Home Cinema Choice - Issue 332 - Summer 2022

118 Pages·2022·17 MB·English

GOING UNDERGROUND
HIGH-PERFORMANCE SOUND & VISION Step inside a high-end
basement cinema, p38
BIGSCREEN BRILLIANCE
Why’s Samsung 75in 8K TV is a fi ve-star fl agship
1 0 0 + DISNEY’S FILM & TV
NEW HOPE
p r o d u c t s Streamer returns ■ MORBIUS
rate d in to the Star Wars ■ TURNING RED
our G ear Ounbiiv-Werasne, w p9it6h ■C HLAITSCSHICCSO 4CKK
Guide ■ DRIVE 4K
■ SPECIES 1-4
■ & MORE!
Real gems
Mindblowing
B&W 800 Series
Diamond system
On Test Revealed!
Anthem AVM 90
19-channel processor Hollywood’s
Triangle Borea speakers biggest box
LG smart projector
Philips ‘The One’ TV office flops
Sonus faber Omnia
Hisense soundbar
www.homecinemachoice.com
Inside ISSUE 332 SUMMER 2022 £5.99
AUS- $15.99 NZ- $18.50 CAN- $18.99
COMPETITIONS ➜ PANASONIC OLED ➜ BENQ GAMING PROJECTOR
➜ OPINION ➜ MERIDIAN AUDIO MOVIE ROOM ➜ THE MAKING OF JURASSIC PARK
OLED+ 936
The only OLED that goes
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A TV that any sofa would be proud to point at. Inky blacks and
rich OLED colour. The crystal clarity of Bowers & Wilkins sound.
And Ambilight – taking the magic way beyond the screen.
philips.com/oled+
3
OPINION
www.homecinemachoice.com
EDITORIAL TEAM
Editor Mark Craven
[email protected]
Art Editor John Rook
CONTRIBUTORS
Steve May, Anton van Beek, John Archer, Steve Withers,
Daniel Sait, Rik Henderson, Ed Selley, Jon Thompson
Photography Mike Prior
ADVERTISING
Advertising Sales Executive
Richard Morris
ME-omba: 0il:7 r8ic3h4a [email protected] VFX classic Jurassic Park, p98
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Chief Executive Owen Davies It wasn't long ago that a 42in TV was considered big.
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BACKGROUND WALL IMAGES: have, to the point where Samsung's monster-sized
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75in QN900B TV (p48) isn't actually the largest model in the
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Unless, of course, you want to go really large. Home cinema
projection has moved on a lot from the days of bulky
CRT models that threatened to bring down your ceiling. Today's
beamers are far easier to live with, not to mention light years
ahead in terms of performance. This issue we check out a pair of
models with diff erent approaches to bigscreen viewing – LG's
If you can’t always fi nd a copy of ultra-short-throw HU715Q (p60), and BenQ's gamer-friendly
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SUMMER 2022 HOME CINEMA CHOICE
4
ISSUE 332/SUMMER 2022
07 CONTRIBUTORS
John Archer:
The experienced
TV tester cut his
teeth as an early
HCC staff er
Jon Thompson:
Film producer and
post-production
expert delves into
Hollywood and AV
Steve May:
HCC’s former Ed.
is one of the UK’s
most respected
AV journos
Anton van Beek:
Our avid movie
watcher and disc
collector cut his
teeth on Total DVD
24
Richard
Stevenson:
Former Editor of
the UK CE trade
journal ERT
Ed Selley:
Audiophile Ed
mixes his home
cinema passion
with a love of vinyl
Steve Withers:
Movie fan, display
calibrator and
28 34 object-based
audio obsessive
FEATURES BULLETIN REGULARS
In-depth interviews and special reports. Th e place for hot products, trends Whether you want our opinions or your
Starts... p24 and technology. Starts... p7 own, here's where to look. Starts... p73
COVER STORY
24 Diamonds are forever 07 Doubling down on 4K laser 73 Digital Copy
B&W's 800 Series returns in D4 guise Sony's new 4K HDR projector duo Mark Craven plays the AV numbers game
– and we sample its high-end charms
08 Wireless wonders? 74 The Hi-Fi Guy
COVER STORY
28 Box offi ce bombs Floorstanding LS60W speakers from KEF Why the horn speakers of yesteryear could
The big-budget sci-fi s, historical epics and be perfect for a modern movie room
09 Cinergy speakers for AV
even romcoms that left Hollywood reeling 76 In The Mix
COVER STORY Monitor Audio announces custom install-
34 Dream Theatres Post-pandemic, the movie business is fl ying
focused modular range
high in Tom Cruise's F-14...
Need inspiration for your own AV project?
