HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

On this week’s show we look at the Nielsen “The Gauge™” report for March 2024 and the new Sony Bravia Line of TVs. We also ask if QDEL is the future of TV Technology. We round out the show with your emails and a look at the week’s news.

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Nielsen today released The Gauge™ report for March 2024, which revealed that TV usage changes from February to March were very similar to those exhibited in the same interval last year, as seasonality—of both content and viewing behavior—has started to take effect. As such, the 3% drop in overall TV usage in March does not come as a surprise, but a closer look at shifts in viewing behavior over a longer period of time highlights greater changes across the broader media landscape. Full Press Release here…

Sony unveiled four new Bravia TV models, “flagship” and “premium” mini-LED editions, the Bravia 9 and Bravia 8, respectively, a “core” full-array LED Bravia 7, and a “standard” direct LED Bravia 6. Full Article Here…

In the realm of premium display technologies, Quantum Dot Electroluminescent (QDEL) is emerging as a promising innovation that could potentially replace OLED in high-end TVs and monitors. Unlike traditional LEDS, QDEL displays do not require a traditional backlight; instead, they utilize quantum dots as the light source, offering various advantages in terms of image quality, affordability, and longevity. So what makes QDEL so enticing to TV manufacturers?

Evolution from OLED 

With OLED technology becoming more common and affordable, the focus has shifted toward identifying the next breakthrough in consumer display technology. While concepts like Micro LED, transparent screens, and foldable displays are under development, quantum dots have surfaced as a leading contender to address key user concerns effectively.

Quantum Dot Technology 

Quantum dots are semiconductor nanocrystals that emit light when subjected to an electric current, offering superior color accuracy and brightness compared to traditional displays. QDEL leverages quantum dots to produce vibrant colors, high brightness, and enhanced energy efficiency without relying on a separate backlight system.

Advantages of QDEL

Nanotechnology Development 

Nanosys, a leading quantum dot supplier, is actively involved in developing QDEL technology under the name NanoLED. This innovative approach aims to enhance display performance while offering a competitive edge in the premium display market.

QDEL represents a promising advancement in display technology, offering a backlight-less solution with improved color reproduction, brightness, affordability, and durability. As the industry continues to evolve, QDEL stands out as a technology to watch for enthusiasts and consumers looking for the next generation of premium displays.

On this week’s show we compare Mini-LED vs OLED and we put a high end listening room based on products that were exhibited at this year’s AXPONA show. We also read your email and look at the week’s news.

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We are asked from time to time to recommend a particular TV or in some cases a technology. Right now, in our opinion, the best TV technology is OLED. But is it really the best overall? Let’s take a look at OLED vs mini-LED in six important criteria.

Sharpness and Resolution: Both OLED and Mini-LED TVs typically offer 4K resolution, with some models supporting higher resolutions. Therefore, in terms of sharpness and resolution, it's a tie between OLED and Mini-LED. Black Levels: OLED TVs excel in producing true blacks by individually turning off pixels. Mini-LED displays have not completely achieved this level of per-pixel control. In this aspect, OLED emerges as the winner for its superior black levels. Brightness and Contrast: OLED TVs offer deep blacks for infinite contrast ratio, while Mini-LED TVs can achieve higher brightness levels. Mini-LED takes the lead in brightness, while OLED wins in terms of contrast ratio. Color Quality: OLED TVs typically exhibit excellent color quality, often surpassing 100% of the sRGB color gamut. Although Mini-LED TVs may not reach these levels, this is more due to other factors like color filters rather than the Mini-LED technology itself. The winner in color quality is OLED. Viewing Angles: OLED TVs generally have wider viewing angles compared to LCD TVs, including those using Mini-LED technology. While Mini-LED TVs can vary based on the type of display used, OLED usually outperforms them in terms of viewing angles. Size and Price: In terms of size, both OLED and Mini-LED TVs are available in various sizes to suit different preferences. However, traditionally, OLED TVs have been more expensive compared to Mini-LED TVs, which could be a consideration for some buyers. Price and size considerations may vary based on individual preferences and budgets.

So which one wins? It's our opinion that OLED has the absolute best picture but mini-LED is very close and unless you are looking at them side by side you won’t notice. It really comes down to cost and since you can buy some really big mini-LED TVs for a quarter of the price, we give the nod to mini-LED.

AXPONA 2024 wrapped up last week. What is AXPONA you might ask? From their website:  AXPONA is a three-day experience featuring multiple hotel floors packed with over 200 listening rooms. The Expo Hall featuring The Record Fair, The Ear Gear Experience, and seminars. Whether you’re a serious audiophile, a newcomer to high-end audio or simply a music lover, you’ll find everything you need to immerse yourself in your favorite sounds. 

It's very similar to “The Show” that we have out here in CA every year. This year it will be June 7-9 in Costa Mesa so come out and let’s all go! While AXPONA exhibited products that most of us can buy, there are some that, quite frankly, are priced for people fly on their own jets. They probably don’t even listen to podcasts, so let’s make fun of them!! Kidding of course. Today, our very rich uncle who has $150,000 laying around has asked us to put a system together so he can listen to his extensive vinyl collection!

Transrotor Tourbillon FMD

The Tourbillon FMD is a premium turntable model with high-end features designed to deliver exceptional performance in the audio playback experience. 

The Transrotor Tourbillon FMD stands out as a top-of-the-line turntable with innovative features and premium construction materials aimed at audiophiles seeking unparalleled sound quality and precision in vinyl playback. With its advanced FMD bearing technology, dual tone arm support, and included accessories, it offers a premium and comprehensive audio experience for discerning enthusiasts in the high-end turntable market.

$60K with Cartridge

Fern and Roby Amp No. 2

Amp No. 2 is our second collaboration with Michael Bettinger who has been designing and building amplifiers for nearly 40 years. Integrated amps make building a great high fidelity audio system easy. Our goal in this project was to produce something that will turn your living room into the best listening room possible. Fewer components, cables, and cost, but delivering world class audio into your home. $8500 (Add $350 if you want Isolation Feet) 

Acora SRB Reference Loudspeaker

Acora Acoustics loudspeakers are constructed using hand crafted, specially treated granite enclosures. The rigidity of granite far exceeds that of traditional particle board or wood enclosures. One of the benefits of this is as the SRB’s drivers move to push air / create sound, the enclosure isn’t absorbing this energy and dulling or smearing the sound. Another benefit of the Acora enclosure is it does not need internal bracing to “stiffen” the enclosure. This means no additional reflections inside the enclosure that will vibrate the low frequency driver and smear the sound. The SRB also utilizes world class drivers and a hand built crossover network, however the real secret to the Acora Sound is that you only hear these, not the enclosure.

Sensitivity 86.5 db 

Frequency Response 43Hz - 35KHz 

58 lbs each

$37,000 pair

On this week’s show we preview the upcoming WiFi 7 specification and we review the Technics SU-GX70 Network Audio Amplifier Review. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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Why WiFi 7 is the future of wireless technology

As of now, the finalized specifications for WiFi 7 (also known as 802.11be) have not been officially released, as the standard is still in development. However, based on industry discussions and proposals, some expected features of the proposed WiFi 7 specification include:

Increased Speeds: WiFi 7 is anticipated to offer even higher data rates than its predecessors, potentially reaching multi-gigabit speeds  Enhanced Efficiency: Improved spectrum efficiency will allowi for better performance in crowded environments and increased capacity for simultaneous connections. Low Latency: WiFi 7 is likely to target reduced latency to support real-time applications such as online gaming, video streaming, and video conferencing with minimal delay. Advanced Security:  Multi-User MIMO: More advanced Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) technology  Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA): The use of OFDMA will enhance spectral efficiency and enable better resource allocation for various types of traffic. Improved Beamforming: Enhanced beamforming techniques will optimize signal transmission and reception, improving network coverage and reliability. Wider Spectrum Utilization: WiFi 7 may explore the use of new frequency bands or spectrum sharing techniques to accommodate more devices and applications and deliver better performance. IoT Optimization: Features tailored for Internet of Things (IoT) devices to support the increasing number of connected devices and diverse IoT applications. Power Efficiency Enhancements: Efforts to improve power efficiency to extend battery life in wireless devices and reduce energy consumption overall.

It's important to note that these features are based on expectations and early proposals for WiFi 7. The final specifications may vary as the standard progresses through the development and approval process.

Listening to music takes three elements, the music itself, the speakers, and the amplification. If one of these elements is not up to the task, your entire experience will be less than desired. Great speakers take high quality audio to even higher levels. The converse is also true, poor quality audio files will sound even worse. 

There is a middle layer that we don’t talk about as much, and that’s the amplification. Back in the 70’s all we cared about were watts! The more, the better! As a teenager I did not appreciate that not all power is created equal. Smart amplifier design can make your music sound even better and that’s what the engineers at Technics have done with the SU-GX70 Network Audio Amplifier (MSRP $1999.95).

The GX70 is a box that has something for everyone. First and foremost it's a digital amplifier that outputs a total of 80 Watts into 8 ohms and supports a ton of physical connections including: Line level x2, phono, HDMI ARC, optical x2, coaxial, USB Type A, USB Type B. Supporting HDMI ARC allows you to connect your own speakers as a soundbar alternative.  

As far as wireless connection goes, you have Wi-fi, ethernet, Bluetooth, Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay 2. DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast) and  FM. You can also get access to Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz through the app. 

Hi Res is supported via the USB port with a DAC that can decode 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD512 files and it can handle MQA streams from Tidal. This is one versatile integrated amp!!

Setup

To connect the GX70 to the network you use the Apple Home (or Google Home) app. Which seemed odd to us since there is a remote control and display screen. But once you are connected to your network you can use the Technics Audio Center App to control the system. Actually, the only reason you would need the app is if you want to send MQA streams to the amp. All the radio stations that are available through the app are available on your phone or tablet via apps source apps like iHeart Radio. You can tweak the amp to dial it in for your speakers through a calibration on the amp. But it sounded really good right out of the box. 

We’ll give it an 8 out of 10 for setup, knocking off two points because you have to use Apple/Google Home to get it connected to your network. The aforementioned remote is a better way to use and interact with the amp. You pretty much just need to connect your speakers and you are good to go.

Sound

To test the audio we turned to the HT Guys Listener Playlist (Playlist available on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify)  and listened via Airplay2, Bluetooth, and USB. All the music was played in the highest fidelity available on the platform. Both Airplay and Bluetooth lowered quality to fit within the limits of the protocol. It should be noted that the GX70 does not support AptX. 

We’ll discuss Airplay and Bluetooth together and sum it up by saying the quality was good. The only thing we’ll say is that these formats work well for convenience without sacrificing too much quality. When listening to music while doing something else, this is a nice feature. But for really listening to music we used the USB connection.

Once connected to Listened to Steely Dan, Deacon Blues (24 bit 192kHz) across three different speakers and found that the GX70 helped capture nuances in the music that we had never heard before. The sound was clean and precise. In Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Tin Pan Alley his voice was so smooth and raspy but in a good way! It's like the amp gave it more power and weight!

But can it make your walls rattle? You would think at 80W total that this was not a possibility and depending on your speakers it's not. If you have power hungry speakers they will push the amp to its limits. However, if you have efficient  speakers, it will fill the room with sound. More than we were expecting. For that we turned to UFO Strangers in the Night Live, which is an excellent album from the 1970’s, but the recording wasn’t the best. We’ll say this, the GX70 attached to Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1s, which are not extremely efficient speakers, got loud enough to where family members asked to turn down the music!

Conclusion

What we liked

Needs Improvement

The GX70 offers an elevated listening experience that brings music to life with clarity, depth, and immersive soundstaging making it a top choice for those who are serious about their music.

On this week’s show the HT Guys are on spring break but no worries we still have a brief show for you. Are Sports Fans willing to pay $50 a month to stream their favorite teams? We have a couple of emails and news stories. 

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57% of Sports Fans Willing to Pay $50 Monthly For Live Streaming App

More than 57% of TV sports fans said they would pay $50 monthly for a sports-only streaming app service in a February online survey of 2,000 respondents conducted by CasinoReviews.net, an advocate for online wagering. Full article here…

On this week’s show SVS officially launches their Ultra Evolution Speakers, Amazon Echo Dot with LED Display is the best home automation device, and RTINGS.com is not impressed with the Formovie UST Projector. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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We had Nick Brown and Smith Freeman on the live stream last Friday where we talked about the speakers and had a fun time. At that time we could not discuss all the details of their new Ultra Evolution speakers. Well this week SVS announced the availability and pricing.

From the Press Release:

At first glance, the most striking design feature is the acoustically centered time alignment cabinet architecture. A curve in the front baffle aligns the sound emanation point of the tweeter and each driver on a vertical plane ensuring sound from each driver arrives at a listener’s ear in the exact same instant. This maximizes phase coherence for a more convincing and immersive soundstage with pinpoint accuracy and imaging.

For the tower models specifically, midrange drivers and woofers positioned above and below the tweeter allow for seamless crossover blending to create an idealized “point-source” where sound flows from a single point in front of the speaker to optimize dispersion characteristics.

The diamond-coated aluminum dome tweeter is also completely new for SVS. Using a modern  technology called vapor deposition, a layer of diamond carbon is grown on the surface of the aluminum dome to improve rigidity and critical acoustic properties. This breakthrough in material science raises the frequency response well beyond the limits of human hearing resulting in effortless, airy, and unveiled highs with no measurable distortion. It also pushes low frequency extension of the tweeter deeper for more seamless blending with the midrange.

Details and pricing on the new models are included below.  

Ultra Evolution Nano and Ultra Evolution Tower models will ship later in Q2.

Finish options will be limited at launch. All models will soon be available in Piano Gloss Black, Piano Gloss White, and Premium Black Oak Wood Veneer finishes.

All SVS products are backed by a five-year unconditional warranty, 45-day in-home trial, fast and free shipping, expert lifetime support, SoundPoints loyalty program, and all the guarantees of the SVS Customer Bill of Rights.

I was reading an article on Tom’s Guide titled “The best smart home devices in 2024” and saw that they deemed the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock ($50) as the best smart home device overall. I wondered why? Once you dive in, you can see how they got there. From the article:

The name says it all: this is an Echo Dot with a clever LED clock built in its face. However, this seemingly simple addition adds a ton of functionality to the Echo Dot, making an even better smart home companion. In fact, we wish more smart home companies took Amazon's cue and make minor — yet effective — enhancements to already excellent devices.

I started searching online and found other reviewers saying the same thing. The Dot does everything you’d expect a device of this type to do but it's the LED that sets it apart from its competition. And if you read some of the 65,000 comments you’ll see a lot of others agree! The LED can display a clock, timers, weather, song titles, and more. 

So do you think a $50 smart speaker with an LED display is worthy of the title “Best Smart Home Device”?

Here is what some owners are saying:

Over at AVS forum a thread caught our eye titled “RTINGS what are you doing?”. The author of the thread was not happy with a review of the  Formovie UST Projector the site had posted. RTINGS gave the projector a 7.1 out of 10 for movies. Reading through the thread it was clear that owners of the Formovie were upset. One poster thought it was possible that the RTINGS methodology may be suspect. 

Question for our listeners. If you own a product and are happy with it do you seek out reviews? If they differ from your opinions does it bother you?

If you remember in 2023 Projector Central did a laser projector showdown where the Formovie UST Projector won best Best Ultra Short Throw Projector. So it may have been in the AVS forum posters mind that the Formovie was a really good projector. Projector Central did not say best projector but best ultra short throw projector. Most people agree that UST projectors are not as good as long throw projectors but they do have the ability to be viewed in rooms with plenty of ambient light.

RTINGS strictly looks at the measurements it takes objectively. When they did, the Formovie UST projector did not fare well. If you look at the scores from the shootout you see that it didn’t do much  better than what RTINGS said it did. If RTINGS did a UST shootout the F ormovie may have been the best one. It's just not the best projector.

On this week’s show we take a look at some audiophile myths and debunk them. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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Why do some in our hobby spend so much money on their gear? And for this discussion we are not talking about reasonably priced quality products that can cost a few thousand dollars. We’re talking about really expensive stuff like speakers that cost $20,000 each, speaker wire that costs $100 a foot, or any other product that needlessly separates you from your money all in the name of squeezing out the last bit of performance.  On today’s show we will dispel a few Audiophile Myths and hopefully save you money and help you get more out of the equipment you own.

Myth: Even though people cannot hear frequencies above 20 KHz, it is important that audio equipment be able to reproduce higher frequencies to maintain clarity.

Fact: Producing sounds at a frequency beyond what humans can hear is not sonically useful. However, a good amplifier and speaker generally have a frequency response beyond the limits of hearing.  Conversely, the lack of an extended response can indicate that the amplifier designers cut some corners. Keep in mind you don’t have to pay a lot of money for this. A Fosi amp goes for $100 and produces frequencies from 20Hz to 20kHz. 

Myth: Gold-plated connectors sound better than connectors made of standard materials (Copper, Nickel. Or Tin).

Fact: Gold does not oxidize, and oxidized connectors can cause problems. With that said, gold on it's own will not make your audio better. As far as oxidation goes, good quality wire and connectors will take years to oxidize under normal circumstances. Don’t waste money on gold plated when copper will do the exact same thing!

Myth: Speakers Need Time to Break In  

Fact: I used to believe this based on my own listening. But there was no way for me to actually remember what my speakers sounded like from day one to compare them with day five after 30 hours of use. It wasn’t until I saw objective tests performed on speakers when they were new and again when they were used for 30 hours. The wave forms were sonically identical. Conclusive scientific results. End of story!  

Now some bigger drivers like woofers and subwoofers use spiders as stiffening agents instead of thicker, more rigid materials in their production. These do lose stiffness in their suspension with use, but it usually happens within minutes — not hours or days. 

Myth: All acoustic treatments will improve the sound.

Fact: You can’t throw up acoustic treatments just anywhere and expect an improvement in sound. Acoustic treatments are made to address specific problems. With that said, if you have a room with bare walls and wood or tile floors, get soft materials on the walls and rugs on the floor. In this case dampening the echos will help. But to do a full treatment you need to be more exact, 

Here is a list of articles from Audioholics that can help you treat your room. “Room Reflections and Human Adaptation for Small Room Acoustics,” “Early Reflections and Bass for Small Room Acoustics,” and “Early Reflections in Home Theater Rooms: Beneficial or Detrimental?” 

Myth: Speakers need to be isolated to get the most out of them. 

Fact: Well designed loudspeakers don't transmit much mechanical energy through their enclosures. Loudspeakers are transmitting most of their energy into the air which then exerts force on objects in the room. You are likely getting more vibrations from pressure waves hitting other objects in the room as opposed to the cabinet vibrating.  

In my room I have played some of my speakers at very loud volumes. I then touched the drivers on the speakers that were adjacent and there was some movement. I’m not sure that they did anything to distort the sound in the room, but they were vibrating more than the cabinets of the speaker that I was using. There may be some aesthetic reasons you may want to isolate your speakers including pads to protect your floor.

Myth: All your speaker wire should be the same length.

Fact: Speed of electricity is 186,000 miles a second. That means that a 5 meter and 10 meter cable have statistically no difference as to when the signal gets to the drivers. But using similar length speaker wire will increase the resale value of your speakers should you choose to sell them!

Myth: You need to break in your speaker wire.

Fact: Yes!! Do not drive them past 10 for the first 12,000 miles. After that if your amp goes to 11, have at it!! 

Seriously, when it comes to speaker wire buy high quality wire. Just don’t pay exorbitant prices. Solid copper 14 Gauge speaker wire should not cost you more than  $25 for fifty feet. If you are doing short runs (less than ten feet) you can use higher gauge wire and save some copper both figuratively and literally!! Well provided you are paying in coins anyway.

On this week’s show we discuss John Campeas video where he claims streaming is about to get a lot more expensive and irritating. We also take a look at the top ten shows both domestically and globally at Netflix and Vudu is now officially “Fandango at Home”. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news. 

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Here is what you need to know:

Netflix Top Ten TV Globally

# Title Weeks in Top 10 Hours Viewed Runtime Views

1 The Gentlemen: S1 1 81,500,000 6:41 12,200,000

2 Avatar The Last Airbender: S1 3 65,700,000 7:15 9,100,000

3 The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping: Limited Series 

1 22,700,000 3:12 7,100,000

4 Hot Wheels Let's Race: S1 1 16,300,000 4:02 4,000,000

5 Love Is Blind: S6 4 43,800,000 12:42 3,400,000

6 One Day: Limited Series 5 20,400,000 6:40 3,100,000

7 American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders: Season 1

2 8,900,000 3:44 2,400,000

8 Blood & Water: S4 1 10,500,000 4:40 2,200,000

9 Resident Alien: S1 4 16,200,000 7:33 2,100,000

10 The Tourist: S2 1 11,300,000 5:45 2,000,000

Netflix Top Ten TV in The US

The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping: Limited Series 3 Globally The Gentlemen: Season 1 1 Globally Love Is Blind: Season 6 5 Globally Avatar The Last Airbender: Season 1 2 Globally American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders: Season 1 7 Globally Furies: Season 1 N/A Globally The Tourist: Season 2 10 Globally The Signal: Limited Series N/A Globally Hot Wheels Let's Race: Season 1 4 Globally Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 1 N/A Globally

We received an email from John pointing us to this video:

How Streaming Is About To Get A Lot More Expensive And Irritating 

The Host John Campea had some really good thoughts on why Streaming is about to get a lot more expensive.

On this week’s show we look at using a two channel powered speaker with ARC as a soundbar alternative and we look at the best 85” HDTVs you can purchase today. We also read your email and take a look at the week’s news.

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The new Kanto Ren are well-connected, featuring an HDMI input for hooking up to a TV as well as a USB-C input for playing files up to 24-bit/96kHz from a source player. An optical Toslink supports up to 24-bit/96kHz transmission, and there's a single RCA input alongside a 3.5mm jack. If you don't want to plug in directly, they're also kitted out with Bluetooth 5.3. Outputs, meanwhile, come courtesy of a single sub-out line and a single USB Charge.

The new units are supplied with a remote control and feature a choice of two extra sound modes – vocal boost and night mode. The latter does one of two things. if a subwoofer is connected, the sub-out signal will be switched off and the low-frequencies will only be emitted from the speaker itself. If no subwoofer is connected, the Ren's bass will be reduced, presumably so as not to disturb your lower-floor neighbors when they're trying to get some kip. There's also a quarter-inch hole at the base of the units for mounting.

The new units will be on sale from July, priced at $599 per pair, and are available in a choice of six colors: black, cream, white, green, brown and orange.

Potential system to rival the Kento Ren for $250 less:

Arylic Bluetooth aptX HD Stereo Amplifier $140 paired with RSL CG3M BOOKSHELF SPEAKER $210 for the pair total cost $350

We talk about large format HDTVs all the time and they range in super expensive to pretty darn cheap. But what are you getting for your money. RTINGS.com has posted their list of the 5 Best 80 - 85 inch TVs. We run them down for you on today’s show. 

Best 80-85 Inch TV

The best TV you can buy that's available in 80+ inches is the LG OLED83C3PUA ($3596). It's an excellent TV with stunning picture quality, especially in a dark room. It looks amazing in the dark thanks to its near-infinite contrast ratio that results in perfect inky blacks, with no distracting blooming or halos around bright highlights or subtitles. Combined with its high peak brightness and wide color gamut, the latest movies and shows in HDR look amazing. It's no slouch in a bright room either, as it's bright enough to fight glare, and its reflection handling is fantastic. 

Mixed Usage 9.0, TV Shows 8.6, Sports 8.8, Video Games 9.4, HDR Movies 9.0, HDR Gaming 9.1, PC Monitor 9.4 See full test results.

Best Bright Room 80-85 Inch TV

If you're rarely in a completely dark room, check out the Sony XR-85X95L ($4498) instead. It's a slightly larger TV than the LG C3 OLED, making it the best 85-inch TV you can get if you want something slightly bigger. It doesn't have the same perfect black levels as the OLED, but it has a truly incredible contrast ratio and black uniformity, leading to extremely deep blacks. Plus, it gets much brighter than the LG, so it's a better choice if you're in a very bright room, as it can overcome more glare. It also delivers brighter highlights in HDR. This, combined with its excellent color gamut, makes it an impressive choice for watching content in HDR10 or Dolby Vision HDR.

Mixed Usage  8.6; TV Shows  8.3, Sports 8.4, Video Games  8.9, HDR Movies  8.8, HDR Gaming 8.9, PC Monitor  8.7 See full test results.

Best Mid-Range 80-85 Inch TV

If you don't want to spend an arm and a leg but still want good picture quality, then a mid-range TV like the Hisense 85U8K ($2198) is a good alternative. It's significantly cheaper than the Sony X95L or LG C3 OLED but still delivers amazing picture quality. It's just as bright as the Sony, and its contrast is almost as good due to a better overall local dimming solution. The Hisense displays a wide color gamut, has surprisingly good image processing, and supports advanced audio and video formats like our top two picks, so it's an amazing home theater TV for a lower price than the Sony or the LG.

Mixed Usage 8.5; TV Shows 8.0, Sports  7.9, Video Games  8.8, HDR Movies  8.8, HDR Gaming  8.9, PC Monitor  8.5 See full test results.

Best Lower Mid-Range 80-85 Inch TV

If you're on a budget but want better picture quality than the budget option below, the Hisense 85U7K ($1798) is the best lower mid-range TV we've tested available in an 80 to 85-inch size. It's a great TV, with very good picture quality and a wide selection of additional features. It's basically a dimmer Hisense U8/U8K with a nearly identical feature set. It's still bright enough for a pleasant viewing experience in bright rooms. Its contrast, while worse than the picks above, is excellent overall, leading to deep blacks in dark rooms. Like its more expensive sibling, it's a stellar home theater TV with very good image processing and support for HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and advanced DTS audio formats.

Mixed Usage  8.2, TV Shows  7.8, Sports  7.8, Video Games  8.7, HDR Movies  8.3, HDR Gaming 8.7, PC Monitor  8.5 See full test results.

Best Budget 80-85 Inch TV

If you're on a budget and want a large TV, you'll have to spend more than if you were getting a smaller size. However, a few budget-friendly models are available in larger sizes, like the TCL 85Q650G ($998). It's a decent overall TV that doesn't cost nearly as much and still has much to offer. Unlike the models above, this TV doesn't have local dimming to improve its contrast, so it doesn't look as good in a dark room. It also doesn't get as bright or emphasize highlights like the Hisense U7K/U75K does, but it's still good enough to overcome glare in a bright room. Like the Hisense TVs, the TCL supports both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, but it doesn't have good image processing, so it's not a great choice for a home theater setup.

Mixed Usage 7.3; TV Shows 6.9, Sports  6.9, Video Games  7.9, HDR Movies  7.2, HDR Gaming  8.0, PC Monitor  7.7 See full test results.

On this week’s show we run down the top ten streaming shows of 2023 and give you ten cool automations for your home. We also read your email and take a look at the week’s news.

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Here are the 10 most streamed shows of 2023, according to Neilson, along with how many minutes that it’s been watched last year:

10) “Supernatural”: 22.8 billion minutes

9) “Heartland”: 22.8 billion minutes

8) “Friends”: 25 billion minutes

7) “Gilmore Girls”: 25.2 billion minutes

6) “The Big Bang Theory”: 27.8 billion minutes

5) “Cocomelon”: 36.3 billion minutes 

4) “Grey’s Anatomy”: 38.6 billion minutes

3) “NCIS”: 39.4 billion minutes

2) “Bluey”: 43.9 billion minutes

1) “Suits”: 57.7 billion minutes viewed

When it comes to original streaming shows, “Ted Lasso” topped the list with an impressive — but notably lesser — 16.9 billion minutes viewed. No other original streaming show cracked 15 billion minutes viewed last year.

When it comes to streaming movies, Disney’s 2016 hit “Moana” topped viewership minutes with 11.6 billion minutes viewed. No other streaming movie topped 10 billion minutes viewed.

Combining the total viewership minutes of “Ted Lasso” and “Moana” brings you to 28.5 billion. That’s less than half the total minutes viewed of “Suits,” a show that ended nearly four years ago.

Home automation has come such a long way since the Insteon X10 systems of the 1980s and 1990s. Today there are numerous systems available and just about all of us have some form of automation that we use daily. We pulled together 10 cool automation routines that you may want to try yourself.  

Have your lights slowly dim just before bedtime. I was a skeptic when I saw this as an option but when I go to bed I do some reading and having the lights dim as I do is a nice way to doze off. I started out with the dimming taking 10 minutes. I liked it so much I now start it a full 30 minutes before my “official” bedtime.  Set the lights to randomly flash to make it appear as if you’re home when away. We all have lights that turn on automatically. This takes it to the next level. You could define a set of routines that only work when you set a “Vacation Mode” on your system. Set up different ones for each day of the week. Flash your lights when your doorbell rings. This is handy if you are out in the garage, basement, or any other room where you can’t hear the doorbell. Comes in handy if you are blasting music. For bonus points you can have your wireless speakers play Men at Work’s Who Can it Be Now. Create individual access codes for kids, guests, and extended family members. Then, get a phone notification when specific people arrive home. Have a certain song play out your speakers when certain people arrive. Just like walk up music for baseball. It's fun and you know who just walked in or opened the garage. Install a sensor on or inside your mailbox that alerts you when your mail has arrived/been picked up. I also set a virtual light switch that gets set to on when the sensor goes off. That way if I miss the actual notification I can see that the virtual light is on in my automation app. I clear it when I get the mail. One button press turns on all lighting for a given room, floor or entire house. Great for when you are walking into a dark house or to scare away someone who should not be there. At night, when motion is sensed, ramp lights to 15% (just enough light to see, not to be blinded). Set your door to automatically lock after a set amount of time has passed. With most smart locks, you can pick intervals between 30 seconds and one hour long. Dinner Bell. Set an automation tied to a button that plays a dinner bell through your wireless speakers that dinner is ready. Can also just send out a notification if people are outside.

