We've been big fans of OLED TV tech at Tech Digest and HDTV UK for many a year since first setting eyes upon a prototype Sony screen at CES a few shows ago. Incremental updates to the tech have wowed us at subsequent trade shows, but high prices for screens no bigger than 15 inches have made OLED televisions a ludicrous luxury for only the most demanding of AV enthusiasts.

That's all set to change this year however as LG and Samsung go head-to-head with stonking 55-inch OLED models, due in stores later this year. Tech Digest and HDTV UK were invited this week to LG's glitzy Monaco launch event for their 55-inch OLED TV offering. Make no mistakes; if you're in the market for a new TV, this is what your cash should be splashed on.

OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) televisions offer some key advantages over LCD or LED screens. Faster refresh rates and wider viewing angles can be paired with deep contrast ratios and lavish colours. As OLED sets don't use backlights, this can all be achieved with far lower power consumption levels, in bezels almost invisibly thin.

LG's 55EM9600 OLED TV made its first appearance at the start of the year in January's CES 2012 show, and while little has changed with the set in the subsequent months, it's still massively exciting to see.

The latest headlining feature of LG's OLED TV detailed at this week's launch is its use of WRGB technology. Adding a white sub-pixel to the standard red, green and blue set-up, LG claim WRGB panels will "perfect" colour output and make the image displayed feel "natural and colourful to the human eye". It's a similar technique as was used by Sharp in their Quattron televisions, which added a yellow sub-pixel with impressive results.

Even without the WRGB technology, the screen would attract attention purely based upon how thin it is. At a ridiculous 4mm thin, it's half the thickness of your average smartphone, weighing just 10kgs thanks to its being built from carbon fibre reinforced plastics. Those who like to wall-mount their displays will instantly fall in love, with the LG5EM9600 sitting almost flush against the wall.

It's a real treat for the eyes, with the display delivering vibrant, bold colours. Close-up footage of rain-soaked plant petals felt crisp enough to reach into the TV and touch. If anything, LG's rainbow-like showreel ran the risk of making the screen seem overly saturated, but as with all showroom settings you'll likely be able to tone the colours down a bit for a more natural, accurate calibration.

Superb viewing angles afforded by OLED technology mean that there will be no duff seat in a home cinema that has this screen as its centrepiece. We experienced no noticeable dropout in contrast or colours no matter where we placed ourselves, whether at a wide horizontal angle or a low vertical position.
The inky blacks of the display and strong brightness levels deserve extra credit. LG's launch event was held in the Salle des Etoiles, famous for its mechanical opening roof. Halfway through the event the roof opened, bathing what had been a dimly lit hall with Mediterranean sunlight. Even with the dramatic change in ambient lighting colours remained vivid, and shadow detail bold and legible.

Though we've yet to see the display handling 3D video for ourselves, all reports so far have been incredibly positive. Indeed, our own prior experience with smaller 3D OLED displays has seen the technology deliver smooth, ghost-free 3D images of the highest quality. With 3D always working better on a larger screen, the results with the 55EM9600 would presumably be remarkable. A 0.02s response time will lead to super-smooth 3D visuals, as well as being a boon for gamers looking for a display as quick as their trigger fingers.

Pre-orders for the LG OLED sets will kick off in July, ready for a "Q4 2012" release.

So how many pennies will you have to drop in order to get one of these beauties in your home? Around the 9000 EURO mark, or roughly £7,300 if the UK pricing reflects direct exchange rates.

That is of course an astronomically priced set, but LG's OLED giant is poised to represent the very best that money can currently buy for home cinema fans. While the false promise of 3D TV left many frustrated, OLED TV sets offer genuinely luxurious 2D viewing while still delivering the very best in 3D visuals should you still be looking for eye-popping entertainment.

Local pricing is likely to be the big deciding factor as LG's flagship battles it out with Samsung's in stores. Regardless as to which proves the victor, the stage is set for one of the most exciting years for home cinema fanatics for a while, and LG are well placed to dominate.

Apple iTV, where art thou? In this world of iPhone 5, iPad Mini and MacBook rumours, it's sometimes easy to forget about Apple's oft-rumoured entry into the home cinema market. But a new report into the possible feature list of the Apple iTV suggests there is still much to be excited about.

Cult of Mac are reporting that one of their sources has seen the mythic HDTV, stating that it looks much like an oversized Apple Cinema Display.

