Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 4K Review

Panasonic lumix dmc-gh4 4k review. While the Panasonic GH3 is widely regarded as a great compact system camera for shooting video, its stills capability has been rather overlooked. Panasonic is hoping that the GH4 will gain more respect as a stills camera but its headline specification is its ability to shoot Ultra High Definition 4K (4,096x2,160-pixel) video.

Panasonic has clearly invested a lot of time and effort in improving on the GH3 for the GH4, and the new camera has an extensive list of new or enhanced features. However, some may be surprised to learn that the sensor's pixel count has stayed the same at 16.05 million, even though the sensor is completely new. Outwardly, the GH4 also looks almost identical to the GH3 and has a very similar arrangement of controls.

Features
Panasonic is keen to point out that any improvements made to allow 4K video recording also have a beneficial impact on still image quality. For example, because 4K recording is so demanding in processor power, the new 16.05-million-pixel Digital Live MOS sensor is coupled with the Venus Engine IX processor (the Panasonic GX7 has the Venus Engine VIII; the GH3 has the VII version), which is a quad-core processor. In addition, the sensor has twice the read-out speed of the GH3, reaching 200Mbps. This should mean improved autofocussing (AF) speeds and better noise control.

Clearly the company is confident of the GH4's noise control: sensitivity may be set in the native range of ISO 200-25,600, with ISO 100 as an expansion setting. In comparison, the GH3 has a range of ISO 200-12,800, with expansion settings of ISO 125 and ISO 12,800-25,600.

Thanks to the new processor, the GH4 can shoot continuously at up to 12fps (frames per second) in Single-AF mode with a UHS-III SD Card installed. This rate drops to 7.5fps in continuous autofocus mode. Further refinements on the GH3 include an increase in the number of selectable AF points from 23 to 49, focus peaking to help manual focussing, and zebra display to indicate highlights that are close to burning out.

Build and handling
There are only a few noticeable differences in the appearance of the GH4 in comparison with the GH3. They are closely matched in size and weight, and have an almost identical control layout. However, the eye-cup around the electronic viewfinder is slightly larger on the GH4 to offer a little more shade from strong sunlight. There's also a lock button at the centre of the mode dial to prevent it from being knocked out of position. This lock is our preferred type, which clicks to lock or unlock that so the button doesn't need to be held down when rotating the dial.

As before, the GH4 has a magnesium alloy body that is dust- and splash-proof, and it has the same solid feel as the camera it replaces. But Panasonic has bolstered the GH4's durability by giving its shutter a life-span of 200,000 cycles, double that of the GH3.

Like the electronic viewfinder, the 3-inch LCD rear display offers a very clear view, thanks to its 1,036k-dot resolution. Images look great on it, as there's a very pleasing level of contrast. It's also very responsive to the touch, making it a convenient way of selecting AF point and other setting options.

Performance
As a general rule, the GH4 produces great looking images with good exposure, pleasing contrast, natural colours and lots of detail. Zooming in to 100% on-screen reveals that some JPEG images don't have quite the fine detail or micro-contrast that we see from other cameras, but they look great at sensible viewing sizes.

As is often the case, the GH4's simultaneously captured raw files have more detail. At higher sensitivity settings they also have more noise, but this can be dealt with on an image-by-image basis to produce a good result.

Noise is controlled well throughout the sensitivity range, but detail isn't maintained quite as well as in the Fujifilm X-T1, for example, at higher sensitivity settings.

At 100% on-screen, JPEGs look good up to around ISO 3,200. Above this figure, softening becomes more apparent. Raw files have chroma noise visible at 100% from around ISO 800, but it's within acceptable limits, and as we've mentioned before, can be subjected to reduction as required. By ISO 12,800, however, raw files need careful editing to conceal noise and preserve detail. ISO 25,600 gives respectable results but, as is often the case, is best kept for emergencies.

Panasonic claims that the GH4's autofocus system can operate down to an incredible -4EV. Our testing indicates that with the right lens, it is quite a bit better in low light than previous G-series cameras. We were impressed by how quickly it was able to focus with the new Leica DG Notricon 42.5mm f/1.2 ASPH OIS in dim conditions, but this is a super-fast lens with a price to match.

Panasonic's 12-35mm f/2.8 lens, which gives a focal length range equivalent to the popular 24-70mm on a full-frame camera, also delivers sharp subjects quickly, but we found the new 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens a little more variable – especially at the telephoto end.

In good light, the AF system is generally very fast and it can keep pace with moving subjects when the AF point is in the correct location. Tracking AF mode has also improved, but it can't be relied upon to follow a fast moving subject around the frame.

The autofocus system changes pace when movies are being recorded. A touch of the screen to change focus point sees the focus shift smoothly and comparatively slowly, creating a professional-looking result.

Panasonic's metering and white balance systems have been found to be good performers in the past, and the GH4 doesn't disappoint in either respect. The camera's automatic white balance system produces convincing results in a wide range of lighting conditions. In natural light, the results you get when shooting using the Automatic setting are often indistinguishable from those taken using the Daylight setting.

Although the GH4 has the usual trio of metering modes (Multiple, Centre-weighted and Spot), we found that the general-purpose 1,728-zone multi-pattern metering delivers great results in most situations. There were relatively few occasions when we had to use the exposure compensation facility to adjust exposure.

As usual, the GH4 is supplied with ISL's Silkypix software for editing images and converting raw files. In reality, few GH4 owners are likely to use Silkypix in preference to Adobe's more refined and better-specified options: Photoshop CC, Lightroom 5 or Elements 12. Silkypix has most of the controls you need, but it isn't especially intuitive or pleasant to use. Adobe's recent update to its Camera Raw plug-in (version 8.5) makes GH4 raw file processing possible with the Photoshop family.

We haven't been able to test the GH4's video capability extensively, but it's clear that it produces highquality footage. As with the camera's still images, exposure, white balance and colour all look good, and there's plenty of detail visible.

Verdict
As Panasonic has stuck with the same pixel count as the GH3 for the GH4, it doesn't make really significant strides with detail resolution, but the images do look a little nicer straight from the camera, and noise is better controlled. The GH4 also takes a step forward in autofocussing:, it's fast and accurate in most situations and can focus on subjects in pretty low light.

