Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2023 i Home Cinema Choice

'If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... the A-Team.' That memorable opening narration of the 1980s TV series was talking about a rogue ex-Special Forces unit doing good deeds around the streets of LA, but it might as well apply to Denon's A-class of AV hardware. For nearly thirty years, these top-flight products have worked their own wonders in home cinemas. They haven't been a constant, though. For whatever reason, the 'A1' line was curtailed in 2007, only returning in 2020 with a limited edition 110-year anniversary model. Now, thankfully, comes the AVC-A1H, Denon's most advanced AV amplifier ever. Does it fill the shoes of its reference-grade predecessors? To spoil the conclusion of our exclusive review…

Shotgun Wedding Available on Prime Video, this frothy and fun action comedy puts Jennifer Lopez's bride-to-be against gun-wielding pirates. The Last Emperor Bertolucci's historical biopic looks more opulent than ever on Arrow's UHD BD thanks to a superb Dolby Vision-graded restoration. All That Heaven Allows Criterion's UK Blu-ray release of Douglas Sirk's 1955 romantic melodrama will leave cinephiles weeping tears of joy. Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin: Deluxe Collector's Edition A new 2K restoration makes 88 Films' Blu-ray revisit well worth the double-dip for fight-fans. Freaky Shout Factory treats this brilliant body-swap slasher to a US 4K BD – it's still DVD-only in the UK... …

KEF has relaunched its R Series, with seven new models all including a 12th-generation Uni-Q driver with Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT). This performance-enhancing tech, which first appeared on KEF's LS50 Meta standmount and more recently its Reference Meta and Blade Meta lines, adds a circular absorber with a maze-like surface behind the centrally mounted tweeter. The company says this acts as 'an acoustic black hole', delivering a cleaner output. The new R Series, like the previous generation (see HCC #307), is aimed at both hi-fi and home cinema setups, with three floorstanding models, one standmount, two centre channel speakers and a Dolby Atmos-enabled upfirer. Both centres – the £1,200 (each) R2 Meta with 5.25in bass drivers, and larger £1,600 R6 Meta (6.5in bass) – can also be used as LCR…

Neoclassical composer and film score maestro Max Richter is the face of Marantz's new Cinema Series of AV hardware. The partnership was announced at an event in Los Angeles, around the same time Marantz confirmed UK availability of its 2023 hardware heroes, the AV 10 preamp/ processor and AMP 10 multichannel power amp. 'Sound in cinema is everything,' says Richter, whose recent film work has included the scores for Brad Pitt sci-fi Ad Astra and historical drama Mary Queen of Scots. 'It's the direct access to emotions and how what you're hearing goes very deep.' A launch video featured Richter noodling away at his Steinway piano, lounging in his home studio, and admiring the aesthetics of Marantz's latest hardware. And he says he's long been a fan of the Japanese…

More Rings to rule them all Warner Bros. Discovery and New Line Cinema have closed a deal to develop multiple new movies based on The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Details haven't been confirmed, but it appears the films will cover aspects of Tolkien's books not yet explored on the bigscreen. Plane sailing Lionsgate has revealed that a sequel to the recent action-thriller Plane is on the way. Ship will focus on Mike Colter's returning character Louis Gaspare as he discovers the seagoing vessel he's on is being run by people smugglers. Riddick returns With the Fast & Furious films coming to an end Vin Diesel is eyeing a return to another franchise. Filmmaker David Twohy has revealed that he's reuniting with Diesel for Riddick: Furya, a fourth…

PHILIPS LAUNCHED ITS 2023 TV range under a Big Top in Amsterdam, introducing a flagship OLED built around a high brightness MLA (Micro Lens Array) panel, two mid-priced Mini LED models, and an all-new smart TV platform. The setting may have been straight out of The Greatest Showman, but the manufacturer clearly wasn’t clowning around. However, don’t expect to buy any of this stuff anytime soon; it quickly became clear that these announcements were very early. The OLED+908 isn’t expected to arrive until at least September. A screen demo, comparing its peak brightness with a 2022 OLED EX panel, had us salivating, but this was far from a finished sample. Bowers-powered The OLED+908, which will be available in 55in, 65in and 77in sizes, certainly looks every bit the high-end TV,…

