Creative Opinions: Physical Vs Digital

HMV and Blockbuster both collapsed in on themselves about a week ago leaving both music and movie-lovers feeling slightly lost. Where will they peruse the latest releases or pay a mere £3 for a DVD? Where will they find a deal as fab as the infamous '2 for £10' or such a relentlessly massive collection of headphones? Happy memories playing video games with complete strangers may fade and future generations could be at risk of never knowing what a 'CD' is... but does it really matter? Has the digital age finally taken over, wiping out all things physical in the process? Are Waterstones, and books in general, next to drop dead? Or will people rediscover the value in something you can wrap your arms around and hold dear to your heart, triggering a resurgence of independant stores? HCTV asked eight media-savvy individuals to exchange their opinions...

A look back at 2012 in the cinema

2012 has been a massive year for cinema. Bond struck back with Skyfall, The Hunger Games began, Spider-man did it all over again and The Cabin In The Woods pretty much reinvented everything we know about horror. Prometheus both amazed and appalled audiences, The Hobbit was either too long or not long enough and nobody even knew John Carter happened. The Avengers did 'comic book movie' better than ever before and Batman finished his run. It's been epic - so here's the best and the worst of the lot of it...!

Shopping List December 2012 - Five gifts you want for Xmas

Christmas is right around the corner and children everywhere are ready to burst with excitement at the thought of unwrapping an iPhone 5, Wii U or 3D TV on the big day. Sucks, doesn't it, how the magic has been torn from the festive season. Since when did all a child care about become the latest electrical gadgets, Furbys and Doctor Who? What happened to teddy bears, board games and wearing silly hats? Never mind. What follows is a list of five fab gift ideas the child inside all us geeky adults really wishes for come the 25th (if we survive that long)!

Shopping List November 2012 - 007, robots & rings

We're smack bang in the middle of November and we've spent the past few weeks hearing a never ending bombardment of explosives being let off outside our bedroom windows. Now, we're all coming to terms with the fact that, despite there already being Christmas lights everywhere you turn, November is very much our last month of freedom from the panic of gift-buying and our final paycheck before the big day. So, before society goes batshit, chucking their money at Apple for a phone they've already got, putting trees in their front rooms and pretty much robbing Comet, why not prepare yourself with HCTV's shopping list? What follows is a list of 10 ideas for great gifts or, indeed, some little somethings to treat yourself with.

How long from iPod to iRobot?

Most smart-phone savvy consumers were unimpressed with Apple's latest iPhone - the iPhone 5. Let's be honest, we all expected something a bit more creative, especially since Samsung are quickly catching up in terms of popularity and inventiveness. Some might say everybody needs to shut up and remember we were all playing snake in black and white on a Nokia 3210 little more than 10 years ago, but while bearing that in mind remember that, very soon, we're going to need something really quite big to happen technologically if we're to be in the same shoes as Will Smith in i, Robot (hopefully minus all the death and destruction) come the year 2035.

Shopping List October 2012 - Cabins, aliens & hedgehogs

October is a scary month for many reasons - Halloween is in it, the nights get darker quicker and it's the closest month to Christmas so far this year. But put all the fear out of your mind for a moment and look on the bright side! October is the start of winter coats, hot drinks, fairy lights and cosying up to fireplaces. If SAD is starting to get you down, why not pop out to the shops or spend some dosh online - here's everything you could possibly desire 'til November! (Be sure to have a look at last month's list too!)

Shopping List September 2012 - Dexter, Daleks & Daley

September's already here and we're ferociously hurtling our way towards Christmas day faster than we'd like. Pay day's just been and we've only a short while left to spend money on ourselves before we need to start splashing out on everyone around us. What's worth buying, then? Here's 10 TV and film-related bits and bobs you need in your shopping basket...