New Technology Reviews!.: blu-ray

Transformers: Dark of the Moon gets Blu-ray 3D version

Transformers: Dark of the Moon gets Blu-ray 3D version

Have you watched Real Steel? I half expected Hugh Jackman to do a Wolverine on Zeus by popping out his claws, severing the head of robot...

Review: LG 42LV450U

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<img alt="Review: LG 42LV450U" class="aligncenter" height="212" mce_src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/Home%20Cinema%20Choice/HCC%20200/HCC200.gt.lg_main-470-75.jpg" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/Home%20Cinema%20Choice/HCC%20200/HCC200.gt.lg_main-470-75.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="282" /></div>
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The LG 42LV450U is a classy-looking, slender set that is equipped with edge LED lighting. It's nice to find, too, that there's a USB port available for playing back photo, music and video (including DivX HD) files from USB storage devices.</div>
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But this is basically where the interesting specs end. There's no Freeview HD tuner, something LG has always been quick to introduce further down its TV range. There's no sign of any of LG's Smart TV online services, either. Indeed, there isn't even a LAN port to access the internet or files stored on DLNA PCs.</div>
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Unfortunately for LG, these missed out features are going to crop up fairly regularly elsewhere on rival TVs at this price point...</div>
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The 42LV450U does retain the impressively logical and well presented onscreen menus found further up LG's range. It also retains the endorsement of the Imaging Science Foundation, meaning that this independent calibration organisation believes the 42LV450U has enough tools to allow for professional calibration. These include colour and gamma management.</div>
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However, I don't really understand LG's logic here. Surely the mass-market audience the 42LV450U is aimed at would prefer a Freeview HD tuner or some Smart TV functions, rather than professional calibration features they won't use?</div>
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Pure light</h4>
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Thankfully, the 42LV450U starts to make a compelling case for itself with its picture performance. Predominantly bright HD scenes, such as those on the recent Blu-ray release of <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">The Incredibles</span>, look really sumptuous, with plenty of detail and crispness, rich and dynamic colours, and a startling level of raw light output for such a cheap set.</div>
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Motion causes respectably little judder or blur, and colours can be made pleasingly believable in tone after only a little work in the colour management system.</div>
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However, while the 42LV450U thrives with bright HD, it isn't nearly as fond of either dark or standard-def material. The nighttime scenes in Venice on the recently release <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">Don't Look Now</span>Blu-ray betray a marked lack of black level depth versus most of its rivals, with blacks looking grey and shadow detail in short supply.</div>
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Nudging down the set's backlight and brightness settings can reduce the grey 'pall', but to overcome it you have to go so dark that images start to look dull and devoid of shadow details.</div>
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As for standard definition, while the 42LV450U doesn't lose colour accuracy with broadcasts, it's less successful at upscaling them to the screen's full HD resolution, leaving them looking soft and noisy.</div>
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Joining the hit and miss visuals is a similarly inconsistent audio performance. On the upside, trebles are portrayed with almost scary clarity and the mid-range is reasonably open. Predictably, though, the trade-off is a lack of bass to counterpoint the high-range sounds, amounting to a 'lopsided' and harsh soundstage.</div>
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Overall, the 42LV450U feels a bit lost and pointless even within LG's own range, given that you can get the far better specified 42LV550T for only a fraction more money.</div>
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Review: LG 42LV450U

The LG 42LV450U is a classy-looking, slender set that is equipped with edge LED lighting. It's nice to find, too, that there's...