On this week’s show we take a brief look at a $120 wireless HDMI solution and we ask, who Needs to Buy Physical Media? We also read your emails and take a look at the news.

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Easily to setup but you need to provide power via the USB cable that is included. My Macbook Pro and Projector USB did not have enough power to run the device. I needed to add an external power supply to make it work. Once it was connected I immediately saw my computer screen. 

The picture looked good with no breakups while the laptop was in the same room. There  was a lag that was noticeable and made it quirky to use the mouse. I think for gaming this is going to be a big issue. But for watching movies it's not really an issue at all.

When I moved the laptop into another room that was about twenty feet away with two walls between the transmitter and receiver, the picture froze . However putting the laptop in the room directly behind the projector with one wall had no impact on the picture. If the TX and RX are in  the same room you will have no issues. One wall will probably work but it will decrease the distance that you can transmit. Two walls will probably not work. 

If you need a wireless 1080p solution you can’t beat this device on size and cost. Just keep distance and the number of walls you are going through in mind. We’ll take a look at their 4K solution which is much bigger in size and costs about $50 more. 

Last week we received an email from a listener named Bob with a link to an article that discussed what “forever” means in the terms of digital content. The article pointed out that a streaming service owned by Sony was dumping libraries after April 2nd. You may not have heard about this because the streaming service is for Anime and is called Funimation. It's not like you’ll be losing movies from Warner Brothers or Sony Pictures.

There is a lot of talk about physical media vs digital. Which one would you rather have and use? Do you even need discs anymore? In this episode we will examine why or who would want to buy physical discs.  Let’s take a look at one of the biggest movies of last year and determine if you should buy the disc, buy the digital version, rent, or stream the movie.

Oppenheimer - The story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.

With all these options what makes the most sense? Are you going to watch it over and over in a theater that you spent thousands of dollars on and want every ounce of performance out of your system? Then by all means get the UHD Disc. That will be your best looking and sounding experience. You have a digital code as well, so if you just want to watch Oppenheimer for the tenth time without having to go through your library to find the disc and pop it into your player, you can call it up on whatever STB you use.

If you just want to watch it once, even in your theater that cost thousands of dollars, rent it on Apple, Amazon, Vudu, or whatever service you use. If you decide later that you want to watch it once or twice more, you’re still ahead of the game! There may be a slight perceivable degradation in quality but is it worth $12-$18 to barely notice an improvement in picture and sound?

If you are sitting in a room with an awesome OLED and a high quality soundbar you may want to sign up for Peacock and stream it through the service for $12 a month. This option allows you to  stream the many other shows available and then cancel if you don’t find more value. Peacock allows you to stream Oppenheimer for $6 if you don’t mind limited commercials. Only do this if there are other shows/movies you want to check out otherwise you can rent it for $6 on the various platforms without commercials.

Disc sales have been declining for the last five years as people switch to streaming services to watch movies instead of disc purchase and rentals. There are less and less reasons for studios to manufacture discs. Those who like to have the physical copy of the disc are the vast minority. 

Whether you use Vudu, Amazon, or Apple, you have a huge library at your fingertips. Buy the digital copy of the movies you like to watch on repeat, rent the ones you want to watch once. Hell we’ll say it, it's like having a Kaleidescape! If your hangup is quality, the difference in quality is pretty small because the compression and broadband speeds have both improved in the last ten years. And when noticeable, it's still not like comparing Standard Definition to High Definition. It's more like comparing 1080i to 720p ATSC from back in 2006. Both huge improvements over what we had been watching. 

Our recommendation going forward is: If you have a large library of physical media, you can rip what you have and put it on a server. Plex is great and easy to use. For future titles, buy/rent on the digital store of your choice. If the title is supported by Movies Everywhere you can watch on multiple platforms across multiple apps!  

On this week’s show we take a look at a new report on the state of TV viewership. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news. Finally We congratulate Eric Melton of Riverside CA on winning the  CSS Audio Torii P2  Tower Speakers!

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Samba TV gathers viewership data via its proprietary Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology from tens of millions of opted- in Smart TVs. Samba TV’s ACR is integrated at the chipset level across 24 of the top Smart TVs sold in more than 100 countries globally and captures content that crosses the TV screen, regardless of source. This results in unbiased, comprehensive viewership insights from around the world.

In this report, Samba TV first-party data is supplemented with data from a nationwide survey conducted within the U.S. from 8/22/23- 8/30/23 among 2,507 adults by HarrisX. Results were weighted for age, gender, region, race/ethnicity, and income where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population.

Monthly cable or satellite TV subscription

Total TV hours watched: OTT & linear

OTT Linear

Q3 ‘22 1.40M 22B

Q4 ‘22 1.39M 23B

Q1 ‘23 1.45M 23B  

Q2 ‘23 1.30M 18.5B

Q3 ‘23 1.75M 21.5B

Q4 ‘23 1.62M 21.5B 

What TV Services viewers are watching less because they are watching FAST?

Subscribers to virtual multichannel TV services watch eight TV channels, on average, compared to 10 TV channels for traditional multichannel TV households, according to a recent Kagan US Consumer Insights survey. Video cord cutters and cord nevers who receive over-the-air local broadcast TV programming report watching three to four TV channels.

Percentage of Cable and Satellite subscribers said they watch:

Top TV Channels for IPTV subscribers 

Top three SVOD Services for Cable and Satellite subscribers

Top four SVOD Services for IPTV subscribers

Top three FAST Services for Cable and Satellite subscribers

Top four FAST Services for IPTV subscribers

Percentage of population that streams content on mobile

Most popular program amongst single program viewers for the second half of 2023

45% of households that watched the top bingeable premieres of the second half of  2023 finished the season in five days.

68% of U.S. adults identify themselves as binge-watchers, while 76% of millennials do.

89 out of the 100 most watched linear programs of the second half of 2023 were related to sports. 76% of those 89 programs were NFL football.

Top five second half of 2023 linear programs

ABC - Monday Night Football - Kansas City Chiefs vs Philadelphia Eagles NBC - Sunday Night Football - New York Jets vs Kansas City Chiefs ABC - Monday Night Football - New York Jets vs Buffalo Bills NBC - Sunday Night Football - San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys NBC - Sunday Night Football - Dallas Cowboys vs Philadelphia Eagles

Top five second half of 2023 linear programs (excluding sports)

NBC - 97th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade CBS - 60 Minutes 11/26 - Rise; Sealand; Ancient Vines CBS - 60 Minutes 12/10 - The Resistance; Red and Green; Novak Djokovic CBS - 60 Minutes 10/29 - Vice President Harris; A Quiet Invasion; The Air We Breathe; The State of the Blues CBS - 60 Minutes 9/17 - President Zelenskyy; Into the Streets; Prime Time in Colorado

Despite the resounding success that Barbie vs. Oppenheimer saw, one pre-pandemic behavior has stuck around: strong viewership once these movies hit streaming platforms. While many movies land on paid video-on-demand platforms like Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video first, the data shows that it isn’t until these titles hit popular streaming platforms for free that viewers opt to watch, making rights to these movies a huge win for streamers.

Average number of TV ads seen per day by the top 50% of linear TV households was 150

Average number of TV ads seen per day by the bottom 50% of linear TV households was 13

3 in 4 U.S. adults look at a mobile device while watching TV

8 in 10 of those U.S. adults look at a mobile device more than half the time while watching TV

1 in 3 U.S. adults shop online while streaming TV

47% of Gen Z has subscription cycled in the past 6 months

61% of Gen Z is unreachable via traditional TV

76% of Gen Z hears about new TV shows and movies through social media

60% of millennials watch live sports on TV

73% of millennial parents subscribe to a streaming service just for their children

76% of millennials classify themselves as binge watchers

On this week’s show we discuss how Boutique Blu-ray labels are keeping physical media alive, we give you the pros and cons of streaming vs physical media and we talk a bit about password sharing. Plus we read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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The supposed demise of physical media has been well covered and long lamented, with each passing year bringing reports of yet another nail in the coffin of the once flourishing DVD and Blu-ray market. Fall 2023 brought a double whammy of bad news: Netflix shipped its final discs to customers before closing up its DVD department for good, and a month later, Best Buy announced that it would be phasing out the sale of physical media. Yet, while DVDs are no longer the massive revenue generator for studios that they were throughout the first decade of the 2000s, it has never been a better time to be a physical media enthusiast. Thanks to independent labels like Criterion, Kino Lorber, Shout! Factory, Arrow, Imprint, Indicator, and many others, every month sees the release of well over a dozen exceptional titles, often lovingly restored and with indispensable scholarly extras. Full article here…

Blu-ray vs Streaming

4K Blu-ray discs run at up to 128Mbps. This is the amount of data sent to your screen every second. By contrast, streaming services tend to top out at around 17Mbps. This also means you’ll get better color and blacker blacks via disc since there will be compression artifacts with streaming. 

As far as audio goes, Dolby Atmos is available both on disc and via streaming, but streaming services deliver it in the compressed Dolby Digital+ format while discs have the full Dolby TrueHD track. If you want DTS:X, you need to be watching on a disc. Here the difference is not as great. Compressed Dolby Digital+ is almost indistinguishable from True HD. 

Some players may add noise, fan noise into your environment. During loud passages this is not an issue. But if there are long periods of low volume some players can actually be distracting. Of course if you have a good setup, you AV gear will be out of sight and out of earshot.

If your setup consists of a 60” or less TV with a soundbar, this may all be moot for you. 

You can’t beat the convenience of streaming either. Buy once, stream everywhere, including at 30,000 feet!

With an increasing number of streaming services following Netflix’s and Disney+'s lead in cracking down on password sharing, one in three U.S. TV content viewers (33%) are still borrowing log-in credentials or sharing the costs of at least one streaming service they can access, according to findings from Horowitz’s "State of Media, Entertainment, and Tech: Disruptions" report.

Main Drivers

Concerns

Half of those who borrow the log-in or share the cost for Netflix, Max, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Paramount+ would be willing to pay the full price for those services if they were not able to share anymore.

Password Sharing By Age

Think it is unethical

Younger viewers are also more likely to believe it is OK to password share even with people who are not family members.

On this week’s show we look at the Box Office Report Card for the major studios and we review the TV Winners and Losers for 2023. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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Entry Page

Where would the 2023 box office be without the bomb and the bombshell? Full article…

It’s been a big year for TVs. Across the board, from OLED and QLED to mini-LED, the best TV technologies have only gotten better – but it’s clear that some display types have fared better than others, and that consumer demand is continuing to shape the market in some interesting ways. Full article here…

On this week’s show we review the Victrola Hi-Res Carbon Turntable that retails for $599. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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CSS-Audio Torii Tower Youtube Shorts Playlist

In an era dominated by digital music and streaming, the Victrola Hi-Res Carbon Turntable emerges as a beacon of nostalgia, offering a captivating journey back to the golden age of vinyl - but with a few modern twists. Designed for discerning audio enthusiasts and music aficionados alike, this remarkable record player promises superior performance and effortless setup, making it a highly recommended addition to any audiophile's collection. It retails for $599.

Overview

Product highlights:

Connections:

Performance specs:

Setup

The Victrola Hi-Res Carbon is designed to be user-friendly, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free setup process even for those new to turntables. As soon as you open the box, before you even pull the player out, you’re greeted with a clear diagram and description of the 7 steps required to get the unit to start playing records. The diagram has clear and concise instructions guiding you through each of the fairly typical steps involved in setting up a turntable. If you’ve done it before, you know the steps; if you’ve never done it, the steps are simple. It is the easiest record player we’ve ever set up. Depending on how you opt to install, you can be listening to vinyl in under 5 minutes.

The turntable has two output options, there are RCA connectors in the back that you can run to a traditional amplifier and speakers. But it also has Bluetooth - so you can send your music to your bluetooth speakers totally wirelessly. We set it up so we could test both options. For the RCA wired connection we used a Yamaha A-S701 amplifier powering a set of Ara Derderian signature tower speakers. For Bluetooth we got our hands on a couple different pairs of AptX headphones. We didn’t have any AptX wireless speakers to test with, but the headphones gave us a pretty good idea of what to expect. All told, from unboxing to savoring the first notes of your cherished records, the entire experience is streamlined and simple.

Performance

As simple as it is to install, where the Victrola Hi-Res Carbon truly shines is in its exceptional audio performance. We compared it with Braden’s current record player, a Yamaha MusicCast VINYL 500 turntable that retails for $100 more than the Victrola at $699. The audio performance difference between the two was astonishing. We would play a song from an album on one player, then transfer the record to the other player and listen to it again. The first time we went from Yamana to Victrola, we had to double check that nobody bumped the EQ. The base was cleaner and more pronounced, everything in each song we tested just sounded better, clearer, more dynamic coming from the Vicrtola. 

It’s rare for one piece of home audio gear to so wildly change your view of the world. Listening to records is a fun, nostalgic experience. Oftentimes you revel in and enjoy some of the static, the crackling and popping that we remember so fondly from our youth. But with records, we never really stop to ask ourselves if what we’re hearing is the best that record can sound. You pull out a record, you play it, and that’s it. But the Victrola has changed, at least Braden’s approach, to record players - it made every record we played sound better than his Yamaha.   

Next step was testing Bluetooth performance. You’d be surprised how rare AptX still is in headphones, so we had to procure a few pairs to make sure we were hearing the best the Victrola could offer, and it did not disappoint. While the listening experience is vastly different between a pair of tower speakers and a pair of wireless headphones, The Victrola performed incredibly well. The music sounded clear, clean and very rich. We can imagine that paired with a set of high quality AptX wireless speakers, the Victrola will blow you away.

To be fair, the Yamaha has a few more bells and whistles than the Victrola, which may explain the higher price tag. In addition to Bluetooth (tho not AptX), the Yamaha has MusicCast built-in so you can send the audio around your house if you have a MusicCast compatible system. It also allows you to stream music services with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2 or Spotify Connect and has voice control with A-Lady and Google Assistant devices or S-Lady via AirPlay 2. With records, you have to flip them or change them every 4-5 songs. The streaming capabilities of the Yamaha allow you to listen to music without as much maintenance, which can come in handy at times. Not to be outdone, Victrola offers an upgraded version of the Hi-Res Carbon called the Stream Carbon that works with Sonos - it retails for $799. If you’re in the Sonos ecosystem, it’s worth a look.

Aesthetically the Victrola Hi-Res Carbon is gorgeous. Minimal, clean, very sleek. Its stylish and subtle design not only exudes elegance but also  ensures stability and durability. Crafted from premium materials, this record player is built to last, promising years of sonic bliss and conversations started. While the Yamaha includes a built in dust cover, the Victrola includes a removable dust cover. The built-in cover is very convenient, but there’s no denying how great the Victrola looks with the cover removed while you’re spinning a record. With the Yamaha it always sits under the plastic cover, but in the open air the Victrola looks like a statement piece.

Conclusion:

For those seeking a record player that harmonizes impeccable performance with ease of setup, the Victrola Hi-Res Carbon is an excellent choice. Its user-centric design, exceptional sound quality, and meticulous craftsmanship make it a strong contender for anyone who loves vinyl or for those who think they might enjoy getting into vinyl. It more than delivers on the pristine and vibrant sound quality that you didn’t know you were missing. Marry the Hi-Res Carbon with a pair of high res Bluetooth AptX speakers and you have a turntable-in-a-box system that will put any of the all-in-one units on the market to shame - and the setup is just as simple! If you’re in the Sonos ecosystem, check out the Stream Carbon. What you lose in Bluetooth you gain in Sonos integration and an app for setup. 

On this week’s show Ara and DJ of Brightside Home Theater Podcast rundown the best of CES 2024. Are also reads your emails and takes a look at the week’s news.

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CSS-Audio Torii Tower Youtube Shorts Playlist

Samsung’s glare-free OLED TV - Samsung  has developed a Glare-Free technology  that it claims will be great in both low light and brighter rooms, won’t be affected by viewing angles, and won’t mess with contrast or colors either. Look for this in the S95D and S90D. People who have seen this tech say “It's where light goes to die”. The Best TV according to The Verge and Best Audio/Video according to Digital Trends and CNET [Best of CES 2024]

TCL QM89 115-inch QLED TV - the world’s largest QD Mini LED TV! With a 115” screen, the new mega-size 115QM89 truly becomes the ultimate home theater. This model includes QD Mini LED ULTIMATE with a massively high 20,000 dimming zones. It also incorporates the TCL AIPQ ULTRA Processor, as even more horsepower is needed for such high zone control to ensure huge, yet pristine images. This new 115” model includes all the features of the other QM8 models, plus a 6.2.2 Channel Speaker system for truly room filling sound. Best Audio/Video according to Digital Trends

Samsung The Premiere 8K - The Premiere 8K is the world’s first projector offering wireless connectivity. Removing the need for cables, this solution allows consumers to keep their living spaces neat and tidy. The ultra-short throw projector comes packed with smart features — such as picture-off premium home audio, cloud gaming, always-on voice with far-field mic and four multi-view screen splits — to extend usability and provide almost increased use cases. The projector incorporates Samsung’s patented “Sound-on-Screen” technology, integrating the top speaker module and software algorithms for an immersive sound experience. Best projector according to Tech Radar (best Gadgets)

Hisense 110UX TV - The 110UX incorporates over 40,000 backlight zones across a 110-inch screen. That high-output mini-LEDs produce 10,000-nit maximum brightness which is about five times brighter than the typical high end TV. Hisense says the 110UX can achieve 95% of the BT.2020 Spec. No mention on HDR support but why would they build a TV like this and not support Dolby Vision? No pricing of availability has been announced. Best Audio/Video according to Digital Trends

Ballie - Introduced in 2020 Ballie is a smart home companion that welcomes users home by taking care of household tasks, displaying the day’s events and sharing weather updates. It got an upgrade thai year and has added a moving projector, in case you want it to display a workout video onto your wall or project a little greeting message on your floor when you come home. Most irrationally loved product according to The Verge and Engadget [Best of CES 2024]

Lockly Visage and Philips Palm Recognition Deadbolt- TechRadar (The Best smart Home Tech) 

Sennheiser Momentum 4 True Wireless - adding Qualcomm's new chip with Snapdragon Sound for CD-quality audio if you have a compatible phone, but they're also ready for the future of regular Bluetooth with support for Bluetooth 5.4 and LE Audio and Auracast. Best Headphones according to Tech Radar (best Gadgets) and Engadget [Best of CES 2024]

LG Signature OLED T - it's only available in 77”. It uses LG’s wireless transmission technology so the only wire running to the television is power. A separate box that can be placed up to 30 feet away from the TV transmits source video. Future versions could go bigger or smaller depending on customer feedback. Pricing has not been set. Best in show according to The Verge and Best TV according to Tech Radar  (best Gadgets) and Best Audio/Video according to Digital Trends and Engadget [Best of CES 2024] and CNET [Best of CES 2024]

Samsung HW-Q990D - This soundbar features a 11.1.4-channel configuration, immersive Dolby Atmos sound and supports pass through of content in 4K 120Hz. It analyzes audio and uses AI to optimize sound for the perfect experience across a wide range of content. Best Soundbar according to Tech Radar (best Gadgets)

Samsung Music Frame - According to Samsung this customizable speaker seamlessly blends into its environment by camouflaging as a modern picture frame that can display art or photography. It features built-in woofers along with intelligent audio processing for a premium audio experience. Using Q-Symphony technology, it provides surround sound when paired with 2024 Samsung TVs and soundbars or can operate as a standalone wireless speaker. [No pricing or availability announced] TechRadar The Best smart Home Tech and Best Audio product according to The Verge and Engadget [Best of CES 2024]

Nanoleaf Essential Matter series - TechRadar (The Best smart Home Tech)

EcoFlow Delta Pro Ultra - You can start out with just one battery and inverter ($5,799) that can power your home’s essential devices for a couple of days and then build up to a bigger system with up to three inverters and 15 batteries that could power the entire home for over a month. Best Smart Home Product according to The Verge and Engadget [Best of CES 2024] and CNET [Best of CES 2024]

XGIMI Aladdin - Aladdin is a ceiling light that's also secretly a projector and a Bluetooth speaker. There's no price or release date for the Aladdin yet, but the Japanese model it's based on retails for ¥129,800 (which is around $895 / £700 / AU$1,330). TechRadar (The Best smart Home Tech)

Not Home Tech related but we briefly mentioned it on the last show. The Withings BeamO won many awards. The $250 product is a “multiscope.” that combines a body temperature sensor, an electrocardiogram, an oximeter and a digital stethoscope into one surprisingly light consumer device that promises to make it easier to collect basic health metrics at home.

It's that time of year where the tech world descends on Las Vegas for CES. On this week’s show we discuss a few announcements that we found interesting. We also read your emails and look at the week’s news.

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TCL 115” Mini LED TV - For 2024, TCL introduces the world’s largest QD Mini LED TV! With a 115” screen, the new mega-size 115QM89 truly becomes the ultimate home theater. This model includes QD Mini LED ULTIMATE with a massively high 20,000 dimming zones. It also incorporates the TCL AIPQ ULTRA Processor, as even more horsepower is needed for such high zone control to ensure huge, yet pristine images. This new 115” model includes all the features of the other QM8 models, plus a 6.2.2 Channel Speaker system for truly room filling sound. Full Press Release on all Mini LED TVs can be found here. Estimated Price $20K

Also - TCL introduced several new product lines with NextGen TV tuners. This comes after LG said it would not include ATSC 3.0 tuners back in September due to patent concerns.

TCL Q75H is a 5.1.2 Channel Dolby Atmos Sound Bar. In addition to the features of the S55H, the Q75H includes the Ray-Danz Acoustic Wave-Guide Reflectors to direct sound across the width of the room. This model also includes a Center Channel Speaker, built-in tweeters, built-in up-firing Dolby Atmos Speakers, and built-in Side Surround Speakers.

TCL Q85H is a 7.1.4 Channel Dolby Atmos Sound Bar. Stepping up from the Q75H, it adds rear speakers that are wireless but also include rear up-firing Dolby Atmos Drivers. The Q85H creates a truly enveloping sound, and a sound experience that needs to be auditioned. Press Release

Hisense 110UX TV - The 110UX incorporates over 40,000 backlight zones across a 110-inch screen. That high-output mini-LEDs produce 10,000-nit maximum brightness which is about five times brighter than the typical high end TV. Hisense says the 110UX can achieve 95% of the BT.2020 Spec. No mention on HDR support but why would they build a TV like this and not support Dolby Vision? No pricing of availability has been announced. Press Release

LG Transparent OLED - Called OLED T, it's only available in 77”. It uses LG’s wireless transmission technology so the only wire running to the television is power. A separate box that can be placed up to 30 feet away from the TV transmits source video. Future versions could go bigger or smaller depending on customer feedback. Pricing has not been set.

Also - LG revealed that the company’s new OLED TVs for 2024 will be the first sets to feature a Dolby Vision Filmmaker Mode. Filmmaker Mode, it’s a standardized picture preset for TVs that was developed by the UHD Alliance in response to filmmakers unhappy with the way their films looked on most TVs, with inaccurate color and aggressive motion “smoothing” being two of the main sticking points.

Full LG CES info can be found here

Philips 5000 Series Wi-Fi Palm Recognition Smart Deadbolt - With this Philips smart lock, the world's first deadbolt with palm recognition, enjoy the most secure and convenient unlocking experience. Or unlock with a key, PIN code, or the Philips Home Access app to make returning home stress-free. The Smart Lock will go on sale in the US early this year and will retail for $360.

Lockly - With Visage you can unlock your property by simply approaching it, or with your Apple Home Keys or Apple Watch. Integrate with your smart home devices with Matter™ Arriving this summer.

Samsung Anti Glare OLED - Samsung  has developed a Glare-Free technology  that it claims will be great in both low light and brighter rooms, won’t be affected by viewing angles, and won’t mess with contrast or colors either. Look for this in the S95D and S90D. People who have seen this tech say “It's where light goes to die”.

Also - Samsung launched a new “map view” for SmartThings. It shows an interactive map of your home complete with the location of any smart home devices within. Maps can be created manually or automatically with the help of a photo of an existing floor plan or with a lidar-enabled Samsung device, like the company’s forthcoming Ballie robot or new JetBot robot vacuum. Maps have to be generated using the SmartThings app on a smartphone or tablet. But once that’s done, they’ll display on supported Samsung TVs, the screen of the Samsung Family Hub smart fridge and Samsung’s M8 monitors.

Nanoleaf - Nanoleaf announced the launch of several new Matter-enabled lighting options, including its first outdoor lights. The company is also debuting a new music feature using Orchestrator software for the Nanoleaf Desktop App, which will use real-time music analysis to create light shows that match with the beat. Orchestrator is able to connect directly with the sound source of a computer for a more accurate real-time audio visual experience. They are also taking pre-orders for the Nanoleaf Skylight. The Skylight is a square-shaped modular ceiling light panel setup that is hardwired and supports up to 100 squares. Prices start at $250 for a 3 panel starter pack. 

SVS Ultra Evolution Series - The design is not what you typically see in a speaker. It has curves and interesting angles. Being a person who builds speakers I understand that where you place the drivers impacts how they sound. So I can only assume it means that SVS has spent a lot of time designing an enclosure that gives you the most precise sound available.  I am looking forward to getting some of these to evaluate. The speakers are scheduled to begin shipping near the end of Q1 2024. No word on pricing.

Happy New Year! We are excited to be back for another year. On this week’s show we look at five reasons why you need a 4K Blu-ray player. We also have a backlog of emails and news. 

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It’s hard to deny that streaming has overtaken disc-based formats like Blu-ray and DVD as the main method for watching movies at home. The best streaming services like HBO Max (now just Max), Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video offer a wide selection of movies, and smaller services like The Criterion Channel, Shudder, Mubi, and many others are there to fill in any gaps for film fanatics with a wide assortment of classic, genre, and independent fare. Full article here…

We are taking the week off. Happy New Year from the HT Guys!

On this week’s show, Inflation is up but Electronics have never been Cheaper! We also read your emails and the week’s news. There is no show next week. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year from the HT Guys!

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Other:

On last week’s show I said that a $4600 TV would have cost $26000 in 1975. I even went to a calculator to get my result. But when I entered the amounts I had the years reversed. Instead of getting what $4600 today would be worth in 1975 I got what $4600 in 1975 would be worth today. For the record, $4600 in 1975 was worth $805. I got a couple of emails from listeners and a phone call from DJ of Brightside Home Theater telling me I was wrong. But in speaking with DJ I realized what I was trying to say and had a week to get it straight.

The main point I was trying to make was that a TV of the caliber of the 77” Sony OLED ($4600) would cost more than the equivalent of $4600 in 2023. For this analysis we will consider the cost of electronics as a percentage of the median income vs today.

Median income 

Here are some TV of the day:

Now let's look at comparable setups today.

So yes things cost way more today than a couple of years ago, but at least our electronics are cheaper than ever! And just for fun, here is an ad for a Sony front projection system from 1983.

