalist lounge roomsPrice: $329 (40GB), $449 ($160GB)More info: www.apple.com.auApple TV has had a slightly troublesome launch in Australia, since on release it wasn’t possible to download movies from iTunes, and the unit has no HDTV receiver. Thankfully for Christmas 2008 it’s now possible to buy TV shows and movies from the iTunes Store, and rent movies in HD.

One thing people often forget about Apple TV is that it links up with iTunes on your Mac and PC, allowing you to play all your music through the main AV system in your lounge-room via stereo RCA, optical or even HDMI. It’s also possible to view home movies and photos using the elegant Apple TV interface.

Thanks to continuous upgrades to both the unit itself and iTunes, Apple TV is just getting more and more capable. What was once a fairly limited system is now nearly as versatile as any media player, except it has the advantage of Apple’s build quality and user interface.

1

Apple TVApple TV2

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Nintendo Wii(plus Wii Fit plus Shaun White Snowboarding)Ideal for: Couch potatoes, kids, parties that need a bit of spicePrice: $399 + $149 (Wii Fit) + $79 (Shaun White Snowboarding)More info: www.ubi.com/auWhere most videogame consoles see you slumped in front of the TV vaguely twitching your thumbs on a controller, the Nintendo Wii demands rather more of a physical investment. The innovative Wiimote and Wii Sports captured our attentions last Christmas, but this year it’s all about the Wii Fit balance board.

A digital scale, the balance board can detect how your centre of gravity is shifting as you stand upon it. The Wii Fit game uses yoga and basic muscle exercises to improve your health, but the most entertaining part is the downhill skiing balance mode.

Shaun White Snowboarding takes this concept and builds a proper snowboarding game around it. Use the balance board to send your heavily-sponsored snowboarder howling down the mountain, while working out many of the muscles you’d use in the real thing. Except this time, you don’t have to worry about wiping out hapless skiers. Just the family dog.

Fatman Red-iIdeal for: Old-school audiophiles, valve-fans, iPhone ownersPrice: $999More info: www.fat-man.co.ukFatman’s valve amps captured our attention late in 2007 when the company’s fi rst range of products appeared. The unusual thing about Fatman? That each amp came with an optional iPod dock.

The Red-i takes the concept of the valve-powered iPod dock a step further by including a set of matched speakers (the custom red diaphragms give the unit its name). The amp itself is still serious, as it uses high quality banana plug cables to pipe its 25 watts of hi-fi power to each channel.

Three valves provide that warm and detailed sound you crave, though the output stage is integrated. The unit is also GSM shielded, which means when you plug in your iPhone you’ll still be able to take calls without any interference or feedback through the speakers.

And as a conversation piece on the mantle, the Red-i — like all of Fatman’s products — really has no equal.

Digital Download VouchersIdeal for: Teenagers whose music you just don’t understand, music fans without credit cardsPrice: $10–100More info: www.apple.com.au / www.bigpondmusic.comAs an enthusiast, you already know that downloading legal music is a revelation. Just plug in your credit card details and within moments the album or track you want is right there, ready for you to sync with your player.

Alas, some people are still afraid of digital downloads, or at least leery of handing over their credit card details. You can help them see the light with a download voucher. You can get these everywhere, from electronics stores to petrol stations.

The user simply creates an account, enters a unique code, and voila: up to $100 in credit, ready for spending.

What’s especially interesting about these vouchers is that you can even use them yourself to buy music as a gift. Obviously they’re ideal for teenagers who might not see the ironic awesomeness of a Duran Duran album, but will buy two tracks here, and another there, and a TV show, and a music clip. That’s what these vouchers are all about: fl exibility.

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5

GIFT RAP

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Logitech Squeezebox DuetIdeal for: Digital music enthusiasts, simplifying AV racks, keeping the PC out of the lounge roomPrice: $799.95 More info: www.logitech.comUntil Logitech bought up SlimDevices and massively improved the Squeezebox’s user interface, network music players were always rather technical. The Duet hugely simplifi es the business of streaming digital music off your PC into a proper AV rack, without having to bring the PC into the lounge or rely on its rather lacklustre DACs.

Despite the diminutive box, the Duet has a high quality 24-bit DAC, and most importantly the remote can work with multiple Squeezebox players. This means you can use the little player on a kitchen or family room stereo, while splurging on the hardcore Transporter ($3799) for the lounge room.

The Squeezebox system is designed to be open, so it can accept nearly the full range of possible audio formats, including most importantly uncompressed and lossless codecs.

Quick and easy multi-room audio is the name of the game with Squeezebox, and if you have the technical nouse to get the most out of this system, you’ll be richly rewarded.

Seagate FreeAgent GoIdeal for: Digital music and movie junkies, students, day-to-day PC usersPrice: $169 (250GB), $189 (320GB),$369 (500GB)More info: www.seagate.comEverybody needs an external USB hard drive now, it’s as simple as that. You probably fi gured this out years ago, so now’s your chance to give the gift of freedom to a friend. As 2.5 inch hard drive capacities continue to increase, so too do these ultraportable drives.

Unlike a big 3.5 inch external drive, the FreeAgent Go uses a notebook drive so it only needs a single USB cable to work: no auxiliary power required.

Functionality here is basic (there’s some backup software included) but the style really suits the iPod generation. Those little pinpricks on the case light up when the drive is working.

The FreeAgent Go comes in silver, blue, black and red and you can get a dock for it as well for about $30. This lets the drive stand upright, iPod style.

In a world where everything from your TV to your games console to your AV receiver and car stereo has a USB input now, there’s just no excuse not to carry (or backup) all your most precious fi les on a slim and sexy little drive like this!

Logitech Logitech 6

Seagate Seagate 7

42

Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5Ideal for: Audiophiles on the road,joggers, hikers, hermitsPrice: $329.95More info: www.ultimateears.comUntil late 2008 Ultimate Ears was an exclusive US brand supplying high-end earphones to musicians and performers. Logitech has just bought the company and now this amazing earphone tech is fi ltering down to us.

Instead of using a diaphragm speaker, Ultimate Ears uses armature technology. Rather than vibrate a conical membrane, these speakers tap a tiny metal arm on a metal box. The result is big sound in a tiny package.

The Super.Fi 5 earphones are balanced for a wide range of music, but if you’re serious you can pay twice as much for a set that includes three drivers in each earbud, as well as models designed for specifi c genres such as jazz or rock.

Lanyard design means you can hook these earphones over your ears in such a way that no manner of physical activity will dislodge them. Just watch out for traffi c, because thanks to passive noise cancelling, you sure won’t hear it!

Crest Earth Smart Ideal for: The environmentally conscious, saving money on electricity, protecting expensive AV gearPrice: $249.95More info: www.crestonline.bizThanks to recent focus on big issues like climate change and carbon footprints, 2008 could be the fi rst Christmas ever where giving a surge protector as a gift could make someone happy.

As all AV enthusiasts know and regret, even when your TV is switched off it consumes standby power while connected to the wall.

The Earth Smart board uses clever electronics to detect when a device is in standby mode, and dramatically reduces the amount of electricity consumed. Crest says it can cut a 20–60 watt draw down to as little as 0.4 watts!

Naturally there’s surge protection as well, so your $20,000 rack of AV gear won’t blow all its fuses the next time the transformer in the street explodes.

And the icing on the cake with the Earth Smart board is that it has been built carbon neutral. The product is currently being assessed by the Carbon Reduction Institute, so by the time you get one it will be certifi ed good for the planet.

Sony KDL32V4000RIdeal for: Style-conscious AV enthusiasts in small but very trendy apartments, gamersPrice: $1799 More info: www.sony.com.auMost TVs concentrate on the quality of the LCD panel inside, but clad the whole thing in a rather generic black or dark grey case. If you’re lucky you might get a bit of silver fl air or some shiny piano-black fi nish.

Sony takes things a step further with this red Bravia display. It’s a 32 inch TV with full 1080p support thanks to a 1920 x 1080 panel. And it uses all the tech you’ll fi nd in the bigger more ‘serious’ displays, such as the Advanced Contrast Enhancer and Bravia Engine 2.

Naturally, it also has 24p compatibility, making it an ideal partner for your Blu-ray player or, for the young and funky gamer types, Sony’s own Playstation 3.

Three HDMI inputs give you plenty of options, and you control said inputs and confi guration via the Cross Media Bar or XMB. That’s the same interface as the Playstation 3!

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Ultimate Ears Ultimate Ears 9 10

GIFT RAP

43

Belkin N1 VisionIdeal for: Folks setting up their fi rst home network, sharing your broadband, tech heads and gamersPrice: $349.95 More info: www.belkin.com.auTo many, the whole concept of the router is confusing and arcane. All you know is it’s a box that somehow shares your internet connection among multiple computers, but fi guring out even if the darn thing is working properly is an exercise in deciphering green, amber and red LEDs.

Belkin has injected a bit of plain English into the router experience by giving the N1 Vision an LCD. This provides you with all sorts of information, from basic connection status for each PC or device, to the maximum download rate you can expect.

Routers are an essential part of any home entertainment setup, as they allow you to wirelessly stream media from a PC (or Mac) to your TV. The N1 Vision has 802.11n WiFi, for maximum bandwidth, but if that’s still not fast enough you can run Ethernet cables for data exchange at up to a gigabit!

And unique among routers, the N1 Vision actually looks like something you’d have sitting on a hall table instead of shoved away in a drawer in a tangle of cables. For the fi rst time, the router is more than mere equipment.

Sanyo PLV-Z3000Ideal for: Home cinema enthusiasts on a budget, lovers of huge screens, awkward lounge roomsPrice: $3999 More info: www.sanyo.com.auSanyo’s Z-series LCD projectors have been fi rm favourites of the mid-range home cinema community for some years now. Each model has included a fl exible lens shift system, which makes the projector ideal for rooms where placement might be a bit awkward: you can position the Z3000 more than half a screen width to the left or right of your ideal spot and adjust accordingly.

This latest model boasts technology that prevents leaking of polarised light, so the claimed contrast ratio is an incredible 65,000:1. Brightness is 1200 ANSI lumens, and while colour is often a problem on these lower-cost projectors, but Sanyo banks on its ‘cinema colour fi lter’ which pays special attention to accurate skin tones.

Really though the Z3000, like all its older brothers, is a winner because of its compact size and fl exibility of placement. That it performs beautifully is just an awesome bonus!

Belkin N1 VisionBelkin N1 Vision11

Sanyo PLV-Z3000Sanyo PLV-Z300012

E n p i r e D i g i _ H E _ O c t . p d f P a g e 1 1 8 / 9 / 0 8 , 4 : 2 7 P M

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When you want to get into home entertainment but need to learn more, our How to Buy section is the perfect starting point. Our expert advice and buying tips will help put you in the know before you venture onto the shop fl oor.

HOW TO BUYHOW TO BUY Blu movie stars 46Blu-ray is here to stay, providing that true-cinema-like quality so many of us have been hankering after for years. Thomas Bartlett grabs a bucket of popcorn and fi ve of the latest models for a great night in.

BOX FRESH Reviewed in this Issue

LG BD300 49Sony BDP-S350 50Yamaha BD-S2900 51Sony BDP-S5000ES 52Panasonic DMP-BD35 53Klipsch CS-700/RoomGroove 54Geneva Model XL 56Pioneer Kuro PDP-LX609A and BDP-LX71 58Grundig Misuro GLCD2206HDV 62Sony XBR KDL46XBR45 66Samsung LA46A950 68Denon AVR-589/SYS-56HT Package 70Denon AVR-789 72

Notebook Buyers Guide 73Notebooks are both workhorse and entertainment centre, capable of play-ing back music and movies, and acting as a conduit to the content riches of the web. Choosing one can be a tricky business, however, so we’ve compiled a checklist of the major features you need to understand.

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HOW TO BUY

47

blu-ray mini test

BLU moVIE STaRS

DVD has served us well for a decade but Blu-ray is an even better format, and the latest generation players prove how it has come of age. Thomas Bartlett reviews fi ve of the best

occasionally I get worried that Blu-ray will end up

becoming just another wannabe format. DVD

was sure to be a success since it offered so many

advantages over VHS. It offered a huge quality

boost, of course, but it also offered convenience (random access,

no need to rewind after watching), additional features (multiple

languages and subtitles, plus special extras) and robustness

(unlike VHS, each viewing episode didn’t add to wear and tear).

By contrast, the chief advantage of Blu-ray over DVD is quality.

With a modern high resolution display panel, and even

more so with a front projector or a very large plasma or LCD,

the quality improvement is marked. Nonetheless, if you stop

someone in the street at random, chances are they will claim

that they would not even be able to notice the difference.

Historically, too, quality alone hasn’t been enough to ignite

mainstream interest. Take DVD-Audio and SACD, for example.

the GooD anD less GooD

GooD• The best picture • The best sound• The best special extras

LESS GooD• Usually slower in operation than DVD• Blu-ray region coding scheme still fairly robust• Got to replace the favourite movies yet again!

The quality improvements they offer over CD are signifi cant,

though not enough, it has proved, to compel consumers to buy

them.

48

But Blu-ray seems to be accelerating. As I write, a major

Australian online DVD retailer has over 550 Blu-ray titles either

available now or coming soon. In the US many more are available.

The range of titles encompasses music concerts, blockbuster

movies of the last decade, dramas, new releases and some high

quality back catalogue items going right back to the 1950s.

At the same time, as you will see over the coming few pages,

a whole bunch of affordable Blu-ray players are becoming

available. With each new generation of player, the prices take a

decided leap downwards, and the feature set an equally decided

leap upwards.

Going cheapSo now sub-$500 is the new norm for Blu-ray players. Oh, there

are more expensive models with a greater emphasis on solid

physical construction and the use of premium components, but

hiGher ProFiles

The fi rst Blu-ray players to go on sale here were classifi ed as

Profi le 1.0, and did not provide many of the advanced features

now available on current generation players. Some did not even

provide 1080p24 output. While some of these fi rst generation

machines may still be available, to enjoy the maximum benefi t

from Blu-ray discs in the future look for players supporting Blu-

ray Profi le 1.1 or 2.0.

BD Bonus View (Profi le 1.1): The new minimum standard for

Blu-ray players, ‘1.1’ players will allow Picture-in-Picture sound

and video, plus 256 MB of local storage for storing bookmarks.

BD-Live (Profi le 2.0): An optional standard, players that

support 2.0 will allow Picture-in-Picture sound and video, and

provide 1GB of local storage plus Internet connection capability

for accessing web content (eg. games, shopping, competitions)

associated with the disc.

there were also plenty of premium DVD-Audio and SACD players.

It is the widespread availability and affordability of both player

and media that makes for success.

In addition to the low prices, the new batch of players has

fi nally bridged the remaining gap with the features offered by

the now defunct HD DVD: internet connectivity. This was called

‘web-enabled content’ for HD DVD, and is called ‘BD Live’ for Blu-

ray. Recent Sony Pictures Entertainment releases have almost

routinely included a BD-Live section, but this has basically been

to allow you to download trailers for other movies, and similar

inane activities.

Paramount Home Entertainment has offered more

interesting downloadable extras, such as an interactive trivia

quiz for Iron Man and a tracking, location and information tool

for Transformers. In fact, with the latter, the new Blu-ray release

of Transformers is effectively identical to last year’s HD DVD

version.

Blu-ray player makers are still in the process of creating

the complete Blu-ray player. For example, decoding to their

maximum quality all the different audio formats permitted on

Blu-ray apparently remains daunting, although at least one of

the players we look at here does it satisfactorily.

Nonetheless, it is now looking like Blu-ray is a format which is

here to stay, providing that true-cinema-like quality so many of

us have been hankering after for years.

HOW TO BUY

What to looK For

• BonusView support• BD-Live support• 24 frames per second output (1080p24)

for smooth, jerk-free playback• Decoding for high defi nition audio• Output connections that fi t with your

existing equipment• Quick operation

49

blu-ray mini test

The demise of HD DVD earlier this

year wrong-footed LG, which had

led the way to hybrid HD DVD/

Blu-ray players. So this is the first

dedicated Blu-ray player that I’ve seen from

LG, and I have to say that it is excellent in just

about every way. At just under $500, you get a

unit that supports all Blu-ray features, including

the Picture-in-Picture modes of BonusView,

and Internet connectivity of BD-Live.

First the criticisms: there are but two and

both have to do with storage. The advanced

features of BD-Live and BonusView require you

to add storage memory to the unit in the form

of a USB memory stick. But the socket for this

is on the front panel, so it sticks out the whole

time. Irritating.

Second, some players allow you to delete

all the information stored on the stick which

relates to a specific movie. This unit only allows

you to zap the entire contents of the stick.

But here’s the good stuff. First, it played

every disc I threw at it, and it happily played

them all. It downloaded trailers from the

internet using recent Sony Pictures titles,

and the Iron Man quiz, with no glitches and at

roughly the same speed as a Playstation 3.

Second, it played all my PIP (picture in

picture) titles properly, muting the main sound

as required to let the PIP audio be heard.

Third, it started up quite quickly, loaded

discs about as quickly as a Playstation 3, and

had a responsive remote control.

Fourth, it had a good range of transport

controls, allowing single frame stepping even

with Blu-ray discs, a high speed scan of up

to 180x, and even an unusual progress bar

arrangement with fast movement using the

remote’s arrow keys.

Finally, and most importantly, it produced

brilliant picture quality, not just with Blu-ray

but also with PAL DVDs. It sailed through my

DVD tests with among the best performance

I’ve seen.

The unit does not decode DTS-HD Master

Audio (it does decode Dolby TrueHD), so for some

movies the best sound will be achieved by piping

the bitstream to a good home theatre receiver.

Finally, and most importantly, it produced brilliant picture quality, not just with Blu-ray but also with PAL DVDs

lG bD300

ratinGs

Price: $499Warranty: 12 monthsContact: LG Electronics Australia 1800 725 375 www.lge.com.auFeatures: Output: HDMI, component video, composite video, stereo audio, coaxial digital audio, optical digital audio; Advanced connections: Ethernet, USB (front panel); Audio decoding: Dolby TrueHD, not DTS-HD; HD Audio bitstream out: Yes; Advanced features: BonusView, BD-LiveDimensions (WHD; Weight): 430 x 58 x 277mm; 3kg

PROS Fast operation First-rate video processing for Blu-ray and DVD

Full support of all Blu-ray features Four months free DVD/Blu-ray rentals

CONS USB memory pokes out of front of

unit Not able to clear BD-storage for

individual movies Power and Eject buttons on unit a

little stiff

Overall

Performance

Features

Ease of use

Value for money

LG BD300

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Sony says that DVD player sales

really started happening when

the price of DVD players fell to

$400. The Sony BDP-S350 is just

about there, with the lowest recommended

retail price of any of these players (and is

being advertised, as I write, for $399). It is a

departure by Sony in two different ways. First,

previous Sony Blu-ray players have been based

on Pioneer technology, whereas this one seems

to be all Sony’s own work. Second, it uses the

PS3-like Cross Media Bar (XMB) as its menu

system.