Somehow, holding the GH4 doesn't instil the same level of excitement as picking up the Olympus E-M10 or one of Fujifilm's X-series CSCs, but it combines all the modern technologies that we like: a high-resolution electronic viewfinder; a vari-angle screen that's touch-sensitive; the ability to shoot raw and JPEG images when using Creative Control filter effects; and Wi-Fi connectivity that allows the camera to be controlled remotely.

Perhaps the lack of excitement is largely because the GH4 has a modern SLR-like design rather than the retro-styling of the Olympus and Fujifilm cameras. Nevertheless, the GH4 is an excellent camera that encourages creativity and is weather and dust-proof, so it can be used in a wide range of conditions.

We say: The GH4 has some of our most sought-after features: a high-resolution EVF, a vari-angle screen that's touch-sensitive and Wi-Fi connectivity. It's also weather and dust-proof and takes great-looking images.

The Specs
Sensor : 16.05MP Micro Four Thirds format (17.3x13mm)
Focal length conversion : 2x
Memory : SD/SDHC/SDXC
Viewfinder : OLED Electronic viewfinder (EVF) with 2,359,000 dots (approx 100% cover)
Video resolution : 4K (4,096x2,160) and Full HD (1,920x1,080p)
ISO range : 200-25,600; expandable to 100-25,600
Autofocus points : 49
Max burst rate : 12fps Single AF, 7.5fps Continuous AF
LCD screen size : 3-inch; 1,036,000 dots
Shutter speeds : 1/8,000-60 sec plus Bulb to 60 mins
Weight : 480g (body only)
Dimensions : 132.9x93.4x83.9mm
Power supply : Li-ion battery (included)

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EA Sports UFC Game Review

EA Sports UFC Game Review. It's clear that EA's UFC team bleeds martial arts. Everything about its new title – from the integration of UFC-branded videos to a roster including everyone from Jon “Bones” Jones to Ronda Rousey – has been painstakingly shaped into one of the most realistic depictions of the sport to date. The attention to detail makes the experience feel authentic, though
not highly approachable. Don't expect UFC to be like Fight Night, transcending its target audience to reach a broader range. Only those with the determination of an athlete can master UFC's complex fighting systems and enjoy everything this title has to offer.

If your approach to most fighting games is to dial in the strongest combos then block whenever you think your opponent is going to swing for your head, you won't get far in UFC. Even when both of your feet are firmly on the ground, you have a lot more to think about than life bars. You can come out of the gate swinging, but that gasses your fighter quickly, making it easier for your opponent to slip past your defenses. Advance strikes cause more damage, but they also cost more stamina and are easier for your opponent to counter, and blocking becomes less effective the longer you play turtle. This creates a fighting system that is more about strategizing and reacting to your opponent than it is mastering a combo sheet.

More than with most fighting games, I found that I had to pace myself with UFC, which resulted in slower and more methodical matches. I eventually got into the groove of measuring out my attacks while I blocked incoming strikes, but mixing up your moves to maximize your speed is just as important. Fans of twitchy, hyper-reactive fighters will immediately be turned off by UFC's footwork, which is as much about positioning and managing stamina as it is button combos. Since there are no on-screen health bars, knowing when your opponent is going down for the count is difficult. This pulled me into the action more and made me think twice about pushing my attack when it left me exposed.

However, even if you master the ground game, you won't be invincible in the octagon. A good portion of UFC's action is about grappling your opponents and taking them to the mat to ratchet up the pain with a submission takedown. If you're weak in any of the areas of the sport, your opponents leverage that against you. Just like a real MMA fighter, you have to know your weaknesses and be prepared to defend against them.

I struggled with the ground game initially, since UFC's many different systems are overwhelming at first. After a bit of practice, I got a handle on transitioning for better positions so I could pepper my opponents with quick jabs or snake my arms around them for a match-ending armbar or spine-grinding twister submission. It takes a long time to get used to the controls, and even after playing for hours you might still occasionally fumble for the wrong button combo and leave yourself exposed to attack.

Defending against transitions or escapes requires players to counter their opponents' power plays with well-timed movements of the analog stick. Which positions provide you with the best leverage aren't always clear, and I was sometimes unsure when I should initiate a submission hold. Once you're placed in a submission, you're thrown into a minigame that has you flicking the analog sticks in various directions to twist out of the hold, and escaping someone's hold is nearly as fun as applying the pressure yourself.

EA has taken all of these different fighting mechanics and packaged them into a career fighter mode that has players working their way through the UFC's reality television show The Ultimate Fighter in order to win a contract with the UFC and ultimately a shot at the championship belt. I appreciated the added context for why I was fighting, and loved watching my stats slowly tick up as I won match after match. I also enjoyed tinkering with my game plans, which were basically a series of perks that improve your fighter's abilities, such as increasing your stamina regeneration or improving your striking. Unfortunately, the career story is barebones, and each match is buffered by a series of repetitive training exercises and hollow interactions with real UFC fighters. Players interested in truly testing their mettle on the mat are better off finding breathing opponents or working towards one of the online championship belts.

EA Sports UFC isn't the easiest fighter to learn – it's a complex beast that rewards dedicated warriors who are driven to succeed. Each match plays out like a chess match where combatants feel out their opponents' strategies and exploit openings. EA's attention to detail might feel unnatural to fighting fans weaned on titles like Street Fighter and Smash Bros., but UFC's methodical pacing will knock out MMA enthusiasts.

Style: 1-Player Fighting (2-Player Online)
Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: EA Canada
Release: June 17
Rating: T

LG G3 3GB Ram Review

LG G3 3GB Ram Review. LG's flagship smartphone, the G3, has finally landed. With a huge, 5.5in Quad HD display and a host of upgrades over its predecessor, the G2, the G3 is gunning for its top-flight Android rivals.

The big news is the display. LG has opted for a 5.5in, 1,440 x 2,560 IPS panel — the highest resolution we've seen on a smartphone. It delivers unearthly levels of detail — snap a picture with the rear-facing 13-megapixel camera and it's possible to see almost every speck of detail without the need to zoom in.

