Home Cinema Choice

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HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 1 source, promising greater image consistency over its claimed 20,000-hour lifespan. Familiar face The XW7000ES looks identical to the '5000ES from the outside, with the same slimmed-down chassis, angular shape and central lens. There are air intake grilles at the front, exhaust vents at the rear, and connections down the left-hand side (as you face the lens). It is actually slightly larger and heavier, and comes in black or white guise. Connections are two HDMI 2.0 inputs, a USB port for power, a 12V trigger, an IR input, and an RS-232 connector for serial control. The XW7000ES also supports control systems from Control4, Crestron, Savant and AMX. The lack of HDMI 2.1 on the XW5000ES model could perhaps be seen as understandable given its price point, but its absence here is more surprising. The beamer is put at a disadvantage to the cheaper JVC DLA-NZ7 (HCC #334) and Epson EH-LS12000B (HCC #333), not to mention JVC's £15,800 DLA-NZ8 (HCC #329). Of course, a counter argument is how many XW7000ES owners will want to use it for 120fps gaming (it hits a tasty 20ms response time with 4K/60p). For a cinema-focused model, you might consider the lack of HDR10+ playback (a format now adopted by Apple TV) to be more of an issue. There are basic controls located above the connections, handy if you misplace the remote. Speaking of which, the projector is supplied with a similar backlit zapper to the XW5000ES, but with a few extra buttons for features like lens adjustment (focus, zoom and shift), picture The XW5000ES set a new price point for laser-powered native 4K projection at £5,999, but the better specifi ed XW7000ES is more than double (£14,999). This raises an obvious question: what does the XW7000ES have that you won’t fi nd on its cheaper sibling? The fi rst major diff erence is the XW7000ES is signifi cantly brighter, with a whopping 3,200 Lumens compared to the XW5000ES’s 2,000. So if you’re struggling to light control your room, or have a really big screen to fi ll, this step-up model should be your fi rst choice. The other big diff erence is the addition of Sony’s Advanced Crisp Focus (ACF) lens, which is not only superior in terms of its ability to resolve fi ne detail, but off ers an increased amount of zoom (2.1x) and a wider throw ratio (1.35-2.84:1). The XW7000ES also has fully motorised lens controls and picture position memories, making it the better option for anyone wanting the CinemaScope experience. Despite a 3D button appearing on its remote control, the junior XW5000ES doesn't support the format, so fans of the third dimension will be thrilled to learn this is an option with the more expensive model. However, in order to enjoy 3D you will need to buy an XpanD 3D emitter (AE125-RF-PRO) and at least one pair of active shutter glasses (X105-RF-X1). It seems the days of bundled 3D spex are gone too. In most other respects, the XW5000ES and XW7000ES are very similar, with the same 0.61in SXRD panel delivering a native resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels. And while the XW7000ES is much brighter, it uses the same laser phosphor light The Sony projector line-up is an all-laser aff air this year, from the fl agship VPL-GTZ380 and ultra-premium VPL-VW5000ES, to the ageing VPL-VW890ES (HCC #323) and two new additions: the entry-level VPL-XW5000ES (HCC #335), and mid-range VPL-XW7000ES tested here. All are native 4K beamers, because the days of Sony producing Full HD home cinema projectors are long gone. 52 SO NY VPL-XW 7000ES/£14,999 This laser beamer dazzles Steve Withers with its mega-bright images and peerless processing Champagne supernova PRODUCT: Native 4K HDR home cinema projector with laser engine POSITION: Actually Sony’s 'mid-range' 4K projector for 2022 PEERS: JVC DLA-NZ7; JVC DLA-NZ8 AV INFO 1. Once the preserve of its a ordable models, even this £14,999 beamer gets a white fi nish option 2. The PJ features Sony's Advanced Crisp Focus, with 2.1x zoom

FEBRUARY 2023 HOME CINEMA CHOICE 2 REVIEWS 53 ‘Flexible installation thanks to a healthy zoom and throw ratio, while motorised lens controls make setup easy' position, and advanced iris – but ironically there’s no dynamic iris, so this button is redundant. The XW7000ES is fl exible in terms of installation thanks to its healthy zoom and throw ratio. The motorised lens controls also make setup pleasingly easy, while those with 2.35:1 screens can create di erent picture positions for various aspect ratios. This generally worked well, although on occasion it didn’t quite hit its mark. Colour punch In terms of specs, the XW7000ES supports resolutions up to 4K/60p, and HDR10 and HLG high dynamic range. Sony claims the combination of new Wide Dynamic Range optics and its unique Triluminos Pro colour algorithm can deliver 95% of DCI-P3, and it measured close with coverage of 92%, which is a big improvement over the 83% fi gure of the XW5000ES. Sony is strong when it comes to image manipulation and both the XW5000ES and XW7000ES sport the X1 Ultimate for Projector processor fi rst introduced on the super-high-end GTZ380. There’s also Motionfl ow for ironing out judder, Reality Creation to sharpen upscaled images and native 4K content, and Sony's Dynamic HDR Enhancer function to optimise high dynamic range. The PJ claims a contrast ratio of infi nity to one (achieved by turning the laser o ). In reality, the contrast is actually RECOMMENDED HIGHLY

VERDICT HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 3 54 REVIEWS closer to 30,000:1, another upgrade over the XW5000ES. Black levels don’t reach ultimate inky depths, but that’s always the trade-off with a beamer this bright; at the other end of the scale, the XW7000ES packs a luminance punch that’ll put a stellar explosion to shame, and can also deliver HDR at 200 nits, which is huge for a projector. The 70mm ACF lens does what it says on the tin, with a crisp, focused presentation that reveals all the fi ne detail in the image. When combined with Sony’s processing wizardry, the result is an exceptional level of defi nition. The X1 chip is particularly eff ective at upscaling 1080p, and brings out all the production design in the lush Pandoran landscapes of Avatar (Blu-ray). James Cameron’s sci-fi opus provides an opportunity to test another of Sony’s strengths – motion handling. The scene where Jake and Neytiri fl y together is rendered with silky smooth movement as they soar through the sky and dive towards the ground. The True Cinema setting is especially eff ective at doubling the 24p frame rate to eliminate judder without introducing artefacts. A fi lm about a world populated by blue aliens probably isn’t the best test for natural skin tones, but a colour meter confi rmed the PJ produces exceptional image accuracy in both SDR and HDR when using the Reference picture preset. Tone mapping also tracks the PQ target eff ectively, and thanks to all that extra brightness the HDR pops like a champagne cork. Flying high Top Gun: Maverick's IMAX aerial sequences (4K BD) come with a breathtaking level of detail in the native 4K image, showcasing the verisimilitude of these scenes, which were shot for real. The PJ even manages to tease out defi nition as the ground zooms by outside the cockpit, and its skills at the higher end of the dynamic range are evident every time the sun glints off a pilot’s helmet, while the snowy vistas during the climax are often blindingly bright. There’s also a subtlety to the colours, and when combined with those specular highlights, the action-packed fl ying sequences have a thrilling, visceral quality. When it comes to tone mapping, Sony's Dynamic HDR Enhancer changes the contrast and laser brightness depending on the overall content, but is not dynamically adjusting the tone mapping on a frame-by-frame basis. The hallway fi ght scene in The Batman (4K BD) reveals the strengths and weaknesses of this approach: the muzzle fl ashes punctuating the darkness dazzle thanks to those extra Lumens, but that darkness isn’t as black as you might hope. You can try to tweak this HDR performance by changing the Dynamic HDR Enhancer setting, as well as lower the laser strength to improve the black levels. But doing the latter has an adverse eff ect on the PJ's eye-catching image brightness. Superior sibling Ultimately, if you have the necessary readies, Sony's XW7000ES has su cient improvements over the XW5000ES to justify the price premium. The image is sharper thanks to a superior lens and signifi cantly brighter, which results in a punchier HDR experience. The processing and motion handling remain state-of-the-art, while the addition of 3D support, motorised lens controls and picture position memories are all welcome. Black levels still aren't best-in-class, however, and this isn't a beamer targeted at current-gen console owners ■ SPECIFICATIONS 3D: Yes 4K: Yes. 3,840 x 2,160 HDR: Yes. HDR10; HLG CONNECTIONS: 2 x HDMI inputs; Ethernet port; USB port; 12V trigger; IR input; RS-232C BRIGHTNESS (CLAIMED): 3,200 Lumens CONTRAST (CLAIMED): 'Infi nity:1' (dynamic contrast) ZOOM: 2.1x DIMENSIONS: 460(w) x 210(h) x 517(d)mm WEIGHT: 14kg FEATURES: SXRD projector technology; laser phosphor light source with claimed average life of 20,000 hours; 26dB claimed fan noise; Wide Dynamic Range Optics; X1 Ultimate for Projector processor; Motionfl ow; Reality Creation; Object-based HDR Remaster; Dynamic HDR Enhancer; Input Lag Reduction; 1.35-2.84:1 throw ratio: motorised lens controls for zoom, shift and focus; picture position memory; IMAX Enhanced; Control4, Crestron, Savant and AMX support Sony VPL-XW7000ES ➜ £14,999 ➜ www.sony.co.uk WE SAY: Sony's super-bright native 4K laser projector delivers classy HDR images and a host of key features, but faces strong competition at and below the price point. 3. One side of the chassis houses connections (incl. two HDMI 2.0b inputs), and on-body controls TESTED WITH TOP GUN: MAVERICK: Long-delayed blockbusting sequel is wildly entertaining (even if the fi nal mission is basically the Star Wars trench run), and the aerial sequences are exhilarating on 4K BD thanks to IMAX photography, dazzling HDR10/ Dolby Vision highlights and immersive Dolby Atmos sonics. Demo fodder!

HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 THE MIDDLE MODEL in MartinLogan’s fi ve-strong Dynamo series of active subwoofers, the 800X is a svelte little box of joy subtly fi nished in a satin black with Poirotlike abilities to reveal greasy fi ngerprints – have a cloth handy. The fi lm noir styling continues to the chunky feet, complete with spikes and seamlessly integrated rubber spike covers for hard fl oors. Core specifi cations are right on the money, with the sealed enclosure featuring a 600W peak-rated Class D amp, a single 10in driver (terminated with an inverted surround, said to reduce air turbulence), and both line-level and speaker-level analogue connections. There's then Bluetooth connectivity for MartinLogan's Sub Control app (iOS and Android), plus an input for the company's £200 approx SWT-X wireless module. This fi ts into a neatly designed docking pocket on the back of the woofer, so doesn’t stick out. In a feature I certainly haven’t come across before, the feet surrounding the Dynamo 800X's smooth concave driver unbolt and can be fi tted to the rear panel, allowing you to rotate the whole sub so the driver faces forward. If you are sticking this model in a cabinet where the usual 360-degree bass radiating from a down-fi ring driver will get largely obstructed, the front-facing option makes a whole lot of sense. Okay, the connection panel and controls end up on the bottom, but with the Sub Control app handling all the bases (there are no crossover or phase dials on the Dynamo 800X itself), plus a bit of cable-routing creativity, it’s eminently workable. MartinLogan even supplies the sub with a grille cover for the front-fi ring setup. ARC angel Alongside compatibility with the app, the Dynamo 800X comes with a semi-integrated room correction system that uses partner brand Anthem’s well-regarded ARC EQ for smart devices, Windows or MacOS. Yes, that's the same software that graces Anthem’s AV processors, on a subwoofer costing £995. This is something that will pique the interest of tweakers. You can use the Sub Control app and the microphone on your smartphone or tablet to run ARC, but the best results will be using MartinLogan’s universal (Anthem, Paradigm and MartinLogan products) Perfect Bass Kit. This is a £195 optional extra but comes with a calibrated microphone, with download link to the calibration fi le; a lightweight metal tripod; and two 4m-long USB-A to miniUSB cables to connect mic and sub to your laptop. That's all great, except the Dynamo 800X's ARC input A mid-range subwoofer from MartinLogan, the Dynamo 800X crams features and fl exibility into a compact cabinet. Richard Stevenson is very impressed Small box, big tricks PRODUCT: 10in active subwoofer with ARC EQ POSITION: Middle model in the five-strong Dynamo series PEERS: MA Silver W-12; SVS SB-2000 Pro; REL T7x AV INFO 1 56 MARTINLOGAN DYNAMO 800X/£995 (+£195 FO R PB K M I C) RECOMMENDED HIGHLY

VERDICT FEBRUARY 2023 HOME CINEMA CHOICE controls. You will either love the software's fl exibility or see it as an open-door to becoming an itinerant twiddler. Alongside the basic level there are three presets for Music, Movies and Night, plus fully variable 0-180 degree phase control, adjustable low-pass and ARC on/o . There is even a variable low-bass gain, o ering +/- 10dB from 20Hz-30Hz. Personally, I love this fl exibility, but having a little tweak during every movie session might not please your guests. Compelling soundstage Perhaps the Dynamo 800X’s fi nest talent is its tuneful presentation with music, demonstrating a sophisticated and even-handed fi lling in of the lower registers within a stereo setup. It dialled into some large bookshelf speakers with ease, thanks in no small part to the fl exibility of the app, and added texture to a wide range of music. It never fails to amaze me how a sub can seemingly bolster the entire audio spectrum when set up correctly, and this one did wonders to create a bigger, much more compelling soundstage with stereo recordings. Interestingly, the app defaults to the sub’s Music mode as standard, perhaps indicating where this little Dynamo’s heart lies. But it remains an excellent all-rounder – for those hunting a compact, well-featured woofer that delivers the bass goods, the Dynamo 800X is hard to beat. It's one very versatile, great-value sub ■ SPECIFICATIONS DRIVERS: 1 x 10in polypropylene cone with inverted surround ENCLOSURE: Sealed ONBOARD POWER (CLAIMED): 300W (600W peak) Class D FREQUENCY RESPONSE (CLAIMED): 24Hz-200Hz REMOTE CONTROL: Yes, via app DIMENSIONS: 315(w) x 348(h) x 333(d)mm WEIGHT: 13.6kg FEATURES: L/R line-level and LFE inputs, speaker-level input; optional SWT-X wireless connection; 12V trigger port; microUSB port for ARC EQ; down- or frontfi ring confi guration; Sub Control app (iOS, Android); ARC Anthem Room Correction; supplied with Energy Transfer Coupler spikes MartinLogan Dynamo 800X ➜ £995 ➜ https://martin-logan.co.uk WE SAY: Small in size yet big on features, the Dynamo 800X is a well-designed and very fl exible all-rounder sub that performs great. ARC and app make setup fun. REVIEWS 57 is on a microUSB port, so you will still need another cable or adaptor. The app and software present you with two options, Auto or Professional. The former is fi re and forget, the latter o ers fl exibility over some of the measurement parameters. Running the pro setup requires between fi ve and 10 measurement positions around the listening position, but has a blissfully short test-tone sweep so is all done very swiftly. You then upload the fi lter fi le to the sub’s internal DSP and it’s job done. If the software’s fi nal response curve post-EQ in my room is to be believed, the ARC setup turned a slightly lumpy LF response into a very smooth bass curve. Enter Sandman At fi rst, however, this failed to translate into dreamy bass with a punch like Tyson. The Dynamo 800X was fi lling out the room well and hitting hard for its size, but sounded a little 'tight' straight out of the box. The good news is the performance improved and improved by the movie. Two weeks in, it had loosened into its stride and was showing o its best attributes. Netfl ix’s moody Sandman gave the Dynamo an atmospheric test, as the series is underpinned with subtle ambient sonic e ects alongside the occasional rumble. Sandman’s crumbling castle provides plenty of deep-down sofa-shaking entertainment while distant low thunder rolls around the room without sounding over-the-top. In fact, the 800X’s compact proportions lay down a lot more LFE level than you might anticipate; having gone a little ‘hot’ on bass levels initially, backing down delivered a much smoother and more engaging performance. Upping the pace with the all-action Matrix Resurrections (4K BD), the cinematic scale wrought by this 10in sub really captivates. Matrix movie gunshots always have oodles of bass and the Dynamo 800X does not disappoint, giving each a healthy thump. I have heard faster and harder-edged LFE delivery, but rarely from such a compact model packed with features and sporting a not-too-eye-watering price ticket. A good or bad facet of MartinLogan's excellent Sub Control app is its comprehensive and easy-to-use 2 3 1. The Dynamo 800X's feet can be repositioned, turning it from down-fi rer to front-fi rer 2. This mid-range model uses a 10in driver – there are also 15in and 12in Dynamo options 3.Back-panel o ers line/LFE and speaker-level connections, plus ARC and wireless module inputs TESTED WITH WEDNESDAY: Netfl ix’s Addams Family resurrection is a compelling and superbly characterized tale that really makes the most of its Dolby Atmos mix. Rain, thunder and some catchy tunes will let your sub display its subtle and detailed side, while Thing’s expressive fi nger taps pack a surprising LF punch.

HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 1 58 PERLISTEN R SERIES 5.1/£19,300

FEBRUARY 2023 HOME CINEMA CHOICE R5c centre channel (£2,700) and R4b bookshelf (£4,500p/p). The subwoofer model is the R210s, the smaller of two R Series bass-shakers, with dual 10in woofers in a push-pull confi guration. That comes to a total system price of £19,300, which is decidedly premium even while being around 50 per cent cheaper than a similar S Series setup. At present, the only fi nish option for all R models is high gloss black – there are none of the cherry, black cherry or ebony 'special editions' this time around. Yet the speakers themselves look remarkably similar to their more expensive stablemates, and once again seem beautifully built. Magnetic circular grilles are provided, letting you choose which drivers to cover up. No fear Having absolutely loved the sound of Perlisten's S Series, I was worried I might be disappointed by these near half-the-price alternatives. Instead I was quickly blown away. The performance here isn't 'half as good', more 'almost as good', particularly with the system used in a moderate-sized room. I can imagine the S Series might pull further away in a cavernous space. The most clear cut diff erence is in the top-end, where Perlisten's beryllium tweeter off erings sound more spacious, airy and pristine, particularly when fed some 'audiophile'-grade music. That said, Barb Jungr singing Sara, played from a Linn SACD in 5.1, sounded lush through this R Series set – her vocal all gentle vibrato and a fi nessed rendering of soft sibilants, backed by a piano with real presence. And when the layered vocals arrived in the chorus, there was a separation to the eff ect that was extremely well handled. This is not a step-down range engineered from scratch to hit a certain market slot. Rather, Perlisten's R Series takes much of what makes its fl agship lineup so impressive, and just dials it down a bit to keep your bank manager sweet. The similarities between the two, across styling, technology and performance, are striking. Sense of direction For example, both S and R off er the same loudspeaker varieties – fl oorstander, monitor, centre, bookshelf and angled-ba e surround. Both are Certifi ed THX Dominus, meaning they reach THX specifi cations for rooms 'up to 184 cubic meters' and with six-metre viewing distances. And both feature Perlisten's DPC (Directivity Pattern Control) array. This is very much the American company's pride and joy. Developed with acoustic modelling software to optimise driver size, position and waveguide, it mounts three units – two mid-range and one tweeter – in an 'acoustic lens' intended to accurately control both horizontal and vertical dispersion. The DPC is a feature of all the R Series speakers, but is one area where Perlisten has reduced costs. Instead of the beryllium HF dome and thin-ply carbon diaphragm (TPCD) mid-range units of the S Series, all the DPC drivers on the R models use silk diaphragms. Additionally, the bass/mid and bass drivers of the R speakers are a hybrid pulp fi bre design, not the TPCD of the S Series. This also means you don't get the funky checkerboard fi nish. For this 5.1 system we've used the range-topping R7t fl oorstander (£8,100p/p) for front left/right, plus the Just as Fast & Furious spun-off into Hobbs & Shaw, Perlisten's S Series (HCC #331) has birthed the R Series – and like the Statham/Rock movie, it proves nearly as good as the original. In fact, place the loudspeaker ranges next to each other and factor in their price points, and the R Series might even have the edge. REVIEWS 59 This 5.1 set proves the performance of the US brand's debut S range wasn't a one-off , says Mark Craven Perlisten asks 'R you ready?' PRODUCT: Floorstanding THX-certifi ed 5.1 speaker system POSITION: R Series is one rung below Perlisten's Flagship S PEERS: KEF Reference; Monitor Audio Platinum AV INFO 1. The R7t features four 6.5in hybrid pulp fi bre woofers, plus mid-range drivers and tweeter in central DPC array 2. A dedicated stand (£595) for the R5c matches the outrigger feet of the fl oorstander models 2

VERDICT HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 3 60 REVIEWS The R7t fl oorstanders, with their quartet of 6.5in woofers, also make for a superb listen with two-channel content. Sticking with Super Audio CD, and Lyn Stanley's wonderfully recorded Live at Studio A release, the two towers, slightly toed-in and sat around 3m apart, created a wide, detailed image with Stanley a strong, sassy, central presence. What's your emergency? Swapping jazz for what Michael Bay considers a lowbudget, character-driven movie, and Ambulance (4K BD) tore out of the R Series with all sirens blaring. The pivotal bank robbery sequence, and explosive aftermath, had me squirming with joy. There was so much to savour, from the incredibly lifelike, tactile reproduction of Jake Gyllenhaal's dialogue via the R5c, to the way the R210s subwoofer latched onto the deep notes of the soundtrack and much else besides – even shots of money being stuff ed into bags get a bassy swell. I’m not enough of an artillery geek to know one gun from another, but the R Series conveyed the diff erent tone of each and every one in Ambulance's street shootout scene. Meanwhile. the R4bs presented the screams of pedestrians cleanly, and when the soundtrack transitions from front to back as Bay’s drone camera swoops, there was an even feel to the soundfi eld. Even in 5.1, this system immerses. Tweeters at ear height all round enjoy a wide dispersion while still placing eff ects with accuracy. The speakers sound essentially invisible, with no subjective colouration at all. Okay, the helicopters that buzz the ambulance on the Los Angeles River don’t pass overhead, but it’s still a fl uid presentation with accuracy and plenty of scale. And when this scene ends with Bobby Womack's California Dreamin', it positively sings through the speakers. Sing might be the operative word, in fact. Perlisten's R Series can do bass brutality and soundtrack dynamics, and has a punchy demeanour that's ready for anything. But what elevates it, and makes the asking price seem altogether reasonable, is its tonality, subtlety and clarity. Top Gun: Maverick (4K BD) opens with Harold Faltermeyer’s iconic score and it sounded deliciously rich, the low synths a honeyish presence, treble details succinct. The bookshelf surrounds pump out the synths too – and here the sub sounds musical, with buoyant, sweet bass. Skip to Maverick's Mach 9 test, where we start in an echoey aircraft hangar before heading out on the runway. The balance between music and Foley and dialogue is superb, as Perlisten's speakers seem to favour neither one nor the other. Then we're up there with Tom Cruise, fl ying at a billion miles per hour in the twilight, the subwoofer quietly rumbling and the soundstage large and spacious. It was an emotional AV experience. Talk to me Goose. Can you lend us £19,300? ■ SPECIFICATIONS R7t DRIVERS: 1 x 26mm silk dome tweeter; 2 x 26mm silk dome mid-range; 4 x 6.5in hybrid pulp fi bre (HPF) woofers ENCLOSURE: Bass refl ex/sealed FREQ. RESP (CLAIMED): 27Hz-32kHz (refl ex); 38Hz-32kHz (sealed) SENSITIVITY (CLAIMED): 90dB IMPEDANCE (CLAIMED): 4ohm (nominal) POWER HANDLING (CLAIMED): 400W DIMENSIONS: 1,268(h) x 230(w) x 350(d)mm WEIGHT: 48kg R5c DRIVERS: 1 x 26mm silk dome tweeter; 2 x 26mm silk dome mid-range; 2 x 6.5in HPF woofers ENCLOSURE: Sealed FREQ. RESP. (CLAIMED): 49Hz-32kHz SENSITIVITY (CLAIMED): 88.6dB IMPEDANCE (CLAIMED): 4ohm (nominal) POWER HANDLING (CLAIMED): 250W DIMENSIONS: 240(h) x 550(w) x 270(d)mm WEIGHT: 33.5kg R4b DRIVERS: 1 x 26mm silk dome tweeter; 2 x 26mm silk dome mid-range; 1 x 6.5in HPF woofer ENCLOSURE: Sealed FREQ. RESP. (CLAIMED): 45Hz-32kHz SENSITIVITY (CLAIMED): 84.6dB IMPEDANCE (CLAIMED): 4ohm (nominal) POWER HANDLING (CLAIMED): 200W DIMENSIONS: 382(h) x 230(w) x 236(d)mm WEIGHT: 9.5kg R210s (subwoofer) DRIVERS: 2 x 10in glass fi bre woofers ENCLOSURE: Sealed ONBOARD POWER (CLAIMED): 1,200W ('short term' RMS) FREQ. RESP. 20Hz-289Hz (-6dB) REMOTE CONTROL: Yes, via app DIMENSIONS: 545(h) x 380(w) x 450(d)mm WEIGHT: 44kg FEATURES: XLR and RCA input/output; 10-band parametric EQ with three user presets; control/EQ app; 12V trigger; Auto-On; variable phase/crossover Perlisten R Series 5.1 ➜ £19,300 ➜ www.perlistenaudio.com WE SAY: This smart-looking, premium-build 5.1 array matches its high price with a breathtaking performance. The R Series sound is detailed, accurate, full-range and utterly immersive. 'Harold Faltermeyer’s iconic Top Gun score sounded deliciously rich, the low synths a honeyish presence' 3. Our setup used the three-way R4b bookshelf for surround channels TESTED WITH AMBULANCE: Action director Michael Bay broke out of Covid lockdown with a 'small' $40m movie that looks like it cost fi ve times as much. On 4K Blu-ray its stylised photography packs a real HDR/WCG punch, and the Atmos soundmix never misses the chance to pepper you with precision e ects and dramatic LFE.

HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 EXPLAINING WHERE THE 55A84K fi ts into Sony's current TV scheme of things is no easy task. First we need to clear up that it's a traditional 'White OLED' (WOLED) design, with white sub-pixel, not a new Quantum Dot OLED set. This should mean that its pictures are (probably) not as bright or richly coloured as Sony's A95K QD OLED (HCC #337) – although at £1,299, the 55in model tested here is a great deal more a ordable than its same-sized A95K sibling. More confusingly, we also have to explain how the 55A84K relates to the A90K and A80K OLED ranges that fl ank it. You'd think the A90K designation would indicate that those models were more high-end. That's not actually true, though; Sony saves the A90K designation for its smaller, 42in and 48in OLED TVs, with the only di erences beyond their size being that a) the A90Ks use centrally mounted stands while the A84Ks have dual multi-position feet, and b) the A90Ks drive their Acoustic Surface Audio+ systems with two actuators and one subwoofer outputting 25W, while the A84Ks use three actuators and two subwoofers for a total output of 50W. In other words, despite their 'lower' model number, the 55A84K lineup is actually better specifi ed. As for di erences over the A80K TV, the 55A84K is exclusively available from Currys and comes with a slicker metal remote. Buyers also receive 10 free premium movie releases and 24 months of unlimited streaming from Sony's Bravia Core service, instead of the fi ve movies and 12 months of streaming bundled with the A80K. Caught on camera In addition to Bravia Core, the TV o ers a wealth of smart content through the Google TV platform, backed up by YouView. There's built in Google Assistant voice control too, and you can add an optional Bravia Cam (£199) that introduces video calls, gesture control, proximity alerts and the ability to adjust the picture and sound to compensate for your seating position. Back to Sony's Acoustic Surface Audio+ system, which uses the TV's screen as its speakers. This genius idea means there's no need to squeeze regular drive units into the TV's trendy, minimalistic form, and that the sound it produces pushes directly out towards you rather than originating from below or even behind the screen. On the 55A84K, viewing Sam Mendes' 1917 on 4K Blu-ray, this invisible array makes the fi lm's dense, Sony's regular OLED TVs now face competition from the brand's own Quantum Dot-enhanced models. But that doesn't stop John Archer enjoying the 55A84K Bravia, you beauty! PRODUCT: 4K HDR OLED TV with EX panel POSITION: The best specified WOLED TV in Sony's current lineup, below its new A95K QD OLED PEERS: LG OLED55C2; Philips 55OLED937, Panasonic TX-55LZ1500 AV INFO 2 1 GREEK TRAGEDY Daniel Craig faces a Med murder mystery in Glass Onion p96 62 SO NY XR -55A84K/£1,299 RECOMMENDED HIGHLY

