Home Cinema Choice Magazine - May 2023

In this issue

In May's issue of Home Cinema Choice:

Sharing space on our cover this month are Samsung’s QE65S95C QD OLED TV, and LG’s OLED65G3, its first with a Micro Lens Array panel – both are premium screens aimed at performance-first movie fans, so should you make either the centrepiece of your home cinema?

Also on the test bench this issue is REL’s Reference Series No.31, a high-end 12in/900W subwoofer with a heavyweight build to match its deep, dynamic lows. We also run the rule over a 5.1 on-wall speaker array from System Audio’s Saxo range; Dolby Atmos soundbars from JBL and Sony; Marantz’s super-stylish Cinema 70s AV receiver; active wireless floorstanders from Audio Pro; Amazon’s third-generation Fire TV Cube; and more. Whatever your budget, we’ve got you covered!

On the software side, we check out new Blu-ray, 4K and streaming releases including M3GAN, Babylon, Star Trek: TNG – 4-Movie Collection, and Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre. We also celebrate the career of the King of Hollywood, James Cameron, and look back at the 1983 launch of Return of the Jedi.

Elsewhere, we report on Amazon’s plans to enter the TV and gaming arena with its Omni and Luna hardware; assemble AV systems for movies, streaming and games; check out a reader’s garage-turned-movie room and a custom install project with hidden 7.4.4 audio; and wonder whether a user interface can make or break a product…

Plus all the usual opinions, news, disc reviews and competitions. Enjoy the show!

Amazon enters TV and games jungle

The launch of the Omni QLED shows the media corp is getting serious about the TV biz, says Steve May, and it has its eye on joystick junkies too

5 mins

System selector!

Given three similar budgets, Mark Craven, Steve May and John Archer assemble three different AV setups focused on movies, streaming and gaming

8 mins

THE KING OF B RDA HOLLYWOOD

Three of his movies have taken over $2billon at the global box office, he's pioneered SFX and 3D technologies, and he's been to the very bottom of the Pacific Ocean. That's James Cameron by the way, not Anton van Beek

10+ mins

One project, two rooms

Dan Sait reports on a custom install where a JVC PJ/ Atmos system is joined by a stylish media den

2 mins

Discreet delivery

A slim, stylish Scandinavian on-wall system impresses Mark Craven with its handling of the sweet stuff

5 mins

Short and sweet

Marantz's compact AV receiver returns with a new look and boosted features – Jamie Biesemans slips it into his AV rig

5 mins

Sony 'bar demands to be upgraded

This well-specified Dolby Atmos soundbar may have a mid-range price tag, but you'll soon want to spend more, cautions Steve May

4 mins

M&K Sound V12

TIME ON TEST: Three years REVIEWER: Steve Withers

4 mins

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

4 mins

Catalogue classic Star Wars: Ep. VI - Return of the Jedi → Ultra HD Blu-ray, Disney

Forty years on from the movie's cinema release, Anton van Beek ponders what might have been if things had gone a little diff erently during the making of Return of the Jedi…

4 mins

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Home Cinema Choice Magazine Description:

Since 1995 Home Cinema Choice has been the must-buy magazine for AV enthusiasts. Published thirteen times a year, each issue provides in-depth, detailed reviews of the hardware products on your shortlist – from hi-def/4K televisions and projectors to AV receivers, speakers, Blu-ray players, soundbars and more. We also travel the world seeking out the latest tech and trends, provide advice and inspiration for your own cinema project and reveal the Blu-rays and DVDs you'll want to add to your collection.