WWW.SMC-UK.COM KIT CHECKLIST STEINWAY LYNGDORF: 1 x P300 2.1 audio processor; 3 x A2 power amplifiers; 1 x A1 power amplifier; 6 x S-15 speakers (L/R & surrounds); 1 x IW-15 speaker (centre); 4 x IC-16 speakers (height); 2 x LSR-212 subwoofers JVC: DLA-NZ8 native 4K/8K e-Shift projector DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES: Frontier acoustically transparent fixed frame screen; Port Hole Glass; 2 x Mistral 150 Fans APPLE: Apple TV 4K SKY: Sky Q SONY: PlayStation 5; 4K Blu-ray player MICROSOFT: Xbox Series X CONTROL 4: Neeo Remote; EA3 controller THE BRIEF FOR this custom movie room was simple, says Steve Barrett of installer SMC. 'Having loved his Steinway Lyngdorf cinema that we installed in his last property, our client wanted to replicate it in his new one. This time, however, he upgraded…

GLOVE STORIES The first four Rocky flicks are ready to fight on 4K, p90 Sony's big thing at the moment is to take an 'apolitical', open-minded approach to which TV technologies it uses, in a bid to make sure its range offers something for every type of buyer. This went into overdrive with the brand's current range, which introduced both its first Quantum Dot OLED TVs and its first Mini LED TVs. Having loved the 55A95K QD OLED when we reviewed it in HCC #336, it's the X95K Mini LEDs – which Sony positions a step below the A95K sets on its TV range 'ladder' – that we're getting stuck into here, in the pleasingly epic 75in shape of the XR-75X95K. This model sells for £2,499, which is only a…

AV INFO PRODUCT: 55in 4K OLED TV with EX and heatsink panel tech POSITION: In the middle of Philips' current OLED TV range PEERS: Philips 55OLED807; LG OLED55C2; Sony XR-55A95K Now that OLED TVs have started introducing actual hardware improvements to go with their software tweaks, brands such as Philips have more opportunity to introduce real variety into their ranges. Which is why we currently have Philips' lower-mid-range OLED807 TV, the flagship OLED+937 model and the OLED+907 set we're looking at here, all utilising performance-enhancing tech to out-do its OLED707 entry series. To explain, the OLED807 TVs use new 'EX' panels to deliver around 20 per cent more brightness than traditional WOLED TVs; Philips' OLED+937 models have external Bowers & Wilkins-designed speaker systems, an additional heat sink element for even…

AV INFO PRODUCT: CI-focused stereo Class D power amplifier POSITION: Joined by 4, 7, 8 and 12-channel Class D McIntosh designs PEERS: NAD M23; Monitor Audio IA750-2 SPECIFICATIONS POWER OUTPUT (CLAIMED): 2 x 500W (8ohm); 2 x 800W (4ohm) CONNECTIONS: 2 x balanced XLR inputs; 2 x RCA unbalanced inputs; 2 x speaker binding posts; 12V input; 12V output DIMENSIONS (INCL. RACK EARS): 483(w) x 110(h) x 533(d)mm WEIGHT: 10kg FEATURES: Hypex Class D amplification; front-panel 'Watt Meters'; channel status LEDs; Loudspeaker Guard and Sentry Monitor technology; input signal sensing AMERICAN MANUFACTURER MCINTOSH is known for its hi-fi hardware, including some premium, gorgeously styled tube amps, but as the launch of its MHT300 AV receiver (p8) shows, it keeps a toe in the home cinema arena. This, in turn, means…

