A stunning addition to anyone’s living room, the Samsung Q7F QLED TV is a 65-inch TV with excellent 4K ultra HD pictures as well as plenty of fun IPTV and smart functions.

Pictures are sharp and clear with good depth and dimension, the colours are vivid and the black level deep and satisfying.

Samsung says the display panel of its QLED TV is made of Quantum dot material, improving both durability and colour quality. Quantum dot technology allows the colours to look breathtaking and very real. The technology also provides very good contrast no matter how bright or dark the surroundings are.

The South Korean electronics giant adds that the Quantum dot display has 100-percent colour volume based on DCIP3, a common RGB colour space for digital movie projection in the American film industry, which explains why they look so real.

The Quantum dot display also supports HDR videos that allows movies shot with HDR technology to be viewed with stunning details – even in dark or shaded areas of the pictures. Combined with the HDR technology, all the details hidden in extremely bright and dark scenes can be seen, helping you enjoy what the director intended to show.

And the Q7F TV has very good brightness of 1,500 nits too.

The benefits of the Quantum dot display don’t stop there. Viewing angles increase and the picture and colours can be enjoyed even from the sides. The DCIP3 also prevents burnin, a permanent defect in areas of a TV display that can be caused by the cumulative effects of displaying the same image or scene for long periods of time, sometimes even as little as one hour

The Q7F has four picture modes – dynamic, standard, natural and movie. During the test, I found the standard mode was more than sufficient to enjoy movies and TV programmes until I tried the dynamic, which boosted the picture’s brightness and clarity in a bright room.

The Q7F’s has a sleek and modern body and the optional Studio stand and Gravity stand merely add to its sleekness.

The Q7F is designed to be mounted flat against the wall with a builtin mount. The wall mounting is easy to fit, with a hanger kit paper guide that you put on the wall first and drill the holes as indicated before hanging the Q7F on the wall.

A separate One Connect Box does away with messy cables. You simply attach the TV antenna and HDMI cables to the box then link a single optical to the TV. That means only the optical and power cables will hang from the TV when it is mounted on the wall. Both can be hidden in the stand for those who prefer their TV free standing.

The One Connect Box has four HDMI ports and three USB ports. The USB ports can be connected with external hard drives of USB drives for playing movies, viewing photos and playing music files.

The USB ports can also be connected to a keyboard and a mouse for more conveniently using the TV’s smart functions. For example, you can use the mouse and keyboard to move around web pages using the builtin web browser of the QLED TV. You can also use the keyboard to key in username and passwords to various apps that can be seen on the TV or key in search keywords when you’re looking for YouTube clips.

The Q7F comes with a Master Remote that functions as a universal remote controlling the devices of external movie sources as well. Best of all, the remote has a voice command button to control various functions.

The voice commands works quite effectively though this gizmo does prefer a correct accent. During the test, I managed to activate YouTube and Network apps.

Setting up the Q7F for first use is easy. The TV requires you to identify your country and tune in to terrestrial TV channels available. It also guides you to connect to Internet so that its IPTV feature and Smart TV functions can be used.

I connected it with wireless connection to Linksys EA8500 with 802.11ac wireless connection and used True Online’s FTTX 30/5 Megabit connection.

The Q7F managed to tune itself to all digital TV channels available as well as several IPTV channels from South Korea that partner with Samsung.

The Q7F also connected to my TrueVisions satellite receiver box and TrueTV IPTV box. Set up recognised the boxes and offered me the option of using the Master Remote to change channels.

Providing connection is complete and you were watching TrueVisions before turning off the TV, the remote control will also turn on the TrueVisions box in one press when you switch it back on again, which is very convenient.

The Q7F’s navigation is presented in Smart Hub style that allows you to find everything from the Smart Hub panel at the bottom. The Smart Hub is displayed when you press the Home button on the remote, and it hides after you have selected your source or app.

I found that the HD Channels of terrestrial digital TVs looked sharp and clean. HDR 4K YouTube clips also played beautifully and the details were sharp.

I also tried playing Netflix 4K clips and iflix movies on demand with builtin apps on the Q7F and the movies played smoothly.

The Q7F also has boasts a very good sound system. When I played Netflix movies with 5.1 sound, the TV’s speakers sounded like they were connected to a home theatre system.

I also enjoyed watching movies on demand via the TrueTV box, which retails for just Bt1,990 but allows you to watch Hollywood Blockbuster movies free until the end of this year. TrueMove H customers can get the box for just Bt990.