The player has both BonusView and BD-Live

support, but you have to supply the memory.

Specifi cally, you need to insert a USB memory

stick (1GB or more) into a recessed socket at

the rear. If you’re buying a stick especially

for this, check to make sure it will fi t before

purchase.

The unit has a ‘Quick Start’ mode. As with

most such facilities, it works by leaving much of

the unit switched on, even though the various

displays are off. Consequently, it uses about

9 watts during standby, or not that much less

than the 15-ish it uses when the unit is actually

playing a disc, and a lot more than the 0.1 watts

used in standby when this option isn’t selected.

It had a disc ready to play in 23 seconds, versus

32 seconds without it. I wouldn’t bother.

One important setup point: if you are using

a good home theatre sound system, switch

the ‘Dynamic Range Control’ setting under the

Audio menu to ‘Off’ (it defaults to ‘Auto’, which

reduces the dynamic impact of the sound on

some Blu-ray titles, such as Transformers).

As to playing your favourite movies: this

unit worked very nicely. All the BonusView

and BD-Live discs worked precisely as they

should. And it was pretty snappy in operation.

The picture quality of Blu-ray, delivered over

HDMI at 1080p24, was superb, and the video

processing was excellent.

Oddly, Sony has dropped some of the

expected transport control features. There is

fast forward and rewind, but no slow forward

nor slow reverse, nor single frame stepping in

either direction.

SonYBDP-S350

The picture quality of Blu-ray, delivered over HDMI at 1080p24, was superb, and the video processing was excellent

sony bDP-s350

ratinGs

Price: $449Warranty: 12 monthsContact: Sony Australia Limited1300 137 669www.sony.com.auFeatures: Output: HDMI, component video, S-Video, composite video, stereo audio, coaxial digital audio, optical digital audio; Advanced connections: Ethernet, USB (rear panel, recessed); Audio decoding: Dolby TrueHD, not DTS-HD; HD Audio bitstream out: Yes; Advanced features: BonusView, BD-LiveDimensions (WHD; Weight): 430 x 60 x 220mm; 2.9kg

PROS Excellent value for money

Fast operation

High quality picture and sound with Blu-ray

Full support of all Blu-ray features

CONS No frame step or slow playback

modes

Recessed USB can limit types of memory employed

Overall

Performance

Features

Ease of use

Value for money

HOW TO BUY

51

blu-ray mini test

The Yamaha BD-S2900 is Yamaha’s

first entry into the Blu-ray field, and

this model appears to be based on

Panasonic Blu-ray technology.

But this is not merely a rebadged Panasonic

player. It looks like a Yamaha, with Yamaha’s

customary amber LED and styling that makes it

a perfect match for any Yamaha home theatre

receiver. In addition, Yamaha has added remote

control in/out ports and an RS-232C interface,

which will be greatly appreciated by system

integrators.

Having said that, this unit is a little behind

the times. For one thing, it will decode none

of the new high definition audio standards,

although it will deliver them all in bitstream

format to a receiver which will decode them.

So, while the unit provides full BonusView

picture-in-picture performance, it has to use

the ‘core’ Dolby Digital or DTS audio embedded

within the high resolution audio tracks in order

to deliver the sound from that extra content.

Likewise, the unit lacks BD-Live capability,

so some of the interesting additional content

available for Paramount titles, and presumably

future releases from other companies, is not

available.

But the unit does support the addition of

extra memory, in the form of Secure Digital

flash memory cards. It can display photos from

those cards up to full high definition resolution,

and play AVCHD video from those camcorders

that capture in the format.

The video quality from Blu-ray was routinely

superb. You can choose from a number of

preset video processing options, or fine tune

things with a ‘User’ setting. The sound was

great with bitstream of HD audio to a home

theatre receiver. In theory, the unit will deliver

high resolution audio as a bitstream unless

there is menu or PIP sound, but in practice it

wouldn’t with most discs. So to get the best of

both worlds (HD sound and PIP), I had to keep

going into the setup menu.

The DVD video performance wasn’t quite as

good because the ‘Auto’ deinterlacing circuit

would, like the Sony players, get confused on

some difficult material. Unlike the Panasonic,

you cannot force this unit into ‘Film’ mode for

the best results.

Yamaha BD-S2900

The video quality from Blu-ray was routinely superb. You can choose from a number of preset video processing options, or fine tune things with a ‘User’ setting

yamaha bD-s2900

ratinGs

Price: $1499Warranty: two yearsContact: Yamaha Music Australia 1300 739 411 www.yamahamusic.com.auFeatures: Output: HDMI, component video, S-Video, composite video, stereo audio, 5.1 channel analog audio, coaxial digital audio, optical digital audio; Advanced connections: Secure Digital (front panel), RS-232C, Remote control In/Out; Audio decoding: not Dolby TrueHD, not DTS-HD; HD Audio bitstream out: Yes; Advanced features: BonusViewDimensions (WHD; Weight): 435 x 96 x 316mm; 5.8kg

PROS Well built Blu-ray player

High quality picture with Blu-ray

Excellent system integration features

Good information display

CONS No BD-Live

No HD audio decoding at all

Not able to clear BD-storage for individual movies

Overall

Performance

Features

Ease of use

Value for money

52

no sooner had Sony assaulted the

accessibility problem with Blu-ray

by launching its $449 BDP-S350

budget player (reviewed page

50), and its higher-spec BDP-S550, than it

comes up with this behemoth. At over ten

kilograms, this is a premium player.

In operation it isn’t very much different to

the S350, it’s cheaper cousin, but it has these

little things about it that scream quality. One

such is a little thing that truly marks high quality

equipment: a smooth and silent disc drawer.

System integrators will love the RS-232C

interface. Sony says that you also get a full

DTS-HD Master Audio decoder, complete with

7.1 channel analog audio outputs.

There was no noticeable difference

between this unit and the BDP-S350 in video

performance. It offered essentially the same

features and, seemingly, the same video

processing circuits. On Blu-ray these were

brilliant. On PAL DVDs they were fairly good,

but the deinterlacing circuitry was tricked by

my test clips into thinking fi lm-sourced material

was video sourced, and its quality was thereby

reduced. This was identical to the treatment by

the BDP-S350, but somewhat different to other

players, so I conclude the same processors are

used.

I could not test the claimed ability of the

unit to decode DTS-HD Master Audio, due to

an odd design choice. You can set the Blu-ray

audio output to ‘Direct’ (which feeds the audio

bitstream unaltered to your receiver via HDMI)

or to ‘Mix’. If you choose ‘Mix’, then you also get

secondary audio from BD-Live material, but the

unit uses the standard DTS core from the high

defi nition audio track.

Apparently the DTS-HD Master Audio

decoding only comes into play if you select

‘Direct’. With a modern receiver, this sends

the undecoded bitstream to the receiver for

decoding. But if you have a HDMI receiver

without this capability, then the player will fully

decode this sound.

I have to confess that I don’t see why Sony

would have implemented it this way, especially

as the unit will decode Dolby TrueHD with

the ‘Mix’ setting (albeit, limiting the output

frequency to 48kHz).

The remote control is a little disappointing,

being essentially identical to that of the low

cost model, except with the addition of a

backlight for about half the keys.

SonY BDP-S5000ES

sony bDP-s5000esratinGsPrice: $2299

Warranty: 12 monthsContact: Sony Australia Limited1300 137 669www.sony.com.auFeatures: Output: HDMI, component video, S-Video, composite video, stereo audio, 7.1 channel analog audio, coaxial digital audio, optical digital audio; Advanced connections: Ethernet, USB, Control S/IR In, RS-232C; Audio decoding: Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD; HD Audio bitstream out: Yes; Advanced features: BonusView, BD-Live, 1GB USB memory stick suppliedDimensions (WHD; Weight): 430 x 125 x 365mm; 10.2kg

PROS Fully equipped Blu-ray player

Magnifi cently well built

Fast operation

Super smooth tray

High quality picture and sound with Blu-ray

Full support of all Blu-ray features

CONS DTS-HD Master Audio decoding of

very limited usefulness

No frame step or slow playback modes

Recessed USB can limit types of memory employed

Overall

Performance

Features

Ease of use

Value for money

HOW TO BUY

53

blu-ray mini test

In many ways the Panasonic DMP-BD35

is the same as the Yamaha unit included

in this review, except that it is of a much

lighter build, lacks the system integration

features, and is a generation more advanced.

This last point is due to the addition of

two things: a BD-Live implementation, and

decoders for all the audio standards including

the high definition ones.

For BD-Live you use the usual Ethernet port,

and persistent storage is provided not with a USB

memory stick but with a Secure Digital card slot

on the front. This is under a flimsy panel, and so

is not visually intrusive. You can also display JPEG

photos and run AVCHD video from SD cards. You

have to buy the SD card for yourself.

The BD-Live functions worked precisely as

they should, allowing me to download some

trailer clips for Sony titles, and interesting (and

relevant) supplementary material for such

Paramount titles as Iron Man and Transformers.

The BonusView function also worked well

on such titles as Batman Begins. And the unit

was fairly fast, although perhaps not quite so

speedy as the Sony and LG units.

The other area in which it shone was that,

of these players, it was the only one that could

decode DTS-HD Master Audio sound during

BonusView PIP playback of Blu-ray discs.

The decoding on offer is called DTS-HD

Master Audio Essential, which apparently

omits the ability to decode DTS Neo:6 from

Blu-ray. No great loss there. That also makes

this Panasonic unit ideal for those with an

older home theatre receiver with support for

HDMI audio, but lacking high definition audio

decoders.

This player was like the Yamaha with PAL

DVDs, except that it also includes a setting to

force film mode deinterlacing, allowing perfect

high resolution performance with these discs.

The unit also has some stuff that I like: like

a comprehensive information display which

tells you what formats are being used by

the video, plus five slow motion speeds and

single frame stepping (both forwards only).

Less conveniently, it lacks dedicated keys on

the remote control for changing audio and

subtitles, instead requiring you to arrow around

an onscreen display.

SonY BDP-S5000ES

PanaSonIc DmP-BD35

ConClusion

PanasoniC DmP-bD35Price: $495Warranty: 12 monthsContact: Panasonic Australia132 600 www.panasonic.com.auFeatures: Output: HDMI, component video, composite video, stereo audio, optical digital audio; Advanced connections: Ethernet, SD card slot; Audio decoding: Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio Essential; HD Audio bitstream out: Yes; Advanced features: BonusView, BD-Live

Dimensions (WHD; Weight): 430 x 49 x 249mm; 2.6kg

Prices are falling for Blu-ray players, and capabilities are increasing. We are nearing the end of the second of these processes, and the recent fall in the value of the Australian dollar is likely to slow the rate at which prices are falling. So there’s not really that much point in waiting around to get into Blu-ray.

If you aren’t at all interested in the internet-enabled BD-Live capabilities of some discs, then the Yamaha makes a quite decent player. However I like my equipment to have full command over all

the features available to their supported formats.I would be happy with the LG, or with the lower cost Sony. And

I definitely prefer the flexibility of USB external memory rather than SD.Still, for me the Panasonic DMP-BD35 is the best overall package.

It offers full support for BonusView and BD-Live. It allows discs to be single-stepped, and it decodes DTS-HD Master Audio discs to their highest quality in way that can be used with modern HDMI-equipped home theatre receivers.

PROS Excellent value for money

Fast operation

High quality picture and sound with Blu-ray

Full support of all Blu-ray features

Includes usable decoding for DTS-HD Master Audio

CONS

No coaxial digital audio output

Not able to clear BD-storage for individual movies

ratinGs

Overall

Performance

Features

Ease of use

Value for money

54

BOX FRESH

Klipsch CS-700/RoomGrooveTo be honest, some so-called ‘wireless’ AV systems

are more trouble than they’re worth. There’s plenty

of AV gear that calls itself ‘wireless’ and is anything

but – especially home theatre systems. Thankfully,

this Klipsch CS-700 system and partnering RoomGroove

iPod dock are some of the fi rst truly ‘wireless’ audio-visual

components I’ve come across since manufacturers supposedly

started ditching the cord spaghetti.

FeaturesThe CS-700 is a 2.1-channel AV system providing Dolby Virtual

Surround. The active subwoofer is wireless, while two satellite

speakers connect to the CD/DVD/tuner component with cables.

Along with a couple of power cords, this is the only cabling. The

system incorporates KlipschCast wireless technology that uses

the 2.4GHz band to transmit and receive (to a certain degree)

between other KlipschCast components – namely the company’s

RoomGroove iPod dock/speaker system.

The central electronics component incorporates a CD/DVD

player plus RDS FM and AM tuner. It outputs up to 1080i

resolution via its HDMI or component video outputs and two

auxiliary inputs for connecting other AV sources. The satellites

are small, feature Klipsch’s customary horn-loaded tweeters and

together with the active 200mm (8 inch) 200 watt subwoofer,

aim to do the job of a conventional 5.1 speaker system, using

Dolby’s Virtual Surround processing.

The RoomGroove sports a retractable iPod cradle

(compatible with iPhone too) or you can plug in other MP3

players; is fully remote controllable and will receive audio from

the CS-700. You can easily add more RoomGrooves around the

house (an unlimited number, according to Klipsch) to create a

wireless network transmitting audio from the CS-700’s FM/AM

tuner or inbuilt CD/DVD player, or a connected PVR or HD set-

top box. The CS-700 is also multi-source, capable of delivering

audio from two different sources – say radio and CD – to two

rooms simultaneously

You can also transmit audio from RoomGroove to

RoomGroove, but not from RoomGroove back to the CS-700.

PROS Effectiveandfriendlywirelessmulti-roomaudio

Wirelessnetworkingadoddletouse

GreatsoundandpicturequalityfromCS-700

CONS VolumelimitationswithRoomGroove

Wirelessrangemaybeanissue

55

SPECIFICATIONS

Klipsch CS-700 Price: $2199Warranty: 12monthsFrequency response:30Hz–20kHz(±3dB)Amplifier power:200watts(subwoofer,continuous)Speakers: 75watts,2channelsdrivenCrossover frequency: 125Hz,24dB/octaveMaximum SPL:112dBHF Horn:MicroTractrix,25mmtweeterMidrange driver:75mmpaperconeSubwoofer driver:200mmpapercone,downward–firingInputs:Audio:digitalcoaxialoptical,linelevelanalogVideo:2xcomposite,2xS-VideoOutputs:Video:1xHDMI,component,S-Video,compositeWeight: 18.14kg

Klipsch RoomGroovePrice:$449Warranty:12monthsFrequency response:65Hz–17kHz(±3dB)Amplifier: ClassDMaximum SPL:98dBHF Horn:MicroTractrix,25mmtweeterMidrange driver:60mmpaperconeInputs:iPoddockingconnector/stereominiauxiliaryinputDimensions:178x400x114mmWeight: 2.7kg

RATINGS

Performance

Features

Ease of use

Value for money

Klipsch claims around 30 metres as an average range

for the system when used in wood and/or gyprock (rather

than metal and concrete) constructions. Our test location

is gyprocked/fibro clad, so I would have expected better

transmission/reception. Moving the RoomGroove a couple of

metres closer to the room with the CS-700 improved things, but

the sound was not what you’d call CD quality.

The CS-700 system makes plenty of noise itself and despite

reservations, the Dolby Virtual Surround did a convincing job.

There was a definite centralisation of dialogue and, at times,

even rear effects sounded as if they were coming from the

right surround spots. I wouldn’t say it’ll give you the presence

and spread of a conventional 5.1 system, but it does the trick

nonetheless without the box count and messy wires. Musically,

the Klipsch can hold a tune and as a sub/sat system the trio

delivers a nicely balanced performance, with ample dynamics

from such compactness.

ConclusionThese Klipsch components take the hassle and expense out of

putting together a wireless multi-room audio network. It has

limitations, but essentially Klipsch’s efforts with both these

components have resulted in a surround solution that sounds

and looks good, plus it keeps a wonderfully low visual profile

around the house.

Nic Tatham

Regarding the

former, Klipsch

distributor,

Powermove, says

“If a RoomGroove is

transmitting and a

second RoomGroove

is told to transmit,

the second RoomGroove will

bump the first RoomGroove by occupying its wireless

channel. However, in systems not incorporating a CS-700, two

RoomGrooves can transmit simultaneously. To enable this

feature, all of the RoomGrooves must be assigned to a home

code from 5 to 9. Selecting a home code from 5 to 9 will allow a

second RoomGroove to occupy the wireless channel which was

previously assigned to the CS-700.”

PerformanceUp and running in no time at all, this is one of easiest home

theatre in a box systems to install. What’s more, the wireless

functionality came on song without any hassles also. I was

expecting trouble, but soon had stereo sound – a CD playing

on the CS-700 system – pumping out of the RoomGroove.

I also loved the way you could control the CS-700 from the

RoomGroove’s remote, changing source, volume and tracks.

Despite its compactness, the RoomGroove pumps out a solid

bass, but things start to distort a little if the volume’s cranked

too far. It worked great receiving audio from the CS-700 in the

same room, so I tried it in another part of the house, only to find

that with around 18 metres between the two, the audio began to

break up.

KlIPSCh CS-700/ROOmGROOvE

56

BOX FRESH

Geneva Model XL The Geneva Model XL Sound System is a single box FM

radio, CD player and iPod/iPhone dock. But that sells it

short, for it is as large as a bar fridge, packs 600 watts

of amplifi ers and full three-way stereo loudspeakers.

FeaturesSo, yes, there are a total of six speaker drivers in this box, from

a pair of 25mm soft dome tweeters down to large 203mm bass

drivers. It seems that each driver has a 100 watts of power

available to it, supplied by six D2AUDIO digital amplifi ers. The

drivers are bass refl ex-loaded in this very sturdily constructed

box. The whole thing, standing 613mm tall and 55mm wide,

weighs a full 38kg!

Underneath are connections for the power cord, FM aerial

and a stereo analog cable. The base of the unit is held up by four

screw-on feet, and a fl oor stand ($399) is optionally available.

The sides, top and back of the unit are fi nished in a shiny

white (or red or black) gloss, while the front is fi tted with a

colour-matched perforated metal grille. On the top is a fold-up

panel that reveals four basic controls, a 3.5mm input socket,

and an iPod docking connector. Behind this panel is a slot for

inserting CDs.

