Contrary to popular belief, bigger is most definitely better. Nowhere is that more true than in the living room (or the bedroom…depending on your TV viewing habits) where sitting in front of a big screen, bringing the cinema experience closer to home to watch movies and sport is something all Australian families can get behind.

Most families will likely opt for a big-screen TV to hang on their walls. But, while such a huge screen undoubtedly offers an incredible viewing experience, with the latest technologies and features such as 4K ultra-high-definition, HDR (high dynamic range) and incredibly slim bezels to maximise screen real estate, it is, at the end of the day, a large slab of black that can wreak havoc with your room’s decor.

Fortunately, there is a solution in the Hisense L5F Laser Cinema ultra-short throw projector, the Chinese tech giant’s latest projector model, which is capable of shining a mammoth 120-inch image onto a vertical surface.

But, before we get into exactly what Hisense’s Laser Cinema projector can do, we thought we’d answer the question, “what is a short-throw projector?”

What is a short throw projector?

A short-throw projector works in much the same way as a conventional projector – just like the ones you’ll find at a cinema – in that it projects a large image onto a wall or projector screen. However, the main difference between a projector and a short-throw projector, is that the latter can project a large image onto a wall from an incredibly short distance. This isn’t rocket science.

Traditionally, with a conventional projector, you’d have to set it up behind your sofa or have it hanging from the ceiling so that it has enough distance from the wall to create a large image. This is usually around 10-feet.

A short-throw projector, or indeed, an ultra-short throw projector, only needs to be setup a few inches from the wall. In the case of the Hisense Laser Cinema 120L5F, it can beam a 120-inch image onto a white wall or the included, perfectly calibrated projector screen, from just 35cm. From both a technological and interior design perspective, this is phenomenal.

Not only is it an incredible feat from Hisense to develop a projector capable of creating such a large image from such a short distance, but to have just one rather good looking box sitting atop your entertainment bench makes for an incredibly clean aesthetic.

Hisense L5F Laser Cinema Projector Features

So, other than being able to project such a huge image onto a wall, what else can Hisense’s box of tricks do?

Firstly, it’s a dab hand at reproducing fast-moving content, making it quite literally perfect for sports and movies. Getting into a little bit of technical jargon for a second, Hisense’s LF5 Laser Cinema projector uses MEMC Technology promises a motion rate that is 10-times faster than Hisense’s own TVs.

The result? Fast-moving images, such as rugby players and footballers, or fast-moving scenes in movies, are presented smoothly and clearly. Whilst TVs have come a long way and can now handle motion with expert precision, the same can’t always be said of projectors. The Hisense L5F suffers no such drawback.

The L5F Laser Cinema projects images in 4K Ultra HD, should you have the content to play or stream. And, considering the majority of the best streaming services support 4K Ultra HD (some include it in your subscription, others require you to subscribe to a slightly more expensive tier), this shouldn’t be an issue.

Whilst you can project whatever it is you want onto a white wall, Hisense makes the task even easier by including a 120-inch Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) screen. This will need to be attached to your wall as a permanent fixture (it isn’t the roll-out type you used to see in schools) and it perfectly accompanies the Hisense projector like a match made in heaven.

An Ambient Light Rejecting screen works in a slightly different way from a conventional projector screen, in that it helps to reduce the amount of glare. In this case, Hisense claims its screen reduces glare by over 85%.

Chris Mayer, Hisense technical specialist adds, “One of the key differences in our screen is that both the screen and the console (projector) are calibrated and designed to work in harmony with each other. We’ve been able to engineer our screen for maximum brightness and to virtually eliminate glare from the screen.”

What also makes the L5F Laser Cinema a nifty box of tricks is that it’s essentially an all-in-one entertainment station. Not only does it offer the company’s own VIDAA 4 operating system, giving built-in access to a wide range of streaming services, including Netflix, Stan and Prime Video, but it can output full Dolby Atmos sound via the built-in speakers.

Dolby Atmos creates an enveloping sound field in your room, so not only will soundtracks and effects move around you at ear height, as is the case with conventional sound setups, but they also travel over your head.

Make no mistake though, if you really want a cinema-like experience at home, you’ll likely want to invest in an additional soundbar or full home theatre speaker setup.