I watched “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”, “Beauty and the Beast” and “Rings” (2017) during the test. The movies were sharp and smooth and the sound was excellent.

The 65inch Samsung Q7F QLED TV retails for Bt139,990.

Key Specs

– Screen size: 65 inch

– Resolution: 3840×2150

– Picture engine: Q Engine

– Motion rate; 200 Hz

– Picture Quality Index: 3100

– HDR: QHDR 1500

– Dynamic contrast ratio: Mega contrast

– Precision black: Local dimming

– Audio formats supported: Dolby Digital Plus, DTS

– Sound output (RMS): 40 w

– Speaker type: 4.2 Ch

– Smart service: Voice interaction, TV Plus, Web browser

– Wireless connectivity: TV to mobile – mirroring, Mobile to TV – mirroring, DLNA, Bluetooth, WiFi Direct, WiFi builtin

– TV tuner: DVBT2, analogue tuner

– Input/output ports: 4 HDMI, 3 USB, 1 Component, 1 composite AV, l Ethernet, 1 optical audio output, 1 RFin,

– Power consumption: 230W

– Dimensions (WxHxD): 1444.1 x 826.4 x 45 mm (without stand); 1444.1 x 916.7 x 376.9 (with stand)

– Weight: 24.3 kgs (without stand), 28.2 kgs (with stand)

If rarely seen on camera, Henson lived and breathed television, hooking adult Americans on puppets, turning puppetry into prime-time entertainment and for 25 years gave life to Kermit, the world’s most famous puppet.

Not only did he create “The Muppet Show” and several of Kermit’s contemporaries, he gave birth to Elmo, Big Bird, Bert and Ernie of “Sesame Street” fame, “Fraggle Rock” and movies “Dark Crystal” (1982) and “Labyrinth” (1986).

On Saturday, the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens opens a permanent exhibition exploring Henson’s work, challenging visitors to look beyond his most famous creations at the astonishingly breadth of his career.

The exhibition brings together more than 300 objects, among them a Kermit the Frog, and more than 180 items bequeathed to the museum by the Henson family.

When Henson came to see puppetry as a serious art form, inspired partly by a trip to Europe in 1958, puppets at that time in America were for children, said Barbara Miller, curator of “The Jim Henson Exhibition.”

“The work and the projects that he developed — they were always fighting against this notion that puppets are just for kids,” she said.

“‘The Muppet Show’ was obviously the most successful way that he broke that barrier. It was programmed as prime time on Sunday nights. It was family hour so it was everybody.”

Merging comedy, fantasy, poetry, music and song, it was a surprising blend of weekly US television show which ran from 1976 to 1981, defined a generation and inspired eight feature-length films from 1979 to 2014.

‘Innovate’

But unusually, Henson walked away when the show was still in its prime, although he continued to give voice and movement to Kermit until his sudden death from pneumonia aged 53 in 1990.

“He was worried he was going to start repeating himself. The last thing my dad would want is that Kermit just keeps doing the same thing,” son Brian explained in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

“My dad’s number one thing was don’t repeat yourself. Innovate. Do something new.”

Henson demonstrated that innovation time and again with short, Oscar-nominated 1965 surrealist film “Time Piece,” then with “Dark Crystal”, “Fraggle Rock” and “Labyrinth” starring Davie Bowie.

Each time, he created a new universe made possible by advances in technology.

The purpose of the exhibition is not only to showcase his work but to illustrate “how things happened and what the creative processes were,” Miller said.

“I wanted people coming in with an idea of who Jim Henson is and leaving with a more complex idea of who he is and maybe more questions than they had when they came in,” she explained.

A traveling version of the exhibition is on view at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle and will travel the United States and the world over the next five years.

“We know ‘The Muppets,’ we know the characters on ‘Sesame Street,’ maybe a couple of other things — but one of the goals is to really deepen our understanding of Jim Henson as an artist, as a creative thinker, as an experimental filmmaker,” said Miller.

“And really see a bigger picture of him as a creator.”

The new film features some of Britain’s best-loved personalities and has been designed to help customers absorb important safety messages while boosting fund-raising for “Flying Start”, the global charity partnership between British Airways and Comic Relief. The “director’s cut” version of the safety video is a slightly shortened version of the real BA in-flight video.

“It’s extremely important to us that customers engage with our safety video, and involving some of the nation’s most well-known personalities has given us the chance to create something fun that we hope people will watch from start to finish– and remember,” says Alex Cruz, British Airways’ chairman and chief executive.

