SEPTEMBER 2019 HOME CINEMA CHOICE(I presume you mean this model and not the
slightly costlier/much larger PB-2000 ported
version) and REL's HT/1205.
REL's T7i has a lot going for it. It's nuanced
and musical, and has a compact form factor.
But the simultaneous high-level/low-level
connection feature isn't what you need with
the Sennheiser soundbar, and its 8in driver
(with 10in passive radiator) and 200W amp
won't shift the same air as the other models.
And in pure claimed specifi cation terms, its
suggested 30Hz low-frequency reach is the
same as the Ambeo 'bar.
So check out REL's HT/1205, which claims
a 22Hz low and uses a 12in driver/500W amp,
and is actually more aff ordable than the T7i,
or the SVS SB-2000, another 12in/500W
design with a 19Hz frequency claim. Both are
better options to really off er a marked bass
output over the Ambeo 'bar. Of those two,
note that only the REL hits your £700
ballpark fi gure.
Regards crossover, this is locked to 80Hz
on Sennheiser's Ambeo, which seems a
sensible choice, although Max Voigt,
the company's product manager, told
us the soundbar's calibration process will
'automatically adapt the frequencies as
well as the volume level.'
Saving 4K for later
Re: the letter from Geoff Millington about
Blu-rays being included with 4K discs [HCC
#300]. I own a few 4K discs after buying the
Blu-ray they came with... it does mean that
when I upgrade to a 4K player, I will have
something to play on it.
Mark Vaughan
Anton van Beek replies: Yes, and it's been
the same situation for yonks with Blu-rays
being bundled with DVD copies. I think it's
something we'll all have to get used to!
Let there be dark
Thanks for the Star Letter [HCC #301].
It’s good to get some support for the 3D
format, which is in danger of being seen
as out-of-date in forums.
Regards Mark Craven's Welcome page
in the same issue, I had the same problem
with too much light in the last house.
Blackout blinds for the Velux windows were
brilliant but using them to cover an entire
living room was too expensive. I found a
solution in roller blinds made of blackout
material and used inexpensive plastic trim
to cover the edges. Certainly not perfect
but I could live with it.
Ion
Mark Craven replies: Thanks for the tip Ion.
It's those little slivers of light creeping around
the edge of my roller blinds that are starting to
drive me mad...
LETTERS 77
Star Letter...
3D's not dead, but needs a rebound
Mark Craven muses in his opening
comments in HCC #300 about a possible
3D rebirth. For quite a few of us it’s not
really died and we wish it was on a
rebound! It’s so frustrating for someone
like me, who owns more than 250 3D
discs, that titles are getting harder to
fi nd. I often have to check with fellow
enthusiasts, via forums, which countries
are getting 3D releases of certain titles.
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is a
terrifi c 3D release with a great sense of
depth that really enhances the movie,
but Sony appears to have dropped 3D disc
releases in the UK, so we have to import the
title from France or Germany, or even further
afi eld (Australia) if we want the version with
English speech bubbles. Disney's Ralph
Breaks The Internet 3D is only available from
Japan with the 4K disc included for £60
(even I baulked at that one but some I know
have ordered it). Mission Impossible: Fallout
(also on Sky Cinema in 3D) is a terrifi c 3D
presentation, which if it isn’t native 3D,
was certainly fi lmed with 3D in mind,
and the IMAX 3D scenes really add to the
excitement (especially the dangling from
a helicopter/mountain sequences). But
there's no 3D disc release in any territory.
It’s starting to get more diffi cult to fi nd
3D in the cinema too – I couldn’t fi nd The
Secret Life of Pets 2 screening anywhere in
3D and there were only two screenings per
day of Men In Black: International over the
weekend at one cinema in Leeds – a city
with fi ve multiplexes!
LG nailed home 3D with its 2016 4K
OLED TVs, so many were surprised to see itdropping the
format the
following year
(probably in
order to squeeze
a few extra
nits of HDR
brightness by
losing the 3D fi lter). I read on various forums
that many are failing after just three years
and repairs under guarantee seem to be
replaced with non-3D panels, so I fear mine
could fail soon and I won’t have anything
to watch my discs on. I don’t have room for
a projection system!
I can only hope that 3D will have a
resurgence soon. If LG only made one 3D
model in its range each year, it would be
a unique selling point (now it makes OLED
screens for just about everyone else) and I’m
sure it would sell suffi cient numbers to make
it worthwhile. I think most people who love
their 3D OLEDs would be happy to have the
option to update their TV, even if it means
losing a few nits of HDR brightness. I get far
more from a 3D movie than a 4K one, my
eyes aren’t good enough to see the diff erence
between 1080p/2160p. I’m just kicking myself
for not buying a bigger TV three years ago- I’d snap one up if it put a new model out
next year!
Ian Caslake
Mark Craven replies: It's a shame that just
when the display technology arrived to do
justice to passive 3D, support was pulled.
And I wouldn't get too hopeful about it
coming back. You say you don't have room
for a projection system, but at some point in
the future you may require one. Maybe have
a look at space-saving ultra-short-throw 3D
models – although these all use the active
shutter system, which is a slightly diff erent
viewing experience.
Star letter-writer Ian grabs a copy of Stephen King
horror anthology series Castle Rock: The Complete
First Season on Blu-ray, courtesy of Warner Bros.
Home Entertainment. Set in the fi ctional town of
King's multiverse, the 10-episode series stars Bill
Skarsgård, Sissy Spacek and Scott Glenn, and the
boxset includes featurettes and Inside the Episode
breakdowns. Castle Rock: The Complete First Season
is available on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital Download
from 2nd September.Ian struggled to fi nd
The Secret Life of Pets 2 screening in 3DWhat's up with HLG?
After reading Steve May's AV Avenger article
on HDR broadcasts [HCC #300], I thought
I would contribute some input.
We watched snippets of the tennis at
Wimbledon being broadcast in 4K Ultra HD onour Panasonic TX-58DX902B TV via the BBC
iPlayer, in Beta mode on the iPlayer app that
is embedded in the TV as standard.
The image is fl at and the colours are dull
with some jitter and some time lag in the
picture, which was disappointing. AndCASTLEROCK:^ THECOMPLETEFIRST^ SEASON^ COURTESY^ OF^ WARNER^ BROS.^HOMEENTERTAINMENT(WBHE)