Christmas Special: The best Blu-rays, video games, movies, streaming and music of 2021

Do we really want to be spending £70 and upwards on the latest releases along with DLC, microtransactions and more - or are our game-buying habits changing as well? We ask the question are video games too expensive? Plus we talk about the state of video gaming generally in our first gaming podcast for quite a while.

For our April 4K and Blu-ray podcast we're offering up a Top 10 list of recommended discs for April and then we deep dive into our topic of the month: what makes a 10/10 4K disc release?

For our April Movies and TV podcast we're offering up a Top 10 list of recommended watches for April - and there's been some lovely, unexpected TV additions to top the list - and then we deep dive into our topic of the month: what makes a 10/10 movie or tv show?

This week we look at the one item which could transform the performance of your Audio and Visual system at home - your room! What can you do to tame the audio and maximise the video potential? Do you need to live in a black hole? How do you soundproof and fix your room's acoustics? Plus, what is Wave Forming and why should we care?

This week we interview James Thomas from LG about the 2024 TV range (focussing on the M4, G4, C4, B4 and QNED Models) and we discuss the best out-of-the-box picture mode for your TV.

This month we look at Hi-Fi turntables and explore the technology and the vinyl journey. Should you start a vinyl collection from scratch or is the cost just too prohibitive? What are the best turntables to buy and what are the differing technologies and approaches to the playback of vinyl? We are joined by Simon Powell who is the Operations Director for Henley Audio. As the UK distributor for Pro-Ject he's been heavily involved in vinyl sales at every price point for a number of years.

Our March 4K and Blu-ray podcast continues our new format of providing a Top 10 list of recommended discs for March and then a deep dive into a single topic - this month, in a parallel to last month’s movie’s discussion on how we consume our movies, we’re looking at the value of 4K, and where we draw the line, can we stomach just watching some on Blu-ray or even Digital, do we have to have the latest box sets, and would we ever double dip in 4K?

This month Cas and the movies team bring you the Top 10 films and TV shows to watch in March and look at how to best adapt books. Do we want single film adaptations, however abridged, multi-part film adaptations, however expanded or, in the worst instances, unfinished, or TV shows which, even if they are completed, and allow for the most faithful adaptations, may not always be of a Big Screen standard?

This week we ask if home theatre/home cinema is still a popular addition to homes or are people consuming music, movies, sports and TV in different ways in their living spaces. Is Home Cinema or Home Theater as we used to know it, now dead?

This week we look at whether you should consider buying last year's TV models instead of waiting for the 2024 versions and save yourself a lot of money doing so? Plus we talk about the results from the TV polls we posted on X and YouTube.