Check out these two luxury installs 10 TCL C Series goes Google 78 Feedback
Mini LED and LCD TVs upgrade their smarts
98 Catalogue classic Where you share your thoughts
How Jurassic Park reinvented CGI cinema 12 From studio to your home 114 AV Avenger
Indesign Theatre chats pro-grade cinema SVOD survey reveals we care more about
SELECT quality than ever, says Steve May
13 News x10
AV stories in bite-sized chunks COMPETITIONS
Th e place to look if you're planning to buy
some new AV gear. Starts... p101 14 Sharper teeth than ever
80 Great Blu-rays to be won!
Yay! Dog Soldiers is coming to 4K BD
101 Gear guide Dr. Who and the Daleks 4K, Studiocanal Cult
HCC's comprehensive Top 10s/15s list 18 Tech Talk Classics, Blue Bayou and The Terror: Infamy up
only the very best kit money can buy Filmmaker Mode explained for grabs
HOME CINEMA CHOICE SUMMER 2022
SUBSCRIBE! Sign up to the world’s best AV magazine
to save money and never miss an issue p20
44 48
'Anthem's AVM 90 processor raises the bar
of what’s possible at this price'
52
60
89
REVIEWS
With a focus on performance, these are in-depth tests you can trust... p43
44 Anthem AVM 90 64 LG HU715Q
15.4-channel Atmos/DTS:X processor delivers Upgraded ultra-short-throw projector
a state-of-the-art listening experience benefi ts from WebOS PLAYBACK
COVER STORY
48 Samsung QE75QN900B 66 Hisense U5120GW
Th e latest Blu-rays, DVDs, games and
75in Neo QLED TV with Mini LED dimming Soundbar/subwoofer combi system off ers books reviewed and rated. Starts... p87
backlight and 8K resolution native Atmos playback
88 Morbius
52 Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 68 BenQ X3000i 89 Turning Red; The Battle at Lake Changjin;
Chucky: Season One; Sing 2: Special
Third-generation of this single-box soundbar Gaming-centric PJ thinks it's hip to be square
Edition; Jackass Forever
adds Dolby Atmos and app control
70 Philips PicoPix Max TV 90 Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection
– Volume 2 [4K]
56 Philips 55PUS8807
Portable battery-powered projector with
92 Sniper Elite 5 [PS5/Xbox Series X/S];
Mid-range 'The One' TV returns with new Android OS Candyman [4K]; The Men; Cat's Eye [4K]
smarts and gaming tricks 70 Huawei Sound Joy 93 Drive [4K]
58 Sonus faber Omnia 94 Eastern Promises [4K]; Extreme Prejudice;
Brand's latest speaker collab with Devialet Licorice Pizza; O. Henry's Full House; The
Does the Italian manufacturer's debut wireless is its most aff ordable yet Pemini Organisation
loudspeaker sound as good as it looks? 95 Species Collection: Deluxe Collector's Ed.;
The Terror: Infamy; Caged Heat; Parallel
60 Triangle Borea 5.0.2 Mothers; Days of Bagnold Summer
Floorstanding Atmos speaker system Will Huawei's 96 Obi-Wan Kenobi [Disney+]; Night Sky
new Bluetooth [Prime Video]
outperforms its price point
speaker bring
you joy?
SUMMER 2022 HOME CINEMA CHOICE
NEXT GENERATION
Series
WITH
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Klipsch’s exclusive Tractrix horn technology mated to a Injection moulded graphite (IMG) woofer cones are Klipsch’s reference base home cinema speaker range The cinema speaker range offers both inset and external
1” aluminium LTS Tweeter delivers the power, detail and exceptionally light while being extremely rigid. This offers a complete hemisphere of rich, detailed sound atmos speaker toppers. Like their bigger counterparts both
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7
WWW.HOMECINEMACHOICE.COM
B U L L E T I N
News highlights 
➜ MONITOR AUDIO Cinergy loudspeaker series targets home
cinema builds KEF Floorstanding wireless speaker duo with UniCore tech TCL It's Google all the
way for brand's Mini LED TVs AT THE PLEX This month's cinema releases NEWS X10 News stories
in bite-sized chunks DOG SOLDIERS Neil Marshall's cult horror finally hits BD and 4K & MORE!
Doubling down on 4K laser
Sony VPL-XW7000ES/VPL-XW5000ES ➜ pro.sony
Sony's home cinema projector range is now an
all-laser aff air following the arrival of two new 'XW'
models that replace the lamp-based VW790ES and
VW590ES. Priced £14,999 and £5,999 respectively,
the XW7000ES (3,200 Lumens) and XW5000ES ONLINE…
(2,000 Lumens) both feature native 4K SXRD optics,
For breaking AV news, blogs, features and
Dynamic HDR Enhancer technology, and 70mm
reviews visit www.homecinemachoice.com
'advanced crisp focus' lenses. Sony's cabinets have Follow us on Twitter @hccmag
been reduced in size and restyled, and are off ered Like us on Facebook
facebook.com/homecinemachoice
in black or white for both models.