Hisense’s L5F Laser Cinema, including the screen, is available now for an RRP of $7,999.

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Drive To Survive’s latest season debuted just over a month ago and, according to Motor Sport Broadcasting, a whopping 4.14 million people worldwide watched the show’s fourth season during its opening weekend.

This is unsurprising though considering how popular the first three seasons of Drive To Survive were; so popular that the docuseries – which, in case you’ve been living under a rock and aren’t familiar with Drive To Survive, provides viewers with a behind-the-scenes look at the drivers and teams competing in the Formula 1 (F1) world championship – is responsible for making F1, the sport, more popular.

According to The New York Times, after Drive To Survive was initially released on Netflix in 2019, ticket sales to the first US Grand Prix event after the show launched rose by fifteen per cent. Plus, ESPN revealed that the number of average viewers per F1 race had risen from 547,000 in 2018 to roughly 928,000 in 2021.

While F1 was already the most popular motorsport prior to Drive To Survive, it’s become much more popular as a sport in general thanks to Drive To Survive and it seems that other sports that are less ‘mainstream’ than sports like football and tennis are trying to copy this success.

For example, earlier this week Apple TV+ released a trailer – which you can watch below – for its upcoming docuseries, Make or Break, which will take viewers behind the scenes of the World Surf League Championship Tour.

Similar to how Drive To Survive features interviews with some of F1’s best racers such as Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, Make or Break will feature interviews with surfing legends Kelly Slater, Stephanie Gilmore, Gabriel Medina, Tyler Wright and more.

It’s pretty obvious that Make or Break is trying to become the Drive To Survive for surfing, and is hoping it’ll be responsible for making surfing, the sport, more popular; especially considering it’s being produced by Box To Box Films – the same company behind Drive To Survive.

Box To Box Films is also set to produce another upcoming (but unnamed as of yet) docuseries that’ll focus on golf and its four major championships, the Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, US Open Championship and The Open. Again, it seems the series is wanting to be like Drive To Survive but with golf.

And hey, Drive To Survive worked and brought the awesome sport that is F1 to the forefront. And as huge surfing and golf fans here at DMARGE, we’re hoping that these copycat docuseries work too.

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As Lewis Hamilton has famously put it, “cash is king” in Formula 1. The world’s most popular motorsport is a notoriously expensive sport to partake in, whether as a driver, team or fan.

Ahead of this year’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet revealed his desire to poach the race and bring it to Sydney when F1’s contract with Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit expires in 2025 – a revelation that’s generated a lot of controversy. (The Australian Grand Prix was previously hosted in Adelaide from 1985 to 1995).

While many Sydneysiders would love to have an F1 race in the Harbour City, others have questioned the economics of such a decision. Which begs the question: how much does it actually cost to run a Formula 1 Grand Prix?

First of all, you need to build a circuit, which isn’t cheap. As WTF1 explains, “just to build a permanent track totals over US$270m, whilst [Abu Dhabi’s] Yas Marina Circuit complex cost an eye-watering >$1bn!”

“This doesn’t include all the extra fees, such as FIA circuit inspections and paperwork to be given the FIA Grade 1 licence to host the race in the first place.”

That’s another good point: not just any race track can host an F1 Grand Prix. They need to be FIA Grade 1 certified, which means they need to fit a pretty stiff set of criteria, mostly around safety measures. Currently, Albert Park is the only FIA Grade 1 track in Oceania, and there are only 40 Grade One circuits in the world.

WTF1 also explains that street circuits can even be more expensive than permanent tracks that already exist, pointing to how Albert Park requires grandstands to be pulled up and down every year, as well as yearly road upgrades.

Hosting fees are also rather expensive and can also vary wildly, with older circuits like Monaco or Silverstone typically paying far less than modern additions like Baku or Jeddah, who have to stump up more cash to ‘fight’ to be on the calendar. F1 itself is a ruthless business and these hosting fees are one of the main ways the business makes money.

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Then you’ve got other considerations like staffing, marketing, insurance… All in all, it’s not cheap.

