Can a telly that lacks Freeview HD, 3D and any semblance of a 'smart' platform really be considered suitable for modern living? That depends on what you're after, but we're sure Hannspree's latest bargain basement edge LED-backlit LCD TV has enough to suit a lot of living rooms.

If you want the best online IPTV services around and an app-strewn user interface, it's worth paying top dollar for sets from Sony or Samsung. The rest make a slight hash of it all in any case, so Hannspree - primarily known to us as the maker of budget-busting gadgets - is rather astute to completely swerve the whole ‘smart’ idea.

If a few quid has been knocked from the price already, another couple of tenners are saved through the lack of 3D compatibility, though plenty of homes are being perfectly well entertained without gimmicky children's movies to get distracted by, so we'll forgive that one, too.

Even the lack of a Freeview HD tuner makes sense at this price. We could go on forever about how we expect all new TVs to have a DVB-T2 tuner, but despite it being such a hit in 2010 that it's now become a social faux pas to leave it out, the fact remains that homes with a Sky or Virgin Media set-top box - that's about 15 million of us - just don't need it. So why pay for it? Cable and satellite subscribers are often on the hunt for a back-to-basics telly capable of displaying hi-def signals with skill. Hanspree’s SE40LMNB could be that screen.

USB and digital file support

Despite coming armed with Edge LED backlighting, a panel depth of a mere 50mm and a Full HD resolution, the SE40LMNB does lack a lot of features considered normal on modern TVs. But, in an effort to distract us are some USB-fuelled features, which include digital file playback, pause and rewind live TV features (timeshifiting), and even TV recording.

In practical use all of these features are thoroughly disappointing. For starters, that USB slot is disarmed by some sloppy software that deals with the likes of JPG, MP3 and AVI (DivX) files, but fails with MKV - a very common video format.

Timshifting

ItsTimeshift features, too, are lacklustre - and even nudges being unusable. Although it can be used with a (minimum) 2GB USB thumbdrive, it's too complicated. Pausing live TV takes three button presses and the navigation of two different menus. As if we're going to do that when the guy with the lukewarm pizza turns up. Timeshift is supposed to be about convenience, but here Hannspree made us work far too hard to get some relatively simple tasks accomplished. It's not even possible to set recordings from the EPG.

Was timeshifting added as an afterthought? Possibly – the remote control certainly isn’t equipped to handle such 'advanced' functionality.

Connections

A healthy dose of inputs and outputs give this budget TV a more mature look; three HDMIs meet component video, a PC and an RGB Scart (using an adaptor), while audio enters via phonos or a minijack, and exits through digital optical audio or a headphone socket.

Oddly, that optical slot is towards the top of a side-panel, which at a stroke makes it less enticing for owners of separate AV amplifiers and home cinema systems, though those with set-top boxes won't need to use it.

Graphical user interface

A nicely designed GUI is unexpected and welcome. A subtle design that builds-in a functional Freeview guide complete with thumbnail of the live channel (with audio), and programme information is given for just six channels over two hours, though it's quick to operate using the so-so remote control.

Picture & sound quality

Without much to shout about so far, we're left virtually speechless when Blu-ray graces the SE40LMNB's LCD panel. Detailed, with nicely cinematic colours and a decent stab at producing jet black, consider this a perfectly good set for partnering with a Blu-ray player.

That, however, is where the good stuff comes to a halt; standard Freeview pictures – and there are no other, remember, are covered in picture noise, while motion blur suddenly seems to smear moving objects around the panel. Colours collapse amid a realisation that, yes, expensive TVs with pricey picture processing are indeed much more versatile.

Sound from its twin 8W speakers is nothing to shout about, either, though what flat TV can claim otherwise?

Tags: Televisions Home Cinema LCD televisions LCD TVs LED televisions LED TVs

Hannspree SE40LMNB originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:19:47 +0000

Is your living room ready for an insect invasion? Hugely expensive and boasting some unique tech, the headline act on this 46-inch 3D LED backlit LCD TV from Philips’ 9000 Series is undoubtedly its Moth Eye filter. The whatnow?

The Moth Eye - a reflection-dampening filter across the screen so-called because it mimics the insect’s optics - is tremendously effective, and helps create extra contrast in bright conditions, but there is so much more to like about this one-of-a-kind telly.

A mere 39mm deep and seemingly hewn from one piece of stainless steel, the 46PFL9706 features Ambilight, that signature Philips addition that sees coloured light spewing from the sides of the TV. On this high-end TV it’s the no-corners-cut Ambilight Spectra XL that does the job, with twice as many LED - compared to previous versions - strung across both the sides and the top of the TV, cunningly sending light relating to the changing hues on-screen across the wall behind.

Though the 46PFL9706 isn’t just about light. As well as being one of relatively few Phillips TVs to feature active shutter ‘3D Max’ tech - most of its stable boosts ‘Easy 3D’ a.k.a. Passive 3D - this flagship TV is one of very few screens available that uses Direct LED backlighting.Tthat means 224 clusters of LED lights used right across the back of the LCD panel. This allows for local dimming, which means segments of the lights can be switched off, to improve black levels.

Compared to the much more common - and, yes, often slightly slimmer - edge LED system employed by the likes of LG, Samsung, Sony and Sharp, where light is provided only from the sides of the screen. Direct LED backlighting usually results in much more convincing contrast, with mixed brightness scenes – such as a movie sequence where a character sits in a gloomy room while bright light is visible outside through windows – so much more convincing.

Set-up

The first Philips TV to be endorsed by the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF), the 46PFL9706 boasts a full suite of picture processing tweaks, including Philips’ Perfect Pixel HD.

Elsewhere on this range-topper is a Freeview HD tuner, basic PVR functions if you attach a HDD via USB, four HDMI inputs, streaming from a connected PC or Mac, and playback of files from a USB stick.

One disappointment is Smart TV. Sure, this Wi-Fi (or Ethernet) powered online hub brings the BBC iPlayer into, err, play, but there’s little else here to get excited about. Slightly hamstrung by a lack of speed and also by a somewhat drab grid-style design. There’s also a web browser that’s helped, though not by much, and certainly not enough, by Philips’ MyRemote app for iPhone and Android.

Picture

The 2D appeal of the 46PFL9706 is a black and white affair. Seriously, we've not seen blacks this deep, or whites as pure and brilliant as on this hugely advanced LED panel. Add that to some enviable detail and natural colours and the pictures are something akin to groundbreaking.

This is a Philips TV, so there is the brand's usual concentration on advanced processing, something that can introduce an unnatural look. The solution is to simply switch off tech like HD Natural Motion and Perfect Natural Motion (PNM), though they're both worth experimenting with if you've not already passed judgement on the especially fluid and free pictures they create from Blu-ray discs. In our opinion, these modes can sometimes add distracting fizzing and a somewhat forced, false look and feel. Freeview, however, is worth looking at with PNM enabled.

Noticeably brighter than most active shutter 3D TVs, this and other features that make the 46PFL9706’s 2D performance so exhilarating play a different role when watching 3D Blu-ray. Here, that intense brightness and high level of detail leave no hiding place for imperfections, and in sequences with significant depth effects we did notice some ghosting. Still, it's not an endemic problem and occasional 3D viewers (are there any other kind?) shouldn't have a major problem. There's also a rather hit and miss 2D to 3D conversion mode.

Sound

In all this excitement about the 46PFL9706’s reference grade pictures and an enviable hit list of features, it's worth noting that the main body of the TV doesn't have any speakers. Shock, horror, etc. For a long time, Philips TVs have been alone in offering a relatively powerful, bass-heavy soundstage complete with rear woofer and front tweeter, but at last the company’s design engineers have succumbed to our never-ending thirst for slimmer and slimmer TVs, and banished audio altogether from the main body of the TV.

However, those designers have done a fine job in fitting the 46PFL9706’s desktop stand with said speakers. Yup – just strap-on the stand on the undercarriage, and we're almost back to where we started; loads of low-frequency sound and plenty of detail.

Of course, this odd array does pose a question for wall mounters, and although the desktop stand can actually be used as a bracket – thereby supplying sound from behind the TV – that 39mm depth will be ruined. We’d suggest a separate home cinema if you want to go down the on-wall route.

Whether Philips’ range-topper will end up in your hands is doubtful unless you have over two grand to spare, but the sheer innovation on board the 46PFL9706 - and its general rarity value - makes it a stand-out performer. It’ll be too expensive for most of us, but if it’s a sign of trickle-down tech to come, we’re all in for a treat.

Tags: Televisions Philips Home Cinema Philips 46PFL9706

Philips 46PFL9706 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Don't you sometimes yearn for the simple life? A time when firmware upgrades weren’t a daily chore, when internet-based VOD was just a theory, and when a TV could be operated by those over forty?

Panasonic has taken the ‘less is more’ approach to its latest entry-level TV, no bad thing in theory, but perhaps even stretch it a little too far. 3D? You’ll not find that here. But surely some home networking or online video? Nope. What about a couple of lovely USB slots? Nada!

Picture quality

What this 32-incher does have, however, are a couple of upgrades you wouldn't have found on a similar TV a few years ago; edge LED backlighting and a Freeview HD tuner. The latter has an Ethernet LAN port in tow - part of the Freeview HD spec, but it doesn't do anything exciting.

The edge LED panel used by the TX-L32E3B is of the IPS Alpha variety, which should give us some decent contrast and a smooth picture. Except it doesn’t; switch the TX-L32E3B on and the picture appears to suffer not only from relatively poor contrast - we’re talking a sheen of blue-ish, gray-ish tones where there should be jet black - that’s not nearly as dynamic as we’d hoped for, but also some motion blur.

That’s a shame, since the rest of the picture - is this case, Frozen Planet on Freeview HD - seems incredibly natural in terms of colour, something that’s helped by a lot of detail. When those polar bears get going, however, the camera movements bring a sheen of blur across the arctic that renders a good portion of that Full HD detail pointless. Switch to Blu-ray and it’s a similar story.

To be fair to the TX-L32E3B, its picture is always watchable, something that’s largely due to a virtual lack of processing circuitry. There is CATS (contrast automatic tracking system) to ignore, as it tends to make panel brightness rather twitchy. And a resolution enhancer - almost alone in the ‘Advanced Settings’ picture menu - to twiddle with for DVDs. However, the TX-L32E3B is probably best left on one of its preset picture modes, with cinema or true cinema - the latter a touch brighter - the main candidates.

Poor audio and Viera Tools

There are some strange decisions elsewhere. Probably the most annoying is the poor audio, which stem from what is probably one of the TX-L32E3B’s biggest surprises considering its budget status - its 41mm depth. Trouble is, the 10W stereo speakers strapped to its undercarriage don't have nearly enough room to create much in the way of audio, with a treble-heavy, thin soundstage emanating from them.

Viera Tools, a shortcut on the excellent remote control that normally leads to a Panasonic TV’s central functions, here merely points you in the direction of music, video and photo files stored on a SD Card. That’s right, folks - there’s a SD Card slot instead of USB gadgetry. Clearly aimed at those with a digital camera, though not necessarily a computer, the TX-L32E3B was able to play JPEG photos, MP3 music and both MP4 and MPEG files in our test There was no AVI or MKV support.

Elsewhere in the E3 Series are 37-inch and 42-inch models, though we'd seriously consider upgrading to Panasonic’s E30 Series, an only slightly dearer range that benefits from Viera Connect online platform that includes access to BBC iPlayer – something that’s sorely missed on this otherwise living room-friendly option.

Tags: Televisions Panasonic Panasonic TX-L32E3B

Panasonic TX-L32E3B originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000

How does Sony do it? This flagship TV in the brand’s EX Series is one of the most impressive we’re ever seen. The way the 55EX723 upscales all sources to fit its massive 55-inch panel is clever stuff; it cleans and polishes all kinds of web-based video to remove noise, but somehow look cinematic, too – it’s a real treat.

Which is why we’re just a little annoyed that 3D images on the 55EX723 are nothing short of downright dirty. The 3D aspect is actually an add-on; although thankfully there’s a built-in 3D transmitter, 3D specs must be bought on top from a suitably huge range that start at £59.