Review: Sony VAIO C-Series

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Sony's latest VAIO C-Series laptops have taken a good few pages out of Apple's big book of design and usability. The curvaceous aesthetics, well-spaced keyboards and not-too-intrusive extra software mean that they look and function amazingly well.</div>
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The Sony VAIO VPC-CA2C5E we were sent for review looks the part, finished with ludicrous levels of bright green perspex and plastic – although its hue will surely divide its target market.</div>
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The C-Series certainly puts the fun back into computing: we haven't seen such bountiful use of translucent plastic since the iMac back in the early 2000s.</div>
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When it's powered up, the keyboard is backlit and the whole thing glows eerily, complete with etched Sony and VAIO logos. Kids seem particularly attracted to it, which explains a lot given its positioning as a family laptop. It's available in a range of different colours, including more conservative blacks and whites and more vibrant pink, red, green, orange and blue.</div>
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<img alt="Sony vaio vpc-ca2c5e" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Computing/Sony%20c%20series/Sony%20vaio%20c%20series%20orange%20lid-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Computing/Sony%20c%20series/Sony%20vaio%20c%20series%20orange%20lid-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div>
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There's a big gap in the market for a fun and funky laptop, especially in this 14-inch form factor. We've seen netbook manufacturers attempt to spice up computing with Asus's Disney Eee, and Packard Bell's Dot SE.</div>
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People seem to like customised laptops, too, and most of Dell's XPS 15 allows cases to be customised before you buy them. But Sony really has taken design to another level. It's a brave move, and one that's certain to attract people who are more into designer specs than computer specs, but what's Sony done inside the C Series?</div>
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Sony's VAIO C-Series laptops can be configured via the website, and the VPC-CA2C5E review model we were supplied with sat firmly in the middle of the customisation options: not too bad, but could be slightly better. It's powered by an Intel Core i5 2410M processor, backed up with an AMD Radeon HD 6470M graphics chip and 4GB DDR3 RAM.</div>
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The laptop can be configured with a Core i7 or i3 processor, as well as Intel onboard graphics and 6GB of RAM.</div>
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The body of the laptop feels substantial, and there is very little flex in the casing. At 2.3kg, it's not going to break your back – but we wouldn't want to have to carry it for extended periods. It can get a bit noisy and warm as the fans kick in when you're playing videos or games, but it's by no means a deal breaker.</div>
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As has become standard on Sony's laptops, there are three buttons for quick access to help, the internet and the VAIO media portal. They're by no means essential, and we do miss the screen-off button that's adorned previous VAIO laptops such as the VGN-NW11Z/S – it's incredibly handy when you want to connect the laptop to a TV to watch a Blu-Ray.</div>
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There is, unfortunately, none of Sony's own Blu-ray magic in our C-Series review model; it can be added in the build process, though.</div>
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Connectivity is amply handled by HDMI and VGA outputs, as well as three USB sockets – one of which is the speedy USB 3.0. The standard mic and headphone ports and a dual memory stick and SD Card reader complete the lineup.</div>
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Sony's screens are nothing short of amazing, and The C Series' 1366 x 768 display is no exception. Colours are vibrant and the contrast strong, but the viewing angle is a minor let-down. The size means you won't be watching films on this, though, and it's easy enough to connect to a big screen TV.</div>
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The built-in webcam is similarly impressive, offering clear images and video thanks to a 1.3MP Exmor sensor. However, for a company that prides itself on its high quality CD players and Walkmen, the tinniness of the speakers is disappointing.</div>
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As with Sony's other laptops, the C Series is an absolute joy in terms of usability. The separated keys make typing a doddle, and you're not likely to get crumbs underneath them. There is a slight flex to the keyboard, but not enough to be noticeable.</div>
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The trackpad and buttons are equally responsive, and Sony's integrated multi-touch makes zooming and scrolling nice and easy.</div>
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The Sony VAIO C-Series is disappointingly run of the mill in terms of performance. Sony has created an all-rounder of a laptop that doesn't do anything spectacularly, and this wouldn't be so bad if it didn't have such a high (£719) price tag.</div>
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Even its own cheaper laptops – such as the VAIO VPC-EB3J0E/WI – don't score much lower in our benchmark tests.</div>
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The C-Series is capable when it comes to gaming, if nothing more. It's not going to stand up to a dedicated gaming laptop, such as MSI's GE700, but it happily chugs through most modern titles, provided their graphics settings are low enough.</div>
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It's more capable when it comes to video and photo editing, thanks to the Intel Core i5 processor. HD videos play flawlessly, too, and look absolutely amazing.</div>
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<img alt="Sony vaio vpc-ca2c5e" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Computing/Sony%20c%20series/Sony%20vaio%20c%20series%20green-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Computing/Sony%20c%20series/Sony%20vaio%20c%20series%20green-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div>
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The single most disappointing thing about Sony's C Series is the battery life, or lack thereof. Battery Eater emptied a fully charged battery in less than an hour by stressing the computer as much as possible. This means gaming on the move is next to impossible, unless you want the computer to die more quickly than your character.</div>
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In real-world terms, we managed to get two hours out of the battery when word processing, and this was with Wi-Fi turned off. It's not great, and it seems Sony has designed the C Series primarily as a desktop replacement PC capable of brief trips out.</div>
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Taken as a desktop replacement, its usability and bright screen stand out, and it's perfectly capable of multitasking a word processor, media playback and web browsing. But most netbooks – such as Samsung's NC110 – are capable of this level of performance, and they cost a third of the price and have better battery life.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Benchmarks</span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;" />Battery Eater: 62 minutes<br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;" />3D Mark 06: 5031<br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;" />Cinebench: 7732</div>
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<img alt="Sony vaio vpc-ca2c5e" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Computing/Sony%20c%20series/Sony%20vaio%20c%20series%20green%20front-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Computing/Sony%20c%20series/Sony%20vaio%20c%20series%20green%20front-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div>
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Sony's laptops may match Apple's in terms of usability and design, but Sony always adds a few bells and whistles to make them stand out from the crowd. Performance, unfortunately, seems to come second to design in Sony's world.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">We liked</span></div>
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While the lime green colour of our Sony VAIO C Series review model is likely to inspire either slack-jawed awe or seething hatred, there's no denying that Sony has shaken things up in terms of design.</div>
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At the very least it makes a change from the black and silver hunks of plastic we've been toting since the early 2000s. It's a wonderful experience in terms of usability, and the bright screen, decent webcam and comfortable keyboard make it feel substantial and solid. For media tasks and general computing it performs very well, too.</div>
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<img alt="Sony vaio vpc-ca2c5e" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Computing/Sony%20c%20series/Sony%20vaio%20c%20series%20red-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Computing/Sony%20c%20series/Sony%20vaio%20c%20series%20red-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">We disliked</span></div>
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Given the array of hardware packed into the C Series, we were disappointed with its performance. Although it's capable of moderate gaming, there are better dedicated alternatives for a similar price.</div>
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Battery life is the biggest let-down here, and a mere hour at high load is frankly appalling. There are laptops out there that offer 10 times as much, and with the Samsung Chromebook's eight hour battery life, it's become an important part of choosing a laptop.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Verdict</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="Sony vaio vpc-ca2c5e" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Computing/Sony%20c%20series/Sony%20vaio%20c%20series%20orange%20lid-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Computing/Sony%20c%20series/Sony%20vaio%20c%20series%20orange%20lid-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></span></div>
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It's unfortunate, but the Sony VAIO C Series let us down in exactly the way we expected: it's a complete triumph of style over substance.</div>
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Despite its amazing looks, and fairly beefy hardware, it just didn't perform as well as it should have. This is compounded by the price, which is too high. Medion's Akoya E6221 costs £240 less, but includes a similar level of hardware specifications and performs almost as well.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
It's also clear that Sony is targeting consumers who like shiny and sleek Apple products, but has forgotten that the price tag has to be more competitive in order to truly attract this market.</div>
</div>
</span></div>

Review: Sony VAIO C-Series

Sony's latest VAIO C-Series laptops have taken a good few pages out of Apple's big book of design and usability. The curvaceous...

Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar

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<img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="150" mce_src="http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/4194/macbookair11inch4320020.jpg" src="http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/4194/macbookair11inch4320020.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="200" /></div>
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This week we've been looking at Apple's new lightweight marvel, the MacBook Air, as well as the new K1 Android Honeycomb tablet from Lenovo.</div>
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We've also looked at a new 42-inch Smart TV as well as a new Blu-ray player for Sony. And that's just for starters - there's plenty more below.</div>
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New MacBook Air 2011 (13-inch)</div>
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The new MacBook Air from Apple might well be the most terrifying computing devices ever built. How a device so puny can pack such a powerful punch is absolutely astonishing. Gone are Intel's so-last-decade Core 2 Duo CPUs and in come the Intel Sandy Bridge chips that harness masses more might while using less power and running cooler. And let's just remind ourselves, this laptop is so thin it's practically two dimensional. Of course, it still doesn't harness enough juice for proper power users, but anyone with a penchant for prestige and a soft spot for Apple will be foaming at the mouth at the very prospect. You may need to sell one of the kids for medical experiments though, as you'll be paying through the nose.</div>
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Lenovo IdeaPad K1</div>
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The Lenovo IdeaPad K1 is another Tegra 2-powered Android 3 tablet which packs all the hardware power of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Asus Eee Pad Transformer. So it's a dead-cert that this is going to be a nailed-on hardcore success. Right? Wrong. In its current form it's an absolute mess, with inconsistent performance, freezes and lock-outs, a poor screen and the biggest bezel of any 10.1-inch tablet we've yet laid eyes on. There is potential there, though, and a silver-bullet firmware update might transform this into a genuine contender. But until then, we advise you steer a wide berth around it and go for something else.</div>
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LG 42LV550T</div>
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If you're looking for a versatile, multimedia-savvy 42-inch TV that looks great and doesn't cost the earth, the LG 42LV550T has a lot going for it. Its PLEX system works great with PCs and Macs alike, it plays back an unusually wide variety of multimedia file types and for most of the time it also produces extremely enjoyable pictures. If you're a fan of watching films with the lights off, though, you might find yourself troubled by a few black level shortcomings. And there's no 3D to be found on offer here either. As a result, this TV has a good price and it'll get cheaper in time.</div>
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Sony BDP-S480</div>
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Picture quality from the BDP-S480 blu-ray player is predictably terrific. Blu-rays drip with fine detail and colour fidelity is gorgeous. The player is also a great choice for music fans, being the only model here able to play hi-res Super Audio CDs. This multichannel music playback is stunning, easily giving this player an audible edge over others.</div>
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Samsung BD-D7500</div>
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Picture quality from the BDD7500 is very good. There's a clinical precision to its images which is easy to appreciate, though it's less enticing as a CD player.</div>
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<img alt="Samsung bd-d7500" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/Home%20Cinema%20Choice/HCC%20198/HCC198.gt.samsung_main-420-100.jpg" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/Home%20Cinema%20Choice/HCC%20198/HCC198.gt.samsung_main-420-100.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">This week's other reviews:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">AV kit</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Tannoy Arena Highline 300 review</div>
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Panasonic SC-BTT775 review</div>
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Toshiba BDX3200 review</div>
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Dune HD Smart B1 review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Philips BDP7600 review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Denon DBP-2012UD review</div>
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InFocus SP8600 review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Cameras and equipment</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Olympus PEN E-P3 review</div>
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Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm F2.8-3.5 II review</div>
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Nikon AF-S DX 16-85mm F/3.5-5.6 G ED VR review</div>
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Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM review</div>
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Sigma 18-50mm EX DC OS HSM review</div>
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Tokina AT-X 16-28mm F2.8 PRO FX review</div>
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Nissin Di622 review</div>
<div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Nissin di622" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/PhotoRadar/Accessories/Flashguns/Nissin%20Di622%20images/IMG_9649-420-100.jpg" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/PhotoRadar/Accessories/Flashguns/Nissin%20Di622%20images/IMG_9649-420-100.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Laptops</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
HP ProBook 5330m review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Sony VAIO Z Series review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Panasonic Toughbook CF-53 review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Networking</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Netgear ReadyNAS Ultra 4 review</div>
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Buffalo AirStation WLAE-AG300N review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Operating systems</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Apple Mac OS X 10.7 Lion review</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Printers</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Epson Stylus Photo R2880 review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Canon PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Epson Stylus Photo 1400 review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Epson Stylus Pro 3880 review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Software</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
G Data Internet Security 2012 review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Panda Internet Security 2012 review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2012 review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Sony Vegas Movie HD Platinum 11 review</div>
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Vertus Fluid Mask 3.2 review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Speakers</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Magnat Quantum 650 Series review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
SV Sound PC-12 Plus review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Tablets</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Lenovo IdeaPad K1 review</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">TVs</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
LG 42LV550T review</div>
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<img alt="LG tv" class="aligncenter" height="315" mce_src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/TechRadar/Home%20Entertainment/LG%2042LV550T/edited%20images/LV5500%20FRONT-2-420-100.jpg" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/TechRadar/Home%20Entertainment/LG%2042LV550T/edited%20images/LV5500%20FRONT-2-420-100.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="420" /></div>
</div>
</span></div>

Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar

This week we've been looking at Apple's new lightweight marvel, the MacBook Air, as well as the new K1 Android Honeycomb tablet...