While the total cost of hosting an F1 Grand Prix is a closely guarded secret, according to Fox Sports, the Australian Grand Prix costs Melbourne $30 million to stage each year – with some of that cost borne by the public purse. If that seems like a lot, Forbes suggests that over a decade, the cost of hosting an F1 race can be over $1 billion.

So running an F1 race must make you a lot of money, right? Well, it’s not that straightforward.

As a contributor to Reddit’s /r/formula1 explains, “usually venues actually lose money. Typically governments will step in with subsidies to help pay a portion of the fee to F1. For governments, they can do this for multiple reasons.”

“First is tourism revenue. They think that the tourists that come for [the] race weekend and the tax revenue from that will outweigh the cost of the subsidy. The second is advertising. Similar to point one, the race is a big advertisement for the city itself for tourism. Abu Dhabi is a great example. The race track itself is a winding road around Yas Marina showing off how cool the island is and how glamourous it is.”

“Third is prestige. There is a prestige factor to being a city known for hosting F1.” That last point is particularly pertinent: it’s why countries with poor international reputations like China and Saudi Arabia have been so keen to host F1 races.

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In summary: it costs a lot to run and host a Formula 1 race, but most countries/hosts definitely think it’s worth it – that’s why 2022 has a record-breaking 23 races on the calendar. Which is good for the fans, really. More races mean more fun…

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A California woman has allegedly opened the emergency exit of her flight and slid down the inflatable slide. This came after a rant against flight attendants and just before the plane’s take off (the plane was taking off from New York, and destined for Chicago).

She then ran around on the runway before being taken into police custody, according to reports.

The woman faces charges of disorderly conduct, harassment, trespass and criminal mischief.

Sitting on a plane. A lady is pissed. Lady pulls the emergency inflatable slide to escape the plane. Lady is running wild through the tarmac currently. Cops have arrived. Flight ruined. Memories made. Noice

— Spencer Brown (@TooTallo_o) April 19, 2022

Spencer Brown, an NFL player, shared photos of the alleged incident. He wrote: “Sitting on a plane. A lady is pissed. Lady pulls the emergency inflatable slide to escape the plane. Lady is running wild through the tarmac currently. Cops have arrived. Flight ruined. Memories made. Noice.”

He followed this up with: “And off into the sunset she goes.”

And off into the sunset she goes folks pic.twitter.com/ig4FFtE5An

— Spencer Brown (@TooTallo_o) April 19, 2022

According to TMZ, American Airlines officials said, “The individual was quickly apprehended by local law enforcement and has been placed on American’s internal refuse list pending further investigation.”

Passengers onboard the flight were put on new flights to reach their destinations after this disruption forced the pilot to return to the gate.

Major US airlines stopped requiring passengers to wear masks on Monday, to the relief of some, and the dismay of others. Passengers can also now face huge fines for unruly behaviour and some flight attendants are now even being trained to kick your arse (in self-defence).

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The post ‘Pissed’ Airline Passenger Does The One Thing We’ve All Wanted To Do appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

It could be the start to a classic joke, but beer drinkers at the John Forrest Tavern in Perth, Western Australia recently did find out what happens when a kangaroo walks into a bar.

A video, uploaded to TikTok by user @pennywittenbaker shows a rather large roo bouncing into the pub, much to the bewilderment of customers. We say bewildered, rather than surprised, because judging by the video, nobody seemed too startled or shocked that one of Australia’s iconic wildlife animals decided to waltz on in and through to the smoker’s area for a durry (we presume).

Unsurprisingly, the video attracted a wealth of comments, including:

“Yeah jacks and coke mate” and “Just going to collect the meat tray raffle he just won.”

Another commented: “Everyone just moves aside like ‘gday Barry, ya winnin’? How’s the wife and Joeys?!”

The pub is situated within the John Forrest National Park and is said to be a regular jaunt for the local kangaroo population. However, it could well be one of the last times customers will experience a kangaroo up close while they sink some pints as, according to Perth Now, the John Forrest Tavern is set to shut its doors in a matter of weeks, only to be replaced by a series of food trucks.

A spokesperson for the Department of Biodiversity, Conservations and Attractions is quoted as saying, “DBCA will license food vans to provide a food and beverage service to visitors once the John Forrest Tavern has closed and the new facilities are being constructed.”