More extras than a film set

It’s not the only optional extra. Ethernet LAN is the default way of attaching this Edge LED-lit LCD telly to a broadband router, with a Wi-Fi adaptor costing around £50 extra. For any so-called ‘smart’ TV to miss built-in Wi-Fi from the spec is unforgivable in our eyes, but when a TV costing far in excess of a grand does it, it’s plain rude. After all, if TVs costing £500 from the likes of Toshiba can offer Wi-Fi, why can't the 55EX723?

That said, the Freeview HD software is beautifully designed and works speedily, giving information for eight channels over two hours. It’s basic, but colourful and quick – and as enjoyable an experience as a dedicated set-top box from the likes of Humax, Sky or Virgin Media. There’s even some basic recording functionality if you attach a HDD via USB, though there’s only one tuner so it can only record what you're watching. More useful is the pause live TV feature it creates.

Internet joys

Despite its built-in hi-def TV channels, the 55EX723’s biggest attraction – and one that lives up to the hype - is its Bravia Internet video service. The simple grid-style design is stuffed with things to watch, which is more than we can say for other manufacturer’s efforts. Services are being added all the time and if there’s a new app available, the 55EX723 flashes-up a message, downloads it, then re-starts the TV. During our test we linked the 55EX723 to a live Lovefilm account and streamed I’m Still Here, which was easy enough to do after registering online and entering a code to pair the TV with our subscription. Other apps include BBC iPlayer, Sky News, MUBI, Muzu, uStudio, blip.tv, Billabong and 3D World, among other less attractive propositions.

For those without a 3D Blu-ray player, the 3D World app could provide a first glimpse of the third dimension at home. The collection of sports, movie trailers, music videos and games trailers are all in 3D, and made by Sony, so there is an element of advertising going on here.

3D failure

However, with a good spread of content available, it's to 3D World we headed to first to test the 55EX723’s 3D performance. A few trailers revealed a relatively clean, comfortable experience, but not much in the way of depth. In fact, the most impressive aspect of donning the 3D specs for 3D movies is that the brightness of the screen is immediately dulled, increasing the perception of contrast.

It’s a different story with some sequences from last summer’s tennis at Wimbledon. Forget the need for slightly awkward camera shots primarily from the back of the court; in the immediate foreground Jo-Wilfried Tsonga appears divorced from the background, but the 55EX723 does display some tremendous depth effects. However, Novak Djokovic at the other end of the court is blighted by a double image, and the Wimbeldon crowd in the stands are in a right old mess. It’s really quite nasty – and moving to 3D Blu-ray doesn't help.

It’s a shame because the 55EX723 otherwise produces a spotless performance with virtually every other video source, from dodgy quality feeds on YouTube to sparkling, detail laden and contrasty Freeview HD channels. Blur-free, with no judder from Blu-ray and colour palette that’s always natural looking, the 55EX723 is a bit of a legend with 2D sources.

Audio, though, is another letdown that never achieves more than clear, audible dialogue – there’s nothing in the way of bass and the surround modes add little to a thin soundstage.

Tags: Televisions Home Cinema Sony 3D televisions

Sony KDL-55EX723 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:14:00 +0000

Who cares about Blu-ray? Firmly ensconced in the PlayStation 3, standalone hi-def disc spinners regularly go for under £90 – small enough bean to set the alarm bells ringing in any gadget buyer’s ears. The trick, thinks Samsung, is to up the price somewhat and add so many features as to render Blu-ray as just another logo on what the Korean brand is selling as a HD recorder extraordinaire.

The BD-D8900M is truly remarkable in its scope, so much so that it leaves the PlayStation 3 looking a little restrictive – and until the end of October Samsung is offering £50 cash back to sweeten the deal.

Generous storage capacity

Key to its success is a hard disk drive that can store a stunning 1TB of data. In conjunction with twin Freeview HD tuners the generous storage makes this as skilled as a Sky+HD box – though it’s not quite up there with the trio of tuners found in Virgin Media’s TiVo box. It's slightly frustrating that it’s only actually capable of recording one channel at a time, which immediately puts it a step or two behind both Sky and Virgin boxes.

To add a bit more value, it also includes Samsung’s Smart Hub, an online video platform found on Samsung’s ‘smart’ TVs. Elsewhere, it easily matches a PS3, principally with its inclusion of Wi-FI and DLNA streaming as well as 3D Blu-ray capabilities – though it goes one better, with 2D-3D upscaling, for what that’s worth.

It’s well connected, with two HDMI v1.4 outputs, one of which is an audio return channel for 3D fans with HDMI v1.3 inputs on their AV receiver. There are also component video, composite video, optical and analogue audio, and a wired Ethernet LAN option. To get our box online, we chose Wi-Fi, which was easy to set-up and cable-free.

No Blu-ray recording or multiple tuners

At this point, it only seems fair to warn you that the BD-D8900M isn't a Blu-ray recorder. It can only record hi-def from BBC HD, ITV HD or 4 HD channels to the HDD – there are no archiving or exporting features.

What the Samsing lacks in multiple tuners the BD-D8900M makes up for it intelligence. As well as pause/rewind live TV goodies, there’s the chance to set series links and get information on future broadcasts. The eight-day electronic programme guide is one of the best looking in the business, with a thumbnail of the live channel (including audio) up top beside a programme description. Below there’s information for six channels over two hours. Navigating isn’t always as quick as it should be, with some lag as we scrolled down through the schedules.

That aside, Samsung’s EPG takes second place behind Humax, which we’d still rate at the best, fastest and clearest user interface among Freeview HD boxes.

The BD-D8900M demands a decent EPG; its whopping 1TB HDD can store an impressive 240/480 hours of HD/SD programmes, though a music CD can be easily ripped to the HDD for added jukebox goodness. A CD’s tracklisting is found within seconds of inserting a disc, though actually importing it is too manual a process – the bitrate can't be changed from its default 192kbps either. Once ripped, the resulting MP3 files can be transferred to a docked USB thumb drive.

Smart hub is a bonus

The BD-8900M’s Smart Hub adds yet another dimension to this ‘Blu-ray’ player. Apps like Acetrax Movies, Lovefilm, BBC News, tied-up nicely by Samsung’s own Your Video interface, make it one of the most useful web TV platforms around.

It’s generally fast and easy to operate using the remote (we had problems syncing the free Samsung Remote app for iPhone), though we did experience a complete freeze-up of the BD-D8900M on one occasion when starting the Smart Hub.

From the product’s sole front-mounted USB slot we managed to play a selection of digital files, from a thumb drive, including AVI, MKV, WMV, MPEG, MOV and MP4, though not AVC HD, which is often produced by hi-def camcorders. The theoretically pretty thumbnail-driven interface doesn't work – images from the video files are only visible after a file has been watched – while some files take up to 10 seconds to load. The rules are different when streaming files across a network. The DLNA-powered AllShare feature sees key formats like AVI, MOV, MP4 and AVC HD files dealt with, but not MKV or WMV containers. More oddness is afoot; it’s not possible to stream files over a network while the BD-D8900M is recording a TV show.

Recorded shows are pin-sharp and identical to broadcast, while Blu-ray playback – in both 2D and 3D – is as impressive, as it should be on a flagship deck like this. You can convert a 2D Blu-ray disc to 3D, but don't bother; the algorithm used assumes a flat picture and attempts to introduce depth in a uniform manner. The result is a picture that has some 3D-ness in one horizontal portion of the picture; it’s largely unwatchable, and a box-ticking feature at best.

Tags: Home Cinema Blu-ray Samsung DVR PVR Freeview HD

Samsung BD-D8900M originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 23:32:32 +0100

We’ve really only one niggle about Samsung’s latest value-busting effort. The very latest features are missing from this Series 5 set; 3D, Smart TV and Samsung’s Apps have all been slashed to get this super-slim 32-inch LED-backlit LCD TV down to a palatable price, but neither of these zeitgeist features are going to bother most people. No, what’s really annoying about the UE32D5000 is its lack of Freeview HD.

Without the likes of BBC One HD and ITV HD, the UE32D5000 doesn't often reach the image highs it’s quite clearly capable of, and, besides, with so many other surprising features onboard, we’d half expected the “moon on a stick” - including Freeview HD. Alas, there’s only a bog standard DVB-T tuner on board, though the 8-day electronic programme guide is far better than on most brands’ rival efforts (LG excepted, in our opinion). 

Design and connectivity

Far from unexpected on any Samsung telly these days is a cutting edge design, and in that regard the UE32D5000 is no different. The Crystal design so beloved of Samsung’s sculptors continues here, though the UE32D5000’s transparent frame edge is all its own. The usual glass-effect - though off-puttingly plasticky on close inspection - desktop stand neck is also included, while this TV’s 30mm-slim depth is exceptional at this entry-level position of the market.

So too is connectivity, with four HDMIs pretty much unsurpassed for £350. Two is still standard at this price, three rare - and four only found on Samsung and, again, LG’s low-end efforts. Elsewhere are a PC input, Component video (using an adaptor, which helps create the slim design), a Scart (ditto), a headphones jack and a couple of USB slots, alongside a wired Ethernet LAN slot that’s usually only on TVs of this low spec when a Freeview HD tuner is included. Here it’s employed as a conduit for fetching files from a networked PC using DLNA - something Samsung calls AllShare - and though we’d not expect to see online content hubs at this price (Samsung’s is called Smart TV), its appearance really would make this TV exceptional.

Although any networking is likely to be performed by that wired Ethernet, Samsung’s WIS09ABGNX WiFi Link Stick is available online for around £40 for plugging-in to one of the UE32D5000’s dual USB slots (one of which can hook-up to a HDD).

At least its USB slots are impressively well specified. As well as being able to display JPEG photos, we managed to get a plethora of video (MPEG-1/2/4, AVC HD, WMV, ASF, AVI, MKV, VOB, TS, H.264 and VC-1 all worked) and music (MP3, WMA and AAC) to play from an external HDD drive hooked-up via USB. Sadly there’s no option to format a USB thumb drive or external HDD and use it to pause, rewind or even record digital TV programmes, but we wouldn’t normally expect that on a TV of this status. Having said that, the ability to record to USB is a hugely attractive feature and is arguably of more use to most people than DLNA streaming or file support for esoteric file formats; this unashamedly mainstream TV could be even more so.

Besides, DLNA streaming isn't nearly as clever despite the simple Smart Hub shortcut on the remote that creates a joined-up “media” interface onscreen; as well as the link to a PC on the same networking frequently dropping out at the crucial moment, we couldn't get any high-def MKV files to even be detected.

Performance

This is one bright young thing. The default setting is scorch-yer-eyes-out bright, but once toned down the UE32D5000 is a competent picture performer across the board. Perhaps this set really is designed for those already with a separate HD set-top box - perhaps a Virgin Media TiVo or Sky HD box - since its 1920 x 1080 pixel screen proved incredibly detailed with Blu-ray in our tests. Backed-up with some reasonably solid and nuanced colours, and with above average standard-def upscaling, the UE32D5000 is starting to look like a bargain.

While it’s not exactly a case of “Blur-ray”, we did notice some motion blur during our tests disc. That 100Hz option takes the edge from that particular problem cleanly and without any side effects, though nothing can prevent its so-so contrast, which leads to indistinct dark areas of images and pure blacks that don’t quote convince. That’s still true of all LED-backlight screens, and we’re happy to give the UE32D5000 more brownie points than most for its classy all-round performance.

Tags: Televisions LED televisions Samsung Samsung UE32D5000 Home Cinema

Samsung UE32D5000 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 20:09:00 +0100

Already discounted online, this do-it-all deck from Philips is thrice a home cinema hero. Its trio of key features are 3D Blu-ray disc playback, built-in Wi-Fi and analogue 7.1 surround sound outputs, the absence of which we’ve moaned about for yonks on other players, though the BDP7600 isn’t quite the finished article.

What is does lack is completely convincing build quality; there’s a distinctly flimsy feel to this unit’s shell. And though it’s easily the equal of rival decks from Sony and Samsung, we’re used to a more high-end finish from Philips. Still, mirrored is better than gloss black to these eyes, and it's a clean front-on design that’s interfered with only by a USB slot on the far right-hand side.

Some touch-sensitive controls on a lip below the front panel comprise just standby, play, pause and eject, with the latter beckoning a disc tray, which folds-out quickly and quietly.

Spun through 180 degrees and the BDP7600 makes a lot more noise. The stars of the rear panels are those analogue outputs, but they're joined by a scant collection of video outputs - just HDMI and Composite video (Component video is being phased out on Blu-ray by the copy restriction gang). Given its audio niceties elsewhere, a second Audio Return Channel (ARC)-compatible HDMI output would have been handy for folk after 3D, but with amps older than a year or so.