“We’ve worked with Comic Relief since 2010 and our customers have already helped us generate 16.5 million pounds (Bt721 million) for great causes. We hope the new video will enable us to exceed our goal of raising 20 million pounds by 2020.”

Ten celebrities are seen auditioning in humorous sketches in front of comedian Asim Chaudhry, as his People Just Do Nothing character Chabuddy G, for a coveted part in the safety video, while simultaneously demonstrating the safety features and procedures on the aircraft.

In a characteristic section at the end of the video, Rowan Atkinson comically fumbles around his seat for loose change to place in a Flying Start envelope, which are available to customers on flights to enable them to make donations to Comic Relief.

Comic Relief is a UK charity which aims to create a just world, free from poverty – where everyone is safe, healthy, educated and empowered. Since 1985, Comic Relief has raised more than 1 billion pounds. That money has helped and is helping, people living incredibly tough lives, both at home in the UK and across the world.

For further information, visit http://www.BA-FlyingStart.com.

 The festival will take place at Zone C of the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, Zone C in Bangkok and at Central Festival in Hat Yai, Songkhla on July 29-30 then at Safe One Market Square in Nakhon Ratchasime on August 5-6.

And visitors can even enjoy a dish absolutely free just by collecting 5 Coke bottle caps and redeeming them at the event.

“The “Eat Together and Taste the Feeling with Coke” festival is held to highlight Coke’s great fizzy flavour which goes well with all types of food, while giving consumers the opportunity to enjoy the taste of street food from around Thailand. The initiative is inspired by the way Thai people eat – enjoying food available in restaurants, from hawkers or from carts. Thailand’s street food has a unique appeal and taste you won’t find in other countries,” says Claudia Navarro, marketing director of Coca-Cola (Thailand).

She adds that as the market for non-alcoholic sparkling beverages in Thailand is valued at Bt 51.5 billion, The Coca-Cola system in Thailand consistently leads this market with a total share of 51 per cent.

“We realise our potential and opportunity to grow further, so we have earmarked Bt 400 million for the ‘Eat Together and Taste the Feeling with Coke’ festival to stimulate consumer awareness, and to entice consumers to enjoy street food with Coke. The budget will be allocated for extra activities to reinforce consumer awareness,” she adds.

The festival will present four simulated settings showcasing the different ways Thai people enjoy eating street food.

Zone 1: Standing Eating Room is where standing fairgoers enjoy eating great foods from famous food shops, no chairs required.

Zone 2: Yummy on the Side Walk is where street-side stalls provide tables and chairs.

Zone 3: Yummy Together on the Mat offers the communal ambience of eating together on a mat.

Zone 4: One Chair Don’t Care is where visitors can sit on a chair eating their favourite food without a table. Each zone will feature acoustic live music performances.

An exceptional fun contest for foodies designed to promote esprit de corps will take place at the festival. Unlike in ordinary eating competitions, team members in this challenge are encouraged to feed one another and teams that get along well receive super exclusive prizes from Coke.

Follow updates on Coke’s super sparkling activities at http://www.Coca-Cola.co.th or join the conversation at Facebook.com/cocacolaTh.

Inspired by artistic director Nicola Formichetti’s long-time championing of new design talent in the fashion industry, Denim Lab combines wild and imaginative expression with a “jeans feelin”’. London-based Paris-born designer Faustine Steinmetz, known for her intricate reworking of denim fibre and classic pieces, is one of the talents in the Denim Lab studio this season, creating pieces that point to the direction of the future – today.

The first Denim Lab collection of womenswear and menswear, in washes from light blue to indigo and black features skirts, dresses, shorts, jumpsuits, jackets, t-shirts and jeans in which denim becomes “erased”, creating a vanishing devore effect.

Neat for the feet

Heavily influenced by its ready-to-wear collection, Lanvin Men’s accessories for this coming season multiply connections between the contemporary spirit dear to Lucas Ossendrijver and a more sportswear wardrobe, rich in detail. The Lanvin sneaker family welcomes a newcomer of extreme lightness, inspired by vintage tennis shoes from the 1970s. Available in grain leather for the Derby model and suede, nylon and mesh in the low or ankle-high versions, this new sneaker has a latex structure and an edgily styled rubber sole, plain or in two colours. Leather shoes. Meanwhile, |combine luxurious fabrics (grain leather, matt python) with new colours and brand new techniques.