Tested with our X-Rite colorimeter, the G3's display is technically capable, too. Brightness peaks at 457cd/m2, and colour accuracy is largely on target. Only the modest contrast ratio of 788:1 disappoints; the G3 fails to dredge up as much detail in darker images as its rivals.

Disappointingly, once the phone warms up, the display brightness is automatically reduced to prevent overheating. This reduces the screen brightness from 457cd/m2 to 310cd/m2, which is far less legible in sunny conditions. After a few minutes more, it dims further; to 269cd/m2, although the indicated brightness percentage level doesn't change. Clearly, LG is using aggressive power-saving measures to cope with the demands of the pixel-packed screen.

The G3 gets all the essentials spot on, though. The plastic rear mimics brushed metal, and it doesn't feel cheap: the smooth, curved body is great to hold. At 149g, it's reasonably light, too. There's 16GB of onboard storage, plus a microSD slot hidden behind the removable battery, and the phone's punchy 1W speaker is loud enough for both music and hands-free phone calls.

Android 4.4.2 has received a tasteful LG makeover and a heap of new features. Knock Code makes a reappearance, allowing you to unlock the phone with a sequence of finger taps, and the G3 can be "knocked" into life by double-tapping the display, rather than reaching for the power button. The familiar interface has been tweaked to employ simple, pastel-coloured shades and rounded icons, and garnished with a sprinkling of apps and widgets.

Like Samsung's recent handsets, the G3's Dual Window feature allows a selection of apps to be run simultaneously side by side. The QSlide feature allows certain apps to be run as resizable floating windows, too: it's possible to have two split-screen apps in the background and a third QSlide app floating on top, for instance.

There's one area where LG has made a serious misstep. Despite the phone's pixel-dense screen, an image-sharpening filter is applied to all onscreen content. Everything — including text, icons, web pages and snaps taken by the camera —is fringed with halos. Annoyingly, this feature can't be disabled.

The pixel-dense display causes other problems, too. Despite being powered by the same 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 CPU as the Samsung Galaxy 55 (web ID: 388234) and sporting 3GB of RAM, the G3's benchmark scores aren't quite on par with those of its flagship rivals.

Our usual suite of benchmarks saw the G3 finish the SunSpider test in 692ms, ahead of the Sony Xperia Z2 (web ID: 388717) — 920ms — but well off the 391ms pace of the Galaxy 55. Oddly, the G3's Geekbench 3 results were around 19% behind those of its key rivals, with a single-core score of 829 and a multi-core score of 2,205.

The G3 also lagged behind its Full HD counterparts in our gaming tests. Although it has the same Adreno 330 GPU, the G3 has to power 77% more pixels. In the GFXBench T-Rex test, the LG struggled to an average frame rate of 19.9fps.

Behind the gorgeous metal-effect rear lies a 3,000mAh battery. In GFXBench's battery test, this lasted 2hrs 58mins, putting the G3 only 11 minutes behind the long-lasting Xperia Z2. The display took its toll in our video-rundown test, however: the G3 consumed 9.1 % of its battery capacity per hour; the Galaxy 55, Xperia Z2 and HTC One (M8) (web ID: 387769) used between 5.2% and 6.5%.

The G3's camera is a high point. The 13-megapixel sensor has a laser autofocus system for taking quick-draw snaps, and it certainly delivers — crisp shots are captured almost instantaneously. Given the potential for split-second photo opportunities, we were pleased with the results: the G3 captured some great action shots.

It's not infallible, of course —there were still plenty of photos featuring a blurry subject framed by a pin-sharp background — but the G3 is capable of taking cracking snaps. The 30fps 4K video recording is impressive, too, with near-photographic levels of detail and smooth motion.

On paper, the G3 looks like it's capable of landing some knockout blows on its premium smartphone rivals. In reality, however, the pixel-packed screen is of no practical benefit, and LG has had to compromise brightness and battery life as a result.

The LG G3 remains a good handset, but, with rivals delivering a more balanced performance for similar money, this isn't the Android giant-killer we've been waiting for.

Key Specs
2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 CPU, Adreno 330 GPU, 3GB RAM, 16GB storage, 5.5in 1,440 x 2,560 display, 4G Bluetooth, 4 NFC, 802.11 ac Wi-Fi, microSD, 13MP/2.1MP rear/front cameras, 4K video, 3,000mAh battery, 1 yr RTB warranty, 146 x 8.9 x 75mm (WDH) 149g

Check price at newegg.com

Everybody's Gone To The Rapture Game Review

Everybody's Gone To The Rapture Game Review. Most post-apocalyptic settings depict the end of civilization as we know it. Our cities lie in ruin, covered in grey ash and the bones of our fallen. This isn't the case with The Chinese Room's newest title, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture. In a brief 20-minute demo at E3, creative director Dan Pinchbeck talked about the Cold War and the end of times, but the world he invited us into is serene, beautiful, and a snapshot of prosperity for a farm town on the outskirts of London, circa 1984.

Although Pinchbeck never details the character he is controlling in the demo, we find this person standing on a dirt road overlooking a wheat field on the left, and an autumn forest (dense with orange and green leaves) on the right. The world is inviting and calm, and Pinchbeck moves through it slowly, giving us the time to soak in the details created using Cry Engine, such as how a gentle breeze affects the wheat. As he moves forward, a red phone off to his right rings. His character picks up the receiver, but never says anything as the voice details what sounds like a catastrophe. Before we can truly understand what is happening, the call ends, and Pinchbeck continues forward along the road.

Insects, birds, and wildlife scurrying through the foliage are seen, but something in the world seems off; other than the voice on the phone, there are no other human beings. This village looks to be in tip-top shape and fully functional, yet it's been abandoned.

Deeper into the village, we see something that doesn't quite fit into the world – a golden orb is floating over the road, moving somewhat frantically, leaving behind a trail in its wake. The orb seems to be summoning Pinchbeck to follow it. He does just that and is led to a stone bridge, providing safe passage over a creek. The orb darts away and two ghostly figures appear on the bridge. One is female, the other male. We learn they have a daughter, and that the father works too much. They also discuss a coming storm that could cause an electromagnetic disruption. The spirits leave the bridge and
continue down the road, but Pinchbeck doesn't follow them.