On this week’s show we look at the 7 best TVs for your Holiday Shopping. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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If you are looking for an idea for a family gift for the holidays we have you covered. These are the 7 best TVs to make your holidays a little brighter. Plus these TVs will make watching the Rose Parade a spectacle of color and detail. This is comes from RTINGS.com

Best Cheap TV

TCL S4/S450G (50” $240 - 85” $799) - If you want something cheap that gets the job done, the TCL S4/S450G is the best widely available cheap TV we've tested. It's an okay entry-level TV, delivering   a surprisingly good picture quality for a cheap TV. It's a decent choice for a dark room, with its satisfactory contrast ratio and decent black uniformity. It has good reflection handling, so even though it doesn't get very bright, it's certainly good enough for a moderately lit room. The TV supports Dolby Vision HDR, but it isn't nearly bright enough for it to matter. Full Review here…   Mixed Usage  6.7, TV Shows 6.3, Sports 6.2, Video Games 7.1, HDR Movies 6.9; HDR Gaming 7.3

PC Monitor 6.6

Best Budget TV 

Hisense U6/U6K (55” $448 - 75” $798) - If you want to spend less, the best budget TV we've tested is the Hisense U6/U6K. It delivers surprisingly great performance for the price. The Hisense has excellent contrast, so dark scenes look amazing in a dark room, with little  blooming around bright areas of the screen. It also has good peak brightness in SDR and decent reflection handling, so glare isn't an issue in a brighter room. It has an excellent color volume, making this TV very colorful overall. It's bright enough in HDR for a pleasant viewing experience, and just like the Hisense U8/U8K, it supports both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision HDR, although it doesn't support advanced DTS audio formats. Full Review here… Mixed Usage  7.4, TV Shows 6.9, Sports 7.0, Video Games 7.8, HDR Movies  7.5, HDR Gaming  8.0, PC Monitor 7.7

Best Upper Mid-Range TV

LG C3 OLED (42” $896 - 83” $3996) - If you want a good home entertainment OLED but don 't want to get the expensive Sony A95L OLED, check out one of the best upper mid-range TVs we've tested, the LG C3 OLED. It's a premium TV that delivers stunning picture quality, especially in dark rooms; thanks to its near-infinite contrast ratio, there's no blooming around bright objects. It gets bright enough to fight glare even in moderately-lit rooms, and the reflection handling is incredible, but it doesn't use quantum dot technology, so colors aren't as bright as some of our other picks. The LG partly makes up for it with its versatility, as it has very good image processing, Dolby Vision HDR support with Dolby Vision gaming at 120Hz, and can passthrough advanced DTS audio formats. Like the Sony TVs, the LG supports Dolby Vision HDR, which is more widely used than Samsung's competing HDR10+.  Full Review here… Mixed Usage 9.0, TV Shows 8.6, Sports 8.8, Video Games 9.4, HDR Movies 9.0, HDR Gaming 9.1, PC Monitor 9.4

Best Bright Room TV

(Sony X93L/X93CL (65” $1598 - 85” $3498) - If you mainly watch TV in a bright room, a TV with an LED backlight and higher peak brightness, like the Sony X93L/X93CL, is a better choice than the top two picks on this list. It's an excellent TV with impressive picture quality and an incredible peak brightness that helps it overcome glare in a bright room. It still looks good in a dark room thanks to its high contrast ratio and Mini LED local dimming feature, but there's more distracting blooming around bright highlights and subtitles in darker scenes compared to an OLED TV. Full Review here…  

Mixed Usage 8.5, TV Shows 8.2, Sports 8.3, Video Games 8.8, HDR Movies 8.5, HDR Gaming 8.8, PC Monitor 8.6

Best Home Theater TV

Sony A95L OLED (55” 2498 - 77” $4598) - If you're looking for the absolute best TV for a home theater setup and don't care as much about the price, check out the Sony A95L OLED. Although it's a very similar TV to the Samsung S90C OLED, it's better for home theaters thanks to its advanced video format support. Compared to Samsung's HDR10+ format, the Sony TV supports the more popular Dolby Vision HDR, so you'll enjoy the most advanced HDR experience possible from almost any source. Sony's processing does a better job following the content creator's intent, so the brightness and colors of HDR content look the way they're supposed to. It also offers better audio   format support than the Samsung, including DTS:X passthrough over eARC, so you can simplify your connection to your audio-video receiver by running everything through your TV without sacrificing audio quality. Full Review here… Mixed Usage 9.2, TV Shows 8.9, Sports 9.1, Video Games 9.3, HDR Movies 9.3, HDR Gaming 9.1, PC Monitor 9.4

Best TV

Samsung S90C OLED (55” $1497 - 77” $2497) - The best TV we've tested is the Samsung S90C OLED. It's a fantastic TV with a great selection of extra features and incredible picture quality. It looks fantastic in a dark room thanks to its nearly infinite contrast ratio and perfect black uniformity, with no distracting blooming around bright areas of the screen. HDR content looks fantastic thanks to its high peak brightness, wide color gamut, and incredibly vibrant and realistic colors. Unlike some other TVs, the Samsung model doesn't support Dolby Vision HDR, nor does it support advanced DTS audio formats. It does support Samsung's less widely used HDR10+ format, which looks just as good as Dolby Vision. It's available in four sizes, 55, 65, 77, and 83 inches, although the 83-inch model uses a WOLED panel, so it looks different than the smaller sizes. Full Review here… Mixed Usage 9.0, TV Shows 8.6, Sports 8.9, Video Games 9.4, HDR Movies 9.0, HDR Gaming 9.3, PC Monitor 9.5

On this week’s show, now that the SAG strike is over we take a look at the network TV lineup. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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Other:

CBS

Sunday, Feb. 11:

Monday, Feb. 12:

Tuesday, Feb. 13:

 Thursday, Feb. 15:

Friday, Feb. 16:

Sunday, Feb. 18:

Wednesday, Feb. 28:

Thursday, Feb. 29:

Wednesday, March 13:

NBC

Most NBC series are eyeing 13-episode seasons.

Saturday, Dec. 23: 

Monday, Jan. 1 

Tuesday, Jan. 2 

Tuesday, Jan. 9 

Wednesday, Jan. 17 

Thursday, Jan. 18 

Friday, Jan. 19 

Monday, Jan. 29 

Monday, FEB. 26 

Tuesday, Feb. 27 

Monday, March 4 

ABC

Monday, January 22nd

Wednesday, February 7th

Wednesday, February 14th

Sunday, February 18th

Tuesday, February 20th

Thursday, March 14th

Fox

Tuesday, Jan. 2

Wednesday, Jan. 3

Sunday, Jan. 7

Mondays, beginning Jan. 22

Sunday, Jan. 28

Thursdays, beginning Feb. 1

Sundays, beginning Feb. 18

Tuesdays, beginning Mar. 5

Wednesdays, beginning Mar. 6

On this week’s show Ara discusses his automated Holiday lights by Nanoleaf. And John Lyman was kind enough to review the 75” Hisense U7K which he picked up for $999! We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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I recently bought the Nanoleaf Smart Holliday String lights for the sale price of $90. They are now at the regular price of $100 at the Nanoleaf Website. I just installed them and have mixed feelings about them.

Features:

I connected the lights to my home prior to putting them up under my eaves. It was pretty straight forward and like pretty much every smart home product you buy it needed a firmware upgrade. The whole process took about ten minutes.

Installation is like any other Christmas light installation right down to the frustration with the LEDs not wanting to lay flat against the eaves. Be prepared to do a lot of clamping to make your lights look like good little soldiers. The first pass was to make the lights completely hidden under the eaves. When it was complete, it looked good but not nearly bright enough to give the desired effect.

Round two was to remove the lights that took forever to get perfectly installed and attach them to flush to the bottom of the eaves. Again taking time to make the wire look as uniform as possible. The lights don’t look like Christmas lights and being flush should placate any HOA that has rules about leaving your Christmas Lights up all year long.

Using the new configuration delivered the desired effect of being able to change how my lights look just by pressing a button. There are a lot of different scenes that people have developed so finding something you like is very easy. I may add a thin track to hide the wire but for now I am happy with the lights. There are other options out there that are far more sophisticated and can produce a dazzling light show. But those cost ten times the Nanoleaf’s $100 price tag.

Chuck Ackermn’s Amazing Light Show

From time to time our very talented listeners share a review of a product that they have been using. Today, John Lyman was kind enough to review the 75” Hisense U7K which he picked up for $999!

Features:

Four or five years ago we redid our media room to make it more usable. The downside was I lost my beloved projector and 110” screen.  I originally replaced the projector with a 70” Vizio E Series after holiday pricing and our Costco rebate. I paid about $250 knowing I would be upgrading down the road.  

This fall I was given the green light from the financial committee that I could upgrade the TV.  As much as I wanted a bigger screen, we decided that a 75” would be the best fit for the space and keep it safe from our 14-year-old son.   I started doing my research on the web and came away with a short list of TVs that was made shorter when a lot of last year's models were not available.   

I ended up with about 8 TV’s (Samsung, LG, etc.) in the under $1300 range and did a RTings shoot-out between them using their TV compare feature.  This gave me three finalists.  A Vizio P Series Quantum (2021 model), TCL Q7 and the Hisense U7K.  

The Hisense U7K came out with the best overall score 8.2 with sports and TV viewing receiving a 7.8 and movies receiving an 8.3. These are the 3 things I care most about. The TCL Q7 came in a close second.  

I then looked for an online review and saw great reviews about the Hisense and TCL - finding comparisons to the 2021 P Series was much harder.  Basically, it became a coin toss between the TCL Q7 and Hisense U7K. Reviewers liked both TV’s. 

I ended up picking the Hisense - why you ask - because I’m a good dad and they offered a free copy of NBA 2k24 Black Mamba edition with purchase (see above about my 14-year-old son).  Once I had the TV here I found this review from Caleb at Digital Trends Hisense U7K ULED mini-LED TV review: | Digital Trends basically calling it the Best TV for most people.  I have also recommended this TV to my boss who purchased the TV. 

Once the TV arrived it took me about 45 minutes or so to get setup and mounted to my wall and hooked up to my Apple TV.  Out of the box the picture was good but with a little too much motion control.  However, once I turned on Dolby Vision on my Apple TV and selected Dolby Vision dark mode on the TV, the picture with a little fine tuning was amazing.  I have since fine-tuned the Dolby Vision custom for a great picture and family approved.  This TV has so many options to adjust the picture with detailed white balance if you are so inclined.  However, I started with the RTings Dolby vision settings and then tuned in what looked good for our family.  

It was time to watch content so as a service to the audience I have sat down over the past few weeks and watched John Wick 1-4 along with football and redzone.  I picked the John Wick movies to watch in their entirety because they are really good movies, they have a lot of dark and bright content, and fast-moving action.  I have also watched John Wick 1 many times, so I was familiar with the film.  

I streamed 1-3 through my Apple TV library (I own those) and # 4 on Starz.  I was amazed by how good the picture was and looking at John Wick in evening shots with black suit, black shirt, tie, and hair you could make out the different shades of black easily.  Nothing looked washed out.  The blacks looked really good.  In #4, the puffs of blood were red and visible.  I noticed how sharp and clear everything looked and the definition between black and bright objects seemed perfect. I didn't notice any blooming scenes.  I did get distracted when I was looking at everything and noticing the fine details but the action as it was so good and easy to follow.  

I then watched about 8 - 007 title sequences and as a bond fan who has seen all these movies multiple times, I know them well.  During the white circle bouncing around the black screen, I could sometimes see a little blooming (more so with Connery and Moore), but you had to be looking.  I was amazed at the different levels of black in those scenes and noticed things I had never noticed in my many years of watching bond films.  I have also watched clips from Aquaman (for the color) during the fight in the Italian village again I was blown away by the color and brightness that was just right.  Watching football is really nice. I could make out the color of some of the players' eyes. The color is great and once I had the motion setting dialed in everything was crystal clear and realistic.  

My son has enjoyed his gaming on this TV (plays a lot of Madden) and the picture does look better than before (sorry I’m not much of a gamer and you don’t get many words from a 14 year)

One con that has been mentioned in reviews is the viewing angle but the 75” uses an IPS panel for better off angle viewing and the picture is very good. The 65” and smaller use an ADS I believe.  

I paid $999 for the TV but I’m seeing holiday pricing of $900.  This TV had the same price as the TCL Q7 when I was purchasing it.   I believe that Hisense, TCL, and other lower mid name recognition brands are using lower price point to get their name out in the market and build market awareness and will eventually raise their prices.  It doesn’t hurt that they manufacture a lot of their components. 

TV Settings:

I started at RTings website (https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/hisense/u7k-u7-u75k/settings) and scrolled down to the Dolby Vision settings and then tweaked some and here are my current settings (but I’m still having fun tweaking as always:

General - Automatic Light Sensor - Off

Brightness settings:

Local diming - High 

Brightness - 100

Contrast 55

Black level 0

Dark Detail - Off

Active Contrast - Low

Color:

Color 60

Hue 0

Color Temperature - Standard

Clarity

Sharpness 10

Super Resolution - Off

Smooth Gradient low

Noise reduction - low

MPEG Noise resolution - Low

Motion Enhancement - Film

Motion Clearness - Off

On this week’s show the HT Guys take a trip down memory lane and discuss what they are thankful  for. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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Other:

Close all the apps on the smartphone. Shut it down and restart it, opening only the Wyze app and home Wi-Fi software.  I have an eero Wi-Fi system. I enabled "Legacy Mode" in case the camera had trouble with IPV6. Also, I disabled the 5 Ghz band for 10 minutes because the camera uses the 2.4 Ghz band. I used my eero Guest Network to set up the camera because it is far less crowded that my "regular" eero network. The QR code's 8 ½ x 11-inch size made it too big for a single panel of my garage door. I solved this by scanning the letter-size QR code, and then printing it at 60 pct. so it would fit on a single panel. This way, when the garage door opens and closes, it doesn't crease or wrinkle the QR code sticker. I had a licensed electrician connect the two wires to my garage door opener, which was installed in 2006. My reasoning was that I know nothing about electrical wiring, and if anything went wrong, the electrician could fix it. Nothing went wrong, and the electrician did the hook-up in 15 seconds.  A-Lady integration involved setting up the Wyze "skill," which was easy and which the Wyze directions explained.

This is the link to the winner of the HT Guys Ultimate Home Theater contest from 12 years ago.

Become part of the Dolby Digital Experience

On this week’s show it's time for Black Friday! We scoured the Internet to find you the best deals! We also read your emails and the week’s news.

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Other:

Best Buy

Amazon

Denon

Target

Walmart

Costco

SVS

AWOL

Monoprice

On this week’s show Vertical Framing of content is becoming a big thing now. Will this affect how movies and TV are shot? A listener talks about how he solved his parent’s remote control problem. We also read your emails, and we had a bunch of good ones. We also take a look at the week’s news. 

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Other:

What is Vertical Content?

Vertical content is a media type consumed vertically on the screen. It is unlike horizontal content that is seen on desktop computers and television.

This content type is a natural progression that stems from the growing popularity of mobile devices. Because more people are using smartphones, which generally have a vertical orientation, they are now browsing content online using the default vertical orientation of mobile devices.

Just for Social?

Producers understand that some of what is being shot will end up on social media in the form of advertisements. But simply cropping a movie will not yield quality results. Instead, shots are being redone on set with social in mind. To the point where special brackets are made to accommodate flipping a camera on it's side. Right now this is limited to advertisements but what happens if they shoot entire features this way?

Dual Framing

Someone who’s become particularly used to dealing with it is Anna Gudbrands, a London-based cinematographer whose work includes short-form pieces for Relentless, Wonderbra and Zegna’s campaign with Jose Mourinho. Gudbrands’ recent projects have, she says, heavily involved dual framing. 

“I've been doing a lot of fashion and skincare in the summer... almost every single job I do now, they want an option for 9:16 which is Instagram, but they want the hero to be 16:9. It’s a situation that inevitably involves compromise.

Should Studios Start Using Dual Framing in Feature Films?

An Idea from a listener Rob

Listening to this week's show and the discussion for a remote that’s easy to use, I will mention another option. The Echo Cube, I have it set up for my parents and they love it. They can tell the TV to turn on or off, the Ring doorbell shows up in the corner if someone’s at the door, and now after switching to YouTube TV fully they can just tell it to “----tune to ABC'' and it works, with DirecTV it wouldn’t always respond correctly to changing channels via voice. I have also upgraded to the premium Echo remote with the 2 programmable buttons along with the 4 standard ones. Now they have quick buttons to the services they use the most, YTTV (button 1), Peacock (button 2) and the ones for Prime, Netflix etc. The other great thing about this option for them is they can just say “Echo watch the Thursday Night game” and it switches over. (I have changed the Cube’s name from Alexa to Echo to keep the Kitchen Echo from responding). 

Honestly the hardest part for them was getting out of the habit of channel numbers and going with channel names-they were so used to “Tune to Channel 7” instead of “tune to ABC'' etc. But now that they have gotten the hang of it they really like it, my Mom has no issue changing to Peacock to watch Days of Our Lives and then changing back to traditional TV.  One other note on the remote, if you use the upgraded remote with YTTV you can change channels up/down like linear TV and if you change around your guide to be those you watch most of the time it actually is a nice option. 

I am personally using an Apple TV that can offer some of these same things, but YTTV hasn’t enabled channel changing via a Home Pod so at this point I’d say the Echo beats the Apple TV if you mostly watch traditional TV.

On this week’s show Ara discusses the addition of some inexpensive acoustic panels to his recording room and we have a listener review of the Sofabaton X1 Smart Remote. We also read your emails and take a look at some of the week’s news.

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Amazon has plenty of acoustic panels to choose from including many with decorative prints. The entire treatment cost me $100.

I was looking for a product for my father-in-law to simplify the 3 remotes needed to control his TV, cable, and Roku. The Sofabaton is described on Amazon as “The most advanced X1 universal remote comes with a hub that can control most of your home entertainment devices. The powerful database is compatible with up to 500,000 IR & Bluetooth devices, From your TV, and gaming console, to your AV receiver and Blu-Ray, even your Philip Hue, Sonos Speaker.” At the time of purchase it was $189.99. Here are my thoughts on the product.

Packaging / Presentation

The packaging was nicely done, similar to what you expect from a high end phone...each of the included components nestled neatly in their allotted spots.

Remote Description

The remote is narrow, about 2 “ x 7 1⁄2 “ long. It's a matte black finish all the way around with a slightly rubberized feel to it. The screen itself is relatively small - a little less than 2”x 1 1⁄2 . As you would expect with that size, the button layout is minimal. It has a scroll wheel - up, down, left, right - and basic buttons below such as volume, channel, etc. The buttons are lit for night viewing or a dark theater which is a nice feature. The included hub is a glossy black and about the size of a glass coaster or a deck of cards. Also included are 3 infrared blasters - one single and one with 2 blasters on 1 wire. Lastly, there is a power adapter for the hub and another USB-C cable to charge it.

Programming

Programming has to be done via the sofabaton app on your phone. You must link the hub and remote together, then add your devices. They are searchable if you don't know your model numbers. If you know your exact model, obviously that will speed things up. I didn't have to, but the Sofabaton remote can learn your device, or you can contact customer support and ask them to add your device if necessary. Once that is done, it will confirm your power configuration for that device. For example, does your device have a separate on/off switch. Once that is done you can add Activities , like Watch TV or Play Music. I made a “watch tv “ activity. This macro turns on the TV, soundbar, and Roku to the correct input. After the commands are finished the remote controls the Roku and volume on the soundbar.

Performance

To summarize my experience, in a nutshell I must say there is a bit of a learning curve. I am used to using 3 different remotes. I know what I need to do. It took a while to get everything dialed in right. I had to experiment with the IR blasters and move them around to get a good signal to the device. 

When syncing the Hub I needed to try again by re-pairing with the button on the back. Adding devices took a while. I thought it was stuck because upon loading a device, it seemed like I lost my wi-fi connection until I realized it was just loading all the device info. When you finish an activity and something doesn't work, there is an option on your app to repair it. You can reconfigure any of the buttons to do what you want them to do. I made one of the colored buttons on the bottom to go right to the TV sleep menu. After you make a change it'll sync to the remote.

After using it for roughly 2 weeks I feel more comfortable with it. I would get confused with the clicker wheel which in turn navigates the screen on the remote and the up/down left/right enter button in the middle which operates the device itself. The back arrow button at the top right that’s for going back to activities, devices, or settings on the remote isn’t easily reachable.

I also learned I cannot turn on my PS5 via bluetooth because Sony doesn't allow third party vendors to access it via bluetooth. There is a workaround by having the activity switch to the playstation HDMI input, which will turn it on. With my setup this isn't necessary because the controller turns it on anyway and it automatically switches.

ConclusionI would say this isn't for everyone because there is a long set up process and many potential bugs/issues along the way. If you're easily frustrated, not willing to put in the time to set it up correctly and allow yourself an adjustment period, this is not the remote for you. With that said i think this remote IS for many people of the HDTV and Home Theater podcast family. It's a nice blend of “higher than average knowledge” of home theater, but not so high that you need a PHD in software engineering to figure it out. I hope this helps and I'd be happy to assist anyone if they have further questions.

On this week’s show we look at the new devices supported by Matter 1.2 and we ask you if you are a Quiet Quitter of your pay TV service. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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Other:

The new device types supported in Matter 1.2 include:

Refrigerators – Beyond basic temperature control and monitoring, this device type is also applicable to other related devices like deep freezers and even wine and kimchi fridges. Room Air Conditioners – While HVAC and thermostats were already part of Matter 1.0, stand alone Room Air Conditioners with temperature and fan mode control are now supported. Dishwashers – Basic functionality is included, like remote start and progress notifications. Dishwasher alarms are also supported, covering operational errors such as water supply and drain, temperature, and door lock errors. Laundry Washers – Progress notifications, such as cycle completion, can be sent via Matter. Dryers will be supported in a future Matter release. Robotic Vacuums – Beyond the basic features like remote start and progress notifications, there is support for key features like cleaning modes (dry vacuum vs wet mopping) and additional status details (brush status, error reporting, charging status). Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarms – These alarms will support notifications and audio and visual alarm signaling. Additionally, there is support for alerts about battery status and end-of-life notifications. These alarms also support self-testing. Carbon monoxide alarms support concentration sensing, as an additional data point. Air Quality Sensors –  Supported sensors can capture and report on: PM1, PM 2.5, PM 10, CO2, NO2, VOC, CO, Ozone, Radon, and Formaldehyde. Furthermore, the addition of the Air Quality Cluster enables Matter devices to provide AQI information based on the device’s location. Air Purifiers – Purifiers utilize the Air Quality Sensor device type to provide sensing information and also include functionality from other device types like Fans (required) and Thermostats (optional). Air purifiers also include consumable resource monitoring, enabling notifications on filter status (both HEPA and activated carbon filters are supported in 1.2). Fans –Matter 1.2 includes support for fans as a separate, certifiable device type. Fans now support movements like rock/oscillation and new modes like natural wind and sleep wind. Additional enhancements include the ability to change the airflow direction (forward and reverse) and step commands to change the speed of airflow. 

We received an email from long time listener Mike LaBorde with a link to an article at TV Tech titled The `Quiet Quitters' of Pay TV Continue to Grow. Mike suggests that he is one and as I thought about my situation I decided I am one as well. So what is a Quiet Quitter and are you one of us?

A Quiet Quitter is someone who has largely stopped viewing pay TV programming but hasn’t dropped their pay TV subscription or “cut-the-cord.” 

According to Inscape’s recent Q2 2023 TV Market Trends report, about 5% of U.S. cable/satellite households have outright quit viewing content via their satellite and cable TV options in the second quarter of the year.

Inscape found that 9% reduced their cable/satellite viewing by 75% or more from Q2 2022 to Q2 2023 (to account for viewing seasonality), but didn’t fully quit. Additionally, 8.4% of U.S. cable/satellite households had a drop of 50-75% in cable/satellite viewing time in Q2 2023 from Q2 2022.

I did some analysis on my own viewing habits and here are the numbers. Back in 2000 I spent one hour in the morning watching TV, mostly news, and four hours in the evening from 6:00 - 10:00 Monday through Friday. That is a total of five hours a day. I now listen to podcasts as I get ready in the morning which by itself reduces my pay TV usage by 20%. In the evening I watch Youtube for about 30 minutes and then I may turn to linear television for about 30 minutes to an hour while I wait for the family to assemble and watch TV. At this point I've already cut 1 ½ hours of my normal viewing.

Once we’ve settled in to watch TV for the evening it's not from the live TV or the DVR but rather from Hulu, Peacock, Paramount, Max, or Netflix. On a non-sports evening I have cut my linear TV by as much as 90%. So why do I keep my subscription?

It's those pesky sports teams that I follow. It's no fun watching delayed. You have to watch them live. The Dodgers, Kings, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and to a lesser degree Tennessee Volunteers keep me paying for DirecTV Stream. We also will record Hallmark Christmas movies and watch them during the holiday season. I count DVR’s programming a pay TV. You really have to ask yourself, is it worth it to pay $90 a month just to watch 25% of what you used to on a pay TV service. Unfortunately being a big sports fan has it's costs!

According to Inscape data, while streaming commands 56.5% of overall TV viewing time, that falls to 23.1% for sports and 14.7% for news. Cable/satellite/antenna, meanwhile, accounts for 43.5% of overall TV viewing time, but dominates in sports (76.9%) and news (85.3%).

Alternatively I can find a way to get my sporting fix through add-on services like “At Bat” for baseball and “Sunday Ticket” for Football but when you add everything up it more or less costs the same amount as having a pay TV service. So you may as well just pay for pay TV on the odd chance you have nothing to watch and all you have is Nick at Nite or TV Land!

On this week’s show discuss the new Pro-Ject Dark Side of the Moon Turntable and talk about five mistakes to avoid with your earbuds. We finish up with a discussion about 5G Broadcast. Can it do what ATSC 3.0 can. We also read your emails and discuss the week’s news.

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The Dark Side of the Moon album is recognized for its artwork almost as much as the music. It shows an enigmatic prism that reflects beams of light into space. It’s a magical and mystical theme that illustrates the band‘s complex sound pallet. For us, it was a no-brainer to create a turntable based on this concept & image.

The result is an extraordinary turntable unlike any the audio market has seen. With high-quality materials were able to implement the core aspects of the artwork. The plinth is made of MDF- a dense, sturdy, resonance-absorbent material. The stainless steel axle of the heavy aluminum sub platter rotates in a bronze bushing. An AC motor drives the sub-platter & platter with a silicon drive belt.

The low-resonance tonearm is a completely new design. It’s definitely one of the highlights of this turntable. The combination of black aluminum & acrylic parts is an eye-catcher to say the least. The supplied Pick it PRO Special Edition MM phono cartridge delivers the rich sonics you would expect from Dark Side of the Moon turntable. With the addition of the LED-backlit rainbow, the turntable looks even more impressive in low light.

As with all Pro-Ject turntables, The Dark Side of the Moon Turntable is handmade with care in Europe! Pre-order with November Delivery $1999.00

5 wireless earbuds mistakes you're probably making

Get the best performance and user experience from your wireless earbuds by avoiding these common mistakes. Full article here…

Don't skip the ear fit test - using the correct ear tip size for your ear canal is paramount to achieving optimal audio performance and the best noise-canceling experience.  Don’t leave Active Noise Canceling on - The processing power required to analyze ambient noise levels and cancel them out has a big impact on energy consumption of your wireless earbuds, and can shorten battery life significantly.  Check Audio Settings - make sure you're connected via the highest wireless audio codec over Bluetooth that your earbuds can support from a similarly codec compatible playback device. Take better care of the charging case -  Keeping your earbuds on charge overnight might feel convenient but it could be detrimental to the lifespan of the charging case's internal battery. Longer than necessary recharges can put a strain on the battery, degrading the battery cells and significantly shortening capacity. Download the app and use it periodically - companion apps provide numerous ways to enhance the listening experience through features like adaptive audio, noise canceling modes, and adjustable EQ settings. You will also need the app to upgrade firmware.

5G Broadcast is a one-to-many technology where all mobile device viewers receive the live event through the 5G network. As the devices are effectively passive, adding more devices doesn’t affect the network at all. Therefore, all users have the same high-level quality of experience and service.

Although live video distribution is very important, 5G broadcast/multicast does not necessarily mean mobile TV. In fact, 5G is bringing new broadcast and multicast capabilities to the whole ecosystem. These can include software updates over the network to cars, phones, and other wireless devices

What are some applications:

Live events (sporting, festivals, and breaking news) are suitable for the one-to-many distribution model over 5G. Public safety messages are one of the basic 5G broadcast tasks. Think Weather, Flood, Fire etc Automobile manufacturers can update software and firmware as well as media and entertainment systems. 5G Broadcast can help with OTA real-time traffic and V2X delivery. V2X is a system under development that allows vehicles to communicate with each other. 5G multicast can enhance the fan experience in new ways and also bring benefits for MNOs. Venue casting can bring the live experience to the home. 5G can help improve the VoD experience by helping offload 35% of the traffic on mobile networks.

Do we need this?

On this week’s show Ara orders Holiday lights that he plans on leaving up year round. We also compare the HDR formats and explain terms to help you understand what it all means. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

News:

Other:

Get festive with Nanoleaf Smart Holiday String Lights ($199 Pre-order)! The perfect decoration for your tree, or throughout your home to bring out the holiday spirit. Customizable color palettes and lighting animations set the Christmas mood in an instant, with just the touch of a button or a simple voice command. Sync with your favorite holiday songs to watch as your lights dance to the beat. Designed for both indoor and outdoor use.

Requires a Matter compatible smart home hub and iOS/tvOS 16.5+ or Android OS 8.1+ to connect to a smart home ecosystem.

I was reading an article (Differences Between HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision) over at RTINGS.com to see which HDR format they thought was the best. In the article they did an excellent explanation of what HDR is and what terms like bit depth and tone mapping are. We throw those around all the time but have never really explained what they are and why you should care. So this week we do that!

On this week’s show we discuss a video where Caleb Denison of Digital Trends, says the AppleTV is the best at streaming your video and we have a review of the Tablo TV Over the Air DVR. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

News:

Other:

We received a couple of emails (one from Stan and one from John) this week pointing us to an article and video stating that how you stream your content affects what you see. The article is from Dark Horizons and the video is on Youtube (Apple TV Best for Netflix? Right Time To Buy a TV? | You Asked: Ep. 7). 

The video host, Caleb Denison of Digital Trends, says the AppleTV is the best, although he prefers using Google TV. So how did he come to this conclusion?

Some TVs or set top boxes limit color bit depth to 4:2:0, which means more color banding just because you are watching on that particular platform. Many platforms may have that setting as the default so check to make sure you have an option to change it. Without going into a ton of detail, 4:4:4 is 100% of the chroma information, 4:2:2 is 50% and 4:2:0 is 25%. If you have Dolby Vision enabled on an AppleTV you will not have an option to select a Chroma setting. It will be 4:2:2 by default.

Some platforms do not allow buffering. As a result you will never achieve the full 4K you are paying for. Caleb does not say which platforms do this. But if you have 4K with a slower data rate it won’t be difficult to determine if your system is buffering or not. 

Another issue is with frame rate. Some will not give you 24 fps but will instead convert it to 30 fps. 

So why the AppleTV? According to the host, “It’s the one with the least amount of questions and just enough controls available. It also comes with the fewest number of headaches, and for that I’m willing to pay a little extra. It’s not perfect, but it is the least flawed and sadly I think that’s where we’re at right now with streaming.”

Over the years we have had a chance to review a lot of personal DVRs. Most of which have come and gone. Some had stand alone hardware and others required a PC. Some had built-in tuners and others required an external tuner. Today we take a quick look at a DVR that is a stand alone box no bigger than an AppleTV or Roku streaming box with two built in ATSC 2.0 tuners. That device is the Tablo 4th generation that goes for about $110. 

