HOME CINEMA CHOICE SEPTEMBER 2019
Once Upon a Time in
HollywoodAugust 15: Quentin Tarantino
ropes in Brad Pitt, Leonardo
DiCaprio and Margot Robbie for
a 1960s/1970s-set, pop-culture
infused drama that plays against
the backdrop of the Manson
Family murders.Angel Has Fallen
August 21: It's third time unlucky
for Secret Service agent Mike
Banning (Gerard Butler) as he
once again fi nds himself battling
terrorists in this action sequel.
Morgan Freeman returns to add
gravitas as President Trumbull.Scary Stories to Tell in
the Dark
August 23: Guillermo del Toro
produces this horror fantasy
fl ick based on the series of
short tales by Alvin Schwartz.
Give it a miss if you don't like
spooky scarecrows...Vizio sets its sights on UK
...but American brand says no plans yet for a British TV launch
One of the biggest names in
American AV is making a play
for the UK. Vizio, which describes
itself as a ‘challenger’ brand, has
entered with its compact Dolby
Atmos soundbar, the 5.1.2-channel
SB36512 (see p7). But what might
come next?
Based out of Irvine, California,
Vizio is targeting the UK before
entering other key European
territories. 'The UK is an incredibly
important market for us,' explained
Craig Cahill, director of corporate development,
when he met with HCC at Dolby's London HQ. 'Not
only because it’s where Dolby resides, with a wealth
of experience and knowledge in audio, but because of
support from BT and Sky, who are using Dolby Atmos
day-in, day-out. There's probably more Dolby Atmos
content available in the UK than anywhere else.'
Across the pond, Vizio claims the number one
market position in soundbars, we were told.
Having launched its fi rst TV audio booster in 2009,
it has now sold over 9.6 million.
'Through the years we really have been proven
to disrupt diff erent market cycles. Dolby Atmos is
another opportunity for us,' says Cahill.
HCC had an early session with Vizio's £
Atmos soundbar system, and what it lacks in
physical size, it more than compensates for in
volume and visceral impact.Adding height
While there's no room calibration microphone
required, the SB36512 off ers adjustments to cope
with diff erent room sizes and ceiling heights.
The Atmos output from its twin upfi ring speakers
can be increased by as much as 6dB to maximise
the immersive listening experience.Manhattan has confi rmed the release and pricing
of its fl agship T3-R, a 4K-ready Freeview Play PVR
available in both 500GB and 1TB iterations.
Claiming to off er the 'ultimate subscription-free
TV experience', the new PVR mixes the usual
trickplay features (pause/rewind live TV, series link
recording) with catch-up TV players including BBC
iPlayer, ITV Hub, All4 and Demand 5. It also has
support for HDR10 and HLG HDR, providing
compatibility with the BBC's 4K iPlayer content,
and (as with the company's HDD-less
T3 Freeview Play receiver), delivers smart content
recommendations, plus a Watchlist function'We try to give as much setup fl exibility as
possible,' says Todd Baker, Vizio's Director of Audio
product management. 'The basic out of the box
setup works for 2.4m to 3.7m ceilings. If you have
ceilings over and above that, we recommend
bumping the height output up just slightly. It's simple
for the most part.'
During its offi cial unveiling and demo, Vizio also
previewed two additional soundbars; the US fl agship
SB46514, which adds Dolby-enabled rear speakers
to create a 5.1.4 soundfi eld, and a simplifi ed model,
the SB36312-G6, with no rear speakers supplied.
The latter is scheduled for UK launch.
Mitch Li, VP of Audio, told HCC the decision to
arrive fi rst with the mid-ranger rather than the larger
premium model was to maximize the potential
audience. The SB36512 (which measures 36in wide)
is best suited to screen sizes smaller than 55in, he
suggests, and consequently smaller UK living rooms.
'We want to provide a total system,' adds
marketing manager Jamie Marsh. 'In the box, you
don't just get the soundbar and the subwoofer, you
get rear satellite speakers and cable. Our goal is to
make everything as easy as possible.'
Stateside, the company is well known as a TV
brand. However, Vizio told HCC that it currently has
no plans to enter the TV market in the UK.Two T3-R models are available:
500GB (£170) and 1TB (£200)Manhattan tops off Freeview lineup
T3-R PVR targets telly addicts eschewing subscription services
that allows users to view on-demand choices in
one place regardless of the source app.
The 500GB version of the T3-R will allow for
up to 300 hours of recordings, and is priced at £170.
The 1TB model doubles the amount of TV storage
and sells for £200. Both off er Wi-Fi and Ethernet
connectivity, and are supplied with an HDMI cable.
'95 per cent of the UK's most watched TV shows
are available subscription-free on Freeview,' says
Alex Arbab-Zadeh, Manhattan TV’s Director of
Product Development. 'The T3-R really takes
that subscription-free model to the next level.'
http://www.manhattan-tv.comAt the 'plex...
Heading out to see a fl ick?
Catch these this month10 VIZIO/MANHATTAN