Pinchbeck says the narrative is nonlinear, and most players will experience it differently. The particular meeting of the ghosts on the bridge will only happen once, and by not following them he's going to miss out on part of their story. It's up to the player to hunt down the narrative and piece the threads together to find out what happened to the people of the world.

The orb, which Pinchbeck describes as one of five A.I. characters players get to know, leads us to a farmhouse. A car parked outside is filled with supplies, like oxygen masks and rations. From what we can see, the car was loaded up
quickly, and in a panic.

Inside of the house, Pinchbeck barely has time to glance over at the living room before a swirl of particles engulfs his character, giving him a brief glimpse of a wheelchair in a small bedroom. Reality flashes back into frame, and Pinchbeck explores the house. Upstairs he comes across the wheelchair and room. No other clues come from it, other than the possibility of the oxygen tanks possibly being for a sick loved one, and not an airborne toxin as originally believed.

Pinchbeck's last stop in the house is a kitchen. Its countertops are overrun with spoiled foods and supplies. He proceeds out the backdoor and the orb leads him to a giant tree. The crackling of energy and a swirl of particles appears again, this time forcing Pinchbeck to rotate the PlayStation 4 controller to make the swirls align. The screen flashes white and the demo ends.

We didn't see much, yet walked away from Everybody's Gone to the Rapture with dozens of questions pertaining to the game and its fiction. It was the slowest and most uneventful E3 demo I've ever seen, yet one of the most intriguing, thanks to the narrative hooks. It looks like The Chinese Room has a hell of a mystery on its hands.

The only question about the game that Pinchbeck definitively answered is that there are no fail states. “The only fail state for us is the player doesn't care,” he says.

Platform: PlayStation 4
Style: 1-Player Adventure
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: The Chinese Room/Sony Santa Monica
Release: TBA

Dynaudio Excite 5.1 Dynaudio Home Theater System Review

Like Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit, Dynaudio's latest Excite speaker range is on a quest. In this case, to unite the armies of high-end and budget audio buyers to defeat the dragon of bad sound quality. These speakers are designed to sound great with any partnering kit, from entry-level amps right up to reference gear.

Dynaudio hopes to achieve this in a couple of ways. Firstly, the sonic characteristics of Dynaudio's tweeters and mid/bass drivers – all of which have been developed and built in-house in Skanderborg, Denmark – allow them to deliver sound quality that's, I'm told, 'virtually independent' of the amplifier used. Secondly, their high impedance (8 ohms) and avoidance of impedance drops means they should work well with medium-powered amps and receivers.

5.1-channel speaker package. Position: One step up from the entry-level DM series, but below the Focus.

This new incarnation of the Excite range comprises four models – the X34 and top-end X38 floorstanders (£2,000 and £2,850 per pair respectively), the £620 X24 centre speaker and the compact X14 bookshelf (£900 per pair). We're using a pair of X34s, a pair of X14s and the X24, plus the £1,550 Sub 600 woofer.

The speakers comes in lacquer and real-wood veneer finishes. The more contemporary lacquer finish is available in black or white, while your wood options are Walnut or Rosewood. Dynaudio sent the Rosewood version, which looks suitably classy and distinguished.

The X34 is a handsome if unremarkable floorstander. Dynaudio hasn't tried anything clever or look-at-me with the cabinet, sticking with a classic box shape, although the tapered front corners break up the straight lines. Anyone worried about the impact of these floorstanders on carpet space can rest assured that they're relatively slim and discreet, measuring 950mm tall by 170mm wide.

Build quality is superb. Lift one up and there's a satisfying heft to the cabinet, and all the bits and pieces are firmly bolted together. The lacquer finishes no doubt add an extra sense of luxury, but the wood veneer's matt texture is pleasant to the touch. The cabinet can sit on four resonance-absorbing feet or adjustable spikes.

A coated fabric dome tweeter is used across the Excite ran.

The X34s come with a cloth grille held on by hidden magnets, giving them a clean, minimal look. Peel them off , however, and the old-school wood finish is attractively juxtaposed by silver driver surrounds, peppered with screws that create an industrial vibe.

Unsurprisingly at this price, the X34s off er bespoke technologies. The driver array comprises two Magnesium Silicate Polymer (MSP) mid/bass cones with lightweight aluminium wire voice coils, above which sits a specially-coated fabric dome tweeter. Identical driver technology is employed in the X24 centre, except the dual mid/bass cones flank the tweeter in the horizontally aligned cabinet. There's an integrated metal base that angles the speaker upwards towards your ears. Again, build quality is exemplary and the slender cabinet shouldn't cause installation headaches. The X14 is the most compact Excite speaker to date. Basically a mini-me version of the X34s, it's designed to sit on a tabletop or the optional 3X stand.

Rounding off the system is the Sub 600, which isn't part of the Excite family but offers a blockbuster spec and similarly smart design a sealed enclosure weighing 21kg and built like a tank, it's Dynaudio's most advanced woofer, partnering its 12in forward-facing driver with a 300W amplifier. Getting it hooked up in a home cinema environment is a doddle, with the LFE input joined by a phase switch, plus gain and crossover dials. It also doff s a hat to two-channel setups where processor-based bass management will not be an option by offering full bandwidth input and a high-pass filter to cut off low frequencies at 60Hz or 80Hz, before passing the audio signal on via its 'SAT' speaker output. There's also an LFE output for daisy-chaining additional subs.

Filling the room
After rigging up the Excite system to an Onkyo TX-NR818 – not a high-end receiver by any stretch but equally no slouch in the power department – it does indeed deliver impressive results. This is a refined, effortless listen, taking blockbuster soundmixes like The Desolation of Smaug in its stride. Its sound is fast and detailed with a crisp leading edge, and it musters a big room-filling soundstage when the material demands it.

The riotous 'Orc Attack' chapter is the perfect showcase for the system's talents. In the build-up, orcs creep across the rooftops and their gentle footsteps are audible thanks to the speakers' terrific detail and sensitivity, while Bolg's subtle growl is similarly lucid. When they launch their attack, the 'thunk' of feet landing on wooden floors sounds solid and realistic. Every effect is delivered with clarity and conviction, from creaking floorboards to snarling orcs, and as Tauriel and Legolas start slicing up their assailants, the metallic chink of their blades is incisive.