Features:

Setup

Plug in power, Ethernet, and an antenna and you are ready to scan for channels. I initially had issues with  the Tablo giving me location errors and stopping the install process there. I contacted their Customer Support and they acknowledged the error and informed me of a server issue they were experiencing. Once those were resolved the process resumed without a hitch. The only complaint I had was that it took too long to download the channel guide. But I was being impatient. 

Performance

Once you complete the install and setup you can start watching TV and recording programs. I won’t go into the details on how to do this because it's very intuitive and you’ve all done this before. In addition to the channels you receive over the air, Tablo has some FAST channels that include news, sports, old TV shows, and more. 

You watch on your Tablet or phone and on Set Top boxes. Currently Roku, fireTV, android TV, GoogleTV, iOS and Android are supported. AppleTV, Samsung TVs, WebOS, and Vizio TVs are coming soon. Two devices can watch/record live TV simultaneously and up to six can watched recorded or streamed content simultaneously. Picture quality is good, but we are talking 1080i or 720p OTA, so don’t expect the same as 4K HDR content you get from AppleTV or Netflix.

The user interface is very intuitive and easy to navigate. Setting up recordings is simple. Recorded programs are grouped together based on series. Guide information is available and I haven't been prompted to pay for it which is a big plus over other DVRs.  

There is no way to watch your content when you are away from home so consider that when making your buying decision. Also, a pleasant surprise is that you can record FAST channels and skip commercials. I’m not sure other devices let you do that. 

In all, this is a great device if you are looking for a DVR like you used to have back in the day. You can watch anywhere in the house and, soon enough, on any device. If you want to stream your content outside your home, this product is not for you. Perhaps someday that capability will be added, but not today.

On this week’s show we take a look at the history of a company that is synonymous with home theater, Dolby Laboratories. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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Other:

1965 - Dolby Laboratories is a longtime innovator of developing electronic devices and systems to improve recorded sound. Founded by Ray Dolby in 1965, the company’s first development was Dolby A-type noise reduction. It was basically a specially designed electronic circuit contained in a compact metal case. It was not a recording machine, but it could be attached to a recorder to improve its sound.

1966 - Dolby creates first product to reduce noise in music recordings.

1968 - Ray Dolby next developed a consumer version of the Dolby A system at the urging of Henry Kloss, an American audio pioneer and president of KLH Research and Development Corporation. The result was the 1968 introduction of Dolby B-type noise reduction, intended for home tape recorders. Following a relocation of the company from London to San Francisco, Dolby B was released into the world. Designed primarily for cassettes, it went on to completely alter the way music was both recorded and received world-over. It was simple and cheap, and by the mid-70s it was the standard for all cassette tapes – and is the type of noise reduction and is still used to this very day. Yes – people still like their cassette tapes!

1971 - The first film with Dolby sound was A Clockwork Orange (1971), which used Dolby noise reduction on all pre-mixes and masters, but a conventional optical sound track on release prints.

1974 - Callan was the first film with a Dolby-encoded optical soundtrack.

1975 - Dolby Laboratories introduced Dolby Stereo, a product aimed at motion picture producers and theaters. Dolby Stereo was used with existing 35-mm optical soundtracks, but with important changes. At the studio, stereo soundtracks were recorded using Dolby equipment. At the theaters, a Dolby unit and new loudspeakers were added to the existing projection equipment. The result was much higher sound quality. 

1976 - The first true LCRS (Left-Center-Right-Surround) soundtrack was encoded on the movie A Star Is Born in 1976. In less than ten years, 6,000 cinemas worldwide were equipped to use Dolby Stereo sound. Dolby reworked the system slightly for home use and introduced Dolby Surround, which only extracted a surround channel, and the more impressive Dolby Pro Logic, which was the domestic equivalent of the theatrical Dolby Stereo.

1977 -  Star Wars opens with Dolby Stereo®.

1982 -  the company was receiving $6 million annually in licensing fees from approximately 125 audio equipment manufacturers. With circuits in about 70 million different consumer products, Dolby had a monopoly in the consumer noise reduction field. In the 1980s, virtually all pre recorded cassettes used Dolby B.

 The first major threat to Dolby's positioning began quietly in 1980, when dbx--a Newton, Massachusetts company--sold its system to several audio manufacturers, including the major Japanese company Matsushita Electric. In April 1982, the competition began to look more serious. Dbx pulled ahead of Dolby, developing the first miniature noise-reduction circuit for Walkmen, which at this time represented the fastest-growing consumer audio segment. Dbx, which had been developed in 1971, was a serious threat to Dolby because it reduced background noise by 40 decibels, a considerable improvement over Dolby's 10. 

Initially, high prices had made dbx unfamiliar to consumers, but the system was favored by recording professionals. By 1982, dbx had already far overtaken Dolby and held 70 percent of the commercial recording equipment market. In response to the threat posed by dbx's competition, Dolby introduced an upgraded version of its system, Dolby C, as well as a portable product.

1986 - Dolby Spectral Recording (or SR) worked on magnetic soundtracks for film as well as music cassettes, producing digital clarity from an analog sound system. Dolby SR used the same basic principle as Dolby's original circuit, monitoring the sound signal and adjusting frequency boost to suit the loudness level, with different signal levels boosted at different amounts. The result was a system that was dynamic and almost infinitely flexible. The system was used by many professional studios instead of digital recording, and in 1988 Dolby SR was in use at movie theaters showing the films Robocop and Space.

1992 - Dolby achieved $40 million in revenues, with a third from royalty payments that headed straight to the bottom line. Dolby sound reduction was now featured on approximately 380 million tape players, boom boxes, headphones, and car stereos, as well as a few billion audio-cassette packages. 

Dolby developed a digital surround sound compression scheme for the cinema. Dolby Stereo Digital (now simply called Dolby Digital) was first featured on the 1992 film Batman Returns. Introduced to the home theater market as Dolby AC-3 with the 1995 laserdisc release of Clear and Present Danger. 

The format did not become widespread in the consumer market, partly because of extra hardware that was necessary to make use of it  until it was adopted as part of the DVD specification. Dolby Digital is now found in the HDTV (ATSC) standard of the United States, DVD players, and many satellite-TV and cable-TV receivers. Dolby developed a digital surround sound compression scheme for the TV series The Simpsons.

1998 - First live HDTV broadcast with 5.1-channel Dolby Digital audio.

1999 - Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace debuts in Dolby Surround EX.

2007 - Dolby announced the arrival of Dolby Volume at the International Consumer Electronics Show.

2010 - Dolby introduced Dolby Surround 7.1, and set up theaters worldwide with 7.1 surround speaker setups to deliver theatrical 7.1 surround sound. The first film to be released with this format was Pixar's Toy Story 3 which was later followed by 50 releases using the format. About eighty percent of films released are mixed in Dolby Surround 7.1 by default.

2014 - Dolby introduced its Dolby Atmos, a new cinematic technology adding overhead sound, first applied in Pixar's motion picture Brave. In July 2014, Dolby Laboratories announced plans to bring Atmos to home theater. The first television show to use the technology on disc was Game of Thrones.

Dolby launches Dolby Vision™.

2019 - Dolby adds Atmos to hundreds of newer songs in the music industry.

This week we discuss how the network TV programmers are dealing with the SAG and WGA strike. We also give you some alternative ways to deal with the strike. Plus we read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

News:

Other:

LUBA AWD Series is the first and only Perimeter Wire Free Robot Lawn Mower that can handle complex lawns up to 5000 ㎡ (1.25 acres) with 75% slope (37°). MSRP $2,599 

Since you guys talk about home automation, I figured I would tell you about my new toy.  I bought a Mammotion Luba robot lawn mower and it is awesome!  You don’t have to bury a line for your perimeter.  It uses GPS/RTK technology and you drive it around the perimeter of your lawn so it knows the area.  Then it mows.  It does straight lines and not just the random all over thing and you can alternate what direction it goes.  When it gets down to 15% battery, it just automatically goes to the dock and recharges and then continues where it left off after.  It has a motor on each wheel so it is all wheel drive and durable and heavy so it can climb up to 37 degree grade of a hill.  It also looks like a formula one race car.  If it starts raining it will go back and wait too.  It is pretty sweet!  It mows my lawn 3 times a week while I am working and so no more allergies.  I do the edging and weed eating once every other week and that is it.  Automation!  Love it!

Jason Petty

The SAG and WGA strike has been going on for a couple of months now. Have you noticed anything missing? If you haven’t, you're not the only one. Negotiations broke down shortly after the strike started but this week they have started up (Writers Guild Says Negotiations Set to Resume Wednesday). In the meantime networks have come up with a strategy to get you through the TV season and we have some ideas as well. This show is in place of our yearly new Fall TV preview.

Bill Maher was slated to bring his show back without the writers but has since put that idea on hold since negotiations have started up.  Good idea? Should he just go for it? (Bill Maher Becomes First Host to Make Late-Night Return Without Writers)

CBS decided to start broadcasting its premier episode of Yellowstone. It originally debuted on the Paramount Network back on June 20, 2018 and got 6.6 million viewers for CBS. When you consider that brand new episodes of The Equalizer, wish was in the same time slot last year, garnered 6.47 million viewers last season. This may not be a bad idea!

Disney announced that 10 Monday Night Football games will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN. ABC had planned to run two hours of Dancing With the Stars from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. on Mondays, with new reality spinoff The Golden Bachelor airing at 10 p.m.

The network has decided to pair The Golden Bachelor with nine-year-old sibling Bachelor in Paradise to fill Thursday primetime, while DWTS will move to Tuesdays, starting September 26. 

The MNF average audience was 22.6 million viewers across ESPN, ESPN 2 and ABC for its season-opening matchup. Which was a record.

ABC's entire Thursday night lineup consists of game shows: "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune," "Press Your Luck" and "The $100,000 Pyramid." The ABC has no new scripted programming on its fall schedule. On Fox Gordon Ramsay will work double shifts with shows airing on two nights.

Survivor and The Amazing Race moving to 90-minute episodes this fall

If you are missing late night hosts, they have created a podcast for you. Jimmy Kimmel, John Oliver, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon. They are planning to release 12 episodes with the guys talking about their time in Hollywood with some comedy bits thrown in. .

Three streamers are in good position to weather the strike according to Forbes from the article:

Discovery+ (Now Max)

Which one is in the best shape? That appears to be Discovery+ (which recently merged with corporate sibling Warner Bros.’ HBO Max to become the megastreamer Max), and that makes sense. Before the merger, Discovery+ was known for its unscripted content, reflecting the Discovery family of cable brands from TLC to HGTV to Food Network, which is relatively cheap to produce and easy to make a lot of. Ninety-five percent of Discovery+ content is unscripted, according to Parrot’s research.

Peacock

Ranked second is NBCUniversal’s Peacock—40% of its content is unscripted. With rights to Bravo hits like the Real Housewives franchise and Vanderpump Rules, Peacock is well situated to thrive without new scripted content. To wit, the recent Vanderpump season 10 reunion part one drew 514,000 households when it was released on Peacock on May 25, according to Samba TV, with a Bravo audience of 1.1 million households. So there’s clearly an appetite for such shows even well into their runs.

Paramount+

Paramount+ had the third-highest level of unscripted fare, 35%. Fully a fifth of its viewership comes from unscripted programs, driven largely by mega-hit RuPaul’s Drag Race, which also airs on Hulu, and CBS programs such as Survivor.

What about the Emmys?

The Television Academy and Fox TV, which was scheduled to air the show this year, initially kept the original Sept. 18 show date in place, with hopes the strikes would end quickly. But with no realistic prospects for resolution, Fox and the academy decided in mid-August to change the show date to Jan. 15, 2024

The new date looked a long way off when it was scheduled, but Emmy organizers may have to face the prospect that the strikes could still be going on in January. Writers have currently been off the job for 4 1/2 months, the actors for two months. The stoppages spilling into next year would make them historically long, and go well past initial predictions. Prolonged strikes could mean another Emmys postponement, or a show transformed into a glorified news conference, as happened with some awards during the pandemic.

Our Picks for rewatching or watching for the first time if you missed it.

Community - Six seasons of gut busting laughter! If you only watch a couple of episodes don’t miss the paintball episodes Bosch - Seven seasons. A crime procedural based on the best selling novels by Michael Connelly.   Chuck - Five Seasons. When a computer geek inadvertently downloads critical government secrets into his brain, both the CIA and the NSA assign an agent to protect him and exploit his newfound skills. White Collar - Six seasons. A white-collar criminal agrees to help the FBI catch other white-collar criminals using his expertise as an art and securities thief, counterfeiter, and conman. Castle - Eight seasons. A suave, best-selling author teams up with a strait-laced detective to solve crimes in New York City.

This week DJ Briggs from BrightSideHometheater.com joins the show to discuss what he saw at CEDIA. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news.

News:

2023 CEDIA Expo Best of Show Winners

Last week the Custom Electronic Design And Installation Association better known as CEDIA had their annual show in Denver CO. On today’s show we will discuss some of the awards that were given out. CEDIA is the global industry association and central touch point for smart home technology, provides members with cutting-edge education, develops standards to ensure the highest levels of professionalism, and is the industry's only certifying body. CEDIA furthers collaboration with architects, designers, builders, and homeowners to deliver technology solutions that allow families to experience their best moments in life in the comfort of their own homes.

Below are the awards from Residential System, TWICE and What Hi-Fi. We are not going through the entire list but we pick products that we feel our listeners not only are interested in but can afford to buy (well some of them anyway). We also have a bonus section where DJ Briggs of BightSideHomeTheater.com gives us his list of five things he thought were super cool. Check out his podcast to find out why he felt that way. 

Residential Systems entries were judged through the lens of the residential integrator, while TWICE based theirs on a consumer electronics retail view and What Hi-Fi? from the home entertainment enthusiast perspective.

Residential Systems Best of Show Awards Winners

AWOL Vision AWOL Vision 150” 4K 3D RGB Laser Projector LTV-3500 Pro $6000

Epson America, Inc. Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800 4K PRO-UHD Ultra Short-Throw 3-Chip 3LCD Smart Streaming Laser Projector $3500

Ethereal 8 Meter Velox Passive HDMI Cable $240

Furrion Aurora 2.1 Outdoor Soundbar Speaker with Wireless Subwoofer $770

Furrion Aurora Sun 4K UHD LED Outdoor Smart TV with HDR10 starting at $3000

HD Anywhere uControl Smart Remote 

uControl is a smart home system that focuses on the things you do in your home everyday. From enjoying your favorite TV shows, immersing yourself in music or effortlessly changing the lighting to suit your mood, all from one unified, universal and unintimidating interface.

PSB Speakers Alpha IQ Powered Speakers $1300/pr

A simplified approach to audio, the Alpha iQ comes equipped with a built-in digital amplifier and BluOS streaming so you can access and control everything from streaming services and digital music collections to EQ settings and multi-room speaker management. A versatile addition to any home audio system, whether in a stereo set-up, home theater, TV speaker or as bookshelf speakers.

Sony Electronics BRAVIA XR 65” Class A95L QD-OLED 4K HDR Google TV $3500 65” $5000 77”

Sony Electronics STRAZ5000ES Premium ES 11.2 CH 8K A/V Receiver $2100

Sony Electronics STRAZ7000ES Premium ES 13.2 CH 8K A/V Receiver $3300

Sony Electronics VPL-XW6000ES 4K HDR Laser Home Theater Projector with Native 4K SXRD Panel $12000

Sony Electronics VPL-XW7000ES 4K HDR Laser Home Theater Projector with Native 4K SXRD Panel $28000

StormAudio ISR Fusion 20 AV Receiver  

Based on the award-winning ISP Elite MK3 platform, the Immersive Sound Receiver Fusion 20 is a 20-channels processor integrating 16 channels of the latest Edge amplification technology from Danish based ICE Power, exhibiting extremely low noise and distortion levels with 150W (8ohm) per channel, and up to 500W (8ohm) when bridged.

TWICE Best of Show Awards Winners

AWOL Vision AWOL Vision 150” 4K 3D RGB Laser Projector LTV-3500 Pro $6000 - see above

Ethereal 8 Meter Velox Passive HDMI Cable $240 - see above

Hisense 100″U8K  $10,000

See News Story

Samsung 77” Class S95C OLED 4K TV $4200

Samsung 98” Class Neo QLED 8K TV (QN990C) $40000

Samsung 85” Class The Terrace 4K TV (Outdoor TV Full Sun) $20,000

Samsung HW-Q990C Soundbar 11.1.4 ch. Wireless Dolby ATMOS Soundbar $1600

Sony Electronics BRAVIA XR 65” Class A95L QD-OLED 4K HDR Google TV $3500 65” $5000 77”

Sony Electronics VPL-XW6000ES 4K HDR Laser Home Theater Projector with Native 4K SXRD Panel $12000

Sony Electronics STRAZ7000ES Premium ES 13.2 CH 8K A/V Receiver $3300

Sony STRAZ3000ES Premium ES 9.2 CH 8K A/V Receiver $1700

Sony STR-AN1000 7.2 Channel 8K A/V Receiver $700

What Hi-Fi? Best of Show Winners

Hisense L9H TriChroma Laser UST Projector  ($5500 - $6500)

Sony HT-S2000 3.1ch Dolby Atmos® Soundbar $300

The HT-S2000 soundbar delivers high-quality audio and an upscaled cinematic surround sound experience for all your content. Built for the Sony ecosystem, this soundbar solution is compatible with Sony SA-SW3, SA-SW5 subwoofers and SA-RS3S rear speakers and integrates fully with BRAVIA XR™ TVs.

DJ Briggs CEDIA Wrap

Top 5 Room Experiences

(5) JVC (8 New Projectors 6 8K and 2 4K)

(4) Sony 7000 Projector and 7000 Receiver

(3) SVS

(1B) Trinnov

(1A)Grimani

Anthony Grimani/Storm Audio/Seymore Excellence/Row One Seating

This week look at what would happen if Instagram and TikTok allowed 10 minute short video clips. Also, we breakdown why local network affiliates are trying to convince the FCC to start treating IPTV Streamers like cable TV providers. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

News:

Other:

By increasing the time limit on Reels from three minutes to 10, Instagram would be aligning its short-form video product with TikTok, which expanded its maximum video length to 10 minutes back in February 2022. The change would also put Reels in competition with YouTube. Full Article Here…

In a nutshell - A bunch of affiliate stations are asking the FCC to treat IPTV streamers like cable companies. Which would force the streamers to negotiate directly with the TV station owners.

If local TV stations win, Fubo, Hulu, and others wouldn’t be able to strike deals directly with Paramount for all CBS stations. Instead, they will need to go to each individual owner of each local TV station. 

For the record - CBS owns 14 stations throughout the US.  

The net result would mean that live TV streaming services would need to pay a $1.23 fee per subscriber every year for the FCC regulatory fee imposed on cable TV companies. It's our take that the amount would start at $1.23 and go up very quickly.

So Nexstar Media Group, Sinclair, E.W. Scripps, and Gray Television want to cut out the big networks and negotiate directly to bring their locals to streaming services. They hope to get better deals than what the parent companies have agreed to. They argue that the current situation is unfair to local station owners.

The argument is that the deals as they exist today don't give local stations enough money to produce local news.

For now, it looks like local station owners are ready for a long fight to get what they believe will be a better deal for them.

Thoughts on the situation:

This week is the start of the college football season and we help you find where your favorite team’s games can be watched. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

News:

It's probably the best time of year. You have Baseball wrapping up, the air is cooling down, and it's college football season. There are so many games and leagues but where can you watch your favorite team? We have done the research and this is where you can find the leagues and games for free.

Conference Networks

Many conferences have their own 24/7 network that carry more than just football. But on Saturdays in the fall they are all about football! Here is where you will find four of the most popular conference networks

Pac - 12 - Spectrum, xfinity, Cox, dish, SlingTV, Frontier, Fubo, Vidgo Full List can be found here.

Big Ten - Fox Sports App with TV provider credentials. AT&T U-verse, Cox, DirecTV/DTV Stream, Dish, Frontier, Fubo, Google Fiber, Hulu Live, Filo, Sling, Virgo, Youtube TV

SEC -  AT&T U-Verse. Cox. DIRECTV/Stream, DISH, Spectrum, Xfinity, Verizon Fios. Streaming on Hulu, Sling TV, YouTube TV

ACC - Youtube TV, Hulu, Spectrum, DIRECTV/Stream, Dish Network, Sling TV, Cox

Broadcast Networks 

In addition to their own networks, the conferences have contracts with the broadcast networks to air the biggest games of the week.

ABC: ACC, American, Big 12, Pac-12, championship games (ACC, American, Big 12 and Pac-12 in odd-numbered years), Citrus Bowl, LA Bowl and Las Vegas Bowl

CBS: SEC, Big Ten, Mountain West, SEC Championship Game, Commander-in-Chief's Trophy games (include Army-Navy) and Sun Bowl

Fox: Big 12, Big Ten, Mountain West, Pac-12, championship games (Big Ten, Mountain West, and 

Pac-12 in even-numbered years) and Holiday Bowl

NBC: Notre Dame, Big Ten

The CW: ACC

Cable Networks

The cable networks get in on the action as well!

CBS Sports Network: Army, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, Navy, UConn, C-USA Championship Game and Hula Bowl

ESPN networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, ESPN3 and ESPN+): ACC, American, Big 12, Big Ten, C-USA, MAC, Pac-12, SEC, Sun Belt, UMass, championship games (MAC and Sun Belt) and most bowl games including the entirety of the College Football Playoff

Fox Sports 1: Big 12, Big Ten, Mountain West and Pac-12

Fox Sports 2: Mountain West

Peacock: Notre Dame, Big Ten

If your team is involved in a huge game (or playing Notre Dame) look for them to be on the broadcast networks or ESPN. If you went to a less competitive major conference school, their games will be on the networks overflow channels like FS1, Peacock, Espn the Ocho , etc, Unless they are playing Notre Dame. Then they will be on display for what inevitably will be the smaller schools' Superbowl. 

DirecTV Stream

FuboTV

Hulu Plus Live TV

Sling TV

YouTube TV

Base price

$75 per month for 75-plus channels

$75 per month for 100-plus channels

$70 per month for 90-plus channels

$40 per month for 30-plus (Orange) or $45 for 40-plus (Blue) channels

$73 per month for 100-plus channels

Free trial

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC channels

Yes, in many markets

Yes, in many markets

Yes, in many markets

ABC, Fox and NBC only in select cities (Blue only)

Yes, in many markets

Simultaneous streams per account

20 (in home, 3 outside of it)

10 (in home, 3 outside of it) 

2 ($15 option for unlimited)

1 (Orange), 3 (Blue)

3 ($20 adds unlimited plus 4K streams)

Family member/user profiles

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Cloud DVR

Yes (20 hours, unlimited for $10 a month)

Yes (1,000 hours)

Yes (unlimited)

Yes (50 hours, 200 hours for $5 a month)

Yes (unlimited)

Fast-forward through or skip commercials with cloud DVR

No (yes with $15 option)

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

This week a listener asks if his separates from the 80s are as good as his more modern home theater equipment. We also read your emails and look at the week’s news.

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We received the following email from Chris asking us to take a look at Vintage vs Modern Gear:

In your latest episode, you were discussing receivers. And I got to thinking:

Are the receivers of today drastically better than the component stereo systems of the 80s?

So if today, you put a component system from the 80s in the same environment as a receiver from the 2020s, could you tell the difference?

We have seen the resurgence of the turntable, will we also see the resurgence of the component stereo?  Separate tuner, amp, equalizer, etc. 

Can you explain a little in layman's terms the way the music is delivered today via compression and frequency reduction (Spotify, XM, Apple Music, etc)?  

Meaning does the vinyl LP for example, go from -20 kHz to +140 kHz whereas streaming compresses to -10 kHz to +80 kHz, so you could get a better audio experience with vinyl?

Vintage Gear

Size and Weight - Vintage amplifiers are heavy by today's standards. In their heyday, owning one that weighed fifty to one hundred pounds wasn't unheard of. A majority of that weight came from the massive transformers housed inside. Those large transformers let the amplifier drive demanding  speakers with ease and let the system run at a higher current.  

Most vintage receivers used Class A/B amps, which were more efficient and ran cooler than their Class A counterparts.

Power - During the "power wars" of the '70s and '80s, manufacturers kept increasing how much power their amps could output, really pushing the limits of the amplifier technology of the time. For example, the Pioneer SX-1980 from 1978 cranked out an astonishing 270 watts per channel.

Electronics - a majority of amps were hardwired and didn't have an over-reliance on a circuit board, meaning they were more user serviceable if you knew what you were doing, and often cheaper to fix if you didn't.

New Gear

Performance - Class A/B amps sound better today than ever, given the significant improvements in transformer technology and component circuitry. Modern amplifiers have less distortion than older ones, and you get better performance for a lot less money. 

It's a digital world - With modern amplifiers and receivers, you're gaining modern connections. From HDMIs to optical and coaxial connections, having digital inputs on your amplifier means you can hook up your TV, gaming consoles, CD player, and more. The sound quality is clearer and more precise. You can also use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and an app-based interface to stream your music for extra convenience.

Which one sounds better? 

Ready for our non-answer? It depends. There are certainly receivers from the 70s and 80s that sound better than receivers built today. But you are talking about the high end products. For example, the classic Pioneer SX1980 is rated at 0.03% THD and back in 1980, it would cost you $1,295 to pick one up. That's about $5,450 in today's dollars. Yamaha’s A-S501 is rated at 0.019% THD, and can be had for $549.

Vinyl vs Digital

Frequency response - Both can reproduce sound that is beyond what a human can hear. 

It comes down to how the digital music is sampled and in some cases compressed. Low quality mp3 and AAC files throw away much of the recording so you are not getting all of the original. Let’s put  that aside because none of us listen to low quality music. There is a debate, however, about high quality mp3 and AAC (anything greater than 256Kbps sampled at 44.1KHz)  vs lossless. I personally can’t hear the difference and have done many blind A/B tests with those who claim that they can hear the difference only to conclude that none of my self proclaimed audiophile friends can hear the difference either. I won't say that no one can hear the difference reliably, but I will say that the number of those who can is very small. 

When it comes to vinyl it's a preference for the sound. I prefer the clean sound of high quality digital. It's easy to take my entire library with me everywhere I go. Braden loves his vinyl. It's warmer and more nostalgic. One is not better than the other, it's a personal preference. 

I am happy that I can now have an audio experience that was only available to people with deep pockets back in the 80s. Today, everyone can have a system that my 20 year old self only dreamed about. And you can take it on the go! 

This week Braden tells his Soundbar saga and Ara bought an Airpod Max. We also have early results of our Listener Speaker Configuration Survey. Plus we read your emails and the week’s news.

News:

On the last show we asked you to tell us what type of speaker configurations you are listening to. This week we will give you the results and provide you some resources for getting the most out of your setup.

Atmos 32%

7 Channel 32%

5 Channel 32%

Soundbar 2 channel 26.5%

6 Channel 6%

9 Channel 3%

Dolby Speaker Setup Guides 

Small Den/Bedroom ~250 Square feet  Soundbar or 2.1

Family/Bonus Room up to  300  square feet 5.1

Greater than 300 square feet 7.1 - Consider seating as well. 7.1 systems need space behind the seating positions to be properly configured.

Atmos

There is an option in all of the above scenarios for Atmos. The question is whether it's worth it or not. Ask yourself the following questions:

This week Samsung is bringing an 89” Micro LED TV to market and it will only cost you $102,000USD. We also take a look at AV receivers that we don’t typically talk about.  And as usual we read your emails and look at the week’s news stories.

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Other:

When it comes to the best TVs, one of the biggest challenges is figuring out which display technology is truly the best. One of the contenders? MicroLED, which promises a serious upgrade over existing MiniLED technologies. Full article here…

We get questions about receiver recommendations and we typically stay with brands we have experience with. We have never had someone come back at us to complain about a Denon, Yamaha, or Marantz receiver. We run these in our homes everyday so we feel confident recommending them to you. But there are other brands that have loyal followings that you may want to consider. These brands are typically more expensive and full featured. Below are the lowest cost receivers from brands we don’t typically talk about.

Arcam AVR10 7.2-channel home theater receiver with Bluetooth® and Apple AirPlay® 2

The AVR10 is a high-performance audio/visual receiver that delivers stunning realism for the ultimate home cinema experience. With an impressive 12-channel surround solution and featuring all the latest CODECs from Dolby, DTS, Auro-3D and IMAX Enhanced, the AVR10 exemplifies sound quality and engineering excellence. Audiophile listening experiences are optimised with full 12-channel Dirac calibration on board as well as simple streaming with a mobile device using the native app of choice via Apple AirPlay2 or Google Chromecast. You can find the Arcam AVR10 at Crutchfield for $2200

NAD T 758 V3i A/V Surround Sound Receiver

A performance update to our award-winning T 758 A/V Surround Sound Receiver, the T 758 V3i continues NAD’s ‘simple is better’ design philosophy by delivering a fluid user-friendly experience. From lifelike surround sound performance to heart thumping power, the T 758 V3i is a true treat for the senses. Employing NAD’s proprietary MDC technology, the T 758 V3i is ready for future upgrades and features. With 4K UltraHD video, the T 758 V3i offers a vivid and engaging presentation when it comes to the latest in digital video technology. Complete with AV presets that are yours to customise, the T 758 V3i gives you total control of what you hear and how you see it. The NAD AV Remote iOS app to make your smartphone a remote control is available as a free download. Available at NAD’s website for $1699.