VERDICT FEBRUARY 2023 HOME CINEMA CHOICE – even without Motionfl ow processing activated. If you do want to smooth things more, perhaps with sports content, multiple Motionfl ow options are available that are impressively e ective. Sony's processing continues to be extremely good at delivering gorgeous results with standard dynamic range HD material. The extra pixels needed to convert 1080p to the screen's native 4K pixel count are generated without grittiness , and the TV o ers gentle but worthwhile SDR to HDR conversion with many of its picture presets. Custom modes turn the SDR-to-HDR conversion o for purists, but most users will, I think, be shocked at how e ective Sony's HDR remastering is. A touch of fi nesse While I've talked about the 55A84K's picture refi nement, particularly with darker content, it isn't by any stretch of the imagination 'dull'. Its EX panel can serve up brightness peaks of 733 nits on a 10 per cent white HDR window, enough to give HDR highlights a gleaming, lifelike feel. There's no denying that a few OLED and premium LCD TVs provide more full-screen brightness, but the 55A84K's balance and immaculate light control provides sumptuous compensation. Sometimes a beautifully realistic, nuanced picture that celebrates the fi ner things in 4K HDR life can be at least as appealing – especially to home cinema fans – as a more 'in your face' approach ■ SPECIFICATIONS 4K: Yes. 3,840 x 2,160 HDR: Yes. HDR10; HLG; Dolby Vision TUNER: Yes. Freeview HD; satellite CONNECTIONS: 4 x HDMI inputs; 2 x USB; optical digital audio output; Ethernet 4K/120 PLAYBACK: Yes SOUND (CLAIMED): 50W BRIGHTNESS (CLAIMED): N/A CONTRAST RATIO (CLAIMED): N/A DIMENSIONS (OFF STAND): 1,227(w) x 712(h) x 53(d)mm WEIGHT (OFF STAND): 17.9kg FEATURES: Wi-Fi; Bluetooth; Cognitive Processor XR; IMAX Enhanced; Variable refresh rate support; ALLM; XR OLED Motion; HDR Remastering; Triluminos colour; Netfl ix calibrated; multi-position feet; USB multimedia playback; Google TV with Chromecast built-in; Dolby Atmos; Bravia Core VOD platform Sony XR-55A84K ➜ £1,299 ➜ www.sony.co.uk WE SAY: Sony's OLED is not as bright as some rivals, but discerning movie fans will struggle to fi nd a more refi ned and immersive picture and sound experience. 'This TV's images ares beautiful, their appeal lying in their subtlety and gorgeous balance of colour and light' REVIEWS 63 detailed and explosion-fi lled soundmix feel immediate and immersive. Excellent though the 55A84K's sound is, it's the TV's image performance that matters most. And while it can't compete with the recently auditioned A95K QD OLED, there's much here to celebrate. As with other high-spec OLED TVs, it uses a brightness-enhancing EX panel. Sony marries this to the latest version of its Cognitive Processor XR picture engine. Inevitably the 55A84K's 4K screen delivers high dynamic range playback, adding Dolby Vision to the basic HDR10 and HLG options. The HDR10+ format favoured by Samsung, Philips, Panasonic, TCL and others is ignored, however. The picture quality is beautiful. I say beautiful quite specifi cally, rather than spectacular, brilliant or sensational, as the 55A84K's visuals aren't as forceful in their charms as one or two rivals. Their appeal instead lies in their subtlety and gorgeous balance of colour and light. This TV paints an all-round refi ned and therefore believable picture, perhaps only beaten in that regard by Sony's own more expensive QD OLED A95K. Dark arts The crater and debris-fi lled expanse of no man's land that Schofi eld and Blake cross in 1917 looks grotesquely detailed and real, with even the tiniest shift in colour tone of the bare, scorched earth and mud revealed, along with every weave and texture of the soldier's clothing. There's no softness to reduce the impact of Roger Deakins' stunning native 4K photography, and this mix of unforced clarity, forensically accurate colour handling and some Cognitive XR secret sauce means even with the relatively muted shades on display in this sequence you get an incredible sense of depth and three-dimensionality. Another 1917 sequence, the near-dark scene where Schofi eld spends time with a woman and her baby in a candle-lit basement, shows not just the sort of neutral, deep black tones we've come to expect from OLED TVs, but also a fantastic amount of subtle shadow detailing and dark colour refi nement. Ramming home the beauty of the sequence is the stability of the presentation, and the precision of the lighting e ects. The feeling of clarity and depth that's really the 55A84K's trademark isn't besmirched by motion issues, even with 24p sources. On the contrary, judder and blur are surprisingly mild as the moving camera follows 1917's heroes through the trenches in the fi lm's opening scenes 3 1. Image fettling is handled by Sony's Cognitive Processor XR system 2. The uncluttered remote opts for Prime Video, Netfl ix, Disney+ and Bravia Core hot-keys 3. The A84K's Acoustic Surface Audio+ system uses three actuators and two bass drivers TESTED WITH 1917: The 4K BD of Sam Mendes' excellent war drama is a stellar home cinema showcase. Shot natively in 4K, detail levels are profound, and the HDR grade enhances the inescapable nature of the horror. 1917's Atmos soundtrack also puts you right in the trenches and on the battlefi elds with terrifying intensity.

VERDICT HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 WHEN IS A wireless headphone not a wireless headphone? Take a quick look at T+A's Solitaire T and you would be forgiven for thinking it is a fairly standard example of the cut-thecable breed, with aptX HD and AAC Bluetooth supported by switchable noise cancelling and an impressive 70-hour rated battery life. The reality is a little di erent though. On this premium set, T+A adds an ‘HQ mode’ where the decoding confi guration changes; the noisecancelling chip powers o and the Bluetooth signal goes through an ESS DAC for decoding and volume adjustment. This signal then heads o to di erent amplifi cation stages again before passing to the drivers. Claimed battery life in this mode drops to 35 hours. Want another option? You can switch everything o and enjoy the Solitaire T as a passive headphone via a connector that – unusually for 2022 – is analogue at both ends (and supports balanced and unbalanced signals). Use this with the power switch o and the headphone becomes genuinely passive, with the entire main board bypassed. So the idea is that you can run the Solitaire T as a 'classic' home headphone before powering it up, pairing it to your smartphone and walking out the door. Bold and beautiful All this funky functionality comes in at a signifi cant cost – the £1,200 Solitaire T is the most expensive such device I’ve yet tested – but you can see where the money has gone. The aluminium frame that holds the closed-back earcups (each featuring a 42mm cellulose driver) is beautifully fi nished and everything about the way you wear and use the Solitaire T suggests that plenty of thought and e ort has gone into the design. You get an excellent carry case too. Operation is done via hard controls, because currently there is no control app (although one is promised). T+A's buttonry is well placed and intuitive. Space within Use the Solitaire T as a wireless, noisecancelling headphone and the performance is extremely good. Even in a fairly loud environment, the complex arrangements of Fragments by Bear’s Den was easy to latch onto, and the Solitaire T found space within the mix where many closed-back designs struggle. However, the more a ordable, but still high-end, Mark Levinson No.5909 (HCC #331) and Bowers & Wilkins Px8 (HCC #336) both o er slightly more sophisticated noise cancelling, and the sheer isolation that the No.5909 model in particular o ers is extremely impressive. SPECIFICATIONS DRIVE UNITS: 2 x 42mm 'low-tolerance' cellulose dynamic drivers CONNECTIONS: USB-C (battery charging/audio signal); 2.5mm balanced BLUETOOTH: Yes. v5.2 with AAC and aptX HD NOISE CANCELLING: Yes WEIGHT: 322g FEATURES: Qualcomm QCC 5127 Bluetooth chipset; ESS ES9218 Sabre DAC; HQ Mode; passive functionality; battery life rated at 70 hours (35 hours in HQ mode); hard carry case; USB-C and analogue cables with 3.5mm and 6.35mm termination; 4x ANC microphones T+A Solitaire T ➜ £1,200 ➜ www.ta-hifi .de WE SAY: The Solitaire T bridges the gap between wired home headphone and wireless travel partner in a way that almost nothing else can. 64 WWW.TA- HIFI.DE/£1,200 The cans are o ered in white/silver or black/silver The German high-end marque's take on a wireless headphone is slightly di erent from everybody else’s – and Ed Selley thinks it’s rather clever T+A Solitaire T PRODUCT: Hybrid wired/ wireless high-end headphone POSITION: Priced comfortably below T+A's fl agship planar magnetic Solitaire P PEERS: Mark Levinson No.5909; Bowers & Wilkins Px8 AV INFO If you are in a quieter space – not a silent one, just quieter – T+A's HQ mode is a step forward over any wireless system I have lived with up to this point. As the design has excellent mechanical isolation, the noise fl oor is low to the point of inaudible and this gives the Solitaire T a dynamic punch that makes music/fi lm material sound vivid and extremely engaging. I watched the second episode of the new season of Slow Horses via the headphone and, while the AAC codec supplied by my iPad Pro has some limitations compared to aptX, the result was still cinematic and possessed of a threedimensionality that’s rare in closed-back cans. Neither is the Solitaire T done there. I connected an iFi GO Bar DAC/headphone amp to the iPad Pro and rewatched sequences from the same episode with the Solitaire T in passive mode. The jump in fi ne detail and overall tangibility was a genuine surprise; this is not the most sensitive headphone around but with decent power on tap the performance is competitive with standalone passive models in the high hundreds of pounds. It also does a brilliant job of capturing the character of the source equipment, such is its transparent delivery. Formidable When you remember that you can power on the Solitaire T and listen to music on the move, wire-free, the scope of what T+A has built here becomes clear. Yes, in specifi c areas, the very best wireless and wired designs score points over it, and there’s no getting around the fact it isn’t 'cheap' – but the Solitaire T is a unique and formidable all-rounder. Highly recommended ■ RECOMMENDED HIGHLY

WORLD’S FIRST THX CERTIFIED DOMINUS IN-WALL SPEAKERS 01423 358846 karma-av.co.uk

RECOMMENDED HIGHLY HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 SOUNDBARS DON'T COME any more premium than this 18kg whopper from Danish design honcho Bang & Olufsen. Rather than shoot for the mainstream, the brand has gone seriously upmarket with a component that's as uncompromising as it is exhilarating – the Beosound Theatre looks like no other soundbar on the market right now, and it doesn't really sound like anything else either. Design is obviously a talking point. Available in a variety of fi nishes, the most 'a ordable' iteration features a smart fabric grille. Our sample had a more expensive slatted oak wood grille, which channels Scandi furniture design. This cosmetic uplift comes at a price though, because while the fabric edition sells for £5,590, three oak variants with wooden grilles sell for £6,390. Regardless, there's a phalanx of speaker drivers behind that point forwards, sideways and upwards. A coaxial centre channel array features a 1in tweeter mounted in front of a 5.25in mid. Either side are 6.5in woofers. There are then L and R channel arrays of 3in mid and tweeter, plus four 2.5in full-range units for side and height. There's no separate sub, which is fi ne because that would cramp the Theatre's style. And B&O rates the low-end reach of this one-box audio solution at 28Hz. There's more to its design than fi rst meets the eye, too. For example, the decorative aluminium endstops are upgradable, so that when you swap your 55in TV for something larger, either 65in or 77in, you can change the endstops for ones that are longer, thereby maintaining the system's overall symmetrical design. Indeed, B&O says its soundbar is engineered so that every core aspect can be removed, repaired or replaced. This includes the processor and the HDMI input/output board. When it comes to future-proofi ng this is probably as good as it gets, and this goes a long way to justifying the Theatre's high price tag. But the approach is nothing new – the philosophy has always been a central tenet of the manufacturer. One niggle about the soundbar's otherwise impressive physical design is the glass touch-panel on its top, which illuminates when triggered by a proximity sensor. There's one obvious downside to this: it's highly refl ective, and mirrors whatever is happening onscreen. In a darkened room, this is actually quite distracting. Sound all around The Theatre's speaker complement is classifi ed by Bang & Olufsen as 7.1.4, thanks to some virtual processing, and the total claimed amplifi cation is 800W from 12 modules (delivering 100W apiece to the 6.5in woofers, and 600W split across the remaining ten driver pairs). Compatible with Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD and multichannel PCM, but not DTS:X, the soundbar doesn't skimp when it comes to connections. Usefully, there are four HDMI inputs, one of which has 40GB bandwidth and supports 4K 120Hz passthrough and eARC. There's also With the Beosound Theatre, Bang & Olufsen has taken the humble soundbar to another level, discovers Steve May – and it has the price tag to show for it Designed to delight and demolish PRODUCT: High-end single-box Dolby Atmos soundbar POSITION: B&O's fl agship, above the Beosound Stage PEERS: Devialet Dione; Sennheiser Ambeo AV INFO 1 66 BANG & OLUFSEN BEOSOUND THEATRE /FR O M £ 5 , 590

VERDICT FEBRUARY 2023 HOME CINEMA CHOICE the soundbar has no problem doubling as a high-end music machine. Stereo audio can be upmixed to make full use of the driver array, and the end result is highly entertaining. There is a caveat to this barnstorming performance, however. If you're wondering if this hyper-expensive soundbar can replace a traditional AV receiver then the answer has to be no. It doesn't deliver immersive thrills comparable to a home cinema amp feeding a full fi st of physical speakers. The Theatre's soundstage reaches high but can't stretch behind you. There's plenty of steerage across the front, but nothing in the round. You'll have to invest in additional speakers to go fully cinematic; as many as 16 of B&O's Beosound speakers can be connected to the soundbar, eight wirelessly and eight tethered, via the brand's Powerlink system. Plenty of options then, but the bill will be high. Setting the bar Of course, this soundbar isn't meant to go toe-to-toe with a traditional home cinema system. It's not really aimed at Blu-ray enthusiasts with giant disc libraries either. The Theatre is for those that primarily stream, be it movies from Netfl ix or Disney+, or music from Tidal or Qobuz, and won't begrudge the absence of DTS:X. And viewed on those terms, it's one heck of an AV upgrade ■ SPECIFICATIONS DRIVERS: Coaxial center with 1in tweeter and 5.25in mid-range; 2 x 6.5in woofers; 2 x 3in mid-range and 2 x 1in tweeters (L/R); 4 x 2.5in drivers (side L/R and Dolby Atmos upfi rers) ONBOARD POWER (CLAIMED): 800W (2 x 100W + 10 x 60W) CONNECTIONS: 4 x HDMI inputs, including 1 x eARC; Ethernet; Powerlink speaker outputs DOLBY ATMOS/DTS:X: Yes/No SEPARATE SUBWOOFER: No REMOTE CONTROL: No DIMENSIONS: 1,222(w) x 197(h) x 157(d)mm WEIGHT: 18kg FEATURES: RoomSense setup microphone; upgradable design; proximity based UI; True Image up/downmixing algorithm; wall and fl oorstand mounting options; 4K/120 passthrough; B&O app; Spotify Connect; Apple AirPlay 2; Chromecast; Wi-Fi; Bluetooth; fabric or oak fi nish Bang & Olufsen Beosound Theatre ➜ £6,390 ➜ www.bang-olufsen.com WE SAY: This unapologetically premium soundbar is as much high-end furniture as it is an audio system – build quality and design are that good. It also sounds magnifi cent. REVIEWS 67 Bluetooth and dual-band Wi-Fi, and even a four-port Ethernet switch, one socket reserved for connective/ control duties with a compatible LG OLED TV. Be aware that the 'bar, like some other high-price models we've seen recently, doesn't come with a dedicated remote control. Instead you're directed to Bang & Olufsen's app. This has TV, Music, Movie, Game and Night sound presets, and opens the door to Spotify Connect, Chromecast and Apple AirPlay. Bludgeoning bass So does the Beosound Theatre sound as good as it looks? If it wasn't playing so loud, you could probably hear me squealing in delight. Its audio borders on symphonic. Extraordinarily dynamic, it delivers beautifully bright highs, with a crisp (but not sibilant) treble, a velvet-smooth mid-range and, when required, bludgeoning bass. The overall presentation is spacious rather than pointy. You feel you could take a stroll around its soundscape, admiring the depth of imagery and the profundity of its attack. There's oodles of power too, which helps deliver those rapid transients. The Atmos soundtrack of Army of the Dead (Netfl ix) o ers plenty of scope for both sonic violence and subtle atmospherics. The gun sounds are epic in Zack Snyder's genre mash-up, and the B&O Theatre's dual woofers make every shot count. When our ragtag band of mercenaries power up the fl oor of Bly's casino, and line after line of slot machines spring into life, there's a feeling of a wavefront of sound. Later, when the Götterdämmerung safe is blown, the bass rocks like a wedding chapel Elvis. The clarity of the centre channel delivery of the Theatre is also noteworthy, whether it's tasked with keeping naturally mixed movie chatter easily understandable, or sweet vocal performances. The latter helps ensure 3 2 1. The Theatre hides 12 drivers, including twin woofers, tethered to a rated 800W power plant 2. The 'bar ships with a table stand, but a motorised fl oorstand is another option 3. Raise your budget to £6,390 and you can get the Theatre in light, natural or dark oak fi nish TESTED WITH ARMY OF THE DEAD: From the groaning dead and automatic weapons, to the distinct atmospherics of clinking Las Vegas casino fl oors, Zack Snyder's horror heist proves a serious workout for any sound system – and the score by long-time Snyder collaborator Tom Holkenborg is a real banger. Streaming on Netfl ix. 'You'll feel like you could take a stroll around the Theatre's soundscape, admiring the depth of its imagery'

