| Samsung DA-E750 Wireless Audio With Dock |
| Beyond its dual docks, you can cut the hardware umbilical cord by sending your tunes over Wi-Fi to the WAD by way of AllShare for Samsung’s Galaxy devices or Airplay for Apple’s portable devices. iPhone 5, iPad mini and fourth generation iPad users need to make use of these wireless functions because their devices will not work with this dock, since Apple switched to a new smaller Lightning connector. |
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| Netgear XAUB2511 - Powerline Music Extender |
| Netgear's Powerline Music Extender is a HomePlug kit that lets you stream audio directly to a set of speakers or a regular stereo, from any Airplay- or DLNA-compatible device such as an iPad, Windows PC or NAS (Network Attached Storage). |
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| Appetizing Art - The Complete Picture (Part 3) |
| Having given you a taste of the basics for food photography, we couldn’t possibly leave out its favorite partner: drinks – a specially all of its own. Our expert advice will equip you with all the tools you’ll need to get started |
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| Appetizing Art - The Complete Picture (Part 2) |
| There’s nothing like soft window light and a reflector for creating beautiful food photography: it’s all you need. Placing a plate by a window can deliver stunning side lighting that accentuates texture, while shooting with it backlit can produce crisp high-key results. |
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| Appetizing Art - The Complete Picture (Part 1) |
| If you love food as much as photography, you’re in for a treat. Grab your chef’s hat and camera, and learn how to make delicious-looking images whatever your skill level inside and outside of the kitchen |
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| Still In Motion (Part 2) |
| Most time-lapse sequences are created in the computer using image-editing software. There are many ways to create time-lapse movies, including advanced workflows using Final Cut Pro X and Adobe After Effects. But if you're just starting out, two of the easiest methods are using QuickTime 7 Pro or Lightroom 4. |
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| Still In Motion (Part 1) |
| Feature films and documentaries have long used time-lapse photography to wow viewers. Remember watching the flower grow from seedling to mature plant in mere seconds in a film at school or watching the stars rotate in the night sky over a jagged Himalayan peak in a TV commercial? |
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| Beats By Dr Dre Beatbox Portable |
| We expected top-draw audio quality from the Beatbox and weren’t disappointed, as a massive audio boom emanates from the 171mm high unit, accompanied by an impressive sound quality that features a generous amount of bass. At maximum volume though, distortion subtly creeps in with an audible hiss coming from the system. |
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| Simple Steps To Better Pictures (Part 2) |
| With the help of a couple of flashguns, a fish tank and food coloring, you can capture stunning shots of color exploding in water. At times, the results are wonderfully abstract, at others you can identify shapes – but you’ll never end up with the same image twice. |
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| Simple Steps To Better Pictures (Part 1) |
| Being creative with shadows can produce some really appealing images whatever your subject. But swapping a subject’s shadow is somewhat more complicated, usually involving more Photoshop than photography. |
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| Technique Of The Month - Winter Wonders (Part 2) |
| Wherever small quantities of water drip away continually you’ll find icicles forming in cold weather. This can be anywhere from a leaky gutter to car bumpers to rocky ledges and overhangs, and they vary in size from a few millimeters to several meters long. |
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| From The Garage To The Stage |
| Starting a band, getting gigs, and building a small fan base can be a ton of work, even if you’re just doing it for the fun of it and don’t care much about "making it." The good news is that technology is on our side, and there are plenty of cool apps to give you a much-needed helping hand. |
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| Portable Elecom LBT MPSPP50 Speakers |
| LBT-MPSPP50 is the name of the portable speaker product by Elecom, the company which specializes in manufacturing components, computer accessories and speakers from Japan. |
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| Simple.TV - Transmits TV Programs To Mobile (Part 1) |
| Anyone who closely follows the home entertainment sector certainly agrees that TV is broken: antiquated user interfaces, expensive packages, 6 remotes that each does one thing, all are limited within your home. |
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| Apple’s iTV - What Would An Apple TV Look Like? |
| To understand what the Apple TV could be like, it helps to understand the current incarnation of Apple TV. In my opinion, the Apple TV is one of the least appreciated and least understood Apple products. I love my Apple TV and use it every day. |
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| Pioneer BDP-450 - Cutting The Cost Of Multichannel Music (Part 2) |
| Design-wise, the BDP-450 is dull yet refined. More importantly, it seems well built and has a decent-sized display on the fascia, which has four brightness settings including Off. The disc tray opens and closes with reassuring slickness and disc-loading times are reasonable. |
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| Pioneer BDP-450 - Cutting The Cost Of Multichannel Music (Part 1) |
| Despite its enticing price tag, Pioneer’s BDP-450 is aimed squarely at the home cinema enthusiast with audiophile leanings. Super Audio CD and DVD-Audio might not be exactly I the rudest of health as far as formats go, but there are plenty of legacy discs out there, and no shortage of folk who eagerly follow the trickle of SACD titles onto the market. |
