Connectivity: HDMI input, component, composite, D-Sub PC input, USB, digital coaxial audio output, mic input
Dimensions: 127mm H x 335mm W x 239mm D
Features: Built-in DVD player, DivX playback and built-in 10W stereo speakers
Price: Circa £550
Epson's latest EH-DM3 LCD projector aims to attract the casual home cinema enthusiast by boasting 300 inch images for an attractive £550. While its portability, in-built 10W speakers and DVD drive make it a fun and simple device to play around with, it is lacking in a few key areas that will bug your inner cinephile.
The EH-DM3 is a bit of a bruiser in the looks department. A boxy, glossy black affair, it's plastered with logos, buttons and air vents on all sides. It's by no means ugly, and its top-mounted buttons are actually rather welcome considering the likelihood of this portable kit regularly becoming separated from its backlit remote, but it certainly won't win any style awards.
It does however offer ample room for connectivity options. Keeping in mind this could easily stand up as a one-stop DVD projection solution thanks to the built-in DVD drive and speakers, Epson generously include a HDMI port, component, composite, D-Sub PC input, USB for Jpegs and MP3s, digital coaxial audio output, and even mic input for any karaoke fiends out there.
However, don't let that HDMI port fool you; this is not a HD projector. While HD compatible, all sources above 540p (960x540 pixels) will be downscaled. As a result HD sources look rather jagged, especially when the image is stretched to upwards of 100 inches, though those using this projector as purely a DVD player or with standard definition sources shouldn't have too many complaints.
There are some other issues with the EH-DM3's picture quality. Though the contrast ratio has been beefed-up from 1,200:1 to 3,000:1 since the EH-DM2 model, black levels remain washed out and lacking in clarity. Watching the opening space battle from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, I was hard pressed to pick up any detail at all on even the largest of craft on screen. Unusually enough, this becomes most apparent when using the projector at night time.
This is because the EH-DM3 performs exceptionally when viewed during the daytime. 2,000 Lumens of brightness paired with an iris that automatically adjusts to ambient lighting make the EH-DM3 very watchable in broad daylight. Colours seem more natural and images, by optical illusion or otherwise, seem sharper. Epson obviously spent a long time optimising this projector for daytime use, which I suppose is ideal if it's aimed towards a casual market who need reasonably good results at all hours of the day.
The 10W stereo speakers are also surprisingly powerful. Though at times harsh, they are loud enough to even negate the jarring distraction of having the audio source come from a different direction than the picture you are viewing. Throw in DivX support and you've got a fairly robust portable player here.
In terms of picture-throw distances, you have a ratio of 1-1.35, which translates roughly to about a 100 inch image from a distance of 3 metres, which isn't too bad at all. Annoyingly though, the EH-DM3 has little in the way of lens shift options, so if you're having trouble lining the picture up with your white-washed walls or projector screen, you're going to have to make do with either adjusting the EH-DM3's retractable feet or have a stack of books handy.
How much you'll get out of the EH-DM3 ultimately comes down to how willing you are to overlook some relatively big problems, considering its pocket-friendly £550 price tag. Daylight viewing is very good, night-time viewing not so. Also, the lack of lens shift options, while likely keeping the cost down a fair bit, would have been a welcome addition. Still, if you're looking for a way to watch the footie on as big a screen as possible on a tight budget without being too fussy, the EH-DM3 is the projector for you.
Speakers: 2x 10 watts SRS TruSurround HD & Dolby Digital Plus
Dimensions: 677mm H (including base) x 998mm W x 29.9mm D
Features: 200Hz Motion Plus processing, LED backlighting, DLNA home networking, web widgets with Internet@ TV
Price: Circa £1,500
Samsung's UE40B8000 is so slim that you half expect it to have just strut off of a catwalk in Milan and into your living room. Despite being only 29.9 mm thick, it manages to house all of its electronics, including a TV tuner, 200Hz Motion Plus processor and all its 4 HDMI and breakout composite/component connections, inside the panel itself, without the need for a separate media box. It's a beautiful set with black bezel edging, finished off with a svelte strip of clear plastic that gently glows thanks to a blue LED indicator light. While the TV is perfect for wall mounting due to its size and relatively low weight, its see-through stand was a real chore to attach, and was never satisfyingly stable.