Emotiva BasX MR1L 9.2 Channel Dolby Atmos® & DTS:X™ Cinema Receiver

How long have you been waiting for a receiver that can actually deliver the superb uncompromising performance of separate components? The BasX MR1L cinema receiver combines a high performance 13.2 channel immersive surround sound processor, and an audiophile quality 9 channel amplifier, in a single chassis. The processor section of the MR1L supports 4k UHD video, including HDR and Dolby Vision, enhanced ARC (eARC), and the latest Dolby Atmos® and DTS:X™ immersive surround sound formats. The MR1L features six HDMI 2.0b video inputs, all of which support 4k UHD HDR video, and includes support for enhanced ARC (eARC). Included with the MR1L is a measurement microphone and the latest version of EmoQ, our well-regarded automatic room correction system. The MR1L also offers multiple analog and digital audio inputs, and an integrated Bluetooth receiver with aptX. Available at Emotiva’s website for $1599.

Anthem MRX 540 8K 5.2-channel home theater receiver with Dolby Atmos®, Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, and Apple AirPlay® 2

Anthem's MRX 540 8K receiver is an excellent option for creating a high-performance home theater in a smaller room. It has everything you need — fantastic A/V processing, robust amplification, and exceptional room calibration — without extra channels of power that would go unused.

This upscale receiver is an especially good choice if you plan to play premium content through it — like 4K Blu-ray discs or uncompressed music files from a high-resolution library. It even has the latest HDMI technology for 8K video sources, including premium gaming consoles.

The MRX 540 8K is engineered to squeeze every drop of detail out of these high-res formats, and that's why it's worth considering over more modestly priced 5.1-channel receivers. Available at Anthem’s website for $1900.

This week we take a look at the best speakers for 2023 that are priced between $50 and $1000. And Ara reviews the Sony HT-AX7 Portable Theater System from Sony. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news. 

News:

Whether you're shopping for bookshelf models or a pair of floorstanders, these are the best speakers for the money. Full article here…

The Sony HT-AX7 is a portable Theatre System with 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology that attempts to bring cinematic surround sound to any room. It is a portable speaker system that has two detachable speakers that can be placed behind you to create a sound bubble that, according to Sony, will make you feel completely immersed in sound. We saw reviews and were excited to buy the $500 speaker and put it through it's paces. 

Features:

Setup

This was trivial. From the time I took it out of the well packaged box to when I was listening to sound took about five minutes. And I was going slow! All you need to do is pair the speaker with your device and start watching something. You can use the Sony Home Entertainment app to tweak it a  bit more. But beyond that there isn’t much to do.

Performance

I had high hopes that this would be something cool. But it's important to note that Bluetooth does not support Dolby Digital and the box does not have a Dolby or DTS logo anywhere so all the spatial sound is completely synthetic and processed by the HT-AX7.  

Top Gun Maverick was the first movie watched and quite frankly the experience was underwhelming. I could barely hear anything coming out of the satellite speakers. I went into the app and maxed out the volume for the speakers which made a big difference. In some respects the satellite speakers enhanced the experience but I wouldn’t say it was immersive. 

Then I watched the opening sequence to 6 Underground which has the most action packed opening sequence I have seen in a long while. It's the perfect scene to show off your Atmos system. Watching on my ipad with the front speaker two feet in front of me and the surround speakers one foot behind me. I did get a more realistic surround experience than just watching on my iPad. But it wasn’t until I balanced the surround speakers on their sides and aimed them right at my ears that I began to really think that this product was something pretty cool. 

The experience was similar to the old Dolby Pro Logic surround from the 90s. And I did not feel as though I was in a sound bubble like the marketing material claims. By comparison, my Atmos system makes you feel like you are on the street in the Italian square that the opening sequence was shot in.  

Spatial Audio from Apple Music sounded fuller and did make the experience more immersive. But from an audio point of view the quality wasn’t as good as my Audioengine Desktop speakers. In general I was not impressed with the sound from the speakers. It was a bit thin and there was no LFE  output that would allow me to add the low end with a subwoofer. But still much better than your speakers on your devices.

When the satellite speakers are connected to the main unit it functions like any other wireless Bluetooth speaker. However, there is no support for Airplay. If you remove the satellites and turnoff the sound field effect you get three speakers playing the same thing. It's a nice way to fill a room with ambient music for get togethers.

Who is this device for?

Someone with deep pockets who wants to improve the audio experience when watching movies on a tablet, phone, or PC. It is kind of cool sitting on your bed watching something on your personal device in surround sound. But at $500, I think the market for this device is small. 

This week we ask if we are at “Peak TV”. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

News:

Other:

Listener Stan from Pittsburg sent the following email that we wanted to discuss in some detail.

This article has me wondering whether the days of significantly improving TV technology will end in the near future. Why spend money on technology upgrades or picture quality when there is more money to made by turning cheap televisions into advertising platforms.  For videophiles, maybe there will only be one or two brands with fewer high picture quality models to choose from with much higher prices. I hope I am wrong. 

What do the HT Guys think?

LG is transforming its TV business – expect more ads & services - FlatpanelsHD

Thanks for the great podcast.

Stan Liang

Pittsburgh Pa

This week take a deep dive into the SAG and WGA strike. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

News:

Other:

This marks the first time since 1960 that both unions are on strike simultaneously. Here is a list of the issues;

We're Fighting for the Survival of Our Profession

What striking members are not allowed to do:

This week Ara explains why he gave up on “The Walking Dead” and we ask if we are at “Peak TV” we also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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Other:

It’s been a really, really long time since that fateful day when Rick Grimes woke up to an apocalyptic nightmare in 2010. How long, exactly? Let’s dive into The Walking Dead’s timeline and figure out what’s going on. Timeline here…

Things that bugged me about The Walking Dead:

Many consumers are either at or near their maximum number of TV services and do not plan to spend any more money on subscriptions. Full article here…

This week we found out more about the Free Telly TV and their user agreement. We give you three options for the best 75 inch TV and we read your email and look at the week’s news.

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Other:

There's a lot to consider when it comes to buying a new TV, including the display type, resolution, operating system and more. But the most important factor is the size. And here at CNET, our general advice is that bigger is usually better, especially if you're looking to get the most bang for your buck. To help you find the right big-screen TV for your needs and your budget, we've rounded up some of the best 75-inch TVs on the market right now. Full article here…

TCL 75R655 Best 75-inch TV for the money $1275 at Amazon

For the last five years the TCL 6-Series has been our favorite TV for the money, and the newest version -- also known as the R655 series -- is no exception. This TV has an excellent image thanks to mini-LED tech and well-implemented full-array local dimming that helps it run circles around just about any other TV at this price. It improves upon the previous R635 series with improved gaming extras and a new center-mount stand that you can elevate to make room for a soundbar. And finally, the Roku TV operating system is our hands-down favorite

LG OLED77C2P Best high-end 77-inch for the money $2746 at Amazon

The C2 represents the pinnacle of picture quality at a price that's admittedly high, but not too crazy. It beats any non-OLED TV on this list, including the Samsung QN90B below, with its perfect black levels, unbeatable contrast and superb off-angle viewing. It also has superb gaming features, making it the perfect companion to an Xbox Series X or S, PlayStation 5 or both. The C2 comes in a variety of sizes as well, although the bigger models are expensive.

Vizio M75QXM-K03 Best 75-inch picture for tighter budgets $998 at Amazon

The Vizio MQX is one of the least expensive TVs to feature full-array local dimming, which lets it reproduce TV shows, movies and games with enough contrast and pop to do HDR justice. The MQX has fewer dimming zones than more expensive TVs like the TCL 6-Series -- 42 on the 75-inch size -- but that's more than enough for excellent overall picture quality, with bright highlights, dark black levels, punchy contrast and accurate color.

This week we look at Amazon’s new home Internet service as well as a sneak peak at the best early Prime Day smart home products. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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Other: 

The deadline for Amazon to have an operational home internet service is coming up fast. Well, it may be a few years away there is a lot to do to meet the FCC deadline or risk losing the spectrum it needs.

This new home internet service from Amazon is currently code-named Project Kuiper. According to Amazon’s CEO, it is now one of the main focuses of the company. Full Article here…

Amazon devices, Philips Hue lights, Kasa plugs, and even iRobot Roomba vacuums are on sale ahead of Prime Day 2023. Full article here…

No show this week as we take some time away with our families. We’ll be back next week!

This week we take a look at six new features that Apple Music is getting and we give you our take on the BestJoy Super Remote. Unfortunately we’re still looking for a Harmony Replacement. Did you know Cable TV is 75 years old this month? We look back at where cable started and where it is now. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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Other:

Apple Music subscribers are set to see several new free features when they update to iOS 17 later this year. Full Article Here…

Collaborative Playlists Take over your car’s radio with SharePlay Apple Music Sing gets a camera Go backstage with Song Credits Access all Apple Music radio shows Apple Music’s new look and other small updates

The Bestjoy Super Remote SR001 ($160) is a super remote control that combines audio and video control and can control a series of home devices such as air conditioners, lights and curtains, providing a simpler configuration process and a more powerful functional experience.

 I had the following issues:

The beginning of cable TV goes back to June of 1948 when John Walson set up an antenna on top of a mountain near the city of Mahanoy City, PA. From there he strung a cable down the mountain to a point in the city that allowed TV signals to be received by homes that connected to it. That essentially was the first cable service in the United States. Believe it or not, that “cable” company is still running today.

1948 - FCC freezes new broadcasting licenses and cable grows considerably.

1962 - FCC prevents cable companies from importing signals from far away, halting the industry in its tracks. 

1972 - HBO is launched as the nation's first pay-TV network. Cable is back in business!

1976 - WTBS is launched. broadcasting from Atlanta and using satellites to become the nation's first superstation. The Atlanta Braves gain fans from all over the country.

1984 - Congress passes the Cable Communications Policy Act, loosing restrictions and appropriating funds for continued growth. Cable grew so rapidly that by 1990, there were more than 50 million subscribers across the country and at least 79 networks, an increase from just 28 at the beginning of the decade. Some of the networks that launched during this time included: Showtime Nickelodeon,  USA Network, ESPN, CNN, MTV, The Disney Channel, AMC, FX

1990 - Cable subscribers reach 50 million and there are at least 79 networks available to consumers.

1992 - Congress passes the Cable Television Consumer Protection Act that freezes prices and requires cable companies to carry local channels for free.

2000 - 2007 - The average cable subscriber has access to more than 50 channels. To fuel growth, things such as high-definition broadcasting, DVR service, on-demand programming, premium channels, interactive guides, and much more became new features and eventually standards. Cable companies begin to add high-speed internet which may have hastened the cable company’s demise as a TV provider. It also may be what saves them as a viable company.

2007 - Netflix launches its streaming platform, setting the stage for the current upheaval and uncertainty in the industry.

This week we look at 9 tips that will get the most out of your LG C3 and G3 OLED TVs. These tips can find equivalents on pretty much any UHD TV. And Apple introduced its challenger into the VR goggle arena with the Apple Vision Pro. Will it succeed? We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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Other:

Easy picture setting changes for the new LG C3 and G3 and by extension all UHD TVs. Full article…

Watch the Video 

So what is the Apple Vision Pro? Quoting Apple’s video its "a revolutionary spatial computer that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world." Apple has developed a new operating system that features a three dimensional interface. So this is much more than a VR gaming headset, although you can game with it. I have to say, it's got me intrigued enough to consider spending the $3,499 as a late Christmas gift to myself. It will be available in Apple retail stores in the U.S. only in early 2024.

From Apple:

A singular piece of three-dimensionally formed and laminated glass is polished to create an optical surface that acts as a lens for the wide array of cameras and sensors needed to blend the physical world with digital content. The glass flows into the custom aluminum alloy frame that gently curves around the user’s face, while the modular system allows for a tailored fit to accommodate a wide range of people. The Light Seal is made of a soft textile, and comes in a range of shapes and sizes, flexing to conform to a user’s face for a precise fit. Flexible straps ensure audio remains close to the user's ears, while a Head Band — available in multiple sizes — is three-dimensionally knitted as a single piece to provide cushioning, breathability, and stretch. The band is secured with a simple mechanism, making it easy to change to another size or style of band.

You control the Vision Pro with your eyes, hands, and voice. You can browse through apps by simply looking at them, tapping your fingers to select, flicking your wrist to scroll, or using voice to dictate. It also supports Apple's Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad.

It has an ultra-high-resolution display system with 23 million pixels across two micro-OLED displays – more than a 4K for TV for each eye. Vision Pro uses high-speed cameras and a ring of LEDs that project invisible light patterns onto the user's eyes to track gaze. The headset also contains the M2 chip paired with a new "R1" chip, dedicated toward real-time sensor processing.

It also has a new Spatial Audio system with two individually amplified drivers inside each audio pod, which delivers Personalized Spatial Audio based on the user's own head and ear geometry. It can match the sound to an environment using audio ray-tracing. The headset is capable of running for two hours on a single charge.

This week we help you find ways around the Netflix password sharing crackdown and we look at the best OLED TVs according to Tom’s Guide and we help you decide if an upgrade to wifi 6E is in order. We also read your emails and look at the week’s news stories.

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Other:

Netflix finally cracked down on password sharing this week, sending 'freeloaders' hysterical — but savvy users have already come up with an easy workaround. Full article …

Just don’t log on to Netflix via your smart TV or streaming box - Netflix defines what they think of as your household by the preferences you manage on the main TV you use, whether it's a smart TV, like Roku, or a streaming box, like AppleTV or Amazon Fire Stick.  Set-up auto-forwarding for the email verification codes - Netflix set up a roadblock and sends the account's primary owner a verification code every time they or someone else tries to log on from a new wireless network. There are many easy ways to have all those verification number emails, from info@account.netflix.com, auto-forwarded to your distant, beloved household members and friends Log-in on the account holder's Wi-Fi - Because Netflix uses the IP address and wireless of the primary account holder as part of its definition of the household, you should be in great shape if you can log into Netflix, at least once in while, from the Wi-Fi connection at the account owner's home.

The best OLED TVs are coveted for their excellent picture reproduction, phenomenal motion processing and top-of-the-line upscaling. With unbeatable black levels and perfect contrast, they offer a cinema-like experience for not that much more money than a traditional LED-LCD or QLED TV. Full article here…

Wifi is a big part of our home theaters. Not everyone has a wired connection at every entertainment area or speaker location. So wifi picks up the slack. As we have seen first hand, too many devices result in some wonky wifi. And with so many devices requiring a network connection we need some way to get all our devices connected. Is Wifi 6E the solution?

So what is Wifi 6E? Well for this we have to go back to April of 2020 when the FCC opened up the 6GHz frequencies for unlicensed use. That opened up 21 new channels for compatible devices to use! If you are using a Wifi 6 device you are still fighting over the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequencies although it makes better use of them.

What are the benefits?

What devices are supported? (Partial List)

Do you need it?

If you are a gamer and want super low latency and don’t have a hard wired setup, yes.  If you have an entertainment center and have no way of physically connecting to the network, maybe. You’ll only get the benefit if your TV or set top box supports it. You may be better off waiting until more devices support it and prices come down.  However, for more basic, household use, a typical mesh system will work just fine. 

This week HBO Max is now just Max. Ara gives his impressions of his LG C2 OLED and we look at the shows that were canceled at the end of this season. We also read your emails and go through the week’s news.

News:

Other:

Max subscription plans

Ad-Lite

Ad-Free

Ultimate

Monthly price

$10

$16

$20

Number of screens you can watch at the same time

2

2

4

Number of offline downloads

0

30

100

HD available

Yes

Yes

Yes

4K Ultra HD available

No

No 

Yes

We have come a long way in TV design and technology. The TV that the C2 replaced was a very old Samsung 720p LCD. The screen size was 37” and the TV barely fit into an armoir in our bedroom. The new LG C2 OLED is 42 inches and fits in the same area with no issues. The larger screen made a huge difference. The picture is stunning, clear, and sharp.

I used the image presets as this TV is primarily used for night time viewing. I settled on ISF night mode. It seems a bit cool for my liking so I will probably tweak it to warm up the image. The color is quite good. LG claims the Evo panel’s color saturation to be around 100% of the DCI-P3 color space. Other reviewers have noticed that the color desaturates with off angle viewing. In my very informal tests, this was barely noticeable to my eye. If I hadn’t read anything about it I probably wouldn't have even noticed. But keep this in mind if you have seating that is off angle. Regardless, it's a ten fold improvement over the LCD it replaced.

I have yet to really play with LG’s filmmaker mode but even without it the TV has an incredible picture. The only thing I can compare it against was my old Panasonic plasma but much better. 

I didn’t do anything with the sound beyond the standard as it is typically watched at night so the sound is not usually at a loud level. If you buy a larger version of this TV we would recommend just connecting to a soundbar or better yet, a full fledged audio system.

webOS has almost all the apps you’ll need including IPTV providers with the exception of DirecTV Stream. If you are only streaming movies and some live TV, there is no need for an external box. But if there are some special news and information apps that your streaming box has it's easy enough to switch between the two.

The LG Magic Remote wasn’t very magical in my opinion. I mean as a regular remote it worked well. But the pointer version was just not precise enough for my liking. The remote has a microphone that allows you to search for content with your voice. There are dedicated buttons to take you directly to Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, and Rakuten. There are even dedicated buttons for the Google Assistant and Alexa. 

LG sells higher end models but if you are moving from a LCD based TV you will be really impressed with this TV. Save some money and go with the C2 model!

The list of returning shows is quite large so we thought it would be better to just give you a list of the shows that were canceled this season. Our source for this information is TV Guide

ABC

CBS

NBC

Fox

The CW

Disney+

Paramount+

Peacock

This week we have a big show for you! We announce the winner of our speaker giveaway, talk about the “Telly”, a free TV with a second screen for ads. We also take our monthly look at the RTINGS.COM longevity tests and finally we discuss why cable companies may want to forgo hardware and just go IPTV. We also read your email and take a look at the week’s news.

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Other:

Winner of Reclaimed wood Speakers - Russell Cain Bastrop, Texas

I’m calling it. The Streaming Wars are over. 2019-2023. RIP.

The race between the biggest media and entertainment companies to add streaming subscribers, knowing consumers will only pay for a limited number of them, is finished. Sure, the participants are still running. They’re just not trying to win anymore. Full article here…

Key points:

RTINGS.COM Longevity Test Update

WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone, a leading broadband services provider, today announced the company has signed an agreement with Google to offer YouTube TV as its dedicated live television offering. Through this partnership, consumers can purchase WOW!'s fastest, most reliable Internet, together with the industry-leading YouTube TV service, all on one convenient WOW! monthly bill. Full Press Release…

This week we ask whether you really need a Bluetooth enabled turntable and are products like the Anker X600 Boombox going to turn off people to “Spatial” audio. Finally, we look into FAST TV services. We also read your emails and the week’s news!

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Other:

The Audio Technica AT-LPW50PB (MSRP $449) is a fully manual, belt-drive turntable designed to give you optimal high-fidelity audio reproduction from vinyl. It features an anti-resonance 30 mm thick MDF (medium density fiberboard) plinth, with a high-gloss, piano-black finish, to dampen low-frequency acoustical feedback, and a sensor-monitored motor to ensure accurate platter rotation speeds of 33-1/3 and 45 RPM.

We received the following email from an anonymous listener and felt it warranted further discussion

Anker Motion X600

For a while now we have been asking who would watch FAST TV. FAST stands for Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television. And there are a lot of ways to get it. This week Ara decided to download Pluto.TV and check it out for himself.

The first thing you notice is that the interface is similar to any of the other IPTV services. Pluto’s channels are grouped by category. Food, Sports, Music, Entertainment, and the list goes on. They even have an on demand section that is a mixture of classics like In Harm’s Way with John Wayne to more modern fare like 13 hours. They have game shows, home improvement, cooking, sports and the list goes on. There is no shortage of content.

There are plenty of news channels but not all localities are covered. For instance, Los Angeles has one local news station. And there are no live sports that we could find. Regardless, you can’t beat the price of free! Just today the NHL announced that it is creating a FAST channel to be distributed first to Roku and then other providers. It will contain content from the NHL’s past games, playoffs, and all star games.

Pluto, like other FAST services, are supported on just about every platform from phones to tablets and set top boxes and many TVs. 

We can’t see any downside because the price is perfect! Free. Download all the services and you will always find something to watch. 

This week we look at a new technology that may transform the earbuds you currently own. Also, Sony released pricing on their new 2023 models and would you watch sports with a VR headset? We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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Solid state drives transformed computer storage, offering greater capacity that proved cheaper and more reliable. And much smaller! You might not have heard about it, but solid-state tech also handily changed the market for condenser mics, offering smaller devices that are easier to incorporate with other circuits. They’re just better – and cheaper. Full article here…

If you’re in the market for a new TV and you’ve been patiently waiting to see how much Sony is asking for its 2023 models (and when you can buy them), today’s the day you find out. Unless of course, you’ve been waiting to see what Sony wants for its latest flagship, the A95L 4K QD-OLED. In that case, we’re the bearers of bad news: That model, in all three of its planned sizes (55-, 65-, and 77-inches,) is still MIA, and Sony hasn’t indicated when that will change. Full article here…

The Apple VR/AR mixed reality headset is one of those products that's perpetually rumored but never seems to materialize — though it sounds like that's about to change. With Apple's WWDC 2023 looming, we could finally get an official glimpse at this device, rumored to be shipping later this year. Full article here…

This week we have four reasons to buy and three reasons to skip the LG C3 OLED and the top 5 TV picks for all budgets. We also read your emails and the week’s news!

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With the LG C3 OLED starting to make its way into the wild, you might now be faced with a tough decision — should you buy LG’s new OLED TV or should you skip it? Full article here…

Reasons to buy the LG C3 OLED

Reasons to Skip the LG C3 OLED

Having covered tech and games full-time for the last decade now, I’ve spent a lot of time in front of a TV. Some of those TVs weren’t anything special — they were just run-of-a-mill LED-LCD TVs that didn't even have VRR or HDR — but these days, I only spend my time in front of the best TVs. Because I’m lucky enough to see all these screens first-hand, I’ve developed a real fondness for a few of them. Full Article Here…

This week Tom’s Guide reviews the Roku Plus Series 4K QLED TVs and Kef introduces their THX certified in-wall speakers. Then we go through the Netflix Timeline from start through the latest announcement that they are ending physical disc rentals. We also read your emails and look at the week’s news.

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The Roku Plus Series 4K QLED TV is one of the least expensive TVs on the market, and it offers few fancy bells and whistles. But with a good smart interface and HDR color and sound capabilities unusual for its class, it’s a surprisingly good budget buy. Full article here…

Create the ultimate home cinema experience with the latest additions to KEF’s impressive architectural speaker range; the first THX® Certified Dominus speaker from KEF, the Ci5160REFM-THX, as well as the Ci3160REFM-THX which is THX® Certified Ultra for high-impact cinema sound. These in-wall Ci-Reference speakers create a new level of entertainment in which movie lovers are enveloped in life-like sound and transported to a deeper, more thrilling audio experience.

Ci5160REFM-THX key features:

Ci3160REFM-THX key features:

Price and Availability:

Wikipedia Timeline of Netflix

This week we look at the best passive bookshelf speakers under $600. We also revisit the RTINGS.com long term burn in investigation and we ask the question, “Is 1080p with HDR all we really need?” Pulse we read your emails and the week’s news.

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We tested a bunch of five to six-inch speakers under $600 and picked our favorite. Full article here…

RTINGS.com has been running a long term longevity test and we are more than three months in. The TVs are at 2400 hours of run time. If you watch your TV about 5 hours a day that’s equivalent to almost a year and a half in just over three months. So what are they finding? Here are just some highlights. RTINGS.com has a very thorough investigation and explanation found in the article link: Longevity Burn-In Investigative Paths After 3 Months

Do We Really Need 4K if HDR is So Good? SMPTE Life Fellow Mark Schubin has compared formats, frame rates and HDR to show what provided the best data option. Full article here…

I asked Matthew Goldman, senior director, Media Engineering & Architecture for Sinclair Broadcast Group. and Tim Walker, senior product manager at AJA Video Systems the same visual quality question: With all things being equal, on a scale from 1 to 10, if 1080p SDR is a 1 and 4K HDR is a 10, where would you place 1080p HDR and 4K SDR?

Both answered exactly the same: 1080p HDR sits at 8, while 4K SDR sits at 4

This week Pioneer introduces a new flagship receiver, the LX805, and we discuss whether Spatial Audio makes sense for cars and if Mini LEDs are on their way out. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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Pioneer Elite® is pleased to introduce a flagship audio video receiver (AVR) to its line up of advanced electronics that provides exceptional audio performance and studio-level processing for the discerning AV enthusiast. Packed with the most advanced immersive audio technologies, the all-new Elite VSX-LX805 11.4, 150 watt-per-channel network receiver has been meticulously engineered for enhanced immersive audio experiences. Full Press Release…

Spatial Audio makes more sense in a car than a home speaker, at the moment, says Cambridge Audio CEO, Stuart George.

George told What Hi-Fi? during an interview for our British Hi-Fi Week 2023 that, while the company is very interested in Spatial Audio, Cambridge Audio is only considering it for use in cars. Full article here…

OLED TVs like the LG C3 OLED and LG G3 OLED still have a long life ahead of them, but Mini-LED TVs like the Sony Bravia X95K and Samsung QN95B QLED… well, their time at the top of our best TV page could be coming to an end.  Full article here…

This week we have an interview with Jeff Baron, former DJ at KPFK Los Angeles around 1968, then KPPC-FM Pasadena in the early 70s and finally KMPX San Francisco also early 70s. We also read your emails and read the week’s news.

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Jeff started at KPFK Los Angeles around 1968, then KPPC-FM Pasadena in the early 70s and finally KMPX San Francisco also early 70s

This week we go on a speaker evaluation journey with Ara and his daughter. But not before we read your emails and the week’s news.

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JBL Speaker Makeover but I didn’t have a tweeter.

Bought Dayton Audio DC25T-8 1" Titanium Dome Tweeter for $17 a piece.

These tweeters are very efficient, 93db vs 88db for the entire 2500.

This mismatch was very off putting. The tweeter was overpowering the woofer and it was fatiguing to listen to.

So I researched how to reduce the high frequencies otherwise known as Tweeter attenuation

Tweeter attenuation is the reduction of voltage & power to a tweeter to decrease its volume output. This is usually done with a resistor network with values chosen to match the expected load of a stereo, amplifier, or speaker crossover.

Essentially what I did was cut the positive (red) lead and insert a resistor. There is a formula that is used to determine how much attenuation a specific resistor value achieves

So I bought a few resistors and went through the process of removing the tweeter and clipping in a resistor and listening. I used alligator clips during the testing phase and I soldered the final result and shrink wrapped the connection. 

In my case I ended up with a 5 ohm resistor which resulted in a 9 db attenuation. So now the speaker is no longer excessively bright and the Dayton Audio tweeters are much better than the JBL titanium tweeters. There was much more detail and just the right amount of “brightness”.

You can do this if you have speakers that are bright as well. But you probably won’t need to go as high a value as I did since the mismatch was so large. Speakers are designed to work together so if the speakers are bright they were designed that way. But even still if you love you speakers but want to tame them a bit you can easily do this.

I created a video that I uploaded to YouTube. It's not a how to but it visually shows you what i am talking about. I even try to record the before and after using a good microphone. But it's impossible to hear the difference. In person the difference is dramatic. Just make sure you use audio grade resistors. Part Express has plenty and they are a couple of dollars each. 

Once I had everything dialed in I wanted to do a blind listening test. For that I asked my daughter to be the guinea pig. She accepted and got a huge lesson in auditioning speakers. The speakers being auditioned:

We listened to the identical parts of each song on all speakers.

First Test

I asked her to pick a song that she liked. I don’t remember the name but it was by a band called Camino.  I played it on all five different speakers and asked her if she had a favorite. To me it sounded terrible on all speakers. The mix was a jumble of sounds that was just bad. She actually agreed but selected the Ascend Acoustics as the best worst sounding example of crappy music. That was me editorializing.

Second Test

The first minute of “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyed. Wow! What a difference. I could see on my daughter's face that she was blown away by the imaging. The song starts out with an old timey AM radio feel in the right channel. Then when the effect disappears and the guitar comes up smack dab in the middle of your listening position. You just smile. I then start over and switch speakers. The other thing that I found interesting is that for most speakers she couldn’t tell which pair was on. By the end of the test, she started recognizing the characteristics of some of the speakers and was able to tell which ones were on. Test two goes to JBL 2500 with the DA tweeter.

We listened to seven total tracks with the results below:

In the end the JBL 2500 with the Dayton Audio tweeter was the speaker my daughter picked most. But all these speakers sounded really good. It really comes down to what kind of music you like listening to determine what speakers you will like. In reality all these speakers performed well. If you like bass heavy music then the CSS Audio speakers would be your go to. If you like clear detail then the Ascend Acoustics might be what you would go with. By the way, the CSS audio has great highs and the Ascend Acoustics has great lows. Just not as good as the other. 

But what really surprised me is how well the modified JBL 2500 did against speakers costing $600 to $800 more. If you have any sort of wood working skills, you can build yourself some amazing speakers for a fraction of what you would pay for commercial products. 

Our final recommendation is to consider the type of music you listen to and do research. Once you narrow it down, audition the speakers if possible. Take advantage of in home trials. Try to have them in the house at the same time and keep the ones that sound best. It's a lot of work but speakers practically last forever so choose wisely!

This week Ed Mullen and Nick Brown of SVS join the show to help you get the most out of your speakers. We also read your emails and discuss the week’s news.