10 3D movies and shows to watch out for

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<img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="90" mce_src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/images/bestival%203D-200-200.jpg" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/images/bestival%203D-200-200.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="120" /></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
As well as an increasingly good choice of quality 3D Blu-ray movies, 3D TV broadcasters such as Sky and Virgin Media in the UK are already promising viewers lots more quality 3D content later this year and beyond and we've gathered together 10 of the best new shows and movies below.</div>
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Sky, in particular, is really pushing the development of quality 3D TV content in the UK (and beyond), announcing this week that it has now formed a brand new 3D production company, Colossus Productions.</div>
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It has teamed up with leading UK Independent producer, Atlantic Productions, producers of the BAFTA award-winning<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">Flying Monsters 3D</span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and follows the recent confirmation of new 3D output deals with Disney, Discovery Networks and MTV.</div>
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And, most importantly of all for fans of 3D cinema, it looks like Hollywood has been listening to recent criticisms from the TV industry about the dodgy quality of a lot of its recent 3D output, with the major Tinseltown studios clearly stepping up their 3D game later this year and beyond.</div>
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Talk about the future of the 3D medium is no longer centred on James Cameron's sequel to the technically ground-breaking<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">Avatar,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>which speaks volumes about the number of other major 3D projects now in development.</div>
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"The bad news is that Hollywood took the interest and mild excitement that people had for 3D and spewed out several movies that were either outright poor all over the place, or were poorly converted to 3D in post-production," says Adam Taylor, Adotomi agency analyst and 3D expert, in summary of the state of 3D play in the cinema industry.</div>
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"The good news is that with Avatar, the 3D genie is out of the bottle and if directors really want to wow the audience in terms of special effects, it's got to include 3D."</div>
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Taylor's tip is to look out for the big name directors that you trust the most in cinema. Which isn't actually too difficult, with major 3D productions currently underway from the likes of Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Ridley Scott and Peter Jackson.</div>
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Whether you plan to catch up on Sky's forthcoming 3D Meerkats or sample the music festival delights of Bestival 3D on your 3D TV in the comfort of your own home, or want to know which 3D movies you should be looking out for at your local multiplex over the next year or two - here are the definitive top ten 3D movies and TV programmes on the way to you soon.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">1. Ridley Scott's 'Prometheus' - due June 2012</span></div>
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With Guy Pearce, Charlize Theron and Idris Elba playing three of the lead roles, it's fairly easy to see why sci-fi fans are already getting excited about Scott's forthcoming 3D masterpiece.</div>
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"Ridley Scott's return to science fiction would be excitement enough and while it's too bad that it's not a full-blown 'Alien' prequel, it's close enough," says Adam Taylor.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">2. Francis Ford Coppola's 'Twixt' - due late 2011</span></div>
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True to form, Coppola's first major 3D movie is going to take a slightly different twist, encouraging the audience to don 3D glasses only at certain moments and scenes throughout the picture, using on-screen visual clues to let you know when to take your glasses on and off. It's a massive gamble, but one his legions' of fans are praying will pay off.</div>
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The story focuses on a has-been writer who gets caught up in a murder mystery while away on a book tour. This unconventional 3D film stars Val Kilmer, Bruce Dern and Ben Chaplin, with Coppola describing Twixt as "one part Gothic romance, one part personal film, and one part the kind of horror film that began my career" – adding that the idea for the story came to him in a dream and was also inspired by the writings of Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">3. 3D Bestival - due September 2011</span></div>
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Forget about the BBC's impressively-good blanket coverage of the Glastonbury festival each year. Sky plans to 1-up the Beeb this year, by broadcasting the Bestival festival in glorious 3D in September.</div>
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Which means, should you not be able to drag your sorry self to the Isle of Wight this coming autumn to enjoy all of Rob Da Bank's fun-and-frolics in real life, you can at least still pretend you were there by watching the whole thing on your new 3D TV.</div>
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<img alt="Bestival in 3d: forget glastonbury - this is where it's at!" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/classifications/images/bestival%203D-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/classifications/images/bestival%203D-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div>
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"In what is undoubtedly our finest year to date, which will include sets from The Cure, Pendulum, Primal Scream presents Screamadelica, PJ Harvey, Brian Wilson and DJ Shadow amongst a huge and ever-growing line-up of musical treats, Bestival 2011 hurtles headlong into the future, adding a whole new dimension to our televisual shenanigans, breaking new ground for festival entertainment with a super-generous seven and a half hours of Bestival 3D TV on Sky this coming September" says Da Bank.</div>
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"It's amazing to be part of the world's first 3D TV festival extravaganza on Sky. Bestival in 3D will be a mind-blowing explosion of colour and multi-dimensional music and mayhem and it's great to be working with Whizz Kid again to bring it to life. Having Camp Bestival too as part of the Sky festival season means we've got a great summer of TV ahead."</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">4. Martin Scorsese's 'Hugo' - due September 2011</span></div>
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That's right. Scorsese! He of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">Goodfellas, Mean Streets<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">Casino</span>fame is actually planning on making a charming 3D family and kids' movie called Hugo<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">.</span></div>
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Scorsese's new 3D movie is an adaptation of Brian Selznick's popular children's adventure, starring Ben Kingsley, Christopher Lee, Emily Mortimer, Helen Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Sacha Baron Cohen and a load of other major AAA-stars.</div>
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Chloë Moretz says that the movie is: "Neverland and Oz and Treasure Island all wrapped into one." Which sounds utterly magical. Let's hope it is!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">5. Steven Spielberg's 'The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn' - due late 2011</span></div>
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Spielberg does Tintin, in which our French adventurer and his chums discoverer directions to a sunken ship commanded by Captain Haddock's ancestor and head off on a treasure hunt.</div>
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It is fully computer animated, uses the latest motion capture tech in 3D and is directed by one of the greatest filmmakers of our age. What could possibly go wrong? (Hopefully nothing)</div>
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<<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>class="pageBreak">3D to watch out for: 6-10></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;"><span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">6. James Cameron's Avatar sequel - Avatar 2 - due 2014</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Yes, you read that correctly. The sequel to Avatar is not actually scheduled for release until 2014. Which seems a hell of a long time to wait for those people who genuinely liked the first movie (as a movie, and not as a 2-hour-plus tech demo, that is).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;"><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
3D-movie evangelist Cameron is also apparently looking to shoot some footage seven miles underwater in the Challenger Deep, the deepest location on earth. How the hell he is practically going to manage that is still to be revealed. We only hope that it doesn't take his focus away from storytelling, character and dialogue…</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">7. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - due December 2012</span></div>
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There is pretty much no question that The Hobbit in 3D is going to be one of the biggest 3D movies of 2012.</div>
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With Ian Holm, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, Christopher Lee and a host of other AAA-Hollywood talent joining Peter Jackson in re-making one of the greatest fantasy stories of our age in 3D…</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">8. Brave from Pixar - due 2012</span></div>
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With Kelly MacDonald, Emma Thompson and Robbie Coltrane involved in the next major new 3D movie from the cinema tech ninjas at Disney Pixar, it is obvious why cinephiles are looking forward to Brave<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">.</span></div>
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This new Pixar movie is set in Scotland "in a rugged and mythical time" telling the story of Merida, who likes archery and is described as "an impetuous daughter of royalty" looking to put things right after she makes a number of unfortunate mistakes.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">9. 3D Meerkats - Sky - due October</span></div>
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Meerkats in 3D. Who is not going to want to watch that? Surely only a true cynic that has had their heart and soul surgically removed by their own misplaced contempt for modern life?</div>
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Caroline Hawkins and her Oxford Scientific 3D movie crew are currently putting the finishing touches to their latest meerkat doc, following the hugely successful four Meerkat Manor series and the Flower movie "Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins".</div>
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<img alt="Meerkats 3d: is one of sky's biggest 3d nature documentaries this year" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/classifications/images/Meerkats%203D-420-100.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/classifications/images/Meerkats%203D-420-100.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div>
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"The footage gathered so far has been extremely good. The 3D effect is truly amazing, you really feel you can reach out and touch the meerkats. We've had a few impromptu screenings at the reserve and everyone has been transfixed," says Hawkins.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">10. The Amazing Spider-man - due 2012</span></div>
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Spider Man 4(or whatever the fans may call it) may not have Tobey Macguire playing our favourite super-hero, yet it is said to be something of a re-boot in the series, featuring that guy out of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">The Social Network<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>(Andrew Garfield) as Spidey instead of Macguire.</div>
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Can Garfield cut it? It's one of the most highly–anticipated 3D movies since<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">Avatar.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>So one would certainly hope he can!</div>
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10 3D movies and shows to watch out for

As well as an increasingly good choice of quality 3D Blu-ray movies, 3D TV broadcasters such as Sky and Virgin Media in the UK are alre...