Picture quality is really superb on the UE40B8000. High definition sources were uniformly excellent. 1080p playback of the "Moon" Blu-ray over HDMI through a PS3 delivered black levels as deep as you'd hope to get from the far-flung reaches of outer space, while subtlety in colour ranges and superb skin tones shone through. The LED backlighting also meant that there was excellent clarity in the image, though you may want to disable auto-dimming if you're quickly flicking through many different sources.
The 200Hz Motion Plus technology is an obvious draw here, and we flicked over to a Sky Sports HD Premiership broadcast to put it through its paces. Is it really any better than 100Hz processing? Yes it is, but not massively so. Players darting around the field were noticeably sharper, as was the text from scrolling electronic billboards. However, there was still some shimmering and an element of unnatural movement in fast paced scenes, especially when the motion processing was cranked up to the max. Also, while there is a Game Mode available here, response times for consoles could have performed a little better.
Standard definition content proved excellently processed. A screen this size that lacks attention to standard definition signals can really show off the limitations of SD, but the UE40B8000 smoothed out everything well without producing any unsightly noise. Colours too were rich and vibrant, though the benefits of the motion processing tech was less apparent here. All in, the UE40B8000 offers some of the best picture quality money can currently buy, at least in the UK anyway.
The only real let down here are the incredibly weak speakers. Housing everything inside a set this thin had to have its downside somewhere, and speaker performance lacks both clarity and low-end resonance. They'll serve you well enough for a quiet night in with Eastenders, but if you can splash the cash on the screen in the first place, then you should probably invest in some decent audio gear to support it.
Menus and the EPG are clear and nicely presented, giving a quick low-down of what each function does, though some may have some trouble navigating the various options on offer. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, there is quite a lot of depth in terms of image options here, which isn't necessarily a bad thing at all, but can at times make it a little confusing when browsing for something specific. Secondly, the backlit remote control, which again overall is fine, features a quirky iPod-style scrolling wheel. It's overly sensitive, which can make precise menu browsing or image tweaking a little difficult. There's also a second, pebble-shaped controller thrown in. It's pretty, but by only packing a few core buttons in means it's a little pointless. The UE40B8000 also has some pretty comprehensive web widgets and DLNA network streaming features, which are simple to set up once the provided USB Wi-Fi dongle is plugged in. There's also an Ethernet port if a Wi-Fi connection isn't convenient.
If we we're judging this TV on image quality alone the Samsung UE40B8000 would get top marks without question. It's a shame then that the thin frame has caused a real compromise in sound quality, which at around £1,500 really should have been addressed. Still, if you're looking for some of the smoothest, sharpest, most stunningly vivid colours your hard-earned cash can afford, then the UE40B8000 should be top of your shopping list.
Features: BBC iPlayer, Web TV, DLNA home networking, news widgets
Price: £499
Brit based TV manufacturers Cello have made a bold move with their iViewer range. By being one of the earliest web-connected TVs and the first to have BBC's iPlayer as a built-in widget, they are going where none of the big name brands have gone before. But has capitalising upon this brief window of opportunity left them flailing elsewhere with the set? Certainly, but the TV does still hold it's own.
Sensibly, Cello have kept the aesthetics here rather simple. A glossy black frame about two thirds of an inch thick surrounds the screen, while a speaker bar about an inch in height lies just underneath. The screen can be wall mounted, but at 22"H (including base) x 31"W x 4" D it's rather chunky. I'd recommend using the supplied base stand, which is again glossy, black and discrete. Also, while the main manual supplied is perfectly acceptable, the visual guide thrown in is an absolute joke. It verges on Engrish and looks as though it was put together on MS Paint.