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| Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Rage |
| The Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Rage is a gaming headset. Unlike most other gaming peripherals, this headset is an untethered device and makes use of wireless technology as it operates in the uncompressed 2.4GHz bandwidth to reduce any latency issues. While predominately aimed at the gaming community, this headset is capable of fulfilling other types of audio needs. |
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| Teufel Viton 51 - Simple Cinematic Six-Pack |
| The Viton 51 looks very much made for times of austerity. The price is low and the appearance is commensurate with the price. Design-wise, they go back to the Ark, or the early 80s at least. The four chunky black bookshelf speakers and center are solidly hewn from no-nonsense MDF with edges as blunt as Gene Hunt. |
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| LG 84LM960V - High-End Hero (Part 2) |
| LG’s huge panel uses edge-LED backlighting rather than a full array. For the most part this works well enough, with no shortage of dynamics. Light pooling is evident to eth bottom left and right of the screen, but I didn’t find it particularly intrusive – I’ve seen worse on smaller panels. |
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| LG 84LM960V - High-End Hero (Part 1) |
| 4K Ultra HD was the star attraction at this year’s International CES in Las Vegas, with every TV major dealing some form of high-resolution hand, and while native content remains a conundrum, there seems little doubt that industry-wide commitment is real. |
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| Denon AVR 4520 - Stairway To AV Heaven (Part 2) |
| The first Blu-ray to test with had to be The Expendables 2 for its DTS Neo: X optimized mix.11.2-channel surround sound and the Denon picked up the baton and ran with it. The opening sequence is an absolute barrage of effects coming at you from every conceivable nook, cranny and corner of the room. |
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| No Sound Left Behind |
| The market for rugged Bluetooth speakers is still relatively new, but it's growing quickly. There's no shortage of Bluetooth speakers out there, but when it comes to finding portable and durable ones, the field narrows down to a select few. Here's a roundup of the best adventure-ready, portable Bluetooth speakers available. |
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| Panasonic DMR-BWT720 - Alone In The World But Happy To Be Blu |
| In the US, only Panasonic offers machines that can record onto as well as play Blu-ray discs. Everyone else, it seems, is happy to focus on HDD-based PVRs, appealing to the watch-n-wipe crowd. Is archiving a dying trend? Almost certainly, by Panasonic continues to support it and we’re glad it does. |
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| 500px - The Stunning Photography Gallery Comes To iPhone |
| Having been the envy of iPhone users for some time, 500px has finally surfaced as a multi-device compatible app. Everything you’ve seen before and loved on the iPad is here pretty much; this is essentially a streamlined version of the coffee-table photography gallery. |
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| Cambridge Audio Azur 751R - The Importance Of Being Earnest (Part 2) |
| Switching to music, either CD or via USB, sees the 751R play its absolute trump card. Very few AV receivers achieve such a great balance with music, irrespective of price. The Cambridge Audio’s rich and articulate presentation is the kind that would have the reviewers on our sister title Hi-Fi Choice reaching for their Pink Floyd albums. |
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| Cinebeat - Make The Music Video Fantasy |
| It seems that anyone and everyone can make a music video these days; whether you have the potential to be the next sensation or just a viral hit, the line has been blurred between what divides ‘real’ directors and the rest of us mere mortals. |
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| iPhoneography - Creating And Editing iPhone Photography As Fine Art |
| Photographic opportunities arise in the unlikeliest of places and at the least expected of times, don't they? You might be sitting at a traffic light as Santa zips across the intersection on a Harley, or spot a couple going at it in a glass elevator, oblivious to the fact that their amorous coupling is seen by all. |
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| Nintendo WII U - Mario Upgraded |
| The Nintendo Wii U isn’t a next0gen console in the accepted sense. It’s more a belated hi-def makeover for the original Wii. Embellished with an on-trend touchscreen GamePad. Can it oust the PS3 and Xbox 360 as the AV-Holic’s console of choice? |
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| Roku Streaming Player LT - Smarten Up Your TV |
| The idea of the Roku Streaming Player LT is to provide a fuss-free way of bringing on-demand content to an old, non-connected TV. In that regard, it’s similar to products like LG’s SP820 Smart Upgrader – only it costs considerably less, and does less, too. It’s not media player, so files stored on your home network have to stay there . |
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| The Cure Of Slightly Rubbish Technology (Part 3) |
| The idea of being able to hook up your smartphone, tablet or laptop to a public Wi-Fi connection sounds good in theory. Not only does it save you eating into your data tariff if you have one, but it should be faster as well. If only you didn’t have to jump backwards through a hundred burning hoops of fire and do a somersault at the end just to get connected. |
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| The Cure Of Slightly Rubbish Technology (Part 2) |
| Far be it from me to look a gift horse in the mouth, but this particular beast should be put to sleep and used in a frozen lasagna. Having taken several hundred pounds from your wallet, some smartphone manufacturers think the best way to thank you is with a pair of poor-quality in-ear headphones. |
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