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For Bill, these are five great sounding vinyl records (in no specific order and not knowing his taste of music):

Any Dire Strait album Fleetwood Mac - Rumors (Pallas Pressing) Funkadelic - Maggot Brain Dave Brubeck - Time Out Radiohead - Ok Computer

A couple of months ago Stan from Pittsburgh sent us an email asking if we could do a feature on setting up speakers in rooms that may not be ideal. For that we turn to Ed Mullen Senior Director of Customer Service and Technology and Nick Brown Vice President of Marketing for SVS. 

Home of the 45 day in home trial that includes free shipping and returns. Check out   svsound.com for more details.

This week look at the new Sony Bravia line for 2023 and discuss why watching movies at home is better than in the cinema. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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Sony Electronics Inc. announced its 2023 BRAVIA XR™ TV Lineup, with Cognitive Processor XR™, for the ultimate home entertainment experience. There are five new models in the BRAVIA XR line: X95L and X93L Mini LED, X90L Full Array LED, A95L QD-OLED and A80L OLED. All models are equipped with features to provide consumers with an immersive experience for watching movies, streaming apps, gaming and more. Full Press release…

2023 BRAVIA XR TVs have the updated Cognitive Processor XR, featuring the all new XR Clear Image on select models, which improves noise reduction and clarity with motion, reducing blur and creating scenes bursting with action. The Cognitive Processor XR enables better backlight control for increased local dimming zones, increased brightness and decreased blooming.

Additionally, each model offers Acoustic Center Sync, which synchronizes the TV's audio system with the center channel of a compatible Sony soundbar turning it into the center speaker for the ultimate, immersive at-home experience. For consumers looking for an even more immersive sound experience, each model also works with Sony soundbars to offer 360 Spatial Sound Mapping which generates phantom speakers and sound field optimization. New this year, the X95L features Acoustic Multi-Audio+™, using frame tweeters to elevate the sound in a way that matches the image on screen. The A95L and A80L models feature Acoustic Surface Audio+™ with actuators that vibrate to produce sound from the entire screen, perfectly matching with what's playing on screen.

The 2023 BRAVIA XR lineup also allows gamers to take their PlayStation® 5 gaming to the next level with exclusive features, including Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode, for optimized picture quality while gaming and streaming

Key BRAVIA XR lineup features:

Pricing and Availability

Suggested retail price and retail availability will be announced in spring 2023. For more information on new Sony television models, please watch Sony's BRAVIA XR announcement video here or visit the BRAVIA XR website: https://electronics.sony.com/bravia-xr-TV.

To learn more about each US model, please visit the links below:

Michelle Pfeiffer and Jonathan Majors look like crap. Usually, they’re two of the most radiant, dermatologically exceptional people in the world. But right now, they’re decrepit husks of themselves, their faces so drained of color that they could pass for cadavers. Full Article Here…

For quite some time we have been making the case that we prefer to watch movies at home. We have modest home theaters, nothing like the ones we show on our YouTube channel. However, in our modest theaters we have very large screens, Braden has an 86” Sony UHD and Ara has a 100” Optoma UST Projection system. We also have good speakers and sound systems to match. But come on, you seriously aren’t saying your audio and video quality are better than the cinema. 

Getting back to the article, Jack Theakston, a projection specialist who works as a contractor at Dolby Laboratories and the article author visit flagship theaters and critique the experience. Jack immediately diagnoses the washed out issue: This is a 2-D showing of Ant-Man, but some neglectful employee has forgotten to remove the 3-D filter from the projector.

You can tell when it’s happening because if you look at the port-window glass, instead of a single image, you’ll see two, with one stacked on top of the other.” He points up to the booth behind us, and sure enough, there are two stacked beams.

So imagine you pay your hard earned money only to find that the movie looks like crap. Are you going to complain and see if someone can diagnose the issue? Would you ask for your money back? 

The two go into another theater and find trailers that are playing on screen that’s creased and sagging. Almost as bad: The picture is trapezoidal instead of rectangular, a phenomenon known as keystoning, which happens when a projector is not set up perpendicular to the screen. It’s fixable with software, if one bothers to do it.

The two spending the day finding plenty of other issues;

However, the Dolby consultant can look the other way on most issues with the exception of bad projection. “If a movie theater can’t perform its most basic function and deliver a sharp, well-lit image with the right colors and contrast, then we might as well knock it down and put up a bank.”

The pandemic hurt theaters but the problem started well before. Back in 2009 when theaters went digital. Chains and studios loved this because there were no more film that had to be shipped and threaded into projectors. Everything was beamed into the cinema and then to the projector. One projectionist could cover an entire cinema. 

The new projectionist was more like an IT guy instead of a skilled technician who could maintain and troubleshoot issues like the washed out faces we discussed at the top of this feature.

One of the most common issues today are dim images. That’s because many of these projectors need new lamps that cost about $1500. Since cinemas are essentially broke they ride the old gear as long as they can, creating a situation where people can actually have a better experience at home.

Obviously this is not every theater, but enough to where people decide to stay home and stream. This starts the vicious cycle of cinemas not spending the money they need to in order to put out a quality product. 

AMC announced that it will install laser projectors made by  Barco in 3,500 of its U.S. theaters by 2026. These machines offer better brightness, colors, and contrast than standard digital projectors. They’re also bulb free and can run for 20,000 hours before needing a replacement. But by 2026 will it even matter? 

So why doesn’t Hollywood do something about it. Jack argues that when there is a major hollywood premier the theater is gone through with a fine tooth comb to assure every aspect of the presentation is perfect. So our recommendation is, if you want to see a movie the way it was meant to be, go to a theater in Hollywood or New York. Otherwise get yourself a large OLED and have it professionally calibrated.

This week we take a trip down memory lane and discuss Los Angeles free form radio from the 70s and 80s. We also discuss a technology that may make LCD TVs obsolete. And finally we talk about audio reviewers and whether it's worth listening to what they have to say. Plus we read your emails and the week’s news.

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The other day I was wondering about a DJ that used to work at KLOS in Los Angele. Her name was Linda McGinnis. She had a beautiful voice and was an excellent DJ. So I wondered if she was still on the radio someplace. As it turned out she had passed away in 2003. If you lived in San Diego or the Bay area during the 70’s and 80’s I am sure you heard her.

However, in doing my search I found a couple of recordings that some had done and digitized off of an old cassette tape and posted on the Internet. It was an hour of Linda’s daily show from October of 1981 replete with commercials of the day. It was a glorious trip down memory lane! 

This started my trip down the rabbit hole! I found many other recordings from the DJs of KLOS and KMET all making me sad for the days when radio had true artists spinning the tunes. Back then, at least on freeform rock stations, DJs would curate music for you and help you discover artists and bands you never knew you needed to hear. For the past few days, I have been listening to these recordings in my car with a huge smile on my face.

Some DJs like Jim Ladd (from both KLOS and KMET fame) have freeform shows on Sirius radio. Jim can be found on Deep Tracks channel 27. Otherwise if you had a favorite DJ from your youth I recommend that you search his or her name and see if there are recordings from back in the day. You will thank me for this. 

Surprisingly, Apple Music Radio is old school with it's DJs. My tastes have broadened to include country music so I listen to Apple Music Country and find their DJs are very much like the DJs of the 70s and 80s. They create sets based on their mood, time of year, or what their listeners are requesting. The DJs are in the industry and based in Nashville so they have their fingers on the pulse of what is happening in the country music scene.

I have discovered a bunch of country artists before everyone else in my circles. It's kind of fun being ahead of the curve like I was in highschool! I am giving my daughters music suggestions and they are wondering how on earth this old man knows about new artists before they do!!

I haven’t listened to the other Apple Music stations but I assume the same thing happens there. Do you have a favorite station that’s old school? Let us know because it's probably available through an app.

I am going to play about a minute of Linda on the radio. It made me sad and happy at the same time. Also, John in Cornwall there is a baseball comment in there that I hope you enjoy!

Linda McInnes, KLOS-FM Los Angeles, CA December 28, 1981 (Restored Unscoped)

Bob Coburn, Steve Downes, KLOS-FM Los Angeles, CA July 6, 1982-May 21, 1990 (Unscoped)

The metasurface display technology could replace the LCD layer in flat-screen televisions, bringing thinner panels, higher resolution, fast response times and lower power consumption. Full article here…

A couple months ago, I went to a press event I decided not to write about. The reason I demurred is that I could hear crackling and hiss coming out of the speakers when nothing was playing. But it occurred to me that no one else noticed that the system—a six-figure rig with some well known high-end gear in it—had the noise floor of a transistor radio playing static.

This is not the first or last time I've been in a room with audio reviewers who seemed to have no clue. I can recall one demo where the tweeter was blown on one of the speakers, and another where the source material turned out to be 96 kbps MP3.

No wonder some of these folks avoid double-blind tests like the plague.

Entire Thread on AVS Forum

This week we ask the question, how big is too big? We discuss what is the optimal size screen for your viewing situation. We also give some recommendations for some large screen TVs. We also read your emails and look at the week’s news.

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To try to answer this question, RTINGS.com  decided to run 100 TVs that they still have in the lab from the last 2-3 years through a grueling 2-year accelerated longevity test to see how long they last. Each TV will run for either 20 or 15.5 hours per day, for a total of 126 hours per week, turning off eight times a day to simulate normal use. Every two months, they'll take uniformity and brightness measurements to see how they age over time and to look for any uniformity issues or change in brightness over time. Updates will be posted on their website (How Long Should A TV Last? Our 100 TV Accelerated Longevity Test - RTINGS.com) and their YouTube channel.

We are asked from time to time what size TV should I buy for my room. We typically say, “No one has ever said I should have bought a smaller TV”. So we typically say buy the biggest one you can afford or that will fit in the room.  No one has ever complained about this advice.

THX has some recommendations on how to calculate the optimal screen size for your room as well as where to place it. First let's take a look at placement.  For optimal viewing, THX recommends that your line of sight be more or less aligned with the center of the screen. They suggest 15 degrees or less, above or below the center. Our recommendation is if the only place to mount the TV is over the fireplace, you should move!

For optimal distance from the screen in inches, divide the diagonal length by .835. So for a 70” screen the optimal distance is 7 feet (213 cm). The other way to use this formula is if you know the distance and want to calculate the optimal screen size if to take the distance in inches and multiply it by .835. So if you sit 10 feet (305 cm) away from where the screen would go, the optimal screen size is 100 glorious inches!

So what have we learned today? We learned that the HT guys have been successfully advising our listeners about screen size without the pesky use of math for years. Get the biggest size TV that you can afford that will fit in your room! Spouse approval optional. Just tell them Ara and Braden said it was OK.

Samsung 75" - TU700D Series - 4K UHD LED LCD TV $679.99

Features:

LG 75" Class - NANO80 Series - 4K UHD LED LCD TV $899.99

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Sony 75" Class - X80CK Series - 4K UHD LED LCD TV $1099.99

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LG 86" Class - UQ8000 Series - 4K UHD LED LCD TV $1199.99

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This week we take a look at what is next for the ATSC 3.0 transition and why we think it will not be as smooth as the ATSC 1.0 transition. We also read your email and take a look at the week’s news. 

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Up until last week, all of the major parties involved in the transition from ATSC 1.0 to 3.0 appeared to be on the same page. Advocates touted the continuing progress in deployments, pointing to the fact that more than 60% of American TV households are capable of receiving NextGen TV. Although CES came and went with little news about NextGen TV, four of the world’s largest manufacturers now offer sets with 3.0 tuners with Sony making them available across its entire TV line. Full Article Here…

More Support Needed

A More Competitive Market

Don’t Expect a Mandate

What it Means for Broadcasters

This week we list the content our listeners use to show off their systems whether it be for music listening or movie watching. Also, Sony announced five new receivers that we discuss. And as usual, we read your emails and go over the week’s news.

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Music

JR - provided the following Spotify Playlist for Music Demos

Dan - Marcus Miller: Blast (from the album Marcus) Blast

Stan - Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car (U2) & the first three minutes, and Dear Prudence (Beatles)

Brian

Curt - provided the following Spotify Playlist for Music Demos

John - My number one all time favorite test track that I have been using for over 30 years Is Supertramp’s song Fool’s Overture from their live album Paris.  There is so much happening in the song in the different parts of the song.  In the middle of the song it goes to all different sounds like a grandfather clock, wind blowing and then a great bass guitar building up to the second part of the song with a sax and other high pitch instruments and then it mellows down to a piano, drum and singer.  This song gives me everything in one song to push and test speakers. Fleetwood Mac - Tusk (Bass) Rush - YYZ This instrumental track will put any speaker to the test. This is a very fast paced song with a lot of stereo testing as instruments move from one speaker to another (helps in speaker placing) and its fast. Chris Issak - Baby Did a very bad thing - he has an amazing voice and he can go from deep to very high

Mark - Chuck Mangione - Feels So Good

Poco - Heart of the Night

Poco - Crazy Love

From the Tommy Bolin album Private Eyes, Bustin' Out For Rosey, Sweet Burgundy, Post Toastee

Bill - here’s a track I use to show off my subs. It was recorded by the Yellowjackets (Galileo for Jaco) as a tribute to Jack Pastorius in the 80s so it has that digitally produced sound. I’ve had grown men giggle like a kid at about a minute in.

Enrique -  Hans Zimmer: Live in Prague

Movies

DJ - District 9 start at 12:15 and at 12:24 the engine shuts off and you can feel it.

JR - Ride of the Rohiorrim scene in The Return of the King (Youtube Clip in 4K with Atmos of this scene)

Brian

Curt - The race scene from “Ready Player One” (Atmos!), train wreck scene from “Super 8” (not Atmos or DTSX, but awesome surround cacophony)

John - the end of John Wick when they are in the rain and talking. Also Aquaman the fight sequence about a third of the way in the Italian village. 

Mark - Ready Player One, the race scene early in the movie, Dune, around 2 hours into the movie they place the devices to lure the worms, the bass is insane with that, The Dark Knight, when Batman is in the batcave and he's test firing a big gun, crazy bass there too

Enrique - Maverick (of course), Mad Max, Blade Runner 2049

Sony Electronics Inc. announced its newest addition to the brand's AV receiver line. These receivers are the first from Sony to feature 8K and 4K/120 support as well as Sony's 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology. These receivers were tuned by Sony engineers to provide the most immersive home theater experience yet. The new ES line features four new models built mainly for custom installation.  Additionally, the STR-AN1000 receiver is created for consumers looking to upgrade their current home theater system. Full Press Release Here…

STR-AN1000 - 7.2 Channel 8K A/V Receiver (Pre-Order for $899.99)

What is 360 Spatial Sound Mapping

By utilizing the positional information measured by Sony's Digital Cinema Auto Calibration IX (D.C.A.C. IX), multiple phantom speakers are generated all around the room so cinema lovers can experience every breath, step, and word as if inside the film. D.C.A.C. IX, the latest auto-calibration technology developed by Sony, can correct the distance, angle, sound pressure and frequency response of each speaker by measuring the speaker placement in 3D using the supplied calibration microphone. This works alongside Auto Phase Matching which aligns the phase of different speakers. This means users can compensate for challenging speaker placement, delay or phase shift and feel fully immersed in a movie.

Additionally, enjoy music the way the artists truly intended with High-Resolution Audio for crystal clear precision. The ES series and STR-AN1000 also supports DSD (Direct Stream Digital) native playback, with no conversion involved so DSD content can be fully enjoyed without losing any of the original quality.

When connected to a BRAVIA XR TV with Acoustic Center Sync, the ES series and STR-AN1000 combine audio from the TV with the audio from the center speaker to create an incredible sound-from-screen experience. Dialogue will appear to come directly from the characters on the screen creating a much more immersive experience.

The ES Series models are available for presale at Sony Electronics.

STR-AZ1000ES: 7.2 CH (100W 8 ohms) A/V Receiver will be priced at MSRP $1,099.99  

STR-AZ3000ES: 9.2 CH (120W 8 ohms) A/V Receiver will be priced at MSRP $1,699.99

STR-AZ5000ES: 11.2 CH (130W 8 ohms) A/V Receiver will be priced at MSRP $2,099.99

STR-AZ7000ES: 13.2 CH (150W 8 ohms) A/V Receiver will be priced at MSRP $3,299.99

The only real difference in features besides the number of amps and channels is that the 5000 and 7000 have three 12V triggers and the 1000 and 3000 only have one. The Standard AN1000 does not have a 12V trigger

This week give you our impression of the Monoprice SS-Pro 8 Speaker Selector, take a look at the streaming scorecard for 2022, and we wrap up with our list of music to demo your sound system. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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The Monoprice SS-Pro 8 ($100)  is a powerful and efficient dual source, audiophile grade speaker selector for up to 8 pairs of speakers. Featuring robust transformers, the SS-Pro 8 allows you to play all 8 pairs of speakers at once without damaging the amplifier, able to withstand up to 300 watts peak of power per channel. A front panel A/B switch allows you to choose between two amplifier sources, and easily removable snap-in connectors make installation easy. A rotary switch located on the rear panel can be used to set the appropriate impedance based on the number of pair of speakers connected.

Amid all the doom and gloom in the streaming industry regarding slumping stock prices and hefty losses, streaming audiences continue to grow at a significant pace, with Americans streaming more than 19 million years worth of content last year, according to new data from Nielsen. 

In total, Americans streamed more than 19.4 million years of content last year, up 27% about 15 million years in 2021. The increase was driven by the breadth of new and expanded services, coupled by the depth of content—particularly streaming originals, Nielsen reported. Full article here…

Instead of the typical audiophile spin, music educator Rick Beato provides a musician’s perspective on how to choose and how to listen to music. Full article here…

From the article:

Throwing my two cents into this discussion, I like that Beato had many popular recordings in his list from artists as diverse as Jay-Z, Steely Dan and Linkin Park. It’s my opinion that besides the lack of knowledge audiophiles have on the production process and mastering in particular, the lack of emotional connection to a piece of music is where system demos most often fail with consumers.

Explaining mastering in the most basic of terms, it is the process in which engineers make sure a recording sounds balanced, full and even. The problem with a lot of popular music over the past few decades has been the issue in which the dynamics of recordings have been squashed or evened out in order for it to sound better on the radio or through a set of earbuds. The problem with heavy levels of mastering, which uses tools such as compressors and limiters, is these tools can remove the musicality and dynamics from a recording. Production professionals will sometimes refer to this trend as the “loudness wars.”

Using the criteria of content that people recognize and music that is well produced, including mastering that lets the music breath, here are some of my top demo choices:

Ara’s List:

This week we discuss Netflix and password sharing and while we are at it we countdown the top ten TV series streaming on Netflix. We wrap up with the Four of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars to look forward to in 2023. We also read your emails and discuss the week’s news.

News:

Other:

Other streaming services may not fare as well, however, a new survey from Horowitz suggests Full Article Here…

Full list as well as lists from different countries

January 16 - January 22, 2023

#

TV (English)

WEEKS IN TOP 10

HOURS VIEWED

1

Ginny & Georgia: Season 2

3

87,400,000

2

Vikings: Valhalla: Season 2

2

55,530,000

3

Wednesday: Season 1

9

45,740,000

4

Ginny & Georgia: Season 1

3

43,290,000

5

That '90s Show: Season 1

1

41,080,000

6

Vikings: Valhalla: Season 1

7

25,370,000

7

Kaleidoscope: Limited Series

3

22,990,000

8

Emily in Paris: Season 3

5

15,550,000

9

New Amsterdam: Season 1

3

14,640,000

10

The Walking Dead: Season 11

2

11,800,000

If you need an Atmos soundbar, 2023 may just be your year. Full article…

Nakamichi Dragon  JBL Bar 1300  LG SC9  Samsung HW-Q990C 

This week we look at an article in the Washington Post that talks about Four Golden Rules of Home Automation and we discuss whether switching back to cable is worth it. We also have your emails and the week’s news.

News:

Other:

The Future of Screens Is So Top-Secret, I Can't Show It Yet - CNET

Washington Post columnist Geoffrey Fowler has four Golden Rules for automating your home. These rules were posted in the Washington Post online on January 6, 2023 (Your smart home can be dumb. Here’s how to do it the right way).

1) Don’t fall in the app trap! Be wary of installing any critical home feature that only works with an app. You need to be able to unlock your door or turn on lights the old fashioned way as a backup. This is why I stopped using Philips Hue bulbs, even though I know they have many fans.

2) Build your smart home in Switzerland … metaphorically. Many of these products limit your options. For example, Amazon’s smart plugs only work with Alexa. You might love Alexa today, but you don’t know what voice AI, smartphone or face computer you might be using in five years. If you can, pick products that say they work with Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit and a new smart home standard called Matter.

(Note: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

3) Look out for spies. Some companies collect and store a suspiciously large amount of data. I’m looking at you, Amazon. In some cases, you can adjust settings to tell them to collect less information — our Privacy Reset guide can help. But the best products don’t live in the cloud and collect as little data as possible, like ones made by the brand Eve.

4) Security is your responsibility. You need a different password and two-factor authentication for every home product, or you’re inviting hackers into your home. Shira, I can tell you’re about to say, “This is why a dumb home is good!” But if you get this basic right, you’ll be fine.

Cord-cutting—the act of ditching traditional cable TV—has been gaining popularity for over a decade. Streaming is great, but it’s not the home run it used to be. In fact, I made the decision to switch back to cable. Full Article here…

The author of this article goes through the same progression we have. In the Early days he says:

The rise of streaming live TV services came at a perfect time for me. I was living on my own for the first time, and cable wasn’t something I wanted to deal with. When Sling TV was announced, I was very excited, and I signed up immediately, 

He does what we all did. Because there are no required boxes or commitments he tried them all! We both have done the same. And for one reason or another Braden ended up with YouTubeTV and Ara with DirecTV Stream. 

His thoughts:

The early days of streaming live TV was great. The channel packages were small and very affordable. Most services let you choose from add-on bundles to expand your channel list. It was pretty easy to get the channels you wanted without much extra “fluff” jammed in. 

However, in the years since, I’ve watched as these services have ballooned in channel lineup size and price. The dream of “al la carte TV” never really materialized. This brings us to today, where streaming live TV is not much different than cable TV. 

All true! So the author looked at going back to cable. 

To my surprise, I discovered I could save a whopping $30 per month (taxes and fees included) by ditching Sling TV and adding a TV package to my internet package. Ah, but I’ll need a clunky cable box again, right? Turns out Comcast finally gives you the option to only use the Xfinity Stream app.

As much as I don’t like Comcast, it was hard to pass up this deal. I could get the same channels I had, save $30 per month, and still watch it on my phone or smart TV—no extra hardware required. I never thought I would say this, but I am a cable TV customer again.

We are in the Cox Cable world and our plans would cost us about $115 more to get similar TV service and we would need a streaming box. Our current IPTV service runs us about $80 so it is not as cut and dry. Plus we don’t need a box! We will not be switching back to cable anytime soon!

This week is our Best of CES 2023 roundup. We look at what popular websites saw as the best products from this year’s show. We have plenty of email and news to discuss as well!

Other:

CNET (Best of CES 2023: 7 Stunning Tech Innovations to Watch for This Year)

Tom’s Guide (Best of CES 2023 Awards: The top new tech)

The Verge (The Verge Awards at CES 2023)

Engadget (The best of CES 2023)

techRadar (15 best gadgets of CES 2023: the TVs, laptops, health tech, and more we loved)

Cool Stuff that is not necessarily HT related

Welcome back from your Holiday break! This week we have a review of the SVS Soundbase Pro. A powerful and compact integrated amplifier that should be on any music lover's short list of products to buy in 2023. CES started this week but due to the timing of our show schedule we’ll have that for you next week. We also have a backlog of your emails as well as the week’s news.

News:

A few weeks ago we had Gary Yacoubian and Nick Brown of SVS on the show talking about their new Wireless Pro line of products. The Prime Wireless Pro Powered Speakers are a feature rich set of powered speakers which are available for $899.99 for the pair. The Prime Wireless Pro Soundbase is a smart wireless integrated amplifier that will add connectivity options to your older beloved speakers that were never dreamed of when they were originally built. 

Ara owned the original version of the Soundbase for years and was extremely satisfied with sound but it lacked an important feature for him, Apple Airplay 2 support. The new Soundbase Pro fixed that issue and added many more features making the upgrade no-brainer. The original Soundbase cost $500, the new version costs $200 more. You may be asking, is the new Pro worth $200 more? The answer is yes! And we’ll tell you why. 

The full specs are:

Amplifier Specs

Acoustic Data

Input Specs

Wireless Streaming Options

WiFi Connectivity for Wireless Streaming - Native control via Apple Airplay 2 for iPhone and iOS, Spotify Connect, & Google Chromecast for Android Phones and Devices

App-Based Control over WiFi - Smartphone, tablet, or PC control with the DTS Play-Fi app

6 Custom Presets - 6 custom preset buttons on the front panel and remote provide instant access to your favorite podcast, playlist, streaming station, or other content, with a single touch.

Voice Control - Alexa, Siri, and Google voice commands via supported devices

Setup

Like the previous Sounbase, setup was simple. The first thing to do was get the unit onto your wifi and for that you need to download and use the DTS Play-Fi app. You will need to use this app if you want to listen to your music at 192kHz/24-bit for lossless streaming. More on that in a bit. You can also pair your devices via Bluetooth if you choose. Our primary listening mode was wifi for Airplay 2 and DTS Play Fi. We did, however, connect our MacBook Pro to the Sounbase via Bluetooth so we could listen via AAC just for comparison. Unfortunately Apple removed a developer option to allow you to connect via AptX so we were not able to evaluate this codec. 

You can also use an RCA, 3.5mm, HDMI (Arc and eARC) or Toslink Optical to connect external devices to the SoundBase. There is also a Subwoofer output in case you want to connect a subwoofer. We could not find at what frequency the amp is crossed over for the subwoofer. The SoundBase also has an Ethernet jack for a hardwired connection to your network and a USB port for firmware upgrades.

The other thing worth noting is that the Soundbase Pro is small! It roughly measures 12X12X6 inches. It can fit anywhere. Also new for the Pro is a 3.15” wide display that will show you what is playing should you feel the need to walk up to it and look. The display lights can be dimmed or turned off making the front panel completely black. A great feature if you are using the amp to power some speakers for your TV.

Performance

Our listening was performed on CSS Audio Criton 2D speakers that Ara built a while back. They have great frequency response and good tight bass. We primarily listened to Heart Like a Truck by Lainey Wilson and Unholy by Sam Smith and Kim Petras (warning you won’t get this song out of your head when you hear it!). We also mixed in other songs that we are very familiar with for specific segments that we thought would push the Soundbase.  

What can we say? We have come to expect high quality sound from SVS and the new Soundbase Pro delivers! It takes everything we loved about the original Soundbase and adds the features we were clambering for in the original. 

The amplifier has plenty of power and it was put to the test. Ara’s neighbors can attest to that. It's probably more power than you will need but hey, it's always good to have power. They will drive anything from desktop to tower speakers with ease. Sound quality is excellent, as good as any two channel amp that we have used. Details come alive and are bright. One complaint we had was there is no way to adjust the treble. With my speakers the brightness of the sound was exaggerated at times. 

Then it was time to have fun with test tones. Many amps can go low but can they rattle walls? This one can! To the point where Ara’s wife walked into the room asking if he was trying to shake things off of the shelves in the room next door. Speakers matter here so your results will vary depending on whether your speakers can handle low frequencies. Our testing went down to 20 hertz where it pushed the Criton 2Ds to its limits.

One complaint we had about the original Soundbase was a lack of Remote Control. SVS heard us and now includes a remote that allows you to select inputs, presets and control the volume from the comfort of your seat. 

If you want to make use of the Critical Listening (192kHz/24-bit lossless streaming) mode you need to download the DTS Play-Fi app which is easy enough. But that’s where the ease stops. The DTS app is cumbersome to use and not intuitive. But once you figure it out you can activate the Critical Listening mode by tapping the Hi-Res button and listen in Hi-Res. 

After listening via wifi and Airplay2 we switched over to Tidal. And the best way to describe the experience was that it sounded “louder and more defined”. It's not like we could hear frequencies that we couldn’t before. Its more like it sounded clearer and more detailed with a fuller bass. You could feel the kick drum in your chest. We could feel this with AAC as well but it's hard to explain, the Hi-Res just seemed to have a more pronounced impact.  We really wish we didn’t need a Tidal subscription and could listen to Hi-Res via Apple Music!

Conclusion

The new Soundbase Pro takes everything we loved about the original and then adds a bunch of great features. After spending time with it, you’ll wonder how SVS packed all these features into a small yet powerful amp! If you are really into music you probably have some speakers that you really love. Odds are they are not wireless though. The SVS Prime Wireless SoundBase brings those speakers into the connected era with enough power to drive anything from bookshelf to towers. This is a great addition to any music lover’s setup. But hey, you don’t have to believe us. SVS offers a 45 day risk free in home trial with free shipping both ways. We will wager that if you try it you won’t ship it back!

We are taking the week off to be with family. We'll be back at it in 2023. 

Thank you all for listening and supporting our Podcast!

Happy New Year from the HT Guys!

This week we find out what makes wifi 6 something you’ll want to upgrade to, especially if you have a lot of IoT devices on your network. We also start a discussion on amplifiers. Do you need to spend thousands of dollars to get a quality amp? We also read your emails and talk about some of the week’s news.

News:

Other:

We’ve talked about wifi 6 for some time now and have said it's better. But exactly how is it better than previous wifi standards. Today we’ll go through the main features and how it can help solve some of your wifi woes.