VERDICT HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 THE BU8500 IS the most premium LCD model in Samsung’s current range that don’t use Quantum Dot colour technology. Instead, it features Samsung’s Dynamic Crystal Colour system – a more traditional fi lter-based approach, but one that still claims (in conjunction with the TV's Crystal 4K processor) to deliver a billion di erent tones. Selling for £649 at the time of writing, the 55in 55BU8500 is £150 cheaper than Samsung’s entry-level 55in Quantum Dot set. Such a gap makes it look potentially fair value, while its ‘AirSlim’ design and neat, central desktop pedestal (there's a BU8000 variant, with dual feet) also help it look pretty for a mid-range model. The TV ships with two remotes, one button-packed, the other a solarpowered, streamlined, 'smart' zapper. Connectivity includes a respectable three HDMI ports, but none can handle 4K/120 playback and variable refresh rate gaming features. TCL has moved the goal posts here by providing such tricks on its aggressively priced C735K range (HCC #335) – though the 55BU8500 does keep gamers smiling with a speedy 10ms of input lag in Game mode. Pan's people Picture quality, sadly, isn’t a chip o the dependable old Samsung block. For instance, where normally we’d expect good intensity and HDR ‘sparkle’, instead HDR pictures actually feel rather drab and bland. The 55BU8500’s peak HDR brightness highlights don’t hit with the punch and precision we’d hoped to see – as confi rmed by a mediocre peak brightness measurement of 328 nits. Colours lack a little vibrancy too, leaving HDR pictures with wide colour gamuts feeling slightly neutered. There’s some impressive subtlety on show when it comes to colour blends and skin tones, but this isn’t backed up by sharpness. The details in Peter’s gloves and the ropes SPECIFICATIONS 4K: Yes. 3,840 x 2,160 HDR: Yes. HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ TUNER: Yes. Freeview HD; satellite CONNECTIONS: 3 x HDMI; 2 x USB; Ethernet; optical digital audio output SOUND (CLAIMED): 20W BRIGHTNESS (CLAIMED): N/A CONTRAST RATIO (CLAIMED): N/A DIMENSIONS (OFF STAND): 1,233(w) x 709.2(h) x 25.7(d)mm WEIGHT (OFF STAND): 15.5kg FEATURES: Crystal processor 4K; Tizen OS system with built-in voice recognition; solar powered smart remote; Dynamic Crystal Colour panel; eARC; AirSlim design; ALLM support; edge-lit VA panel Samsung UE55BU8500 ➜ £649 ➜ www.samsung.com/uk WE SAY: While it’s respectable enough for its money, the UE55BU8500 isn’t up to Samsung’s usual mid-range LCD TV standards. 68 SAMSU N G U E55B U 8500/£649 The BU8500 sports Samsung's AirSlim chassis design Is the South Korean giant still the king of the mid-range LCD fl atscreen? John Archer fi nds out Samsung UE55BU8500 PRODUCT: 55in edge-lit 4K HDR LCD TV POSITION: In the lower half of Samsung’s TV range, but its most premium non-QLED PEERS: TCL 55C735K; Samsung QE65Q60B AV INFO and wood of the boat in Pan (4K BD), as he fl ies through brightly coloured water bubbles towards Neverland, just don’t have that Ultra HD snap. Motion isn’t as slick as it usually is with Samsung TVs either. While the 50Hz World Cup Final looked okay, the 24p frame rate of The Revenant’s ever moving and panning cameras (4K BD) causes noticeable motion blur with motion processing turned o , and a slightly uncomfortable look even with the motion processing set to its optimal level – namely, in Custom mode, with Judder/Blur reduction set to level three. Not that the set has lost all of the brand's familiar strengths. Black levels are pretty good (although the dark tunnel through which Peter enters Neverland is missing a little shadow detail), and baseline brightness levels feel slightly higher than the mid-range norm, even if peak highlights fall a little fl at. Plus there’s a consistency and balance to the 55BU8500’s presentation that eludes some punchier but less disciplined rivals. The insanely raucous tsunami sequence in Moonfall (4K BD) exposes a rather meagre audio performance, with minimal bass and a lack of soundstage expansion. It does, however, place voices and e ects quite accurately, and is clean and convincing with daytime chat and news shows. The game's afoot While the 55BU8500 is ultimately average overall rather than actually poor, it still feels like a step backwards for the once invincible king of mid-range LCD – just at a time when 'newcomer' brands such as TCL and Hisense are really upping their TV games ■

VERDICT FEBRUARY 2023 HOME CINEMA CHOICE THE RANGE OF loudspeakers from audio brand M&K Sound already covers o a wide selection of AV roles, so the new D Series has been added to appeal to a di erent sort of end user. This isn't a speaker to be buried in-wall in a darkened theatre – it's dying to be easily placed on-wall in a two-channel music system, or either side of your TV. The reason the D95 can be considered simple to install is twofold. First, the cabinet is sealed and largely (but not entirely) immune to proximity to walls. The second is that the cabinet is just 95mm deep. When combined with keyhole mounting on the back and a VESA mount pattern too, you have a speaker that should fi t into most environments without a fuss. True, the D95 engineers some all-important cabinet volume by being a little wider (240mm) than you might expect, but at 300mm tall, it’s still handily compact. In contrast to some of the more sophisticated models from the company that have dipole/tripole-based driver arrangements (see HCC #289), the D95 is simplicity itself, with one 1.1in silk dome tweeter and a 6.5in polypropylene bass/ mid driver per cabinet. Something that’s interesting is that the D95 puts a lot of load on the tweeter; the crossover network is set at 1.6kHz, which as low as I can recall seeing. Sensitivity is suggested at an amp-friendly 91dB and this doesn’t feel like fi ction when you start listening. Viewed objectively, the speaker itself looks a little oddly proportioned but not to the extent it’s unattractive. White, black and grey fi nishes are available and grilles are provided. At £695 each (there's an also-new D85 sibling, selling for £595, which uses a smaller 5.25in bass/mid), this isn’t an 'a ordable' speaker, but the build and fi nish is more than commensurate with the asking price – although the push-torelease speaker terminals don’t feel great and won’t happily accept 4mm plugs. How low can you go? Absolutely key to putting the performance of the D95 in context is that M&K Sound makes no claims to changing the laws of physics. For the speaker's low-frequency response, the manufacturer quotes 90Hz at the rigorous +/- 3dB measurement and 70Hz at a rather more severe -9dB roll o . And while the D95 is largely una ected by proximity to walls, if you do wall-mount it as intended you’ll get some useful boundary reinforcement. What this means is that watching fi lm and TV material through the D95s on their own is a rewarding, engaging experience. What the speaker does brilliantly is combine excellent detail retrieval with a crisp and dynamic presentation. And there is enough weight to make such sessions enjoyable. SPECIFICATIONS DRIVERS: 1 x 6.5in polypropylene bass/mid driver; 1 x 1.1in coated silk dome tweeter ENCLOSURE: Sealed FREQUENCY RESPONSE (CLAIMED): 90Hz-20kHz (+/-3dB SENSITIVITY (CLAIMED): 91dB IMPEDANCE (CLAIMED): 4ohm (nominal – 3.4ohm minimum) POWER HANDLING (CLAIMED): 135W DIMENSIONS: 240(w) x 300(h) x 95(d)mm WEIGHT: 4.9kg FEATURES: White, black and grey matte fi nish options (with matching grilles); keyhole wall-mount fi xings; 100mm x 100mm VESA compatible M&K Sound D95 ➜ £695 (each) ➜ https://mksound.com WE SAY: It’s not cheap and you’ll likely want to add a subwoofer, but the D95 o ers a sparkling performance from an easy-to-site enclosure. MKSOUND.COM/£695 (EACH) The D95 is sealed, and claims a 90Hz LF response The loudspeaker specialist long beloved by die-hard AV-Holics is now taking aim at regular living rooms with its D95 on-wall model. Ed Selley investigates M&K Sound D95 PRODUCT: Two-way on-wall loudspeaker POSITION: The larger of two new M&K Sound D Series models PEERS: ATC HTS11; DALI Oberon on-wall; System Audio Saxo 6 AV INFO That said, adding a subwoofer to the mix (in this case a BK Electronics P300SB) is enough to give an entirely full-range performance. A rewatch of Die Hard 2 on Disney+ over Christmas was a pleasure – the D95 never feels like a satellite speaker, because it has enough heft and scale of its own to ensure gunfi re, exploding snowmobiles and the like don't feel as if they are solely the preserve of the subwoofer. The speed and transparency on o er does mean, however, that the woofer you use will need to be quick and agile too. Musical performance is also superb. That speed and cohesion they show is no less helpful here, and the speakers' tonal balance manages to fl atter decent recordings without making poor ones unlistenable. And subjectively, that low crossover point has no discernible e ect on the integration between the tweeter and bass/mid drivers either. Once again, all but the most delicate of genres will need a subwoofer to be truly e ective though. Space saved Brand enthusiasts might look at the D95 and imagine it being a tasty partner for M&K's other speaker models, suited to surround channel installation in a home cinema. There's no reason why the speaker couldn't be used that way, although the company itself still believes tripoles are optimal in that regard, and is positioning the D95 very much for use in a stereo system. Set to that task, it performs admirably, and the space saved by mounting an on-wall model frees up some carpet for a partnering sub. And I wouldn't want to deter anyone from doing that, buying another three, and going 5.1 ■ 69

FEBRUARY 2023 HOME CINEMA CHOICE IN THE PREVIOUS issue of HCC we looked at the 4K Blu-ray release for the 1920 silent fl ick Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (aka The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari). A fi lm long celebrated for its infl uence on cinematography, amongst other things, it's been woken from its somnambulist slumber (okay, that's a spoiler) by the Eureka label for an Ultra HD outing more than 100 years after it fi rst spooked audiences. According to my colleague Anton van Beek, the picture quality on its new disc is great, too. Better than you might have ever imagined such a vintage feature to look (although I am becoming more used to the powers of restoration – John Ford's Straight Shooting, a release from 1917, scrubbed up superbly via 4K for a Full HD BD in 2021). There was discussion about Das Cabinet... (pictured) earning our World Cinema award in HCC #337, although it was eventually pipped to the post by The Criterion Collection's stonking Blu-ray boxset, The Infernal A airs Trilogy. And something that weighed against it was the fact that Eureka's disc presents the movie in 4K resolution, but in standard dynamic range. Not a one-o This isn't unique: other SDR 4K Blu-rays I can think of include Koch Media's release of Nicholas Winding Refn's The Neon Demon, Kino Lorber's more recent handling of Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and Turbine's now sevenyear-old release of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (the fi lm has since been announced for another 4K do-ever, with HDR, from MPI Media). So sometimes 4K masters aren't used for an HDR grade, and we can only guess at the reason why. Although in the case of Das Cabinet..., we've been given some interesting information. A recent 4K Blu-ray that eschewed an HDR pass for a movie over 100 years old has Mark Craven wondering how far new restorations of vintage fi lms should go Are HDR grades always a good thing? Let us know: email [email protected] Mark Craven appreciates the fact that Turbine's Texas Chain Saw Massacre 4K SDR platter did at least o er Dolby Atmos and Auro-3D mixes! OPINION 71 When we spoke to Eureka about the disc, to double-check whether it should have actually carried an HDR grade and something had gone awry, we were told everything was as it should be. 'We requested permission from the Murnau Foundation to create an HDR fi le from their 4K master but they wouldn't allow it.' The Murnau Foundation is the German home of works from the fi lm's director F. W. Murnau, and others. It was created in the 1960s with the aim of preserving the country's cinematic heritage. And apparently it takes its role seriously, telling Eureka that releasing Das Cabinet... in HDR 'would be a non-historically verifi able treatment of the restoration, and a HDR conversion from an SDR fi le can never be true to the source.' This statement set me thinking, not just about HDR, but home cinema and Blu-ray in general. When it comes to restorations and remasters, should we always strive to be true to the source? Well, obviously, yes. For instance, no one wants to see a new master of Jaws where every shot of Bruce the shark has been replaced by a CG facsimile. I wouldn't want to see Wizard of Oz with all the black-and-white scenes colourised either. Yet I'm less likely to start waving my pitchfork when the issue is an HDR conversion that's been undertaken with care. Frank Capra's 1946 movie It's a Wonderful Life looks gorgeous on 4K HDR Blu-ray, the grade used to reveal the subtleties of the fi lm's monochrome photography. Many cinephiles buying Eureka's landmark 4K release of ...Das Cabinet will have wanted the same gentle transformation of its striking, tinted visuals ■

HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 AS I WRITE this, I am listening to a digital fi le, streamed from my NAS, via the Roon music management platform, into a DAC and from there to an amplifi er driving a pair of speakers. There are any number of EQ and DSP options open to me in Roon but every single one of them is bypassed or switched o . I know that my speakers' response in my room at my listening position is not ruler fl at. And do you know what? I don’t care. The sound I’m hearing is one I’ve honed and tweaked over time. It’s close enough to 'neutral' to make testing equipment a practical proposition, but it’s one that also refl ects the listening experiences of your common or garden UK lounge. Importantly, it also allows for the slight but noticeable character of the electronics and speakers themselves to be perceived as part of the performance. The very idea of this is anathema to some. The target is a 20Hz-20kHz frequency response as fl at as a relief map of a snooker table, reproducing the feed from the mastering desk. And EQ and correction are means of getting closer to this ideal. I don’t have a downer on room correction. Even a simple 5.1 system could have 12 drivers and a veritable Bletchley Park of phase calculations. Furthermore, room correction software has become more ‘light touch.’ Early iterations could iron out some limitations of your room, but did so with the subtlety of a Tony Scott fi lm. Recently, I've encountered EQ systems that are genuinely impressive in their delicacy and transparency. Real progress is being made. But… fundamental to this process is that the systems tend to correct both the issues they fi nd in the room and detail deviations from a true baseline that are inherent in your equipment, because they don’t di erentiate between the two. If you happened to rather like those little deviations, that’s an issue because the EQ robs your equipment of its character; and I use the word deliberately because one person’s ‘character’ is another person’s ‘fl aw.’ Most systems – two-channel and multichannel – now allow for a degree of bypass, particularly with stereo listening. But I’ve noticed that the manner in which this is accessed on devices is becoming more arcane, and for products where there might also be streaming and decoding on board, it’s harder to establish how ‘direct’ the direct settings are. You can argue that the crossover between someone using their AVR as a one-stop shop and someone like myself who’s digital front-end is fi ve boxes (NAS, Roon Core, streamer, upscaler and DAC) is not high and we want di erent things, but I’d counter that it’s not that straightforward. The reason for this is that the harmonising of our user experiences makes it harder to determine what we actually love; what it is about serious audio hardware that worms its way past the boring reasoning part of the brain and taps into the primal bit. The best products I’ve reviewed over the years are the ones that result in me generating precisely no notes after hours of listening because my brain has demanded I sing along, punch the air and generally emote towards the music. In a world where everything has been tweaked, tucked and rounded, that intensely personal feeling risks being harder to fi nd, knocked into second place by a setup algorithm. Yes, the benefi ts of being able to dial in complex systems (or even a pair of speakers that can’t be optimally placed) are enormous, but I don’t want to lose the magic of a system that's been set up to work in your space, for you ■ Room correction and EQ is a tremendous thing but Ed Selley worries it's getting harder to run a system without it – and we're therefore in danger of losing the personal touch Do you listen to music in 'direct' mode? Let us know: email [email protected] Ed Selley now takes care when punching the air, after smashing his fi st through a chandelier while listening to Queen's We Will Rock You 72 OPINION MAIN IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