Keeping in mind this is at the budget end of the market for a full HD set (£499), the iViewer's picture quality is reasonably good. 1080p playback of the "Che: Part One" Blu-ray over HDMI through a PS3 showed an acceptably sharp image with a good range of strong colours in brighter scenes, as you would expect with an LCD as opposed to a Plasma. Night scenes were less impressive: there was a fair amount of noise, black levels were respectable but hardly deep and response times suffered in fast moving shots. As a result of the noise and sluggish response times, it doesn't score highly as a set for gaming, as proven by a quick session with "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2". For the money you're paying the image here holds up well, but don't expect it to go troubling the big guns.
Likewise, the speakers aren't the greatest. Hollow and echoey, it's a muddled sound that has little in the way of bass, and poor definition between the mids and treble. Higher volumes sometimes caused a slight rattling too.
But, if you've been following this set, you're likely already aware that this isn't exactly a technophiles television. No, the iViewer's trump card lies in its internet-connected capabilities, or more specifically its BBC iPlayer widget, where it does honestly shine.
Getting connected to the web is relatively simple, via either an optional USB Wi-Fi dongle or Ethernet cable. The input connections area on the back of the TV is far too cramped (especially as the USB Wi-Fi dongle is a bit of a sizey beast), but once you're plugged in it's just a matter of finding your network and entering your WEP key, text message style, with the remote control.
The iPlayer interface (and the TV's web UI in general) was designed by Oregon Networks. They've done a great job. It's a good looking UI across all of the web menus, with big icons simple and well defined for the casual user. There's even a dedicated button on the remote for the iPlayer for easy-access to the service. Searching through the iPlayer catalogue will be easy for anyone remotely familiar with the web service. While playback controls can be a little clunky, visually the iPlayer footage scrubs up quite well on the larger screen, providing you don't expect HD levels of clarity.
Web TV channels didn't fair so well. There are 12 in all at present, including a fully-searchable YouTube, Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food and the Sesame Street podcast. Quality of content varies across each, both visually and in terms of entertainment value, and thanks to some unexplainable file error, I couldn't access the Sesame Street one at all. Which was obviously heartbreaking. Also, the news widgets could do with a little more interactivity, and more options in terms of feed providers.
However, the DLNA home network access is strong and very accessible. Providing your PC is on and sharing allowed, you can access pictures, MP3s and a wide range of the most popular video files including AVI and WMV stored on your computer, though I couldn't get high-def formats to work. In a nice touch, MP3s continue to play in the background whilst you browse other folders for content. It's also worth noting that playback is possible from USB memory sticks, providing you can squeeze it in next to the dongle.
As is now standard, there is also an integrated TV tuner in the iViewer. Visually, broadcasts are good. There was a little noise and a few artefacts, but on the whole very watchable. The 7 day EPG however looks horrendous; from a technical standpoint it's perfectly functional and easy to navigate, but fonts are jagged and the most lurid mix of sharp blues and yellows are used.
While it's far from perfect, it's nevertheless hard to dislike the iViewer. The picture and sound quality aren't the best we've ever seen by a long shot, but it's not epically bad. Just especially average. And while some aspects of the web service don't work too well, the home networking and iPlayer are great, especially as this represents the first roll of the dice for the BBC service on TVs. As you'd expect from a product that's currently a Marks and Spencer's exclusive, it keeps it head down and gets the job done. And if you aren't happy, that M&S guarantee will have you covered.
Tech Digest's Dan Sung puts the new Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 through its paces and comes out thoroughly impressed. Part of Sanyo's Dual Range, the Xacti is designed to take great video and stills while not compromising on portability.
A choice of auto-focuses, face-following, 720p playback, a 12 megapixel sensor and a 1600 ISO, it's certainly a well-specced little blighter, but no audio output? I mean come on. If you're looking for a step up from your Flip HD or Kodak Zi6, this is certainly a good place to start.