Talking of audio, you’ll also find stereo audio outputs for two-channel sound, both coaxial and optical digital outputs for surround duties, and an Ethernet LAN port for a wired connection to a broadband router, should you not have a Wi-Fi network. Normally we’d ask for a second USB slot, but the BDP7600 hides an SD card slot that will do nicely for storing BD-Live content.

The latter also proves useful for taking video on demand content via a refreshed Net TV platform that’s new for Philips in 2011. Or is it? A slightly branded version of the same third-party platform used by Loewe and Sharp, Net TV’s highlights include BBC iPlayer, BoxOffice 365 movies, YouTube, HiT Entertainment, eBay, Cartoon Network, TuneIn web radio and Twitter.

There’s also an open web browser, but actually using it for any length of time is infuriating unless you’ve a USB keyboard, though even then it’s too slow to ever challenge a smartphone - and won't play Flash videos used, for example, on the BBC’s news and sports pages. Most web pages are presented with the top part obscured, while scrolling through page elements using the remote is a pain.

More impressive is the BDP7600’s home networking. We managed to get it to fetch AVI, AVC HD, MP4, MPEG, MKV and WMV video files from a USB stick inserted into the front’s slot, though MKV and MPEG weren’t recognised on a networked iMac. Music is also well supported (MP3, WMA, even lossless FLAC and WAV); the “usual” annoying root file structure found on all DLNA-compatible devices is present, but it’s well disguised in an overall user interface that’s joined-up and is all about clarity and ease.

Away from all of these extra bit ‘n’ bobs, CinemaPerfectHD quickly installs itself as our favourite feature on the BDP7600. Designed to bring detail and smoothness to HD, it succeeds on all counts with our 2D test disc The Tourist, with Depp and Jolie’s skin tones spot-on and little sign of blur or stepped edges. The action dulls slightly when we don some 3D specs to examine its 3D Full HD performance with Avatar, but there’s little wrong with what the BDP7600 supplies the screen. An effort at upscaling DVD also impressed, with a spin of Inception revealing little in the way of artefacts or picture noise, though it’s obviously a far softer image.

Lastly, let’s hear it for the BDP7600’s remote control. Oval shaped and comfy to hold, its streamlined design goes a tad too far - some of the buttons are tiny - but overall it’s a design we love. That said, we also downloaded MyRemote from iTunes to control the BDP7600 via an iPhone; there’s no gesture control, but as well as a digital representation of the physical remote there’s a shortcut to all files stored on the USB stick, which speeds up the process tenfold. It also displays what’s currently playing on the main remote page.

Tags: Blu-ray 3D Blu-ray players Philips Philips BDP7600 Home Cinema

Philips BDP7600 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 11:32:26 +0100

As computer hard disks and external HDD balloon in size, are we the only ones who have returned to rip our CD collection in lossless quality?

Probably not, and though streaming lossless files (in 24-bit/96kHz studio quality on the NP30, no less) around a home won't be high on most people’s list, compatibility with uncompressed digital music could become increasingly important.

It’s not just about futureproofing; fans of Radiohead will rejoice if they bought recent album The King Of Limbs as lossless WAV files (though those tracks were actually in 14-bit), and there are bound to be more where that came from. Be careful though - uncompressed studio master files are about 20 times bigger than a standard MP3 with a 128kbps bitrate.

More importantly for most users, the NP30 is powered by UuVol, Cambridge Audio’s web streaming service for 20,000 radio stations (with podcast access where available) and other music from UPnP-compatible (universal plug ‘n’ play) devices.

Design

The NP30 isn't an all-in-one. It needs an amplifier - it is not built-in as on devices like the Arcam Solo - and occupies the brand’s “Sonata” chassis. As such it’s really designed to be paired with other components in Cambridge Audio’s arsenal, though it's plays well with anything.

The brushed metallic silver front of the NP30 is fitted with a USB port (unhelpfully covered by a rubber protector that isn't attached so won't hang around very long) that plays WAV, OGG, MP3, WMA and FLAC files, and a 100 x 40mm LCD screen that fits four very large lines of text. Either side are tiny buttons for controlling the unit’s main functions, as well as what looks like a volume dial. It isn't: instead it selects functions, though how successfully depends on what’s being listened to.

The rear is strapped with a Wi-Fi aerial fixing, Ethernet LAN port, a second USB slot, a trigger input (to hook the Sonta up to the DR30+) and three audio choices - coaxial, optical and stereo audio outputs.

Control and operation

The NP30 takes an age to start-up. Switch it on and it boots-up, then searches for, then initialises a network connection. Over a minute later it’s still thinking about what it's going to do. Wi-Fi set-up is relatively easy, with the NP30 finding our home network and, after a long-winded rotary dial WPA entry it’s ready to stream from our iMac and the UuVol radio stations. Actually choosing between broadcasters is a pain - that rotary selector is fine for scrolling down to Australia to choose ABC Triple J radio, but if you want something (as you probably will) from the US or UK, it’ll take a few dozen spins to get that far down the list.

Nor is the remote much good. Stretching over 23cm and rather sparse, it’s far too big. It’s also not very clever; it can’t control the volume unless it’s used with other Cambridge Audio gear, and there are other buttons for similar purposes. Best head for the UuVol Remote app, which is free and available on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch only - no Android.

Get the NP30 on WiFi and register for UuVol and it’s possible to customise services through a web page, largely to streamline what the NP30 accesses (a short favourites list of global radio stations is so much easier to see on a four-line LCD screen than an A-Z list).

As well as radio, we were presented with the chance to link to Aupeo, Live365 and MP3Tunes services (the former requires a £4.95/month paid-for subscription) while BBC iPlayer Radio is also on offer (to everyone, not just UK users). There’s obviously one glaring omission here: Spotify, which may not be the best, but is certainly the most familiar such service. US users also get Pandora, Rhapsody and SiriusXM.

Performance

A poor man’s Sonos? Possibly, though the App is very polished. Although it had an issue with finding our NP30 on the network after a few minutes of inactivity (this happened consistently, and became irritating), the app is essential to the NP30 experience. It’s “M” button accesses favourite stations defined on the website (after a few seconds loading), and selecting streaming services is easy, though the app did have trouble linking to a UPnP device - in this case an iMac loaded with TwonkyMedia software. The iPad version is fine, though not necessary - the iPhone screen rarely looks cluttered.

Given that you could stream to any hi-fi or home cinema from any smartphone over Bluetooth using something like QED’s uPlay - and swerve the need for any kind of app in the process - the NP30 is really all, and only, about audio quality.

After registering with the UuVol service we downloaded a sampler album from 2L - The Nordic Sound (there’s a link from the UuVol webpage) in 24-bit quality. Over a wired connection (lossless files this big can’t be streamed over Wi-Fi) the sheer depth and stereo imaging from Mozart’s Violin Concerto was simply awesome. There’s a huge difference between this and the average MP3, with the latter difficult to go back to after the power and brilliance of the FLAC file - though we were helped by some decent components (in this case a Marantz amplifier and a pair of Monitor Audio Bronze BX2 bookshelf speakers). Whether 24-bit music ever comes into the mainstream is doubtful (does anyone remember DVD-Audio?), but it’s something we’ll keep an ear on.

Tags: Audio Cambridge Audio Cambridge Audio Sonata NP30 Bluetooth Music streaming

Cambridge Audio Sonata NP30 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:15:49 +0100

Remember when the government deemed plasmas TVs the “4x4s of the living room”? Bang & Olufsen’s latest is more a road-train, clocking-in at a mighty 85-inches in diameter - so four times bigger than a 42-inch TV.

It’s high-def, it’s 3D, it’s got a swanky metallic finish (in black, silver, red, blue, golden or gunmetal, no less) … and its costs over £66,000.

Should any TV cost that much? Of course not, though don't make the mistake of comparing this to a mass market effort from the likes of Samsung, Sony, LG or Toshiba (we’ll make an exception for Panasonic; the BeoVision 4-85 is based around the same panel used in the TH-85VX200). Anything selling for this much does so on the understanding that there is no production line of any note, and no economies of scale. In short, each TV has to be custom made; you’re paying this much because no one else has one.

The Danish super-brand has suffered in recent times from a rather diluted approach whereby a few “entry level” TVs slightly lowered the tone - especially since few in B&O’s range packed the latest and greatest TV tech.

That same argument can’t be thrown at this monster plasma; Bang & Olufsen’s first-ever 3DTV is virtually impossible to beat on any level. This is also the brand’s first plasma TV for some time, the tech having wrongly gained an “old fashioned” reputation among the kind of consumers this TV is aimed at. Thus, you won't see the word “plasma” used in any literature, though its use here helps confirm the theory that the gas tech performs better with 3D than LCD/LED screens. Everybody knows that.

It’s a risk that pays off in spades. The huge size of the screen helps; the bigger the better for watching 3D, primarily because it covers more of your peripheral vision, so is more life-like (a factor that’s ignored by those pedaling 32-inch 3DTVs). The detail in both 3D and 2D pictures is exquisite, while the contrast - already very decent in 2D footage - is increased still further when watching 3D. That’s the effect of the 3D glasses, which lowers the perceived brightness considerably; something that also helps the colours of 3D Blu-ray discs really standout. Awesome.

Standard definition isn’t as impressive - it’s a hell of a stretch for a low bit-rate picture from Freeview to fill any screen this size without breaking-up, but the BeoVision 4-85 manages things pretty well. A Freeview HD tuner inside wouldn't go amiss, and though our sample didn't include one, it will soon be available. The GUI that controls the TVs main onscreen menus and digital TV guide is very simple and lacks the pizzazz of a Sony or LG TV, but there are reasons for that.

Firstly, it’s presumed that any buyer of this TV will already have a HD-capable set-top box from Sky or Virgin Media, and, secondly, there’s a robot on hand to tweak the pictures. Yes - a robot. Well, a robot eye, actually; it rears its head every 90-100 hours of viewing (or on-demand) from the top of the screen, lowers itself to in front of the panel, then takes some measurements. It then adjusts the picture back to B&O’s own industry standard presets (there’s very little picture parameters that can be changed by the viewer) and dives back into its hole. It does this because the picture quality - largely the brightness - changes ever so slightly as time goes by.

There’s more mechanisation on hand. A stand is available (from £4,000) that not only supports the TV and proffers a triangular centre (mono) speaker (to be used in conjunction with a surround sound set-up only), but lowers to TV to within a few centimeters of the floor when it’s switched off. It also swivels the TV a few degrees either side.

Adding to the expense still further is a choice of remote controls both programmable to operate virtually anything you want - 3D Blu-ray player, set-top box and even motorised curtains; the traditional Beo4, or OLED touchscreen Beo6 (£230 and £600 respectively).

If £0 sounds better than £600, you could always opt for BeoLink app, a free download from iTunes or the Android Market, and operate the BeoVision 4-85 from your smartphone. 

Even mid-range TVs have apps these days, but BeoLink is smarter than all the rest. Provided you've had the TV networked to a B&O Master Link Gateway and you've got a lot of other gear talking to it (or on a Creston or AMX home automation system) the polished app can be used to lower blinds, dim the lights, tamper with temperature and even play music in different zones of your, err, rather large pad. As an app it's simple, comprising gestures and easy source selection. Zones can be named, "scenes" created and, of course, the TV controlled without it stretching to innumerable different pages.

Tags: Televisions Bang And Olufsen Bang and Olufsen BeoVision Plasma televisions 3D 3DTV Home Cinema

Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 4-85 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:00:59 +0100

We thought there was something brewing when Sky chose LG as its “official partner” for 3DTVs last year - after the Korean giant released a single “passive” 3D screen for the Sky 3D channel’s launch. And with the arrival of this, one of dozens of new passive (or, as LG calls it, “Cinema 3D”) screens, we now know we were right about the coming 3D format war.

It’s here, but it’s a format war with a difference - it doesn’t make any difference which one you buy into. The choice is between an “active” and a “passive” 3D, but crucially both work with 3D Blu-ray, Sky’s 3D channel, Virgin’s Eurosport 3D channel and the upcoming debut broadcasts on the BBC HD channel.