Though no mention of iOS software is made (nor specific technical specifications) the source did state that an iSight camera is built into the bezel, paired with face tracking technology that can zoom in on a caller's head and make video conferencing from the comfort of an arm chair a piece of cake.

If the leak is accurate, Apple iTV owners may be able to do away with remote controls too, as Siri voice control could make navigating the channels and searching for iTunes content as simple as calling commands to the television.

As for sizes, Foxconn, who would likely be the manufacturers, have the ability to build displays up to 60-inches in size after investing $1.6 billion in Sharp's TV unit. With tentative rumoured release windows of 2013, it may be time to start saving up for what we'd expect to be a very different, very expensive new line of televisions.

Via: Cult Of Mac

LG have lifted the covers off their own cloud-based service, simply called the LG Cloud.

The LG Cloud will allow an owner of an LG smartphone and LG Smart TV to share content between the television and the handset, as well as a PC, with multiple file types and content to be supported across each platform. For instance, photos and videos could be recorded on an LG smartphone, and beamed instantly to both a TV in the living room and a laptop on the other side of the world.

LG also believe that they've got the problem of incompatible video files sorted, using a proprietary Real-time Streaming Transcoding technology to ensure your content will work flawlessly no matter what the file type or codec on any of the supported devices.

LG also states that the service has robust support for 3D content streaming, which will cause the handful of owners of both an LG 3D TV and LG Optimus 3D handset to go all misty eyed.

Both free and paid-for versions of the LG Cloud are expected to launch, with pricing and availability to be announced in time with the services roll-out to each individual territory.

It's a timely move by LG, what with rival Samsung widely expected to be launching it's own "S-Cloud" cloud-based service alongside the Samsung Galaxy S3 handset this Thursday.

Samsung are expanding their Smart TV hub by adding a new app from independent cinema chain Curzon Cinemas. Curzon on Demand will bring curated independent and art house films to the connected TV platform, streaming in HD straight to the living room.

Though Curzon on Demand has some well-established rivals in the VOD space (namely LoveFilm and Netflix) it has a superb standout feature that sets it apart from the competition; same day releases for movies just hitting cinemas.

Using the example of Aki Kaurismaki's Le Havre, which hits Curzon cinemas this Friday, Curzon CEO Philip Knatchbull described how users will be able to sit in the comfort of their "home cinemas" and stream new releases just as they hit the silver screen.

"I'm not going to be the friend of the multiplex cinema, as what I'm advocating is a complete paradigm shift in terms of how our customers are able to enjoy film," explained Knatchbull.

"it won't happen overnight and it'll start slowly, but over the next four or five years I hope more and of what we show will be available simultaneously in our public cinemas and our home cinemas."

It's an exciting shift for VOD, and Curzon are in a perfect position to lead the charge. As an independent film distributor as well as cinema venue, they're able to easily negotiate same day VOD releases for the films they're closely linked to, and maintain strong relations with other key independent distributors as one of the few chains to champion art house cinema.

Keep in mind that Curzon, as one of the only art-house cinema chains, only have 9 cinemas (the majority of which are in London), and it's quite easy to spot an audience not being catered for up and down the country. In this respect, independent distributors could exponentially increase their films' exposure (and revenues) by launching same day on Curzon on Demand.

In terms of pricing, brand new releases (though currently set at an introductory £6 price) will pretty much match cinema ticket prices at £10, while classic and older titles will also be available from as little as £2. Films, once paid for, are then available to be watched as many times as a viewer wants across a 7-day period. Curzon Cinema members will also benefit from discount prices on the VOD service.

Curzon aim to have 300 movies at any one time on the service, being rotated and updated as new releases become available. While this doesn't match the 1,000s available through Netflix and LoveFilm, it's a quality-over-quantity approach, with attention paid to European auteurs like Wim Wenders and Jean-Luc Godard and foreign language films that would struggle to get a look in elsewhere.

Samsung Smart TVs aren't the only potential home for the Curzon on Demand app either; having already been available for nearly a year in a beta form on computers and laptops, and hitting iOS devices such as the iPad and iPhone today, the Capablue-built app can easily migrate to other platforms. The Xbox 360, Virgin Tivo box and Apple TV were all mentioned as possible future targets for Curzon.

For more information, visit www.curzonondemand.com .

Having got both the entry and high-end levels of the AV receiver market sorted, Onkyo are now turning their attentions to does with medium-sized wallets and an eye on a new home cinema upgrade. From the looks of things, their TX-NR818 and TX-NR717 receivers will fit the bill nicely.