While hybrid recorders with the flexibility of recording using discs or an integrated hard drive are the most popular digital recorders, there's still a market for dedicated disc recorders. You can use them to archive copies from an existing PVR and then easily transport them or share them with friends.
Panasonic's DMR-EZ27 is one of the few DVD recorders that features integrated video upscaling all the way up to the highest 1080p HD format. This means that with a compatible display you can enhance the image quality of standard DVDs, recordings and even off-air TV broadcasts to close to high-definition quality.
Despite the hallowed 1080p format still being restricted to next-generation DVD players and games consoles, the number of compatible Full HD (1920x1080) screens is consistently rising while prices fall - an encouraging sign of changing times.
Toshiba's 42X3030D is an entry-level model that offers a future-proof high-definition specification for an affordable price - an attraction to first-time buyers who want to explore the full potential of Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs or PS3 games that output 1080p signals.
Although the Blu-ray enabled PS3 may be stealing the headlines at the moment, lets not forget that Sony isn't the only company in the Blu-ray player market; Samsung has its own player, the BD-P1000, which provided early adopters with their first taste of the capabilities of the HD format. However, for some reason Samsung had neglected to bring a TV set to take advantage of Blu-ray's Full HD capabilities. The LE-40F71B addresses that issue by offering 1080p resolution along with the many other impressive technical features that hold Samsung flat panel TVs in good stead in the HDTV market.
The LE-40F71B does come packed with goodies too; imaging is handed by Samsung's Digital Natural Image engine (DNIe), which is designed to improve black levels - a key issue at the 40" mark where competing plasmas tend to have the edge - sharpness, colour saturations and motion. It also offers a impressive array of connectivity options including twin HDMI slots, component video input, two Scarts and a PC input.
Then there's a couple of multiformat memory card readers and a USB port to let you view JPEG photos. Interestingly, the USB is PictBridge-enabled, so you can send your photos on to a printer sans computer. There is one thing lacking though; namely an integrated digital tuner, which seems a pretty curious shortcoming.
Although the price of LCD’s, specifically around the 32” mark, is plummeting rapidly there is still a hard pitched battle going on between the big brands for dominance of the premium price bracket. Sony’s strong brand image and excellent image processing system has already set the bar with the Bravia KDL-32V2000 so it’s up Philips’ latest iteration of its image processing system, Pixel Plus 3 HD, along with the unique Ambilight technology to provide an answering shot. However, the 32PF9731D also has one further ace up its sleeve – Clear LCD – and it is now the smallest Philips HDTV to boast the technology.
And where the Sony KDL-32V2000 let itself down badly with a meagre selection connectivity options, the Philips 32PF9731D fights back hard by offering two HDMI slots, a component video input, two Scarts, S- video in, a D-Sub PC input, digital audio input/output, a CI slot, two USB ports, an Ethernet port, and a multi-format card reader. Phew.
The Ethernet port is of particular interest as it allows the TV to network with your PC and stream digital video/audio files directly. Its format compatibility is pretty good too and includes MP3, JPEG, MP3 Pro, LPCM, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, DivX and XviD file types.
Never before have the words 'hotly' and 'anticipated' gone so well together in home cinema. Long have A/V enthusiasts awaited the JVC DLA-HD1, and why? Because it's the first projector deigned for the ordinary consumer to sport the revolutionary D-ILA technology. D-ILA is JVC's proprietary variant of Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS) technology, pretty much akin to Sony's SXRD used in the Ruby and Pearl projectors. Its greatest strengths lie in cutting out video noise and screen-door effects, reducing rainbowing and motion dithering.
Other features of the HD1 are the set of two HDMI slots, RS-232C control terminal (suited to custom installers), S-Video and Composite video inputs and component jacks. The design is, as you can see, erring on the side of ungainly but it has made some effort to become a little more living room friendly with a black glossy body and grey trimmings.