The difference can be summarised thus: active sets send a Full HD image to each eye, so show more detail from 3D Blu-ray (it downscales Sky 3D), but depend on using heavy active (hence the name) 3D glasses that cost £100 each, are often heavy and uncomfortable. Some also experience a lot of flicker while watching an active 3DTV.

The 47LW550T takes a different route to 3D. A passive LED TV that uses LG’s FPR (film patterned retarder) polarised 3D tech, it only displays a half-HD image to each eye, but to do so requires cinema-style 3D glasses that cost less than £2 (if you sit on them, so what?). There are seven - yup, seven - supplied with the 47LW550T, which should tickle the interests of parents. As a plus, all 3DTV channels broadcast a half-HD signal (known as side-by-side 3D), so anyone after a panel for 3D sports will find the 47LW550T a good match.

Finally, passive sets like the 47LW550T supposedly don’t feature any flicker or crosstalk, and so it (almost) proves. Completely clean and appearing to this reviewers eyes as a 720p-or-thereabouts image (we did notice a few soft and broken edges), the 3D images we got from Avatar did lack the absolute star quality we’ve seen on Panasonic’s VT30 “active 3D” plasmas, but they are much easier to watch for long periods, especially in daylight where active 3D glasses can be susceptible to reflections and accentuated flicker.

If nothing else the glasses are about a thousand times more comfortable, with the bonus - when compared to Active 3D LED/LCD TVs only - that you can lie down, sit back or watch at an odd angle (essential if you have a comfy sofa!) without messing-up the 3D image (this doesn’t apply to 3D plasmas, by the way). We did notice the odd bit of crosstalk - ghosted images - but not very often on a screen we’d rate as just about big enough to become suitably immersed in the 3D image.

The men’s final from Roland Garros on Eurosport 3D looked superb, though Nadal vs Federer did have a game-like quality to it. Close-ups are very impressive, but as soon as the ball goes across the net and away from the viewer, the impact drops away to nothing. Overall, we’d rate Cinema 3D as so much easier to watch, but it doesn't make the same impact as the more precise active 3DTV system.

Away from 3D the 47LW550T uses an Edge LED backlight, hides a Freeview HD tuner, 100Hz and the latest generation of LG’s online content hub, Smart TV.

Smart TV features the holy trio of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, and adds BBC iPlayer, something that helps it be genuinely engaging. Sadly there’s no Wi-Fi built-in.

2D pictures from Freeview HD and Blu-ray are well saturated and colourful, with plenty of Full HD detail and some decent contrast in a detailed image that’s marred only by some blotching in the corners, and on the lower half, of the panel. It’s only noticeable in dark images, but it’s definitely there.

On the plus side, the upscaling of YouTube fare is absolutely brilliant, and looks the equal of Freeview channels, which themselves look immaculate. On a screen this size that’s no mean feat.

There’s also a fine iPhone app (LGTV Remote) that offers swipe control and an on-screen replication of the actual remote control. It doesn’t work on BBC iPlayer widget, unfortunately, but its Wiimote-style use of a cursor on the screen at last brings PC-like operation to a TV in a user-friendly way. LG also sells a Magic Motion remote if you’ve not got a smartphone.

Also available in 42 and 55-inch sizes, the LW550T Series is book ended by the LW450U and LW650T ranges of Cinema 3D tellies in the UK, with the ultra high-end LW950T out in late summer.

Tags: Televisions 3D televisions LG LG 47LW550T Freeview HD LED televisions Home Cinema

LG Cinema 3D 47LW550T originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:00:00 +0100

During 2010 Panasonic quickly made a name for itself - and plasma technology in general - with a string of high-end 3DTVs that supplied stunning depth and comfortable viewing. That’s not what happened on the LCD/LED side of the market, where quality issues and the dreaded “crosstalk” picture nasty reared its head on numerous occasions, but it’s to the super-flat technology that Panasonic has nevertheless turned to for its DT30 Series.

A 37-incher with a superb understated design that makes the ultra-glossy competitors look nothing short of tacky, the TX-L37DT30 is an active shutter 3DTV built around a panel bookended top and bottom by LEDs. And it’s a mere 72mm in depth.

Active 3D...

Last year, Active 3D was virtually all there was, but with “passive” sets from LG and, soon, Toshiba and Philips, hiding behind monikers like “Cinema 3D” or “Natural 3D”, it’s wise to know what you're buying. Put simply, the TX-L37DT30 provides the highest quality 3D pictures from 3D Blu-ray discs only (that is, it sends a Full HD image to each eye), but also happily shows Sky’s side-by-side format 3D channel. The passive 3DTVs now coming out can show Sky 3D - which broadcasts a half-HD image to each eye - as well, but when they do they’re operating at maximum resolution; a 3D Blu-ray disc is kinda downscaled.

All this tech talk is just theoretical - what matters is how good the 3D effect is - and Panasonic is here firmly behind its own 3D Full HD system.

It’s almost faultless. Put to work on a 3D Blu-ray disc we got depth, we got nuanced colour and above all no sign of any crosstalk. The detail is also incredible, while the contrast is decent; blacks can occasionally look a little forced, but they’re rarely far from spot on.

Crucially, that was all in a blackout situation. Although Panasonic’s 3D glasses are more comfortable than in 2010, they still need work because watched in daylight the 3D effect can crack around the edges. As well as reflections from light sources such as windows, we noticed a nasty flicker in the corner of the glasses that just refused to go away while the curtains were open. This peripheral problem is anything but, and threatens to undermine 3D altogether since most people watch TV in a well-lit room.

2D fares just as well, and then some. Again, it’s the detail in not just the still, but the fast-moving, image, which impressed us most. That was with 400Hz mode induced on its medium setting, which appears to cure the panel of blurs, echoes and judders. It’s not all top marks - the viewing angle isn't quite as wide as we’d expected and a trailer of Water for Elephants from Viera Connect’s Screenrush app was plagued with colour banding, though otherwise relatively clean.

...with added extras

That Viera Connect online hub is this TV’s other highlight, with the BBC iPlayer app that alone makes it a standout service and the likes of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Picasa, Dailymotion, Euronews, Shoutcast and Bloomberg helping out.

It’s even possible to make Skype video calls if you're prepared to shell-out £130 on a TY-CC110 HD Communication camera from Panasonic. Though pricey, the user interface for Skype is quite something - it’s almost identical to the PC/Mac/smartphone-based Skype software - and offers a short lesson to the designers of TV user interfaces. Call quality is excellent, by the way, though we’re not sure exactly how “in demand” this increasingly common feature actually is.

Skype, DLNA streaming and Viera Connect both rely on the TX-L37DT30’s Ethernet LAN port. Built-in Wi-Fi should be present at this price, but if your TV sits far from a broadband router then there are options; Panasonic sells its DY-WL10 wireless LAN adaptor, a surprisingly chunky gadget that must dock with one of this TV’s three USB ports, from around £80.

With its three USB ports able to play a plethora of digital files including DivX and DivX HD, which is also streamed over a network from a PC, this 37-incher is about as media-savvy as it gets.

Tags: Televisions LED televisions Panasonic Panasonic TX-L37DT30 3D televisions Home Cinema Freeview HD Freesat

Panasonic TX-L37DT30 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 09:23:06 +0100

Typical Toshiba. For years this enormous Japanese company has been taunting us with tales of its “Cell” or “Cevo” TV, with its exceptional high-end features and up to 10 TV tuners, then it hit us at January‘s CES with giant glasses-free 3DTV versions. Now it heads for the other end of the spectrum and delivers the back-to-basics 32HL833B - and changes the definition of the “everyman” (or woman) TV.

It may have slipped down the ranges of most brands, but here super-slim Edge LED technology meets a Full HD panel on Toshiba's steadfastly budget-friendly HL Series of LCD TVs.

An impressive combo for such small bean, though aside from that there’s few extra features to get excited about on this decidedly standard-looking gloss black telly, though kudos to Tosh for creating a depth of just 45mm depth. That’s thanks to its Edge LED backlighting, and in practice it’s more than slim enough to mount impressively on a wall, while industry standard 200 x 200mm VESA fixings for such a purpose are also onboard.

Not that the 32HL833B will be a completely clean installation for some; with just two HDMI inputs, upgrading other home entertainment will be difficult and could mean buying a messy HDMI splitter.

Two other standout omissions to think about are Freeview HD and Net TV. The latter, which Toshiba does dress its higher-end TVs with, and which includes BBC iPlayer, won’t be on everybody’s shopping list. The no-show of a DVB-T2 tuner for high-def TV broadcasts, however, is a real shame - we thought it had become a standard feature - and it helps us reach a conclusion that the 32HL833B is for two specific types of consumers; those haven't heard of, or who couldn't care less about, high definition (if so, why buy a TV with a Full HD panel?) and customers of Sky or Virgin. Even the latter will struggle to make use of all those pixels unless a Blu-ray player is hooked-up, which leaves us struggling to decide whom the 32HL833B is primarily aimed at.

From our test disc Avatar (in good old 2D) we could see immediately that colour is extremely vibrant, though in a controlled way. Jake’s human skin looks suntanned, while his avatar’s blue face looks simply stunning. Saturations are good elsewhere, and colours are given a boost throughout by the 32HL833B’s native contrast. Black levels are decent - thanks to that edge lighting - though there is an impenetrable look to dark areas of the image, and contrast quickly fades if you watch the 32HL833B from the wings. No matter because it’s still enough to create a powerful picture … until it moves. Even slight shakes of the head cause some motion blur on this LCD screen, while we also spotted a great deal of judder during camera pans and action scenes.

Still images do, we have to admit, look stunning; as well as that dollop of contrast plumping-up the colours, the detail is incredible. So much so, in fact, that it contributes to the visibility of the motion blur. Take down the panel’s sharpness (using Toshiba’s extraordinarily generous suite of picture tweaks) and the blur is far less of a problem, though that does make the Full HD panel rather pointless.

A lot of LED-lit screens at this price are stained by light leakage around the sides of the screen, but that’s not the case here. It could be the TV’s small size that dulls the effect of such problem, a characteristic that allows DVDs and Freeview programmes, though they're not exactly upscaled to high-def quality, to look fairly easy on the eye.

What we did love about the 32HL833B was its Cinema Mode, as well as its ability with digital files. Almost everything we threw at it, including the likes of MKV, AVI and MP3, were supported by the USB software. 

Tags: Televisions LED televisions Toshiba Toshiba 32HL833B Home Cinema

Toshiba 32HL833B originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 10:34:00 +0100

That Samsung’s latest high-def hero has touch-sensitive controls, a brushed metallic top, a gloriously slim 33mm profile and is able to silently slip out a disc from within won’t surprise anyone; this has been a brand at the coal face of product design for some time now. What might shock you is what’s inside the BD-D6900, because as well as being able to spin 3D Blu-ray discs this machine also has a Freeview HD TV tuner.

As such it does away with the need for a separate set-top box in one stroke, though at this high price perhaps it should be packing something special. Don't mistake the BD-D6900 for a hard disk recorder, though - no such gigabyte-laden goodies lay inside (for that you’ll have to consider its pricier, chunkier sibling, the BD-D8500).

Although this deck sports a completely different look and feel on the outside, the two sisters share a lot of the same highs and lows.

Smart Hub

Smart Hub is one of the major pleasures they share even though it’s an online content service that’s not yet firing on all cylinders. Oddly it’s accessed from the machine’s otherwise excellent icon-led user interface’s “internet” shortcut, and there’s no dedicated button on the backlit (so useful in a darkened home cinema) remote control, either. Stuffed with apps ranging from BBC iPlayer, Lovefilm, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to Acetrax, AccuWeather, Rovi TV listings and Google Maps (as well as umpteen simple games), it’s a chaotic and colourful screen that makes up this increasingly engaging service. It’s fun to use though arguably not quite as slick or quick as Panasonic’s Viera Connect nor Sony’s Bravia Internet Video.

Sadly we weren’t able to review Samsung’s exciting new addition to Smart Hub, the Explore 3D app, because it’s not yet available on the company’s Blu-ray players - not even the 3D-ready models. Samsung assures us that this shouldn't take too long to fix.

What is in Smart TV is “Your Video”, an IMDb-style database of online information about films currently stream-able on Lovefilm and Acetrax. We’re told it learns what you like and makes suggestions, though exactly how useful that is isn’t yet clear. While you’re logged in you can Tweet and “Like” things if you’ve signed into the Twitter and Facebook apps, respectively, on the SmartHub homepage.