FOR REASONS I ascribe to either re-watching Rush [pictured] recently or because my mind is permanently wired to 'Random', I found myself thinking about Jean-Marie Balestre. A fairly dislikeable soul, he was the head of FISA in the late 1970s, the governing motorsport body, and often at loggerheads with Formula One constructors over the direction the sport was heading in. At the core of Balestre's dogmatic approach to negotiation was a profound dislike of the new breed of Formula One team: small enterprises that specialised in racing cars rather than being the race wing of a larger manufacturer. He didn't coin the phrase Les Garagistes to describe them but he used it, and used it with disdain. The thing is though, those small engineering-led concerns changed the sport beyond recognition.…

WWW.HOMECINEMACHOICE.COM Season's beatings Violent Night➜Universal➜Blu-ray David Harbour's Santa Claus does battle with John Leguizamo's gang of thieves in this comedy actioner from producer David 'John Wick' Leitch where the festive fights come thick and fast. We buckle up for a slay ride on p93 All prices quoted are approximate and may have changed…

First released on UHD in the US in 2020, Martin Campbell’s hugely entertaining swashbuckling romp now gets the same treatment on this side of the Atlantic, albeit only as a Limited Edition steelbook (for now). The delayed release has had one positive impact in the form of a new Dolby Vision grade – the earlier US version was HDR10 only – and this finds plenty of lustre in the film’s gorgeous sun-drenched visuals. There's also a booming Atmos track on the 4K disc to enjoy, plus 10 additional deleted scenes and three trailers (archival extras are featured on the accompanying BD). AvB ★★★★☆…

WWW.HOMECINEMACHOICE.COM LOOKING FOR NEW SPEAKERS? Our Top 15 guide is here to help All prices quoted are approximate and may have changed RATINGS KEY… Outstanding ★★★★★ Above average ★★★★☆ Acceptable ★★★☆☆ Disappointing ★★☆☆☆ Dire ★☆☆☆☆ TOP 15 Televisions 01 Sony XR-55A95K ➜ £2,399★★★★★ The Japanese giant’s debut Quantum Dot OLED flatscreen adds a little extra refinement and balance to the technology's colour and contrast charms. Immersive sonics come via Sony's Acoustic Surface system. Style and build quality dazzle too. HCC #336 TOP 5 New releases Elvis [UHD Blu-ray] The hyper-kinetic native 4K HDR imagery (in both Dolby Vision and HDR10+) plus rocking and rolling Dolby Atmos soundmix of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley 'jukebox musical' will leave you all shook up. HCC #336 ★★★★☆ The Banshees of Inisherin Colin Farrell and…

➜News highlights MCINTOSH MHT300 AV receiver promises premium sonics SAMSUNG South Korean giant outlines 2023 flatscreen lineup KEF R series relaunched, gets the Meta treatment AT THE PLEX This month's cinema releases NEWS X10 Hot news stories in bite-sized chunks M3GAN Smash-hit sci-fi-horror aims to please on Blu-ray & MORE! Style matches for Paradigm's Founder Series speakers, the new XR 13 (pictured, in Midnight Cherry finish) and XR 11 subwoofers feature a freshly designed bass driver on advanced 'trilinear' suspension system, and incorporate ARC calibration and app control. Onboard power for the 13in model (£5,899) is rated at 2,200W, while the smaller 11in sibling (£4,699) claims 1,100W. Trickledown tech from the Founder Series includes faceted, braced cabinet designs and shock-mount feet.…

Next-generation Samsung QD OLED screens, Neo QLED models with Mini LED backlighting, and a raft of largescreen 4K smart TVs have made their European bow at a 'Tech Summit and Showcase' held in Frankfurt. The 2023 models may be in stores by the time you read this, and represent the most comprehensive lineup of TV technology yet seen from the brand. HCC was there for a close look at the major models. Certain to attract attention from cinephiles are the two new Quantum Dot OLED screens, the S90C and flagship S95C. Both will sell in 55in, 65in and 77in screen sizes, with the S95C easily distinguished from its stablemate by a newly redesigned One Connect Box; the S90C model is slightly more conventional, with all inputs and tuner hardware built…