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It’s true: drinking red wine is reported to offer some health benefits that could lead to a longer life, according to a recent study… But it might even be better for your waistline and fitness than spirits and beer.

The study, published in the Obesity Science & Practice journal, wanted to examine the effects various alcohols had on body composition in older white adults.

The researchers agreed that “aging is characterized by body composition alterations, including increased visceral adiposity accumulation and bone loss.” and that “alcohol consumption may partially drive these alterations, but findings are mixed.”

As a quick biology lesson, visceral fat is, according to Healthline, “a type of body fat that’s stored within the abdominal cavity and is located near several vital organs including the liver, stomach and intestines.”

“It is sometimes referred to as ‘active fat’ because it can actively increase the risk of several health problems.”

The bottom line? You want to keep your levels of visceral fat to a minimum. Visceral fat is different to subcutaneous fat, which is the type we more commonly refer to as body fat.

As for the related health problems, the researchers of the recent study added that high levels of body fat (all types) “has been consistently linked to an increased risk of acquiring many different diseases, including cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer and a higher risk of death.”

Alochol is often associated with increased levels of weight gain, although it will naturally depend on which type you drink and how much of it you drink. It’s common for those looking to shred or keep their weight gain to a minimum when exercising, to opt for spirits, such as vodka or gin, mixed with soda water and lime.

Adam Sullivan of Evidence Based Training – a man who recently shut down the protein supplements industry – says that a shot of alcohol contains just under 100 calories. It’s the mixers you add to it than cause the number of calories to skyrocket. He ultimately says that no matter what alcohol you drink, if you remain in a calorie deficit when including your food intake, then you will still lose weight. It’s all about balance. You can watch that video here.

But, while that premise may be related specifically to weight gain and weight loss, Adam’s comments don’t necessarily factor in other health-related problems from drinking alcohol, nor do they factor in age-related factors.

It’s these that this new study – conducted by Brittany Larsen – aimed to answer.

To help prove or disprove those findings, the researchers analysed and assessed data from the UK Biobank database, using self-reported data from 1,869 white adults aged between 40 and 79.

To determine each participants’ body composition, they had to use dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. This method not only measures body composition, i.e. fat levels, but also bone density. It is also one of the only ways of measuring levels of visceral fat.

The study ultimately found that “greater beer/spirit consumptions were associated with greater visceral adiposity,” and that “drinking more red wine was associated with less visceral adipose mass.” So, just like a fine red wine ages better over time, so may you if you switch out beer and spirits (for wine) as you approach older age.

White wine, meanwhile, didn’t seem to influence levels of visceral fat (so could also be a good option for your regular drink). The researchers found that white wine resulted in “greater bone density.”

“We found higher bone density among older adults who drank white wine in moderation in our study. And we did not find this same link between beer or red wine consumption and bone mineral density,” Brittany Larsen added in an article published in The Conversation.

The researchers did add and admit that other environmental and dietary factors can also lead to, or prevent, various health problems, but their study at least shines an encouraging light on the benefits of red wine in particular.

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Virgin Australia’s “secret” new Beyond Lounges are a bit like a meat-free burger – shrouded in mystery, tasty and – apparently – addictive.

Whether you think they are an unnecessary appendage to the ‘meat and potatoes’ style lounges we already have, or whether you think they look very, very cool, we’ll leave up to you. The fact of the matter is that they’re here – just not for everyone.

Virgin Australia’s new Beyond lounges are reserved exclusively for their corporate partners, super high-status Velocity Frequent Flyer members and “key opinion leaders” throughout Australia. They’re so secret that no one else, supposedly, knows where the entrances are.

Virgin Australia yesterday officially opened invitation-only Beyond Lounges in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, hosting an event at Sydney Airport to mark the occasion.

At the event, Virgin Australia unveiled a new Beyond à la carte breakfast and all-day dining menu. They also revealed that access to Beyond Lounges would be through discreet doors that only members know the location of.

Once inside, members can enjoy leather-clad and oak timber walls, plush Chester-style armchairs, fiddle leaf trees and privacy pods with built-in charging stations.

Showers will be available from the 1st of July 2022. The airline also has revealed that private offices and board rooms are available to book in each Beyond Lounge.