There’s also a nice “search all” function here that uses a free text input screen to look for content on any source, whether it be on Lovefilm, a USB stick or on a networked PC, but it’s not a process for those short on time - it’s quicker to have a look on each device/app than using the virtual onscreen keyboard.

TV takedown

Freeview HD functions are handled by a single tuner, but there is one recording option on offer; insert a USB stick into the front or back of the machine and the BD6900 can make spotless recordings from the utterly gorgeous electronic programme guide (kudos to Samsung’s design team here, it’s an absolute cracker). Just as useful is the pause/rewind live TV function, which again relies on a USB stick but, like every aspect of this machine, is easy to do. File streaming over Wi-Fi or playback from a USB stick (DivX, DivX HD, WMV, MP3, WMA and JPEG) also proves a cinch, while the provision of a 1GB Flash memory for BD-Live downloads convinces us that Samsung has thought of everything.  

Better than comprehensiveness is quality; 3D Blu-ray playback is accurate and full of natural-looking depth, while 2D is generally excellent (Blu-ray shines while Freeview standard-def channels can be soft and noisy, though still watchable). Even a process that converts between 2D and 3D works to some extent, though whether this stop-gap feature appeals depends on what you have it convert. Full HD upscaling isn’t on a par with Panasonic decks, certainly, but in all other areas - colour, clarity and motion - this deck delivers in spades.

Tags: Blu-ray players Freeview HD Samsung Samsung BD-D6900 3D Blu-ray Home Cinema

Samsung BD-D6900 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 09:50:00 +0100

Normally we’d be all excited about 3D playback, but so far the capability to read 3D Blu-ray discs hardly seems to be a high-end add-on feature at all. Take this so-called “flagship” Blu-ray player from mainstream brand Toshiba; it costs only a few sheckles more than it’s back-to-basic 2D sister, the BDX1200, and it’s not much more advanced.

In fact, so cheap is the BDX3200 - just £130 if you hunt online - that it’s enough to convince us to advise against investing in Blu-ray at unless you’ve got 3D playback options covered. Not that 3D readiness is all that the BDX3200 has to shout about. Nicely designed with a slim chassis (just 42.5mm in height) and with a rather conservative black lacquer finish with mirrored edge, this is a smart device in more ways than one. A small Blu-ray logo sits in the middle of the front panel and glows when the player is switched-on, while a small green LED-lit panel shows a counter and simple menu prompts. It’s not an eye-catching deck, but will suit most living rooms - though build quality should be described as thoroughly average, too.

Able to play DTS-HD and Dolby True HD soundtracks from 2D and 3D Blu-ray discs, the BDX3200 sports a USB slot only on the front. It’s hidden behind a small flap, but here’s the rub: if you're after BD-Live downloads from this Profile 2.0 Blu-ray player you’ll have to live with having a USB flash drive permanently protruding into your den. To do so, insert a USB stick of at least 2GB in size; the BDX3200 will immediately create a folder to stored downloaded content whether or not you actually indulge in BD-Live (does anyone actually use it?).

A protruding USB drive is also an issue if you want to play back digital files, though at least the slot itself is reasonably compliant. MP3, JPEG, AVI (DivX), MOV, AVC HD and MPEG files all played without a hiccup, though MKV (DivX HD) files failed to play despite the BDX3200 proudly wearing the DivX HD logo (we tried several official movie trailers, but no luck).

Around the back is an Ethernet LAN port, but it’s for accessing BD-Live content only and not for DLNA streaming of digital files. DLNA is a feature that’s common on similarly priced Blu-ray players, but whether it’s a feature in demand, we're not so sure; there’s certainly room in the market for a basic 3D Blu-ray player like the BDX3200. Other ins and outs include HDMI, Composite video, coaxial digital audio and stereo phonos, while the remote control - saddled with buttons long left to rot, such as “angle” and “repeat” - is feeble and irritating to use.

Pleasingly quick to load, the BDX3200 gets us going on a 2D presentation of Avatar that’s as deep and detailed as on any deck of this ilk thanks in part to an eminently tweakable video settings menu. The extra dimension is only available on 3D Blu-ray discs - there’s no 2D-to-3D conversion available here - but they’re treated exceptionally well. So clean, detailed and stable are the 3D pictures here that it is difficult to tell this deck apart from machines twice the price. That’s the main reason why, despite its general lack of diverting features, the BDX3200 will suit a lot of homes just perfectly - especially once it hovers around the £100 mark, which won't be long.

What isn't as impressive is DVD and digital files. Both look soft and somewhat dirty, with jagged lines and picture noise apparent.

Tags: Blu-ray players 3D Blu-ray Toshiba Toshiba BDX3200 Home Cinema

Toshiba BDX3200 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 26 May 2011 10:06:53 +0100

Most kitchen or “second room” TVs feature a bog standard LCD screen and, if you're lucky, a Freeview tuner, but the competition is hotting up and Sony here brings to market a small TV that’s not only one of the best specified, but also one of the best looking.

With many Brits already owning a flat TV in their living room, the demand for second TVs is soaring. Sony obviously recognises this because this 22-inch doesn't just add LED backlighting and BBC iPlayer, but has even strapped this super-slim set with built-in Wi-Fi, iPhone App control and a novel stand that uses two shiny steel pipes to subtlety support the set.

Classy stuff, as is the brushed metallic-looking plastic strip along the bottom of the TV. Most of that wouldn’t look out of place on a flagship TV, which this 22-incher certainly isn't. It’s at the lower end of Sony’s “Essential” line-up of Bravia TVs in an EX320 Series that also includes the 24-inch KDL-24EX320, 26-inch KDL-26EX320 and 32-inch KDL-32EX320.

Small in stature it may be, but these are about as advanced as any “second room” TV ever produced. The use of Edge LED backlighting - the slimmest of all luminance tech - has enabled Sony to achieve a dept of just 42mm, though don't think that means less in the way of picture technology. Also onboard is Sony’s X-Reality, a picture processing suite that we’ve seen work wonders on its higher-end TVs.

The only area where the KDL-22EX320 fails to surprise us is with its resolution, which at 1366 x 768 pixels puts it steadfastly in the HD-Ready camp. It’s no bother - we don't believe Full HD has much worth for video at this size - but those who’d like to use it as a PC monitor will be disappointed.

At least there’s a PC input on the KDL-22EX320’s side panel, which is accompanied by a Common Interface slot and a USB port. The latter is for playing back digital files as well as recording to, and pausing live TV with, an external HDD. In our tests it supported AVI (DivX), MPEG (including high-def), WMV and AVCHD videos, but strangely not DivX HD files, though they can be streamed from a PC or Mac using the DLNA function.

On the rear are a couple of HDMI inputs, an RF aerial feed, a lone Scart, Ethernet LAN port (for those without Wi-Fi), a digital optical audio output, component video, stereo phonos, and a 3.5mm PC audio jack.

But it’s with an invisible connection - the Wi-Fi module - that brings the most joy. An Opera web browser is very welcome, but it’s actually the lowpoint; it’s hampered by tiny fonts and a laborious operation. Much better is Bravia Internet Video, which includes the “currently offline” Qriocity, BBC iPlayer, Demand 5, Sky News, Lovefilm, Eurosport, YouTube, Blip.tv, Dailymotion and more (guff) besides. Skype video calling is mentioned in the advertising and on Sony’s website, but we presume that it will arrive via an upcoming firmware update. Also present are Twitter and Facebook widgets that, when activated, push the live TV channel into a screen that occupies around two-thirds of the screen real estate (there’s also a “widget gallery”, but it’s empty). Not surprisingly, Sony’s Qriocity music and video streaming service gets its own section, too; if you're prepared to sign-up to this iTunes-aping, multi-gadget, cloud-based rental service it’s quite something - but we’re thinking VAIO users will be its primary target.

What we don’t like about the KDL-22EX320 is its lack of Freeview HD. The 7-day electronics programme guide is excellent - peerless, even - and the refreshed, speedy user interface for the TV as a whole is a lot subtler than the brilliant, but rather dominating design of the XrossMediaBar system that’s also used on the PS3. We also loved using Sony’s MediaRemote iPhone app, a full explanation of which is here). But switch on any digital TV channel and there are the same puck marks, fizzing picture noise and pixellated moving objects and close-ups that we thought we’d moved on from with the advent of Freeview HD.

Attach a Blu-ray player and high-def broadcasts are missed even more; this Edge LED panel is unusually talented, with viewing angles in particular a huge step forward when compared to the 22-inch LCD TVs of old. Black levels are profound, though contrast isn’t; during Ice Cold In Alex on Blu-ray we noticed a rather hollow look to dark areas of the image. There was also some motion blur evident in horizontal camera pans during our 2012 test disc, and colours can look a touch ripe, but none of these foibles take away from the fact that the overall picture quality of the Edge LED-backlit KDL-22EX320 is far greater than on your typical 22-incher. And sound from the invisible 8W speakers, while barely enough to enjoy a film, is nevertheless reasonably detailed and a slight cut above.

Tags: Televisions Sony Sony KDL-22EX320 Home Cinema

Sony KDL-22EX320 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 20 May 2011 15:59:12 +0100

After the online content hubs of last year, is the next big thing in Blu-ray players iPhone control? It seems a bit harsh on the squillions of Android phone owners, but Panasonic has fitted its latest high-end 3D Blu-ray deck with an iPhone app as well as Skype video calling and a wave-controlled disc ejection system.

The latter isn’t some kind of hydro electric powered system but something rather more twee; you wave your hand across the top of the machine and the disc tray opens. Unfortunately the sensor is in the middle of the top of the machine (a mottled black plastic design that’s different to the brand’s lower-end Blu-ray players, 3D or otherwise) so unless you put the BDT210 on display for all to see, this feature is largely worthless. In an AV rack the feature is best deactivated, though it does work a treat, taking about half a second from sensing your hand wave across the top to the actual tray opening. Happily, discs load in 14 seconds.

Designed to accompany Panasonic’s VT30, GT30, ST30 or DT30 3DTVs, the BDT210 is second in Panasonic’s 3D Blu-ray line-up only to the higher-end BDT310. That particular deck adds a couple of HDMI outputs for lossless audio and 3D viewing.

Elsewhere the specifications and performance are identical to the BDT110; newly refreshed onscreen menus, the Viera Cast suite of online services (which includes Acetrax movies and Skype video calling - see below), DLNA networking (DivX (AVI), WMV, AVC HD video, JPEG photos and MP3 music), SD Card slot (AVC HD playback and BD-Live storage), USB slots (for attaching a Skype camera or playing MP3, DivX (AVI), DivX HD (MKV), JPEG 2D or MPO 3D photos). The moderately successful 2D-to-3D conversion is also on board.

What the BDT210 adds over the BDT110 is Wi-Fi built-in, that touch-free sensor tray, and iPhone app control. A free download from the Apple store, the Panasonic Remote 2011 app includes a page for gesture control of the new “swipe” GUI design for 2011, a mock-up of the hardware remote, and dedicated screens for Blu-ray playback. There’s even a “shuttle” screen for scanning through discs using a simple drag and hold rotation movement. We were even able to customise the app so a single shake of the iPhone performed any number of actions from standby or open tray to 3D mode or a launch of Viera Cast. The app includes a shortcut to Skype, but also one to NetFlix; this is obviously a US-centric application, but it otherwise works flawlessly on these shores.

Perhaps it is a good idea to use an iPhone or iPod touch if you have one since the supplied remote control is a tad too small, and not a patch on the brand’s excellent TV remotes.

In among the smaller buttons is one labelled with the distinctive blue logo of Skype. Having made the jump from PC to phones, dear old Skype now appears on your TV … at last!? Ever wished you could make phone calls from your sofa, complete with video? Nor us, though this futuristic cliché has come to pass already - and it’s actually quite fun.

We made calls to several friends around the world, with brilliant voice results - and pretty good pictures, too. The video is presented in the middle of the TV screen, though there is a fullscreen option. The call quality depends on your sound system, of course (5.1 phone calls, anyone?), but you will have to purchase the camera to even attempt Skype calls. The TY-CC10W Communication Camera is steep at £120+, but is at least very well made; a rugged design clips on to the top of a TV and trails a USB cable to the BD210. The camera and four-way microphone both prove to be excellent. Usefully, there’s also an Auto Answering Video Message function that takes messages while the TV is switched-off, with a “video mail” function advertised as “coming soon”.