Described by its Japanese manufacturer as providing 'the best sonic performance in the company's history,' Melco's N1-S38 digital music library (a kind of NAS on steroids) is on sale now priced £11,995. Inside its aluminium chassis with milled-fromsolid corners and steel base-plate, this audiophilegrade separate houses a 'specially selected' 3.84TB solid-state drive for storage, with file loading (including 384kHz PCM and DSD) via either a network connection or from USB storage. The N1-S38 then handles playout to either a networked audio player or USB-connected DAC. Downloads from Qobuz and HighResAudio streaming portals are also supported. An SFP Fibre port, for a direct fibre connection to compatible network gear, is another of its high-end tricks. The N1-S38 also benefits from entirely new circuit board and power supply architecture. www.melco-audio.com…

Brit audio marque Cambridge Audio has announced black limited editions of its CXA61 and CXA81 amplifiers, CXN network player and CXC CD transport. 1,000 units of each will be available worldwide. 'Since we stopped making black hi-fi products, people have been asking us to bring them back,' explains CEO Stuart George. Prices for the models are the same as the still-on-sale 'lunar grey' standard editions. A 'certificate of authenticity' will be bundled, while 'CX BLACK EDITION' gloss lettering on the front panels serves a similar purpose. The most recent V2 lineup of CX Series products launched in late 2019, and occupies the mid-range spot between Cambridge Audio's entry-level AX kit and high-end Edge models. www.cambridgeaudio.com…

In the 1990s in Sweden a university research project blending professors and PhD students began looking to digital signal processing to address sonic degradation – the distortions added to an audio system by the equipment and especially the room itself. The thinking was: if you can measure these distortions and remove them using acoustic processing, you quickly and easily improve the sound of a system without having to resort to equipment upgrades or inconvenient room treatments. The fruits of this scholastic endeavour became Dirac, founded in 2001. The company took its name from English physicist/Nobel laureate Paul Dirac – a statement of intent given his theories on quantum mechanics even had Einstein scratching his head. Ten years and counting Dirac Live is the company’s room correction software, first introduced on…

Patrolling the suites and exhibition spaces of Bristol's Marriott City Centre hotel in pursuit of impressive audio demonstrations was an activity we once took for granted, but then the Covid pandemic meant organiser Audio T had to shut up shop in 2021 and 2022. Good news, then, that this February the Bristol Hi-Fi Show effectively carried on where it left off – right down to some stalwart brands setting up in the same rooms as always. Here we reveal the products (both new and old) that caught our eyes and ears... FYNE AUDIO The Scotland-based loudspeaker company opted to make the Hi-Fi Show the launchpad for its Vintage Fifteen, a flagship (£30,000) model that looks to the designs of the past for its aesthetics (and size), but employs a very…

➜Hardware DENON Flagship AVC-A1H 15-channel amplifier PHILIPS Premium OLED TV with Ambilight MAGNETAR Audiophile-grade Ultra HD Blu-ray player MCINTOSH Class D custom install stereo amp from the US JBL Bar 300 soundbar SONY Monster 75in X95K 4K Mini LED TV ANTHEM MCA 525 Gen 2 multichannel amp SKY GLASS Streaming TV on long-term test Fronted by the range-topping AE1202 floorstanders, this 5.1 system from Acoustic Energy's second-generation 100 Series hopes to dazzle when it comes to style, price and performance. We fire it up with movies and music on p50. All prices quoted are approximate and may have changed…

fAV INFO PRODUCT: Premium fivechannel Class A/B power amplifier POSITION: Anthem's highestspec power amp PEERS: NAD M28; Primare A35.8; Emotiva XPA-11 ANTHEM'S NEW LINEUP of power amplifiers has been designed to complement its range of AVM processors, with matching livery and enough onboard grunt to fill an enormo-dome. The MCA Gen 2 catalogue offers the two-channel 225 (£2,295), three-channel 325 (£2,795), and five-channel 525 (£3,895) reviewed here. This Class A/B trio share the same design and build, with the only difference being the number of channels. All three are also pricey considering the channel count, but that will be less of an issue if they deliver in terms of overall performance. Total overhaul The Canadian brand certainly knows its bacon when it comes to building amps, and the MCA Gen…