The a la carte menu features light and substantial fresh menu options using the finest Australian produce. The airline says “all food is freshly prepared on site and can be ordered with the airline’s dedicated Beyond Lounge Hosts who are on hand to deliver a personalised service experience.”

The menu will rotate regularly based on supply and seasonality, and includes the following dishes:

• Breakfast options including eggs made to order

• Superfood salads

• Sandwiches and healthy wraps

• Seafood and meat pastas

• Decadent desserts 

• Cheese boards featuring some of the best Australian cheesemongers

• Virgin Australia’s signature truffle fries

“To complement the mouth-watering menu, Virgin Australia Beyond members will have access to a wide range of carefully selected beverages, including spirits, Australian wine (pink, white and red), cocktails, freshly squeezed juices, sparkling and still water, tea and coffee,” Virgin Australia announced.

According to the Virgin Australia newsroom, “Beyond members sit in the highest tier of loyalty at Virgin Australia and include decision makers for the airline’s corporate accounts and key leaders in many industries across the country.”

The airline said that in a survey of Beyond members (formerly The Club) last year, 95 per cent said they would recommend the invitation-only loyalty program and benefits to their friends or colleagues.

Virgin Australia also affirmed it is targeting a bigger piece of the business market and doubled down on its 33 per cent domestic market share goal.

Virgin Australia Beyond is now the highest level of loyalty to which Virgin Australia customers can belong, and sits next to the airline’s award-winning Velocity Frequent Flyer loyalty program which continues to offer Red, Silver, Gold and Platinum status.

Benefits of belonging to the Beyond club include a 12-month annual membership for the primary member with the option to also nominate a spouse/partner for Beyond membership to enjoy the same benefits (membership is reviewed each year), access to dedicated Beyond lounges in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, a dedicated phone concierge service to make or change bookings, four complimentary upgrades to Business Class each year and one complimentary Velocity Gold membership for the primary member’s executive assistant.

Not bad for some.

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Barely a week goes by without Elon Musk getting in the headlines. The Tesla and SpaceX founder’s latest stunt? Not content with just having one of the most followed Twitter accounts on the planet, the notoriously libertarian (and libertine) billionaire has finally secured a $44 billion hostile takeover of the landmark social media platform.

Musk, who is already the largest single investor in Twitter Inc. (owning over 9% of the company’s shares), is going to take Twitter totally private after previously lambasting company management and saying only he can unlock the “extraordinary potential” of the platform, Bloomberg reports.

Musk’s offer is that he’ll pay $54.20 per share in cash, which is 38% above the price on April 1st, the last trading day before Musk went public with his stake. Previously, Musk had agreed to a deal that’d see him join Twitter’s board of directors and prohibit him from acquiring more than 14.9% of the company – but he decided not to join the board before his appointment became effective on April 9th. Seems he’d rather own Twitter outright.

It’s a characteristically bold move from Musk, who’s long criticised Twitter for its seeming lack of commitment to free speech and has long used the platform to share updates on his business ventures, dabble in drama and share memes.

Yesss!!! pic.twitter.com/0T9HzUHuh6

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 25, 2022

Though it might be better for free speech on the platform, we’re uneasy about the prospect of ‘The Dogefather‘ running Twitter. But what we do know is this: it’s all very entertaining, this is one of the biggest buyouts in American corporate history, and it seems that Elon Musk has made corporate raiding cool again. Because what is this buyout if not the biggest corporate raid in history?

What’s corporate raiding, exactly? A corporate raid describes a particular type of hostile takeover where a business or individual (a ‘corporate raider’) purchases a large stake in another business and then uses shareholder voting rights to force it to undertake novel measures – usually to increase the share value, and usually in opposition to the desires and practices of current management.

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Corporate raiding was big in the 1980s, with figures like Carl Ichan, T. Boone Pickens and Paul Bilzerian (yep, Dan Bilzerian’s dad) becoming notorious for the practice. Michael Douglas’ iconic character Gordon Gekko from the 1987 film Wall Street – with his famous “greed is good” line – personifies the unscrupulous corporate raider, and still looms large in the public consciousness.