The quality of 2D and 3D video is excellent, and identical to that found on the BDT110 (see separate review for more details). 2D-3D conversion also stars on the BDT210, a feature we were often impressed by. We’re still not convinced it’s ever going to be anything other than a novelty to help convince shoppers to buy 3DTVs and glasses, but it does add a little extra to an existing Blu-ray collection. In our test disc Casino Royale panoramic views and even slow-moving sequences with lots of background failed to impress, but a close-up view of a crowd of people looked awesome. Sadly, those moments are few and far between and we found our eyes quickly tiring before switching back to 2D.

Tags: Blu-ray players 3D Blu-ray Panasonic Panasonic DMP-BDT210 Skype Home Cinema

Panasonic DMP-BDT210 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 19 May 2011 09:00:00 +0100

Just on sale but with a web price already hovering around £100, this effort at Blu-ray from oft-value busting brand Toshiba may deal in 2D discs, but has an overall feel that’s oh so one-dimensional.

The only supporter of the much more sensibly named, but ultimately doomed, HD-DVD format has experimented in Blu-ray before, but 2011 sees it embrace 3D Blu-ray for the first time. That’s not the case here - the BDX1200 is a thoroughly 2D effort - but we’ll get our hands on Toshiba’s third dimension-dabbler, the flagship BDX3200, very soon.

If you're simply after high definition movies for your HD-ready TV, the BDX1200 doesn't disappoint. As well as supporting purchased Blu-ray discs the BDX1200 spins all kinds of recorded and recordable CD, DVD and BD discs.

It’s also compatible with the new HD audio codecs DTS-HD and Dolby True HD, though lacks any analogue outputs or even an optical or coaxial audio stream. That’s of no concern on a model of this price, because it’s not likely to take a star turn in a home cinema setup - and for other reasons besides. However, its standard collection of connections - HDMI, Composite video and phono - are without any HD-capable Component video ports. The industry insists that Component video ports are a piracy risk - despite rife digital piracy of Blu-ray discs already - so the red, green and blue knobs have (or will very soon have) disappeared from machines like this; if you have an older HD-ready TV without a HDMI, it could cause problems.

Switch the BDX1200 on and it goes through a very short “wizard” that simply sets the resolution output via the HDMI, which quickly leads to a less than inspiring user interface. Dark blue, grey and white-themed menus sit over a pleasant wallpaper, but there’s a problem; the serif fonts used look so dated and the menus themselves aren't nearly high resolution enough. Attention to detail is important, especially on a high-def machine, so that’s a black mark against the BDX1200.

Otherwise, the menus do just enough; simple picture tweaks are possible, though we did notice an option to set the audio output for the SPDIF - aka digital optical - despite the BDX1200 lacking that particular audio output. Meanwhile the remote control looks like it’s come from a catalogue and clearly hasn't been designed for this deck; in amongst a clutter of small buttons are useless options such as “angle” and “repeat” while it appeared to be lacking a shortcut to the USB port until we stumbled across a button named “MC” in the top left-hand corner. Silly us.

What also sets the alarm bells ringing is the trumping-up of BD-Live as one of the BDX1200’s main features. Is that the same BD-Live that time forgot? Yup; it’s equipped with an Ethernet LAN on its rear for just that purpose, but it does lack any built-in storage for downloads. Fast becoming a standard feature on rival decks, it’s necessary here to plug-in a USB stick of at least 2GB (to the deck’s front-loading slot, no less) to store downloaded content and data.

From that USB we managed to play MP3 music, JPEG photos, and DivX, MOV and MPEG video files, though high-def was only possible via AVC HD files - there was no support for DivX HD MKV fare. That’s pretty poor show on a high-def spinner however low the price. Nor is there much sense of upscaling, so digital video files often look ropey, while it takes around 8 or 9 seconds to both load and quit a video and return to the USB contents menu.

As sturdily built as any competitor (the BDX1200 measures 430 x 200 x 42.5mm) and remarkably slim, this deck doesn’t keep a low profile when it comes to its high-def pictures. Our Blu-ray test disc Avatar looked fabulous, with all the detail you'd expect. The picture is on the harsh side of sharp if anything, and while colour can also be a touch cold, the overall picture remains stunning and plenty enough for living room duties if paired with a below 50-inch TV. DVD doesn’t receive much love and the drop in quality is immediately obvious not just in terms of sharpness, but also in the appearance of jagged edges and picture noise.

Disc loading times are slow and during our tests the BDX1200 lost communication with the TV multiple times before eventually displaying a Blu-ray disc’s menus some 50+ seconds after the initial fire-up.

Tags: Blu-ray players Toshiba Toshiba BDX1200 Home Cinema

Toshiba BDX1200 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 13 May 2011 13:49:30 +0100

Created to partner screens in the brand’s three separate line-ups of 3D plasmas (VT30, GT30 and ST30) and sole range of 3D LED-backlit LCD TVs (DT30), this player is the most affordable of a trio of 3D decks in Panasonic’s 2011 range - the others being the DMP-BDT210 and DMP-BDT310.

Amazingly, all three are identical in size, measuring just 35mm in height (dimensions are 430 x 35 x 179mm), with the finished look akin to a compact DVD player. OK, so it’s a still a boring black box, but it’s easier to house in an AV rack than most, and completely at odds with the huge PC-like Blu-ray monoliths from just 3 years ago.

Aside from an ability to play 3D Blu-ray discs, the DMP-BDT110 comes with an online hub. After a couple of years with the best looking, but relatively content-barren online hub in the industry, Viera Cast is reborn here, but it’s not as polished or as content-rich as the latest Viera TVs’ Viera Connect service. It does, however, include the likes of Twitter, YouTube and Acetrax movie streaming, Euronews, Dailymotion, Picasa, Bloomberg, QTom and Skype (including video calling if you buy a TY-CC110 HD Communication Camera from Panasonic for £132.99. It lacks the Viera Cast’s online marketplace where you can download apps, but more critically, there’s no BBC iPlayer service.

Built-in Wi-Fi wouldn't go amiss either, something that would better serve Skype calling, too (for more on this see our review of the Panasonic DMP-BDT210).

On the rear of the DMP-BDT110 are clues that this is otherwise a budget 3D deck. As well as a sole HDMI out (you’ll need two if you want to watch 3D with lossless audio) and a Composite video port for emergencies, a set of analogue phonos perch next to an optical digital audio output. The latter will please those with older AV amplifiers and home cinema systems that lack HDMI inputs.

The rear’s USB slot can be used either for the Skype camera or a USB Wi-Fi dongle (Panasonic make the DY-WL10 Wireless LAN Adaptor for around £79), making it impossible to place Skype calls over Wi-Fi. A further USB slot can be found underneath the front fascia’s flap (for playback of DivX (AVI), DivX HD (MKV), JPEG 2D or MPO 3D pictures, and MP3 music), next to an SD Card slot (for storing BD-Live content and showing JPEG photos and AVC HD camcorder videos only). There’s also an Ethernet LAN port, which comes at the expense of built-in Wi-Fi.

Wired connection is one of our major problems with the current generation of internet-connected home entertainment devices: why are manufacturers so reluctant to put Wi-Fi modules inside? The hassle of dragging a cable - or even inserting a USB dongle - will be too much for most. The end result is a swathe of consumers that own disconnected AV kit.

And they will miss not only Viera Connect, but also BD-Live and this deck’s nifty DLNA networking; the latter allowed us to stream DivX (AVI), WMV, AVC HD video, JPEG photos and MP3 music only from a netbook on the same network.

Booting-up in seconds, 2D pictures from our test disc Donnie Darko are spotless and the brand’s Adaptive Chroma Processing - featured here once again - helps create some luscious, brilliantly saturated colours.

DivX HD files look smooth, too, while the headline act - 3D Blu-ray - is clean and ever so impressive when the footage suits. 3D sequences can still be confusing, especially if there’s a lot of different depths going on; a shot of a shoal of fish in our test disc proved both brilliant and baffling, principally because the camera had set the depth of field so that the fish at the front were slightly blurry, with the fish in focus too deeply into the picture. It’s not this player’s fault - it does a fine job with contrast, colour and clean 3D - but it’s certainly an issue for the format itself.

There is a 3D Effect Controller on board, but in practice we didn’t need to make any adjustments. That could be because we were viewing on a Panasonic plasma (it’s possible adjustments to depth etc. may be necessary if watching on an older 3D LCD TV, for instance).

DVD is upscaled well and enjoys all the same pros with a little less detail on show, though the real upscaling of note here is this deck’s novel 2D-to-3D conversion, a hit-and-miss feature that is capable of wowing one minute, and appearing to be completely pointless the next.

Tags: Panasonic Panasonic DMP-BDT110 Blu-ray players 3D Blu-ray Home Cinema

Panasonic DMP-BDT110 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 04 May 2011 12:21:31 +0100

There’s something decidedly low-rent about the word “combi”, but this two-into-one effort from Samsung is most definitely upmarket. Costing a whopping £380, it darn well should be, but wait until you see what it can do: 3D Blu-ray playback, Freeview HD viewing and recording, and BBC iPlayer. It can even transform 2D into 3D, and stream files across a home network.

That’s some combination, though it does have a major drawback - the D8500 is a beastly 430 x 60 x 299mm, though the design is otherwise a pleasant combination of touch-sensitive controls above the disc inlet. It’s a clean look; a Common Interface slot and a USB port are cleverly hidden behind an invisible flap. It’s far more cluttered on the rear, but that a good thing; there you’ll find a HDMI output (1.4, so capable of 3D) alongside RF aerial, Ethernet LAN (though Wi-Fi is also included), optical digital audio, analogue audio, Composite video and Component video. The latter is fast disappearing from AV kit as a genre will cease altogether in 2012 at the insistence of Hollywood studios. Note that there are no multichannel outputs for 7.1 sound, so fans of lossless movie soundtracks from Blu-ray will need to pair the D8500 with a HDMI-equipped AV amplifier.

First, let’s take a look at the Freeview HD functionality. The D8500 is fitted with dual tuners and a 500GB hard disk for pausing/rewinding live TV and making recordings (somewhere in the region of 250 hours of SD channels and 125 hours of HD). The 8-day electronic programme guide is pin-sharp and gorgeous, with a thumbnail screen showing (and playing audio) of the channel you're currently tuned to. The EPG shows information for six channels over 2 hours, though scrolling down to other channels is a tad slower than we’d like. Ditto recording; a press of the red record button on the cluttered remote control brought up a “preparing for live TV recording” message for 10 seconds. Hardly the instant recording we’d presumed. Live programmes selected for recording aren’t highlighted, but a red blob appears next to the channel name on the EPG. More usefully, recordings can be scheduled from the EPG days in advance and, better still, if you select a programme that’s part of a series the D8500 will tell you so and invite you to set a series link. Scheduled recordings receive a red clock icon.

Recordings - critically from just one channel at a time, severely limiting the usefulness of this feature when compared to a Sky or (especially) Virgin Media box - can be accessed on the HDD from the home screen. Thumbnails are presented for each recordings, though in our tests the menus were sluggish.

In other tests the sole USB slot on the machine’s front managed to deal in DivX HD (MKV), DivX (AVI), MP4, MPEG and WMV video files, while JPEG, PNG and GIF photos, MP3 and WMA music files played without problems. Networking, known as AllShare by Samsung, is similarly impressive.

Also benefitting from Wi-Fi is Samsung’s latest attempt at an online content service - SmartHub. Accessed from the pretty new onscreen menus (that are less a step forward compared to previous efforts, and more a slight change in aesthetics - unlike the remote, which is identical to Samsung’s 2010 TV and Blu-ray products), SmartHub’s highlight is BBC iPlayer, which has just been added in its “usual” design (it automatically downloaded to the D8500 the second we navigated to the SmartHub).

It’s joined by typical services on such online hubs, including social networking from Facebook and Twitter, the puzzling Google Maps (on a TV? Really?) and access to videos on YouTube, Muzu.TV, Box Office 365, Lovefilm and Dailymotion. News comes from USA Today, though there’s no sport apps whatsoever. Other niche options include AccuWeather, Rovi TV listings, This Day In History (by The History Channel), Picasa and a plethora of games such as Mahjong Fruits, Chess and Sudoku.