The sound stage opened up, both to the left and right, and to the front and back. Excellent depth appeared in a most attractive way

PROS Verygoodaudioperformance

Excellentstereosoundstagewhensittinginsweetspot

Usefulremotecontrolandextrainputs

CONS Large,heavy,expensive

Littlestereoeffectoutsideofsweetspot

57

SPECIFICATIONSPrice: $3999Warranty:12monthsContact:AudioDynamicsPtyLtd(03)98820372www.audiodynamics.com.auPower:digital,6x100wattsDrivers:2x25mmtweeters,2x133mmwoofers,2x203mmsub-woofersCabinet:bassreflexloadedSources:1xslot-loadingCDplayer(built-in),1xFMradio(builtin),1xiPod/iPhonedock,2xanalogstereoaudio(1via3.5mmmini-jack)Features:D2AUDIOdigitalamplifiers,EmbracingSoundstereotechnologySupplied accessories:remotecontrol;manual;‘SoundCheck’samplerCDDimensions (WHD):550x613x370mmWeight:38kg

RATINGS

Performance

Features

Ease of use

Value for money

Geneva Model XL You get a remote control and the information is provided by

a 22mm tall five-digit LED, visible through the perforations in

the top right corner of the grille.

PerformanceThe iPod or iPhone charges even when the unit is switched off.

The remote control allows you to skip tracks and to pause, but it

provides no menu navigation. The FM radio tuner was unusually

good, providing clean reception on stations that are usually

pretty noisy in my area.

The system went nicely loud. Not as loud as I was expecting,

given the size of the unit and the power provided, but it still

managed room-filling levels. When really pushed, the sound

became a little harsh, confused and dynamically compressed.

But that was with sound levels peaking well over 100 decibels.

The volume level is displayed as a scale from 0 to 100. If you

switch off the unit with the volume above 50, on the next start-

up it reverts to 50: a nice safety measure.

The sound was well balanced tonally to the extremes of the

treble, and all the way down to below 50 hertz, with usable

output down to about 35 hertz.

A problem with single-box speaker systems is the lack of

stereo separation, and to deal with this Geneva has employed

‘Embracing Sound’ technology. This processes the signal

(apparently by primarily feeding some phase-adjusted sound to

the opposite channels) to produce a wider stereo effect from

closely spaced speakers, and ‘Embracing Sound’ claims this

produces better actual results than normal stereo speakers.

I was about to completely dismiss this concept because to me

the sound stage was confined to the face of the unit. Then

I sat myself carefully facing it, right on its centre axis. The sound

stage opened up, both to the left and right, and to the front and

back. Excellent depth appeared in a most attractive way.

Just don’t expect that behaviour when you’re not in the

unit’s very small sweet spot.

ConclusionThe Geneva Model XL Sound System a large, heavy and very

expensive box, but it’s a beautifully finished box that does

provide very good performance.

Thomas Bartlett

GENEvA MOdEl Xl

MORE SIZES TO CHOOSE FROM

If budget doesn’t stretch to the $3999 for the Geneva Labs XL, the Swiss manufacturer also offers the M for $1749 and the L for $2399. The 7.2kg M provides dual tweeters and dual woofers, and 4 x 25 watts outputs from a cabinet designed to for a tabletop, while the Model L provides the same power output – but using larger drivers – from a larger cabinet. Each comes in red, black or white finishes.

58

BOX FRESH

Pioneer KuroPDP-LX609Aand BDP-LX71 Pioneer has not been one to play the electronics-

as-a-commodity game. Instead it has chosen to

service the end of the market mostly concerned

with quality. Nowhere is this more evident than

with its full high defi nition BDP-LX609A plasma TV, and

premium BDP-LX71 Blu-ray player.

FeaturesWhen you’re developing a premium quality TV, you can go for

a large feature set, or aim for superb performance, or opt for

sheer size. What the Pioneer Kuro PDP-LX609A offers is all

three in the one package.

No, at 152cm (60 inches) it isn’t the very largest fl at screen

TV we’ve ever seen, but it isn’t far off it. It offers a full

1920 by 1080 pixel high defi nition display, supports the essential

1080p24 signal from Blu-ray, and has three HDMI inputs.

Pioneer is a little coy about its performance measures,

refusing to specify for example a contrast ratio. I have quite

a bit of sympathy with this, because when you are talking

about recent claims of one million to one, you are getting into

unmeasurable territory. So see below for my take on this TV’s

performance on such matters (a preview: it’s simply brilliant).

So it’s big, and it has performance. But there are also

features. Such as a high defi nition digital TV tuner, along with an

analog one. Such as a USB socket, from which you can display

photos. Most impressively, such as an Ethernet socket which

is ‘DLNA’ certifi ed. DLNA is a widely based industry standard

designed to allow easy connection of consumer electronics to

computer networks. In this TV’s case, it can play back a very

wide range of multimedia formats covering photos, video and

sound (see the feature list for details).

It’s diffi cult to be quite so unequivocally enthusiastic about

the features of the BDP-LX71 Blu-ray player. After all, it costs

more than twice as much as very respectable Blu-ray players

from some other brands, yet lacks the most advanced feature

of those lower cost players: BD-Live. That is an Internet

connectivity feature that allows additional material to be

downloaded for some Blu-ray discs.

If, however, you like to keep your internet and your home

entertainment in separate domains, then this will be no

loss to you. What you do get is more important: BonusView

support. That is the picture-in-picture, sound-in-sound

function that is starting to be inventively used on a number

of Blu-ray discs.

59

As I write, the unit has full audio decoders for Dolby Digital

Plus and Dolby TrueHD, but not (like just about every other

player) for DTS-HD Master Audio. However Pioneer promises to

have a fi rmware upgrade available for the unit in January 2009

which provides this capability as well.

This will allow the unit to provide the maximum possible

audio quality – delivered via either its 7.1 channel analog audio

outputs, or via HDMI as 7.1 channel PCM – even while the PIP

features are being used. Most players fall back on the standard

DTS ‘core’ when called upon to do this.

Instead of the usual push buttons for eject, stop, play and so

forth, the Blu-ray player has touch sensitive patches on its front

for these controls.

PerformanceSo how well did these premium products work? In short, the Blu-ray

player worked very well, and the TV worked absolutely brilliantly.

To dispose of the minor stuff fi rst, the TV’s DLNA

functionality worked precisely as it was supposed to. The picture

quality from still photos was excellent, with the full resolution

of the TV used. And the TV did indeed play back the thousands

of MP3 tracks on my computer once I had connected it to my

home computer network. It’s best to feed these back to a high

quality sound system using the TV’s optical digital audio output.

After all the TV has, well, TV speakers: fi ne for their purpose but

defi nitely limited when it comes to music.

The TV tuners worked well, but the brilliance of this TV

resides mostly in its plasma panel, and the electronics that drive

it. As mentioned, Pioneer doesn’t specify the TV’s contrast ratio.

In fact, it delivered black levels that result from a true absence

of light, rather than a mere diminution. Even when there were

bright elements on the screen, the parts of the picture that

were supposed to be black remained so. This was particularly

easy to spot, seeing as how the picture was so damned large!

It was almost like having a front projector, but without its

disadvantages.

The picture was plenty bright enough, and the colours were

extraordinarily natural in their appearance.

One of the reasons for the great picture was the superb

processing of video provided by the electronics. This did

brilliantly on deinterlacing both 1080i and 576i video, whether

delivered from a disc player, or by the unit’s own built-in digital

TV tuner. TV has never looked as good as it did with this unit …

even with SDTV!

The BDP-LX71 Blu-ray player also performed fl awlessly. I have

one complaint: while noticeably faster than previous Pioneer

models, it remains one of the slowest of those released over

the past few months. Part of this is just silly design: why should

it take 30 seconds to open the disc draw from switch on? This

ought to happen as soon as power is applied (if you start it up by

touching the ‘open’ spot on the front panel). The machine

PIONEER KURO PDP-LX609A AND BDP-LX71 PIONEER KURO PDP-LX609A AND BDP-LX71

PROS Excellent picture quality on BD

Excellent picture quality on DVD

Full decoding of HD audio (coming soon)

High quality build

CONS Lacks BD-Live

Slower operation than some other playersSPECIFICATIONS • BDP-LX71Price: $1299Warranty: one yearContact: Pioneer Electronics Australia1800 060 852www.pioneer.com.auOutputs: 1 x component video, 1 x S-Video, 1 x composite video, 1 x HDMI, 1 x stereo analog audio, 1 x 7.1 channel analog audio, 1 x optical digital audio, 1 x coaxial digital audioOther: 1 x controlFeatures: 24 frames per second output, Consumer Electronics Control (CEC), on-the-fl y output resolution support, BonusView, Complete audio decoding (coming soon), noise reduction options, controllable deinterlacingSupplied Accessories: remote control, manualDimensions (WHD): 420 x 124 x 380mmWeight: 5.7kg

RATINGS

Performance

Features

Ease of use

Value for money

60

BOX FRESH PIONEER KURO PDP-LX609A AND BDP-LX71

PROS Brilliant picture performance

Massive screen size

Good video processing operations

DLNA

CONS Three HDMI inputs a little below the premium TV norm these days

SPECIFICATIONS • PDP-LX609APrice: $10,999Warranty: fi ve yearsContact: Pioneer Electronics Australia1800 060 852www.pioneer.com.auImage: plasma; 152cm diagonal; 16:9 native aspect, 1920 x 1080 pixels; brightness not stated; contrast ratio not statedInputs: 3 x composite video, 1 x S-Video, 1 x component video (supporting progressive scan and HD), 1 x D-SUB15 RGB, 3 x HDMI, 6 x stereo audio, 1 x USB (for photo display), 1 x EthernetOutputs: 1 x optical digital, 1 x headphoneAudio: stereo, 2 x 18 wattsFeatures: HD digital TV tuner, analog TV tuner, ‘Optimum’ display mode, fi eld noise reduction, mosquito noise reduction, block noise reduction, 3D Y/C separation, 1080p24 support, DLNA operation, supporting WMV9, MPEG2, MPEG1, MPEG4, MP3, WMA, LPCM, AAC, JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF and BMP fi lesSupplied accessories: remote control; manual; desktop standDimensions (WHD): 1465 x 876 x 93mm (without stand)Weight: 50.8kg

RATINGS

Performance

Features

Ease of use

Value for money

initialisation process should continue while this is happening.

That said, this unit has a number of unique virtues (especially

now that Sony is no longer using Pioneer players as the guts of

its). The main one is the on-the-fl y resolution control function

provided on the remote control. Other BD players we’ve seen

force you to stop play in order to alter the resolution settings, or

to go into the setup menu. Pioneer just does the whole thing with

a couple of remote control keys. This offers no real advantages in

practice, as with the output resolution set to ‘Auto’, the unit does a

fi ne job (1080p24 during Blu-ray movie playback, and 1080p50 or

60 for everything else). Still, I think it’s cool.

The picture quality was immaculate, and not just with Blu-ray

discs; the unit did a respectable job with PAL DVDs. You can

adjust the video display parameters (and apply a number of

various noise reduction processes) using a dedicated key on

the remote control. There are a number of video presets and

three user memory settings that are very convenient. But if you

purchase these two units as a package, you should choose the

‘Pioneer PDP’ setting, which of course optimises the player for

top performance with this Pioneer TV.

One little extra offered by this player that puts it ahead of

most of the others: transport controls. Want to do an A-B loop?

This unit supports it for Blu-ray in addition to DVDs. If you pause

a Blu-ray (or DVD, of course), you can frame step both forwards

and backwards. That makes fi nding the specifi c frame you want

easy. You can even do an A-B repeat loop on a Blu-ray.

ConclusionThe Pioneer Kuro PDP-LX609A TV is, truth be told, about as

good as you can get today. Indeed, it’s hard to see how it could

get any better. The BDP-LX71 is an excellent Blu-ray player in all

respects … except for its failure to support BD-Live functions.

But if that isn’t something you’re dying for, then you will be

pleased with this player. Thomas Bartlett

ENTER THE

COMPETITION FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A DIGITAL HOME PACKAGE

Valued at over $6,500PRIZES INCLUDE

Tannoy HTS200 Canon EOS 1000D YamahaRXV 663

AV Receiver

HPTouchSmart

IQ515(4 x fl oor standing speakers; 1 x ctr

speaker; 1 x active subwoofer) RRP $1,999.00 from Syntec

with 18-55mm IS + FREE DVD RRP $999 from

www.CamerasDirect.com.au from Yamaha RRP $2499 from from HPTerms & Conditions of Entry 1. Information on how to enter forms part of the terms and conditions of entry. To enter the Win a $6,500 Digital Home Set-up competition visit www.gadgetguy.com.au, click on the Win a $6,500 Digital Home Set-up graphic, and answer the 25 words or less question. Eligible participants are required to provide their name, address, postcode, telephone number and a valid email address to complete their entry. 2. There is a limit of one entry per each valid email address 3. Entry is open to all permanent residents of Australia, but to be eligible to win the prize the email address you submit with your entry MUST be actively subscribed to the weekly GadgetGuy Grapevine newsletter at the time of the prize judging. 4. The judges’ decision is fi nal and no correspondence shall be entered into. Prizes cannot be transferred or redeemed for cash. 5. This is a game of skill and chance plays no part in determining winners. 6. Judging for the competition will take place on February 25, 2009 at Gadget Group, 120 Cathedral St, Woolloomooloo NSW 2011. 7. The promoter will not be held responsible for any late, lost or misdirected mail. 8. No employees, relatives or associates of Hewlett Packard, Cameras Direct, Yamaha, Syntec or Gadget Group Pty Ltd can enter the competition. 9. The winners shall be notifi ed by email, and upon confi rmation of the winners’ contact details the names will be published in the weekly GadgetGuy.com.au newsletter. 10. Prize value is the recommended retail value as provided by the supplier and is correct at the time of printing. All prize values are in Australian dollars. 11. The promoter shall not be responsible for any loss or damage whatsoever that is suffered (including but not limited to direct or consequential loss) or any personal injury suffered or sustained in connection with any prize/s, except for any liability that cannot be excluded by law. 12. The competition commences November 14, 2008 and concludes on February 16, 2009. All entries become the property of the promoter. 13. Prize win-ners once notifi ed by email of their win have 3 months from the despatch of our email to supply us their contact details. If no reply is received then the prize will be re-drawn on May 16th, 2009, at 12 pm at the offi ces of Gadget Group, 120 Cathedral Street, Woolloomooloo NSW 2011. 14. There is one prize, comprising four components - the Canon EOS 1000D camera (prize value $999.00 RRP), a Yamaha RXV 663 ($1,099 RRP), a Tannoy HTS200 (4 x fl oor standing speakers; 1 x ctr speaker; 1 x active subwoofer - $1,999.00 RRP) and an HP TouchSmart PC IQ505a ($2,499 RRP) - that together are valued at $6,596 RRP. 15. The promoter of this competition is Gadget Group Pty Ltd, ABN 52050106502.

62

BOX FRESH

Grundig GLCD2206HDV For some AV enthusiasts, style is everything. It’s not

enough to just have high quality components, they

need to be stylish too. And sorting out the lounge

room is no problem these days, with dozens of

sleek devices to choose from. But what about your secondary

AV spot? The kitchen, study or bedroom TV? You need a small,

but quality display and if you can somehow get digital HDTV and

DVD playback in a low-profi le package, all the better.

Fortunately, there are a number of smaller LCD TVs with

integrated tuners and DVD players on the market right now, and

this is Grundig’s offering.

It’s called the GLCD2206HDV but it’s also part of Grundig’s

Misuro family so for the sake of brevity, that’s what we’ll call it.

Other models in the range include a 40cm (15.6 inch) variant

($599) in fi re red, midnight blue, high gloss white or piano black

fi nish; a 48cm/19 inch model (in white or black only) for $749, and

a $1200 (white or black) 81cm/32 inch model, which excludes the

12 volt power adaptor. This top-of-the range model has two HDMI

inputs, 1366 x 768 resolution, a coaxial audio output for sending

multichannel surround from HDTV broadcasts to an outboard AV

receiver and 2 x 8 watts speaker output.

FeaturesWhen it comes to functionality, the Misuro under review here

has you covered. The 56cm LCD has a native resolution of

1680 x 1050, and inputs include component, HDMI and VGA.

That means you can use it as a PC monitor as well.

There’s an integrated HDTV digital tuner which can store up

to 100 channels (overkill for this country!), and a slot-loading

DVD drive.

The unit itself has a piano-fi nish black fascia and a few style

elements such as the round plinth and recessed silver strip. Oddly

though, the construction is actually quite light and plasticky, more

so than we would have expected at this price point.

The included remote favours functionality over ergonomics,

and DVD controls aren’t exactly front-and-centre. All the buttons

you need are there, though, including an aspect ratio button for

all your older 4:3 DVDs. The Misuro also supports teletext – but

does anyone still use it?

Another handy accessory is the 12 volt AC adaptor for your

car or boat.

PerformanceAs with all 56cm displays, this one can’t actually do proper

1080p or even 1080i HD. The 1050 vertical pixels are exactly 30

pixels short, but the system can interpolate a 1080p signal and

give decent results.

These 56cm panels are being churned out at a breakneck

rate, mostly to service consumer PC monitors: 56cm is one of

the most popular sizes now.

PROS Stylishdesign

Built-inDVDplayer

Goodconnectivityoptions

12voltspowersupplyforuseincaravansandboats

CONS Nobespoketechnology

Notrue1080pHD

Highprice

63

SPECIFICATIONSPrice: $849Contact: www.grundig.com.au0297143434Warranty:threeyearsDisplay:56cm(22inch)LCDTV,1680x1050pixels,1000:1contrastratio,300cdm2brightness,16.7millioncolours,5msresponsetime,170degreeshorizontalviewingangleAudio: 2x3wattspeakersConnections:1xcompositevideo,1xS-video,component,1xHDMI,1xSVGAExtras: onboardHDTVtuner,onboardslot-loadingDVDplayer,12VcaradaptorFinish: high-glosswhiteandblack,fireredandmidnightbluePower consumption: 60wattsWeight (with stand): 8.5kg

RATINGS

Performance

Features

Ease of use

Value for money

Grundig GLCD2206HDV

What’s surprising about this Grundig-branded display, sold at

a Grundig price, is that there’s no bespoke technology powering

the TV. No “smooth motion” or “colour enhance” or any other

trendy trademarked functionality. This is just a decent-quality

panel in a standard TV chassis with a basic DVD player in the

back.

Image quality is good, but no better than you’d expect from

a Korean or Japanese TV – or indeed from a PC monitor that

might not have a tuner or a DVD player in it, but will cost you

less than half this price.

ConclusionThe styling of this TV is almost identical to a number of

Samsung products. Especially the power button on the fascia.

It’s not a rebranded cheapie by any means, but we expect slab-

faced German minimalism from Grundig.

And that’s the essential problem with the GLCD2206HDV.

