The What Hi-Fi? team has a long history of productive but occasionally heated discussion.
In fact, thanks to our collaborative reviewing process, not a day goes by where the team doesn’t have some form of debate about a piece of hi-fi or home cinema hardware.
And we are open to the fact that sometimes certain members disagree and can’t reconcile their differences. That’s fine; it’s part of the process and why third, fourth and sometimes fifth members of the team are called in for particularly divisive topics/reviews for additional looks and listens.
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We rarely end up in a complete stalemate, where both sides are 50:50 split down the middle because of the tag-in culture. But that’s exactly where we ended up during Home Cinema Week in July, when we debated whether we are in a golden age of home cinema.
During our Home Cinema Week debate, some team members argued that hardware advances mean it has never been better for home cinema fans, who have a wealth of cutting-edge hardware to choose from.
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TV and AV editor Tom Parsons also highlighted the rise of UST projectors and 100-inch TVs as key examples of how things are better than ever for home cinema fans, arguing they make it much simpler to get a big-screen experience than it used to be.
Others, such as editor-in-chief Alastair Stevenson, argued the cost of living crisis makes the entire point moot – if no one can afford the products, how can it be a golden age?
And then there are things such as the debate about streaming vs physical media. Yes, Netflix and the ilk have made it easier to consume media, but – as pointed out by staff writer Daniel Furn – even if you pay for the top tier of a streaming service, 4K Blu-ray still holds many advantages.
With physical media becoming increasingly niche, however – at least relative to streaming – can any home cinema enthusiast really say it’s a golden age when most aren’t watching films in the best quality possible?
We are in a deadlock, then, unable to decide which side is right. Which is why, for this month’s Ask The Reader question, we’re turning the debate over to you, our lovely readers.
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Let us know which side you’re on and why, and at the end of the month, we’ll bring you a follow-up feature using your responses, settling the argument once and for all.
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