Kicking off with the slightly pricier Onkyo TX-NR818 (£999), it's a network-capable bit of kit with Spotify and Simfy apps built in.

The TX-NR818 offers Audyssey MultEQ XT32 room acoustic correction, using the shape of your room and a mic to tailor the set-up process to its surroundings for best possible audio-quality.

With 7.2 channel support, Audyssey DSX, Dolby Pro Logic IIz and DTS Neo:X decoding, a HQV Vida VHD 1900 video processor for 1080p upscaling and Marvell's 4K video processor (upconverting HD images making it future-proofed for the coming wave of 4K2K TVs) and ISF video calibration controls, it's feature-rich enough to challenge much more expensive receivers.
£200 cheaper but still packing 7.2 channel support is the TX-NR717, again offering Audyssey DSX and Dolby Pro Logic IIz decoding and THX Select 2 Plus certification.

Eight HDMI ports (one being on the front) are found on both receivers, as well as two output sockets for hooking up multiple displays or perhaps a projector.

Available in silver or black, both Onkyo receivers hit stores in May.

An ex-Apple employee has slammed the new user interface in the latest Apple TV update, claiming that the Cupertino tech company have lost their quality control standards since the death of pioneering CEO Steve Jobs.

Michael Margolis, whose LinkedIn profile page lists him as having worked as a "Professional Hobbyist, AppleTV" as well as a "Senior Software Engineer" at Apple took to his Twitter account on Friday to offer his criticisms of the new-look Apple TV interface.

"I implemented much of the AppleTV 2.0 UI years ago. The new home page UI makes me cry," tweeted Margolis.

"Though most of the product is the, I also don't like the top-bar-navigation on the app store UI.

"Fun fact- those new designs were tossed out 5 years ago because [Steve Jobs] didn't like them. Now there is nobody to say 'no' to bad design."

Though universally praised for it's bump to a 1080p resolution, the new Apple TV UI has indeed come under scrutiny for the way it looks to mimic in part the app-grid layout of iOS. Indeed, some have argued that Apple's new focus on integrating iOS-style features across their range of devices is sometimes ill-suited to their purpose, just for the sake of attracting users now more comfortable with the mobile OS than any of Apple's other output.

It's only one (potentially disgruntled) ex-employee's opinion of course that has sparked the renewed debate into Apple's future following the passing of their old mogul, but it certainly reaffirms some of the fears that investors had in the immediate wake of Jobs' passing.

It's a particularly important year therefore for Apple. With the release of Mountain Lion, new-look MacBooks and an overdue iPhone redesign, it could prove to be their most challenging since capturing the Zeitgeist with the iPod some eleven years ago.

Via: CNET

Sky are to launch a brand new video on-demand offering called Now TV, which will open up their catalogue of shows and movies on pay monthly and pay as you go deals.

Though details are scarce at the moment, Sky's Now TV offering will be a web-based streaming service, and will be available through PCs, Macs, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, games consoles and connected TVs. It will be the first time Sky's premium content will be available without a long-term contract.

"The launch of a second brand is an exciting opportunity for us and the rationale is very simple. Having two brands will allow us to meet the needs and preferences of different customer segments more effectively," said Sky's chief executive, Jeremy Darroch.

"We'll offer two distinctive ways to watch: the market-leading full Sky service for the whole family, complete with the widest range of channels, high quality products like Sky+, HD and Sky Go, and the peace of mind of a monthly bill; or the flexible, more spontaneous, pay-as-you-go service of Now TV.

"Because Now TV will also be 'powered by Sky', customers will still know that it will give them the best, exclusive content and a high quality experience, from a provider they can trust. Either way, we believe we can offer even more customers a product that's just right for them."

The move puts the broadcaster into direct competition with other streaming services, such as Netflix and Lovefilm.

Head over to nowtv.com for more details.

Sky Anytime+, the broadcaster's video-on-demand offering that opens up a massive catalogue of shows and movies to be streamed whenever a viewer chooses, is now available to users connecting to the internet over a far broader range of ISPs.

Initially, Sky Anytime+ was only available to Sky subscribers who also chose Sky Broadband as their internet service provider, but now more than 5 million homes will be able to enjoy the service, regardless of their provider.

"It's great to be able to bring our on demand service Sky Anytime+ to even more customers, helping them to get more out of their Sky subscription," said Luke Bradley-Jones, Sky's Director of TV Products.