Review: Toshiba 42HL833

<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="150" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/TechRadar/Home%20Entertainment/Toshiba%2042HL833/ToshHL833straighton_2-200-200.jpg" width="200" /></p><br/>There's something refreshingly straightforward about the Toshiba 42HL833. The £700 set might be devoid of online features or streaming services and its Freeview tuner is strictly standard-def, but you won't find a cheaper full HD, edge LED set of its size in Toshiba's current lineup.<br/><br/>Affordable TVs that eschew fancy features in favour of decent pictures should find an audience in these economically straitened times and the 42HL833 sits just above the HD ready EL833 series in the manufacturer's expansive, budged-conscious new range.<br/><br/>If the 42HL833's 42-inch screen size doesn't suit you, the 32-inch 32HL833 is also available, while anyone after a Freeview HD tuner will have to step up to the RL833 series, which also add a few online features to the mix.<br/><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Toshiba 42hl833" class="aligncenter" height="315" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Home%20Entertainment/Toshiba%2042HL833/ToshHL833straighton_1-420-90.jpg" width="420" /></p><br/>The 42HL833 is all about value: there's no 3D, no online connectivity or DLNA PC compatibility and the build quality is rather plasticky. You won't find much in the way of video processing, either and the panel is only 50Hz with a conventional (non-scanning) backlight.<br/><br/>The 42HL833 is not entirely devoid of useful features, however: its USB port can handle music, photo and video files and the container formats the set can parse include MPEG, MPEG2-TS, H.264, MPEG2-PS, AVI (XviD), MP4 and MKV (H.264, MPEG1, 2, 4).<br/><br/>A D-Sub PC port enhances multimedia options further, while other connections include an acceptable two HDMIs, a digital audio output and a single Scart.<br/><br/>If you are thinking of hanging a 42HL833 on a wall, be aware that many of its connections – including one of the HDMIs, the component video input and the tuner jack – face straight out of the TV's rear, rather than being positioned for side access.<br/><br/>Trawling the 42HL833's menus for features uncovers more adjustments than you might expect to find on such an affordable TV. There's a separate backlight control alongside the usual contrast and brightness adjustments, a trio of settings for black/white level balance and an adjustable static gamma level, as well as separate DNR and MPEG NR processing options.<br/><br/>Most startlingly, a 3D Colour Management system enables you to adjust – via a superbly simple interface – the hue, saturation and brightness of the red, green, blue, yellow, magenta and cyan colour components.<br/><br/>The only other things of interest are a bass boost function and a pseudo-surround audio processing option, both of which need to be treated with extreme care, as they can make the set sound worse, rather than better.<br/><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Toshiba 42hl833" class="aligncenter" height="315" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Home%20Entertainment/Toshiba%2042HL833/ToshibaHL833angle1_1-420-90.jpg" width="420" /></p><br/>The 42HL833 performs best with bright HD feeds. Hi-def coverage of the Wimbledon tennis tournament was amazingly detailed and sharp, with individual blades of grass or beads of perspiration clearly discernible.<br/><br/>Even better, the clarity remains more or less unchecked during play, with balls and players moving around with little interference from motion trailing or resolution loss. This is surprising for a 50Hz TV and suggests an impressive native panel response for a budget set.<br/><br/>The colour performance, meanwhile, is dynamic and engaging but also subtle when required; skin tones and the green of the courts are totally convincing, with smoothly blended tones and no striping or blotching to speak of and black level response is solid.<br/><br/>Shifting down the gears to standard-definition feeds from the digital tuner, the 42HL833 still exceeds expectations - albeit by not quite as much. Most pleasing is the way the set retains its natural palette during the upscaling process, avoiding the unnatural sheen that tends to mar standard-def material on screens at the more affordable end of the market. Motion also remains decently smooth, though a little resolution loss is evident.<br/><br/>Standard-def images are upscaled with respectable sharpness, though the 42HL833 doesn't entirely get a handle on source noise. The MPEG NR system can help tame some of the blockiness and shimmering that troubles standard-definition pictures, but it also creates a slightly processed, laggy look.<br/><br/>The 42HL833 struggles with black levels when pushed hard by a high-contrast Blu-ray film.<br/><br/>It is perfectly capable of combining bright image elements with dark ones within a single frame during normal footage, but frequently fails to extract enough light from really dark scenes, leaving them looking milky and short of shadow detail.<br/><br/>A second problem concerns that classic edge LED woe of inconsistent backlight brightness. During dark scenes a slender ring of anomalous brightness runs around the edge of the screen, bulging sufficiently in places to become distracting.<br/><br/>This problem is only problematic during the darkest scenes and its impact can be reduced by reining in the backlight and brightness settings, but it doesn't seem possible to remove the inconsistencies entirely and the issue increases dramatically at viewing angles wider than 30°.<br/><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><img alt="Toshiba 42hl833" class="aligncenter" height="315" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Home%20Entertainment/Toshiba%2042HL833/ToshibaHL833angle1_2-420-90.jpg" width="420" /><br/></strong></p><br/><strong>Sound</strong><br/><br/>The 42HL833's speakers go a bit louder than those of most budget LCD TVs and can produce a soundstage on a scale appropriate to the 42-inch pictures. However, there's precious little audio finesse, with bass in short supply, a thin and echoey mid-range and harsh, poorly defined trebles.<br/><br/><strong>Value</strong><br/><br/>The 42HL833 is good value for a 42-inch LCD TV with edge LED lighting and will make a solid everyday set.<br/><br/>However, its lack of any sort of online features or 3D options together with its backlight issues compromise its overall value.<br/><br/><strong>Ease of use</strong><br/><br/>The 42HL833's onscreen menus are logically  organised and very cleanly presented and kick off with an attractive  icon-based opening screen that provides a much more inviting starting  point than Toshiba's usual boring, text-heavy system. The menu  navigation system is intuitive and requires minimal brain engagement.<br/><br/>The  remote control is small, plasticky, and plain, but turns out to be a  handy companion to the clear, uncomplicated menus, with responsive  buttons and most of the main navigation buttons falling within easy  reach.<br/><br/>For the electronic programme guide, Toshiba has sensibly  shifted away from its previous system that would change channel whenever  you moved the cursor to a different station, slowing navigation down  horrendously.<br/><br/>The information presented in the EPG is also clearly legible displaying programme names in full.<br/><br/>The  42HL833 does takes an age to switch display modes when you move from a  standard-def to an HD channel (or vice versa), though and the automatic  aspect ratio system doesn't always seem to work properly with some Sky  broadcasts.<br/><br/><img alt="Toshiba 42hl833" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Home%20Entertainment/Toshiba%2042HL833/ToshHL833straighton_2-420-90.jpg" width="420" /><br/><br/>The 42HL833 is Toshiba's cheapest 42-inch full HD TV with an edge LED backlight. Neither the lack of online services nor the absence of 3D should stop the TV appealing to anyone after a decent, low-cost TV, while the flimsy build and average connectivity are about par for the price. It even has a few unexpected features, including playback of photo, music and video files from USB and a surprisingly comprehensive colour management facility.<br/><br/>In many ways the 42HL833's picture performance is a winner. With HD sources in particular its combination of natural, warm colours, good detailing and surprisingly little motion noise make it a very enjoyable TV to watch with predominantly bright footage.<br/><br/>It's a well above-average standard-definition performer, too, but does suffer from uninspiring black levels and obvious backlight consistency issues with more demanding material.<br/><br/><strong>We liked</strong><br/><br/>It's affordably priced for a 42-inch TV with edge LED lighting and its performance with bright pictures is enjoyable, thanks to natural colours, good sharpness and surprisingly little motion blur or resolution loss. The set's USB-driven multimedia abilities are a pleasing bonus, too.<br/><br/><strong>We disliked</strong><br/><br/>It's a pity, if hardly a surprise, that the 42HL833 doesn't offer 3D, online capability or a Freeview HD tuner and its mostly good picture quality breaks down during dark scenes, thanks to a lack of deep black colours, missing shadow details and a conspicuously inconsistent backlight.<br/><br/><strong>Final Verdict</strong><br/><br/>Casual viewers after a TV predominantly for watching standard-def broadcasts will be more than happy with the 42HL833.<br/><br/>The 42HL833's backlight and black level issues probably rule it out as a serious movie machine, though.

