It’s no secret that I think the Pioneer Kuro PDP-LX5090 is the best TV I’ve ever seen. It’s certainly the highest-rated TV we’ve ever reviewed, and although other TVs are starting to get closer in terms of picture quality, it’s still far and away the best on the market. But even the love of your …

If like us, ensconcing yourself in the bassy comfort of your home cinema is your favourite way to waste an evening, you’ll be thrilled to know Onkyo wants to enable your habit with a range of new AV receivers. There are four models: the TX-SR307, TX-SR507, TX-SR577 and the TX-SR607. The first three players will hit the market in April, …

A week after the BBC’s catchup service went hi-def on the iPlayer Web site, Virgin Media customers can now stream HD iPlayer content through the Virgin V+ HD set-top box, absolutely free. You’ll need to be a licence-payer, of course. You can get access to HD iPlayer content over Virgin Media from today. If you don’t have Virgin Media, however, …

We’ve long maintained you can’t go far wrong with a Panasonic plasma. The company makes some terrific televisions, and because it’s truly plasma-oriented, all of its corporate love goes into these gassy giants. The S10 range are 1080p TVs that come in three sizes: 42, 46 and 50 inches. As you would hope, and expect, this TV can handle 24p …

Smooth motion has been a major problem for flat-screen TVs for some time. Every year, manufacturers tell us this is the year they’ve invented a technology to help pictures flow like honey. With the release of the Bravia Z5500 though, Sony claims it really has cured judder, properly this time, honest guv, no word of a lie. In this case, …

Panasonic unveiled its newest television line-up which is thinner, “greener” and better performing at Cockatoo Island in Sydney yesterday. The standout of the 2009 line-up is the new Z1 54-inch plasma, which features a one-inch thick chassis, 1080p wireless HDMI, and THX certification. The Z1 will be available in September with pricing yet to be announced. For the first time, …

Yesterday, we had a little pop at the BBC for its silly DRM on freesat. Today, we want to redress the balance by looking at how BBC iPlayer HD stacks up against its broadcast counterpart on the free-to-air satellite service. This isn’t a witch-hunt, we’re not going to have a go at iPlayer for being less impressive than full-blown HD, …

The Big British Castle recently posted some handy tips on its blog about copy protection in our wonderful new digital world. Danielle Nagler, head of BBC HD — Auntie’s high-definition channel — explained what restrictions were in place, and how some new features would affect the consumer. She laid down some home truths about why you’re only allowed one copy …

Australia got its first taste of the new Freeview service due in 2009 last night with all of the country’s FTA broadcasters showing a two minute ad concurrently on all channels announcing the system. The Freeview service is an attempt to promote digital television and electronic program guides (EPG) under one umbrella. The UK’s free-to-air services are also called Freeview, …

Free-to-air digital TV consortium Freeview may have been quick to rebut claims that existing TVs would become obsolete in May, but Freeview member SBS is hoping to embrace the technology at the centre of the controversy. SBS managing director Shaun Brown confirmed that while it’s sticking with current MPEG-2 technology for now, in the long term there was “a reasonable …

Freeview will be coming to a television near you from March this year, but the organisation’s head has said that you may need to buy a new TV to get the most out of it. A Freeview education campaign is due to launch on all channels in the next couple of weeks, but Freeview CEO Robin Parkes said that the …

On Tuesday this week, the tabloid press indulged one of its favourite pass times: scaring its readers. This time it was a piece in Melbourne’s Herald Sun stating that your “expensive plasma or LCD will be obsolete from May 1“. Of course, this is absolute nonsense, and Freeview issued a press release this morning to counter the argument. Peter Familiari’s …

The head of Freeview has announced that existing customers will still be able to use an electronic guide if their equipment currently supports it, but won’t be able to use any of Freeview’s additional features. This week, Freeview CEO Robin Parks said that existing equipment would not be backwards compatible with the Freeview-branded EPG due for release in 2009. However, …

With Pioneer exiting the plasma TV market, that leaves just a handful of other brands backing the cinematic technology. LG, it seems, is keener than ever to be one of them with its high-end PS8000 range. Like the most recent Kuro range, there are two sizes of PS8000 — 50- and 60-inch — and they’re jam-packed with features. Firstly, this …

Stop what you’re doing. Hold everything. Sony has announced a new Blu-ray player: the S360 is a consumer-friendly model that supports BD Live for extra content and picture-in-picture for things like onscreen commentary, which should reveal why most directors stay behind the camera. As an example, forthcoming platter The Spirit is the first to link up with Lionsgate‘s BD Live …