Those video services seem pencilled-in for expansion on SmartHub since Samsung has also included a “Your Video” area where it’s possible to search using free text (albeit through a painful predictive text-style onscreen keyboard that you’d do well to use without screaming for more than 10 seconds) across all available movie streaming services. Showing IMBD-style info about films available on the Lovefilm and Acetrax services, Your Video learns which films you have been watching and makes recommendations based on your history. There's also a "search all" function that trawls apps, USB sticks and the internet based on free text input.

The D8500 excels on picture quality. Standard definition Freeview pictures are highly watchable but do have a sheen of softness across them, unlike HD channels, which are a huge improvements. Standard Blu-ray discs shine, too, with Samsung’s Hyper Real Video Engine offering-up immense detail that proved more than enough for watching the Ghibli classic Laputa Castle In The Sky on Blu-ray through a home cinema projector. Converting 2D into 3D can only be done with Blu-ray discs, not Freeview channels, but this feature doesn’t add much to proceedings. Test it out, of course, but don't expect to watch more than the first 10 minutes of a movie before you decide that the flicker and uncomfortable 3D glasses just isn't worth it.

Tags: Blu-ray players Samsung 3D Blu-ray Samsung BD-D8500 Home Cinema

Samsung BD-D8500 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:55:00 +0100

Twelve months ago the ins and outs of 3DTVs were a mystery to us all as a plethora of high-priced LED TVs were thrown our way, but now we know the truth; if you want convincing 3D in your living room, choose a plasma. Panasonic, the only brand to offer 3D plasmas until Samsung joined the fray just before Christmas (and more recently, LG), scooped around half of the 3DTV market - and for good reason.

So the arrival of this 50-inch in its brand new mid-range GT30 is something to get excited about for anyone into the latest and greatest in home entertainment. That excitement proves well founded. Accompanied in the GT30 range by the 42-inch TX-P42GT30B and 46-inch TX-P46GT30B, all three sit between Panasonic’s high-end 3D-ready VT30 and budget 3D-ready ST30 range, but still represent a high-end purchase for most consumers.

In place of last year’s crop of 3D plasmas, this generation adds an all-new Infinite Black Pro Panel, something that’s destined to be the must-have panel in home cinemas in 2011. By way of confirmation, the TX-50GT30 also boats THX certification for 2D and 3D, though it’s the ancillary features that will likely spread the word far and wide. Quite literally in the case of Skype video calling, though Viera Connect - a newly developed system that sees cloud-based content and those ubiquitous apps - is likely to be just as appealing.

Exclusive to Panasonic TVs, Viera Connect is the upgrade to Viera Cast, 2010’s peerlessly designed, highly functional, but virtually pointless content hub. Viera Connect sees the arrival not only of a plethora of apps (via an app store) such as free games and information apps, but of some genuinely engaging content in the form of BBC iPlayer. Most of the rest of the “core” Apps can be found on the older Viera Cast service, but it’s still good to see the likes of Twitter, Facebook, Picasa, Dailymotion, Acetrax streamed movies, Euronews, Bloomberg, QTom and Skype video calling (the latter only if you buy a camera).

Sadly, the TX-50GT30 is Wi-Fi ready only via a USB dongle, which does seem rather odd at this price (the VT30 Series ships with one USB wireless LAN adaptor) especially since Viera Connect is joined by DLNA networking.

It also adds good looks in the shape of a quite stunning “highline” design, though it lacks the “one sheet of glass” approach of the VT30 screens; here you’ll find a narrow (18mm) bezel around the panel that’s set-off nicely with a hint of silver around the glass. The set measures just 37mm in depth at its narrowest part, though the underslung speakers do jut out of the back some (while also helping create a built-in sound not to be embarrassed about - in contrast to most flat TVs). While it’s great to have such a slim depth, we’ve seen a lot slimmer, and it comes at a cost; you’ll find a full complement of adaptors for almost all the connections, HDMI and USB aside.

The TX-50GT30’s Freeview HD electronic programme guide is unchanged from last year; it shows programme information for 2 hours at a glance and is highly functional, but still saddled with a space for adverts. Freeview programmes can be recorded to a HDD attached to one of this set’s three (one side, two rear) USB slots, though only one at a time. In practice this features “rewind live TV” aspect is more useful - and can be done on a small USB stick permanently inserted into one of those USB slots.

Digital files are playable from a USB stick, too (support covers JPEG, MP3 and WMA music, and DivX, DivX HD, MP4, MOV and WMV video files), while we managed to stream DivX (AVI), AVC HD and MOV video and JPEG pictures (no music whatsoever), over a network (via wired LAN) from a Mac using the set’s DLNA networking feature. A mixed bag.

From an SD card it’s also possible to view images and videos recorded in 3D (with the aid of the 3D glasses, of course). At first we thought it was a mistake, but nope, the TX-50GT30 doesn't actually come with any 3D glasses. That’s almost criminal, though one possible excuse could be Panasonic’s wise decision to sell three different sizes of 3D glasses. However, each pair costs a shade under £100 and are as uncomfortable as last year’s efforts.

That, however, is our 3D gripes over because the TX-50GT30 otherwise excels. The pictures from our test disc Open Season proved so easy to watch compared to most 3D LCD TVs, with the dual bonus of brighter pictures than we saw on Panny’s 2010 efforts. Black areas are studded with more detail than in last year’s duller (though still reference-level) 3D images; it’s the most convincing 3D performance we’ve seen so far.

The NeoPlasma panel used here also offers the most luscious 2D picture we’ve witnessed. Tighter, brighter colours abound and the accuracy of the screen is stunning; check-out the subtlety of black areas of the picture and you’ll see why plasma is favoured above LED-backlit TVs by the home cinema crowd - though it’s possibly thanks to 3D that these improvements to brightness have been made. There’s just so much detail within blocks of colour, and skin is as cleanly reproduced as we've ever seen it on a plasma. The Intelligent Frame Creation feature, which inserts frames into video to get rid of judder in a Blu-ray disc, is worth auditioning, though the smoothness it introduces can detract from the cinematic effect on this plasma; it's a bit hit and miss, as is the novelty 2D-to-3D conversion.

Tags: 3DTV Televisions Plasma televisions 3D televisions Panasonic Panasonic TX-50GT30 Home Cinema

Panasonic TX-50GT30 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 10:54:35 +0100

Always a purveyor of high-end rather than budget Blu-ray decks, it's no surprise that the majority of Panasonic’s 2011 output is 3D-ready. 3D support is handled by Panasonic’s DMP-BDT310, DMP-BDT210 and DMP-BDT110 decks, and while this DMP-BD75 model is resolutely 2D, don’t make the mistake of calling it entry-level.

Its alarmingly small exterior (it measures just 430 x 35 x 179mm and weighs a mere 1.6kg) at last brings Blu-ray into line with the now default slim, narrow designs of DVD players.

DLNA networking is probably the headline act, though it’s not a wireless affair - an Ethernet port sits on the unit’s rear, alongside a simple collection of ins and outs for Composite video, HDMI, and stereo phonos. Along the front you’ll also find a USB slot with ambitions to play all kinds of digital music, photos and video files. What is missing from this deck is any home cinema-friendly audio connections; we didn’t expect to find a complete set of 7.1 analogue outputs, but the lack of optical digital audio is a shame - and something that immediately relegates the DMP-BD75 for anyone without the latest HDMI-equipped AV amplifiers who wants to make use of Blu-ray disc’s lossless audio. Not surprisingly, audio isn't this machine’s strongpoint; its performance is best described as adequate.

There are other omissions. It’s common to find an SD Card slot on Panasonic appliances, but not here. Wired Ethernet is very often inappropriate or impossible in many living rooms, effectively wiping-off the DMP-BD75’s DLNA features for some; Panasonic don't currently provide a Wi-Fi dongle.

All that is less a whinge and more some context, since this budget deck is nevertheless a tad beyond the £80 you can spend on a supermarket cheapie. However, the extra outlay immediately bears fruit when we switch-on the DMP-BD75. It’s not just the stunning picture quality (more on that below), but also a completely refreshed operating system.

After a few years stuck with an increasingly stale GUI, Panasonic’s designers have at last got their fingers out and produced a logical, relatively attractive and speedy interface for the player’s main functions. It's based on a simple cross system that sees an icon for setup surrounded by shortcuts to DLNA Media Server, photos, music and videos. After moving the cursor to select, you then get a choice of source for your files.

DLNA, aka “Media Server”, does indeed provide the DMP-BD75’s high point, but it’s not quite as polished as we’d hoped. Connecting to a broadband router quickly, our sample immediately downloaded the latest firmware (but only after asking), and we set about streaming some media from a PC and Mac on the same network.

Sadly, the file support - as per usual on Panasonic products, sadly - via DLNA is limited to just JPEG, MP3 (no WMA support despite claims to the contrary), DivX (AVI) and AVC HD (MTS and M2TS variants), the latter produced by Panasonic’s HD camcorders.

Though all of these files are handled well, that’s pretty scant return. It’s a similar - though not identical - tale with the DMP-BD75’s USB slot. This time, AVC HD files can't be played, but DivX HD (MKV) files are supported. The latter is laudable for a 2010 deck, but as near to total file support as is practical is the only way to be on a 2011 model. Also note that without a second USB slot or built-in storage, BD Live business must be conducted on via this slot, too.

From standby, the DMP-BD75 took just 19 seconds to load The Tourist, while changing discs took a mere 12 seconds. Once up-and-running the DMP-BD75 brings every drop and detail of Venice into view, with little or no marks, fizzing or jagged edges. Some colourful anime via My Neighbours The Yamadas shows-off this machine’s skill with colour saturation, with the disc still retaining a solidity and punch even when thrown onto a projection screen.

DVD is upscaled well, but what really surprised us was DivX playback, which is utterly indistinguishable from a high grade DVD. This deck has real quality when it comes to playing-back optical discs of all kinds - no question. But there are others out there with access to online content hubs that offer more bang for your Blu-ray bucks than this middle-of-the-road offering.

Tags: Blu-ray players Panasonic Panasonic DMP-BD75 Home Cinema

Panasonic DMP-BD75 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 09:01:00 +0100

The hi-fi landscape is changing and, not surprisingly, it all revolves around Apple if this high-end piece of kit from Japanese brand Marantz is anything to go by. The Marantz Melody Media was crowned as the, “world’s first AirPlay certified music system” when it was announced last summer, though the Apple AirPlay functions didn't go live until firmware updates were issued in November.

It’s no longer alone - other gear from Marantz and Denon now features Apple AirPlay, as does B&W’s new Zeppelin Air - but this employment of the lossless streaming tech is seriously impressive.

Amusingly, the Melody Media’s forbear was described as a “DAB microsystem”, but despite this sleek and solid “networked CD receiver’s” inclusion of a digital radio DAB tuner this is so much more than a simple radio, with streaming, web radio Napster and Last.fm included. Is this just Apple TV without video? No way - it offers some serious audiophile quality that, at its best, breathes new life into any crumbling collection of MP3s of varying quality - though its preferred diet is CD or lossless WAV files.

If you’re in any doubt that this a serious slab of hi-fi kit, take a glance at the Melody’s ample rear. Back there you’ll find connections for stereo speakers alongside three auxiliary inputs (two phonos and one optical digital audio) and some phono outputs. There’s also a subwoofer pre-output, a link to an M-XPort (for adding an optional wireless Bluetooth audio module), and a full suite of antennae ports, though the key connection is wired Ethernet LAN. Providing a direct, wired link to a home network means there’s no fussing over entering WEP keys and suchlike, though it does mean that the unit must live near a broadband router. In our test it immediately found both a PC laptop running Windows 7 and a Mac installed with TwonkyMedia.

The front is visually user-friendlier, housing a CD drive (something of a rarity on gadgets we review these days), a USB slot (that is capable of charging, too), a 3.5mm jack input for non-Apple MP3 players, and a headphones jack.

Getting the Melody onto a home network is no problem, and nor is streaming from computers sitting on that network wirelessly. Streamed from a Mac, stereo imaging within Björk’s Homogenic is seriously impressive, and though the Melody can't quite remove the sharpness of treble highs in this 192kbps track, it does an immaculate job at the other end of the frequency range. Swap to Radiohead’s The Bends at 320kbps and that CD drive suddenly seems rather pointless.