"We already know how popular Sky Anytime+ is and how the flexibility of the service gives customers more choice and control over how they watch an amazing range of content. We've seen strong demand for it to date which we hope to increase now that the service is available with any broadband provider."

For more info on how to access the service, head over to Sky's FAQ page.

(This is a guest post from our pal Becca Caddy over at ShinyShiny.tv)

Although most people have been focusing on the news of the latest iPad device, Apple made a few other cool announcements at its big fancy event today in San Francisco, most notably the arrival of the new Apple TV.

The tech giant's CEO, Tim Cook, confirmed that it'd be launching a successor to its 2010 Apple TV on March 16th, the very same day the new iPad 3 is set to hit stores, but it can already be pre-ordered RIGHT NOW.

But is it REALLY worth getting excited about this most recent version? Well, maybe.

Before today's event there were a number of online rumours circulating that Apple was set to launch a TV of its own. Instead it's upgraded its set-top box that streams movies and TV shows to your current device, and although that's not a surprising move, it seems to have left some a little disappointed.

However, there are a few cool added features to Apple's latest TV box, like a sleek and revamped interface with a more iOS look and feel, complete with large icons and much easier navigation than before.

The Apple TV will allow wireless mirroring, through Apple's AirPlay, which means you can 'mirror' your computer screen, iPhone or iPad to your TV wirelessly.

The new version also has iCloud, so you can view content that you've already saved to the cloud storage service and even view embarrassing photos on HUGE screens with the Photo Stream app.

But, the main USP of the new Apple TV is that it allows for full 1080p video support, as apposed to the 720p from the last version. You can also re-download things you've already purchased in 1080p too, which is pretty cool.

Although there are a few key features added to the latest reincarnation of the Apple TV, its price is staying the same at $99 in the US and £99 here in the UK, which is pretty reasonable. A 'proper' Apple TV is still on the cards for the next year, but for the price this latest set-top device is worth it, particularly if you're up for taking advantage of the mirroring and iCloud services.

Via: ShinyShiny.tv

Name: Roku 2 XS

Type: Streaming Player

Specs: Click here for full specs

Price: £99.99 from Amazon

Already holding the title of the most popular TV streaming box in the US, Roku are now setting their sights on the UK market. The Roku 2 XS, with its Bluetooth motion controlled gaming capabilities and access to Netflix movie streaming, is their top of the line streaming box. Read on for our verdict.

Sitting snugly in the palm of your hand, the Roku 2 XS is as small as streaming players get. An 84mm x 84 mm x 23mm box with rounded corners, it weighs just 85 grams, with a gloss-black finish that will see it hide away easily among your other AV gear. Connecting to the internet over 802.11n Wi-Fi or an Ethernet connection, the rear of the Roku 2 XS player has four simple connections; HDMI (with 5.1 surround sound pass-through) an A/V out port (which uses an included bespoke mini-jack to left/right/composite video RCA cable), the afore-mentioned Ethernet port and an AC socket. Using less than 2W of power when streaming HD video, there's no power button, with an auto-standby mode kicking in after a short period of inactivity and using only minuscule amounts of energy. You'll also find a USB port on the left hand side for playback of a modest range of media files.

Once everything is plugged in, you'll need to head online to activate your Roku 2 XS box. A reasonably short web form has to be filled out on the Roku website (which includes your credit card details, though these will only be used if you purchase premium content through the box), after which you'll be given an activation code for your streaming unit. It's a shame that this couldn't have somehow been achieved with a set-up process through the XS itself, and if you're a subscriber to the likes of Netflix, you'll also have to manually add your credentials to some of the streaming channels too.

Considering how clunky the initial set up is, using the Roku 2 XS after that point is as simple as can be. The XS comes with a Bluetooth-enabled remote, which looks much like a squat black Wii controller, complete with a D-Pad, A and B gaming buttons and Home, Back, Return and playback controls. There's even a little wrist-strap to stop it flying out of your grasp. The remote is used to navigate the tile-based UI, as well as the odd bit of text entry in search fields. It can also be used for motion-based gaming, which we'll get onto in a minute.
The first, home screen of the Roku 2 XS box has the settings and Channel Store tabs, and also houses the channels you download from the store, scrolling left to right. With hundreds of channels available and more on the way, this area may quickly fill up and become a little unwieldy, but for now works well enough.