The chunky binding posts on all the speakers ensure cables fit nice and tightly.

The powerhouse subwoofer plays an integral part, layering every sound with deep bass. There's plenty of slam, demonstrated every time an orccrashes through the roof – the crunch of splintering wood is bolstered by a fast, forceful bass punch.

It's also seamlessly integrated and gels everything together. This lends authority to dialogue, particularly the Necromancer's – his menacing voice is locked to the centre of the front stage while the tweeters tease out the sibilance and ethereal effects.

Switch to a bigger scene and Excite's sense of scale makes it easy to suspend disbelief. As Smaug stomps around the caverns of Erebor you'll really believe his size and heft, thanks to the subwoofer's convincing treatment of his footsteps and bellowing roar.

Surround presentation is also impressive – effects from the X14 surrounds are clean and precise, and the echoes that ring out around the hall create an amazing sense of space and distance. As the dragon passes while the dwarves cross the bridge, the swooshing noise and its throaty gurgle sweep between channels with a smooth, consistent tone.

However, I do feel the Excite array could do with more bite and dynamism to bring the excitement levels up a notch. It has a highly enjoyable sonic character, but even with my eager-sounding Onkyo it's a tad reserved.

Is its sound more suited to music? I dusted off a 48kHz/24-bit DVD-Audio disc of a terrific Japanese jazz album called Variations by Atagiin, skipped to the stunning 5.1 mix of What The World Needs Now Is Love and luxuriated in this system's expressive presentation and confident staging. The sax and oboe solos are cleanly separated and precisely located, while crystal-clear surround information placed me right in the middle of the performance. The full-bodied double bass that plays the song's timeless melody is pinned to the centre and accentuated by the fine pluck of the strings, while gorgeous piano chords and delicate brushed drums drift gracefully around it.

Cost considerations
Another concern is the price. This 5.1 array packs a sparkling performance, but having heard, for instance, Monitor Audio's £2,800 6AV12, I didn't really perceive the huge step up in quality I expected from a system costing over £2,000 more. So, in short, Dynaudio's new package sounds delightful, with a measured and balanced output, but falls short
of Best Buy status.

Specifications

EXCITE X34 FLOORSTANDERS
DRIVE UNITS: 2 x 5in MSP mid/bass drivers; 1 x 1in coated fabric dome tweeter
ENCLOSURE: Bass reflex
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 37Hz-23kHz
SENSITIVITY: 86dB
POWER HANDLING: 200W
DIMENSIONS: 170(w) x 929(h) x 270(d)mm
WEIGHT: 17kg

EXCITE X24 CENTRE
DRIVE UNITS: 2 x 4in MSP mid/bass drivers; 1 x 1in coated fabric dome tweeter
ENCLOSURE: Bass reflex
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 55Hz-23kHz
SENSITIVITY: 84dB
POWER HANDLING: 150W
DIMENSIONS: 500(w) x 145(h) x 210(d)mm
WEIGHT: 8kg

EXCITE X14 SURROUNDS
DRIVE UNITS: 1 x 5in MSP mid/bass drivers; 1 x 1in coated fabric dome tweeter
ENCLOSURE: Bass reflex
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 50Hz-23kHz
SENSITIVITY: 85dB
POWER HANDLING: 150W
DIMENSIONS: 170(w) x 285(h) x 255(d)mm
WEIGHT: 6.5kg

SUB 600 SUBWOOFER
DRIVE UNITS: 1 x 12in woofer
ENCLOSURE: Sealed cabinet
LOW FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 22Hz-200Hz
ON BOARD POWER: 300W
REMOTE CONTROL: No
DIMENSIONS: 350(w) x 370(h) x 420(d)mm
WEIGHT: 21kg
CONNECTIONS: Stereo phono input and
output; LFE input and output

PROS:
Excellent build quality;
polished sound with crisp detail;
deep, seamlessly integrated bass;
impressive scale and speed

CONS:
Could be a little more attacking;
more affordable rivals also impress

View detail specs at dynaudio.com

Dying Light Game Review

Dying Light Game Review. You've got to be nimble if you don't want to become a zombie's dinner during an undead apocalypse. Dead Island developer Techland understands this, and lets players become zombie-dodging parkour masters in this first-person openworld adventure.

During a recent hands-on session with Dying Light, I got a sense for how players become more capable urban runners throughout the game. Early on, your character can slowly but surely mount high ledges, leap across gaps, and slide under narrow openings. Jumping forward in the story, movement speed becomes more fluid and allows you to flee faster and more elegantly move through the city. Killing zombies and completing missions lets you level up and choose new skills, like a jump kick or side dodge.

Exploring the tropical setting and scavenging scrap also lets players craft and modify devastating melee weapons. Guns like pistols and machineguns are available, but custom implements of destruction like flaming machetes and electrified axes do the trick with pizazz. These brutal melee weapons feel similar to how they did in Dead Island, but with added visceral impact and gore only possible on the most powerful hardware.

Dying Light plays well and looks stunning in these short hands-on previews, but we won't know its full potential until we're able to survive sunset to sunrise with three other zombie killers . At this point in development, Techland appears to be applying lessons from the buggybut-fun Dead Island to make a more polished apocalypse.

Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Style: 1-Player Action (4-Player Online)
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Developer: Techland
Release: 2015

Philips 55PFS6609 LED HD 1080p 3D Smart TV 55" Review

Philips 55PFS6609 LED HD 1080p 3D Smart TV 55 inch review. In 2014 Philips appears to be focusing on value. As well as securing a seemingly popular berth in Argos with some seriously affordable entry-level models, the brand is out to woo more discerning but cash-conscious viewers by aggressively pricing its mid-range sets. This 55in LED TV, for instance, costs only £1,000.

Philips 55PFS6609 LED HD 1080p 3D Smart TV 55" Review

Thankfully, the 55PFS6609 doesn't look cheap. In fact, with a gorgeously high quality aluminium frame wrapped around the screen and its glossy white rear, it's one of the prettiest TVs I've seen so far in 2014. Despite not being curved...