When you buy Grundig, you expect something different, special

even. And this is just another TV with some extra functionality.

If it cost the same as any other TV, that would be fine. But

we’re paying a European premium here, so we can be a bit

disappointed at the lack of European style.

Still, the three-year warranty is a welcome bonus, and if

you’re a Grundig loyalist, this TV certainly won’t put you off your

favourite brand.

Anthony Fordham

GRuNdIG GLCd2206HdV

64

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66

BOX FRESH

Sony XBR KDL46XBR45Eventually technology reaches it limits. Take the CD

player – technically, there’s not a lot more that can

be extracted from a CD and players have pretty

much reached technical perfection. But what

about TVs, and more specifi cally, LCD panels? For years the TV

remained fundamentally unchanged (apart from the advent

of colour), but today’s fl at panel HDTV explosion has seen TV

technology virtually start from scratch.

FeaturesSony’s Bravia XBR45 Series (there are 40, 46 and 55 inch/101,

116 and 140cm models) is described as Sony’s ‘most advanced’

Bravia TV. The $6999 KDL46XBR45 under review here employs

RGB Dynamic LED backlighting, the latest Bravia Engine 2 Pro

processing and Motionfl ow Pro 100Hz technology, designed to

sharpen and stabilise horizontal, fast-moving images.

This works by creating a new frame between each of the

existing 50 frames, then entering the ‘inter-frames’ into the

output signal to double the frame rate from 50 to 100. Backlight

blinking then deactivates horizontal fi elds of the backlight for

the inter-frame calculations, meaning the image is sharpened

and is convincingly clear, according to Sony.

(Sony’s Z-Series Btravia’s feature world-fi rst 200Hz processing,

whereby three additional frames are created for every original

frame. This increases the typical 50 frames per second to 200,

which Sony claims assists in presenting smoother, less blurry

fast-action scenes. The company’s 100Hz Pro televisions, such as

the model revewed here, are, however, positioned above these Z

Series Bravias.)

The backlighting uses red, green and blue LEDs to help deliver

deeper blacks, richer colours and a dynamic contrast ratio of

1,000,000:1 (panel contrast is 3000:1). The distinction between

these two measurements is that the much higher dynamic ratio

is measured during darker scenes when the LCD’s backlight

is dimmer. Conversely, the lower panel contrast ratio fi gure

measures the ratio of the light output of an all white image (full

on) and the light output of an all black (full off) image. A neat

trick of this Sony’s backlight is that it turns on and off in sync with

the pixels, so there’s no lingering image glow in darker scenes.

Naturally, this screen’s native resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels.

Connectivity’s well catered for with four HDMI inputs, plus it

has ample media streaming capabilities with an Ethernet socket

and DLNA-certifi cation (Digital Living Network Alliance) for

accessing photos and music from a networked PC. USB 2.0 ports

PROS Sumptuous-looking1080pdisplay

Excellentblacks–onparwiththebestplasmas

Novisiblemotionblurring

Excellentconnectivity

CONS Criticalviewingangle

67

SPECIFICATIONSPrice:$6999Warranty:oneyearContact:SonyAustraliaLimited1300137669www.sony.com.auImage:LCD,116cmdiagonal;16:9nativeaspect,1920x1080pixels;100,000:1dynamiccontrastratio,3000:1panelcontrastratio,8msresponsetimeInputs:3xcompositevideo,2xcomponentvideo(supportingprogressivescanandHD),1xD-SUB15RGB,4xHDMI,9xstereoaudio,1xUSB,1xEthernet,1xDLNAOutputs:1xcompositevideo,2xanalogstereoaudio,2xopticaldigitalaudio,1xheadphoneAudio:stereo,Nicam,A2,2x10watts(speakers),2x12watts(subwoofer)Features:HDdigitaltuner,analogTVtuner,BraviaEngine2PRO,Motionflow100HzPRO,DLNAcertified,24pTrueCinema,DigitalMediaPort,S-ForceFrontSurroundSupplied accessories:remotecontrol;manual;desktopswivelstandWeight:38kg(includingstand)

RATINGS

Performance

Features

Ease of use

Value for money

Sony XBR KDL46XBR45

are provided for playing back photos and music stored on USB

devices and flash drives, and wireless Bluetooth connectivity

is also possible with the optional $249 TDM-BT1 Digital Media

Port, so you could wirelessly stream audio and images from your

Sony Walkman or Bluetooth mobile phone.

The XBR features a new XMB (Cross Media Bar) menu

system, which will look familiar to anyone who’s ever used

the company’s Playstation 3. It makes a welcome change and

together with a decent remote handset, finding your way around

this TV is straightforward, unlike some previous Bravia models.

PerformanceBright, strong, bold colours and some of the deepest blacks I’ve

seen on an LCD, this XBR’s image quality is dressed to impress.

The initial set-up needs some picture enhancement adjustment,

mostly dropping the colour level by six or so points, which to my

eyes looked more natural. But, back to those blacks. This is one

screen that definitely looks like it’s achieving very high contrast

ratios, dynamic or otherwise. Figures don’t mean anything – the

proof is in the pudding.

LCDs have long fallen short in producing truly deep and

stable blacks, but it looks as though this is a thing of the

past with this Sony. In a darkened room, equally dark scenes

impressed with their smoothness and depth, which is no doubt

partly down to the good work of the backlight’s LEDs. On Blu-

ray, the ever-excellent Casino Royale shows just how good this

Sony handles things. Fine details are really well resolved in dark

scenes and there’s none of the grayish/black homogenous mass

that lesser LCDs produce.

Detail retrieval is excellent right across the Sony’s particularly

vibrant, but realistic-looking, colour spectrum. I didn’t detect any

motion blur either, thanks in part to the 100Hz Motionflow Pro

and a quick response time of 8 milliseconds. Fast-moving scenes

look realistic too; that can’t be said for all 100Hz TVs, which can

still leave a trail of slow-moving blurriness. The screen’s not

perfect though – there’s still a loss of colour saturation and a

decrease in contrast ratio as you move off viewing axis by a few

degrees, although it’s not as marked as some, especially earlier

LCD models.

ConclusionDecent sound from the slim speakers and that lovely ‘floating’

screen design top off a rather nice LCD TV. All this comes at

a price though, and with an RRP just shy of seven grand, this

Bravia is expensive. It’s got blacks on par with the best plasmas,

bags of detail and a strong, natural colour balance. This latest

Bravia is a sure sign just how far LCD TV technology has come in

a short space of time.

Nic Tatham

SONy XBR KDL46XBR45

LCDs have long fallen short in producing truly deep and stable blacks, but it looks as though this is a thing of the past with this Sony

68

BOX FRESH

Samsung LA46A950The weakness of LCD TVs in comparison to plasma

TVs has been their black levels. Put your feet up

in the evening, turn off the room lights for an

involving movie, and whenever the picture goes

dark, your LCD will glow. Irritatingly.

In recent years, some brands – including Samsung, which

has done as well as or better than its rivals – have included

clever features which reduce the brightness of the backlight

behind the LCD panel when the picture goes dark. This still had

limitations, such as when the picture was bright in one part of

the screen, but dark elsewhere. Turning down the backlight

risked eliminating the impact of the bright part.

Well, the Samsung LA46A950 LCD TV is the fi rst of a new

breed of LCD TVs that have eliminated this problem.

FeaturesThe trick is to use not one but many backlights. That’s what

Samsung has done with this TV. Behind the LCD panel are

hundreds of tiny LED lights, and these can be controlled so that

areas of the screen can be made bright or dark independently of

other areas.

Imagine, a dark room is shown in a movie. In the corner of

the screen, a door is fl ung open, glowing brightly against the

gloom. With this TV, there need be no compromise. In the dark

areas of the screen the brightness can remain low, while where

the door has opened the backlights can burn brightly.

Blu-ray, playing at 1080p24, was the best, of course, but HDTV often looked more like a window into the world of the action, than a mere representation of it on a screen

PROS Fullhighdefinitiondisplay

Brilliantblacklevels

Excellentpicturequality

Excellentvideoprocessing

Plentifulrangeofinputs

CONS Norear-mountedS-Videoinput

69

SPECIFICATIONS

Price: $5499Warranty:threeyearsContact: SamsungElectronicsAustralia1300369600www.samsung.com.auImage:LCD;117cmdiagonal;16:9nativeaspect,1920x1080pixels;brightness500m2;2,000,000:1dynamiccontrastratio;responsetimenotstatedInputs: 2xcompositevideo,1xS-Video,2xcomponentvideo(supportingprogressivescanandHD),1xD-SUB15RGB,4xHDMI,6xstereoaudio(oneas3.5mmstereosocket),1xUSB,1xEthernetOutputs:1xopticaldigitalaudio,1xanalogstereoaudio,1x3.5mmstereoheadphonesAudio: stereo,2x10watts,4speakersFeatures: LEDbacklight,PIP,Teletext,analogandHDdigitaltunersbuiltin,fourHDMIinputs,SamsungDNIePropictureprocessing,MoviePlus100Hzprocessing,USBforphotodisplayandMP3playback,DLNAcertificationforEthernetformultimediaplaybackSupplied accessories: remotecontrol;manual;desktopstandDimensions (WHD):1160x669x108mm(withoutstand)Weight: 26.3kg(withoutstand)

RATINGS

Performance

Features

Ease of use

Value for money

ConclusionThe Samsung LA46A950 LCD TV has brought the LCD TV,

finally, into full competition with the very best of plasma TVs.

This truly is a state-of-the-art television.

Thomas Bartlett

This is a premium TV for Samsung (it costs over $1500

more than the next model down in the same size), so it gets

Samsung’s full premium feature-set, including USB card

reader, PIP, built-in HD tuner and four HDMI inputs.

And it adds one rare extra: a Digital Living

Network Alliance (DLNA) network port. Plug it

into your home network and with suitable server

software on your computer (Windows Media Player

11 will do) you can play back photos, videos and

music stored within it using the TV.

The TV can also display news and weather

snippets which it captures from the internet, and

has some built-in art works, kiddie entertainments,

exercise instructions and recipes (we’re keen to see

the kitchen that can accommodate a 117cm/46 inch

screen).

PerformanceBut let’s get back to movie watching. I gave it the

hard test: 10pm, all the lights out, Blu-ray movie

on. A scene in the movie faded out and there was

a brief moment of blackness during the transition

to the next scene. The light from the Samsung TV’s

screen also faded to complete blackness. The screen area

was indistinguishable from the bezel. It was truly dark.

Then there was the real test, easily done with one of the

built-in photographs. This has fireworks shown against a dark

background. In my dark room, the black background really was

black. But that could be a trick of the eyes because of the bright

areas on screen, so I used a light-proof rug to mask off the

bright areas of the screen, and the black parts remained black.

Perfectly black. Brilliant!

The DLNA stuff worked well (that’s the whole point of DLNA

certification), much as it does with high-end home theatre

receivers.

As for all other aspects of the TV’s operation, they worked

just like Samsung’s high-end TVs always do: very well. Blu-ray,

playing at 1080p24, was the best, of course, but HDTV often

looked more like a window into the world of the action, than a

mere representation of it on a screen.

SAmSuNG LA46A950

70

BOX FRESH

Denon AVR-589/SYS-56HT Package

I am not a big fan of home theatre in a box systems. Too

often they don’t end up being good value for money

… once you realise that aspects of them need to be

improved.

But I am a big fan of Denon’s take on the theme. That’s

probably because it isn’t really a home theatre in a box. It merely

encroaches on that genre through its pricing.

FeaturesInstead, this combo system consists of a high quality 5.1 channel

home theatre receiver, the Denon AVR-589, and a compact

satellite/subwoofer speaker system, the SYS-56HT (which does

indeed come in one box).

The receiver is incredible. I remember when component

video inputs were the preserve of prestige home theatre

receivers. This one has two sets of inputs. It also has two HDMI

inputs!

These provide full support for all forms of HDMI video,

faithfully passing it through to the display. But the receiver does

not support audio over HDMI, so you need to parallel the HDMI

cable from your Blu-ray player with an optical or coaxial digital

audio connection.

The speaker system consists of fi ve small satellite speakers

(one is slightly larger and sits sideways, so as to operate as a

centre channel) and a subwoofer. The satellites each have two

PROS Good,nofrills5.1channelaudioperformance

Brilliantvalueformoney

ConvenientHDMIpictureswitching

Goodbasisforbuildingoninthefuture

CONS Oddlyorganisedremotecontrol

71

SPECIFICATIONSSystem price:$999Warranty: twoyearsContact: AudioProductsGroup1300134400www.audioproducts.com.au

Denon AVR-589Power: 5x75watts,20Hz-20kHz,8ohms,0.06%THDInputs:4xcompositevideo,3xS-Video,2xcomponentvideo,7xanalogstereoaudio,1x5.1analogaudio,2xopticaldigitalaudio,2xcoaxialdigitalaudio,2xHDMI,1xcalibrationmicrophoneOutputs: 2xcompositevideo,2xS-Video,1xcomponentvideo,2xanalogstereoaudio,1xsubwoofer,1xHDMI,1x6.5mmheadphoneFeatures: Audysseyautomaticcalibrationandaudioprocessing;32bitDSP;FullHDMI1.3athroughvideo;frontpanelAVinput(compositeandstereoaudio);AVsyncadjustment;1080p24videopassthroughSupplied accessories:remotecontrol;calibrationmicrophoneDimensions (WHD):434x171x377mmWeight: 10.8kg

Denon SYS-56HTDrivers:SC-A56 satellites, SC-C56 centre:2x57mmfullrangedriversDSW-56 subwoofer: 1x160mmdriver,downwardsfiringFrequency range: SC-A56 satellites:90-25,000hertzSC-C56 centre: 80-25,000hertzDSW-56 subwoofer: 30-200hertzNominal impedance: All:6ohmsPower: SC-A56 satellites: 30/100watts(IEC/peak)SC-C56 centre: 30/100watts(IEC/peak)DSW-56 subwoofer:50watts(output,6ohms,55Hz,10%THD)Sensitivity: notstatedSupplied accessories:speakercables,subwooferaudiocableDimensions (WHD): SC-A56 satellites:84x189x110mmSC-C56 centre:263x84x110mmDSW-56 subwoofer:210x353x379mmWeight:SC-A56 satellites:1.2kgSC-C56 centre: 1.4kgDSW-56 subwoofer: 9.2kg

For under a grand, this system provides a great (repeat: great) low-cost entry into home theatre sound

RATINGS

Performance

Features

Ease of use

Value for money

57mm drivers, while the subwoofer has a 50 watt amplifier

powering its 160mm driver in a bass reflex-loaded enclosure.

The satellite speakers all use spring clips for connections. Thin

speaker cables and an RCA link for the subwoofer are provided.

PerformanceOne of the other things that quite belie the low cost of this

system is the inclusion of Audyssey automatic calibration

(using the supplied microphone). Naturally, it had no problem

detecting that the speakers were ‘Small’, and set the crossover

between the satellites and the subwoofer to 120 hertz. There

is no onscreen display, but the front panel is fairly clear when

adjusting the few setup items you may require.

Lacking HDMI sound, the receiver does not include decoders

for the new audio standards from Blu-ray (these need HDMI to

be delivered). Instead, using an optical or coaxial digital audio

connection you will get the standard Dolby Digital or DTS core

from the Blu-ray disc. Some recent Blu-ray players include a

‘DTS re-encode’ option, allowing you to get full surround sound

even from multichannel PCM soundtracks.

The HDMI video worked well. There appeared to be no

analog-to-HDMI video conversion facility, so if you have analog

video sources you will need to run suitable cables all the way to

your display.

The driver complement in the satellite speakers, and that

of the subwoofer, didn’t really give me much hope for great

sound. I was unduly pessimistic. Denon has clearly spent a bit of

time tuning them up so that they deliver, with the subwoofer, a

balanced and hi-fi-like sound. The stereo and surround imaging

was pretty decent as well, and the subwoofer was extended

enough to deliver satisfyingly with kick drums.

The real limitation on them was volume level. Up loud they

tended to get a bit confused and harsh, but used within their

limits they were – and I can’t believe I’m writing this – lovely!

ConclusionFor under a grand, this system provides a great (repeat: great)

low-cost entry into home theatre sound, and lends itself readily

to step-by-step upgrading in the future. It is far, far better than

the similarly priced home theatre in a box alternatives.

Thomas Bartlett

DENON AVR-589/SYS-56HT PACkAGE

PROS Good solid performance on home theatre basics

Supports new high defi nition audio standards

Good video handling

CONS Oddly organised remote control

72

SPECIFICATIONSPrice: $1,199Warranty: Two yearsContact: Audio Products Group1300 134 400www.audioproducts.com.auPower: 7 x 90 watts, 20Hz-20kHz, 8 ohms, 0.06% THDInputs: 4 x composite video, 3 x S-Video, 3 x component video, 7 x analog stereo audio, 1 x 7.1 analog audio, 2 x optical digital audio, 2 x coaxial digital audio, 3 x HDMI, 1 x calibration microphoneOutputs: 2 x composite video, 2 x S-Video, 1 x component video, 2 x analog stereo audio, 1 x subwoofer, 1 x HDMI, 1 x optical digital audio, 1 x analog stereo audio for Zone 2, 1 x 6.5mm headphoneSurround standards: Dolby Digital EX, Plus and TrueHD; DTS ES and 96/24; DTS-HD Master Audio and High Resolution; Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS Neo:6Features: Audyssey calibration and processing; decodes new Blu-ray audio formats; Zone 2 capability, video conversion (composite, S-Video & component to HDMI); onscreen display; front panel composite and stereo audio inputs; AV sync adjustment; 1080p24 video pass throughSupplied accessories: remote control; calibration microphoneDimensions (WHD): 434 x 171 x 377mmWeight: 11.4kg

RATINGS

Performance

Features

Ease of use

Value for money

BOX FRESH

Denon AVR-789Denon’s AVR-789 is a home theatre receiver for those

who want to get the best out of their Blu-ray discs

(and other source devices), but don’t want to explore

the confusion of networking and internet features

now starting to make an appearance. As such, it comes as a good

price, and with a strong focus on its audio performance.

FeaturesThis receiver offers support for a full 7.1 channels, with 90 high

fi delity watts from each of the seven power amplifi ers. The two

nominally allocated to surround back functions can be redirected to

provide bi-amplifi cation for the front speakers, or to drive speakers

in a second zone. The latter is a particularly useful feature for those

who don’t want 7.1 sound.

The unit has three HDMI inputs and features full decoding for

Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, the two high defi nition

audio standards available from Blu-ray. The HDMI inputs also

support all video standards, and they simply pass it through,

whatever it might be, to your TV. That includes the highest quality

1080p24 from Blu-ray.

The unit also converts the various analog video inputs to

HDMI, making for more convenient operation.

