When it comes to a line of home theatre
systems, Pioneer is always on the top of the list of brands to consider.
Offering users with a diverse range of products in a variety of price points,
it is obvious the company does have a lot under its belt. Let's take a look at
one of its latest home theatre sound systems that came into PC.com Labs, the
HTZ-828BD. I had the opportunity to review its predecessor, 818BD, so let's see
what else is new with this new version.
Blackest
night
It seems that home theatre rarely use other
colours but no complaints from me here.
Black will never go out of style and the
HTZ- 828BD still exudes class. What I like about this home theatre is that it
looks old school and the manufacturer made it slimmer than its predecessor.
Everything else remains almost the same. However, I am not fond of the plastic
build the speakers use but that's all I have to work with. Plastic everywhere!
Screw
it
When it comes to setting up the whole unit,
it is always good to keep things simple. Thankfully, Pioneer makes it that way
and it offer no problems during the unboxing and set up. Oddly enough, the
HTZ-828BD seems to require a lot of screws. From the stand right up to the
speakers, my colleague and I had to use screwdrivers throughout the assembly
process. Thankfully, the wiring work is easier than to deal with as everything
is colour coded. No confusion and no need for references.
Tiny
update
The only feature that truly differentiates
this and the other models in its class is the virtual 3D Surround Sound. While
the name is lacking in creativity, it goes above and beyond the rest of the
pack in terms of sound-staging and creating a proper surround sound setting.
During the review, I could literally feel the virtual sound field around me
that it freaked me out a little. Complementing that is the access to a variety
of web apps that HTZ- 828BD offers such as YouTube and Picasa. Even so, I
expected more, especially in the audio performance as I had expected to hear
new enhancement to its bass and perhaps encounter more audio modes.
Additionally, a dock is also provided for their iPods or iPhones to connect
into.
Tough
job
There is one particular problem that had
the office, especially our audiophile designers questioning the performance of
the HTZ- 828BD, which is the soft sound performance. Even turning the audio
knob higher didn't really do any favours for it. The audio volumes just seem
serene while the bass lacks its usual punch. Let's just say on the day we hook
it up, the atmosphere in the office feels less rock-ish and had too much Zen.
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Info
·
Price: $622
·
Channels: 5.1
·
Network: Built-in Wi-fi, dlnA certified (1.5),
YouTube/Picasa, PC file playback
·
Output sound: 1100W
·
Power requirements: 110-240 V 50/60 Hz
Verdict
·
Decent home theatre that is filled with many
·
Value: 8/10
·
Features: 7/10
·
Performance: 6/10
·
Design: 9/10
·
Usability: 8/10
·
Score: 7.6/10
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Sharp BD-AMS10A Blu-Ray player - Traditionally Retro
This particular Sharp Blu-Ray player showed
up accompanied by their Aquous 80-inch TV, which may indicate that they're
meant to be used together. However, what's the point in putting something to
the test under ideal conditions? We separated the two and left the BD-AMS10A to
fend for itself.
Old
school style
There's something about Blu-Ray players
which feel very old school. Like something out of the 90s. For the younger
generation it might be an anachronism, but for the older people it is obviously
aimed at, it might just be a comfort to be confronted with technology that they
can understand. The black box with the button on the front and flashing timer
is very much similar to the VCR players of yesteryear. Even with the retro
look, there are elements of the 21st century present on the device. The build
is very light, due mostly to its use of a plastic chassis. The Blu-Ray tray is
also quite flimsy and probably won't last after encountering more than one
accident.
The
useful connections
The BD-AMS10A is packed with ports that are
can mostly be found on TVs. There's a single HDMI output (do you really more?),
an ethernet port and a pair of USBs, aside from the usual audio jacks. To be
fair, it doesn't really need more than that. The ports are also located in places
that make setting it up easy enough. The front USB port is designed to allow
for easy connections with portable hard disk drives. Interestingly, there's a
notable lack of WiFi for this device, in an age of smart devices. Physical
ethernet connections are fine but wireless is becoming the norm so it doesn't
make sense to put an ethernet port in but not include a wireless option.