Review: Toshiba 42HL833

There's something refreshingly straightforward about the Toshiba 42HL833. The £700 set might be devoid of online features or streaming s...

Review: Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 4-85

<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="150" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/TechRadar/Home%20Entertainment/Bang%20and%20Olufsen%20BeoVision%204-85/B%20and%20O%20BeoVision%201-200-200.jpg" width="200" /></p><br/>It's no surprise that Bang & Olufsen's first 3D TV also happens to be one of the most expensive sets ever produced.<br/><br/>More likely to be found on a yacht or luxury custom installation than the average living room, the BeoVision 4-85 boasts an 85-inch plasma screen, a host of features and a price that would make Croesus himself blush.<br/><br/>The display is the same as that behind Panasonic's TH-85VX200, so its pedigree isn't in doubt. Amazingly, though, the 4-85 is about to become the smallest TV in the BeoVision range, with the non-3D 65-inch version being phased out and a whopping 103-inch version (BeoVision 4-103) waiting in the wings.<br/><br/>The latter, with its motorised stand, will cost you – deep breath – close to £100,000. If you decide to wall-mount it, the price comes down to a trifling £82,000.<br/><br/>For now, this 85-incher is the only plasma sold by Bang & Olufsen, the rest of its range being mostly LED-backlit LCD TVs that are as delectably designed as they are expensive. At the entry level – if such a thing exists within B&O's money-no-object ethos – is the BeoVision 8-40.<br/><br/>A snip at £4,500, this 40-inch TV has a full HD resolution, 200Hz and a surround sound decoder, plus a soundbar-style speaker system.<br/><br/>Next up is the BeoVision 10 range, all of which have a curiously square aspect, thanks to the three-way speakers slung under the displays.<br/><br/>The variations comprise the 32-inch BeoVision 10-32 (£4,500), 40-inch BeoVision 10-40 (£7,000) and 46-inch BeoVision 10-46 (£8,500), with only the smaller version unable to cope with surround sound. All have 200Hz, full HD and an anti-glare screen covering that's also seen on this 85-incher (it works, too; switch-off the TV and reflections are only faint).<br/><br/>Finally, aside from this 3D monster, is the BeoVision 7 range, which comprises the BeoVision 7-40 (£11,000) and BeoVision 10-55 (£16,000). The smaller is LCD, the larger LED-lit, yet both have perhaps the greatest feature of all; built-in Blu-ray. It's not 3D, sadly (it soon will be), but is designed quite brilliantly. Press Eject and a Blu-ray disc (or DVD) silently slips out, supported by a slim column.<br/><br/>All Bang & Olufsen TVs – and especially the BeoVision 4-85 – are programmable. An engineer asks you exactly what other products you have – say, a Sky+HD box and a Sony Blu-ray player – and the controls for those are integrated into the remote control.<br/><br/>However, if you change your components around, an engineer does have to pay another visit to reconfigure the remote.<br/><br/>It's the kind of personal service you'd expect if paying this much cash, though the charges keep on coming. You can't just barge into a Bang & Olufsen store and purchase the BeoVision 4-85, though. A site survey must be carried out first, largely to make sure the TV will fit through your doorway, and be supported by your walls or floor.<br/><br/>The site visit costs £300, though it's refundable if you decide to buy a BeoVision 4-85. The final charge is for delivery, which, as you can imagine, requires some pretty specialist lifting equipment; say goodbye to between £4,000 and £10,000. The main reason for that is the BeoVision 4-85's clever floor stand that weighs a whopping 500kg.<br/><br/>Whereas most TV stands rotate and wriggle, this one elevates. It's largely a show-off feature and not aimed specifically at improving the viewing angle or picture, but it's still addictive; switch the TV on from the remote and it rises to attention, revealing the BeoLab 10 speaker (also part of that 500kg bulk) as it does so.<br/><br/>This feature can be customised to exact proportions, with the TV leaning back or turning slightly. Does a TV need to have one position when switched-off, and another when turned on? No, not really – though arguably that's more important with an 85-inch TV, which is likely to become the focal point of any room, however large.<br/><br/>When it's switched-off, the BeoVision 4 retracts down to the floor – just an inch or two above, in fact – and from down there it doesn't dominate quite so much.<br/><br/>No sooner has the TV lifted into position than the TV comes to life – no coincidence – in typical B&O style; a pair of digital curtains part on the screen to reveal a live TV channel.<br/><br/><img alt="BeoVision 4-85" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Home%20Entertainment/Bang%20and%20Olufsen%20BeoVision%204-85/B%20and%20O%20BeoVision%202-420-90.jpg" width="420" /><br/><br/>At this price the BeoVision 4-85 isn't going to sell in the thousands, which is great news if you're in the market for it, since you can pretty much have it completely customised. Your first choice is between six colours (black, silver, red, blue, golden or gunmetal); the sample we reviewed was finished in snazzy brushed silver.<br/><br/>There's no Freeview HD tuner on board the BeoVision 4-85. If you balk and splutter at that, you're very probably not in Bang & Olufsen's universe. Any situation where the BeoVision 4-85 could be used is also one where a Sky or Virgin box is going to be in place – if only for the plethora of high-definition TV channels – so we're not unduly worried about the lack of DVB-T2. Despite that, we're told it will soon be in place.<br/><br/>In some ways the BeoVision 4-85 is all about cutting out features considered pointless, picture settings being first on the list. It's a strange stance in some ways, because high-end punters should be the fussiest, but Bang & Olufsen has removed virtually all opportunities to tweak the image. Yes, there are some very basic drop-down menus to change contrast, brightness and colour alongside a Game mode, but that is it; everything else is performed automatically by the BeoVision 4-85's ... wait for it … robotic pop-out camera.<br/><br/>Has Bang & Olufsen gone cuckoo? The set arrives perfectly calibrated for its surroundings – B&O is very confident about that, and doesn't want it jeopardised by the customer (heaven forbid) – so the job of the robot arm is to keep things that way.<br/><br/>Partly because plasmas are dynamic, colours can take on a slight yellowing hue the more they're used, so every 90-100 hours of use a five-inch camera pops-up from the top of the display, drops down in front of the screen, and measures the saturations and contrast (from a colour spectrum and a greyscale shown onscreen). It then resets to its original parameters, and adjusts the colour temperature to steer away from yellow and the camera dives back in, cuckoo-clock style.<br/><br/>The whole process (called Automatic Colour management, which can be done manually at any point) takes about 20 seconds, during which time the IR receiver is also measuring the ambient light in the room, and adjusting the brightness accordingly.<br/><br/>It's all a very subtle and silent process, and as we'll see, does a great job, though home cinema aficionados might take umbrage at the apparently dismissive stance towards users making their own tweaks. We presume this stance is largely to stop customers requesting call-outs every time someone messes with the settings.<br/><br/>Aside from magical moving mechanisms, the BeoVision 4-85 is also a 3DTV. It employs the Active 3D system used by (for now) the majority of manufacturers and brands, though that's absolutely no surprise; this is a high-end, and huge, plasma that is ideal for Active 3D.<br/><br/>In and outputs are, again, up to each buyer; on the back of the sample we saw was strapped a BeoSystem 3 surround sound processor that built-in DVI, four HDMI, component video, three electrical digital audio and, remarkably, three Scarts. Also back there were some line ins and outs, analogue and digital RF and an RF modulator.