PerformanceNone of the remote control keys would seemed to invoke

the onscreen menu. I couldn’t believe that Denon would

release a receiver in this price category without an onscreen

display.

But there was a menu button on the front panel which

brought it up. Excellent. That still left the mystery of the

remote control. I checked the manual. It talked of pressing the ‘A.

Menu’ key on the ‘Rear’ of the remote control. The penny dropped.

There is indeed a fold out fl ap on the back of remote. This conceals

36 extra keys, more than are on the front.

Once that hurdle was overcome, the rest was easy. A

microphone is supplied for the Audyssey automatic calibration

system, so after wiring up the speakers and sources, it was just a

matter of plugging in the microphone and letting the receiver’s

internal computers do their thing.

The performance of this receiver was both robust and excellent. It

was robust in that it worked nicely with two different Blu-ray players,

a Playstation 3, a DVD player, two different brands of high defi nition

digital TV receiver, all connected via HDMI (not at the same time of

course!) I would not hesitate to use this unit with any and all sources.

It was excellent in that it provided great sound from the two

different sets of loudspeakers I used it with. The volume levels were

quite strong enough for the medium-sized room I was in. If you

have a large room and like your movies really loud, you may want to

consider higher sensitivity loudspeakers.

The analog to HDMI video conversion worked well, delivering

excellent picture quality. So well, I wouldn’t bother running the extra

analogue cables to the display.

ConclusionThe Denon AVR-789 home theatre receiver offers excellent

performance, a good feature set for home theatre operation and

very good value for money. Thomas Bartlett

DENON AVR-789

73

GEARGUIDESFORDIGTALLIVES

NOTEBOOKBUYERS GUIDE

74

It’s a tricky business, buying a new notebook. Sure, it’s

easy enough to decide on a colour you like, and weight

and screen size is something that everybody understands.

But what about all those arcane specs? What is the

difference between a Core 2 Duo T9300 and AMD Turion

RM-80? What effect does adding an extra gigabyte of memory

make? Which version of Vista works for me?

We’ve got you covered.

Categories of notebooksProbably the biggest issue you’ll be facing when buying a

notebook is the trade-off between portability and screen size.

Quite simply, a notebook can’t be petite and have a big screen

at the same time. Some manufacturers such as Apple and Sony

have done some wonderful work lightening up their notebooks

(often by removing things such as the hard disk and optical

drive), but there’s still that fundamental trade-off between

screen size and portability.

The basic decision comes down to whether you’re going to

be carrying around the notebook a lot or whether it’s going to sit

on a desk somewhere most of the time. If the former is the case,

then a lighter, slimmer notebook is your best bet. If the latter, get

something with a big screen.

Notebook manufacturers tend to categorise their notebooks

into different segments to suit these different kinds of users.

There are no hard rules about what a different category means,

but as a guide, here are some examples:

Standard notebook: Not really a category

so much as a balance between elements.

A typical mainstream notebook has a

screen in the 13–15.4 inch range and

weighs between 2kg and 3.5kg.

‘Desktop replacement’: Usually refers to

a notebook with a very large screen size

(usually 17–18.4 inch), a powerful graphics

processor and the fastest processor

going. These have all the top specs for a

notebook, but frequently weigh 4kg or

more, meaning you’re never going to want

to have to carry one around.

Taking Note As powerful as they are portable, notebooks are also as different as they are the same. Nathan Taylor explains the varieties on offer, and how to choose the right model for your needs.

75

Subnotebook: Typically a small screen (13 inch or less) and a

processor designed for power saving rather than performance.

They tend to weigh less than 2kg.

Ultraportable/mobile internet

device/’NetTop’: A new category of

notebook, really created when Asus

introduced the Eee PC. They’re often very

light (1.5kg or less), but have small screens

(as little as 4–5 inches, but more commonly

7–10 inches) and power-efficient processors

such as Intel’s Atom. The original Eee PC

700, for example, was about the size of a

paperback novel.

Tablet: They’re not very common, but if

you search hard enough you can find a

few around. The signature feature of a

tablet PC is a touchscreen that lies flush

with the body of the notebook and is

always visible, kind of like an extra-large

iPod touch. Some tablet PCs don’t have

standard keyboards, though some other

designs have a screen that can pivot or

slide to switch between a regular notebook and tablet PC.

Ruggedised: A rare breed of notebook designed

to stand the rigors of outdoor life. They tend

to be very expensive, but are also likely to

be waterproof, dust proof and capable of

withstanding a certain amount of jarring.

The NEC SheildPro Toughbook is an

example of a ruggedised notebook.

Business and consumer notebooks: Manufacturers also

build different notebooks for different market segments. There

is a difference between a business notebook and a consumer

notebook – although sometimes those differences can be quite

subtle.

Business notebooks tend to focus on security, and often come

with fingerprint scanners, hard drive encryption software and

sometimes smart card readers. They’ll usually have Windows

Vista Business or Enterprise installed. They rarely have powerful

graphics capabilities or consumer features such as web cams.

Consumer notebooks cover the gamut of possibilities,

ranging from ultraportables to desktop replacements. They

usually don’t have the security features of business notebooks,

but often have better graphics capabilities and extra features

such as web cams, TV output sockets and games. They typically

have Windows Vista Home Basic or Home Premium installed.

Understanding The SpecsFor non-techies, understanding the tech specs is the hardest

part of buying a notebook. Sure, we can all make our own

decisions when it comes to design, weight and screen size, but

very few of us can decode what the difference is between a

U7700 and T5800 processor.

To guide you through the different steps, we’ve taken a

typical notebook stat block – in this case from a Dell Inspiron

1525. We’ll talk about each of the specs in turn.

ProcessorThe processor is the main workhorse of the notebook. A faster

processor means that the notebook will be able to work better.

This one is tough to figure out, however, largely thanks to

Intel’s exceedingly confusing naming schema. For example, the

Core 2 U7700 is actually slower than the Core 2 T5850 processor.

We’ll try and unpack the differences for you over the page.

NOTEBOOK BUYERS GUIDE

WhaT TO lOOK fOR

• Fastprocessor• 1GBmemoryminimum;2GBforWindows

Vista• Highresolutionscreen,withgood

brightness• DVDwritingability• Wireless802.11gminimum

ThE GOOD aND lESS GOOD

Good•Light,small,portable•Adesignandfeature-settosuiteveryneeds•Canperformasmobileentertainmentcentres

LeSS Good•All-in-onedesignnotalwaysgoodforfunctionalityor

ergonomics•Canbedifficulttoupgrade•NotascapablewithgamesasdesktopPCs

76

Understanding Intel processors

There are three families of Intel processors that appear in

notebooks today.

Core 2 is the fastest of the three (and the most common),

and will typically appear in standard and desktop replacement

notebooks.

Celeron sits in the middle, and is increasingly rare. It doesn’t

have the performance of Core 2, but often uses less power,

meaning your notebook has a longer battery life. It will appear in

standard and subnotebook designs.

Atom is the slowest of the three, though its high-end models

are competitive with the low-end Celerons. It is easily the most

power effi cient and is often used in NetTop computers like the

Asus Eee PC.

Within each of those families there is a range of processors

available. When it comes to Celeron and Atom, fi guring out

which is the fastest is easy: the higher the model number, the

faster the processor. The Atom Z540 is faster than the Atom

Z520, for example.

When it comes to Core 2, however, things get very confusing

indeed. A Core 2 model name is typically a letter and four digits.

For example: T5850. In some cases there are two letters.

Each of the characters in the name means something, but

the most important thing to remember is that the letter at the

beginning is more important than the digits after it. In order

of performance, from lowest to highest, the models are Uxxxx,

Lxxxx, Pxxxx, Txxxx, Xxxxx and Qxxxx. Thus a ‘T’ model processor

is faster than an ‘L’ model processor (though it uses more power).

Also note: if there’s an extra ‘S’ at the beginning of the name

(eg. The SP9300) – you can pretty much ignore the ‘S’ – it’s a

packaging thing and not something you have to worry about.

Within those families, a higher number generally denotes

a faster processor. It gets a little complicated, but most people

can just bank on the notion that a higher number is better.

For example, a Core 2 Duo T9300 is faster than a Core 2 Duo

T5850. If you want to know how much faster, though, you have

to do some research since from here it gets very technical

(for those geeky enough to understand, the T9300 runs at

2500MHz and has a 6MB cache; the T5850 runs at 2167MHz

and has a 2MB cache.) If you want to do that research, we’d

suggest Wikipedia’s List of Intel’s Core 2 Microprocessors as a

good guide to the different processor specs. (http://en.wikipedia.

org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Core_2_microprocessors)

Understanding AMD processors

AMD processors are much less common in notebooks than Intel

processors, but there are still a few models fl oating around.

Like Intel, AMD uses an abstract model naming system. Broadly

speaking, there are two families of AMD processors you’ll fi nd in

notebooks:

Turion is roughly equivalent to Intel’s Core 2 processors.

Like Core 2 Duo processors, Turion processors contain two

computing ‘cores’. A core is like an independent processor, so a

dual-core processor is like two processors in one.

Sempron is slower than Turion and roughly equivalent to

Celeron. It only has a single core.

The graphics chip in most notebook is fi ne for 2D graphics, but 3D games need high performance chips

77

The amount of memory in the notebook has a huge effect on performance. The more you have, the better – it’s that simple

Thankfully, AMD uses a relatively linear naming scheme, even

across its different families. Really, you can ignore the entire

processor model name and just look at the last two digits. A

Turion Ultra ZM-86 is faster than a Turion RM-72, for example

– and you don’t have to know anything about the difference

between ‘ZM’ and ‘RM’ to understand that.

operating systemTypically, you’ll get one of four options when it comes to the OS

of the notebook: Windows Vista, Windows XP, Linux and Mac OS.

Windows XP and Linux typically appear only as options

on ultraportable notebooks such as the Asus Eee PC and Dell

Inspiron Mini. These notebooks often don’t have the horsepower

to run Windows Vista and so have to run with one of these

lighter operating systems.

Though you might be familiar with Windows XP, don’t be

too quick to reject Linux – it’s often easier to use, works faster

and is much more secure than Windows XP. It is, however, more

difficult to install new software on (though typically you get an

office suite and a large batch of tools with the Linux notebook).

Mac OS, of course, is available only on Apple laptops. If you

prefer Apple, it’s what you’ll get.

Most retail laptops, however, come with one of the flavours

of Windows Vista: Home Basic, Home Premium, Business and

(rarely) Ultimate. Here’s a quick breakdown of the advantages

and disadvantages of each:

Home Basic is just the core – it doesn’t have Windows

Media Center, or some of the applications for creating and

managing multimedia.

Home Premium takes Home Basic and adds Media Center and

a suite of multimedia tools.

Business/Enterprise is designed for work use, it comes with extra

security tools such as a hard drive and data encryption, but it doesn’t

have the multimedia tools of Home Basic or Home Premium.

Ultimate provides everything. Both business security tools and

multimedia tools, as well as a few extras (at the moment, very

few), like a couple of games and the capacity to set a video as

your desktop background. It’s very expensive, however.

MemoryThe amount of memory in the notebook has a huge effect on

performance. The more you have, the better – it’s that simple.

There are some baselines you should be aware of, however.

We wouldn’t recommend getting a Windows Vista notebook with

anything less than 2GB of memory. Less than that, and you can

be sure that Vista will run slow as molasses, no matter how fast

the computer’s processor is.

Windows XP and Linux can run happily in 1GB, however.

Hard driveThis is where your data and multimedia is stored.

Much as with memory, the more hard drive space, the better

– especially if you plan on storing a lot of multimedia on there.

Video chews up hard disk space like nobody’s business, and

even photos can quickly fill a 160GB hard disk if you’re

the snap-happy type. You should look for a hard

disk with at least 160GB capacity, or even 320 or

500GB if you can get them.

It should be noted that a few new notebook

models don’t have hard disks at all – the

MacBook Air and several Eee PC models, for

example. Instead they use a kind of memory

called flash memory to store data. Typically,

this flash memory has nowhere near the

capacity of hard disks, but it does consume

much less power (extending the battery life)

and is often faster to read from or write to than

hard disks.

Also note that if the model of PC you want

doesn’t have enough storage space, you can

always expand it with an external USB hard disk

(pictured). USB hard disks have become

DESIGN

NOTEBOOK BUYERS GUIDE

We’vetalkedherealotaboutthespecificationsofnotebooks,butwhataboutdesign?Aswesawwithmobilephones,designisbecominganincreasinglyimportantfactorinbuyingdecisions,withpeoplewantingsomethingthatlooksgoodinadditiontoworkingwell.

Ofcourse,wecan’treallydictateyourtastes(asmuchaswe’dliketo),sowedon’thavealotofadviceonthatfront,excepttosayit’sagoodideatowanderintoafewcomputerstoreseverynowandthentolookforadesignyoulike.Somethingthatlooksgoodinaninternetpicturemaynotbesocoolinreality.

Inparticular,someofthedesignswe’vebeenimpressedwithinclude:theMacBookAir,withitsultra-thinandlightdesign;thebrightly-colouredDellStudionotebookmodels;Toshiba’sQosmioseries;andSony’sVaionotebooks,especiallyitsultraportablerange.

The Vaio TT series is the smallest and lightest Blu-ray enabled laptop on the market, according to Sony

78

almost ridiculously cheap in recent times, so notebook hard

drive capacity isn’t quite the issue it use to be. You can pick up a

portable 160GB USB hard disk for a little over $100 now.

ScreenThe screen size, as we noted earlier, is one of the fi rst decisions

you have to make when buying a notebook. A bigger screen is

obviously better, but the trade off is portability.

We’d strongly suggest going to a store and seeing a notebook

for yourself before buying. Even if you can’t check out the exact

model you’re considering, look for one with a similar screen size.

Then imagine yourself lugging that notebook around with you, or

sitting at your desk using it day in day out. This kind of impression

is hard to grasp in theory – seeing a notebook in reality helps.

Of course, there’s more to a screen than just size. Screen

quality is an issue as well, and again it’s not something that’s

easy to judge without a fi rsthand look. Forget the specs, the

marketing terms and the fancy technology names. How does the

screen look to you? If you can, you should even try carrying it

around to try it out in different lighting conditions. If you plan on

sitting outside with your notebook, for example, you’re going to

want to know how well it stands up to glare (and you’ll possibly

want to buy a glare shield).

Graphics chipLike processors, the graphics chip is very hard for the layman

to understand. The basic purpose of the graphics chip is to

accelerate 3D graphics, and a good one is essential if you want

to play 3D games on the notebook. Thankfully, if all you want to

do is web surf and work on your notebook, then you probably

don’t have to worry about this spec at all – when it comes to 2D

graphics (as in the Windows desktop), most graphics chips are

pretty much created equal.

If you do care about 3D gaming, however, there’s a dizzying

array of graphics chips available for notebooks and it’s not

always easy to know which is good and which won’t cut it. The

easiest way for us to help you here is to simply break down the

various currently available chips into three categories: basic,

mainstream and high performance.

In this example, you can pretty much forget about running

3D games on a basic graphics chip; on mainstream chips you

can play the occasional game with moderate settings and

high performance chips will be capable of playing the latest

games. They’re not going to match up with desktop PC graphics

performance, but they might come close.

Basic: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3400 and earlier (including

all models in the 2000’s); Intel Integrated Graphics Media.

Accelerator X3100 and earlier; Nvidia GeForce 9100M, 9200M,

9300M, 8200M, 8M series and GeForce Go 7 Series.

Mainstream: ATI Radeon Mobility Radeon HD 3600 series;

Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3500 and X4500;

Nvidia GeForce 9400M and 9500M.

High performance: ATI Radeon Mobility Radeon HD 3800

series, Nvidia GeForce 9600M, 9700M and 9800M.

optical deviceThis is used for disc playback. Assuming the notebook has an

optical device, you’re at least going to want something that

Any battery life listed tends to be best-case-scenario and not indicative of real-world battery performance78

79

aPPlEWeactuallyhaven’thadalottosayaboutApplenotebooksuptonow,andthetruthisthereisn’tmuchtosayanymore.Withtheexceptionoftheoperatingsystem,there’slittledifferenceinthespecificationsbetweenanApplenotebookandothervendors’notebooks–theyusethesameprocessors,graphicschips,memoryandeverythingelseasothernotebookvendorsdo.

Appledoeshavesomeverycooldesigns,includingsomeverylightandslimnotebooks,butothervendorshavealsocomeoutwithneatdesignsaswell.Itboilsdowntothis:ifyoulikeMacOSandApple’sdesigns,getaMac.

NOTEBOOK BUYERS GUIDE

burns discs, so look for a DVD-RW device. Even better (and if you

can afford it, since it commands a massive premium right now),

try to get hold of a Blu-ray device, which will be able to play back

high-definition Blu-ray movies.

Wireless networkingAlso known as Wi-Fi, this allows you to talk to other devices on

your local network (including your internet modem) over the

airwaves. To make use of it, you need a wireless access point in

your home. Many home modem-routers (that’s the device that

connects you to the internet) incorporate a wireless access point.

If your modem doesn’t have wireless capabilities, then you will

need to buy a separate access point, or use wired networking.

The variants of Wi-Fi are called by their rather user-

unfriendly engineering names, such as 802.11g. It’s the last letter

of that code that’s important.

Nearly all notebooks come with wireless networking, but

the best will come with 802.11n networking, which is several

times faster than the more common 802.11g (the easy way to

remember this is that ‘n’ is better than ‘g’, which is better than

‘b’). To get the full benefit of wireless ‘n’ (as it’s known) you will

also need an access point that supports it. A notebook that

has 802.11n networking can still talk to an 802.11g access point,

however, but only at ‘g’ speeds.

Note that wireless networking in this context is not the same

as wireless broadband – it’s for local area wireless only. You can’t

use the wireless networking in your notebook to connect to

Telstra or Unwired’s wireless broadband services, for example.

When you sign up for either of these services, the ISP will

provide you with a modem that you can plug into your notebook.

Service and supportHere’s the simplest piece of advice we have for you in this entire

article: if the notebook seller offers an extended warranty, get

it. Of course, check the specifics before you do – there are often

all sorts of caveats and exceptions and handling fees and rules

where notebooks have to be sent to Kazakhstan for repairs

that might take four or five months, but if everything seems

reasonable, the peace of mind that an extended warranty gives

you is well worth the extra money.

Other things to check out are support line opening hours,

return policies and whether the support staff will handle

software issues or just try and palm you off onto Microsoft

(which will then charge you for support).

WeightAs we mentioned at the top of the article, weight is one of the

big trade-offs you have to think about when buying a notebook.

A bigger screen and more hard disk space usually means more

weight.

Your tolerance for weight will largely depend on how strong

you are and how often you’ll be carrying the notebook around.