Spearheading Hitachi's assault on the 32" LCD market, the 32LD9700 comes with a premium price tag but an equally weighty set of features. One key difference between this and previous Hitachi LCDs is that it uses a new type of LCD panel called IPS-Alpha. This is designed to tackle some of LCDs traditional weaknesses: motion response, contrast and viewing angle. On top of that, Hitachi's Picture Master video processing system has been re-engineered to work better with these same IPS-Alpha panels.
Connectivity is suitable for a top end HDTV: you get two HDMI slots, three SCARTS and a PC-input, plus a USB socket for digital cameras and the like, and an SD card slot. Nice. You also get a strobe mode for frame by frame playback, picture in picture viewing and, best of all, remote controlled screen swivelling. />
The Fujitsu P42XHA58EB weighs in at a hefty £2,700 and has clearly been designed to satisfy the needs of serious home cinema enthusiasts and custom A/V installers. It might not suit the needs (or budget) of the ordinary consumer, but Fujitsu hopes it will take pride of place at the heart of complete home cinema array.
Before we start, there are three obvious features that are lacking; you won’t find either a digital or analogue tuner, nor are there any old school SCART inputs. There aren’t even any inbuilt speakers – this screen is purely about the picture quality. Clearly though, these are things you can work around pretty easily if you already have an existing home cinema system.
What it does have, however, is a healthy array of HD inputs (2 x HDMI and 2 x Component) as well as interesting features such as the ‘ambient sensor’, which adjusts the picture settings in response to ambient light levels, and separate contrast adjustments for the signal and screen drive picture elements. Picture processing is handled by Fujitsu’s AVM II engine, which boasts four times the power of its predecessor and produces improved image scaling and de-interlacing, advanced motion correction, improved noise reduction and enhanced detail to Standard Definition sources.
With media centre PC’s and games consoles blurring the lines between home cinema and home computer, it is little surprise that PC manufacturers are straying into big screen LCD territory. So far, however, most have been unable to keep up with the level of quality offered by traditional TV manufacturers. There is one compelling reason to consider a PC-brand LCD though – the price. Acer’s AT3720 is an HD-Ready, 37” LCD that can be picked up for less than £700.
Its other features are also impressive: there are two HDMI inputs, component video inputs, a noise reduction system and an 8ms response time. Of course, there are few drawbacks – you won’t find an integrated digital tuner here, nor is there an S-Video input – but on the whole, from the spec sheet alone it looks like quite a bargain. Find out how it performs on the turn.
The best way to see the advantage of ‘full’ 1080p HD is on a really really big screen. LCDs are getting there, plasmas can be pretty huge, but for a truly massive screen size, projection is the only way to go. Small wonder then that Panasonic's 1920x1080p PT-AE1000 projector has been one of 2007’s most hotly anticipated home cinema products.
The PT-AE1000 has a no nonsense design and the specs certainly don’t threaten to let the side down. Two HDMI inputs, a component video, D-Sub PC input, and even a SCART socket make for a really decent array of connections. The claimed contrast ratio of 11,000:1 and brightness of 1,100 lumens are well into the right ballpark too.
Unique features include the AE1000’s aspherical glass lens system, which is designed to reduce light dispersion and should yield a more vivid picture. Then there’s a new Pure Colour Filter – that claims to produce richer reds, greens and blues, deeper blacks and a wider colour gamut – and the inorganic, vertically aligned LCD panels for enhanced black level performance. Oh, and it can run at a whisper-quiet 22dB for undisturbed viewing pleasure.
Last year, InFocus revealed its new range of home cinema projectors - the first in quite a long time. InFocus had always enjoyed a great reputation in the video projection market, but suffered slightly in the style department. Until now.
As you can see from the pic, the IN76 replaces the old clunky design and bland colours with a high-gloss, black finish and enough smooth, flowing curves to make a sports car jealous.