Key benefits of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 technology include:

Higher data rates - 9.6 Gbps. That’s up from 3.5 Gbps on Wi-Fi 5 (theoretical maximums). Orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) effectively shares channels to increase network efficiency and lower latency for both uplink and downlink traffic in high demand environments

Increased capacity - Multi-user multiple input, multiple output (multi-user MIMO) allows more data to be transferred at one time, enabling access points (APs) to concurrently handle more devices. The MIMO technology allows a router to communicate with multiple devices at the same time, rather than broadcasting to one device, and then the next, and the next. Right now, MU-MIMO allows routers to communicate with four devices at a time. Wi-Fi 6 will allow devices to communicate with up to eight.

Improved power efficiency - Target wake time (TWT) significantly improves network efficiency and device battery life, including IoT devices. This allows devices to plan out communications with a router, reducing the amount of time they need to keep their antennas powered on to transmit and search for signals. That means less drain on batteries and improved battery life in turn. This feature is meant more for smaller, already low-power Wi-Fi devices that just need to update their status every now and then. (Think small sensors placed around a home to monitor things like leaks or smart home devices that sit unused most of the day.)

Routers are on the market and range in price from about $100 for a basic setup to as high as $600 for Netgear Orbi whole house setup. A Linksys setup to cover a 3000 SF house will cost you about $300.

XPA-7 Gen3 7 Channel Audiophile Home Theater Power Amplifier $2199

Audio

Power output: 200 watts/channel RMS into 8 Ohms; all channels driven | 300 watts/channel RMS into 8 Ohms; two channels driven | 490 watts/channel RMS into 4 Ohms; two channels driven

Audiophile quality Class A/B output stage.

Balanced and unbalanced inputs for compatibility with a wide variety of preamps and surround sound processors.

Features

Fully modular construction for optimum flexibility.

Comprehensive yet transparent protection circuitry protects from most common fault conditions without degrading sound quality.

Hardware

Dimensions: 17” x 19” x 8” (including feet)

Weight: 53 pounds (unboxed)

Power Requirements: 100 – 250 VAC 50/60 Hz (automatically detected).

BasX A7 Seven-Channel Power Amplifier $699

Audio

90 watts RMS per channel  into 8 Ohms; all channels driven | 120 watts RMS per channel; into 8 Ohms. two channels driven | 125 watts/channel RMS into 4 Ohms all channels driven; two channels driven | 175 watts RMS per channel; into 4 Ohms.

The BasX A7 combines classical audiophile amplifier architecture, based on a heavy-duty linear power supply, and a carefully designed high current short signal path Class A/B output stage, with advanced microprocessor-controlled monitoring and protection circuitry, to deliver superb sound quality

Unbalanced inputs 

Hardware

Dimensions:

17” wide x 4” high x 15-1/2” deep (not including connectors).

21-1/2” wide x 8” high x 21” deep (boxed).

Weight:

30 lbs (unboxed)

36 lbs (boxed)

On this week’s show we look at an article at CE Pro which is a list of 12 products that CE Pro writer Bob Archer thought were 2022’s products of the year. We only look at two products. One that is unobtainium and the other a mere mortal can buy today. We also have a buying guide that is a bit different than our usual one. We also read your email and take a look at the week’s news.

News:

Other:

We found this article (Bob Archer's 2022 Products of the Year) at CE Pro which is a list of 12 products that CE Pro writer Bob Archer thought were, as the title suggests, 2022’s products of the year. We are going to highlight two products on the list, one is unobtainium and the other a mere mortal can buy today. The rest of the items on the list are things that most people can buy and a few that we dream of buying. Please check it out, it's linked in the show notes.

Unobtainium

DALI KORE Loudspeaker

Taking a step up into the rarified air of high-end audiophile speakers, the Danish company DALI applied its impressive R&D resources to the development of its $110,000 Kore loudspeakers. Emphasizing the company's fundamental audio philosophies and a return to its Danish roots through the use of Danish labor and raw materials, the KORE performs at extremely high levels. The 88dB, 4-ohm speaker delivers a frequency response of 26Hz to 34kHz and the statuesque speakers nicely complement a range of home designs and amplifiers to deliver lots of musical fun. By the way, each speaker weighs 148Kg (not pounds!!!). In pounds that’s 325!!!

I thought this was funny! From the user’s manual: Disposal - If you want to dispose of your DALI KORE speakers, don’t mix them with your general household waste. In accordance with EU legislation, a separate collection system for used electronic products enables private households in EU member states, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Norway to return used electronic products free of charge to designated collection facilities or to a retailer (if you purchase a similar replacement product). If you reside in a country not mentioned above, please contact your local authorities to determine the correct method of disposal and prevent any potential negative effects on the environment and human health

For Mortals

Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 4K PRO-UHD Laser Projector

If the projector category had a pound-for-pound ranking like the UFC, the leader of the pack would be Epson’s LS12000 laser projector. The 2,700-lumen LS12000 features the company’s 4K PRO-UHD pixel shifting technology, along with its 32-bit ZX Picture Processor and laser light engine that delivers up to 20,000 of lamp life. The LS12000 produces nice levels of image brightness, color performance and image clarity. You can find these online for $5000. Projector Central rates this projector Performance 5 Stars, Features 4 ½ Stars, Ease of Use 4 ½ Stars, and Value 5 Stars.

We usually do a buying guide this time of year but you can sum it up like this. Go to Costco and buy an OLED or QLED TV by either Samsing, Sony or LG. And if you are budget conscious take a look at Vizio or TCL. Yes that is an oversimplification but this year we wanted to help you find something that the music, movie or smarthome lover will be thrilled to unwrap. So without further ado, here is our 2022 gift giving guide for Audiophiles, Movie Lovers and Smarthome Owners.

Audiophiles

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO, Audiophile Turntable with Carbon Fiber tonearm, Electronic Speed Selection and pre-Mounted Sumiko Rainier Phono Cartridge $600. 

The new Debut Carbon EVO represents the epitome of Pro-Ject’s philosophy: high performance, clean aesthetics, and superb value. The elegant, simple aesthetic is unmarred by gimmicky lights, sliders, and buttons. It is a pure, high-performance turntable.

Hi-Fi, The History of High-End Audio Design $85

"Gideon Schwartz's book goes on a visual journey through the innovative world of home stereo design, from the tank-like amplifiers of the ‘50s to the sleek streaming hubs of today. Hi-Fi's 272 pages are filled with photos of iconic systems, including Bose's earliest forays into loudspeakers, and Dieter Rams' famous all-white turntable design for Braun. Warning: Perusing this book may result in eBay-fueled debt."―Wired Online

Custom Audio Rack/Furniture (prices vary $250 up to $3000)

These stands are designed to be simple and elegant. Depending on your requirement, many designers can custom build something just for you! Typical designs come with enough shelf space to hold a turntable and amplifier with enough room left over for your record collection. 

Movie Lover

Movie Posters - Movie posters are easy to find on Amazon or ebay. The real old ones are expensive but you can find replicas for as little as $10. Framing costs more. 

Custom Acoustic Panels ($100 24”X24”X1”) - Get better sound while adding a nice visual element to your theater with acoustic panels. 

Movie Logbook Notebook $26 - Sure you can set up a spreadsheet with this information but where's the fun in that! Keep this log book in your theater and keep a diary of what you watch and who you watched it with. 

Home Automation

Starter Kit ($200) - There are so many starter kits out there but for this list we decided on simple lighting system to dip your toes in the automation arena. We also chose the philips hue lights because they are compatible with everything and will support matter soon. Start with one room and work your way up to your entire house. 

Hubitat Elevation ($99.95) - For that someone who is a little more technical and does not want to be beholden to a cloud system for their home automation, this gift is ideal! By combining the advantages of local automation processing with cloud IoT connectivity, Hubitat's innovative Hubitat Elevation hub ensures personal data privacy and is more reliable and responsive than competitive cloud-based solutions. Hubitat Elevation is compatible with popular home automation devices, comes with a variety of built-in apps, and has an active user community to share ideas, insights and solutions.

Smart locks - There are plenty of smart locks out there to choose from. Last week we had a listener write in about his Level Invisible Lock. They range in price from $199 up to $399 depending on style and lock mechanism. The best thing about these locks are that they don’t need to change the style and look of the original lock. There are models by Schlage and Kwikset as well. But for these you really need to know the style and look of the lock you are replacing.

This week we talk about an article where the author claims that his budget OLED TV has ruined movie theaters for him. We also give you seven reasons why buying a DAC may be in your future. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news. 

News:

Other:

We received an email from long time listener Olof (from Sweden) in which he sent us a link to an article “Buying a budget OLED TV has ruined movie theaters for me” and it got us wondering if others feel the same way. So let’s see why the author came to this conclusion.

If you’ve never heard of a “DAC”, don’t worry, most people haven’t. The thing is, it is one of the best ways to improve the quality of the digital music we consume every day, whether that be through a phone, laptop or proper audio system. (Only listen to music exclusively through vinyl? This probably isn’t the article for you.) Full article here…

Interview With Gary Yacoubian and Nick Brown of SVS

SVS recently announced their new Prime Wireless Pro Powered Speaker and for today’s feature, Ara spoke with CEO and President Gary Yacoubian and Vice President of Marketing Nick Brown. They talk about this potential soundbar killer as well as a few other cool things SVS is working on. 

News:

Frequency Response / Acoustic Data: Frequency Response: 42Hz – 25kHz (±3 dB)

Driver Specs: 1” Aluminum Dome Tweeter: FEA-optimized diffuser for airy and unveiled presentation, Aluminum dome for exceptional transient response

5.25" Mid-bass Driver: Polypropylene cone for excellent stiffness/mass ratio and pistonic behavior, Aluminum shorting ring to reduce gap inductance, lower distortion, and enhance high frequency response, Cast ABS-fiberglass composite basket ensures precision component alignment and excellent thermal transfer, Vented voice coil former minimizes air compression artifacts

Amplifier Specs: Dual Class-D Power Amps for Discrete Driver Bi-amplification 200 watt (50 watt x 4) RMS Power, Digital controlled tweeter-to-woofer crossover: 2kHz (12dB/octave slope)

Input Specs: HDMI audio input. Supports ARC and eARC, Left/Right RCA Input: Input Impedance: 20K, 3.5mm Aux Input: Input Impedance: 20K, Toslink Optical Input: S/PDIF receiver works at a wide range of sampling frequencies up to 96kHz, Bluetooth 5.0 with AAC and aptX, 6 front panel presets for one-touch access to music services and playlists

Ethernet, USB service port also for powering wireless accessories: See SoundPath Wireless Audio Adapter

This week we have a short Thanksgiving show. The HT Guys are thankful for our wonderful community of listeners and supporters who make doing this show worthwhile. Of course we will still read your emails and take a look at the week’s news!

News:

Other:

Syntax–Brillian Corporation

Customer Reviews: Olevia 42" 1080p Flat-Panel LCD HDTV TV-242TFHD - Best Buy

List of films set around Thanksgiving

This week we do our annual Black Friday Roundup. Unfortunately the retailers are turning it into a Black Friday month. It was hard to track down info specifically for Black Friday but we did. Honestly it's not our best work. We also read your email and take a look at the week’s news.

News:

Other:

Check out BlackFriday.com for the latest deals

This week our show really matters! We feature a few of the newly certified Matter controllers and we talk about what projector we would consider if we were building out a dedicated home theater. Plus we read your emails and news of the week.

News:

Other:

Hub M2 By Lumi United Technology Co., Ltd.

The Aqara Hub M2 is a smart home control center. It can be connected with a WiFi or Ethernet network, and supports interaction and connection with Aqara Zigbee accessories. It also has an IR remote control function, which can add and manage the control of different IR devices. The Aqara Hub M2 allows you to control your Aqara accessories more conveniently. It can also bridge the Zigbee accessories to Matter to realize the interconnection of devices between different ecological platforms. Company Website

Smart Wired Gateway Pro By Tuya Global Inc.

As the core of the IoT connection, the wired Matter gateway is the first gateway released by Tuya that supports Matter. It supports the communication protocol of Cable+Zigbee+Thread, that is, the uplink Ethernet connects to the cloud, and the downlink supports both Zigbee (compatible with the original Zigbee device ecology of Tuya) and Thread (Matter over thread) sub-devices.

This gateway has powerful localized management capabilities and high stability of multi-device control. It can be connected to all devices such as home automation, smart energy and home security systems to provide users with an intelligent control experience. Company Website

DIRIGERA hub for smart products By IKEA of Sweden

The hub is the bridge between your smartphone and your connected products

LG ThinQ By LG Electronics

Discover an easier way of smart home life with LG ThinQ. With LG ThinQ app, you can manage all your LG smart appliances and IoT devices in one place. More Info …

webOS TV By LG Electronics

LG Smart TV with Matter support will help users register and control Matter enabled home appliances around the TV. Users can maintain the list of Matter enabled devices around, and control using home dashboard application pre-installed on TV. Company Website

Philips Hue Bridge By Signify

The brains of the Philips Hue smart lighting system, the Hue Bridge allows you to connect and control up to 50 lights and accessories. Simply plug it in and use the Hue app to set routines, timers, custom light scenes, and more. It’s the Philips Hue Bridge that unlocks it all — including Matter. The Hue Bridge will support Matter with a software update, making all existing and new Hue lights and accessories automatically Matter enabled too (except the Hue Sync Box and dial of the Tap dial switch).

Sony recently announced three new projectors (VPL-XW7000ES, VPL-XW6000ES and the VPL-XW5000ES)  which range in price from $27K at the high end and $6K for the 5000ES. All 

three are SXRD panels with native 4K resolution. All three use the X1 Ultimate image processing. And all three use a laser light source that should last more than ten years if you watch your projector five hours a day.  

A typical projector uses a lamp that would need to be replaced ten times in the time the Sony laser would last. They typically cost $50 to $100 depending on your projector, so over time this adds up! Plus the laser is much brighter so if you want to watch on a larger screen or in a room with ambient light these projectors have the chops to do so. 

We have not seen these projectors in person but we have seen the previous versions when we were invited to a presentation at Sony Pictures in Culver City. What we saw at that time was quite impressive and those did not have the X1 Ultimate processor. If I (Ara) were building a dedicated theater today it would include the 5000ES. But only because I can’t afford the 6000 or 7000. 

This week we take a look at the week’s top ten movie rentals and we continue our feature on getting the best results when listening to vinyl. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

News:

Rank LW Rank Title Box Office (Millions)

1 New Bullet Train $103.32

2 1 Beast $31.85

3 New Fall $7.24

4 2 Jeepers Creepers Reborn $2.03

5 3 DC League of Super-Pets $93.36

6 4 Thor: Love and Thunder $343.26

7 5 Where the Crawdads Sing $90.23

8 New Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank $17.81

9 New Orphan: First Kill $5.41

10 6 Minions: The Rise of Gru $368.85

Last week we talked about cleaning your record needle for perfect playback based on an article sent to us from long time listener Stan. At that time he also sent us an article on cleaning your records. So this week we continue with our second installment. The following was taken from the Pro-Ject website.

Cleaning records revitalizes old and dirty records. If you don’t see scratches on your vinyl, most likely, the reason that your vinyl does not play as well as it should is because of lint, dust, and grime. Luckily, the most common reasons to clean vinyl records are easy to manage and take care of.

Clean records play with less distortion, and it helps the vinyl last longer because the friction that happens when dust is on the record will no longer happen. In fact, keeping your records clean can even extend the life of your record player’s stylus, which can save you from having to replace your record player needle. Your entire record collection will sound better with the right cleaning process than when you purchased it at the record store.

Record Washing

Of course, you can wash your records like you would your dishes. Simply put a few drops of dish soap into a tub of water. Avoid using tap water if you are creating your own solution. This will help to keep minerals that could damage the vinyl away from the records that you are cleaning. Di-ionized or distilled water is ideal for cleaning records. Never use Isopropyl alcohol in your vinyl cleaning solution because it removes the shine from the vinyl’s surface and makes it more vulnerable to damage.

Instead of making your own cleaning solution, you can purchase a record cleaning solution that will work for your entire collection. It can be purchased individually or in a cleaning kit like the Spin-Clean Vinyl Record Washer System. This is a full cleaning system with soft brushes, cleaning fluid, and microfiber cloths that won’t scratch the vinyl.

Once the record is clean, rinse the cleaning solution or any soap off with distilled water, being careful not to get the label wet. If water or cleaning solution does get on the label, make sure that you quickly blot it dry with a microfiber cloth, and don’t put it away with your other records until it completely air dries. This helps to ensure that the ink doesn’t bleed and the label doesn’t tear.

Always make sure that the records are dry before playing them on your player. It should also be allowed at least 30 minutes to dry before it is placed back in the sleeve because the excess moisture can damage the records and cause the inner paper sleeves to mold. One way to ensure this is avoided is to use plastic sleeves instead of the paper ones that come with most records.

Vacuuming Records

Vacuuming records is one of the better cleaning methods to consider using. Using a vinyl record cleaner that is vacuum-powered will suck up any dust and debris found in the grooves. Using the vacuum cleaner should be done after the record is brushed to remove excess dirt on the surface. The VC-E Compact Vinyl Record Cleaning Machine falls into this category of record cleaner.

Record vacuuming machines will apply a cleaning solution to the records, scrub them, and vacuum away all of the wet solution and debris. It is the superior way to clean vinyl because it combines all of the cleaning methods using a machine that is quick and safe for the records. It may not be the best option for someone who has just a few records because of the price of these machines, but if you have a larger collection of albums, it’s a solid investment to make.

Cleaning Records and Storing Without Worry

Once you have cleaned your record collection, you need to ensure that the vinyl does not get damaged or become warped because it is stored improperly. The first step that you need to take to keep your records safe is to store them in an inner sleeve that will not scratch the surface of the vinyl.

To add more protection, you should also use outer sleeves on your vinyl to keep the dust away from your records completely. Records should always be stored vertically because stacking them on top of each other on a shelf causes warping that hurts the sound quality.

This week we spotlight some huge “desktop” speakers from Monoprice and take a look at why NFL fans want Youtube or Amazon Prime to pick up Sunday Ticket. We also give you some tips to keep your turntable in tip top shape. All that plus your emails and the week’s news.

News:

Other:

Product spotlight 

The Monolith™ MTM Desktop Speakers (MSRP $499.99 direct from Monoprice) deliver stunning audiophile performance for your desktop! These speakers feature an accurate frequency response, exceptional sonic clarity, punchy, powerful bass, and present a spacious, and musical soundstage. Set up is a breeze: Connect easily through analog RCA and 3.5mm inputs or through the optical or USB digital inputs. Pair your device wirelessly using the Bluetooth® with Qualcomm® aptX™ HD Audio for high quality, CD audio level Bluetooth performance. A headphone jack adorns the front, allowing you to easily switch between the speakers and headphones. The Monolith MTM powered speakers are a perfect, great sounding addition to a home office, gaming, or bedroom system.

Nearly two-thirds of NFL fans said they are most likely to subscribe to Sunday Ticket if it lands on either YouTube or Amazon Prime Video, according to a survey by The Streamable Full article…

We have talked about listening to music on vinyl lately and this prompted long time listener Stan  to send in an article about cleaning your record needle for perfect playback. And with the Holliday’s quickly approaching some of you may be thinking about buying a turntable for yourself as a present. So if you currently own a turntable or are thinking of buying one, we  thought this may be of help to you. The following was taken from the Pro-Ject website.    

How a Dirty Turntable Stylus Impacts Sound Quality 

Clean record player needles help prevent playback issues. When dust interferes with the stylus reading the record grooves properly, you will hear a slight scratching or  popping sound when you play the records. If you hear these sounds, it’s time to inspect your record player’s stylus to see if there is any visible build-up that’s removable. 

When a stylus is dirty, you are more likely to hear the needle jump as it navigates the turntable. This is referred to as record skipping, and it can affect the sound of the music.  Dust and grime will also cause additional wear on the stylus tip, which will be heard as you play your music. If you don’t keep your stylus clean, it will wear down more quickly. In effect, a clean stylus will help you save money because you won’t need to replace it as often. 

Tips to Follow when Cleaning a Turntable Needle

You may have also read forums about cleaning record needles with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. To start, gently place a small piece of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on the platter. These sponges can be purchased at any hardware store. It needs to be an all white pad because the blue ones are a bit more abrasive and could cause unwanted damage. Lower the tonearm down to touch the pad, and then raise it back up. Do this process about two to three times or until the debris is removed.

Vinyl Records Cleaning and Proper Storage Helps

Even if you clean your stylus every time you use your record player, there is a good chance that dust will transfer from your records unless you have clean vinyl as well. Cleaning records revitalizes them and gives you better sound during playback. We’ll discuss cleaning records next week.

No show this week.

This week we  have a review of the Technics EAH-A800 Noise Canceling Over Ear Headphones and we read your emails and look at the week's news.

News:

Other:

We have spent a lot of money on wireless earbuds over the years looking for that ultimate tradeoff in sound quality, fit, and noise cancellation vs portability. To date, we have found a few that we liked but have settled on the Technics EAH-AZ60 ($230 MSRP). Today we decided to look at our first full size over the ear headphones, the Technics EAH-A800 ($350 MSRP).  What we give up in portability we expect to get back in sound quality and noise cancellation. Let’s see if that thought process pans out.

Features:

Music Quality 

Audio quality was quite good! We listened to the same music that we did for our AZ60 review (SRV - Tin Pan Alley, Snoop Dog - California Roll, Pearl Jam - Yellow Ledbetter, Diana Krall - Fly Me to the Moon) and found that everything we like about the AZ60 was turned up a notch on the A800. The detail in the music was clear and precise; the bass was boomy, maybe a bit too boomy. But still very good. The place where these headphones shined was in the vocal range. You could hear texture in the voice of Diana Krall. It was very good.

Movies did really well too. Dialog was easy to understand and the noise cancellation made it easy to hear at lower levels. One issue we have is that on airplanes the dialog can be hard to hear. The A800 did an exceptional job with boomy special effects. 

Telephone Quality

We don’t discuss telephone quality really on this podcast but the phone calls that I made and received were good. The listener on the other end had no issues hearing me and me them. If you work using headphones to make calls these will work just fine. 

Comfort

The memory foam ear pads conform to your ear providing a comfortable fit that makes it easy to wear for hours. I wore them in the woodshop for three hours without issue. In fact they are the most comfortable headphones I have worn.

Noise Canceling

Noise canceling is good but not on par with some of the ear buds. One of the benefits of ear buds is that they can create a barrier that prevents noise from getting in and those with active cancellation can eliminate the rest. But here is the tradeoff, I have found that no matter what size silicone earpiece I use, they eventually lose their tight fit and let outside sound in. It's gradual so you don’t notice right away. If you are eating something it happens much faster.  

These headphones make a tighter connection with the ears and never let go. I used table saws, planers, and sanders while wearing these headphones and never noticed an increase in outside noise coming through. The noise reduction made it easy to work with loud machinery without fatigue. Plus I got through more podcasts because I was able to continue listening while working with those tools.

If you need to hear something from the outside a simple tap to the earpad lets in the exterior sound. The amount of sound allowed in is set in the Technics Audio Connect App. You can also select the amount of noise cancellation in that app as well. Although that always amuses me. Why do people want less than max cancellation? 

Battery Life

These things never run out of juice! They can give you anywhere from 30 to 60 hours of use depending on the noise cancellation and codec you are using. If you listen to AAC without noise cancellation you can get close to 60 hours. If you have max cancellation and hi res audio playing you can expect the 30 hours. I was using cancellation and AAC and didn’t need to recharge for over a week. About 35 hours. Also, if you run out of power, a fifteen minute charge can get you another 10 hours of noise canceled AAC music.

Room for Improvement

There is no AptX support which can limit the quality of what you are listening to. For instance Apple does not support LDAC. Many Android devices support it so keep that in mind. The noise canceling is good but not the best. Perhaps a firmware update can improve it. Lastly, these are expensive and there are other headphones that perform as well and cost less.  

This week we present the TWICE Best of show awards for the CEDIA show that took place last weekend. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

News:

Other:

For reference. Here are the Residential Systems Best of Show Awards Winners

This week we look at five ways Matter will disappoint you at launch. Spoiler, we don't think it will. We also take a look at the new lineup of Denon Receivers for 2022. We round out the episode with email and news.

News:

After participating in a panel on Matter at Silicon Labs’ Works With event on Tuesday and conversing with attendees throughout the event, I think the initial response to Matter is going to be tepid at best and downright aggravated at worst. Full article here…

The new A/V receivers all pass 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz signals via HDMI and are compatible with just about every HDR format(Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, Dynamic HDR, HLG, and BT.2020). Denon’s new line-up combines popular 3D formats such as Dolby Atmos®, DTS:X®, IMAX Enhanced and Auro 3D, along with Dolby Surround, DTS:X and others.

Finally, the new receivers all work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri for voice control of major functions, and Denon has added a new set of front panel indicators that visually confirm the kind of signal that’s being processed (4K/8K/HDR).

A-Series

AVR-A1H: AVR-A1H is the latest in Denon’s class-leading “A-Series” of receivers, designed to deliver the ultimate home-theater experience. With 15 channels of amplification, Denon’s most powerful transformer, carefully selected parts, and hefty, high-rigidity construction, the flagship AVR-A1H delivers a professional theater experience in your home cinema, perfect for cinephiles of the greatest caliber to fill large rooms with engulfing 3D sound. The A1H will support Dirac Live upgradability with a future software update. $6,499.00 Coming Soon!

X- Series

AVR-X580BT: The Denon AVR-X580BT offers an entry-level AV receiver for those looking to enhance their home theater set up. This powerful 5.2 channel AVR provides 70W per channel. Could not find pricing info

AVR-X2800H: Fill medium-sized rooms with more refined sound using this 7.2 channel AV receiver with 95W per channel. The Denon AVR-X2800H consists of increased HDMI 2.1 connectivity with three 8K inputs, which leads to supporting higher video resolution and refresh rates. $1,199.00 Available Now

AVR-X3800H: Powering 105W per channel, the Denon AVR-X3800H 9.4 channel 8K AV receiver delivers an enveloping 3D audio experience and amazing picture quality to satisfy the most discerning home theater enthusiast. The X3800 will support Dirac Live upgradability with a future software update. $1,699.00 Available Now

AVR-X4800H: This 9.4 channel AV receiver, powering 125W per channel, delivers breathtaking 3D audio that perfectly matches high-definition video up to 8K. With nine channels of amplification and up to four independent subwoofers, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X plus IMAX Enhanced and Auro 3D, this unit envelops large rooms in theater-quality sound. The X4800 will support Dirac Live upgradability with a future software update. $2,499.00 Coming Soon

S-Series

AVR-S570BT: For movie lovers looking to take the first step in upgrading their home theater experience or those who want better quality sound in a smaller space, this powerful 5.2 channel AVR, with 70W per channel, is the perfect entry-level accompaniment to any users’ set-up. The Denon AVR-S570BT is available in North America only. Could not find pricing info

AVR-S970H: Offering 90W per channel power, the Denon AVR-S970H 7.2 channel AV receiver consists of three 8K inputs, leading to an increased HDMI 2.1 connectivity and delivers support of higher video resolution and refresh rates. $899.00 Coming Soon

This week we take an extended look at an email from Chris who is paying for two sports packages but still can’t watch all his team’s games. Is there a VPN solution? Did you know you can get Sunday Ticket from DirecTV without a Satellite? There are some limitations but we have the info. Finally we have a brief review of two portable amplifiers from Fosi Audio that pack a huge punch. All that plus your emails and the week’s news!

News:

Other:

I use Xfinity for cable & internet service in Central PA but also have an apartment in Central NC with ATT internet. 

Back home, if I subscribe to MLB.tv, I can watch all games except for the Pirates and Phillies.  My team is the Orioles.

In Central NC, the Orioles are blacked out even though the stadium is 5.5 hours away (it's only 3 hours from Central PA).  Figure that one out...

Your show on 9/16 talked about Sling Box and VPNs.  

I don't mind paying for a service but when you are paying (sometimes multiple times), it is frustrating to not get what you pay for.

(((Ara, you'd appreciate this-I am a Washington Capitals fan.  I pay for the NHL Network, I subscribe to the ESPN+, and when I go to a youth hockey tournament, I cannot use my Roku in the hotel to watch a Caps game that night because it's on the NHL Network...which I pay for back home!)))

There are alot of YouTube videos about VPNs but a simple questions is:

what is the best way to use my laptop in Central NC and make it think I am in Central PA?  Xfinity will only let you watch certain "To Go" channels if you are on your home wifi.  NHL Network is one of them.  I can record the event but then only watch it after it completes the recording.

Thanks guys.

Chris

NFL Sunday Ticket

Offer Details:

If you qualify, here are the packages and prices:

NFLSUNDAYTICKET.TV TO GO - $69.49 for four months or $277.96

INCLUDES

NFLSUNDAYTICKET.TV MAX - $93.49 for four months or $373.96

INCLUDES

Add NFL+ PREMIUM $48.00

Exclusive offer! Add NFL+ Premium to this NFLSUNDAYTICKET.TV package for $48.00 (currently retails for $79.99). Enjoy replays of NFL games all season long and more

Payment for MAX + NFL+ Premium must be made in full at checkout.

I was looking for a new amplifier to test my speakers more in different rooms of my house. So the amp needed to be small, high quality, and inexpensive. My searching around the internet landed me on Fosi. A company I had never heard of.