Of course, it doesn't exactly hurt the 55PFS6609's aesthetics that it's equipped with Ambilight, where LEDs down its left and right sides throw out coloured light that can be matched with remarkable tonal and positional accuracy to the content of the image you're watching. To live with Ambilight for any amount of time is to not want to live without it again, even with this two-sided iteration (a four-sided version graces high-end sets)

Need for Speed crashes into your cinema on Blu-ray

Network-savvy
Connectivity on the 55PFS6609 is strong, with four HDMIs, two USBs, and the usual Ethernet and Wi-Fi network options. The USBs support playback of a wide variety of multimedia file formats, while the network options support both DLNA streaming from connected devices and access to the latest Philips Smart TV online platform.

This platform is improved from 2013's rather ropey effort. It runs much less sluggishly for a start, despite using more complex and high-resolution graphics, and it's upped its content levels a bit so that highlights now include Netflix, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport, BBC News, Blinkbox, Spotify and YouTube. However, the continuing lack of any 4OD, Demand 5, ITV Player and Amazon Instant Video support – together with the fact that its built-in content recommendation system seems to work with only a very limited number of potential sources – means it's still only a B-lister in Smart terms. Philips does at least seem to be moving in the right direction, but it's doing so rather slowly.

Philips' menu system has been retweaked for 2014 and is easier to navigate, but note that this set doesn't feature the Android Smart platform that was announced at CES – we expect those screens to surface in the Autumn.

Presumably as part of its bid to be more aggressive on price, Philips has fitted the 55PFS6609 with its second-tier Pixel Precise HD processing system rather than its top-tier Perfect Pixel HD system. This is a pity given that I've consistently found the top-level system to deliver superior motion processing and noise reduction. But Pixel Precise HD is nonetheless an extremely powerful tool in the context of the TV world, delivering key elements here of a 400Hz-emulating motion compensation system (made up of a combination of a native 100Hz refresh rate, frame interpolation and backlight blinking); multiple noise reduction systems; and various modes for boosting sharpness and contrast.

In fact, the quantity of picture adjustments the 55PFS6609 provides is so extensive that it can make it a bit tiresome to use, particularly as some of the processing elements can do more harm than good. For instance, I'd suggest not using the noise reduction or sharpness boosting systems at all, at least with HD sources, and urge extreme caution with the motion and colour processing options, leaving both only on their lowest-strength settings if you don't want pictures to start looking overly molested. In fact, you may not want to bother with the HD Natural Motion system at, all given that the 55PFS6609's native pictures aren't especially susceptible to LCD's motionblur problems.

The Sharpness of Smaug
This motion clarity plays a significant part in the TV's most noticeable picture strength: its exceptional sharpness when showing HD. The strikingly crisp transfer of the treasure halls in The Desolation of Smaug Blu-ray is done full justice; in fact, the quality of Philips' picture engine is such that you'd be forgiven for thinking at times that you were watching a picture containing more than the 1,920 x 1,080 pixels it offers.

Also helping the 55PFS6609 stand out from the crowd is an intense brightness and colour vibrancy to its imagery. This extremely potent look is down in part to the employment of a direct LED lighting system, rather than the more common edge-mounted approach, and the effect is so powerful at times that pictures look almost luminous. Naturally, this makes the set a good option for a bright room, as well as injecting gorgeous life into Peter Jackson's consistently rich-toned fantasy world.

The worry with a picture as bright as this is that black level response will take a bath, even more so as Philips doesn't apply a local dimming engine to the direct LED lighting. But mercifully, while it's not a classic black level performer, this 55in mid-ranger isn't the contrast disaster zone I'd feared. During the murky Spiders of Mirkwood sequence, for instance, there is a slight grey wash hanging over the darkest parts of the screen, but it's not severe enough to make the scene seem unconvincing – especially as the screen proves unusually good at reproducing shadow details in dark areas, giving the picture a sense of depth equivalent to that seen with bright content.

Also showing that the 55PFS6609's contrast performance is no mug is the way the TV manages to retain good vibrancy with colours during darker material, largely avoiding any ‘wash out' when handling low-lit content.

The 55in Philips comes with a stylish remote.

There are three serious gripes I have with the 55PFS6609's 2D images. First, the sharpness I mentioned comes with a little noise attached, as well as some slightly forced edging around Bilbo during some of Desolation's most contrast-rich images. Second, as hinted earlier, you have to spend time revisiting the TV's menus if you want to continually get the best picture results with different sources – something that the brand's rivals generally avoid. Third, my input lag measurements recorded a figure of 100ms, which makes the 55PFS6609 a problematic screen for serious gamers.

It is still strong overall with 2D, though. Alas, the same cannot be said of its 3D performance. At first glance all looks well, with the searing colour and brightness doing a great job of countering any dullness introduced by the active 3D glasses. And the Philips' sharpness works well at making the 3D world feel dense and real. However, all this good work is totally undone by vast quantities of crosstalk ghosting. This was so widespread and aggressive throughout the 3D version of The Desolation of Smaug (which features lots of largescale vista shots tailor-made to throw up crosstalk if a display is susceptible to it) that it made the film pretty much impossible to watch.

I can end on a positive note with the Philips' audio. This TV combines an open-sounding performance from its speakers with more bass than I'm commonly used to. This low-end did distort a bit when trying to reproduce some of the deepest Smaug-induced rumbles, but generally it contributes well to a solid all-round sonic display.

Nearly, but not quite
It's impossible not to feel a bit frustrated by the Philips 55PFS6609, as it limits its audience a little with its poor 3D and laggy gaming performance. Many, though, will not be bothered by either of those things and can't aff ord the (still considerable) financial step up to a good 4K screen. With that in mind, this glamorous-looking 55-incher is probably a bit of a bargain. It trades the last word in deep blacks for vibrancy and colour punch, but its HD visuals will still put a smile on your face.