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HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 THE DISASTER THAT is streaming just took its fi rst high-profi le scalp. Bob Chapek was removed as CEO of The Walt Disney Company in November, and one of the reasons for his departure is surely the $1.5bn loss at Disney's direct-to-consumer (DTC) division, the home of Disney+, Hulu+ and others. In a twist worthy of one of Disney’s reboots, the legend that is Bob Iger has been brought back to sort out the mess the company is in at the moment. It's interesting that most of the issues and disasters that befell Chapek seem to be time bombs left by Iger from his previous reign. Iger was a master for the fi rst half of his 2005-2020 tenure, but the second half was plagued by interference from major Disney shareholders. The term 'ESG' - Environmental, Social, Governance – has put the fear of God into many corporations, as venture capital becomes about more than just profi t and loss, but also about social change. Disney has been on the fast track when it comes to this. As I've said before, streaming video-on-demand is a race to the bottom, as it just can’t generate enough money to justify the investment in the content. The most valuable thing Disney has is its library, and to give it away as part of an all-you-can eat service is simply bonkers. The movie/TV industry is a delicate eco-system that has evolved over decades. Bundling it all up and selling it for a low per-month price makes no business sense. Last year Tom Cruise dug in his heels and would not allow Top Gun: Maverick to be streamed on Paramount+. I am sure the executives who wanted that to happen were back-tracking faster than an F/A-18 when the fi lm made $1.5bn worldwide in cinemas. The departure of Bob Chapek suggests we might have reached a tipping point in the streaming world, so what could we see next? Reorganisation of SVOD services into tiers, with advertising included on the lower-cost options. Expect price rises, too, plus limits on content. Don't be surprised to fi nd 'premium' content only available to those subscribing to a bolt-on tier, and some real high-profi le titles being o ered for purchase only. The dream of a streaming utopia seems to be over, as it's being exposed as technology for technology's sake. It was always a solution looking for a problem, as what the technologist never could fi gure out was the business model. This is showbusiness, after all, and always has been. Adapt or die? Businesses do adapt, of course, as do consumers. These days, plenty of people don't own their car, instead opting for a lease model. Sky has done similar, removing the need for a lump-sum purchase of its Sky Glass TV (pictured). And for those old enough to remember, when fl atscreen TVs were new and fangled, no one owned one; you rented it and every few years got the latest model. Will AV enthusiasts in the future lease their entire system? Consumer electronics is a market that does not stand still, so being able to have an upgrade path for every bell and whistle could be very tempting. The tech world is changing, and business models are changing with it. In the next few years we are going to see a lot of things we take for granted turned upside-down. The streaming dream, where Disney wants nothing more than £7.99 a month in exchange for all its IP, will be replaced by something else. Streaming isn't dead, and it's not going anywhere. But it’s going to cost a lot more in future ■ As Disney replaces its CEO and announces a $1.5bn loss on streaming, Jon Thompson predicts changes to the SVOD landscape. After all, business models need to evolve – just ask Sky Would you be interested in leasing your AV hardware? Let us know: email [email protected] When he's not in his screening room, Jon Thompson tweets about Hollywood gossip, movie-making and digital mastering at @johnnyfocal 74 OPINION

S7-17HCS Distributed by Henley Audio T: +44 (0) 1235 511 166 | E: [email protected] | W: www.henleyaudio.co.uk | : HenleyAudioUK | : HenleyAudio With minimalist aesthetics, clean lines and meticulous attention to detail, the STUDIO7 series ushers in a new era of audio performance for Jamo. The richness of Nordic nature inspired the Scandinavian design of the STUDIO7 series, whose name derived from the 7° tilt that provides its distinctive looks Zg]lb`gZmnk^lhng]'?^Zmnkbg`CZfhlikhikb^mZkrm^\agheh`b^l% STUDIO7li^Zd^kle^mrhn^gchrrhnk_Zohnkbm^fhob^lZg]fnlb\pbmalhng]jnZebmrZl pure as Scandinavian air.

HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 Buying 4K BDs before they go! I was interested in Mark Craven's Digital Copy article in HCC #336. A year ago I went 4K and started buying UHD Blu-rays. Initially the choices were simple, as I simply bought my favourites. But I see that in the last year I have bought 100 discs, mostly at £25 each and worst of all the Blu-rays that come with them as well as the ones I already have go in the bin, not least because I know of no one else with a Blu-ray player. In fact it gets doubly worse because since the end of 2007 I have ripped all my fi lms to hard drive. The current sweet spot is 16TB at about £275. So that’s £450 including the backup. I can get 300 fi lms on to one of these discs, so that’s an extra £1.50 per fi lm, assuming that I and the hard drive last. The fi rst 100 fi lms came quickly, the next 200 will come much more slowly. Part of the reason for buying so many was the feeling that Ultra HD Blu-ray was a dying format and I didn’t know how much longer the discs would be available. In the past for example I bought the early Star Trek fi lms on VHS but didn’t bother for DVD and beyond (apart from the Voyage Home), until 4K Blu-ray. So I purchased the fi rst four. But it 76 PICKIN G A PL AYER/PREY Feedback Got an axe to grind? Need to comment on current tech? Want to share your knowledge with our readers? Team HCC is here to help gets worse (again). I watched the fi rst one and the special e ects range from very good to very bad. I now see that the Director's Cut has improved special e ects and so I will probably buy this one as well. Looking at things, I think Return of the Jedi is the fi lm I have paid for on the most formats, consisting of: a VHS rip o from Hastings cinema, the proper VHS release, DVD, Blu-ray and fi nally Ultra HD Blu-ray. I did refuse to pay £200 for the full Star Wars release and bought the fi lms I was keen on individually. Interestingly not, so far, A New Hope. And it doesn’t stop with fi lm. I have just started buying the Soltiring, remastered at 192kHz/24-bit. I see the discs cost £64, but Netfl ix creature feature Troll Star Wars: Episode IV – reader Richard is not a huge fan... Streaming selection? I've been wondering how you choose which streaming releases to look at in the Playback section of each issue? Usually you only review two titles, and the selection seems very random! Garry Mark Craven replies: For our streaming looks, we're aware that the 'lead time' of our magazine means many readers will have already binged entire series before we've managed to write about them. So we try to mix our picks between 'big name' content – such as Glass Onion, reviewed this issue on p96 – and titles we consider worth recommending. The Norwegian kaiju caper Troll, also reviewed this issue, fi ts that description. With VOD options now including Disney+, Apple TV+, Sky, Paramount+ and more in addition to Netfl ix and Prime Video, there's a lot to choose from!

FEBRUARY 2023 HOME CINEMA CHOICE I got a download from Qobuz for a reasonable £11. Coming soon there will be an Atmos release, which I don’t suppose will be cheap, either. I suspect there will be a whole load of analogue recordings remastered for the current digital technology. Richard Teed Mark Craven replies: The UHD Blu-ray format has been around since summer 2016, and the number of releases hasn't slowed – quite the opposite, actually. Therefore, anyone buying as many as possible before the format fades away will need deep pockets! As for the Star Wars franchise, my favourite feature fi lm is Rogue One... I'm not familiar with British/Hungarian conductor Sir Georg Solti's 1950s/'60s Vienna performances of Wagner's Ring Cycle, although as the Decca Classics label declares it 'the greatest recording of all time' perhaps I should be. The new remasters are coming out in stages (or as a boxset) on 180g vinyl, hybrid SACD and Blu-ray Audio in Atmos. Interested audiophiles should check out www. deccaclassics.com for more info. A little more about Ampex I was impressed by Martin Pipe’s comprehensive survey of 100 years of the BBC in HCC #336. While I appreciate there wasn’t room for every detail, nonetheless your readers might like a bit more information on the Ampex video recording system and its wider e ects. Whereas the BBC version, as Martin mentioned, relied on linear recording on the existing audio tape, but running at a much higher speed, Ampex came up with a completely di erent system, using a revolving head recording a series of diagonal stripes across a 2in wide tape, and running at normal speed. This also made possible not only the development of consumer videocassette recorders using the same system with half inch tape, but the multi-track machines using the 2in tape that became standard for recording studios. Richard Williams Try before you buy – if you can Hi guys, I have been a reader of your magazine for a good few years now. It was interesting to see Jon Thompson's article on owning fi lms online (In The Mix, HCC #335), and the pitfalls you may incur. I have recently been going to both Netfl ix and Prime Video and have found some reasonable titles to watch. However, when choosing what to watch I tend to fi nd fi lms I wouldn't necessarily want to own. The other good thing about streaming is that you see if a movie is worth buying or not. The fl ip side of that coin is that you fi nd a fi lm you would love to own, only to fi nd it's not LETTERS 77 Star Letter... What are my disc spinning options? Hi. Since last year I have two 4K HDR TVs, one in my living room where I have my main AV setup, the other in our bedroom. For the main set I have an Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, but have now decided I need a second 4K player for my bedroom, as there are often times where I want to watch a disc but someone else has taking control of the living room TV. I know another Oppo is out of the question since it stopped selling disc players, and I'd ideally want a machine not quite as big anyway, but what options are available? I've been looking around online and seen the Panasonic DP-UB159 at Currys for just £129. Is there anything else I should be considering? Paul R Mark Craven replies: Well Paul, as you might have realised there isn't a huge amount of choice these days for Ultra HD Blu-ray players, although the a ordable part of the market is better served than the high-end. Panasonic's DP-UB150 (or the Currys exclusive DP-UB159) is a fi ne, bargainpriced option if all you want to do is play 4K discs. Originally launched in 2019, it's a slim thing (46mm high) and less than full-width, so therefore should be easier to fi nd space for in your bedroom. Corners have been cut to hit the price point, however – there's no networking (the player's Ethernet port is service-only) and the Dolby Vision HDR format is not supported (although HDR10+ is). This latter feature shortfall might not concern you if your bedroom 4K TV isn't Dolby Vision compatible. However, budget allowing, I'd be tempted to stretch to Panasonic's £179 DP-UB450 model (reviewed in HCC #303). Again this turns its nose up at networking (likely not an issue considering your TV will be smart already) but it does play Dolby Vision discs. I mention this as I'm assuming your main 4K TV is Dolby Vision compatible, and it might be prudent to have another disc-spinner 'in the bank' for when/if your Oppo UDP-203 goes to silicon heaven. Other players you'll fi nd at Currys and elsewhere include Sony's compact UBP-X700 (£229) and full-size UBP-X800 (£299). Both play Dolby Vision discs (and Super Audio CDs), but not HDR10+. Also £299 is Panasonic's DP-UB820, a more premium option than the 150/159/450 with analogue audio outs, networking and better processing. Star letter writer Paul grabs a pair of Austrian Audio's Hi-X15 headphones (pictured). Available for £99, these professional closed-back, over-ear cans feature the company's high-excursion 44mm ring magnet drivers, designed to be ultra-sti while still reducing unwanted resonance. Austrian Audio's 'slow retention' memory foam earpads ensure listening comfort, while the foldable metal hinge design makes the headphone easily portable. These cans are supplied with a 1.4m-long detachable cable, with 2.5mm/3.5mm connections – a 6.35mm 'full-size' adaptor is included. The award-winning HiX15 is available to buy now – see https://austrian. audio for more information about this and the rest of the company's headphone range. Contact us… Write to HCC, AV Tech Media Ltd, Suite 6G, Eden House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent, TN8 6HF, or email us at [email protected] Please note: we cannot guarantee to print/answer all the letters we receive. Sorry. available on disc. A good recent example would be Prey. I fi nd it frustrating that you won't know if a fi lm you like will ever get a physical release. Therefore, beware what you watch as you may never own it! Steve Old Mark Craven replies: Dan Trachtenberg's Predator prequel Prey is an interesting one. The movie has been a huge win for Disney+ (in terms of audience and critic reaction – I'm not sure about streaming numbers), and as the studio hasn't stopped releasing fi lms on physical disc that are also available on its VOD platform, I had expected a Blu-ray or 4K Blu-ray by now. However, the movie launched on Disney+ in August 2022, and Predator fans are still waiting. I don't know what the hold up is – perhaps it's because it's a 20th Century Studios title, and streamed in the US on Hulu+ rather than Disney+, and there are contract/rights issues. Or maybe the House of Mouse just likes having an adult-focused, gory sci-fi exclusively available on its VOD platform, as it helps convey that Disney+ isn't just about Pixar 'toons, Star Wars and Marvel series, and an army of animated princesses. I don't doubt it would sell well on 4K Blu-ray, though ■

HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 78 COMPETITIONS WIN! Great Blu-rays up for grabs... Head over to www.homecinemachoice.com/competitions to be in with a chance to win Terms & Conditions 1. Entrants must be aged 18 or over and resident in the United Kingdom. 2. Employees of MyTimeMedia Ltd and companies supplying competition prizes are not eligible to enter. 3. No responsibility will be accepted for delayed, mislaid, lost or damaged entries. 4. Only one entry per household; multiple entries will be discounted. 5. Prizes will be awarded to the fi rst correct entries drawn at random after the closing date. 6. No alternatives, cash or otherwise, will be off ered to the winner as prizes. 7. The editor’s decision is fi nal. 8. Comp winners' names available on request. 9. The closing date is 20 February, 2023. 10. Please note that your data will be managed in compliance with GDPR law. Our privacy law can be found at www. mytimemedia.co.uk/privacy Smile 4K Last year’s biggest horror hit, the terrifying and mind-bending box o ce sensation Smile from writer/ director Parker Finn is now available to own on 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™, DVD, and Digital, courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment. To mark the release we have a Smile 4K Ultra HD™ to give away. Question: Which muscle in the human body is chiefl y responsible for our ability to smile? Answer: A) Zygomaticus major B) Pectoralis major C) Rhomboid major The Adventures of Baron Munchausen Terry Gilliam’s dazzling 1988 fantasy epic returns to Blu-ray on January with a brand-new restoration and exclusive extras, courtesy of The Criterion Collection and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. To celebrate we have two The Adventures of Baron Munchausen Blu-rays to be won! Question: Terry Gilliam was a member of which popular comedy troupe? Answer: A) The Goodies B) Monty Python C) The League of Gentlemen Living Oscar-tipped Bill Nighy plays a civil servant determined to turn his mundane life around following a terminal medical diagnosis in this critically acclaimed drama. Living is available to own on DVD and Blu-ray in early 2023, and thanks to Lionsgate UK we have three BDs up for grabs. Question: Living is a reimagining of which classic Akira Kurosawa masterpiece? Answer: A) Stray Dog B) Ikiru C) Seven Samurai To enter any of the above competitions go to www.homecinemachoice.com/competitions Halloween Ends 4K The modern Halloween trilogy reaches its fi nale as Laurie Strode battles infamous killer Michael Myers one last time in Halloween Ends. Already available to Download & Keep, Halloween Ends hits 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™ and DVD on January 16, courtesy of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, accompanied by deleted/ extended scenes, featurettes, a gag reel and audio commentary. We have two Halloween Ends 4K Ultra HDs to be won! Question: Who directed 1978's Halloween? Answer: A) Wes Craven B) John Carpenter C) Tobe Hooper