Heading over to the Channel Store tile brings up the wide-range of content available to be streamed through the Roku 2 XS box, some available for free, others requiring a subscription to access.. As well as big name providers like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Flixster and Vimeo, there are tons of niche channels whose content ranges from everything from religious sermons to retro public announcement videos. There are a few notable omissions however, and we'd have loved to have seen for instance a YouTube channel, as well as some other UK broadcaster's catch-up offerings, such as Channel 4's 4oD and the ITV Player. Having said that, there are also some excellent, rarely seen VOD offerings, such as the inspirational lectures from the TED channel, as well as plenty of web radio options.

Though not officially supported by Roku, you can also use the Roku website to access a large number of "private" channels, which are downloaded to your Roku 2 XS player by inputting a code on the website. These range from international video content streams to adults-only movies. Some really useful channels, like a third-party Last.fm build, are available, and if you do fancy putting a bit of blue on your Roku, there are password protection options to keep young eyes from stumbling on what they shouldn't. As "private" channels are often beta builds or made by enthusiasts, there is however no guarantee they will forever be available on the streaming box.
For the most part, the channels make use of a tile-scrolling navigation set up, barring a few exceptions, such as the iPlayer's bespoke UI (familiar to anyone who has browsed the platform on any number of other devices). It's easy to browse with the directional pad, but not so easy to search; few channels allow you to look for specific content by keyword, and when you do, it's a painstaking task of scrolling around a virtual keyboard, press by press. As such, it's mostly a curated experience. With such a vast array of video content to browse through, we'd have loved the chance to favourite videos for later viewing, but the functionality is missing. On one isolated occasion we found that the UI inexplicably slowed down to a crawl making it impossible to use, but a hard reset achieved by disconnecting the XS from the mains solved the problem, and it hasn't happened again since.

The quality of the streams however are uniformly excellent. Thanks to an adaptive streaming system, you'll rarely, if ever see a buffering sign on the Roku 2 XS, with the stream's visual quality adapting to match that of your web connections capabilities. Even with a modest connection however you should be able to view stutter-free 1080p HD streaming. Using the Netflix app as an example, its 1080p high resolution output was pretty much a match to that found on the PS3, with clear, sharp images that just fall short of Blu-ray quality.
Also available from the Channel Store are a dozen or so gaming apps. Though most are premium, paid for downloads, Angry Birds is included for free. Thanks to the Roku 2 XS's motion capabilities, it controls much like a Wii game, with a wave of the hand translating to a yank of the in-game catapult. While admittedly basic stuff, it worked surprisingly well for what is first and foremost a TV streaming box, and we look forward to more big-screen gaming on the Roku XS. Also, thanks to the Bluetooth nature of the controller, playing games doesn't require line-of-sight with the Roku box, meaning it can be tucked away behind a TV without disrupting play.

If there's one real disappointment with the Roku 2 XS, it's with its lack of robust media playback options from a local USB storage device. The only formats supported are MP4 (H.264) video, AAC and MP3 audio and JPG and PNG image files. Pair this with a lack of DLNA functionality and the Roku 2 XS falls short of being a comprehensive multimedia experience.

Verdict

The Roku 2 XS streaming box is a great bit of kit. With access to so much online TV content, much of it of a high quality nature thanks to the likes of Netflix, TED and the BBC iPlayer channels, it's more than a match for its Apple TV rival. Of course, you're going to have to have a paid subscription with a few of the channels to get the most out of the box, but that's no different than with the Roku 2 XS's competitors. The visual quality of the streams, particularly where HD content is available, is superb, and navigating all the features is fairly simple.

The real question is whether or not you need the Roku box. If you've got a HD games console or a Smart TV, you've probably already got access to many of the Roku's features. If you don't already have access to these services, the Roku 2 XS does however come highly recommended.

Onkyo have revealed their 2012 entry-level AV receiver range, packed full of enough bells and networked whistles to rival other brands higher-end gear, such as Spotify streaming.

Kicking off with the cheapest model, you've got the £299.99 5.1 Onkyo TX-NR313. Though it doesn't have networked capabilities, it boasts 5 3D compatible HDMI ports, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, and sARC (Audio Return Channel) to pump a compatible TV's audio back to the receiver. Power output is 5 x 100W, and there's also a USB port on the front for hooking up an iPod, iPhone or memory stick.

Next up is the £399.99 Onkyo TX-NR414. It's again a 5.1 reciever (with a slight power bump to 5 x 130W) but also comes with networked capabilities, such as internet radio, and Spotify access. You can also use it to stream music from a networked PC.