Specifications
3D: Yes. Active
4K: No. 1,920 x 1,080
TUNER: Freeview HD
CONNECTIONS: 4 x HDMI; component video;
composite video; RGB Scart; 2 x USB, integrated Wi-Fi; Ethernet; RF input; CI slot; stereo audio output
SOUND: 20W
BRIGHTNESS (CLAIMED): 350cd/m2
CONTRAST RATIO (CLAIMED): N/A
DIMENSIONS (OFF STAND): 1,231(w) x 715(h) x 54(d)mm
WEIGHT: 17.4kg

FEATURES:
Pixel Precise HD processing;
Smart TV features including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Blinkbox, YouTube and internet browser;
two-sided Ambilight;
Ambilight + Hue support;
direct LED lighting;
Micro Dimming Pro system;
400HZ motion rate;
installation wizard;
My Remote app with Simply Share for mobile devices;
media file playback from DLNA & USB;
Miracast

PROS:
Stunning good looks;
bright, colourful, detailed pictures;
decent sonics;
strong value

CONS:
High input lag;
horribly ghosty 3D;
subwoofer occasionally distorts;
second-tier Smart platform

View complete specs and price

DriveClub Game Review

DriveClub Game Review. At this year's E3 we expected to see more of DriveClub's multiplayer functionality (namely the interaction your racer has with fellow crew members), but Evolution Studios instead gave us a demonstration of the dynamic weather conditions.

The sun is in the appropriate location for all of the real-world tracks, and moves accordingly with the changing of time. This may sound like a trivial detail, but the light source tied to the sun plays a large role in the racing. Clouds are not static images on the skybox. They move with the wind, and are different every time a race loads. A representative from Evolution Studios demonstrates this technology by showing us how a cloudbank can block out the sun, and dramatically affect the lighting on a track. The muted color palette makes it harder to pick out objects in the distance, and differentiate upcoming turns.

On a track set on a mountainous area in Scotland, the rain affects visibility and the driving conditions. We're told that the rain is not an illusion and that it is fully simulated across the region. Puddles form in certain areas on the track, and all of the cars kick up mist as they roar through them. Lights, roadside flags, and the terrain are all reflected on the slick roads. When the rain ends, the puddles evaporate based on the amount of wind at the time and the depth of the water.

The final demonstration is a blizzard that no person should ever be caught driving in. Cars just 20 feet in front of ours can hardly be seen and are mostly recognizable by their taillights.

All of the weather effects look fantastic, and if this technology plays out like Evolution Studios hopes it will, should elevate the difficulty and give players a sense of unease when driving toward dark clouds.

Evolution says that these beautiful sights can be captured in a photo mode, which they hope to add to the game at some point in 2014. DriveClub ships exclusively for PlayStation 4 on October 7.

Platform: PlayStation 4
Style: 1-Player Racing (12-Player Online)
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Evolution Studios
Release: October 7

Yamaha RX-V577 7.2-ch Wifi Network AV Receiver Review

Yamaha RX-V577 7.2-ch Wifi Network AV Receiver Review. THE $500 AVR market is more competitive than the sprint down the Champs-Élysées at the end of the Tour de France. These days, it's no good simply offering multichannel decoding and amplifi cation with the odd DSP mode and a raft of HDMI sockets. No: you have to spread the love and get your AVR to cosy up to all the other technological toys that are stuffed with entertainment content, including smartphones and servers. And the best way to do that is sans wires.

Yamaha RX-V577

Yamaha has more than made up for being a tad late to the Wi-Fi party by allowing its new RX-V577 to get its wireless tentacles into a number of connected services, including vTuner internet radio, DLNA streaming, AirPlay, HTC Connect and Spotify Connect. Yet proving that you can never have your cake and scoff it, absent from the mix is Bluetooth, although you can plumb in an optional Bluetooth receiver, at a cost of $50.

Another major AVR asset these days is an app for controlling your kit using a phone or tablet. Yamaha's AV Controller has been rather good for a few years, keeping the pace with the likes of Pioneer in terms of slickness and usability, and is a big part of the RX-V577 story. Other important chapters in the tale include: HDMI 2.0 connectivity with support for 4K/Ultra HD 50Hz/60Hz signal passthrough; support for wireless/USB streaming of FLAC, WAV and ALAC formats up to 24-bit/192kHz with gapless playback; and assignable amplifiers for bi-amping or Zone B use. And, of course, being a Yamaha, there is no shortage of DSP modes to recreate the experience of listening to the New Year's Day concert in Vienna or simply for optimising the listening experience according to the genre of movie or TV show being watched. All in all, a healthy roster of features that makes the RX-V577 a compelling proposition in the down-and-dirty $500 arena.

Quite a sparse back-panel, but will you really care that S-Video inputs have gone missing..

Design-wise, the RX-V577 is nothing to write home about. It's inoffensive enough from across a room and has a nice legible dot matrix display, but its random scattering of sockets and buttons leaves a bit to be desired. Nor do you get the feeling that its the most solid of home theatre components around, but that's expected in this market.

At least the layout of sockets around the back is decent, with everything logically grouped. Build quality of speaker terminals and the casing is reasonable, considering the price, but removing the caps from the terminals to fit banana plugs requires considerable strength and care not to damage the plastic. Gratifyingly, there are two subwoofer line-outs, whilst the amp also boasts a bass boost feature for setups using small speakers. Clearly, the RX-V577 is intended for use in small-tomedium-sized living rooms or home cinemas (although the YPAO Reflected Sound Control setup process is apparently able to detect speakers up to 24m away from the mic).

Smooth operator
Lack of Bluetooth aside, Yamaha's wireless implementation is highly impressive, and includes Wireless Direct, which allows you to stream music directly from a phone or tablet in the absence of a wireless router, as well as allowing full control of the amp using the app. Particularly good with the latter is the 3D room layout graphic that lets you pinch to resize the sound space, and the EQ graphs that let you tweak parameters such as reverb, delay and 'liveliness'. The app also recreates all of the features of the bundled handset and its display is infinitely preferable to the AVR's own onscreen GUI, which wouldn't look out of place on a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Using the app also avoids having the menu appear over whatever you're watching. So, basically... use the app.

As with many modern AVRs, the graphical user interface doesn't do justice to the slickness offered elsewhere, using a basic environment of white text and black backgrounds. The AV Controller app, pictured, is a better tool.

