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.
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.
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.
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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