AVForums Podcast

In our Christmas podcast special, and the last episode of the year, the AVForums Hardware and Movie teams unite for a look at members’ standout moments, products or events of 2023 - be it hardware or software, a technological upgrade/innovation, or movie/music/gig. We’ll also be taking the time to look ahead and see what individuals are looking forward to over the coming 12 months.

This week, we dedicate the podcast to the winners of our Editor's Choice Awards for the 2023-24 period. We celebrate the TVs, Hi-Fi and Home AV products we've reviewed over the last 12 months across a variety of categories that have stood out to us as outstanding in their field through either technical or performance excellence, or just through sheer value for money. Join us to find out the tech w...

Cas and the movies team close out the year with a look at what to look forward to in 2024, the films that were pushed back from 2023, the films that likely won't be seen until 2025 and what their most anticipated films of next year will be.

This week, Phil sums up the Philips OLED+908, our final flagship TV of the year, and sets the scene for the AVForums 2023-24 Editor's Choice Awards. Ed looks at the latest Hi-Fi news plus Musical Fidelity's A1 integrated amplifier, while new reviewer Matt will explain his time with not one but two home cinema speaker packages - one from Bowers & Wilkins and one from Monitor Audio.

This week Tom looks at Saltburn at the cinema, Mark goes old school Spielberg for Duel in 4K, Cas checks out the best TMNT with Mutant Mayhem in 4K, plus we go hard on streaming TV and look at whether TV show quality has finally surpassed theatrical movies.

This week, Phil delivers a double dose of Panasonic 4K TV reviews with the MZ1500 OLED and MX950 Mini LED models and sees how the two display technologies differ. There's also a look at the Parasound NewClassic 200 integrated amp from Martin while Ed checks out Audiolab's 9000N streamer, the latest addition to its 9000 series of flagship Hi-Fi products.

This week Tom talks about Scorsese's latest masterpiece, Killers of the Flower Moon, Cas revisits the now-overshadowed blockbuster of the year, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 in 4K, Mark picks a couple of gems from his Top 10 Blu-rays for November, and we discuss long and overlong movies - what epic films earn their length, and what ones outstay their welcome? Plus we take a look at a...

This week, Phil reviews the eagerly awaited Sony A95L 4K QD OLED TV and considers how it stacks up against the year's other OLED flagships. There's a look at Yamaha's True X Dolby Atmos surround system plus recommended TV settings for streaming services while Ed dives into the best from the world of Hi-Fi. There's also the usual mix of the latest AV news, music recommendations and competitions.

This week Mark suffers through Exorcist: Believer, Simon looks at the other end of the horror spectrum, with the classic that is Rosemary's Baby in 4K, Cas takes a look at Jim Jarmusch's gem Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai on 4K, Tom talks about Loki Season 2, and we all celebrate House of Usher, plus Exorcist: Believer has inspired our podcast theme, which is the best and worst legacy sequels.

This week, Phil reviews the Hisense U8K 4K MiniLED TV and also looks at what budget TVs now have to offer viewers looking for value. Plus, Ed reports back from the UK HiFi Show Live 2023 event and checks out the Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3 standmount speaker. There's also the usual round up of the latest AV and Hi-Fi news.

This week we go to the cinema for Gareth "Rogue One" Edwards' latest The Creator, turn to Netflix for the Benicio del Toro-led crime thriller, Reptile, switch aspect ratios for Disney's surprisingly great 4K release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, investigate Studiocanal's The Others 4K and revisit their release of Cutthroat Island on 4K, plus we'll take a look at the other works of Renny "Clif...

This week, Phil reports back from the Philips' OLED+908 launch event on the latest TV to sport MLA technology. While Ed examines the Avid Accent integrated amp and looks at what really makes an audio review useful for a consumer.

This week Mark takes a look at Poirot's A Haunting in Venice and Sleepy Hollow in 4K; Simon discusses why you need the Psycho Collection on 4K and how Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse might be one of the best films of the year and one of the best 4K releases of the year too, whilst I check out some streaming movies, wave 2 of The Film Vault Collection with Apollo 13's 4K set, and revisit Batman...