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HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 82 R E AD E R ' S R O O M Certified: AV-Holic! HCC reader John still heads out to a dedicated room in the garden to get his movie thrills – but an Atmos upgrade and overhauled projector system make the trip even better Welcome to the AV-Holic Hall of Fame – introduce yourself! Hi. I'm John Morris, 50 years old, and a car sales executive. How long have you been into home cinema, and what was the fi rst setup you had? I have been into home cinema for as long as I can remember (and mainly because of your publication!). My fi rst bedroom setup was a Sony 20in widescreen telly, and a Yamaha A key addition is the wall-fi lling Screen Research screen 3090 AV receiver, which was one of the fi rst Dolby Digital amps – or AC-3 as it was called back then. From then on I was totally obsessed with having my own proper cinema, with projector, etc. One of the main reasons being the ability to watch at any time without annoying anyone. Your cinema featured in HCC #183, over a decade ago. What's changed? My home cinema is still in a soundproofed outside building – I get the benefi ts of not disturbing anyone and the feeling of actually going out to the cinema – but it has had a total decoration change, plus a new projector, AV receiver, speaker system upgrade (to Dolby Atmos, which sounds totally awesome), and even a new Screen Research projector screen and Daikin air conditioning system. What kit's in your system now? I've replaced my previous InFocus projector with a JVC DLA-X500BE model (still in a

FEBRUARY 2023 HOME CINEMA CHOICE AV-HOLIC 83 1. Go big. Set your camera to take images at the largest possible size, and at the highest resolution. Don't worry about cropping or resizing – we will make them print-ready. 2. Get in focus. Make sure your photos are as sharp and clear as possible. If you have one, use a tripod, or place your camera on a fl at, steady surface and take pictures on a delay. The sharper they are, the bigger we can print them. 3. Let some light in. While we tend to watch Share your cinema system in the mag! If you want to be in HCC, you'll need to send us some hi-res images of your cinema room. Here are a few tips... movies in the dark, our cinema systems look their best when they are lit. If you can shoot with natural daylight, do so. If your room doesn't get a lot of light (a garage conversion, for instance) then switch on whatever lights are fi tted. Avoid using fl ash wherever possible. 4. Be thorough. Send photos of as much of the room as possible. Images of both the front and back of the room, the kit rack, speakers, seating, disc shelf, movie poster art... The more the merrier. 5. Don't be shy. Send a picture of yourself! 6. Show us more. Got pictures of your room before it was a cinema? Or snaps of work being done? We love to see these, too. Now what? Email your images to [email protected] with the subject heading 'AV-Holic', and provide your answers to the relevant questions above – then we'll be in touch! custom-made 'hushbox'), and swapped out the Projecta Homescreen for a Classic model from Screen Research (fi xed frame, with SolidPix grey 0.9 gain fabric). My AV receiver is now an 11.2-channel Onkyo TX-RZ3100. This handles Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and is THX Select certifi ed. The Onkyo drives my expanded sound system – I've added four Polk Audio V60 Slim in-ceiling speakers to the previous Jamo models (three D6-LCR THX Ultras for the LCR and four on-wall D6-SUR THX Ultras for surrounds), and REL R-505 subwoofer. Source hardware is an Oppo UDP-203 Ultra HD player, with Region A Blu-ray playback, and a Nintendo Switch console for bigscreen gaming fun. Other stu includes a Futronix P50 four-scene remote light dimmer, a Blue Eye IR extender, Logitech Harmony 950 remote control, and Front Row Classic home theatre seating. What are the rough dimensions of the space? It’s 10 feet wide and 19 feet long. What's your verdict on the system's performance? The upgrade to a Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 system has blown my mind sound-wise. All those years ago in this magazine I was asked if 3D interested me, and my JVC projector is awesome in that department, although 3D is not the big draw we thought it would be! Cabinets behind the Front Row seating house our AV-holic's Blu-ray collection The REL R-505 subwoofer is still going strong

atlascables.com Hyper Hyper Achromatic Speaker Z Our high-precision Achromatic RCA and Z plugs are designed to have minimal impact on the signal – with virtually nothing added, nothing taken away – resulting in improved sound quality. Now standard on Element, Equator, Hyper & our new Ailsa cables. One awesome addition is the Screen Research projection screen – I never thought a screen could make such a massive di erence to the picture quality. What’s your favourite bit of hardware and why? My favourite piece of hardware would have to be the JVC projector. It's so quiet and gives such a cinematic picture, and the 3D is pretty awesome too. It's better than being at the actual cinema. Do you have your eye on any more kit upgrades? I guess my next hardware upgrade will be for one of the newer 4K laser beamers from JVC. What was the last bit of hardware you bought? My latest purchase was the Onkyo receiver and in-ceiling speakers. What do friends and family think of the cinema room? My family and friends all like watching movies in it, in particular my sister who pops round once a week for a movie night. I tend to watch three or so movies a week in there. What are your top 5 favourite fi lms? My favourite fi ve movies are Star Wars, Alien, Zodiac, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the Lord of The Rings series. What discs do you use to show o the system? I tend to use some great Dolby Atmos and DTS:X tracks to show it o . The John Wick HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 movies are a pretty decent start, as well as Blade Runner 2049. Do you stream movies/TV from Netfl ix, Amazon, etc? I have streamed movies from Netfl ix, and did have a fun time watching Stranger Things on the bigscreen, a recommendation by my daughter who insisted on watching, of course. Do you still go to the cinema? I still do go to the cinema every now and then, but not all that much, as there's not much point anymore! ■ 84 R E AD E R ' S R O O M John likes 'going out' to the cinema... A Nintendo Switch is on hand for largescreen gaming The JVC DLA-X500 PJ supports 3D playback

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FEBRUARY 2023 HOME CINEMA CHOICE All prices quoted are approximate and may have changed ➜Software highlights BEAST Idris Elba vs a killer lion – what's not to love? SMILE Horror smash wants you to grin and bear it DON'T WORRY DARLING Paranoid thriller starring Florence Pugh JU-ON: THE GRUDGE Classic J-Horror franchise on a five-film boxset GANGS OF LONDON Season Two of the Sky Original crime drama hits disc & MORE! Outstanding Above average Acceptable Disappointing Dire PL AYBACK RATINGS KEY… WWW.HOMECINEMACHOICE.COM 87 Craig's list Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery ➜ Netflix Daniel Craig's super sleuth Benoit Blanc is back for another ensemble cast murder mystery, this time streaming on Netfl ix following its multimilliondollar deal with writer/director Rian Johnson. See p96 to fi nd out whodunnit. Only joking...

VERDICT HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 'We'll be okay if we can just fi nd a really big bag of Whiskas' Roarsome or boresome? Killer cat caper starring Idris Elba suff ers from some less-than-purrfect CG and inconsistent AV Since leaving his native Iceland and setting up in Hollywood, director Baltasar Kormákur has become something of a specialist in survival thrillers. However, whereas Everest (2015) and Adrift (2018) were both inspired by true events, the fi lmmaker’s latest foray into the man-versus-nature genre is an original story – although anyone who has sat through M.J. Bassett’s DTV double-header of Rogue (2020) and Endangered Species (2021) may question just how original it really is. Following the death of his estranged wife, Dr. Nathan Samuels (Idris Elba) takes his teenage daughters Meredith (Iyana Halley) and Norah (Leah Sava Jeff ries) on a holiday to South Africa in an attempt to reconnect with them. However, a trip into the wilds, with old family friend Martin (Sharlto Copley) as their guide, becomes a life-or-death struggle when their group is targeted by a bloodthirsty rogue lion. Beast therefore has a B-movie premise, but takes itself way too seriously. For a fi lm that ultimately boils down to Idris Elba punching a lion, time is wasted on domestic melodrama, which might have been bearable if it wasn’t so trite and badly written. Naturally, the excitement picks up a bit when the lion attacks begin, but even these scenes are hampered by the variable quality of the CG creature. Overall, Beast is not as much fun as you might expect. Picture: Although Kormákur shot the movie using Arri Alexa 65 and Arri Alexa Mini LF cameras and ➜ Beast it was fi nished as a 4K DI, Universal has opted not to release Beast on Ultra HD Blu-ray. Still, at least this 2.39:1-framed 1080p presentation should look pretty great, right? Kind of. An opening sequence featuring poachers hunting a pride of lions at night looks fl at and smeary. Detailing is indistinct, blacks appear washed out and there’s a surfeit of digital noise in the image; other night shots later in the fi lm suff er from the same technical issues. Conversely, the daylight exterior shots that make up the majority of the fi lm’s 93-minute running time are sharp and packed with fi ne detail – exactly what you would expect given the source formats. Audio: Oddly, unlike the studio’s US ‘Collector’s Edition’ Blu-ray (which is restricted to a DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack), this UK platter does include the fi lm’s original Dolby Atmos mix – and unlike the video encode, it’s a bit of a corker. The soundstage is expansive and regularly engaged for ambient eff ect, while steering around the speakers is seamless. Whenever the lion attacks there’s impressive use of the surround and height channels. Survivors cower in a car as the lion roams around it and jumps onto the roof. Good fun. Extras: This UK Blu-ray doesn't carry the Collector’s Edition label of its US counterpart, but features exactly the same set of extras. Don't think you're sna ing some sort of a bargain though, as all that's included is a single deleted scene, fi ve brief EPKstyle behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a video explaining the threat lions face from poaching. AvB Beast ➜ Universal ➜ All-region BD ➜ £20 WE SAY: This middling man-vsnature survival thriller is further let down by an inconsistent BD encode, The soundmix is fun, though. Movie: Picture: Audio: Extras: OVERALL:

VERDICT FEBRUARY 2023 HOME CINEMA CHOICE Left: Florence Pugh and Harry Styles as perfect couple Alice and Jack The Munsters: Collector's Edition Three Thousand Years of Longing Having made his name with grisly horror fare like 2005’s The Devil’s Rejects, musicianturned-director Rob Zombie switches tack with this reboot of the goofy yet fondly remembered 1960s supernatural sitcom. Unfortunately, whatever his other talents as a fi lmmaker, comedy isn’t one of Zombie’s strengths and no amount of gaudy visuals or dynamic surround e ects can breathe life into this dud. Masochists can rewatch the fi lm with a chat-track or check out an hour-long Making of… doc. AvB Part romantic-fantasy, part discourse on the art of storytelling, George Miller’s fi rst fi lm since 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road stars Tilda Swinton as a narratology prof who encounters a djinn (Idris Elba) and persuades him to tell her stories from his past. Despite the relative intimacy of the fi lm, the fl ashbacks deliver the visual fl ourishes we’ve come to expect from Miller and the BD’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 track is involving (but we don’t get the Atmos mix of the US BD/4K releases). No extras. AvB The bad American dream High-concept sci-fi thriller looks lush but comes with a sense of déjà vu 1950s housewife Alice Chambers (Florence Pugh) has the perfect life. She’s madly in love with her husband Jack (Harry Styles) and, living in the exclusive company town of Victory, wants for absolutely nothing. The only price she and the wives of the other Victory Company employees have to pay is to obey the rules of CEO Frank (Chris Pine), such as never wandering out into the desert that surrounds the town. Only when Alice breaks that rule does she get a glimpse of the sinister truth hidden behind Victory’s perfect facade… A paranoid sci-fi allegory in the vein of The Stepford Wives and Get Out, you'll likely be familiar with the concepts at work in Don't Worry Darling and therefore typically fi ve steps ahead of its protagonist. The result is that despite the intriguing setup, the gorgeous production design, and the fantastic performance by its leading lady, the fi lm never hits the mark. A reasonable idea then, carried off with plenty of style, but one that really needed a rewrite or another visit to the edit suite. Picture: Sourced from a 4K digital intermediate, this 4K Blu-ray’s 2.39:1 picture off ers a subtle upgrade over the accompanying Full HD platter (which itself looks rather lovely). The distinctive candy-coloured palette looks a little richer thanks to the 4K platter's HDR10 grade, while the enhanced contrast range results in appreciably deeper black levels (although brightness peaks are less striking). Upticks in textural information are also present, with medium shots and close-ups in particular revealing more refi ned details. Audio: Don’t Worry Darling’s Dolby Atmos audio design opts for a reasonably engaging soundscape that suits the tone and style of the fi lm perfectly, even if this means it doesn’t do anything to get AV-hedz especially excited. Most of the soundmix is focused on a robust, detailed LCR stage, with strong dialogue handling. Surrounds are mostly employed for subtle ambient eff ects – although a couple of Alice’s hallucinations do provide something rather more dynamic. Bass response is unexpectedly strong at times, but again it won’t exactly push your system to its limits. Extras: There are no extras on the 4K disc. On the accompanying Full HD copy of the fi lm you’ll fi nd a perfunctory 17-minute Making of… featurette and a single deleted scene. Anyone hoping for more about the rumoured on-set confl icts between its starry cast members (and director Olivia Wilde) will have to stick to the gossip pages. AvB ➜Don't Worry Darling Mediumrare ➜ Region B BD £20 Entertainment in Video ➜ Region B BD £20 Don’t Worry Darling ➜ Warner Bros. ➜ Ultra HD Blu-ray & All-region BD ➜ £30 WE SAY: Behind the stylish visuals, this bigscreen battle of the sexes feels all too familiar. Movie: Picture: Audio: Extras: OVERALL: PL AYBACK 89 Clerks III Writer/director Kevin Smith bids farewell to the characters that launched his career with a bittersweet trilogy capper that does a better job of hitting emotional beats than comedic ones. But while Clerks III is somewhat hit-or-miss, this Blu-ray doesn’t put a foot wrong. As well as a pristine encode (sourced from a 4K DI, which is quite the step up from the black-andwhite 16mm photography of 1994's Clerks) and a surprisingly lively Dolby Atmos soundmix, it also houses a director/ actors commentary track, two excellent feature-length documentaries, and half-an-hour of deleted scenes. AvB Lionsgate ➜ Region B BD £25

HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 90 M O N KE Y B USIN E S S/HAPPY HORROR? The War of the Worlds & When Worlds Collide The Outer Limits: Complete Original Series King Kong [1976] It's odd to think that we've been waiting so long for a UK Blu-ray release of the 1953 version of The War of the Worlds that Paramount has decided to skip that format altogether on these shores and go straight to UHD instead. The good news is that, bar one early colour grading mix-up (Mars, the blue planet?), the HDR10/DV-graded 4K image looks sensational. This 'Double-Feature' boxset also includes a 1080p Blu-ray housing a restoration of producer George Pal's previous sci-fi hit, 1951's When Worlds Collide. AvB 'There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture.' So begins the opening narration for this classic sci-fi anthology series, which entertained viewers between 1963 and 1965 with weird and wonderful 'monster-of-the-week' stories. Thankfully, the same statement rings true for Mediumrare's 11-disc boxset and its beautiful 1080p restorations of all 49 episodes of the show (plus alternate cuts for two of them). In addition to commentaries for most episodes, this sensational release features a treasure trove of vintage promos and interviews. AvB Dino De Laurentiis' 1976 remake of King Kong might not be the total dud some claim, but most of its pleasures are unintentional by-products of its laughable script, mismatched performances and troubled production. This new UHD release boasts a terrifi c 4K HDR10/DV restoration of the 134-minute theatrical cut (albeit with a revisionist colour grade showing an obvious teal bias), backed up by two commentaries and a 1080p version of the 193-minute(!) TV cut. A bonus BD copy of the fi lm adds deleted scenes, trailer and interviews. AvB Studiocanal ➜ Ultra HD Blu-ray & Region B BD £30 Mediumrare ➜ Region B BD £95 Paramount ➜ Ultra HD Blu-ray & All-region BD £45 Arcade Action Bigscreen home entertainment isn't just about movies anymore. Rik Henderson checks out a videogame vying for time on your home cinema system... Need for Speed Unbound Electronic Arts/Criterion Games ➜ PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC ➜ £70 It's been a while since Criterion Games has developed a Need for Speed title – nine years, in fact – but we're sure glad it's back. ...Unbound has all the hallmarks of its critically acclaimed racing games of the past, such as NFS Hot Pursuit and BurnOut Paradise, yet brings plenty that's new to the table. That's not least due to the graphical style. As with most openworld racing titles, the cars and locations are almost photo realistic, but all characters – including your customisable avatar – are cellshaded and cartoon-like. There are also cartoon eff ects layered on top, such as smoke coming from the wheels, and anime-alike exclamations when you pull off neat moves . As for the game itself, it's a very capable street racer that has many elements of Need for Speed games of yesteryear, such as police chases, car upgrading – aesthetic and performance – and a whole load of 'cool' music on the soundtrack. It's not wholly original in that sense, but excels in playability. Criterion has always been a master at fun car handling and that's the case here. There are caveats to the enjoyment, though. There's not really much variety in gameplay modes, for example. You get the choice between a lengthy story mode, and an online multiplayer segment that gives you the exact same playground – Lakeshore City – but with real racers to compete against. That's it really. However, you'll have so much fun on the tarmac you'll likely not care. The game certainly feels great to play. EA and the studio made the decision to release it solely for current-gen consoles and PC, so no Xbox One nor PS4 versions, and that means it sticks to a solid 60fps at a decent resolution (not quite 4K all the time, thanks to dynamic scaling, but still very sharp). One thing that won't be to everyone's taste is the 'street' dialogue. Mainly delivered through voice over, as if on a phone, it tries too hard and often sounds cheesy. However, get past that and you have yourself one of the best arcade racing games for a while.