WPS pairing avoids the hassle of inputting passwords; HTC Connect serves users of HTC phones and AirPlay does likewise for iOS devices. You'll need a premium Spotify account to take advantage of Spotify Connect.

DLNA execution is top-notch with full folder structure visible in connected drives and seamless, gapless playback of standard-res and hi-res tunes. Other niceties include the Scene button on the remote, which quickly powers up the HDMI CEC-connected components required, say, for watching a movie (TV and BD deck). Worth setting up.

Virtual insanity?
As for its core home cinema duties, the RX-V577 is a versatile beast, claiming to even be able to produce virtual seven-channel surround sound from just two or three front speakers (a big idea in Europe, we're told). Cinema DSP 3D provides a wide, high and dense soundfield from audio sources with a virtual presence speaker producing what is oddly called 3-dimensional sound. There's nothing virtual about the YPAO installation, a rapid-fi re method of setting the speakers using acoustic reflections. It is not foolproof, though, it got all the distances correct for my rig but made errors with the speaker sizes.

Performance-wise, the amp's streaming audio ability is nowt short of superb. It's a doddle to fi nd and select hi-res audio from a NAS drive, and 96kHz/24-bit ALAC and 192kHz/24-bit FLACs played with consummate refinement through a set of Q Acoustics Q7000 speakers. The bass in Bob Marley's Could You Be Loved is tighter than Scrooge's purse strings, whilst Susan Wong's vocals in Desperado, like the piano's higher octaves, are exquisitely delivered with precision and energy. The Yamaha's sound is terrifi cally clean; like its Pioneer VSX-924 rival, some may consider it a tad too clinical, lacking a bit of warmth.

The same qualities apply to the RX-V577's multichannel movie delivery. Happy days are here again with Ron Howard's F1-biopic Rush, revealing every last detail in the DTS HD-MA soundtrack pumped through a regular 5.1 system. At the start of the Japanese Grand Prix, carefully-placed noises such as cars revving off to one side, rumbling thunder in the distance, heavy rain bucketing down and rain drops plopping delicately onto the tarmac all have a delicate yet defined effect. Like its 2013 predecessor, this is an AVR that loves finding the details in a soundmix. It's equally adept with high-intensity action, such as fast accelerating cars passing in an acoustic arc to match their movement across the screen. Screeching, blistering tyres and close ups of pistons going like the clappers are all powerful yet intelligible. A $500 thriller? Indeed.

The amp has more DSP modes than James Hunt had dolly birds, and I'll admit that while many will steer clear, these have their uses with broadcast material. For example, I found football benefitted from the Sports mode by emphasising commentary in the centre channel.

Overall then, the RX-V577 is worth considering purely based on its home cinema sonics. The fact that it's enjoyable to operate (especially via the app) and makes a decent audio streamer is the icing on the cake. However, the absence of Bluetooth is, as Mary Berry would say, the soggy bottom.

Specifications
DOLBY TRUE HD: Yes. Plus Pro-Logic IIx;
Dolby Digital EX; Dolby Digital Plus
DTS-HD MASTER AUDIO: Yes. Plus DTS ES Matrix 6.1; DTS Discrete 6.1; DTS Neo:6; DTS 96/24
THX: No
MULTICHANNEL INPUT: No
MULTICHANNEL OUTPUT (CLAIMED): 7 x
115W (1kHz, 0.9% THD, 8 ohms, one channel)
MULTIROOM: Yes. Zone 2
AV INPUTS: Yes. 4 x composite; 3 x digital audio (1 x optical and 2 x coaxial)
HDMI: Yes. 6 x inputs; 1 x output (HDMI 2.0)
VIDEO UPSCALING: Yes. To 4K
COMPONENT VIDEO: Yes. 2 x inputs; 1 x output
DIMENSIONS: 435(w) x 161(d) x 315(h)mm
WEIGHT: 8.1kg

FEATURING:
iOS/Android control apps;
vTuner internet radio;
Wi-Fi; Wireless Direct; AirPlay; HTC Connect; Spotify Connect; DLNA
compatible; Ethernet; USB; binding-post speaker terminals;
2 x subwoofer line outs; bi-amplification; lip sync; Scene feature;
Cinema DSP; Virtual Presence Speaker; Compressed Music Enhancer;
numerous DSP modes (7ch stereo, Vienna Hall, Cellar Club, Roxy Theatre, Sci-Fi, Adventure, etc);
media playback including hi-res FLAC, WAV, and ALAC fi les; FM/AM tuner with RDS;
3 x analogue stereo phono inputs;
composite video out; 12V trigger;
headphones jack; YPAO room EQ

PROS:
Powerful, clean audio performance;
flexible wireless audio streaming;
good smartphone app control;
tons of connections

CONS:
Primitive onscreen graphics;
Bluetooth not integrated;
not the warmest of sounds;

View stock availability

FIFA 15 Game Review

FIFA 15 Game Review. After checking out Madden and NHL on the E3 show floor, I walked over to the FIFA 15 expecting a similar jump in fidelity. Instead, the more time I spent with the game the more it felt like a subtle refinement of FIFA 14 rather than a significant leap forward.

Given the high quality of FIFA 14 (our reigning sports game of the year) having a lot of core gameplay elements carry over isn't a bad thing. After a couple games on the sticks I started to gather the small differences that set the new game apart from its predecessor. The most immediately noticeable change I encountered was a sharpened A.I. when attempting through passes. Defenders rarely knew how to jump into passing lanes last year, but now they aggressively defense space as well as mark attackers. Several through balls I connected with regularly in FIFA 14 were cut off.

Expect to see more physicality when defenders challenge for the ball as well. More aggressive players will put a shoulder into attackers and knock them off the ball, which creates more urgency to get your pass off in tight spaces if you are controlling a player with a slight build.

Presentation is also receiving attention in the form of increased player emotion. If you shank a golden scoring opportunity or get robbed by a fantastic save, the player will properly lament the missed opportunity. Gamble on a dangerous tackle and your opponent may take issue with the play.

We'll find out in September if these changes make enough of a difference to keep FIFA the best sports game on the market.

Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Style: 1 to 4-Player Sports (22-Player Online)
Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: EA Canada
Release: September 23