The receiver also features InstaPrevue technology, which lets you peek at a thumbnail preview of your HDMI sources before switching between them, and a Hybrid Standby feature, which lets the audio and video source bypass the receiver when it is in standby mode to save on the bills. The TX-NR414 also has a Zone 2 line-out, allowing it to pump a separate audio source to a different room in the house.

Moving up the ladder again is the Onkyo TX-NR515 at £499.99. It's a 7.2 channel networked receiver, with a 7 x 130W power output. It has MHL badging with its HDMI (letting it play back 1080p video with 7.1 audio from a smartphone or tablet). It has all the other features of the TX-NR414 and TX-NR313 receivers, but also adds 4K2K upscaling for compatible displays, Dolby Pro Logic IIz, and pushes the 3D HDMI port count up to 8.

Lastly, the £599.99 Onkyo TX-NR616. It has all the features of the TXNR515, but adds Audyssey DSX expansion for extra front wide channels, and Audyssey 2EQ room acoustic correction to ease the set-up process. It also comes with THX Select 2 Plus certification, and has a power output of 7 x 165W.

All models will be available in silver or black from March, with the exception of the TX-NR616 which touches down in April.

Philips have just revealed their HMP2000 Smart TV add-on box, giving any TV with a HDMI port the ability to access web connected Smart TV content like YouTube and Netflix , the later of which can be accessed instantly through dedicated remote buttons.

Measuring just 90 x 50 x 100mm and sitting in a small wedge shape, it beats the Apple TV unit by offering 1080p video output where the Cupertino box only manages 720p.

Offering built-in Wi-Fi for streaming video, as well as content from a networked PC, there's also a USB port on the side if you'd rather plug a thumb drive full of videos directly into the box.

At just £49.99, it's looking a tidy little way to bring your ageing TV's features up to scratch.

Bowers & Wilkins are updating their Mini Theatre home cinema speaker range today with two new surround sound sets. MT-50 and MT-60D are the new kids on the block, replacing the popular MT-25 and MT-30 systems.

A pair of all-in-one systems, we'll take a look at the MT-50 first. It ships with brand new M1 satellite speakers, which feature a new port on the rear of each alongside all-new drive units. The new tweeter and bass/mid-range driver inside each will allow the speakers to work as well in a stereo pairing as with 5.1 surround sound set up, according to B&W. the speakers come in a matte white finish as well as a matte black finish.

For the sub, the MT-50 sticks with the MT-25's ASW608 subwoofer. It retains the 200W output levels, but now comes in a matte white finish as well as a matte black finish.

The MT-60D also uses the M1 speakers, but pairs them with a new subwoofer named the PV1D. It's an all-digital speaker, using some of the same tech found in the pricey DB1 speaker. With a diving-bell shape, it has an OLED screen for adjustments to sound levels and volume control, and has a power output of 400W.

The MT-50 package will set you back £1,099 for five M-1 satellites and the ASW608 subwoofer, while the MT-60D costs £1,950 for five M-1s and the PV1D sub.

As well as coming in sets, all the speakers can be bought individually. M-1 speakers cost £150 each, with the ASW608 sub priced at £349. The PV1D is more expensive at £1,200. Floor stands for the M-1s are also available, and cost £100 each. All the gear is avaialble to buy now.

The BBC iPlayer will be part of the Roku streaming service when its hardware touches down in the UK later this year.

Roku, one of the leading streaming device manufacturers in the US first revealed their plans to launch in the UK back in January, but had their plans met with disappointment when it was noted that they wouldn't feature any region-specific, domestic streaming offerings as part of their package.

They've now addressed the concerns of potential buyers, by announcing that they've signed a deal that will see the Beeb's iPlayer feature at launch on their boxes.

"Roku recognises the importance of region-specific programmes so today we are excited to announce the addition of BBC iPlayer to our platform," said Clive Hudson, vice president and general manager for Europe at Roku.

"This is among the first of many significant content partnerships for Roku in Europe and we look forward to making additional announcements in the coming weeks."

The first of many significant partnerships, eh? 4oD anyone? LoveFilm?

Two Roku streaming boxes are headed to the UK; the Roku 2 XS and the Roku LT.

The Roku 2 XS is the premium model, offering Full HD 1080p streaming, a motion-controlled Bluetooth remote that can be used with casual games like the pre-installed Angry Birds app, and a microSD slot for storing app downloads and video content. It can hook up to your internet connection over both Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable, and will cost £99.99.