AV INFO PRODUCT: Streaming 4K TV, bespoke to Sky POSITION: Dish-free stablemate product to Sky Q PEERS: BT TV; Virgin Media V6 TIME ON TEST: 16 months REVIEWER: Steve May WE'RE ALL USED to firmware updates that fix bugs and generally polish the usability of our connected AV kit, but rarely, if ever, has a product had quite such a postlaunch overhaul as Sky Glass. Hundreds of updates have dropped since its arrival in late 2021, incrementally adding new features to its Entertainment OS. Living with one has been like getting a new generation of Sky Glass delivered on a monthly basis. For those who have taken only a passing interest in Sky Glass, let's recap: what we're talking about here is a wholly IP-delivered iteration of the Sky premium…

I WATCH A lot of movies, and by that I mean a lot of movies, and in recent years I have felt somewhat disillusioned. But then I was invited to view James Cameron's Titanic, remastered in 3D at 48 frames per second, and with a new Dolby Atmos mix. So I saw this film in two formats I hate: 3D and 48fps, in a premium recliner in the front row where I always sit. I adjusted the seat to almost a bed position, which can be dangerous – I fell asleep this way watching Avatar: The Way of Water. I hated that film, hated the 3D, hated the high frame rate. Now here I am again, watching the 'Fox' logo hit the screen in 3D... Fast-forward three hours, 15 minutes…

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Second Sight Films unleashes its new 4K restoration of Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on Ultra HD BD and Blu-ray on April 10. It's available as a three-disc Limited Edition 4K BD/BD boxset, plus individual Standard Edition 4K BD and Blu-ray, all with bonus features including five commentaries and two feature-length docs (the boxset adds a 190-page book and art cards). We have two ‘Standard Edition’ 4K BDs to be won! Question: What is the name of the franchise’s iconic chainsaw-wielding killer? Answer: A) Leatherface B) Two-Face C) The Face Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season One The first season of the hit Paramount+ series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is out now on Digital, DVD, Blu-ray™, and limited-edition Blu-ray™ Steelbook (a…

➜ Black Panther: Wakanda forever Following the death of King T'Challa, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) fights to keep Wakanda secure from world powers determined to access its stockpiles of vibranium. At the same time a new threat emerges in Namor (Tenoch Huerta), superpowered leader of an undersea kingdom, who threatens to destroy Wakanda if the nation refuses to aid his people in waging war on the surface world. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has no right being as good as it is. Here's a film that not only has its own story to tell (one that further expands the world of the MCU), but also introduces audiences to a brand-new hero (Dominique Thorne's Riri Williams) ahead of her own Disney+ TV series, and deals with the passing of the Black Panther…

Hogwarts Legacy Warner Bros Games/Portkey Games ➜ PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch to follow) ➜ £65 Harry Potter has been grossly underserved when it comes to gaming. There have been several games based on the movies, but in comparison with similarly sized franchises, such as Star Wars, there have been relatively few opportunities to step into his shoes. Hogwarts Legacy doesn’t do that, but does allow you to become a student at the famous school of witchcraft and wizardry in an all-new adventure set many years before his birth. The plot is new – with a particularly nasty goblin seeking to rid the world of wizard kind – as are the teachers and cast generally. You get to create your own character to take…

A massive upgrade on the old Pathé UK DVD release of Sofia Coppola’s directorial debut we’ve had to live with in the UK until now, Studiocanal’s 4K platter is based on the same Dolby Vision-graded 4K restoration as Criterion’s recent US release, and looks breathtaking. It's not the only upgrade here either: as well as several extras also found on the Criterion disc (two Making of… featurettes, a conversation with author Jeffrey Eugenides, and a short film), Studiocanal adds a new interview with the French music duo behind the film’s dreamy score. MC ★★★★☆…