<br/><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="BeoVision 4-85" class="aligncenter" height="142" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Home%20Entertainment/Bang%20and%20Olufsen%20BeoVision%204-85/B%20and%20O%20BeoVision%203-420-90.jpg" width="252" /></p><br/>Paired with a reference-level Oppo BDP-95EU Blu-ray player, the BeoVision 4-85 pumps out some seriously great 3D pictures.<br/><br/>Perhaps it's just the size of the screen that creates such enveloping intensity (not that we sat directly underneath it), but a run-through of <em>Avatar</em> delivered some of the most convincing 3D pictures we've seen.<br/><br/>Heavy on contrast and with a searing brightness (at least, for a 3D screen), the BeoVision 4-85 deciphered with intrinsic depth and startling detail the scene where the floating flowers settle on Jake. The way the screen picks out pricks of bright light in otherwise inky black areas of the image is brilliant. In the dog attack scene, it all moves a touch too fast for the BeoVision 4-85; there's a suggestion of crosstalk, though it's mostly a problem with judder.<br/><br/>Colour is sublime, as it is in 2D mode. There's a huge drop in contrast with those 3D specs dumped, though it's still enough to impress when compared to mainstream plasmas. On 2D mode there simply isn't any motion blur at all, which is why plasma is best for monster screens (though the 3D specs do introduce some).<br/><br/>Sky channels look better than Freeview, which is blighted by softness and fizzing around moving objects. That's no surprise on a screen this big, and the good work done in contrast and colour is retained. Overall, the BeoVision 4-85 is a top-drawer screen for 3D and 2D, while for standard definition it does a decent job at cleaning it up, considering its size.<br/><br/>It would be remiss not to point out that 3D material is best viewed on Active 3D screens in as near to blackout as possible – and the BeoVision4-85 is no different.<br/><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><img alt="BeoVision 4-85" class="aligncenter" height="142" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Home%20Entertainment/Bang%20and%20Olufsen%20BeoVision%204-85/B%20and%20O%20BeoVision%204-420-90.jpg" width="252" /><br/></strong></p><br/><strong>Sound</strong><br/><br/>If the picture relies largely on the Panasonic plasma panel it's hosted on, the sound is all Bang & Olufsen's work. The BeoLab 10 speaker that sits below the screen is a mono driver – but acts as a centre channel in a surround sound set-up, which is virtually the law if you're spending this much.<br/><br/>In our review the BeoVision 4-85 was paired with two BeoLab 5 speakers (£3,600 per pair) and two surround sound modules, the BeoLab 3 (£2,700 per pair). The sound is crystal clear and powerful, as it should be at this end of the market.<br/><br/>In fact, with the sharp and well-weighted vocals, pitch-perfect bass levels (no external subwoofer is needed) and overwhelmingly effective surround effects, we'd argue that the audio brings the movie to life just as much – if not more – than the 3D effects onscreen.<br/><br/><strong>Value</strong><br/><br/>If you want one of the best screens on the planet, it will cost you. There is the small matter of price to contented with though – Panasonic's TH-85VX200 costs a 'mere' £42,000, so where's the BeoVision 4-85's extra £24,000 going? On the robot arm, perhaps? The motorised stand?<br/><br/>The look of the BeoVision 4-85 is a lot more sculpted, and the way it integrates into a home automation system – and, more importantly, a speaker array – is impressive. Other than that, the money seems to get you a screen that delivers a consistent picture performance that refuses to bend to your will.<br/><br/>For those after a top-notch, fuss-free 85-inch screen with huge wow-factor, the BeoVision 4-85 is first class – but the only real reason for any TV to cost £66,000 is that a production line simply doesn't exist; it's custom-built, and that is what determines the price.<br/><br/><strong>Ease of use</strong><br/><br/>There are two remote controls to pick from. The  default option is a Beo4, a long, slender and pleasingly weighty  product that takes some getting used to. It's thoroughly effective,  though a tad slow at communicating with an IR receiver that protrudes  from the BeoVision 4-85's top right-hand corner. The Beo6, which has  been in the Bang & Olufsen arsenal for quite some time, costs £230.<br/><br/>Those  that want a more up-to-the-minute touchscreen remote are also catered  for by the Beo6. It's a strange looking thing, with a small colour OLED  screen sitting atop what looks like part of a model aircraft's fuselage.  It's nicely weighted and comfy to hold, but best of all channel logos  can be programmed to appear on the touchscreen.<br/><br/>At £600 it adds  further to the increasingly stratospheric bill (it comes free with the  BeoVision 4 and BeoVision 7 products, so why not this top-of-the-range  TV?).<br/><br/>The remote really comes into its own when controlling  external equipment; we managed to control the internal workings of a  Sky+HD box with no problem, perusing the EPG and setting-up recordings.<br/><br/>Both  remotes are capable of mastering a home automation system if paired  with a MasterLink Gateway so, for example, you can use it in conjunction  with a Lutron lighting system; press 'movie' on either Bang &  Olufsen remote and the Blu-ray kicks-in as the lights dim. It also works  with Crestron and AMX systems, so for the wealthy it can control  security systems, ventilation, curtains, a burglar alarm – even your  electronic pool cover.<br/><br/>The TV's user interface doesn't make such a  splash, though it is complete simplicity defined. While other brands  struggle to introduce polished graphics and colourful, responsive menus,  here a different attitude has been taken. There is a bare-bones (and  attractive, despite being just white text on a black background)  interface that cuts in menus and choices from the left-hand side, but  usually the remote can be used to directly choose the source.<br/><br/>Those  wanting to control TV, or even entire zones of their automated house,  with a smartphone can do so with the free – and highly polished – BeoLink app on iPhone or Android.<br/><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="BeoVision 4-85" class="aligncenter" height="142" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Home%20Entertainment/Bang%20and%20Olufsen%20BeoVision%204-85/B%20and%20O%20BeoVision%202-420-90.jpg" width="252" /></p><br/>Although it's always been a pricey brand, the last four or five years has seen the Danish brand issue TVs that haven't been sufficiently different to mass-market propositions to get anyone very excited.<br/>That all changes with the BeoVision 4-85.<br/><br/><strong>We liked:</strong><br/><br/>Contrast, colour and sheer detail are the picture highlights, but this TV goes way beyond its great 3D and 2D work. The robotic camera, home automation options and speaker opportunities are excellent, as is the touchscreen remote and iPhone app, while the motorised stand does nothing to lower our expectations. The choice of plasma when LED-backlighting is so well marketed is a shrewd, if risky move – and absolutely pivotal to its success.<br/><br/><strong>We disliked:</strong><br/><br/>The constant piling-on of costs – for the remote, surround sound decoder, speakers, stand and even delivery charges – might begin to annoy even those with vast resources. We're also rather surprised there's no online dimension whatsoever, while the lack of a Beo6 touchscreen remote as a default, included option is a shame.<br/><br/><strong>Final verdict:</strong><br/><br/>Incredibly expensive and aimed at money-no-object types, the BeoVision 4-85 sees a return to form. Bang & Olufsen's engineers have sensibly built the swish user experience around a cutting-edge plasma panel that excels with all sources.