The Roku LT is the budget offering at £49.99, and only supports 720p resolutions and Wi-Fi connectivity. Both Roku boxes however can connect to TVs using RCA or HDMI connections, making them compatible with practically every gogglebox out there.

Here's a fairly unexpected join announcement from home audio specialists Onkyo and guitar-manufacturing gods Gibson. The two companies are to enter into a "strategic partnership", which will see Gibson acquire a majority share in Onkyo USA.

Onkyo will also make an investment back into Gibson, with both company's CEO's taking a seat on each other's board.

"This partnership has significant positive implications for Onkyo as we are always seeking ways of creating new value," said Onkyo CEO and president Munenori Otsuki.

"Gibson is a leading global company with a massive fan base, best-in-class products and superior marketing skills. Coming together in this way opens the door for amazing opportunities for both companies and, more importantly, fans of Onkyo and Gibson."

"While people may be listening to more music, they are listening to it primarily in a severely compressed format" added Gibson chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz.

"The aural disparity between a real system and compressed sound is vast, and as a result, they are simply not hearing tremendously rich sounds. With Onkyo, our goal is to bring the same exceptional experience artists demand in the studio to a larger consumer base."

Though details concerning any joint hardware projects are slim on the ground, the press release does make reference to "inexpensive ear bud headsets", stating that the newly formed team will be able to deliver deliver "a far superior audio experience to the consumer who has become more and more used to hearing only inferior compressed music".

Anyone for high-end, Gibson-branded, Onkyo-built earphones?

LG are already expected to wow home cinema fanatics at CES 2012 by revealing the world's biggest OLED display, and now they're ready to tout a speaker system to bring the audio/visual thrills onto an even footing.

LG's BH9420PW 9.1 surround sound system is the kit in question, equipped with LG's latest 3D sound technology.

It uses LG's 3D Sound Zooming Technology to synchronise audio output with the action on screen, with the aim being to ensure viewers always feel as thoguh they are at the heart of the scenes being displayed.

Designed to be paired with LG's Cinema 3D sets, it uses "a complex algorithm that analyses the varying depth of numerous on-screen objects displayed on the 3D TV".

As well as the unique 3D effect DSP algorithm, LG also make use of Sound Field Expansion technology in the BH9420PW, which should boost the horizontal sound field pumped out of the package's four upright 3D speakers, alongside the more traditional 5.1 set up.

"Whether it's TVs or audio systems, LG continues to offer the most immersive 3D home entertainment experience possible," said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG Home Entertainment Company.

"Our CINEMA 3D Smart TVs will now be accompanied by a wider variety of CINEMA 3D SOUND HOME THEATER products that offer consumers a complete 3D experience and further strengthen LG's leadership in 3D."

The BH9420PW will be shown at next week's CES in Las Vegas, before hitting stores in March 2012. No word on pricing as of yet.

Arcam are giving UK customers added seasonal spice with £400 off the AVR400 price tag when they trade in any old AV amp.

Usually costing £1800, the Arcam AVR400 is available for £1400 with the trade in deal. Just bring any old AV receiver and pick up the stunning new AVR400 leaving extra cash ready for the Christmas shopping!

The AVR400 offers over 90 Watts per channel with enough power for even the most demanding speakers. It's 3D ready for all those great Christmas movies and comes with clever auto setup routine.

It even has an onboard network music player, which can be controlled from an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch using the Songbook Arcam app available from the iTunes store.

The trade in offer runs until December 31st.

http://www.arcam.co.uk/retailers/AVR400TradeInDeal

As of today Sony are offering music videos directly through your Sony Home Entertainment products. Sony have teamed up with MUZU.TV one of the leading music video sites, set up in 2008, to bring the latest and greatest music videos to your front room directly through the Sony Entertainment Network.

The service will run through BRAVIA TVs, Blu-Ray Players, Home Cinema devices and Network Media Players. MUZU has a huge range of music video from every corner of the music world ranging from head banging metal to smooth jazz in a collection of over 80,000 videos.

The free service features chart videos as well as some from a wide variety of independent artists and record labels, live performances and all the latest news and interviews from the world of music.