➜ THE MANDALORIAN: S3 The Mandalorian returns for an eight-episode third season after a lengthy hiatus, and out of the gate it wastes no time reminding us why it's head and shoulders above much of Disney's Star Wars output. Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) is taking down a gigantic space turtle, which is busy ripping up a Mandalorian coming-of-age ceremony, in his newly acquired Naboo N-1 starfighter. Blubber reigns down on the scrambled Mandalorians. This is the way! Season 3 picks up, not from the end of S2, but The Book of Boba Fett. The storyline, which saw Grogu head off for his Jedi training, was actually concluded in the final three episodes of the Boba Fett spin-off. Thankfully Grogu decided he'd rather have adventures with Mando than focus on The…

APPARENTLY I'VE BEEN talking to my smart speakers all wrong. I have Alexa in my office, media room, and kitchen, but I tend to ask them all the same kind of stuff. Mundane questions about the weather, music, and cooking timers. What I'm not doing is asking Alexa to buy stuff for me – and it turns out that's a problem. The smart speaker market is struggling. Futuresource Consulting, which keeps an eye on the business side of things, is predicting a significant downturn in 2023. Analyst Simon Forrest tells me the category is currently in 'a bit of a lull.' With ownership levels close to saturation, and smart speaker adoption in developing countries less than spectacular, sales are taking a nose dive. According to Forrest, Google and Amazon are…

McIntosh MHT300 ➜www.finesounds.uk Soon after launching its CI-focused MI502 power amplifier (see p66), McIntosh has announced a new AV receiver that promises to 'transform home theatre dreams into reality.' The US brand's first product to feature Dirac Room correction, and sporting HDR10+, Dolby Vision and 4K/120 passthrough on its HDMI stage, the MHT300 claims a 7x150W output via individually assignable amp modules, plus 11-channel processing for use with additional amplification. Design flourishes include McIntosh's customary black glass front panel and illuminated logo. Look out for the AVR at authorised dealers, priced £8,995.…

John Wick: Chapter 4 March 24: Keanu Reeves is back in the suit and toting a seemingly endless arsenal of high-powered handguns in this eagerly anticipated sequel that sees the former(?) assassin killing everybody between him and freedom from the High Table... Super Mario Bros. April 7: It's-a-me, Chris Pratt! The ubiquitous Hollywood actor lends his voice to this 'toon take on Nintendo's mushroom-loving plumber. Fun trailers have us hoping it will purge all memories of the woeful 1993 live-action film. Evil Dead Rise April 21: Originally planned for release on HBO Max, positive test screening feedback to director Lee Cronin's fifth instalment in the franchise means the Deadites will be raising hell in a cinema near you instead. Groovy!…

March 27 Boyhood: Limited Edition 4K For All Mankind: S1/S2 Frankenstein: The True Story GI Joe: Retaliation 4K Steelbook Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist Martin: Limited Edition 4K Pirates of the Caribbean: 5-Movie Collection 4K RoboCop: The Complete TV Series Tentacles V/H/S/99 The Whip and the Body April 3 Star Trek: The Next Generation - 4-Movie Collection 4K 100 Years of Warner Bros: Classic Hollywood 5-Film Collection 4K The Double Life of Véronique 4K The Inspection The Maltese Falcon 4K R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned Three Colours Trilogy 4K April 10 The Amazing Maurice Blade of the 47 Ronin Flashdance 4K The Nutcracker & The Magic Flute Save the Cinema Tehran: Season 2 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 4K April 17 Creeping Horror: Murders in the Zoo, Night…