Make-up that rocks

Skin care and cosmetics brand Clinique has |partnered with potter and designer Jonathan Adler for a limited edition collection of make-up must-haves. From the glamorous packaging to the bold colour, these beauty treasures promise are sure to make any makeup routine more fun, and stylish, than ever before. Inspired |by some of his Adler’s favourite travel |destinations – Capri, Palm Beach and Santorini – each product adds a touch of glamour to everyday make up.

Lush up your mom!

Lush, the premium skincare from UK, is offering a range of limited edition products especially for Mother’s Day.

They include two new bath bombs, the fast-fizzing and aptly named Mum, which comes in two different colours and the beautiful Ups-a-Daisy, a dream come true for any bath-art fanatic.

Both bombs and the line’s full range of hand-made soaps are available at the store’s Siam Center branch.

In time with time

Popular timepiece expo Siam Paragon Watch 2017 returns to the downtown mall on Monday on the theme “The Legendary” and this year will be showcasing more than 180 world class brands. Running until August 15 at the Hall of Fame, Hall of Mirrors, Crystal Court, Watch Boutique and Watch Galleria, and Paragon Department Store, the event will also offer special |discounts and a range of other privileges plus exhibitions by some of the biggest names in timepieces.

And there I learned some good news for all those worried about a double chin – that the latest innovation in this fat-fighting treatment will soon be available in Thailand.

A non-surgical injectable treatment that breaks up fat cells under the chin, it contains deoxycholic acid, an enzyme that our bodies naturally produce and that helps the body absorb fats. It is used to target fat cells specifically without injury to skin or muscle.

The loss of chin profile with unwanted submental fat might be of particular concern to several people. In the past, the mainstay for elimination of fat under the chin was with surgery like liposuction. Now, the introduction of the active fat dissolver, deoxycholic acid, provides a non-invasive option to those who want to get rid of fat and contour the chin area without surgery. This injection treatment is unique because patients get liposuction like results without significant downtime.

The use of deoxycholic acid for double chin contouring was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration after two clinical trials with 1,022 adults with moderate or severe submental fat. After patients were randomly assigned to receive pure synthetic deoxycholic acid or a placebo, reductions in the fat below the chin were observed more frequently in those patients who had received deoxycholic acid. Despite the significant reduction in submental fat, skin laxity was improved in most patients as well.

When deoxycholic acid is injected, it destroys the cell membrane of fat cells causing fat cells to die. Reducing the number of fat cells will reduce submental fat. The procedure involves a series of injections, which must be performed by a well-trained dermatologist. There may be some swelling or bruising for the first few days following the injections. For now, the liquid is exclusively injected under the jaw. But there is an attempt to extend the drug usage to other areas of the face such as the cheeks.

The opportunities are endless!

THANISORN THAMLIKITKUL MD is a member of the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery and certified in dermatological laser surgery. Send your questions for her to info@romrawin.com

The fair is being held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok from September 6-8.

Eighteen national pavilions and groups, including the debut group participation from Canada, European Union, India, the Netherlands and Russia, will present more than 5,000 state-of-the-art medical and healthcare products, equipment and solutions to a targeted audience of 10,000 medical and healthcare professionals, highlighting once again, Medcial Fair Thaialnd’s position as the region’s top trade exhibition for the medical and healthcare sectors.

“Thailand’s positioning as a leading medical and healthcare hub will be further enhanced as the country gears up for Thailand 4.0, where value creation and innovation is set to take centre stage. We are proud to be, once again, supported by some of Thailand and the region’s most prominent government and industry trade associations, including Thailand’s Ministry of Health, the Asian Hospital Federation, and many others,” says Gernot Ringling, managing director of Messe Dusseldorf Asia

The Medical Fair Thailand will focus on Rehabilitative Care and Connected Healthcare, such as digital healthcare equipment and solutions, and wearable technologies that are rapidly transforming the market. As such, the event provides the best business opportunities for the hospital, diagnostic, pharmaceutical, medical and rehabilitation sectors to navigate the dynamic marketplace of Thailand and Southeast Asia.

A number of seminars, forums, conferences and technical presentations will be held during the event.

Find out more at http://www.MedicalFair-Thailand.com.