VERDICT FEBRUARY 2023 HOME CINEMA CHOICE Once set to debut on Paramount+, Smile instead cleaned up at the box o ce Turn that frown upside down Unsettling horror fl ick benefi ts from a best-in-breed Dolby Atmos soundmix When a new patient at her psychiatric hospital commits suicide in front of her, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) begins to experience an escalating series of terrifying occurrences – all involving familiar faces smiling at her in an unnatural, menacing manner. The horror sensation of 2022, Parker Finn's Smile – based on the writer/director's 2020 short fi lm Laura Hasn't Slept – cost $17m to make and has taken over $215m at the box o ce (partly aided by some clever guerilla marketing). Not bad for a somewhat unoriginal fi lm that takes inspiration from the likes of Ring and It Follows, and adds a heavy-handed side order of mental health concerns. Still, Smile is an intense fl ick that delivers enough skilfully crafted shocks and scares to keep horror-heads happy. Picture: The fi lm's UHD BD off ers a profi cient 2.00:1-framed 4K encode that may not dazzle, exactly, but will still leave a smile on your face. It's not an especially VFX-heavy production, and was apparently shot at a native 6.5K resolution for its (presumably 4K resolution) digital master. Now on disc, the overall impression is of a crisp, clear image, with the photography making frequent use of wide-angle lenses to give a greater depth of fi eld to certain shots. A fondness for slow tracking close-ups of Sosie Bacon's face, meanwhile, reveals plenty of ultra-fi ne detail. The colour palette veers between quite pallid desaturated tones and more pronounced hues, ➜ Smile such as the interior walls of the hospital where Dr. Cotter works. The HDR10 and Dolby Vision grades therefore don't really pop with colour, but do bring plenty of range to the encode's contrast, with brilliantly deep blacks standing in opposition to occasional brightness peaks, particularly during the climactic inferno. Audio: Smile's immersive Dolby Atmos soundtrack delivers everything you'd want from a modern horror title. The sound team has created an unnerving atmosphere that regularly explodes into life with jarring surround cues and thumps of room-shaking bass, all designed to have you leaping out of your seat in fright. Vocal reproduction is also faultless, from the quietest whispers to ear-piercing screams. What elevates Smile's soundtrack to fi ve-star status, however, is the original score from Chilean composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer(The White Lotus, The Girl With all the Gifts). Created using obscure instruments, such as a daxophone, its discordant cues are worked brilliantly into the Dolby Atmos soundfi eld – meaning eerie atonal sounds are coming at you from all angles. It's worth watching the fi lm just for this! Extras: As well as a solo audio commentary from writer-director Parker Finn, Paramount's 4K release houses a 29-minute Making of… documentary, a nine-minute reel of raw footage of some of the unusual instruments being played during the creation of the fi lm's score; two deleted scenes (with optional commentary); and the Laura Hasn't Slept short. AvB & MC Smile ➜ Paramount ➜ Ultra HD Blu-ray ➜ £30 WE SAY: A wonderfully creepy Atmos mix adds even more thrills to this well-crafted supernatural shocker. Movie: Picture: Audio: Extras: OVERALL: PL AYBACK 91

VERDICT HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 'Do you think we hit it?' Capital punishment Season Two of Sky's epic crime saga mixes old characters with new, and gore galore It's back to the mean streets of London (and elsewhere) as the Sky Original crime thriller series returns for eight more episodes of multicultural gang warfare and familial strife. A handy recap at the beginning of episode one reminds you what happened last time around, before you're thrown into a set-piece scrap to confi rm that it's perhaps the bloodiest series on UK telly these days. In fact, with The Nun director Corin Hardy replacing The Raid's Gareth Evans as showrunner, this second helping of Gangs of London is noticeably more gruesome than before, even though there's less of a focus on the martial arts mayhem and mindmelting cinematography of its predecessor. The returning cast, including Sope Dirisu as one-time cop Elliot and the brilliant Orli Shuka as Albanian gang boss Luan, are joined by plenty of new faces, and Hardy at times struggles to keep all the narrative plates spinning e ectively. Yet when the show is good, it's very good. We're ready and waiting for Season Three. Picture: While they don't match the 4K HDR highs o ered by Sky, the 1080i50 encodes featured on this Blu-ray release still deliver the goods. Maintaining the cinematic style of the fi rst season, the 2.00:1-framed visuals veers from dark and dingy interiors (albeit sometimes with stylised lighting) to bright exteriors – all exhibit excellent contrast, accurate skin tones and solid detailing. Colours can be intentionally subdued, giving the series a somewhat ‘cool’ feel, but richer, bolder shades are also present at times. Audio: Dazzler’s Blu-ray release o ers a choice of DTS-HD MA 5.1 or LPCM 2.0 mixes for the season’s eight episodes. Given Gangs of London’s smallscreen origins (even though it streamed in Dolby Atmos), it’s perhaps not too surprising that the 5.1 mixes aren't quite as full-blooded as you might expect. Use of the surrounds is mainly restricted to enveloping you with the show’s score – although some largescale action sequences (such as Episode Three’s helicopter attack) do position a smattering of Foley e ects around you. And the good news is that the L/C/R spread is impressively wide and the bone-crunching violence sounds authentically squelchy. Extras: Bonus features on the Season One BD were limited to fi ve behind-the-scenes vignettes, but that’s better than Season Two gets. Or rather doesn’t get, as this three-disc release includes no extras at all – not even the handful of promo featurettes available on Sky. That's criminal. AvB & MC ➜ Gangs of London: Season Two Gangs of London: Season Two ➜ Dazzler Media ➜ Region B BD ➜ £35 WE SAY: Full of twists, turns, action and icky violence, Gangs of London almost picks up where it left o . Movie: Picture: Audio: Extras: OVERALL: 92 Q U E NTIN TARANTIN O/ORSON WELLES Planes, Trains & Automobiles Pulp Fiction How better to celebrate the 35th anniversary of John Hughes’ masterful comedy than by bringing the fi lm to 4K disc, and adding an exclusive Blu-ray platter housing over 75 minutes of deleted/extended scenes? Well, a proper 4K restoration would have been a good start. Sadly, what we’ve ended up with is a soft, over-processed HDR10/Dolby Vision-graded 2160p picture that's seemingly had its native fi lm grain removed and an artifi cial grain layer applied later on. Disappointing. AvB Hot on the heels of the 4K debut of Reservoir Dogs comes a UHD release for Quentin Tarantino’s sophomore fi lm, with a very pleasing HDR10/Dolby Vision 2160p encode that delivers a convincingly fi lm-like appearance while also bringing depth to the colour palette (Jack Rabbit Slim’s looks particularly lovely). DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio, carried over from earlier Blu-rays, still hits the spot. There are no new extras, but the vintage material split across the BD and 4K discs is so extensive you can’t really complain. AvB Paramount ➜ Ultra HD Blu-ray & All-region BD ➜ £25 Paramount ➜ Ultra HD Blu-ray & All-region BD ➜ £30 The Trial: 60th Anniversary 'The best fi lm I have ever made,' claimed Orson Welles of his 1962 adaptation of Franz Kafka’s The Trial. We wouldn’t quite go that far, but there’s no denying that Welles’ fi lm is stylish, compelling and darkly comic, and Studiocanal's UHD release presents it at its absolute best, with a pristine 4K restoration and HDR10 and DV passes that extract plenty of contrast from the black-and-white photography. Pick of the extras is a 53-minute documentary about Welles’ life and work. MC Studiocanal ➜ Ultra HD Blu-ray & All-region BD ➜ £30 Tangerine: Ltd. Ed. Sean (The Florida Project) Baker’s groundbreaking and fabulously profane 2015 comedy about two transgender sex workers has taken a long time to land on Blu-ray in the UK, but Second Sight’s superb set proves worth the wait. Shot entirely on iPhone 5S smartphones equipped with anamorphic lenses, the fi lm's Scope-ratio encode proves surprisingly sharp and colourful. A bumper crop of extras includes a commentary, 70-minute Making of… documentary, and a lengthy selection of interviews. MC Second Sight ➜ Region B BD £25

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VERDICT HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 Ralph Fiennes (above, left) plays sweary London gangster Harry Waters Guns and Rosaries Jet-black comedy thriller still delights, but this 4K disc isn't quite the sharp-shooter Martin McDonagh’s directorial debut stars Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell as a pair of Irish hitmen hiding out in the titular Belgium city after a job goes horribly wrong. Shot through with Catholic guilt and McDonagh’s blackly comic dialogue, the fi lm is often wildly entertaining in a perverse way, and it’s easy to see why the three reunited for the recent The Banshees of Inisherin. Gleeson and Farrell’s misadventures are ably supported by an impressive cast, although it’s Ralph Fiennes who steals the show as their psychotic and foul-mouthed boss; Fiennes managing to beat Farrell in the swearing stakes is nothing short of astonishing. Some lush photography and a solid score round out what is an enjoyable if ultimately very dark comedy. Picture: The packaging claims a 'brand-new HDR/ Dolby Vision master', which is disingenuous because the picture doesn’t benefi t from a fresh scan of the 35mm negative. Instead it upscales the original 2K DI, resulting in little increase in pixel punch when compared to the included Blu-ray. However, a higher bitrate and 10-bit encoding do o er other benefi ts, producing a transfer that’s decidedly cleaner than the language in the fi lm. There’s no sign of banding or other compression artefacts, while a healthy sheen of grain ensures the overall presentation looks fi lm-like. The HDR grades also produce nuanced images, with a natural palette that retains plenty of gradation. Blacks are deep, there’s detail in the shadows, and highlights are free of any clipping. It’s a nice picture, but owners of the Blu-ray may want to skip the upgrade. Audio: The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack appears to be identical to the previous Blu-ray release, but its a solid e ort with a clean and expansive delivery. The fi lm is primarily dialogue driven, and this is handled with clarity, while the score and other music is spread across the front three channels. The surrounds are mainly used to create a sense of atmosphere and location, with the various Bruges street scenes o ering plenty of opportunity for subtle audio cues and e ects. During the climactic shootout the rear channels become more obviously active, as does the LFE track, giving the guns a tasty kick. Extras: Surprisingly for a Kino Lorber release there are no new special features, and the existing extras are only on the accompanying Region A-locked Blu-ray. These include four featurettes, deleted/ extended scenes, a gag reel, some B-roll footage, and a pair of trailers. SW ➜ In Bruges In Bruges ➜ Kino Lorber ➜ Ultra HD Blu-ray & Region A BD ➜ £30 (US import) WE SAY: A great fi lm, but BD owners may feel a double-dip isn't merited. Movie: Picture: Audio: Extras: OVERALL: 94 JU-ON: THE GRUDGE/H.P. LOVECRAFT Ghost Stories for Christmas – Vol. 1 The Dunwich Horror: Limited Edition A welcome HD upgrade for the acclaimed BBC strand of tales of the supernatural, this three-disc set includes sensational new restorations of M.R. James adaptations Whistle and I’ll Come to You (1963), The Stalls of Barchester (1971), A Warning to the Curious (1972) and Lost Hearts (1973), alongside the 2010 do-over of Whistle and I’ll Come to You. The four vintage dramas get new chat tracks; other archival goodies include intros, interviews and readings of several of James’ original stories. AvB H.P. Lovecraft meets the dark side of the hippy era in this psychedelic (and somewhat loose) 1970 adaptation of the author’s short story, which fi nds Dean Stockwell’s cultist attempting to serve Sandra Dee up to the Elder Gods. Arrow’s 2K restoration look fantastic, and the label has curated some terrifi c extras, the highlight being a fascinating 130-minute video chat discussing Lovecraft with horror author Stephen Laws and genre expert Stephen Bissette. AvB BFI ➜ Region B BD £30 Arrow Video ➜ Region B BD £25 Something in the Dirt Following a sojourn into the MCU to helm two episodes of Moon Knight, fi lmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are on more familiar ground with this paranormal puzzler about two neighbours documenting strange occurrences in their apartment complex. Although shot on various formats (refl ecting the di erent devices the duo use in the fi lm), this 2.39:1 Full HD encode is visually cohesive and technically robust. Extras include deleted scenes, test footage, trailers and a 17-minute Making of… featurette. AvB Lightbulb ➜ Region B BD £17 Maniac [1980] William Lustig's splattery ‘video nasty’ is now available uncut in the UK, 42 years after it was fi rst refused BBFC certifi cation. A low-budget 16mm shocker, it's been treated to a 4K restoration for this Blu-ray release, while the soundmix has also been cleaned up and is presented here in both DTS-HD MA 2.0 and 7.1. A treasure trove of extras includes three commentary tracks and numerous interviews and featurettes, plus vintage US news clips covering the controversy that surrounded Maniac’s original cinema release. AvB 88 Films ➜ Region B BD £20