SUMMER 2022 HOME CINEMA CHOICE
8
MONITOR AUDIO CINERGY/PLAYLIST
Wireless
wonders?
KEF LS60 Wireless ➜ uk.kef.com
For the new LS60 Wireless, KEF
has adapted the overlapping voice
coil tech (UniCore) of its KC62
subwoofer (HCC #320) to side-
mount four 5.25in bass drivers in
a fl oorstanding cabinet measuring
just 15cm wide (excluding plinth).
These are positioned in push-pull
pairs above and below the front-
facing Uni-Q mid/tweeter array
to create a 'single point source'
speaker, with all drivers fed by a
mix of Class D and Class AB amps
rated at 1,400W. Playback through
this premium £6,000 system is
via Wi-Fi/Ethernet, Bluetooth, or
analogue/digital ins. Control is via
remote handset or app, the latter
allowing 'expert' sound tuning.
HOME CINEMA CHOICE SUMMER 2022
9
BULLETIN
Compact XGIMI projection Cord cut for entry-level M Series
Playlist...
Chinese projector Audio-Technica's ATH-
What Team HCC has been
corp XGIMI M20xBT is a new addition
has secured to its M Series 'monitor' watching this month
distribution of headphone range, adding
its diminutive a wireless (Bluetooth) Shaft (BD)
Elfi n model through Argos. Priced £599 and connection to the wired
designed for plug-n-play entertainment, input of the earlier M20x
the Full HD beamer features an in-built design. Available now priced
Harman Kardon speaker array, Android 10 £79, these 40mm driver cans claim 60 hours
smart system and slim, 20cm wide chassis. playtime from their rechargeable battery, and
Imaging is courtesy of DLP technology, an support 'multipoint pairing' of two Bluetooth
800 Lumens-rated LED light source, and devices simultaneously. There's no active Criterion brings the original Shaft
1.2:1 throw lens. HDR10 playback is off ered, noise cancelling, but Audio-Technica says back to Blu-ray with a new 4K
with 4K sources downscaled. Inputs include the over-ear design is eff ective at blocking restoration and oodles of extras.
Bluetooth, HDMI, USB and Wi-Fi. out external hubbub. Can you dig it?
uk.xgimi.com www.audio-technica.com
The Boy Behind the
Door (BD)
Cinergy speakers for AV
New Monitor Audio range designed to suit any home cinema install
Monitor Audio has announced Cinergy, a new Cat-and-mouse thriller about two
'premium cinema audio system' designed for kidnapped kids thrives on the
dedicated rooms. superb performances of its
The range, which is certifi ed THX Ultra, comprises juvenile leads.
three loudspeaker models and a passive subwoofer,
Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue
all intended for either on-wall, in-wall or in-room
Rangers (Disney+)
installation.
The UK loudspeaker maker says this 'highly
adaptable' system has been engineered 'with the
knowledge that no two installations are the same.'
Therefore, the mid and tweeter driver arrays on the
Cinergy 100, Cinergy 200 and Cinergy 300 speakers
Put this 'sound wall' behind your projector screen, says MA
are all rotatable to allow for horizontal/vertical
Goofy enough for kids and packed
placement – and on the largest '300 model, this Gold Series. This is joined by dedicated mid and bass
with adult-pleasing meta gags,
array can be interchanged with one of the two bass drivers on all three speakers.
this reboot of the 1980s 'toon is
drivers, for fi ne-tuning the sound profi le. The Cinergy Sub15, meanwhile, features a
an absolute hoot.
Additionally, the speakers feature integrated 15in 'ultra-high-excursion' C-CAM woofer within a
handles, plus feet and isolation brackets to counter sealed cabinet with an in-wall-friendly 28cm depth. The Green Mile (4K BD)
vibrations depending on installation method. For power, this passive model will be sold with
For this new high-end range, Monitor Audio has Monitor Audio's IA800-2C installation amplifi er,
deployed its MPD (Micro Pleated which can support a pair of the Sub15s via its 2 x
Diaphragm) tweeter design, 800W output.
previously found on its
Platinum and Made to match
Monitor Audio intends its new lineup to not only
Frank Darabont's other Stephen
be fl exible regards installation, but to cover all the
King prison drama get a gorgeous
channel confi guration bases. Its website outlines
4K/Atmos upgrade.