The specifications are of an equally high standard too: despite being one of the most reasonably priced HD Ready DLP projectors, it offers a contrast ratio of 3000:1, 1000 ANSI lumens, native 1280 x 720 resolution and a wealth of connectivity options via the unique 'M1-DA' port, as well as HDMI and component inputs.
Despite being one of the smallest members of Panny’s HD Ready TV range, the TX-26LXD600 has quite a high price tag at over £700. To justify this, Panasonic has ensured that it is rich with features and offers performance to make most other LCDs green with envy. It claims a contrast ratio of 1200:1, V-Real Advanced LCD AI processing, integrated digital tuner and EPG.
Its looks too are a bit special - the black bezel is offset by a silver trim on the top and bottom. There’s also an SD Card slot concealed in the front that allows you to view JPEG photos on the screen or record TV shows directly for playback on portable media devices. Even the desktop stand has a handy rotating action.
With only one or two exceptions, most decent LCDs look the part of a premium centrepiece for your home cinema setup. They tend to lean towards a minimalist design that keeps your attention on the picture quality rather than making too big a deal out of the unit itself. Which is all well and good when the TV is switched on, but when powered down, even some of the best look a little uninspiring. Here’s where Loewe has stepped in, offering a unique design that allows you to customise several key aspects of its appearance to suit your taste.
The Individual Selection only comes in three sizes, (26”, 32” and 40”) but with pick-and-mix features, there are around 400 possible configurations that you can choose from. The Loewe website has a configuration tool that offers five different colours for the front panel and nine different coloured insets. Then, for a more practical aspect, you can choose from loads of different types of stands, as well as optional upgrades including digital tuners, DVD players and recorders, and speaker packages.
Tosh’s 42WLT66 is a native 1080-line LCD TV. The ongoing debate is not whether a 1080-line source watched on a 1080-line screen is better than a 720/768 line, but just whether the difference is really worth getting all that excited about. After a year or two of vigorous debate it is pretty much accepted that any such difference is not enough to be noticed on a screen smaller than 37”. Luckily, the 42WLT66 lies neatly in the bracket where such a difference does have a visible effect on your viewing experience and it 1080-line spec alone makes it into a hot product.
Features include Toshiba’s Active Vision LCD image processing system, an integrated digital tuner with 7-day EPG and twin HDMI connectivity. One other notable spec is the contrast ratio of 800:1 which, at first glance, seems to be the TV’s Achilles heel. Oddly enough though, this pessimistic figure didn’t manifest itself too badly in our tests. Click the turn to find out how it performed.
Not every living room is at all suited to 50" plasma behemoths, so this week we're turning our attention to something a little smaller - the 32" LCD Samsung LE-32R74BDX. It offers a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, an integrated digital tuner with 7-day EPG and 10bit colour processing, which Samsung claims delivers up to 12.8 billion colours. All pretty standard stuff so far.
What sets it aside from its rivals is the contrast ratio of 5000:1 which is pretty phenomenal. Furthermore, the R74BDX uses Super Vertical Pattern Alignment technology to dramatically improve the colour and contrast at wide viewing angles, which is ideal for smaller rooms where you don't want to all crowd one tiny sweet spot.
Confession time: when I began this review, I wasn’t expecting wonders from the Pioneer PDP-507XD. There seemed to be a real risk that the 7th generation of Pioneer plasmas might end up languishing between the critically acclaimed 6th generation displays and Pioneer’s mind-boggling 8th generation sets that we glimpsed at CES.
There’s no re-engineering of the technology going on here – just an improved version of Pioneer’s earlier Intelligent DRE processor for better contrast, sharpness and brightness, and a better Direct Colour Filter to reduce image-ghosting when viewed at an angle. Colour processing has been tweaked with the new Intelligent Colour algorithms and should provide more subtle, realistic colour shading.
Name: EH-DM3 (Epson)
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