Trouble is, finding songs stored on a computer isn’t easy - it's never going to be with such a small screen and a couple of clickwheels. In steps Apple AirPlay, which enables iTunes on a PC or Mac to output audio straight to the Melody Media (the AirPlay icon pops-up in the bottom right-hand corner of the iTunes software).

Using Apple AirPlay also negates the need for a messy third party app by offering immediate, lossless playback directly from an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Routing audio from an iPhone to the Melody is simply a case of selecting it as the output source on the “now playing” screen in Apple’s iTunes software, though it totally relies on a Wi-Fi network and does involve a small delay (around 3 or 4 seconds). Note that audio can’t be streamed from an Apple gadget while it’s syncing with its mother ship.

Streaming audio quality is excellent. With a pair of Monitor Audio BX2 bookshelf speakers hooked-up, Radiohead’s The King Of Limbs LP as lossless WAV files sounds exquisite. Those without an Apple device aren't ignored, with a comprehensive remote control that, sadly, resembles something you might operate a TV with. It’s not nice to look at, but it does contain shortcut buttons, including internet radio (complete with weighting to BBC stations), music server (computers or NAS drives on the same network), online music (from Napster and Last.fm, though both require existing accounts and the long-winded input of login details), iPod/USB (if one is attached to the front slot), M-XPort (optional Bluetooth streaming - much quicker than AirPlay), tuner (DAB, FM or AM), disc (an in-situ CD) and AUX (anything plugged-into on the front or back’s analogue ports).

It's great to see such a haul of features accessible via the remote (the unit itself is bereft of these functions, so don't lose it), though it can also be operated by two apps; Apple's own Remote App and Marantz' Wizz app, which looks like a remote control onscreen and works on all of its networked products (mainly its AV receivers). There is, however, the absence of Spotify to think about - after all, Sonos has it, and even builds it into its own custom-made app.

Tags: Audio Hi-Fi Marantz Marantz Melody Media Apple Radios Apple Airplay DAB Radios

Marantz Melody Media originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:15:00 +0000

Fancy a Blu-ray deck that does it all? Able to spin 3D Blu-ray discs, this classy deck proves technically just as good as models from the likes of Sony, but it does lack one or two features rivals include. Its provision of 1GB of local storage is a nice bonus that few competitors offer at this low price, though it’s a shame there isn't built-in Wi-Fi.

Spend around £200 and you can score this deck with a £50 WUB1110/00 wireless USB dongle for inserting into a rear USB slot, though we’re not convinced it’s worth your while; the online BD Live service is increasingly useless while Philips’ own Net TV service - which is fully loaded onto the BDP7500S2 - isn’t (yet) much cop.

That could change, and the fact remains that Net TV does contain the only open web browser in the business. That Opera browser is slow, while the way it works - using the remote’s directional buttons to jump from live link to live link on a page - can be painful. In theory that would be no problem for video-based websites, but the software behind Net TV doesn’t include licences for Flash video etc, so sites such as BBC iPlayer simply don't work.

We wouldn’t be surprised if iPlayer arrived on the Net TV platform soon, though for now it revolves around YouTube, Picasa, Twitter, eBay, Box Office 365 and the live music gigs of iConcerts. Whether a Blu-ray player should be judged on the content it can access is a moot pint, though with optical media increasingly sidelined as broadband speeds jump, we’d argue that the BDP7500S2’s abilities as a “home hub” are increasingly important.

As such it scores a pass, but nothing more. Aside from its so-so Net TV service, the BDP7500S2 - a 3D update of this model - doesn't indulge in any kind of home networking, something that does put it slightly behind the curve. Shove a USB stick loaded with digital media into the deck’s hidden front slot and things improve. In our tests we managed to get MP3, WMA and AAC music files to play, while supported video includes DivX, MPEG-2, XviD, WMV, MKV (DivX HD), H.264, VC-1 and AVC HD files.

All this is handled through an attractive user interface; its grid-style approach is similar to LG’s, and that’s no bad thing. Especially brilliant is its simple approach to varying video sources. A shame, then, that the remote control is rather cheap ‘n’ cheerful, and, frankly, just too small to operate comfortably. If you do pair this with a Philips TV (something that could see you doubling-up on the Net TV service), engage the CEC option immediately to tie this deck to your TV’s remote.

The 3D effect created by the BDP7500S2 is a tad cleaner and easier to watch than from other decks we’ve seen, though the actual depth it creates isn't quite as profound. Personally, that suits us, though others will disagree.

Always packed with detail and as sharp as any Blu-ray deck we’ve seen, there are few issues with the BDP7500S2’s 2D performance. We did notice a trace of motion blur across our Donnie Darko Blu-ray test disc, but were bowled over by its lack of judder and contrast-heavy images. It’s a similarly impressive story with DVD playback, where Sean Locke’s 15 Storeys High sitcom looks lively and proved easily watchable as an 80-inch image through an Epson Full HD projector.

As a Blu-ray disc player, the BDP7500S2 can or course decode the latest and greatest sound codec’s such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, and is unusually comprehensive in its audio prowess; 7.1 analogue outputs, rare on a Blu-ray deck this price, sit next to both coaxial and optical digital outputs. Soundtracks delivered to our home cinema appeared clean and powerful, and though it’s perhaps a tad clinical in places, the reward is a consistent amount of fine detail.

Design-wise the BDP7500S2 is quite something, and if you already have a Philips Ambilight TV its mirrored finish and excellent build quality - as well as some nifty touch-sensitive controls - are not to be sniffed at.

Tags: Home Cinema Blu-ray players Philips Philips BDP7500S2 3D Blu-ray

Philips BDP7500S2 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 01 Mar 2011 09:00:00 +0000

3D ready rather than 3D-equipped, this step-up set from Sony is nicely positioned for anyone after a top draw, future-proof flatscreen - and it comes complete with Freeview HD tuner. Part of Sony’s Network range - we’re not sure why when most of its Bravias have a notable online dimension - this NX713 screen differs from its NX813 brethren only in the hertz department; this model has Motionflow 100Hz Pro scanning, the other Motionflow 200Hz Pro.

This 40-inch example is constructed around an Edge LED panel that has “GigaContrast”, a strong clue that the panel itself is constructed by Sharp in Japan. Attaching the desktop stand could be easier; an Allen key is included, though a screwdriver is also needed.

Its use of edge LED tech helps Sony achieve a 32mm depth inside a rather drab, basic gloss black shell that Sony insists on trumpeting as “monolithic” design. You could make a case for its clean lines being considered “classic”, though it really isn't anything special close-up.

The other zeitgeisty feature is 3D, though much like before you’ll have to add a separate 3D sync transmitter to enter another dimension. That will set you back a fair amount since the transmitter alone costs £49 and that’s before you add £99 glasses, though it’s worth searching online for the best prices for both transmitter and glasses. With such a dearth of 3D material to watch if you’re over the age of 12, the novel 2D-to-3D conversion option is one we like, though it’s far from perfect.

If you're buying a TV that’s merely 3D-ready, you’ve probably already decided that 3D isn't on your hit list anyhow, and of more interest to most will probably be the appearance in spades of Sony’s online ambitions, especially since the KDL-40NX713 has Wi-Fi built-in. Its Bravia Internet Video is peerless at present, with its silky control (via the Xross Media Bar) the icing on a service that’s stuffed with content; BBC iPlayer, Eurosport, Five On Demand, rolling Sky News, YouTube, Lovefilm and Qriocity (Sony’s new online streaming movie and music service - the former is limited, the latter has almost as many genres as it has actual songs) star, but the effect is watered down slightly by US-centric clutter such as Ford Models, Singing Fool and an array of pointless Livestrong streams.

This particular Sony TV also has Bravia Internet Widgets onboard, which means Flickr, Twitter, Betfair and other Yahoo-provided Apps, though these “apps” caused us real problems; activating any one of them caused the TV to hang despite using a wired internet connection.

Digital media is handled with mixed results; we managed to get the TV to playback DivX (though not DivX HD’s MKV files) and MPEG/MP4 variants from a USB stick, though this “network” TV is much less versatile at fetching files from a PC or Mac; just AVC HD files, as used on Sony camcorders, can be played. That’s poor - did no one test this prior to sale?

Still on video, the KDL-40NX713 makes up for its disappointing 3D performance by issuing frame after frame of sublime high-def. What impressed us most about 2D Blu-ray images wasn’t the smoothness (MotionFlow 100Hz earns its corn though does visibly reduce brightness as you scroll through each of its four settings) or the consistent high detail, but the colour; imbued with just enough contrast, colours are viciously powerful and are the finishing touch on an immaculate picture. During dark scenes it is possible to see how uneven the array of LED lights are, with a blotchy blue-and-black image instead of complete blackness, but it’s probably not going to spoil your movie.

The story is much the same with Freeview HD, while the KDL-40NX713 also makes a decent stab at standard definition channels. Detail plummets, but it’s clean and perfectly watchable.

Audio from the underslung speakers is thin, so we’d argue strongly for a separate sound system. For both this screen and others in the NX713 and NX813 ranges, Sony makes a special AV stand with a 2.1 sound system in its base.

Tags: Televisions LED televisions Sony Sony Bravia KDL-40NX713 Freeview HD Home Cinema

Sony Bravia KDL-40NX713 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Big in microwaves and calculators, few go shopping specifically for a Sharp TV, but they often end-up with one; you’ll find panels from the planet’s biggest LCD manufacturer inside the TVs of a lot of other, bigger brands.

So how does the original square up? Like a lot of Sharp’s budget LED-backlit screens in the last couple of years, the 32LE210E’s picture quality is excellent. In fact it’s one of the best behaved with contrast, producing inky - and believable - black as well as plenty of detail within. Put to work on a Blu-ray disc, the 32LE210E manages to extract and display a lot of information within dark areas of the image, which is unusual for an Edge LED (i.e., LED lights are studded around the TV’s sides) set such as this - though it’s no quite up to the standard of a decent plasma. In this department, the 32LE210E is helped, no doubt, by its relatively small size.

There’s also an excellent boldness to colours, though neither that nor its skill with black is immediately obvious; the pre-calibrated levels for both brightness and colour are some way off the mark out of the box, so take some time to fine-tune it to your preferences. Even after the screen had been calibrated, we observed a slight softness to Blu-ray playback as well as a touch of blur (so even more loss of detail) when objects rush across the screen.

If the 32LE210E would really benefit from a 100Hz mode, it could also do with another major update to bring it into contention - a Freeview HD tuner. Bereft of one here, this 32-inch TV does seem a tad outdated, though it’s seemingly got some catching up to do anyway; standard definition pictures on the 32LE210E often appear drab and somewhat dirty.

That’s a shame because for all of the minus points immediately obvious about this Sharp LED-backlit TV, it does have one feature that other sets lack, and that’s built-in recording. Well, kind of built-in; you’ll need to shove in a USB stick. Sets further up Sharp’s Aquos line-up do indeed have integrated memory banks to store such recordings, but on this budget set it’s a completely DIY affair. It’s not just recording; this novel TimeShift function allows you to rewind and pause live TV as well as make copies of TV programmes, though only for a few minutes - most of your USB stick will be used to make recordings. Incidentally, recordings are stored as BUK files - good luck finding somewhere to play those back on anywhere but this TV.

Count on around 25 minutes of SD recordings per gigabyte of storage used, and half that for HD. Using that maths, a 4GB USB stick will provide around 100 minutes of SD and 50 minutes of HD, but bear in mind that the 32LE210E will set-aside 500MB-or-thereabouts for pausing and rewinding. Actually using the interface to set recordings straight from the 8-day electronic programme guide is child’s play, though its limited talents make this an emergency feature that will only really come into its own if you have to suddenly leave the house but don’t want to miss the end of a programme.

This media-savvy feature appears to be a characteristic of the 32LE210E, for the next feature to catch our eye is DivX HD playback. The list of files its USB slot will playback is too numerous to list, but includes the likes of DivX, MOV and AVC HD video files, as well as WAV and AAC music. Playback is stable and DivX HD looks impressively smooth, though the interface for controlling digital music needs some polishing. No matter; the speakers on the bottom of the 32LE210E are similarly basic.

Tags: Televisions LED televisions Sharp Sharp LC-32LE210E

Sharp LC-32LE210E originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 09:00:00 +0000