STACK #180 Oct 2019

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THE SMART HOME

set where the feet stand doubles as a handy cord conduit. A faster in-built UI enables speedy app navigation and an easy, customisable menu for fine-tuning (although the standard settings out of the box are pretty good). On the rear are four HDMI 2.0 ports that enable 4K HDR at 60Hz. The 75 and 85-inch models feature Sony’s X-wide angle tech that improves viewing if seating is skewed off centre.

A semi-gloss screen effectively defuses reflection and it has in-built Chromecast, allowing the direct streaming of content from a mobile device. Using Android TV, it does come with an in-built Google Assistant, but if you have a smart hub at home, these sync to provide basic voice commands such as volume, powering on and mute, etc. Perfect for issuing commands from other parts of the house if the TV is too loud. But what about the all-important picture quality? Well, you’re in good hands here. Vibrant colours, deep blacks, image processing and brightness are all strong, and the X-motion clarity feature minimises blur on screen. 4K content is where the showcase sits – throw in a disc and marvel at the presentation! SETTING THE BAR: Now you’ve got the TV and lighting sorted, you’re going to want an audio system to match. The Samsung Q90R is our pick. This is a quality unit that delivers full, immersive sound that’s ideally suited to a larger room. For your money you get a sleek soundbar that can be either sat on a cabinet or wall-mounted, two satellite speakers with forward and upward drivers, and a subwoofer; all finished in a sleek carbon-silver colour. The system offers genuine 7.1.4 channel set up, can be connected wirelessly via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and supports Dolby Atmos and DTS: X. There are a number of new features including Adaptive Sound, which thinks on the fly and targets areas in a film or TV show – like dialogue – that needs attenuating if you’re watching late at night and don’t want to wake up the household. The performance is exceptional – you certainly get what you pay for here. The soundbar, subwoofer and wireless rear speakers deliver a powerful punch that will delight the ears of the movie enthusiast, no matter what’s playing on the screen.

Lights are established via the Hue app through easy step-by-step directions. Depending on where your lights are positioned, they can then be zoned to the living room, kitchen, bedroom, etc. By setting up individual actions – or scenes, as it’s known in smart home parlance – the lights can be triggered using sensor, voice or manual operation. Colours are changed via the app and the only restriction is your creativity. Where Hue excels for lovers of film and television is with its Entertainment Mode. Let’s say you’ve just picked up the latest Game of Thrones box set at JB and you’re all set for a night of unadulterated binging. To enhance the sound and image delivered by a quality home cinema set up, it’s possible to set smart lighting to synchronise with the onscreen action, taking the viewing experience to a whole new level. The intensity of the lighting sequences can also be adjusted – you certainly don’t want your loungeroom pulsing like Studio 54 if you’re watching Roma.

Technology changes at a dizzying pace and this applies to televisions, too

A VIEW TO A THRILL: Technology changes at a dizzying pace and this applies to televisions, too. You can’t build your ideal smart home entertainment space with outdated hardware, so that chunky ten-year-old Plasma screen you’ve been telling everyone ‘still works a treat’ isn’t going to cut the

mustard here. We went straight to the TV guru at JB to recommend the best

TV for the smart home theatre experience, and the response was the Sony X9500G 75” 4K Ultra Smart HD. Aesthetically, it’s a good-looking, minimalistic

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OCTOBER 2019

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