Novel
remote
The accompanying remote is a strange thing
as it doesn't quite comform to the conventions of what a remote should look
like. In fact, it looks more like a Klingon Bird of Prey with no wings. The
build quality doesn't share the same feel though and the casing feels very much
like the plastic it's built out of. Oddly enough, our review unit didn't
include batteries. Something that's highly suspicious considering how these
things are usually packed.
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Info
·
Dimensions (H x W x D): 49x430x178mm
·
Weight: 1.5kg
·
Ports: HDMI out, Ehternet, USB x 2, Optical
digital audio output
Verdict
·
Old school functionality
·
Value: 7/10
·
Features: 7/10
·
Performance: 9/10
·
Design: 8/10
·
Usability: 9/10
·
Score: 8.0/10
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Samsung NX1000 - Leader of the starters
Take a look at camera shops and you can
tell that mirror-less cameras are the 'in' thing now. It takes pictures like a
DSLR yet it manages to maintain a compact form factor. This is definitely the
camera world putting a convenient yet fun spin into the new category. Not
wanting to be left behind Samsung, too, joined the fray. They send us their
entry level mirror-less camera so let's take it to the shooting range.
Same
gene
Keeping in line with its other siblings, it
shares the same clean lines and rounded corners making it easy to recognise the
NX series. The design is nice and feels midrange but the plastic material it
uses kind of ruin the mood. On another note, the review unit comes in pink.
Being a guy who uses a pink camera to take pictures during an event, the NX1000
does attract a lot of attention. Definitely great for starting a conversation.
Basic
and More
Although the NX1000 is the starter from the
pack, Samsung doesn't skimp on the features. It retains the 8fps burst
shooting, full manual control and WiFi connectivity. There is certainly a lot
of controls to use despite using a compact body. I really have to praise the
quality of features I get from this compared to its competitors. Just a slight
irritation: there is no internal flash so you got to buy one or use existing
speed light.
Easy
transition
For those who are looking to move from
point and shoot to a more professional level, the NX1000 is a good start. It is
pretty straightforward and the learning curve isn't steep at all. The physical
mode dial emulates DSLR and the click sounds convincing. What's more is the
i-function button on the lens. It makes accessing and selecting modes very
easy. Yet, I find the preview shown before each mode as a very annoying
function. I don't need to know the description of each mode all the time.
Sharp
edges
Image quality is king when it comes to
photography and thankfully, the NX1000 does not disappoint. Noise starts to
show from ISO3200 onwards but that is still bearable. I will say that the
sharpness is this camera's main selling point because every picture looks
crisp. It is too bad the colour accuracy isn't that good. Don't get me wrong,
it is vibrant but a bit off. While visible to someone who knows where to look,
at the very least, it will not impact picture quality too severely.
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Info
·
Price: $819
·
Dimensions: 114.0 x 62.5 x 37.5mm
·
Weight: 222g
·
Color filter: RGB primary colour filter
·
Image stabilization: Lens Shift (depends on
Lens)
·
Display: 3-inch TFT LCD, VGA (640 x 480)
·
Shutter speed: Electronically controlled
vertical-run focal plane shutter
·
Mode: Single, Continuous, Burst, Self-timer,
Bracket (AE, WB, PW)
·
White balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy,
Fluo¬rescent (W, N, D), Tungsten, Flash, Custom, K (Manual)
·
Image size: RAW - 20.0M (5472 x 3648 pixels)
·
Movie format: MP4 (H.264)
·
Movie size: 1920 x 1080, 1920 x 810, 1280 x
720, 640 x 480, 320 x 240
Verdict
·
A great camera for those who wants to move to
serious photography
·
Value: 7/10
·
Features: 9/10
·
Performance: 8/10
·
Design: 8/10
·
Usability: 8/10
·
Score: 8.0/10
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