This full 75 minutes of choreographed dance moves and boy-next-door charm features Australian hunks with six-packs and on-stage talents, making a show the world’s most sought after “Ultimate Girls Night Out”. The show has entertained more than 18 million women from Hong Kong, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and Guam, the USA to Canada. The guys have appeared on stage alongside such Hollywood celebrities such as Demi Moore, Kelly Clarkson, Heidi Klum, Kelli Regis, Tyra Banks and Paris Hilton.

“Thunder From Down Under is an experience every woman should have once in their lifetime,” enthuses Noppadon Jason Chiransanti, chief executive of PMD+. “It’s been a resident show in The Excalibur Hotel in Las Vegas for the past 18 years, with up to 2 shows a night full of happy, screaming ladies!”

“I envision creating a completely new category of entertainment, a female-centric live production for Southeast Asia. I fly all over the world to source and select entertainment that will satisfy the needs of modern women as well as gays. Most people have heard of this type of live-production through the Hollywood movie ‘Magic Mike’ but only few have really experienced it! I believe there’s a wild side to all of us and we are prepared to entertain that side of you!” adds Natt Kawinrachataprida, managing director of YSIS Entertainment.

Visitors can take advantage of a Girls’ Night Outback on September 4, while a Gay’s Night Outback takes place on September 5. Prices range from Bt2,500 for a regular seat to Bt45,000 for six “Feel-the-Sweat” VVIP seats. Early birds can save up 10 per cent on all ticket packages until Sunday (July 23).

Find out more at Facebook.com/wildnightasia and http://www.WildNight.asia. Book your ticket at http://www.TicketMelon.com/event/thunderbkk.

The contest is divided into four categories: students grade 1-3; student from grade 4-6; students grade 7-12 (ages 12 to 18); and the general public,

To enter, just take a picture of you and your mother, print it out, attach it to a sheet of A4 paper and write the caption, not exceeding 10 lines, by hand. Also include your full name, date of birth, age, education level, school or work place with address and telephone number, and send to PO Box 8 Klong Bangna Bangkok 10262 to arrive before August 12.

The contest is limited to one picture per person and will be judged on both caption and picture. The winner will be announced via Facebook.com/lactasoyclub on August 21. For more information, call (082) 456 7744 or check out http://www.facebook.com/lactasoyclub

Currently owned by the Royal British Columbia Museum in Canada, the car will travel to London to join ‘The Great Eight Phantoms’ – a Rolls-Royce Exhibition, at Bonhams on Bond Street, an area visited regularly by Lennon in the late 1960s in this very car.

John Lennon took delivery of a Rolls-Royce Phantom V in Valentine Black in 1965. He would later say that he always wanted to be an eccentric millionaire, and the Phantom would become an important step towards that dream. Lennon had the Phantom V customised in true rock-star style. The rear seat was converted to a double bed, a television, telephone and refrigerator were installed, along with a “floating” record player and a custom sound system (which included an external loud hailer).

Then, in April 1967, just as the recording of the game-changing “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” studio album was finishing up, Lennon asked Surrey coachbuilders, JP Fallon, to give the Phantom a new paint job. The freshly painted Phantom was unveiled days before the worldwide release of the album on June 1 and seemed part of the overall concept of the album. Leading news magazines declared it a “historic departure in the progress of music — any music” and, simply, “a masterpiece”.

The new colour scheme is best described as psychedelic and certainly the colours, particularly the dominant yellow, reflected the album cover. It is however no random swirl, but a floral Romany scroll design, as used on gypsy caravans and canal barges, with a zodiac symbol on the roof.

The Phantom V was used regularly by Lennon until 1969 (Lennon also owned a slightly less conspicuous all-white Phantom V). Having used it, pre-paint change, to collect his MBE with his bandmates in 1965, he then used it again in 1969 to return his MBE to the Palace, in protest against, among other things, the Vietnam War.

The car was shipped to the USA in 1970 when Lennon moved there and was loaned out to ferry other rock stars around such as The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and The Moody Blues. In 1977, after a period in storage, it was donated by billionaire Jim Pattison to the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria.

‘The Great Eight Phantoms’ – a Rolls-Royce Exhibition, will run at Bonhams from July 29 to August 2.

“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” presented a number of innovations: no gaps between the songs giving the impression of a continuous concert; new production techniques including alternating the speed of the recording; and a high pitched sound after the track “A Day in the Life”– which could only be heard by dogs. On what was known as the ‘run out groove’, laughter and muffled conversation could be heard, amplifying the sense of humour that the group had. Printed lyrics of the songs on the inside cover were yet another first.