1 A centenary in style This year is Warner Bros.' 100th in the movie-making biz, and as part of the celebrations it has announced a swathe of 4K Blu-ray releases over the summer and autumn. These include various period-specific five-film boxsets (such as the New Hollywood 4K Collection 1970s-1980s), but the crowning glory is the 100 Year Studio Collection (pictured) which will release on 18 September and feature 30 titles from 1939's The Wizard of Oz to 2022's Elvis. Pre-order it now, if you have a spare £299. 2 AVR surprise Sony hasn't been a major player in the AV receiver market for some time, so it was a surprise to see it launch a new five-model range in the US in February, topped by the 13-channel STR-AZ7000ES. There's no…

Every issue delivered to your door Great savings on the shop price Download each new issue to your device A 74% discount on your Digital subscription Access your subscription on multiple devices Every issue delivered to your door Great savings on the shop price Never miss an issue DIGITAL-ONLY SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE ONLINE… SUBSCRIBE TODAY SUBSCRIBE SECURELY ONLINE https://subs.homecinemachoice.com SAVE 74% ON DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS IN EVERY ISSUE Kit reviews, movies and TV, installs, accessories, insight, opinion, competitions + more CALL OUR ORDER LINE 01858 438 446 (quote ref HCC2023) Lines open Mon -Fri - 9.00am - 6.00pm GMT TERMS & CONDITIONS: Offer ends 31st December 2023. *Discounts may vary dependent on payment method selected. Annual term may vary. Please see www.homecinemachoice.com/terms for full terms & conditions Calls are charged at the…

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein BD, Universal Universal's pantheon of movie monsters was starting to look long in the tooth by the 1940s, a stream of cheap sequels diminishing their box office pull. Keen to inject new blood into the franchise, in 1948 the studio turned to double-act Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, which pitted the comics against not just Frankenstein's Monster (Glenn Strange), but also Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and The Wolf-Man (Lon Chaney, Jr.), was box office gold, and its spirited balance of scares and laughs provided a template the best horror-comedies continue to follow. Killer line: 'I've had this brain for 30 years. It hasn't done me any good.' The Abominable Dr. Phibes BD, Arrow Seeking some Old Testamentstyle revenge on the doctors…

As I listened to Scottish saxophonist Tommy Smith play funky jazz, on a dusted down Super Audio CD, it struck me that perhaps the most compelling reason to invest in the Magnetar UDP800, a deliciously well-specified 4K Blu-ray player, is not for its video performance, which is unquestionably mighty, but its sublime audio. This audiophile-grade BD player is triggering my dopaminergic neurons, and I'm loving it. Magnetar is a brand with no track record that I'm aware of, but this old-school deck could well restore faith in physical media for even the most lapsed of cinephiles. So who the heck are Magnetar? Well, the company is based out of China, with European distribution handled by Archisoft, the originator of the Reavon and Zappiti brands, and there may be some overlap…

AV INFO PRODUCT: Single-box 5.0-channel soundbar with Atmos processing POSITION: Near entry-level in JBL's wide range PEERS: Sony HT-X8500; Samsung HW-S60B JBL ALMOST HAS a very handy model name/ pricing thing going on with its soundbars this season, as the top-of-the-pile Bar 1300 sells for approximately £1,300, the step-down Bar 1000 sells for £1,000, and so on. Admittedly, the Bar 300 reviewed here is actually £349, and the Bar 2.0 Mk2 doesn't sell for two quid, but at least it helps you navigate through what is an extensive soundbar range. As the price tag implies, the Bar 300 is towards the bottom of the JBL ladder, although it shares many similarities with higher-priced models, not least the overall styling. This new lineup riffs on the brand's designs of yore, with…

'BEFORE YOU JUNK your old DVD collection, you might want to give those discs another listen', writes my colleague Steve May elsewhere in this issue (p56). And to that I'll add: you might want to check out your DVD collection just to remember what you actually own. Regular readers may have gathered that I've long been fighting a battle with my DVD collection, and the rules of engagement are as follows. About twice a year, while mooching in my garage hunting for something entirely different, I spy the shelves lined with DVDs and think: 'it's time to sort this out.' Then, about half-an-hour later, I slink off, having sorted out precisely nothing. Not this time, though. Recently, I had two epiphanies. The first was that no DVD I own is…