But as much as aspiring Wall Street bros idolise Gekko (just like they idolise Leonardo DiCaprio’s depiction of Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street), he’s a villain. Corporate raiders have always been seen as villains. But Elon Musk might change that perception.

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Regardless of what you think about him, it’s hard to deny that Musk has been responsible for huge perception shifts around electric vehicles as well as spaceflight. By framing his corporate raiding attempt as a defence of free speech and a way to further some sort of technocratic, utopian democracy, could Musk make corporate raiding socially acceptable?

Moreover, could Musk influence other activist investors to follow his lead and launch takeovers (hostile or otherwise) of other influential tech businesses, like Google, Facebook or Uber?

That said, it’s not clear whether Musk’s Twitter ploy really fits the definition of a corporate raid – especially seeing as Twitter has finally come to the table (although we can hardly say they did so totally willingly – they had previously expressed opposition to the bid and there were rumours they planned to implement a ‘poison pill’ to prevent it, as The New York Times reported).

Elon hasn’t announced any really concrete plans for what he’d do to Twitter if he bought the business, but from what he’s said so far, it seems he’d want to enact some pretty radical changes, which is certainly what corporate raiders typically do.

But unlike corporate raiders, he doesn’t seem motivated by pure profit – nor does he want to just liquidate Twitter or use it to boost Tesla or SpaceX’s bottom lines, for example. We doubt Musk would want to own Twitter indefinitely (that would seem to go against his anti-monopolistic and free speech stances), but it doesn’t look like he just wants to sell it on, either.

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While free speech advocates and Elon fanboys are very happy about all of this, the rest of the market has been somewhat hesitant. Tesla’s stock price has been trending downwards ever since Musk went public with his Twitter aspirations, with investors clearly seeing Musk’s fixation on acquiring the social media platform as negative for his other ventures.

Ah well. We’d rather Musk own Twitter than Donald Trump…

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The post Elon Musk, The Internet’s Biggest Troll, Buys Twitter For $44 Billion appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

In the latest Ladbrokes odds, Irish star Aidan Turner’s chances of replacing Daniel Craig as 007 have been slashed, and Tom Hardy, who is a firm fan favourite, and who has dominated the ‘next James Bond’ conversation for the last couple of years, is also taking a backseat to Bridgeton heartthrob Rege-Jean Page, who is the current ‘most likely’ pick, according to Ladbrokes.

Rege-Jean Page’s Ladbrokes odds are 7/2, while Aidan Turner’s and Tom Hardy’s are 6/1 respectively. Henry Cavill is a tied third with Turner and Hardy, also with Ladbrokes odds of 6/1.

The next most likely candidate after these guys is James Norton (8/1) and behind him Richard Madden (9/1). Then the high paying outliers are Idris Elba with odds of 10/1 and Sam Heughan with odds of 16/1.

For those that have enjoyed Hardy’s performance as Alfie in Peaky Blinders and Farrier in Dunkirk (or Bane in The Dark Knight Rises), and who are keen for a Bond with a history of playing villains, this might be slightly disappointing news. But don’t worry: Hardy is still very much in the running, just with slightly better paying odds than Rege-Jean Page.

With Daniel Craig now definitely retiring as Bond, Rege-Jean Page told The Mirror last year: “Ah, the B word. I think if you are British and do anything of note, that other people take notice of, then people will start talking about that.”

“That’s fairly normal and I’m flattered to be in the category of Brits that people have noticed.”

Rege-Jean Page

He refused to be drawn on his intentions, though, adding: “The concept of having plans in this moment in history is mildly hilarious. I’ve given up making them.”

As for Hardy, he hasn’t wanted to say much, for fear of jinxing his chances, but he has been a smidge more vocal about wanting to play James Bond.

“I’d love to play Bond with Chris Nolan or something. It would be awesome” he said in 2012 on the radio. A few years later, speaking to In:Demand Showbiz, Hardy said: “I think every boy wants to play James Bond to a certain degree.”

A few years after that Hardy told The Daily Beast: “If I mention it, it’s gone. You know, there’s a saying amongst us in the fraternity of acting, and in the fellowship of my peer group, that if you talk about it you’re automatically out of the race. So I can’t possibly comment on that one.”

And so the waiting game continues.

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