As a rule of thumb, if you’re going to be carrying the notebook

everywhere, you’ll not want something much over 3kg – and

you’ll probably want a notebook that’s considerably lighter. One

of the ultraportables, which can weigh less than a kilogram and

can fit in a handbag might suit you best.

other factorsOf course, while these are the major specs, there is much more

to a modern notebook than that. If you look at the specifications

page, you might find a few extra details worth knowing.

Battery life: Once this would have made the front page of

any notebook specs sheet, but now a notebook’s rated battery

life tends to be buried, if it’s even listed at all. It’s not because

battery life has become worse – it hasn’t – but because it’s so

hard to measure with any accuracy. Battery life very much

depends on how a notebook it used: light web browsing may

only require a small amount of power, while watching high def

movies may burn through a charge in less than two hours.

Any battery life listed tends to be best-case-scenario and not

indicative of real-world battery performance.

Some notebooks will come with different battery options, and

which you choose will largely depend on how long you plan to

stay unplugged. Battery life tends to scale in a linear fashion: a

60-cell battery will last about 50 percent longer than

Nearly all notebooks come with wireless networking, but the best offer the latest 802.11n standard

80

a 40-cell battery. Another option is to buy an extra battery that

you can swap out with the original.

Memory card reader: A memory card reader allows you to take

the memory card out of your digital camera or mobile phone

and put it directly into the PC. In Windows, a new drive letter

should appear when you should do so, and you should be able

to access any fi les stored on the memory card as if they were on

the notebook’s own hard disk.

Express and PC card slots: Many notebook PCs, especially

larger models, have these. ExpressCard and PC Cards are

ways of expanding the capabilities of a notebook. PC Cards are

roughly credit card-sized expansion cards, while ExpressCards

are usually about half that size. They’re typically used for

adding things such a TV tuner to the notebook (allowing you

to watch TV on the notebook’s screen), wireless networking (if

you wanted to upgrade to 802.11n, for example) or as a slot into

which you can plug a modem for wireless broadband – you can

get a Telstra 3G broadband ExpressCard, for instance.

Camera: A webcam embedded above the screen is a common

feature of many consumer notebooks. It allows you to video

conference over the internet using Windows Messenger or

Skype or other net messaging software. The camera’s resolution

isn’t really that important, since any video conferencing you

do with the notebook is going to be in relatively low resolution

anyway.

Bluetooth: Another common feature in notebooks, Bluetooth

allows the notebook to communicate wirelessly with other

Bluetooth devices, such as mobile phones, multimedia speakers

and wireless headsets. For example, you could potentially use

Bluetooth to wirelessly sync your notebook’s calendar with that

of your smartphone.

Integrated LAN: A near-universal feature of notebooks, This is

for wired networking with an Internet modem and other PCs. You

use a copper Ethernet cable to connect the notebook to a switch or

router, which is the hub into which all the other devices plug as well.

There are really two possibilities: 100 megabit (Fast) and 1000

megabit (Gigabit) Ethernet. Gigabit Ethernet is ten times faster, but

for it to work at those speeds you need a Gigabit Ethernet switch.

A notebook with Gigabit Ethernet can still operate on a regular Fast

Ethernet network, however, but only at Fast Ethernet speeds.

TV output: This allows you to plug your notebook into your

TV set and effectively use it as a very large monitor. S-Video or

composite outputs work with older, non-HD screens. Though

newer HD fl at TVs often also have these types of inputs, it

probably won’t look very good.

An HDMI output on the notebook means you can plug it into

you HD fl at screen for maximum video quality.

Durability: This one is diffi cult to assess, and typically stores

won’t allow you do any durability testing before you buy (they

tend to get a little antsy when you start deliberately dropping

their display notebooks to test how rugged they are).

There’s a small category of ‘ruggedised’ notebooks such as

the Panasonic ToughBook or NEC SheildPro are designed to be

abused, but most notebooks are fairly delicate. The most fragile

parts are the screen and the internal hard disk – and notebooks

that use fl ash memory instead of a hard disk obviously eliminate

one of these potential points of failure. ■

ERGONOMICSOnethingfartoofewpeoplethinkaboutwhenchoosinganotebookoveradesktopcomputeristheissueofergonomics.Inshort,theergonomicsofnotebooksisprettyterrible–thescreenistoosmallandtoolowandthekeyboardistoosmall.Anddon’tgetusstartedontheglidepad.

It’sprimarilyforthisreasonthatwerecommendthatpeoplewhoaregoingtokeeptheircomputersituatedinoneplaceallthetimebuyadesktopPCinstead.Ifyou’regoingtobesittinginfrontofitforhourseveryday,thenit’sagoodideatogetsomethingthatwon’tdoasmuchdamagetoyourpostureorwristtendons.

Ifyou’vegotyourheartsetonanotebook,however,we’dstronglysuggestbuyingadesktopmonitorandUSBmouseandkeyboardforwhenthenotebookisatyourdesk.Thedesktopmonitorshouldberaisedsothatthetopofthescreenisjustbelowyournormaleyelevel.

The global economic crisis has hammered the Australian dollar recently, and as a result we may soon see an uptick in prices for notebooks

Notebooks that accept PC Cards can be upgraded with HDTV tuners and wireless broadband modems

81

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82

IN MOTION

TAKING IT WITH YOU

Whoever said you can’t take it with you sure wasn’t taking about movies and music. Whether it’s a long-haul fl ight, daily commute, holiday road trip or just time for chillin’ by the pool or in your bedroom, Nic Tatham’s round-up of gear is sure to keep you personally entertained this summer.

SHE’LL BE APPLES

NON-IPODS

A few years ago, music on the move (forget about movies) meant the original Walkman. Audiocassettes were the only way to compile your own playlists and, with both sides recorded, you’d have around 100 minutes of lo-fi analog listening. Boy, how times have changed. My 4GB Walkman will hold (at average quality) over 900 songs and play up to 15 hours of video, but this is small fry compared to what some portable devices are capable of storing.

Apple’s largest capacity iPod Classic, for example, boasts specs on par with home PCs from not very long ago. Up to 120GB of memory equates to 30,000 songs, 150 hours of video or 25,000 photos in your hip pocket. Joining it – and heading up Apple’s collection as “the funnest iPod ever” – is the iPod Touch. There’s capacity for 7000 MP3 fi les and up to 40 hours of video, a wireless web browser, the ability to send and receive emails or fi nd the nearest coffee shop via GPS. You can even download movies, games and TV shows from Apple’s online iTunes and Apps store, and when paired with the Nike + iPod shoes and sports kit, loads of feedback about your run or workout (eg. distance travelled, time taken, calories burned) is transmitted from your sneakers directly to your Touch… and without interruption to your best motivation music.

APPLE IPOD CLASSIC 120GB $339 APPLE IPOD TOUCH from $329 (8GB) APPLE STORE 133 622

Not long ago the MP3 player was a highly treasured little item, but with prices toppling to just a few dollars for a basic fl ash player, it’s become kinda disposable. If the kids accidentally swap theirs at school for a bag of chips or hop into the pool forgetting that it’s on, the fi nancial damage needn’t be vast.

Players with larger capacities typically offer better sound performance and build quality, with greater functionality and better screen quality. More memory allows you to download MP3s at higher bitrates – say, 256 and 320 kb/s – delivering sound quality that’s barely distinguishable from CD. Our favourites include the iRiver SPINN and Creative Zen X-Fi multimedia players, with the standout being Sony’s new A Series. Its largest is only 16GB, but with Bluetooth, video support and really decent headphones, they sound the business.

SONY NWZ-A829KB $349 SONY AUSTRALIA1300 137 669

IRIVER SPINN (8GB) $279IRIVER AUSTRALASIA (C.R. KENNEDY & CO.)(03) 9823 1555

CREATIVE ZEN X-FI (32GB) $339CREATIVE AUSTRALIA 1300 788 528

TAKING IT WITH YOU

have changed. My 4GB Walkman will hold (at average quality) over

Apple’s largest capacity iPod Classic, for example, boasts specs

wireless web browser, the ability to send and receive emails or fi nd

Not long ago the MP3 player was a highly treasured little item, but with prices toppling to just a few dollars for a basic fl ash player, it’s become

bitrates – say, 256 and 320 kb/s – delivering sound quality that’s barely

new A Series. Its largest is only 16GB, but with Bluetooth, video support

83

MP3 DOCKS

ROCK THE DAILY DRIVE

84

There’s a lot of variety when it comes to speakers that free the tunes from your portable player or iPod, from small tabletop form factors to models as large as you like. Whichever size, the starting point for choosing any dock is the embedded speakers, and it would be easy to say “just buy the one with the best speakers”, but it’s just not that easy. The thing that will actually determine how good the speaker dock sounds is the quality of what you’re putting in to it (choose 256 and 320 kbps encoding rather than the default 128kbps).

There is also a variety of add-on features that you can opt to buy into, from alarm clock systems to streaming and remote controls. Look, too, for equipment that provides good control of iPod menus, a 3.5mm audio input jack for connecting non-iPod players and portable CD players, compatibility with numerous iPod models and optional battery power.

PHILIPS DC910 $249PHILIPS AUSTRALIA 1300 363 391

YAMAHA TSX-120, $TBAYAMAHA AUSTRALIA 1300 739 411

If your daily drive isn’t factory fi tted with a DVD head-unit and fold-down screens for backseat passengers, portable DVD players can be bought for around $100 from chain stores such as Aldi and Big W.

More dollars buys a more robust unit; one likely to withstand the hazards of a nomad life spent in tents, caravans and motel rooms. Better quality models will sport bright, high resolution screens, power saving modes (whereby screen can be dimmed to conserve battery power), long-life rechargeable batteries, higher quality outputs, such as component video and optical audio, for connection to televisions and other equipment, dual headphone sockets and sturdy harnesses for in-cabin mounting.

For music, there is a wide range of affordable accessories that transmit the contents of your portable audio player – songs, audiobooks, podcasts – through your car’s speakers via a specifi ed FM frequency on your car radio. Performance from these devices varies, especially in city areas where the crowded FM band causes interference.

A wired solution is better, and many aftermarket car head-units provide an auxiliary input for connecting portable players and iPods, with transport operations typically provided via the CD controls. A good connection between player and socket is essential here, so don’t be tempted to skimp on cable

Many brands now offer dedicated iPod connections on aftermarket CD/DVD head-units, meaning you can more safely access, view and control the iPod’s menus while driving by using the head-unit rather than the player. DVD head-units with integrated screen will also play video from portable media players.

PIONEER DEH-P7050BT $549PIONEER ELECTRONICS1800 060 852

KENSINGTON LIQUIDAUX (IPOD & IPHONE) $100KENSINGTON COMPUTER PRODUCTS 1300 366 376

IN MOTION

MP3 DOCKS NETBOOKS

GAMES ON THE GOROCK THE DAILY DRIVE

85

TAKING IT WITH YOU

While most mobile phones come preloaded with games, they don’t hold a candle to what can be enjoyed on dedicated portable gamers such as the Playstation Portable (PSP) and Nintendo DS. These offer bright, colour screens with decent dimensions and resolution, superior control interfaces and, between them, several hundred titles covering broad genres, ability levels and age groups. They also offer wireless game play, download play and plenty of add-on accessories to expand play. The latest PSP also includes a microphone for games that utilise headsets and for making cheap phone calls over the internet using Skype.

The DS has typically been the choice of younger gamers, but Brain Training, Crosswords and Soduku are broadening its appeal. The PSP catalogue is skewed towards a more mature gamer.

An unexpected newcomer to this space is the iPhone. Unlike titles for PS3 or DS, many of the games that can be downloaded from the Apps store are free or cost just a couple of dollars. They are made all the more compelling by the iPhone’s large colour screen, accelerometer, real-time 3D graphics, positional audio and multi-touch interface.

SONY PSP 3000 $299SONY AUSTRALIA 1300 137 669

NINTENDO DS LITE $200NINTENDO CUSTOMER SERVICE (03) 9730 982

IPHONE 3G $799APPLE STORE 133 622

Portable DVD players are lighter, more affordable and offer longer battery life than a notebook computer with all its multimedia functionality, but for that middle ground between entertainment and computing the Netbook/Netop is the way to go.

These handle all the most common computing applications and connect to the net for emailing, browsing (‘facebooking’ and ‘myspacing’), web conferencing and downloading, but because they typically employ fl ash memory and a CD/DVD drive they are small and light enough to easily carry around. Screens are often a tad larger than portable DVD players (around 9 inches), making video easy on the eye; headphone sockets – as well as rudimentary speakers – satisfy most audio requirements. To boot, they cost very little compared to conventional notebooks, with most priced below $500.

DELL INSPIRON MINI 9 $599DELL 1800 812 393

HEWLETT PACKARD HP2133 $899HEWLETT PACKARD AUSTRALIA 1300 304 889

ASUS EEE PC 900 $599ASUSTEK COMPUTER(AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD1300 278 788

LOSE THE WIRES

IN YER HEAD

86

TAKING IT WITH YOU

Wireless technology seems to be everywhere these days and it’s also a great way distribute music. Studio Acoustics makes a novel ball-shaped speaker (SA92FWS ) that fl oats in the pool, merrily playing music transmitted from a source up to 50 metres away. It’ll also handle 30 minutes on the bottom if the kids can hold their breath that long. The brand also produces a wireless iPod-docking indoor/outdoor speaker that’ll take a bit of water splash in its stride (SA24WS).

Tivoli Audio made the humble radio cool again and it’s also gone on to develop some nifty wireless radio gear. Its new NetWorks Global Radios play the music stored on your computer wirelessly, anywhere in the house. So if you fancy some tunes in the bedroom, kitchen or wherever, the compact Networks radio will receive and play your music fi les or Internet radio, either via Ethernet or WiFi.

STUDIO ACOUSTICS SA92FWS $129; SA24WS $299STUDIO ACOUSTICS (03) 8587 8889

TIVOLI AUDIO NETWORKS INTERNET RADIO $799 AUDIO DYNAMICS (03) 9882 0372

It’s fair to say that most MP3 players (not all) come with fairly standard ’phones and one of the easiest ways to improve sound quality is to upgrade them. Klipsch has a few models that will do just this. Its Custom 2 in-ear headphones seal your ears and make effective noise isolators, letting just the music in. They come with fi ve sets of gel ear ‘plugs’ and an infl ight adaptor so you needn’t use the rubbish headphones they hand out in economy class.

Headphone stalwart, Sennheiser, makes a prolifi c range, including true noise-cancellers. One of its best pairs are the PXC450 which are designed to cancel out up to 90 percent of the ambient noise surrounding you, while providing true ‘audiophile’ sound quality. And if you do want to hear what someone’s saying to you when you’re wearing them, a ‘talk-through’ button lets you do just that.

Another much smaller set of earpieces that claim to block out up to 85 percent of external sounds are Audio-Technica’s ATH-ANC3. The brand has been synonymous with microphone and headphone design over the years and these little cancellers make perfect iPod partners.

KLIPSCH CUSTOM 2 $299POWERMOVE DISTRIBUTION PTY LTD (03) 9464 4999

SENNHEISER PXC450 $800SYNTEC INTERNATIONAL 1800 648 628

AUDIO-TECHNICA ATH-ANC3 $249TECHNICAL AUDIO GROUP (02) 9519 0900

IN MOTION

ACTMillennium Audio VisualUnit C, 66 Maryborough St.Fyshwick ACT 260902 6162 3330www.mav.com.au

Sound Advice Australia21 Molonglo MallFyshwick ACT 260902 6280 8777www.soundadvice.com.au

NSWAdvanced Entertainment SystemsUnit 14 12 Cecil Road Hornsby, NSW 207702 9477 3377www.aesonline.com.au

Advanced Living2/29 Mitchell RoadBrookvale NSW 201102 9939 0188www.advancedliving.com.au

Andrew Parker Custom AV Installations5 Honeysuckle PlaceKellyville, NSW 215502 8824 7177www.andrewparker.com.au

Audio Connection455 - 40Parramatta RoadLeichhardt, NSW 204002 9518 3000www.audioconnection.com.au

Audio Connection (Caringbah)381 Port Hacking RoadCaringbah NSW 222902 9518 3000www.audioconnection.com.au

Audio Connection (Drummoyne)137 Victoria Road Drummoyne NSW 204702 9561 0788www.audioconnection.com.au

Audio Junction4/74-84 Tudor StreetHamilton, NSW 230302 4962 1490www.audiojunction.com.au

Audio Solutions1133 Botany Road,Mascot, NSW 202002 9317 3330www.audiosolutions.net.au

Audio Visual & Security Unlimited5/686 New South Head RoadRose Bay, NSW 202902 9371 2052www.audiovisualunlimited.com.au

Audio Visual Lifestyle86 Merewether StreetMerewether NSW 229102 49 635304avlifestyle@exemail.com.au

AVD Australia Pty Ltd55 Atchison Street St Leonards NSW 206502 9906 2424www.avd.com.au

Castle Integrated Media 372 B Military RoadCremorne NSW 209002 9953 8037 www.castleintegrated.com.au

Chase Design43 Junction Road, Summer Hill, NSW 213002 9798 2155chasedesign@bigpond.com

CONNEXIONS (NSW) Pty Ltd 19C Grace AveFrenchs Forest, NSW 208602 9453 2766connexions@cnxns.com.au

Custom Home ElectronicsPO Box 564Hamilton, NSW 230302 4940 0409jefferson@customhomeelectronics.com.au

David Leisk Electronics25/1 Short StreetChatswood, NSW 206702 9882 3733www.davidleisk.com.au

Domayne AV/IT Castle Hill 16 Victoria AvenueCastle Hill NSW 2154 02 9846 8831 mark.borg@au.domayne.com www.domayne.com

E.C.S. Services Pty Ltd22 Forestwood CrWest Pennant Hills, NSW 212502 9871 4061www.ecss.com.au

EBM SystemsPO Box 1865Hornsby Westfi eld, NSW 163502 9029 9245www.ebmsystems.com.au

Electronic EnterprisesShop 2, 9 - 11 St Johns AveGordon, NSW 207202 9880 02111www.electronicenterprises.com.au

Electronic Environments1 Lansdowne ParadeOatley, NSW 222302 9585 1233www.electronicenvironments.com.au

Eris McCarthy Home TechnologyPO Box 8099Tumbi Umbi, NSW 226102 4389 1990www.erismccarthy.com.au

Harvey Norman CommercialHome Automation Systems15 - 21 Atkinson RdTaren Point, NSW 222902 9710 4321www.hncommercial.com.au

Infra Red Entertainment & Automated InteriorsSte. 2, 11 Albany StreetSt Leonards, NSW 206502 9439 6444www.infrared.com.au