Edd Uzzell, Category Development Manager, for Sony Europe stated that:

"As one of the largest digital entertainment services, Sony Entertainment Network aims to bring new ways for consumers to enjoy music, movies, games and more. By continuing to add new and exciting partners such as MUZU.TV, we feel we are perfectly complimenting the existing music services we prove, giving our customers a wealth of choice for enjoying music content whenever they want it."

A great addition to the vast array of services already offered by Sony, a free music video channel will save you all the time and hassle of flicking between music television channels where you are forced to watch whatever they think you should watch. Browsing on MUZU.TV it is a really well presented website with plenty of content and features to keep your ears, and now eyes, full of music for the foreseeable future.

Today sees the launch of a free Sky Movies app on iTunes for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. This App will allow existing Sky customers to quickly access and find movies from their portable devices.

The App follows in the footsteps of Sky Go and Sky+ Apps linked to the customer's Sky TV package providing up to date information on all Sky Movies and Box Offices releases, including future releases via thumbnails or full page views. Another extra feature will be the inclusion of providing information on movies currently being aired in cinemas.

All films featured in the Sky Movies packages include a review and the options to remote record the movies to your Sky+ HD box to watch at your convenience or watch it on demand with full Sky Go integration. Offering Top Picks of the day, movie trailers and reviews of the latest films on the services, Sky is hoping to give customers more value for their subscriptions.

Ian Lewis, Director of Sky Movies spoke about giving more to customers:

"We are really pleased to be able to add the Sky Movies app to our already strong offering of iPad and iPhone apps. Combined with the Sky+ and Sky Go apps customers now have even more ways to discover and enjoy the films they want to watch, either at home or on the move. We continually strive to give our customers the best possible movie service and this is just one additional feature out of many we have planned for Sky movies over the coming months."

With such a large client base it is only logical that Sky begin to reach out to their customers on-the-go, not just in their front rooms. The strongest feature in this app for me would be the ability to now watch films on the move with Sky Go with the App switching over to allow you to watch it straight from your mobile device.

Sky have also confirmed that an Android version will be available early next year but with no confirmed release date.

From sub-woofers and surround speakers to 3D sound, the latest home system can add another dimension to your viewing experience, creating the ultimate night-in.

But it's not just about having the correct equipment; it's just as important to know how to set it up properly in your living space too, particularly if you've got a system with several speakers. Chris Moseley, AV Product Manager from Samsung Electronics, gives Tech Digest his top tips for making the most of your home entertainment.

1 - When watching a film or listening to music, the centre speaker is a very important part of a surround sound system. This is where all the dialogue will come from and can be a significant proportion of a films soundtrack. Ideally this should be at ear height, directly in front of the viewer / listener. However, this is also where the TV should be. So unless you're using a projector screen, placing the centre speaker just above or just below the TV is best

2 - Speakers should also be mounted on solid surfaces. Any flexible surfaces such as plastic or glass will absorb sound energy from the speakers and thus reduce the sound quality. If you do have to mount a speaker on a surface like this, insulate it with a small piece of rubber or even blue tack

3 - When listening to music, the front left and front right speakers should ideally be positioned so the sound comes from the centre (i.e. from the middle of the TV). To position them, try listening to a song with a single voice singing it. If the voice sounds like it's not central, move the speaker it's coming from most slightly backward (or the other speaker forward) until the desired effect is achieved. Please note that this may mean the speakers are not positioned symmetrically (and it is also unlikely that the furniture in your room isn't either), meaning the speakers are not likely to behave the same on different sides of the room

4 - Ideally, speakers should not be placed against walls. In practice this isn't always possible, but if you can place the speakers away from the outer wall you will get less reflected sounds and a clearer bass

5 - Subwoofers can also be hidden out of sight. Low frequency sound carries a lot of energy so can be heard through objects like sofas and other furniture

6 - Rear surround speakers should also be placed at ear height, directly opposite the front pair (or 15 - 20 degrees outside of them if possible). Sound will come from these to enhance effects such as moving vehicles, fast action or explosions

7 - Samsung 3D sound can further improve your surround sound experience. This is a Samsung technology that enhances the surround effects based upon the 3D effect being shown on the TV. The result is total immersion in the films picture and sound

Did you know?

So you've got it all in place, it looks good and you're ready to watch and listen. But is there anything you can do to enhance the experience? Well, soft furnishings, such as cushions, sofas, rugs etc can actually help to improve the sound quality, especially if your room has hard floors, plain walls and lots of windows.

Soft surfaces won't reflect the sound, reducing any potential echoing, giving the listener better clarity and able to hear more details.