Rotatable mid/ possible 7.2.2, 9.4.4 and 9.4.6 arrays, as well as
tweeter arrays
something it describes Moonfall (4K BD)
support horizontal/
vertical positioning as a 'sound wall', which
makes use of the fact the
Sub15 is half the height
of the Cinergy 300 to
stack four of the woofers
within an L/C/R layout.
The series will be Sci-fi disaster fl ick delivers all the
available from July, popcorn thrills you could ask for
with pricing TBC. on this US import UHD platter.
www.monitoraudio.com
SUMMER 2022 HOME CINEMA CHOICE
10
TCL MINI LED/OPTOMA
TCL C Series goes Google
At the 'plex…
Heading out to see a fl ick?
Company's UK Mini LED and LED models now mirror European spec
Catch these this month
Lightyear Since arriving in earnest in
the UK in 2017, Chinese TV
company TCL has off ered
region-specifi c models that
have often missed out on
features enjoyed in European
markets. For 2022, however,
June 17: Ever wondered what the company has confi rmed
inspired the Buzz Lightyear action its upper-tier C Series, which
fi gure? Well, the Toy Story fave features both Mini LED and
gets his very own origin movie traditional LED sets, will be
this summer, with Chris Evans identical on both sides of
providing the voice of the Space the channel.
Ranger, marooned on a hostile This means UK telly shoppers
planet light years from Earth. will get the Google TV smart The incoming C93 Mini LED ups peak
system, in place of the Android brightness and local dimming potential
Elvis
implementation of last year, and
June 24: Musical biopic starring the same processing and HDMI specifi cations. mounted to a Quantum Dot layer to enable full
Austin Butler as King of rock 'n' roll At the same time, Freeview Play integration has been coverage of the DCI-P3 colour space, and features
Elvis Presley and Tom Hanks as his removed, although the brand is confi dent buyers an anti-refl ection coating to improve subjective black
manager, Colonel Tom Parker. 'This won't miss it. level performance.
ain't no nostalgia show. We're The new sets are due at retailers in the second Below the C93 is another Mini LED model, the
gonna do something diff erent,' half of the year. Prices are TBC, but we expect TCL C83 (75in, 65in, 50in) and the LED-based C73 (98in,
says director Baz Luhrmann. to once again undercut more established rivals. 75in, 65in, 55in, 50in, 43in). All feature Dolby Vision
and HDR10+ playback, plus HDMI 2.1 connection
Thor: Love and Thunder
Give us a boost with support for Auto Low Latency Mode and VRR
Leading the charge for TCL's Mini LED models – now (to 144Hz on the '83 and '93 sets, and 55in and 65in
into third-gen guise – will be the C93, available at C73 models).
75in and 65in. Improvements over the 2021 iteration Rounding out TCL's
include a boost to peak brightness to a claimed AV lineup will be a
2,000 nits, and an increase in the number fl agship Dolby Atmos
of dimming zones to 'the thousands'. soundbar, the C935U.
July 8: Another solo outing,
The TV will also integrate This uses TCL's 'Ray-Danz'
directed by Taika Waititi, for
a Dolby Atmos sound driver dispersion technology to create
Marvel's Asgardian God. Well, we
system with a pair of a wide soundstage 'without any digital
say 'solo', but this new caper fi nds
upfi ring speakers. processing', and claims a 5.1.2 channel count.
Chris Hemsworth's Thor joined by
TCL's 'high- www.tcl.com/uk
Natalie Portman as… The Mighty
contrast' VA-type
Thor! Say what?
LCD panel is The 5.1.2-channel C935U 'bar will ship with a subwoofer
'Let there be light', says Optoma
High-brightess UHD55 projector aims at gamers and HDR movie fans
Optoma has added to its 4K DLP projector lineup and ISF calibration presets, and Full HD
Aiding setup are vertical lens shift
with the UHD55, a 'home entertainment' model 3D compatibility. and 1.3x optical zoom controls
claiming a 3,600 Lumens brightness output. The UHD55's light source is a traditional lamp
A £1,400 price tag ranges it above many with a suggested 'lifetime' of up to 15,000
'budget' 4K beamers, as does its setup potential. hours when used in Dynamic mode
Optical zoom is 1.3x, leading to a throw ratio of (keep the projector in Bright mode,
1.21-1.59:1, and there's vertical lens shift (as well for 'lights on' viewing, and the lamp
as vertical and horizontal keystoning) to better should be good for 4,000 hours,
align images with your screen. says Optoma).
Playback of HDR10 and HLG sources, via the An Enhanced Gaming Mode claims
projector's twin HDMI inputs, is complemented a 16ms response time with 4K/60Hz
by wide colour handling. Optoma's Pure Motion sources, and 4ms at 1080p/240Hz.
processing also features, plus colour management www.optoma.co.uk
HOME CINEMA CHOICE SUMMER 2022