Insound Pty Ltd108 West StreetCrows Nest, NSW 206502 9954 9122tex@insound.com.au

Instinct ElectricalPO Box 557Dee Why, NSW 209902 9938 3188www.instinctelectrical.com.au

Intelligent Control Systems ‘ICS’13/3 Apollo StreetWarriewood, NSW 210202 9999 0766www.icsonline.net.au

IntelliStreamPO Box 4018Kotara East,NSW 230502 4957 8820www.intellistream.com.au

JFK Audio VisualPO Box 78Seaforth, NSW 20920414 434 535www.jfk.com.au

Jory Home Systems Pty Ltd6 Morrisey WayRouse Hill, NSW 215502 9836 5132www.joryelectric.com

Len Wallis Audio64 Burns Bay RoadLane Cove, NSW 206602 9427 6755www.lenwallisaudio.com

Life Style Store Pty LtdUnit 8 - The Junction, 2 Windsor Road Parramatta, NSW 215002 9683 7222www.lifestylestore.com.au

LovemyTVPO Box 3320Bangor, NSW 22340439 888 113www.lovemytv.com.au

Mac Hi Fi Pty Ltd17 Flinders StreetWollongong, NSW 250002 4227 6767www.machifi .com.au

Matrix Audio Visual Services22 Palm StreetSt Ives, NSW 207502 9440 0282bradley@matrixaudiovisual.com.au

McLeans Smarter Home EntertainmentCnr Minto & The Entrance RoadsLong Jetty, NSW 226102 4333 3545www.mcleans.info

Neutral Bay Hi Fi89 Spofforth StreetMosman, NSW 208802 9908 1285nbhifi @bigpond.net.au

New Fidelity Pty Ltd392 Darling StreetBalmain, NSW 204102 9818 2333www.newfi delity.com.au

OPOC Solutions Pty Ltd1 Campbell AvenueNormanhurst NSW 207602 9489 0906www.opoc.com.au

Pacifi c Hi Fi62 Macquarie Stree Liverpool NSW 217002 9600 6655www.pacifi chifi .com.au

SKE Communication & Automation Pty LtdUnit 2, 51 Pacifi c HighwayBennetts Green NSW 229002 494 867 60www.ske.com.au

Smart Home SolutionsUnit 21 56 O’Riordan StreetAlexandria, NSW 201502 9304 4700www.smarthomes.com.au

Soundys Electrical and Computers383 Goonoo Goonoo RoadTamworth, NSW 234002 6765 4477day1@bigpond.net.au

Sturman Electronics Pty Ltd443 Crown StreetWest Wollongong, NSW 250002 4226 6690www.sturmans.com.au

Sydney HiFi ASVPO Box 150Mascot, NSW 202002 9578 0118www.sydneyhifi .com.au

Sydney Home Cinema Pty LtdPO Box 6072 Narraweena NSW 2099 0413 397 256www.sydneyhomecinema.com.au

The Directors Chair Sydney1st Floor, 527 Botany RoadAlexandria NSW 20151300 652 480www.thedirectorschair.com.au

TJA CommunicationsPO Box 300Seven Hills, NSW 214702 9838 4622www.tjacom.com.au

Tomorrows430 New South Head Road Double Bay NSW 20281300 880 840www.tomorrows.com.au

Zeale GroupP.O. Box 1196Albury NSW 264002 6041 1484www.zealegroup.com.au

QLDAudio Dreams Australia17 Lillypilly PlaceMooloolaba, QLD 455707 5444 8122www.audiodreams.com.au

Auztech Industries Pty LtdPO Box 4368Logenholme DC, QLD 412907 3806 3133www.auztech.com.au

AVTEC12 Buckle Court Sinnamon Park QLD 407307 3279 6353www.avtec.com.au

Complete Audio3 Rose StreetMaroochydore, QLD 455807 5443 6721www.completeaudio.com.au

CEDIA INSTALLER DIRECTORY

WANT A CUSTOM INSTALL? Make sure you use a CEDIA CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL

and have peace of mind.

CEDIA members specialize in the planning, design, supply, installation and

concealment of automated electronic systems for the modern, intelligent

home. They can install anything from multi-room audio and home cinema

systems to complete home networks and sub-systems which intelligently

control lighting, HVAC and even garden areas.

For more information go to www.cedia.com.au

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CEDIA

88

Custom InstallPO Box 1250, Spring Hill, QLD 400407 3277 9823www.custominstall.com.au

Electronic Interiors Brisbane (Formerly Toombul Music) 2 / 180 Northgate Road Northgate, QLD 401307 3266 2533www.einteriors.com.au

Fi Audio Video3/3 Gibson RoadNoosaville, QLD 456607 5455 6300www.fiaudiovideo.com.au

Harvey Norman Home AutomationPO Box 5935 GCMC Bundall, QLD 421707 5584 3128steve.cavalier@au.harveynorman.com

HomeTech Systems Pty LtdPO Box 979 Nerang QLD 421107 5502 0760info@hometechsystems.com.au

Home Theatrix - Bundall56 Ashmore Road, Bundall, QLD 412707 5531 7244www.hometheatrix.com.au

Home Theatrix - MurarrieUnit 11 Nautilus Business Park 210 Queensport RdMurarrie, QLD 41721 300 555 270www.hometheatrix.com.au

Hoopers Sound CentreShed 11 Durietz CourtGympie, QLD 457007 5482 3409www.hooperssound.com.au

In Sight & Sound Pty Ltd125 Shamley Heath RoadKureelpa, QLD 456007 5445 7799www.in-sight.com.au

Skehan Antenna’s Pty Ltd14 Goombungee RdKingstaorpe, QLD 440007 4630 0447mjskehan@bigpond.com.au

Star Home Theatre9 Bonavista AvenueDoonan QLD 456207 5471 1194www.starhometheatre.com.au

Stereo SuppliesGold Coast Mail Centre PO Box 6817, Gold CoastQLD 972607 5531 7955www.stereosupplies.com.au

Stereo World Pty Ltd139 Sheridan StreetCairns, QLD 487007 4051 1725www.stereoworld.com.au

Todds Sound & Vision1 308 New Cleveland RoadTingalpa, QLD 417307 3907 7777www.todds.com.au

The Directors Chair 3 / 49 Jijaws StreetSumner Park QLD 407407 3376 7065www.thedirectorschair.com.au

VideoproLevel 1 1062 Ann StreetFortitude Valley, QLD 400607 3250 0000www.videopro.com.au

VisiontronicsPO Box 11, Landsborough, QLD 45500412 314 466www.visiontronics.com.au

Visual Focus 16 Clifford Street Toowoomba QLD 4350617 4632 0402www.visualfocus.com.au

SAHarvey Norman Mile EndPO Box 288 Torrensville, SA 503108 8150 8000www.harveynorman.com.au

Sound & Vision Studio237 Greenhill RoadDulwich, SA 506508 8364 4000www.sv-studio.com.au

TASSoundtech Integrated Systems262 York StreetLaunceston TAS 725003 6331 9900www.soundsmart.biz

VICAdvanced Lifestyle Solutions Pty LtdPO Box 360, Niddrie, VIC 304203 8307 5618www.advancedlifestylesolutions.com.au

Audio Trends 10 Argent Place Ringwood Vic 313503 9874 8233www.audiotrends.com.au

Cableman Pty LtdLevel 1/1227 Glen Huntly RoadGlen Huntly, VIC 316303 9572 8900www.cableman.com.au

Carlton Audio Visual164 - 172 Lygon St, Carlton, VIC 305303 9639 2737www.carltonaudiovisual.com.au

Custom Home TheatrePO Box 963 Berwick VIC 380603 9796 2617www.customhometheatre.com.au

Encel Stereo - Richmond 84 Bridge Road, Richmond, VIC 312103 9428 3761www.encelstereo com.au

Frankston Hi Fi450 Nepean HighwayFrankston, VIC 319903 9781 1111www.frankstonhifi.com.au

howdoi.com pty ltd6a / 4 Rocklea DrivePort Melbourne, VIC 320703 9646 9116www.howdoi.com.au

IBS Audio Visual Pty Ltd43 Dalgety StreetOakleigh VIC 316603 9568 2800www.ibsav.com.au

Integrated Technologies Australia PO Box 570, Kilsyth, VIC 313703 9761 8700www.integratedtechnologiesaustralia.com.au

Interior Sound and VisionPO Box 1093, Niddrie, VIC 304203 9336 7643www.isvinfo.com.au

Inteverge Pty LtdPO Box 2501, Kew, VIC 31010409 178 076www.inteverge.com

Livingstone Audio Pty Ltd3 Lawrence StreetBlackburn South, VIC 313003 9878 4800www.livingstoneaudio.com.au

Smart Systems Pty Ltd0Church Street, Hawthorn, VIC 312203 9818 8006www.smartsystems.com.au

Steve Bennett Hi Fi174 Ryrie Street, Geelong, VIC 322003 5221 6011www.sbhifi.com.au

Tasman AV Pty Ltd6 Hood St, Collingwood, VIC 306603 9416 2255www.tasmanav.com.au

WAAVARNTI1/ 325 Harborne StOsborne Park, WA 601708 9443 1288www.avarnti.com

Digital Interiors319 Hay StreetSubiaco, WA 60080417 921 223www.digitalinteriors.com.au

Douglas Hi Fi Enterprises Pty Ltd401 Murray StreetPerth, WA 600008 9322 3466www.douglashifi.com.au

Electronic Interiors WA 125 Burswood RoadBurswood, WA 610008 9472 4800www.einteriors.com.au

Frank Prowse Hi-Fi6-14 Glyde StreetMosman Park, WA 601208 9384 1362www.frankprowsehifi.com.au

Hillstone CommunicationsPO Box 599Kalamunda, WA 692608 9293 3621hillstone@westnet.com.au

Home Cinema Systems 2 / 18 Port Kembla Drive Bibra Lake WA 6163 08 9434 5556 www.homecinemasystems.com.au

Innovative Home Systems7/3 King Edwards Rd Osborne Park WA 601708 9242 8983www.innovativehomesystem.com.au

Intelligent Home Automated Solutions25 Wittenoom Street East Perth, WA 600408 9325 7775www.intelligenthome.com.au

Light Application Pty Ltd78 Erindale RoadBalcatta WA 602108 9240 6644www.lightapplication.com.au

Northam Home Cinema 5 Oliver Street Northam, WA 640108 9622 5198bevanautopro@westnet.com.au

Surround SoundsUnit 3, 83-85 Stirling HighwayNedlands, WA 600908 9389 6900www.surroundsounds.com.au

Starship IndustriesPO Box 30Claremont WA 60100428 912 099starship@global.net.au

Ultimation488 Scarborough Beach RdOsborne Park WA 60171 300 880 544www.ultimation.com.au

Vince Ross Audio World162 Stirling HighwayNedlands, WA 600908 9386 8144www.vinceross.com.au

NZALETRO LtdPO Box 9680Newmarket, Auckland+64 9 307 1238www.aletro.com

Automation AssociatesPO Box 109722Newmarket - Auckland+64 9 377 3778www.aa.net.nz

Liquid AutomationP.O. Box 300753Albany Auckland 632+64 9 444 2440 www.liquidautomation.co.nz

Smartline37 Cracroft Street, Waitara, FitzroyNew Plymouth64 6 754 6771www.homenet.net.nz

Sound Advice FirstPO Box 12-145Christchurch 8002+64 3 379 9416www.soundadvicefirst.com

Soundline Audio LtdBox 2650, Christchurch 8002+64 3 379 5695www.soundline.co.nz

Soundline Audio LtdCapital Gateway Centre, 56 Thorndon QuayWellington+64 4 471 0542www.soundline.co.nz

The Listening Post657 Victoria StreetHamilton+64 7 839 0135www.listening.co.nz

Strawberry Sound90 Falsgrove StreetChristchurch +64 3 379 8477www.strawberrysound.co.nz

Strawberry Sound21 Bath StreetDunedin+64 3 477 7742www.strawberrysound.co.nz

The GadgetGuy™

presents great gear and top tech for your digital lifepresents great gear and top presents great gear and top

GEAR LOG

SONY ALPHA900

Great shakesGot the shakes after a bit too much festive indulgence? Fear not, with its world’s fi rst for a D-SLR ‘Steady Shot Inside’ anti-shake system, Sony’s new α900 compensates for the wobbliest of hangover amateur shooters. It’s got what counts in the spec department too, with what Sony claims is the highest resolution in its class – some 24.6 megapixels available on a 35mm full frame size CMOS sensor.

Working to make the most of all those pixels, the α900 employs not one, but twin ‘Bionz’ image processing engines which rapidly handle the image data when shooting at speeds of up to fi ve frames a second. Together with the image sensor, colours are said to be natural with rich tones, while there’s excellent image resolution with minimal noise.

Designed to take ‘serious’ pictures rather than simply ‘point and shoot’, budding Ken Duncans will no doubt appreciate the α900’s 100 percent coverage viewfi nder, built-in eyepiece shutter, and 7.6cm extra fi ne LCD for on-the spot viewing.

PRICE $4499 (body only)

Sony Australia PH 1300 720 071 WEB www.sony.com.au

UNIDEN TRAX 436

Making TraxUniden’s Trax 436 includes everything you’d want in a GPS, including the latest 2009 Whereis Maps with preloaded Australia and New Zealand maps, Bluetooth hands-free for making phone calls safely while driving, Text To Speech (TTS) and safety camera information. TTS gives precise spoken directions, describing ‘Turn right in 100 metres’ as ‘Turn right in 100 metres onto Smith Street’, for example, while information on upcoming fi xed speed and red light cameras helps keep you safe on the road and avoid traffi c infringement fi nes. To boot, the Trax 436 also provides information on road elevations, including overhead bridges, while driving, plus the ability to view more than 100 key Australian landmarks in 3-D, such as the Sydney Opera House, Sydney QVB and Melbourne MCG. Completing the elite GPS package is built-in lane guidance and TMC (Traffi c Management Control), which allows subscribers to the service to receive live traffi c updates.

PRICE $450

Uniden Australia WEB www.uniden.com.au

calls safely while driving, Text To Speech (TTS) and safety camera

‘Turn right in 100 metres’ as ‘Turn right in 100 metres onto Smith

Great shakesGot the shakes after a bit too much festive indulgence? Fear not, with its world’s fi rst for a D-SLR ‘Steady Shot Inside’ anti-shake system, Sony’s new shooters. It’s got what counts in the spec department too, with what Sony claims is the highest resolution in its class – some 24.6 megapixels available on a 35mm full frame size CMOS sensor.

one, but twin ‘Bionz’ image processing engines which rapidly handle the image data when shooting at speeds of up to fi ve frames a second. Together with the image sensor, colours are said to be natural with rich tones, while there’s excellent image resolution with minimal noise.

shoot’, budding Ken Duncans will no doubt appreciate the percent coverage viewfi nder, built-in eyepiece shutter, and 7.6cm extra fi ne LCD for on-the spot viewing.

PRICE

Sony Australia

NOKIA N96

Neat handfulThe release of Nokia’s much anticipated N96 would make any member of the family a very happy mobile phone user this Chrimbo. It’s the company’s answer to Apple’s massively successful iPhone and in an effort of one-upmanship, does pack a few extra punches compared to the Apple.

Apart from making and receiving phone calls, the N96 is a ‘convergence’ of technologies, including a 5 megapixel camera, GPS receiver with turn-by-turn navigation using Navteq maps, up to 24GB of memory, and Nokia’s N-Gage gaming access preloaded. All of which is viewable via its 7cm screen.

The N96 isn’t so much of a phone, but a total mobile experience that takes video and camera capabilities, music playing, navigation and internet connectivity to a whole new level. You can download video content, shoot it yourself or share it among friends. Just make sure you’re not driving when doing so.

PRICE $1349Nokia Australia PH 1300 366 733WEB www.nokia.com.au

The release of Nokia’s much anticipated N96 would make any member of the family a very happy mobile phone user this Chrimbo. It’s the company’s answer to Apple’s massively successful iPhone and in an effort of one-upmanship, does pack a few extra punches

Apart from making and receiving phone calls, the N96 is a ‘convergence’ of technologies, including a 5 megapixel

friends. Just make sure you’re not driving when doing so.

89

PROUDLYSPONSORED BY

90

SAMSUNG HMX20C

SAMSUNG OMNIA

Quick shotApart from a Turkey (if you’re going traditional), plenty of grog and a trip down to the beach, no Christmas should be without a camcorder to record the festivities. Samsung’s palm-sized HMX20C will capture all the fun and frolics in full HD at 1920 x 1080 resolution. That’s as good as it gets.

So that you don’t miss any of the action, the ‘Quick Start’ feature captures video at a rapid 250 frames per second, while 8GB of onboard fl ash memory enables shooting four times faster than your DVD-recording variety camcorder. Happy snappers can use the 10x optical zoom lens to capture 4 megapixel still images, plus there’s all manner of connections, including HDMI, to hook it up to the TV and AV system, allowing you to sit back at the end of Christmas day and do it all again in crisp, lovely full high defi nition.

PRICE $1299Samsung Electronics AustraliaPH 1300 369 600 WEB www.samsung.com.au

Omni-talentedGone are the days when your mobile phone was just that. Samsung’s new Omnia Smartphone puts the world at your fi ngertips with its intuitive high resolution touch-sensitive screen and complete suite of multimedia functions.

This mobile is all about touchy-feely convenience for communications and entertainment on the move, with Samsung’s patented TouchWiz UI interface and

advanced widget technology. It’s a phone; it’s a 5 megapixel camera; there’s Bluetooth and MultiCodec support; plus the Omnia’s 32GB of memory

means there’s room enough to store and play up to 8000 MP3s, 23 DVD-quality movies or view up to 12,000 high resolution

images.If that’s not enough palm-held technology for

you, then how’s about a fast 7.2Mbps HSDPA internet connection with full Windows Professional 6.1 and

Microsoft Offi ce usage? All of this in a device whose platinum-plated case is just 12.5mm thin – perfect to slip

into any Xmas stocking.

PRICE $79 monthly cap plan through Vodaphone/Hutchison

Samsung Electronics Australia PH 1300 369 600WEB www.samsung.com.au

Mobile computingRemember the days when your incar head-unit used to chew your tapes and pick up scratchy-sounding radio stations? Thankfully, those days are long gone and we’ve now got bits of dash-mounted gear like the Gizmosis InFill G4. This is an ‘incar computer’ and one that would have made KIT from Knight Rider jealous, packing a 120GB hard disk drive and 1GB of RAM memory. It also runs a full version of Windows XP, has a 15cm touchscreen, or for driving safety’s sake, can be voice activated.