VERDICT FEBRUARY 2023 HOME CINEMA CHOICE PL AYBACK 95 Ghostly goings on in Tokyo Iconic Japanese fright franchise is resurrected on Arrow's multi-format boxset Ranking alongside the Ring fi lms in terms of recognition, and even longer in terms of longevity (the fourth fi lm in the US remake series landed in 2020), the Ju-On franchise is a key example of the ‘J-horror’ boom of the late 1990s/early 2000s. Rather than attempt to encompass the franchise as a whole, this boxset focuses on the initial Japanese run, kicking o with director Takashi Shimizu’s made-for-video Ju-On: The Curse and Ju-On: The Curse 2 (both 2000), followed by his theatrical follow-ups Ju-On: The Grudge (2002) and Ju-On: The Grudge 2 (2003). Ryuta Miyake and Mari Asato’s 10th anniversary duology Ju-On: White Ghost and Ju-On: Black Ghost (2009) wrap up the set. If the latter two are more interesting curios, then Shimizu’s original four remain unparalleled masterpieces of supernatural horror. Picture: Both Ju-On: The Curse and its sequel were shot on SD video, so it shouldn't surprise that their 1.37:1 1080i60 Blu-ray encodes are nothing to write home about. That said, they’re a step-up from the heavily compressed online bootlegs some fans will have been making do with. Meanwhile, ...White Ghost and ...Black Ghost were digital HD productions – both exhibit the clarity and smoothness you’d expect from the format, but su er from some inherent ghosting (no pun intended). The highlight of the set is Arrow’s new 4K Dolby Vision restoration of the 35mm Ju-On: The Grudge. This copes brilliantly with the intentionally muted colour palette, while o ering much more robust black levels and shadow detailing than previous releases. The 1080p presentation of Ju-On: The Grudge 2 is also the best that fi lm has looked, but there are shortcomings regards contrast range and texture compared to the 4K version of its predecessor. Audio: Ju-On: The Curse, its DTV sequel, Ju-On: White Ghost and Ju-On: Black Ghost all feature LPCM 2.0 renderings of the original Japanese-language stereo. Much more adventurous are DTS-HD MA 5.1 mixes created for the two theatrical features, which make smart use of the surrounds to creep you out. Extras: The bulk of a fi ne bonus haul accompanies ...The Grudge and ...The Grudge 2 – commentaries, video essays, trailers, deleted scenes, new and archival interviews, featurettes, and premiere footage. Rounding out this Limited Edition set are an 80-page booklet, a poster and art cards. AvB ➜Ju-On: The Grudge Collection Ju-On: The Grudge Collection - Limited Edition ➜ Arrow Video ➜ Ultra HD Blu-ray & Region B BD ➜ £70 WE SAY: A comprehensive 4K/BD set for the fan-fave J-horror series. Movie: Picture: Audio: Extras: OVERALL: Mekumi Okina (left) in 2002's Ju-On: The Grudge. Sarah Michelle Gellar took on her role for the 2004 US remake Yes, Madam! Special Edition Big Time Gambling Boss: Limited Edition The fi rst in this month’s accidental Cynthia Rothrock double-bill teams the US martial arts star with fellow female action icon Michelle Yeoh for a 1985 action-comedy that's widely regarded as the fi rst of Hong Kong’s ‘girls with guns’ sub-genre. Originally released in the UK under the title Police Assassins, this cracking fl ick makes its BD debut on these shores with restored versions of the Hong Kong and International cuts, alongside multiple commentaries, interviews, trailers, and booklet. AvB Part of the fi rst wave of titles from new Blu-ray label Radiance Films, director Kosaku Yamashita’s 1968 tale of gangland intrigue and betrayal should prove a big hit with fans of classic Yakuza cinema (and the recent US TV series Tokyo Vice). This Limited Edition Blu-ray has an attractive, sharp Full HD encode, cleaned up LPCM mono audio, and a couple of in-depth extras, including a handy video essay primer to the world of Japanese crime cinema. MC Eureka Classics ➜ Region B BD £22 Radiance Films ➜ Region B BD £17 Righting Wrongs: Deluxe Edition The pursuit of justice at any cost perhaps best sums up Corey Yuen’s unusually nihilistic but still utterly thrilling 1986 Hong Kong actioner (aka Above the Law) starring Yuen Biao and Cynthia Rothrock. 88 Films’ double-disc Blu-ray is a typically lavish a air boasting four di erent cuts – including a newly created composite ‘Ultimate Cut’ combining material from the other three, with the option to play with one of four randomly chosen alternate endings. Additional bonuses include chat-tracks, interviews, trailers, art cards, a poster and an 80-page booklet. In a word... wow! AvB 88 Films ➜ Region B BD £25

VERDICT HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 'Have you got anything bigger' Ine Marie Wilmann (above) stars as the palaeontologist facing o against an angry troll The return of the mystery man Daniel Craig is back in his frothy post-Bond franchise, now making its home on Netfl ix Writer/director Rian Johnson’s second outing for Daniel Craig’s dapper detective Benoit Blanc presents a very di erent mystery. If 2019's Knives Out was a darkly comedic reworking of Agatha Christie mystery tropes, this sequel veers toward screwball. The characters are uniformly outrageous and dialogue more pithy than a Greek orange grove. Blanc has been invited to an idyllic Agean island, seemingly at the behest of tech billionaire Miles Bron (Ed Norton), where he fi nds himself once again surrounded by an ensemble cast with the means and motives to commit foul play. Central to the whole farrago is Janelle Monáe, as Andi Brand, Bron’s erstwhile business partner. She’s joined by Kathryn Hahn (politician), Dave Bautista (gun-toting, mens activist YouTuber), Leslie Odom Jr (scientist), Kate Hudson (fashion model and infl uencer), and Jessica Henwick (her assistant). The gag is that Bron will be ‘murdered’ at the party, and his guests need to work out whodunnit. The soiree doesn’t go entirely to plan. Still, the bright sunshine and high-tech trappings of this luxury modernistic villa may not be Blanc’s natural habitat, but the sleuth isn’t going to be befuddled for long. This sequel is longer and more spectacular than its predecessor. There are numerous cameos and both production and costume design are o the chart. Bigger may not be better, but the end result remains enormous fun. Picture: Presented in 4K/Dolby Vision, Glass Onion's cinematography (by Steve Yedlin, who also lensed The Last Jedi and Knives Out for Johnson) is never less than gorgeous. From dramatic camera pans that peer through glass ornaments, to dark shadowy interiors illuminated only by a sweeping lighthouse beam, the movie is a visual tour de force. It was shot with a variety of Arri Alexa Mini LF cameras using Zeiss lenses, to meet Netfl ix’s 4K pipeline requirement, and the result is a sharp, clean image given ample opportunity for HDR highlights thanks to the Greek setting. Colour vibrancy is sensational. Audio: With its immersive Dolby Atmos mix, this whodunnit provides top-fl ight demo material. The sound design is consistently inventive, from the deep, reverberant hourly ‘dong’ (which Bron says he commissioned Philip Glass to write), to the staccato thump of the picture gallery glass. Nathan Johnson returns to deliver this sequel's orchestral score, while the soundtrack also drops David Bowie, The Bee Gees and The Beatles to keep the party swinging. SM ➜Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery ➜ Netfl ix WE SAY: Enjoyable sleuth sequel cuts a fi ne fi gure in 4K/Dolby Vision. MOVIE: PICTURE: AUDIO: OVERALL: ➜troll Returning home after a stint in Hollywood helming 2018’s Tomb Raider reboot, the fi ttingly named Norwegian fi lmmaker Roar Uthaug has served up what must surely rank as the fi rst Scandinavian kaiju fi lm with the hugely enjoyable Troll. Ine Marie Wilmann headlines the cast as palaeontologist Nora Tidemann, one of a number of scientifi c experts brought in to assist the Norwegian government when a tunnelling operation in the Dovre mountains unleashes a giant stone monster, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Thanks to a love of ancient mythology instilled by her father (Garb B Eidsvoid), Tidemann is able to recognise the creature as one of the trolls of Norwegian folklore, and sets about trying to stop its rampage before it reaches Oslo. If the basic storyline has been ripped beat-forbeat from Godzilla and its descendants, Troll does add a few refreshing elements of its own, wrapping ➜ Netfl ix up the familiar giant monster mayhem in elements of specifi cally Nordic mythology. The simplicity of the story (the running time is pleasingly short, at 101 minutes) also allows the fi lm to concentrate on sheer spectacle instead. No stranger to the disaster movie genre, having directed 2015’s The Wave, Roar Uthaug unleashes all the rampaging action you could ask for as his giant troll faces o against the might of the Norwegian armed forces. Missiles are shrugged o , helicopters swatted out of the sky. The VFX are rock-solid too, and the framing is a cinematic 2.40:1. With Troll clocking up a reported 128million hours of viewing in its fi rst two weeks on Netfl ix (apparently making it the SVOD platform’s ‘most popular non-English fi lm'), we shouldn't be kept waiting too long for the sequel that's teased by this monstrously fun movie’s fi nal scene. AvB ON DEMAND 96 B E N O IT B L AN C/TROLL

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Poster HOME CINEMA CHOICE FEBRUARY 2023 Anton Van Beek powers up his camcorder and sets out to document the truth about the 2008 monster-sized box offi ce smash 98 Catalogue classic THE SUMMER OF 2007 saw the much-hyped arrival of the fi rst of Michael Bay's live-action Transformers movies. While that fi lm would go on to score over $700m at the box offi ce, for many who went to see it at the cinema the real talking point was the mysterious trailer that played in front. The two-minute teaser kicked o with home movie footage of people at a party in New York City, interrupted when the building is jolted by what seems to be an earthquake. The revellers head to the roof and witness a massive explosion in the distance, before rushing downstairs and out onto the streets where they're greeted by the torn-up head of the Statue of Liberty fl ying through the air and crashing down. And that was it. There wasn't even a title. Just a release date and a handful of production credits, the most prominent of which read 'From producer J.J. Abrams'. 'What the hell was that?' Although he'd written scripts for a handful of fi lms, including Regarding Henry (1991) and Forever Young (1992), Abrams really found his feet on television, creating cult hits Felicity (1998-2002) and Alias (2001-2006). Another smallscreen creation, the sci-fi -mystery phenomenon Lost (2004-2010), then transformed Abrams into a hot property. Soon he'd been picked by Tom Cruise to direct Mission: Impossible III (2006) and signed on to helm Paramount's cinematic Star Trek reboot (2009). Unlike those projects, though, nothing was known about this mysterious new Abrams' production. In part this was because the teaser itself was essentially a proof-ofconcept piece for the fi lm. Although the footage would end up being used in the movie, it was shot specifi cally during pre-production to serve as both a promo and a VFX test-bed. And the teaser was just one aspect of Abrams ignoring traditional promotional tactics in favour of luring moviegoers with viral marketing. If they desired, the curious could be led down a rabbit hole of websites for fake companies and products (like the fi ctional soft drink Slusho that appears in several of Abrams' shows and fi lms), tantalising them with puzzles and clues hinting at the fi lm's backstory. The idea of making a monster movie fi rst came to Abrams while in Japan in 2006 as part of the publicity tour for Mission: Impossible III. 'My son Henry and I went to Tokyo last year,' recalled the fi lmmaker in the Document 01.18.08: The Making of Cloverfi eld documentary included on the fi lm's 2008 Blu-ray release. 'We went to a whole bunch of toy stores and I realised at almost all of them Godzilla was still featured. It just struck me that there was this iconic monster that was still, so many years later, prevalent in stores and had meaning to the culture. And I thought, “I wish we had a monster like that”.' 'People are going to watch this' To di erentiate Cloverfi eld from the monster fl icks that came before, Abrams began thinking about presenting the action entirely from the point-of-view of the tiny, helpless humans trapped in the Producer J.J. Abrams (left) and director Matt Reeves on the Cloverfi eld shoot The Statue of Liberty head sequence was used for the fi lm's teaser trailer – her body showed up on the eventual poster Year: 2008 Director: Matt Reeves Screenwriter: Drew Goddard Producer: J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk Cast: Michael Stahl-David, Lizzy Caplan, T.J. Miller, Jessica Lucas, Odette Yustman, Mike Vogel, Jamie Harlan Running time: 85 minutes Studio: Paramount Pictures Fact file Cloverfield ➜ Ultra HD Blu-ray, Paramount

FEBRUARY 2023 HOME CINEMA CHOICE PL AYBACK EXTRA 99 maelstrom of destruction. 'To see it not from the God's eye or director's or from an omnipotent point of view,' as he put it. So Abrams' fi lm would be in the 'found footage' format made popular by the 1999 box offi ce sensation The Blair Witch Project. To further refi ne his idea, the producer collaborated with former Alias and Lost writer Drew Goddard, producing a 58-page script outline over the 2006 Christmas break that convinced Paramount execs to green light their 'Cameron Crowe movie meets Godzilla meets Blair Witch'. With Goddard developing a full script, Abrams began searching for a director to helm the project, eventually settling on his childhood friend Matt Reeves. Today known for directing Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) and The Batman (2022), in 2008 Reeves had only one previous feature directing credit to his name: the forgettable 1996 Gwyneth Paltrow-David Schwimmer rom-com The Pallbearer. 'The reason I chose Matt is because I know he has always been principally concerned with character, and that he would apply a scrutiny to the heart of each character than many other commercial or video directors might not,' claimed Abrams. Indeed, it was Reeves who came up with the idea of weaving earlier footage of the relationship between Rob (Michael Stahl-David) and Beth (Odette Yustman) throughout the fi lm to give an emotional backbone to the surrounding monster movie chaos. 'Whatever it is, it's winning' When Cloverfi eld hit cinemas in January 2008, it was clear the mystery-driven marketing had done its job. Intrigued audiences meant the fi lm – budgeted at somewhere between $25-30m – took over $172m worldwide. Taking advantage of the hype, the DVD release was fast-tracked for April. A sequel seemed a given. However, it would be another eight years before the next Cloverfi eld fi lm, and it wasn't what anybody was expecting. What originated as a standalone script by Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken called The Cellar became 2016's 10 Cloverfi eld Land, a psychological thriller with no apparent narrative link to its predecessor. Abrams deemed it a 'spiritual successor'. Another sequel was announced the same year, again originating from a standalone script (Oren Uziel's The God Particle). Yet the development process tied it to its predecessors, with a multiversal story establishing the accident responsible for the events in the other fi lms. The surprise this time was The Cloverfi eld Paradox getting an unheralded trailer during 2018's Super Bowl, and the fi lm being there to watch on Netfl ix as soon as the game was over. The 2018 horror smash A Quiet Place was considered as a Cloverfi eld instalment at one time, before Paramount decided it worked better as its own potential franchise-starter. Production of the J.J. Abrams' produced WWII action-horror Overlord, released the same year, was also dogged by rumours of it being a secret Cloverfi eld sequel. It's only now, some 15 years on, that fans are set to fi nally to fi nd out what happened next to Cloverfi eld's monster. Babak Anvari, director of 2016 fl ick Under the Shadow, has signed on to direct a new instalment in the franchise that is being described as the 'true' theatrical sequel to the original movie ■ Paramount is marking Cloverfi eld's 15th anniversary with a Zavvi-exclusive Limited Edition Steelbook containing both Blu-ray and UHD copies of the movie (the fi rst time the fi lm has been released on 4K disc on these shores). The 4K platter features an upscaled HDR10/Dolby Vision presentation, and ports across the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack (no Atmos remix, sadly) and archival director's commentary from the Blu-ray. Double-bill it: Shin Godzilla Co-directors Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi breathed fresh life into the king of kaiju cinema with their 2016 smash Shin Godzilla. Taking the franchise back to basics – while at the same time working as a post-Fukushima political satire – the fi lm fi nds the rapidly mutating monster trampling Tokyo beneath its feet as ministers and army generals are too caught up in slow-moving bureaucracy to mount a cohesive response. Disc details Michael Stahl-David and Odette Yustman 'Flaming heck!' Sequels 10, Cloverfi eld Lane (left) and The Cloverfi eld Paradox (right) both started out as standalone scripts unrelated to the franchise

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