Should two become four? I am in the process of revamping my home cinema and will be installing ceiling speakers for Dolby Atmos replay to add to my existing setup. However, room dimensions and pension constraints dictate that I can only use one pair for said duties. Will I be missing out on anything, such as sound information, effects placement, etc, in comparison with a four-speaker Dolby Atmos installation? Many thanks. Terry Catlin Steve Withers replies: Ah, the age-old question: how many ceiling speakers are enough? Obviously, the more speakers you can add to your object-based audio system, the greater the sense of immersion. But at some point the size of the room, available amplification, budget, and lifestyle practicalities come into effect. More often than not, the area where people…

Welcome to the AV-Holic Hall of Fame – introduce yourself! Hi, I'm Alistair Armstrong, age 43, a civil engineer from Cornwall. How long have you been into home cinema? I’ve been into home cinema for long as I can remember. I started with a Sony all-in-one DVD speaker system and an LCD TV. Through the years since I’ve had many different setups, progressing through larger and larger screens and more sophisticated sound systems. What inspired you to make the garage cinema? We moved into this house around six years ago and the garage had already been part converted into a very small 2.5m x 3m room. Having always wanted a dedicated space for my hobby it didn’t take long to start setting up the cinema. The room has evolved many…

Sony Pictures➜Region B BD £25 ‘We sing revolting songs, using revolting rhymes,’ belt out the kiddie cast of this brilliant bigscreen adaptation (also starring Emma Thompson and Stephen Graham) of the stage musical based on Roald Dahl’s beloved 1988 book. That's just one of a series of spirited songs that so perfectly capture the feel of the author’s writing it’s hard to believe it didn’t flow from his pen in the first place. Sony's Blu-ray boasts an immaculate (although often tonally muted) AVC 2.00:1 encode, plus a boisterous Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The only letdown is the lack of extras; a sing-along version of the film is all you get. AvB…

The true curse of The Exorcist is that its phenomenal success continues to doom audiences to suffer through lazy wannabes content to repeat familiar plot beats to ever-diminishing effect. Prey for the Devil is no different, bringing nothing new to the table beyond focusing on a female exorcist. On a more positive note, Lionsgate’s 4K Dolby Vision encode offers a big step up in clarity over the murky 1080p version and the Atmos audio is suitably bombastic. Best of the extras is a cast read of an earlier (more interesting) version of the script. AvB ★★☆☆☆…

➜ VIOLENT NIGHT From the chills of Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) to adventures in space with Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964), filmmakers have repeatedly played with Saint Nick’s image on the bigscreen. Violent Night, from Dead Snow (2009) director Tommy Wirkola and producer David Leitch, fits very neatly into this pattern of festive flicks deliberately tailored to be cult hits. Stranger Things’ David Harbour plays its version of Santa Claus, whose Christmas Eve delivery run is interrupted when he has to come to the aid of a little girl (Leah Brady’s Trudy) whose insufferable, wealthy family have been taken hostage by a gang of festive-themed crooks led by John Leguizamo’s Christmas-hating ‘Scrooge’. So it's a good thing this Santa used to be a Norse warrior back in the…

➜ Netflix Clearly keeping himself busy while waiting for the final season of Stranger Things to begin shooting, this issue's second David Harbour film (see p93) casts him as the titular spook in a Netflix comedy. The new film from Happy Death Day helmer Christopher Landon, We Have a Ghost is a much more family-friendly affair. We meet the Presleys – Frank (Anthony Mackie) and Melanie (Erica Ash), and their teenage sons Kevin (Jahi Winston) and Fulton (Niles Fitch) – as they move into a creaky old house, and it isn't long before Kevin discovers the property already has a resident, David Harbour's decidedly unscary ghost, Ernest. Posting videos of the spook online brings his family the fame and success Frank has always craved, but Kevin is more interested in…