We need your help!

[admin_exported]

Evening all

We're just putting the finishing touches on the Ultimate Guide to Television (it's on sale June 4th, incidentally) so once again, here's your chance to contribute your choicest quotes for publication in our 'Why Buy?' pages in the next issue.

We've got over 140 reviews of the latest TVs, projectors, set-top-boxes, Blu-ray players, home cinema in a box kit, games consoles and media players, plus essential racks, remotes and cables in the issue, and we'd like you to tell us – and everyone else reading – about your favourite component, your most effective upgrade, or your favourite thing to watch on TV, whether it's a Blu-ray disc, a game, HD football or whatever. Tell us what impresses you most about the iPlayer, what you'd most like to see in HD or 3D, or which gadget you've purchased in the last few years that has made the biggest difference to the way you watch TV (say, Sky+HD, or super-fast optical broadband). 

Folks, over to you… 

 

 

[Anonymous]

the humax foxsat hd is great for champions league and fa cup football in hd , stunning picture and no subscription , but come on bbc , why no formula 1 or royal ascot in hd ?

 

[Anonymous]

Best TV gadget I've bought in the last few years was an Elgato EyeTV, simple recording onto my mac of anything I'd care to watch.

I can even remotely programme it to record programmes over the web, perfect product.

 

[Anonymous]

New Plasma set (42PX80) plus bargain Blu-ray player (S350) together with subscription to Lovefilm is the winner for me, and I haven't looked back since taking the plunge last Christmas. HD is simply fantastic!

 

[nickers1969]

I have the PS3 within my home cinema set up and have set the PS3's internet home page as BBC's dedicated PS3 iPlayer through my flatscreen - it's great for catching up with programmes! Just can't wait until it catches up with BBC's current HD streaming of content.

 

[Anonymous]

My Humax 9200 PVR has made the biggest difference to my TV viewing. What a difference not having to deal with videotapes and being able to record two programmes and pause live TV. The picture quality is great as well.

I love it!

I am hoping that I will be just as impressed with the Panasonic 37X10 and Panasonic BD35 Blu Ray player I will be setting up soon.

 

[laserman16]

My Sony HDD/DVD recorder with built in Freeview is indispensable. I can record to Hard Drive or DVD whenever I need to, with very good recording quality.Plus the machine plays DVDs and CDs with the bonus of upscaling the DVDs.

A great all in one solution.

 

[Anonymous]

I'd most like to see the Lord of the Rings trilogy released on blu-ray. I'm a fan of the movies and I'm eagerly waiting on a release to satisfy my 1080p needs!

 

[Anonymous]

Panasonic TH-37PX70B,Sony BDP S550,Harmony One remote i would have to say that these 3 items changed my viewing habbits in such a way that watching movies has again become a pleasure not known since i got my very first VCR! The first 2 for pure quality and the 3rd for ease of use.

 

[Torres09]

I thought HD was a bit of a slow burner in the early stages,i.e high cost of BluRay Players, lack of HD content on Freeview, etc, etc,

There's fantastic players Sony S350/Pana BD35 for less than £150 and Full HD 32" LCD's for £500 so now theres no reason not to go HD

 

[Anonymous]

Quite agree. I've found myself reaching for my beloved DVDs and laserdiscs much less over the last year. I guess it's because I just can't get enough proper HD in my life, which is why I've made sure I'm not short of different ways to access it.ÿ

But even though I enjoy watching HD on Sky, via the iPlayer or on my Apple TV, I think Blu-ray tops the lot. It makes my Pioneer KRP look even more remarkable than normal. The digitally rendered stuff like WallE looks stunning, obviously, but in many ways I'm most impressed when I play a remastered older disc like Dr.No or Zulu. It's like discovering a hidden classic, a film you've never seen before.

Speaking of which, The Italian Job is out next month. Can't wait.

 

[gbhsi1]

.....Blade Runner on blu-ray.....awesome
.....before I forget, Van Morrison- astral weeks...always brings a smile onto my face, great live recording!

 

[John_S]

I've been toying with the idea of getting myself a Full HD projector for the World Cup next year.

The idea of watching movies and sport on a ridiculously large screen - and not having to sit in a pub or cinema - is a very appealing one. Do any of you lot have one of these rigs? What do you like about it?

 

[professorhat]

I haven't watched a DVD movie on my system for a few months now. I even find myself wanting to watch a film in my DVD collection and so purposefully buying it on Blu-Ray in order to watch it (have done this for Any Given Sunday, the Bourne Trilogy, Casino and The Usual Suspects to name a few!) - I just can't handle DVD quality for films nowadays. Many people comment that Blu-Ray isn't that quantum leap over DVD like DVD was over VHS. I say to those people, watch nothing but Blu-Rays on a great quality home cinema system for a few months, then go back to DVDs and say the same thing! The biggest improvement has to be the sound - watching Kill Bill left me enthralled!

An HD projector is also looming large in my next purchases - I've almost paid off my credit card now (like I promised so long ago I would) so I feel I deserve a nice gift

 

[D.J.KRIME]

Bigest improvement of the last couple of years for me is Sky HD, yes Blu-Ray has the slight edge in terms of PQ and sound but for me and I would say the vast majority of people your viewing time is split say 70/30 when it come to watching TV over a Movie on BD/DVD.

Yes I admit the first time I spun a BD in my PS3 I was amazed at the amount of extra detail on offer over a DVD (tho most movies I watch are very doubtfull to ever arrive on BD) but when I sat down to watch my first episode of LOST in HD there was a real WOW factor as this was TV! not something I had to go out and buy but a actual transmitted signal! Then Football in HD without any of the fuzzyness around the players, not to mention that marvel that is Sky+ with the ability to watch and record at the same time , or record 2 live feeds and watch a recorded one, finally we can watch programs when we have time to do so in the PQ they were transmitted in!

 

[visionary]

professorhat:
The biggest improvement has to be the sound - watching Kill Bill left me enthralled!

Have to agree about the sound. With the opening scenes of Ratatouille, I could feel the rain falling down the back of my neck the sound was so realistic.

I've said this elsewhere but make sure your EYES are functioning at 100% too. And for those of you who wear specs, have an anti-reflection coating on the lenses - otherwise you are LOSING 10% of the light coming from your TV picture! (and getting image degradation from internal reflection in the lenses). Look at this demo from Zeiss here I have no connection with the company but I do spend my working day trying to help people see better which I think is what this is all about.

 

[Anonymous]

Sky+ HD: the quantity of new HD programming, especially the SCI-FI HD channel, just a shame they don't use dolby digital plus sound tracks.

Denon DVD-2500BT: recently upgraded from a Panasonic BD30, pictures are just stunning, now thinking of upgradeing my TV & Projector.

And finally, I could not live without my Harmony 895 (with RF) it is a amazing, the wife jokes that I treat it better than her, as if I would.

 

[shado]

The most expensive Blu Ray Boxset purchase, Star Trek the Original Series, is a good example of how picture and sound quality leaps into the fore as they show the remastered CGI episodes alongside the original 1960's print. One of the documentaries shows to what great lengths Paramount committed into producing this Sci Fi classic. Looking forward to the BD release of Star Trek currently in cinemas.

Sky HD Anytime is a great Channel from its James Bond Saga viewed at Easter to the recent Alfred Hitchcock Movies.

Reliability of Panasonic products and that clever box of tricks - the Yamaha Sound Projector.

 

[Anonymous]

Will you be reviewing Samsung's 8000 series ?