There isn’t much else it won’t do either: USB broadband connects you to the ‘net and will send/receive emails; it’s a GPS receiver; has Bluetooth connectivity for your mobile phone, and also supports wireless WiFi so you can cruise the streets looking for ‘hotspots’ or transfer fi les from your automobile to your wireless network at home.

Unfortunately, unlike KIT, it won’t drive your car for you. Not yet, anyway.

PRICE $4250 (excluding installation)

Gizmosis PH 1300 449 667WEB www.gizmosis.com.au

SAMSUNG HMX20CSAMSUNG HMX20C

Quick shotApart from a Turkey (if you’re going traditional), plenty of grog and a trip down to the beach, no Christmas should be without a camcorder to record the festivities. Samsung’s palm-sized HMX20C will capture all the fun and frolics in full HD at 1920 x 1080 resolution. That’s as good as it gets.

Start’ feature captures video at a rapid 250 frames per second, while 8GB of onboard fl ash memory enables shooting four times faster than your DVD-recording variety camcorder. Happy snappers can use the 10x optical zoom lens to capture 4 megapixel still images,

to hook it up to the TV and AV system, allowing you to sit back at the end of Christmas day and do it all again in crisp, lovely full high defi nition.

PRICESamsung Electronics AustraliaPH

GIZMOSIS INFILL G4

9090

Omni-talentedGone are the days when your mobile phone was just that. Samsung’s new Omnia Smartphone puts the world at your fi ngertips with its intuitive high resolution touch-sensitive screen and complete suite of multimedia functions.

This mobile is all about touchy-feely convenience for communications and entertainment on the move, with Samsung’s patented TouchWiz UI interface and

advanced widget technology. It’s a phone; it’s a 5 megapixel camera; there’s Bluetooth and MultiCodec support; plus the Omnia’s 32GB of memory

means there’s room enough to store and play up to 8000 MP3s, 23 DVD-quality movies or view up to 12,000 high resolution

images.

you, then how’s about a fast 7.2Mbps HSDPA internet connection with full Windows Professional 6.1 and

Microsoft Offi ce usage? All of this in a device whose platinum-plated case is just 12.5mm thin – perfect to slip

into any Xmas stocking.

PRICE $79

Samsung Electronics Australia WEB www.samsung.com.au

Navigating with Uniden is so easy with Spoken Street Names (Text to Speech) now on all navigation systems.

Experience driving from A to B with Uniden’s 360° 3D Landmarks and 3D Terrain software, to make navigating so much more realistic. Plus enjoy:• The latest Whereis mapping data • Speed and red light camera warnings• Over speed alert

Discover a new dimension for in-car navigation. Visit Uniden on www.uniden.com.au for full range details or call 1300 366 895 today.

NAVIGATE IN 3DU n i d e n G P S A d _ F o r F e a t . p d f P a g e 1 8 / 1 2 / 0 8 , 2 : 3 9 P M

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ULTIMATE AV

As one of the world’s leading manufacturers of

luxury vehicles, Lexus knows a little something

about going over the top. As you move further

and further up its car line, the touches of luxury

become a freak show of “because-we-can” excess.

At the top of the Lexus line, as the LS 600hL is, you have a

host of incredible features: refrigerated cooler boxes, illuminated

vanity mirrors, telescopic steering wheels, heated seats,

electronic seat adjustment with memory of different passenger

preferences, per-passenger climate controls, clean air fi lters,

the most advanced GPS navigation systems, glare-resistant

TFT instrumentation, hand-stitched leather, a power-operated

ottoman (we kid you not) and mechanical seat massager in the

rear seats, automatic sunshades and more. And those are just

the elements that make this V8 hybrid more comfortable. The

list of safety and performance features is even longer.

Cabin classWhich brings us to the AV system in the 600hL. Designed by

audio guru Mark Levinson, the sound system in the 600hL

comprises no less that 19 separate speakers driven by an

amplifi er that outputs 450 watts at less than 0.1 percent THD

(total harmonic distortion). Combined with the silent-running

and well-insulated hybrid, these features are designed to provide

the ultimate incar acoustic experience.

LAPS IN LUXURYLexus’ quarter-million dollar statement about the environment is worth listening to, writes Nathan Taylor

the ultimate incar acoustic experience.

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LEXUS L600hL

LAPS IN LUXURYThe speakers are situated around the car to provide a

surround sound experience to everybody in the car, not just the

guys sitting in the front seats. There are eight source points

around the car for sound: the front and rear centre consoles;

the left and right front doors; the left and right rear doors; and

another pair located on the left and right sides of the car, behind

the rear passengers.

Each of the side audio source points comprises two or three

speakers. A 25mm titanium dome tweeter and a 10cm metal

cone midrange speaker is present at all six points, while the

front and rear doors incorporate 15cm, 16.5cm or 23cm metal

cone woofers. The front centre console, meanwhile, contains the

same tweeter and midrange speaker combo as the side doors,

while the rear parcel hosts a massive 25cm subwoofer driven by

a 100 watt bridged amplifi er channel.

Source with thatOf course, it’s not just the number, power and symmetry of the

speakers that make this an impressive piece of technology.

There’s the MLS Audio Software that creates phantom ‘centres’

for each passenger, so that every person in the car feels like

they’re in the audio sweet spot. There’s also the six-disc changer

that supports 5.1-channel DTS and Dolby Digital. There are audio

controls on the steering wheel and in the rear seats. It can play

back MP3- and WMA-encoded CD and DVD discs and also has an

auxiliary input for portable music players.

It can also play DVD movies. Each of the rear seats has a

drop-down 23cm LCD screen for movie viewing, while the main

electronics console in the front seat, which is a GPS and power-

regulation system when the car is running, will also play movies

when the car is stopped. With all these features, you may never

want to leave your car again. ■

EARS & EYES & THUMBS

HIGH DEFINTION MOVIES

Bringing personality and a sense of real enjoyment to the ‘superhero’ genre, Robert Downey Jr plays this role with his trademark charm and style but, better yet for superhero movie fans, makes it look like a whole lot of fun. We’re become used to watching angst-ridden heroes moping around trying to hide their powers but here, building what has to be the coolest mechanical suit in the known universe, Iron Man revels in the power and the

glory, screaming around causing mayhem and battling his (disappointing) nemesis with obvious relish. Good on him! Out simultaneously on Blu-ray and DVD, there are four fl avours available – a single-disc regular DVD version, an ‘ultimate’ edition on both DVD and Blu-ray and a limited ‘collectors’ edition’ on DVD. We’d go for the ultimate edition if you’re looking for a gift to make someone’s Christmas day!

Not as immediately successful as Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk gets off to the same slow start as the last Hulk movie did, agonising in an inexplicably self-indulgent manner over the setup and taking an age to deliver on the action that brought everyone to the movie theatre in the fi rst place. Norton is a suitably troubled white-coated nerd who just wants it all to go away and Liv Tyler is your typical ‘supermodel in dowdy disguise’ love interest but it’s really Tim Roth’s time to shine in this outing. Cast

as ‘The Abomination’ in an eerie revisit of the Iron Man premise where the arch-enemy turns out to be a similarly-equipped but much bigger version of our superhero, Roth plays the Englishman-villain-in-Hollywood in an entertaining and suitably excessive manner. But this is another one of those superhero movies where the protagonist is constantly, and tediously, intent on fi nding a way to ditch what made him super and be left alone “to live a normal life”. How dull.

Christmas just isn’t the same without a touch of Disney, so for fans of the oldies but goodies, grab the special ‘50th anniversary edition’ of Sleeping Beauty and settle down with all your girly friends for a bit of cartoon romance. Just don’t necessarily expect the younger female members of the family to share the joy, because Sleeping Beauty really is a very old-fashioned fairy tale and not immediately

compelling to the really young, taking a very considerable time to get up to speed. To be fair, for a fi lm made in 1959, it holds up fairly well, but the much-vaunted ‘digital restoration’ to the picture really can’t compete with today’s pristine cartoon productions, and the brand new Tinker Bell movie could be a much better choice for any youngsters in your home.

Just like buses, you wait for what seems like ages, then two come along together. Along with Iron Man, Hancock delivers a refreshingly differentiated superhero movie, but this time with the central conceit that the superhero in question is a drunken bum, more interested in dealing with his own personal demons than tackling the problems facing complete strangers. As such, it gets off to a rollicking start

with Will Smith in the titular role causing more problems than he solves as he intervenes in classic Superman-style saviour scenarios, trashing the joint until a friendly PR guy turns up and offers to help. Criticised for an unexpected change of pace and direction half way through, we actually found this both appropriate and exciting, making perfect sense for the denouement of the fi lm as a whole. dull.

Iron Man Rated M Distributor Paramount

Incredible Hulk Rated M Distributor Paramount

Sleeping Beauty 50th anniversary editionRated G Distributor Disney

Hancock Rated M Distributor Sony

GREAT GIFTS FOR CHRISTMAS

Actor Packs Rated Various (most MA 15+) SonyLiven up the turkey-and-trimmings hangovers and get your Dad dancing on the ceiling with one of Sony’s new ‘Actor Packs’, releasing in time for Christmas. A collection of movies starring the one macho actor, the pleasingly-simply-named ‘Actor Packs’ feature the likes of Charles Bronson and Steven Segal in all their hard-hitting, manly glory. The packs include several discs and movies each – the Segal one has four, the Heath Ledger three, for instance — and represent pretty decent value for money, chiming in at only $24.95 for each collection.

Animation Sensation Gift Pack Rated PG Sony If, like us, you think some of the very best movies these days are animated ones, the new ‘Animation Sensation Gift Pack’ release from Sony is going to make the perfect holiday present to yourself. Bringing the delights of Open Season, Surf’s Up and the excellent Monster House together in a single box, this movie collector’s pack is available now for just under $30.

Bond, James Bond, on Blu-rayRated Various MGM/ FoxSix classic Bond movies make the leap to high-resolution Blu-ray disc this Christmas, their arrival impeccably and not at all cynically timed to coincide with the premiere of the shiny new Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. Seriously, though, Bond collectors are going to be stoked to see fully-restored and re-mastered versions of Dr. No, Die Another Day, Live and Let Die, For Your Eyes Only, From Russia with Love and Thunderball to enjoy now on Blu-ray, whetting their appetites for Daniel Craig’s next adventuresome (new word!) outing on the 22nd Bond mission to save the world.

Heath Ledger three, for instance — and represent pretty decent value for money, chiming in at only $24.95 for each collection.

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95

GAMESViva Pinata: Trouble in ParadiseMicrosoft Platform Xbox 360

Brothers in Arms: Hell’s HighwayUbisoft Platform Xbox 360

LittleBigPlanet Sony Platform PS3

Pure Disney Interactive Platform Xbox360

It’s a game about gardening, really, and attracting cute little animals to it, but don’t let that put you off. In fact, let it put you on, because Viva Piñata has immediate attraction as well as hidden depth. For Xbox 360 owners looking for a family-friendly game to play over the holidays, you can’t do better than this – there’s a new co-op function that gives really young players a way into the game, as they take turns with older siblings or parents and learn the ropes, plus a ‘Just for Fun’ mode that dispenses with all the management stuff and just lets you get on with enjoying the cutesy visitors. It’s bigger and better than the last game, with 32 new animals available, and a little quicker to get some of the more elusive animals on your roster and into your garden. Charming, sociable, challenging, and a whole lot better than watching It’s a Wonderful Life for the twentieth time.

Trying to introduce deeper story and tactical elements than usually seen in the World War II shooter genre, the new Brothers in Arms game from Ubisoft just ends up being a bit dull. Nowhere near as visceral and dread-inducing as the much older Full Spectrum Warrior and slower than the incredible Gears of War, this title has squeezed out into the shops ahead of the sequel to that last competitor and that might help quite a bit. If you’re looking to treat yourself while you’re out getting gifts for the kids and the more thoughtful, strategy-heavy videogame is your style, it’s probably worth taking a look at this. If you like your shooter action fast and furious, however, steer clear.

It’s been a really long time since Sony had any exclusive games releases to crow about (that is, a game that’s not on any of the other videogame consoles) but LittleBigPlanet has arrived, at last, and it’s brilliant. If you’re a Playstation 3 owner, you need to stop reading this right now and rush out and get this game, because it’ll make your day. An ‘old-school’ game as far as the platforming ‘run and jump’ controls go – and ‘new-school’ in the way it lays itself wide open to manipulation and experimentation by gamers themselves – the power is now in your hands to create levels to entertain yourselves and your friends. Buy this for your kids for Christmas and you might be starting them down the road to becoming artists, designers, builders or engineers! If the PS3 has a game that makes it worth buying the system just to play it, this is it.

This might seem a weird name for a frantic racing game based around quad bikes – or ATVs as they’re more officially known, apparently – but it very accurately describes what’s on offer here. Concentrating purely on making a breakneck racing experience that’ll have you holding your breath to make a really tight turn or as you hurtle over a precipice and fall for what seems like an age, Pure delivers big on excitement. It also ships with an excellent online game mode that is entirely lag free, so this is the perfect pickup if you’re planning to spend a bit of your Christmas holiday challenging your console-owning friends. And anyone sitting on the couch next to you will be equally impressed because this Disney game looks incredible.

It’s no longer news to remark on the burgeoning importance of videogames in the entertainment ‘space’, as seminal titles such as Halo and Grand Theft Auto pull in first-day sales figures that make most Hollywood movie productions look positive anaemic, but less immediately apparent is the acting talent these massive game releases can attract. Colin McRae, John Madden, Clive Barker and Tony Hawk have all lent their name to games that, in some cases, probably made them more widely recognised than what they originally did to become famous. This is certainly true of Madden, who most gamers outside the US probably wouldn’t even know used to be a very successful NFL coach. But a much larger growth area is in ‘voiceover’ work – or VO – where established thespians lend their vocal talents to make a game more appealing. Voicing your own likeness in a game is an obvious thing to do (think Tiger Woods in his eponymous golf games), but many actors have long been making extra dough by bringing characters to life that don’t have anything to do with their movie star personas. And it’s been going on a long time – Mark Hamill, famous for playing Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, of course, has been one of the most successful, ‘playing’ videogame characters for over 15 years, including the Joker in the animated series of Batman and a space-faring game called Wing Commander. This Christmas alone, you’ll be hearing and seeing the likes of Jonathan Pryce, Jamie Pressly, Mark A Sheppard, JK Simmons, and Maggie Q as they appear in blockbuster titles on your videogame console of choice. And now Australia’s own multi-ARIA winning Gabriella Cilmi is the latest star to be drawn to the lucrative videogame trade, re-recording her song ‘Sweet About Me’ in Simlish, the pretend language created for the hugely popular The Sims game. If reports are to be believed, she even says she prefers the Simlish version of the song’s chorus!

Gabriella Cilmi’s ‘Simlish’ recording:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2hQf09VQHg

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TIME WARP

The MIRACLE of the Age!!! A LION in your lap! A

LOVER in your arms!” shouted the cinema poster

for Bwana Devil. While it wasn’t such a hit with the critics, this

1952 United Artists fi lm raked in the moviegoers. Why? It

marked the beginning of something special – the age of three-

dimensional cinema. As the fi lm was about a pair of rogue lions

that terrorised the construction of the Uganda Railway, the

directors had a chance to use something extra special to make

the lions literally leap from screen and onto the laps of startled

moviegoers. They found this in a technique called ‘Natural Vision

3-D’. Essentially, this consisted of fi lming and superimposing two

slightly offset images that required the use of special glasses

(with a red and a green lens), to trick viewers’ brains into seeing

a single 3-D version. Bwana Devil was a big success and sparked

a boom in 3-D cinema.

Natural Vision 3-D was introduced because, at the time,

box offi ce attendance was in serious trouble – by 1950 it had

plummeted by nearly half of what it was two years before. And

the reason? The introduction of television.

Natural Vision wasn’t the only eye candy being used to

lure audiences away from their living rooms. Other cinema

sweeteners included Cinerama, which was a huge ‘IMAX-style’

widescreen experience consisting of a gigantic 146 degree

curved (and louvered) screen, three synchronised projectors and

seven-channel discrete audio. Although stunning, Cinerama was

doomed because it needed costly equipment and large custom-

built theatres.

Also released in the early-’50s was CinemaScope. Like

Cinerama, this featured a widescreen experience about twice

the width of conventional cinemas. However, CinemaScope

used anamorphic lenses that enabled a widescreen image to be

fi lmed by a single camera and presented by a single projector

(CinemaScope’s anamorphic aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is still used

by the movie industry today.) CinemaScope also used a less

expensive rectangular fl at screen, rather than a curved one.

It seems that we’ve come full circle since the ‘realism’ boom

back in the 1950s. Today’s technologies are poised to bring the

Eye Candy3-D experience back to the living room. This year, Samsung

launched its ‘3D-ready’ PAVV Cannes 42 and 50 inch plasma

TVs. Apart from regular content, viewers are able to watch

movies and play games in 3-D, with the addition of special 3-D

glasses. At the moment, the 3-D content needs to be fed to the

TV by special software running on a computer but Samsung has

partnered with Electronic Arts to produce future 3-D games, and

is in talks with movie studios about 3-D movies.

What’s really exciting about 3-D home entertainment is that

engineers are moving ever closer to the Holy Grail – holographic

TV. Imagine watching a sporting event on your huge wall screen,

and suddenly the action spreads out from the screen and into

your living room where you can watch the action at any angle,

without wearing 3-D glasses.

An incredible amount of detail is needed to depict a moving

hologram, and this had, until recently, prevented the technology

from progressing beyond a static image. Recent breakthroughs

at the University of Arizona’s Optical Sciences Department,

however, have seen the development of a rewritable and

updateable holographic system.

Essentially the system works like this: the hologram of a 3-D

image is recorded in a special high-tech polymer with a sheet of

laser light and a ‘writing device’ called a spatial light modulator.

A weak laser is focused on a TV screen made of the same

polymer. Waves of light refl ected by the screen create a sort of

‘signature’ of the original image. This guides the laser to build up

a hologram, which is projected out from the polymer TV screen,

similar to the way Princess Leia was projected from R2-D2 in

Star Wars. The computer then quickly updates the polymer

screen’s image to create the impression of motion, without the

need for special glasses. Researchers are now working on a

three-colour version that can create a holographic image about

the size of a computer screen.

Çommercial holographic TV is probably ten years away,

though some scientists believe that it may be ready in as early as

fi ve. At the very least, this allows movie studios time to prepare

a new lure for attracting audiences away from the holograms in

their living rooms, and back to the cinema. Valens Quinn

“

Wi r e l e s s Wo r l d H o 1 3 0 1 . p d f P a g e 1 5 / 1 2 / 0 8 , 1 : 2 8 P M

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From intensive care to intensive joy

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T A V 0 5 5 _ M e a r e s _ H o me E . p d f P a g e 1 1 4 / 1 1 / 0 8 , 2 : 3 3 P M