This week, Phil looks at Panasonic's flagship MZ2000 OLED TV to discover whether the MLA and heatsink technology onboard push peak brightness past its rivals. The Yamaha Aventage RX-A4A AV receiver and REL 212/SX subwoofer are also up for review and Ed sizes up the New Classic NSC 222 and NAP 250 preamp and amp duo from Naim. There's also the usual round-up of all of the latest AV and Hi-Fi news.

This week we take a look at Fast X on 4K, The Wicker Man's 50th Anniversary 4K set, and Blood and Black Lace 4K, plus the latest TV shows, with Mark Dacascos entering Bruce Lee's Warrior Season 3, the return of Apple's Invasion, and an update on Star Wars - Ahsoka, whilst we review The Last Voyage of the Demeter, unceremoniously pulled from UK cinemas and likely to land on streaming at some time i...

This week we take a look at the first in DC's new wave, Blue Beetle, and the movie with the best engine noises, Gran Turismo, both at the cinema, Gal Gadot's disposable actioner Heart of Stone on Netflix, and the digital releases of Jennifer Lawrence’s No Hard Feelings and Pixar's Elemental, look at the 4K discs of Razorback and Arrow's Weird Science, more Bruce Lee with Enter the Dragon on 4K, US...

This week, Phil reviews his first Panasonic TV of the year, the mid range MZ980 OLED, while the Ascendo ‘sub and sat’ home cinema speakers get an in depth check over from Doug. Martin puts the Primare A35.8 power amp through its paces plus, Phil and Jules talk about Calman Autocal and if it will threaten traditional professional calibration.

This week we take a look at the insane marketing monolith that is Barbenheimer, with Barbie having pulled in over a billion and Oppenheimer extending its run at IMAX; we commiserate the missed opportunity of a Ben Wheatley blockbuster with Meg 2, enjoy the Spider-Verse vibe of the surprisingly good Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle: Mutant Mayhem, and check out Gerard Butler's latest, Kandahar, coming s...

This week we preview Hisense's affordable U7K Mini LED TV and look at two rather specialised AV devices; the ZVOX AV157 AccuVoice soundbar and the low profile Earthquake 'Couch Potato' CP8 subwoofer. And we ask why there can be such a price discrepancy between AV products aimed at the UK and US markets. Plus there'll be the usual round up of all of the latest home cinema and Hi-Fi news.

This week we take a look at Tom Cruise's latest must-see hit, the epic Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1, and wonder whether 2023 blockbuster entertainment could get any better than that; we cover Wes Anderson's latest, Asteroid City, which is less engaging than the associated exhibition that’s running to celebrate the film in London, as well as Netflix's Bird Box spin-off, and a number...

This week Phil gets hands-on with Panasonic's 2023 TV line-up at the company's UK facility and also gives us his initial impression of Samsung's flagship QN95C mini LED TV. Plus, Doug updates us with his recent reviews of Perlisten's R-Series speaker package and the Marantz Cinema 60 AVR while Ed has a new set of music recommendations. There's also the usual round up of all of the latest AV and Hi...

This week we're going to argue - a little - about Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and its CG, and argue - a little - about Avatar: The Way of Water, and its CG, on 4K, also looking at old school practical effects in Ronin's outstanding US 4K from Kino, catching up on surprisingly classic cruise in 4K, with The Firm and Vanilla Sky in the UK, and Rain Man in the US, and discuss loads of TV,...

This week we discuss Panasonic's OLED TV lineup for 2023 including its flagship MZ2000 with the new MLA panel. Phil's also been testing Samsung's new S95C OLED flagship with a 2nd generation QD-OLED panel and gives a preview of his findings, while Jules discusses his latest display calibration training venture. Plus there's the usual round up of all of the latest AV and Hi-Fi news.

This week we take a look at The Flash and Transformers 7 at the cinemas, and wonder why better films like Netflix's Extraction 2 are landing on streaming, we review the latest John Wick Chapter 4 on demo worthy 4K, the dino-sci-fi 65 on 4K, celebrate the return of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds with the Season 2 opener, survive Black Mirror Season 6, trash The Idol and Crowded Room, and get all nos...

This week, we speak with Spears & Munsil about their new UHD benchmarking package, Phil reviews the LG G3 MLA OLED Evo TV, Ian tells us about the Vision Pro reality headset from Apple and Martin tells us about the Klipsch The Sevens Powered Speakers. In our Hi-Fi section, Ed talks iFi Audio iCan Phantom headphone amplifier and Focal Theva No2 Speakers.