Review: Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 4-85

It's no surprise that Bang & Olufsen's first 3D TV also happens to be one of the most expensive sets ever produced. More likely ...

Review: Samsung HT-D6750W

Samsung's top-of-the-line home cinema system is frothy, feature-rich and just a bit mad. Opening the box reveals a veritable forest of shiny black plastic.<br/><br/>The HT-D6750W package comprises two slim tallboy (1.3m) stereo front speakers which bolt together in the middle, and a pair of similar tallboy rears. They're joined by a small horizontal centre and a large (but light) subwoofer, which uses a 6.5-inch woofer and 10-inch passive radiator.<br/><br/>Samsung bills this as a 7.1 channel system, but there are no extra enclosures. Instead the main stereo loudspeakers each sport a separately driven, swivelling frog eye, which aims at the ceiling (or thereabouts). That counts, apparently.<br/><br/><strong>Core components </strong><br/><br/>At the heart of the shebang is a digital amp with integrated 3D Blu-ray player, two-in, one-out HDMI functionality and Smart Hub connectivity. For those who don't have a wired network connection handy, Wi-Fi is built-in.<br/><br/>One extra nicety is that the rears are wireless. That's to say you don't need to run speaker cable from the main amp. Instead there's a module, the SWA-5000, which receives a wireless feed (dual band 2.4/5.8GHz) from a transmitter plugged into the back of the main unit.<br/><br/>The 3D Blu-ray component of this system is clearly a derivation of the brand's standalone models. Video quality is high and functions broad.<br/><br/>Samsung proudly declares the power output of its digital amplifier to be 1300W. Given that it only draws 70W at the mains, this is obvious bunkum. I suspect it's more likely to be around 25-30W per channel. This is plenty for a smaller room; during my audition I never felt the system lacked volume, only dynamics.<br/><br/>So what of the HT670's 7.1 billing? Well, this is not a 7.1 system in the traditional AV sense, but Samsung's engineers maintain the HT-D6750W takes advantage of DTS' speaker remapping function, which uses 'sophisticated algorithms to electronically reposition speakers in the living room' if they don't match the placement used during recording.<br/><br/>But, if you think you can take a panned rear sound effect, throw it from a front height driver and get the same listening experience, you're simply delusional. Playing <em>Rush Hour 3</em>, a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix, there was simply no correlation between what came out of the back of a conventional 7.1 system and this front-weighted simulacrum.<br/><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Samsung ht-6750w" class="aligncenter" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/Home%20Cinema%20Choice/HCC%20197/HCC197.sam6750.wood01-420-90.jpg" width="420" /></p><br/>However, rear back/front height speakers aside, the system does a spirited job panning 5.1 multichannel audio to and fro. The audiovisual excitement of <em>TRON: Legacy</em> (3D Blu-ray) is not lost here.<br/><br/>Without a doubt, the star of this particular show is the 50Hz Super Tweeter, which delivers a crispness and clarity that lifts this entire system above the purely mundane.<br/><br/>There are caveats of course. Voice matching is a little rough, while timbre across the L/C/R is compromised because the centre speaker doesn't sound the same as the tallboys. It lacks that splendid tweeter, and consequently sounds comparatively dull.<br/><br/><strong>Power consumption (Watts):</strong><br/><p style="text-align: left;">Idle: 20W<br/>Playing: 70W</p><br/><strong>Disc loading (Boot/Java):</strong><br/><br/>Boot speed: 10 seconds<br/>Tray in to main BD menu: 46 seconds<br/><br/><strong>Good value </strong><br/><br/>While I contest the value of this system's bonus height drivers, I do think that overall Samsung's HT-D6750W is rather good fun.<br/><br/>The functionality it offers is exceptional, ticking every must-have feature box, and overall can be considered a good value option if you're not interested in a larger separates-based home cinema system. Just don't tell me it's 7.1.

Review: Samsung HT-D6750W

Samsung's top-of-the-line home cinema system is frothy, feature-rich and just a bit mad. Opening the box reveals a veritable forest of s...