From the company’s web site:

Audio equipment company with a focus on HiFi sound Fosi Audio was founded in 2017 by a team of engineers and music lovers with the objective of delivering high-quality audio products. After years of research and development, we have mastered the art of miniaturizing HiFi sound and bringing it to any space, big or small. Fosi Audio’s range of products includes speakers, amplifiers, headphones, turntables, and other hi-end audio equipment. Our goal is to make audiophile-grade sound accessible to everyone and to further the advancement of music technology.

I first bought the BT20A ($75 direct from Fosi) which sounded really good. 

Features:

The device worked great and connected instantly.The sound was quite good and would work for any desktop or temporary use outdoors. This was just the thing I needed for verifying that any speaker I build passes audio. But being so impressed with how good they sounded without Hi-Res or even AptX I looked into their higher quality amp, the  DA2120C ($160 direct from Fosi) 

The 2120 is far more capable but only 80W a channel, which is imperceptible even at max volume. It takes twice the wattage to hear 3dB difference at the ear. 

Features:

The main reason I decided to upgrade is that I want to put the highest quality audio through my speakers to determine their quality. The 2120 gives me a lot of connection options, Bluetooth, USB, optical, coaxial, and RCA. There is also a remote that you can use to select the inputs, switch modes, adjust the volume, bass, treble and EQ to dial in your sound.

The sound was outstanding. Listening to my favorites sounded as good as they did when using my SVS amp. Deep tight bass and bright highs. I find my latest speakers are a bit brighter than my typical JBL 2500 makeover. That is due to the fact that I ended up using a Dayton Audio 1 inch Titanium tweeter instead of the ones that come with the 2500. There is a video that goes along with this on our Youtube channel but we’ll link it here as well. 

In my comparison of 24bit 192Khz audio vs what was being sent via AptX Bluetooth, I couldn’t hear a difference. As much as I tried I just couldn’t. It could be my ears, the speakers, or even the recording. But it did sound really good. So good that it may replace my SVS amp as my main amp for my office.  If you are looking for a small portable amp check out the Fosi Audio BT20A and the DA2120C you will thank me!

For our listeners who listen to the end of the show. We are giving away the BT20A. Send an email to htguys@htguys.com with Bluetooth Amp in the subject line. We’ll pick a winner at random and announce it on next week’s show. We won’t mention this anywhere else so entries will be small.  Contest open to anyone with a US mailing address. Entries must be received by Wed October 28th at Noon Pacific Time. Void where prohibited. 

This week we take a look at a startup home automation company, Fluid One. Their goal is to seamlessly connect your actions, your decisions, and your home. Then we go through the network shows and premiere dates. We also read your emails and the week’s news. 

News:

We found a super interesting Kick starter project called Fluid One. It takes home automation into the AR realm and if it works is pretty cool. From the campaign page: At Fluid, we aim to seamlessly connect your actions, your decisions, and your home - making the environment around you its own responsive interface.They are trying to raise $100,000 but at the time of this writing have only secured about $9,500 from 40 backers. 

We know what you’re thinking. Do we need another Home Automation controller? Probably not a typical one, but this one has some unique features that may appeal to some of you. Most notably, to control a device you simply aim your smartphone at it and the relevant controls appear on your screen. You can also use gestures with the phone like swiping up to turn something on or swipe down to turn it off. 

Fluid One also makes setup straight forward as well. You aim your phone at the device, tap it and then select it from automatically discovered devices. This also places an air marker at the location.  There are some aspects of the setup that the developers claim makes it simple but based on our experience some people will find it overwhelming. The whole concept of laying out the home floor plan including furniture placement is very cool and precise. But that will turn some people off. 

Setting up Zones and automations as you walk through them are also very cool, but again, many people just want a few lights to turn on at sundown. So the question is who is this system for? Do we need a home automation system this sophisticated? 

Smart Device and Phone Compatibility:

Fluid Lite comes directly compatible with all Homekit devices. To gain access to even more devices, Fluid One enables control over Homebridge, Home Assistant, and any IR devices, amounting to over 2000+ compatible integrations. 

Fluid One will also be fully Matter compatible upon its upcoming release.

The lowest pledge for the Very Early Bird Fluid One Lite is $249 which gets you access to Fluid controls in a Primary Area in your home. When the product comes to market it will cost Retail $399.

INCLUDES:

ESTIMATED DELIVERY

Only available in the United States

For $799 you get the Special Fluid One Pro which gets access to Fluid Controls in a Primary Area and Automation in a Primary Area plus four Extension Areas

INCLUDES:

ESTIMATED DELIVERY

Aug 2023

It's that time of year when our favorite shows come back with new episodes and we get new content as well. The following is the release dates for new and returning shows on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and CW

ABC

ABC 2022-2023 Fall TV Lineup: New Shows and Trailers

Wednesday, Sept. 21

8 p.m.: The Conners

8:30 p.m.: The Goldbergs

9 p.m.: Abbott Elementary

9:31 p.m.: Home Economics

10 p.m.: Big Sky

Friday, Sept. 23 

8 p.m.: Shark Tank

9:01 p.m.: 20/20 (two hours) 

Sunday, Sept. 25

10 p.m.: The Rookie

Tuesday, Sept. 27

8 p.m.: Bachelor in Paradise

10 p.m.: The Rookie: Feds (NEW SERIES)

Sunday, Oct. 2

7 p.m.: America's Funniest Home Videos

Monday, Oct. 3

8 p.m.: Bachelor in Paradise

10 p.m.: The Good Doctor

Thursday, Oct. 6

8 p.m.: Station 19

9 p.m.: Grey's Anatomy

10 p.m. Alaska Daily (NEW SERIES)

ABC 2022-2023 Midseason Premieres

New seasons of A Million Little Things and The Wonder Years will premiere on ABC at midseason sometime in 2023. Additionally, Gina Rodriguez's comedy Not Dead Yet, Milo Ventimiglia's drama The Company You Keep, and the adaptation Will Trent will also premiere early next year.

CBS

CBS Lineup: All the New Shows and Trailers Coming in Fall 2022

Saturday, Sept. 17

10 p.m.: 48 Hours

Sunday, Sept. 18

7:30 p.m.: 60 Minutes

Monday, Sept. 19

8 p.m.: The Neighborhood

8:30 p.m.: Bob (Hearts) Abishola

9 p.m.: NCIS

10 p.m.: NCIS: Hawai'i

Tuesday, Sept. 20

8 p.m.: FBI

9 p.m.: FBI: International

10 p.m.: FBI: Most Wanted 

Wednesday, Sept. 21

8 p.m.: Survivor

10 p.m.: The Amazing Race

Sunday, Sept. 25

8 p.m.: Big Brother

Thursday, Sept. 29

8 p.m.: Young Sheldon

8:30 p.m.: Ghosts

9 p.m.: So Help Me Todd (NEW SERIES)

10 p.m.: CSI: Vegas

Sunday, Oct. 2

8:30 p.m.: The Equalizer

9:30 p.m.: East New York (NEW SERIES)

Wednesday, Oct. 5

9 p.m.: The Real Love Boat

10 p.m.: The Amazing Race

Friday, Oct. 7

8 p.m.: S.W.A.T.

9 p.m.: Fire Country (NEW SERIES)

10 p.m.: Blue Bloods

Sunday, Oct. 9

10 p.m.: NCIS: Los Angeles

CBS 2022-2023 Midseason Premieres

Fans will have to wait until midseason to see CBS's TV adaptation of True Lies. 

Fox

Fox Lineup: All the New Shows and Trailers Coming in Fall 2022

Sunday, Sept. 11

After NFL: Monarch (NEW SERIES)

Monday, Sept. 19

8/7c: 9-1-1

9/8c: The Cleaning Lady

Tuesday, Sept. 20

8/7c: The Resident

9/8c: Monarch (regular time slot)

Wednesday, Sept. 21

8/7c: The Masked Singer

9/8c: Lego Masters

Sunday, Sept. 25

8/7c: The Simpsons

8:30/7:30c: The Great North

9/8c: Bob's Burgers

9:30/8:30c: Family Guy

Thursday, Sept. 29

8/7c: Hell's Kitchen

9/8c: Welcome to Flatch

9:30/8:30c: Call Me Kat

Fox 2022-2023 Midseason Premieres

Fox's midseason debuts include 9-1-1: Lone Star, new dramas Accused and Alert, and new animated comedies Krapopolis and Grimsburg.

NBC

NBC Lineup: All the New Shows and Trailers Coming in Fall 2022

Monday, Sept. 19

8 p.m.: The Voice

10 p.m.: Quantum Leap (NEW SERIES)

Tuesday, Sept. 20

8 p.m.: The Voice

10 p.m.: New Amsterdam

Wednesday, Sept. 21

8 p.m.: Chicago Med

9 p.m.: Chicago Fire

10 p.m.: Chicago PD 

Thursday, Sept. 22

8 p.m.: Law & Order

9 p.m.: Law & Order: SVU

10 p.m.: Law & Order: Organized Crime

Saturday, Sept. 24

9 p.m.: Dateline Weekend Mystery

10 p.m.: SNL Vintage

Tuesday, Sept. 27

9 p.m.: La Brea

Friday, Nov. 4

8 p.m.: Lopez vs Lopez (NEW SERIES)

8:30 p.m.: Young Rock

NBC 2022-2023 Midseason Premieres

NBC's midseason and summer debuts include Night Court, Grand Crew, American Auto, and The Blacklist. NBC has yet to announce a release date for Magnum, P.I. after rescuing the reboot from CBS's scrap pile. Production is underway, so we're unlikely to see new episodes until midseason at the earliest.

CW

The CW 2022-2023 Fall TV Lineup: New Shows and Trailers

Wednesday, Aug. 31

8 p.m.: DC's Stargirl

9 p.m.: Wellington Paranormal

9:30 p.m.: Wellington Paranormal

Sunday, Oct. 2

8 p.m.: Family Law

9 p.m.: Coroner

Wednesday, Oct. 5

8 p.m.: DC's Stargirl

9 p.m.: Kung Fu

Thursday, Oct. 6

8 p.m.: Walker

9 p.m.: Walker: Independence (NEW SERIES)

Friday, Oct. 7

8 p.m.: IHEARTRADIO Music Festival (Night One)

Saturday, Oct. 8

8 p.m.: IHEARTRADIO Music Festival (Night Two)

Monday, Oct. 10

8 p.m.: All American

9 p.m.: All American: Homecoming

Tuesday, Oct. 11

8 p.m.: The Winchesters (NEW SERIES)

9 p.m.: Professionals 

Friday, Oct. 14

8 p.m.: Penn & Teller: Fool Us

9 p.m.: Whose Line Is It Anyway?

9:30 p.m.: Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Saturday, Oct. 22

8 p.m.: Criss Angel's Magic with the Stars (NEW SERIES)

9 p.m.: World's Funniest Animals

9:30 p.m.: World's Funniest Animals

The CW 2022-2023 Midseason Premieres

Fans will have to wait until midseason for new episodes of Riverdale, The Flash, Superman & Lois, and Nancy Drew. Gotham Knights will join the schedule in 2023.

This week we take a meta look at Home Theater Trends by comparing what different groups are saying. Let’s see if there are any common threads. We also read your emails and the week’s news.

News:

We decided to take a meta look at this subject by comparing what different groups are saying. Let’s see if there are any common threads.

First up is a West Palm Beach Company called ETC. The company’s vision is: “company vision is to enhance our customer’s lifestyle using technology to simplify their lives.”

Comfort is desired more than ever - Most of us think of a home theater as a mini-theater-like space complete with stadium seating. Some people still enjoy such a space, but the trends are evolving, and people are investing more in comfortable recliners or loungers to relax while binge-watching their favorite shows.

Multi-Use Rooms - Today many homeowners want to invest in home theaters, but they find it difficult to allocate an entire room to theater. This has resulted into a growing demand for modern home theaters, which allows homeowners to have a multi-use room where their whole family can sit together and have quality time. Home theater is now becoming the heart of the family by enabling people to watch movies, stream shows, or simply do gaming while sitting at their favorite place.

Screens - Screens make one of the most common elements of a home theater. A good quality and a high-resolution screen is a must whether you are investing in a home theater for watching a movie, series, gaming, or streaming. The screen is truly the key focus area of home theaters. It can make or break the look and feel of your home theater. The market is expanding with many good quality screen options for home theaters, which makes it one of the key trends that will stay longer than you think.

High Speed Internet - Today most people choose various OTT services available in the market to fulfill their entertainment needs. For feasible home theater installation, you need a good and reliable high-speed internet connection.

Soundbars - Music and sound fanatic homeowners usually have multiple speakers scattered across the room. But this isn’t viable anymore. Sleek soundbars are now increasingly becoming a common name in the home theater of this age. Today, homeowners can enjoy an elevated auditory experience with fewer wires and no clutter.

Next up is Elite Home Theater Seating. Elite Home Theater Seating (Elite HTS) is an internationally recognized manufacturer of ultra-luxury home theater seating for residential and commercial projects.

Color: Serene and Neutral Tones - The choice of color is a major factor in your home theater design because it sets the room’s tone. For 2022, we are going with a neutral color palette. Beiges, taupe’s, grey’s, and creams are a great starting point, offering a blank canvas that can make even a small home theater appear larger.

Furniture: Sculptured Curves - Curved furniture has proved to be a top trend in 2022. A curved form is interpreted as safe and welcoming. From subtly rounded to circular, curved furniture can add softness and a sense of effortless flow to your home theater.

Comfortable Lounge Seating - The desire for comfort remains a huge trend in home theater seating ideas in 2022. With families spending more time at home, homeowners have become very creative in finding new ways to enjoy the experience.  The home theater is a place to go to relax and unwind, where comfort is key.

Multi-Functional Spaces - Turn your home theater into an “entertainment space” that can be used for activities that appeal to everyone in the family. Also referred to as a media room, multi-purpose, dual-purpose or hybrid room, your home theater can also be a place to listen to music, do a home workout routine or play video games.

Texture - Texture has always played a big role in interior design. This year, interior designers are predicting a huge uptick in textured materials that feel good to touch and are interesting to look at. Texture It is used to keep a space from feeling flat or one-dimensional and adds warmth and dimension. It can also be used to make a room pop. It has “visual weight,” drawing attention to itself, and creates contrast to help the room look balanced.

Residential Systems serves the custom home entertainment and automation design and installation professionals with solid business solutions to real-world problems.

Dedicated Spaces - Dedicated theater spaces are being specified and designed more than ever, possibly because consumers are tired of having multi-use spaces in every room of the home and want a room devoted to just being entertained. We are also seeing them being added to housing plans right from the start.

Streaming is King - Media production and consumption is extremely disruptive, and some might say out of control. It's such a big topic right now the CEDIA Expo keynote will feature Greg Durkin from Guts+Data who will focus on the streaming content conundrum, the overload felt by the consumer, and what integrators can do to help. These days most visual media are being streamed, but there are so many services it's hard to keep track of them all and remember what show is on which service.

Immersive Music and Atmos - Home theaters are not just for movies anymore immersive mu-

sic has contributed to the new ways people are using their media spaces, driven by the surge in popularity for Dolby Atmos technology by the consumer.

"So often we see that clients have not thought about how they may use their dedicated theater to listen to music," says Adam Pelz, CEO of Bespoke Home Cinemas. "Generally, consumers may be used to a 2-channel system or using headphones or Bluetooth connections in their car to listen to music. In our final walkthroughs with clients, we will spend a significant amount of time showing them what playing live concert recordings and high-fidelity music would be like in their theater environment. They leave in awe of the immersive experience."

Video Processors and Calibration - Those who have been around a few decades can remember the massive demand for video processors to go along with giant CRT projectors. Back in those days it was needed to take the lower quality media formats and reproduce them at a higher quality. 

However, video processors are more necessary now than ever before. "Integrators need to understand and communicate to their customers that some level of dynamic tone mapping is required to get really good HDR quality; the way it is being handled without outboard video processing is poor at best,' he says. "We are seeing huge differences in the quality of the mid-line projectors when you add a video processor." Along with video processing, video and audio calibrations can take a well-designed system and put it over the top.

Video Walls - Video walls in the residential space took off back in 2017 with the introduction of The Wall by Samsung. These days there are options by the other top consumer brands and the trend is continuing to grow.

This week we have three features provided by our listeners. Scott Hawk has thoughts on why CDs were considered superior to albums in the early 80s. John Lyman compares Records vs Airplay and Digital lossless and Tim Klevar reviews the Airfly Bluetooth dongle and the Sony Mark V headphones. Plus we have listener emails and news. 

By Scott Hawk

Back in 1985, cassettes were outselling records and you probably remember how terrible they were.  Cheap housings made them wobbly inside your player. Cheap tape material gunked up the heads and reels of your cassette deck with soot. They used Dolby B or no noise reduction. All this got worse if you kept them in your car. 

For many people, records were not much better. Few people cleaned their records so pops, hisses and cracks were common. Plus, the record undergoes wear with each play since the needle is physically touching the grooves.  Plus, the stylus would also exhibit wear, reducing its ability to track the grooves on the record. A stylus starts off with a nice point but gets rounder over time.  So, play a record 300 times and the wear on the stylus and record obviously effects the sound quality. Most turntables were belt driven and the belts had been stretched, dried out or slipping which caused all sorts of wow & flutter. 

Now, enter the CD. Even though CD players were at first expensive, within a few years all CD players sounded alike. Everyone who listened to music got an upgrade.  If you had a cassette tape, the new CD sounded amazing. And, if your tape was a few years old, the new CD sounded like it came from heaven.  If you had a worn out record playing on a worn out turntable, you also got a major sound upgrade.  And, if you listened to FM radio, you too got a huge sound upgrade.  Plus, they sounded great on the first play and the 300th. CDs were also indestructible compared to tapes and records. 

No wonder everyone raved about digital music.  

So, what happened since then? Today, getting a good music experience is much simpler. Any phone with even basic headphones stream good sounding music. And, nice sounding music can even come from a bluetooth speaker.  But to get music out of a turntable, you have to go through a process which has some attraction. It’s certainly more of a process than using your phone. That process has some allure to it and the music will sound different. People can decide for themselves if something that sounds different is actually better.

I think my own experience was not the most common. I was passionate about this as a kid.  I saved up to buy a fancy direct-drive turntable, with a floating suspension and a carbon fiber tonearm. I bought a Shure cartridge, installed it myself and adjusted the tonearm, tracking pressure and tracking angle. I’d buy a new album and play it twice … once to remove any manufacturing artifacts and then again to copy it to a Hi-Bias or Metal tape with Dolby C noise reduction. I splurged on a 3-head tape deck and cleaned it (and my records) religiously.  I’d only play the record again to replace the tape or make a mix tape.  I was very particular in getting the tape to sound as close to the record as I could. 

So … a friend gets a CD player and loans it to me.  I go out and buy 2 CD’s … Don Fagan’s Nightfly and Dire Straits (first album).  Holy cow … it blew away my ears.  The highs on the cymbals were stunning. The dynamic range was astonishing.  The extra thump of the bass gives me chills to this day.  Even after all the effort I took to get the best sound, this new technology just ran the table.

By John Lyman

With all the discussion I was curious about the difference in the following three formats: Streaming via AirPlay 2, USB to Amp streaming at highest rate vs a record.

My setup for the test:  

The songs I picked were  determined by the few albums I have and those that are brand new.  I also chose the first song on a side of the record so I was listening to the same thing from all sources.  I played about 1:30 minutes of the song.

I went in the same order starting with streaming to Airplay, USB direct connect and then turntable.

Songs used

Overall I noticed the same thing 

Airplay had the narrowest soundstage, was the brightest sounding of all, and the instruments did not stand out as much.  The horn on Sweet painted lady was not as pronounced.  In the chorus of Old Man where its a higher pitch and louder - the other instruments get lost.  Breathe you can’t tell there are two voice at the beginning 

USB Connection While Painted lady was at the same stream quality I could hear a difference. The soundstage was larger and I noticed a horn that I did not in the Airplay 2.  Old Man is where I really could hear the difference in the sound stage being a little wider and the instruments were clearer.  When they get to chorus its not as bright as the Airplay and I could easily make out the other instruments.  Breathe - I noticed there were at least two voices singing and again bigger soundstage 

Album - WOW this blew me away on all three songs with a much warmer sound and clean.  Sweet Painted Lady had a great soundstage, the horn came out great along with the other instruments.  Old Man the chorus was not as high pitched as the others and I could make out more of the background singers. Speak to Me/Breathe - this is where I was blown away.  In the digital version the jump between Speak to me and Breath is very pronounced there is no ramp up to the louder music you just jump there.  On the album there was a ramp up and then the wall of music hit me.  

Conclusion 

I found that the higher bit rate/more information provided did create a better sound picture filling in the holes a little better because of the additional information.  I would also say the direct connection does make a difference as I noticed with Sweet Painted Lady.  However, with the majority of my listening being done during the work day or streaming around the house with a non-critical ear. I will continue to use Airplay 2 because it is easy.   However, for critical listening I will be using either a Mac hooked up directly or an Album with a good bourbon.

Update 

I wanted to send an update after this weekend.  I was reading an article about Open Core Legacy Patcher (OpenCore Legacy Patcher) that allows a person to install the latest Mac OS on older machines.  So I went through the process of updating my 2012 Mac mini that I use as media server.  This allowed me to load Monterey on that machine and take full advantage of Apple Music lossless on the machine and also Airplay to the machine from other devices.  I’m streaming the music over USB to my amp as it allows full 24/192 output (digital capped out at 24/96) when direct streaming.  

I also received Supertramp’s Even in the Quietest moments original album.  This album has a song called Fool's Overture that I have been using for speaker testing since the 90’s. A great song because of so many instruments and changes really puts speakers through its paces. So I listened to this song from the album and again I noticed  a warmer and good sound stage.

To me the bottom line is that both lossless and vinyl sound great for those dedicated music listening times.  The reason I believe those two give a better sound quality is similar to streaming vs a Blu-ray Disc the more information the better the end product will be and the better the sound stage. 

By Tim Klevar

The Airfly is everything it promises to be. I bought the Duo and it allows two devices to connect. If you have cup phones and earpods, this or the Duo Pro is for you. There are two models of the Airfly: Duo and Pro. Both allow for two devices to connect. The Pro provides an “Aux in” function. The Duo is about $10 less expensive than the Pro, although neither are more than $55. Mostly, I think, cars and other things do not need this. 

I bought the Duo. It works well, it is “elegant” in its design and function. It only has two buttons with dots. There is a single dot and double dot button used to connect and select the devices. Pressing either button connects to the device that was paired on that button. It charges via a USB-C port and has a USB-C to USB-A cable included. It is only about 6 inches long, but enough to get from an IFE USB to the AirFly. It is pretty cool. 

The Sony Mark V headphones are everything they promise to be. I agree with Tom’s and RTINGS analysis. While they do not come with aptX, they have the other main codecs, including LDAC. These seem to me to be better than the Bose 700’s, which likely will not be upgraded until next year. On the other hand, the Mark V uses BT 5.2 and I was able to get about 40+ feet away from the source with no dropoff in quality or squeaks/pops. It was just as clear as when I was in the room.

These work really well. They are not perfect. And pricey. But if you have the money, they are worth it. I believe it is better than the Bose 700s.  The noise canceling is super and the sound is excellent. I do not have one of the subscriptions to try the spatial 360 stuff. The ear cups fit nicely over my normal sized ears and provide a snug fit. There are only two buttons, one to power on and one to change the noise canceling levels, of which there are about 6 or 7. I have not yet been on a plane to see about engine noise, but around the house, it is a “dark” zone when I have these on.

However, I notice that sometimes when I laugh or move my jaws just so, it pauses the video/audio stream and I have to double-tap the right cup to play again (I watch one or two episodes of Hogan’s Heroes or Bob Newhart to relax my mind before I go to bed). It is still pretty cool that when I take them off, the stream pauses and then resumes when I put them back on.

The connection via BT was clean, and the Duke Ellington I listened to was sensational. All ambient noise in my home office was eliminated. The app is a little lame, and to get the 360 Spatial, you have to use one of 5 services, one of which is TIDAL, but the others were obscure to me (Deezer, Artist, mugs.net,, Peertracks) 

I particularly enjoyed being able to use the conductive touch feature to raise/lower the volume, skip ahead and such. Just a quick swipe on the left earcup was all that was needed. They also include a 3.5mm cable for a wired connection if you run out of juice, but they are supposed to last for 30 hours at full charge. A nice thing, you can get a couple of hours with a 3-5 minute charge, although with the advent of more in-seat power this is not really a “feature.” 

In theory you can use Aa-Lady to do things with the app, but I have not been able to figure that out yet. I also Have had issues trying to update the firmware.

While I know that high-speed connectivity is coming, many do not have that and use the IFE system. This doohickey will let them use their BT headphones for which they paid a fortune.

This week we look at why OLED TVs are losing the price war to Mini-LED and share some of the winners of the Expert Imaging and Sound Association EISA Awards. Plus we read your emails and look at the week’s news.

News:

The picture quality benefits of the best OLED TVs are widely known and rightly lauded – if you want images with perfect blacks and detailed shadows, OLED has long been a go-to for discerning viewers. (Full article here…)

No budget OLED 

Pricing levels for OLED panels remain prohibitively high and that’s even with the recent addition  of Samsung Display to the supplier mix. The current situation simply doesn’t work for a budget b brand, one that’s focused on establishing market credentials while maintaining pricing aggressive enough to sway buyers over.

Enter mini-LED: the OLED alternative

Hisense expects to sell its 65-inch U8H mini-LED ULED TV for $950-$1,000. Samsung’s mini-LED-backlit QN90B Neo QLED TV displays deep blacks and detailed shadows – kind of like an OLED TV for $2500. That is $500 less than LG’s 77” C1 (2022). Note - there are other OLED models that are in the same price range or less than the Samsung QLED. Also you can buy a 2021 model of the C1 for about the same price as the QLED. 

Competition

Competition will always force manufacturers to be more efficient and price competitive. Competition is coming at OLED on two fronts, other suppliers of OLED panels and mini-LED. One thing to consider is that Mini LED is new and thus has more room to improve the process and cost. This translates to really inexpensive mini-LED panels that may be too difficult for OLED to attain. Regardless of which technology wins, this is good for consumers. Either platform will provide you with an experience reserved only for the highest end consumers of just five years ago,

The Expert Imaging and Sound Association is the community of 60 technology magazines, websites and social media commentators from 29 countries, specializing in hi-fi, home theater, photo and video, in-car and mobile electronics. Every year the EISA jury of experts rewards the best products in each class with a coveted EISA Award. This week we’ll cover a few of the winners and link to the complete list (EISA AWARDS 2022-2023).

Hi-Fi

Home Theater Audio

Home Theater Display and Video  

This week we are back from vacation and have a jam packed show. We start off with a Phoenix record store owner who set the audiophile world on fire over his claim that Mobile Fidelity a company that has prided itself on using original master tapes for its pricey reissues, had actually been using digital files in its production chain.  Then we look at 8 reasons you should keep buying UHD discs. And we look at Projector Central’s 2022 Laser TV Showdown. All this plus the week’s news and your emails!

News:

Other:

In a sometimes halting video posted to the YouTube channel of his Phoenix record shop, the ‘In’ Groove, Esposito said that “pretty reliable sources” told him that MoFi (Mobile Fidelity), the Sebastopol, Calif., company that has prided itself on using original master tapes for its pricey reissues, had actually been using digital files in its production chain. In the world of audiophiles — where provenance is everything and the quest is to get as close to the sound of an album’s original recording as possible — digital is considered almost unholy. And using digital while claiming not to is the gravest sin a manufacturer can commit. Full Article Here…

Comments from Youtube video:

So basically, MOFI just proved that all these guys who swore they could tell analog from digital were just full of crap!! 🤣🤣🤣 Thanks MoFi for settling that tired old debate!

I think this introduces a new concept, that there is a difference between an “Audiophile” and an “Audiopurist”. The audiophile chases the best sound quality, whereas the audiopurist requires the media to be of a specific origin, and with no deviation, which can be digital or analog. I think the marriage of digital in the analog format works fantastic, and can produce results that are synergistic.

I personally attribute the magic of vinyl, regardless of the source the vinyl was made from, is the mechanical to electric conversion that occurs in the cartridge.  It's differently nuanced then how a DAC converts its signal.  I think that's why vinyl kills digital in terms of soundstage, and imaging.

This isn’t even remotely shocking to me all things considered. I spent all of 2020 investing so much into my system and high end audiophile vinyl to find CD counterparts matching or exceeding. I’ve collected vinyl for 15+ years and it’s a wonderful medium to enjoy music. But it’s all about the mastering. Digital mastering done right can be even better. This is proof.

For true movie enthusiasts who value the highest quality viewing, movie discs are still the way to go. Here's why… 

The results are in from the 2022 Laser TV Showdown hosted August 4th by ProjectorCentral and ProjectorScreen.com that faced-off 14 laser UST projectors, with newcomer Formovie capturing the top honor in the Triple Laser category and projection stalwart BenQ coming in first in the Single Laser category. Full article here…

The difference between the highest rated projector and lowest regardless of technology is 9.15 for the BenQ V7050i and 8.06 for the Optoma P2. That’s an 11% difference however the cost difference is $1200.  You need to decide if that 11% improvement is worth the $1200. 

Even more compelling is that the Hisense 100L5G came in second in the single laser category with a score of 8.90 just 2.5% less performance for $500 more. But the caveat here is that the Hisense comes with a 100” screen making it a better value than the BenQ

The best 3 Laser UST was the Formovie Theater (catchy name) with an overall score of 9.08 and costing $3000. $500 less than the BenQ. If that is not compelling enough it supports Dolby Vision! 

A few months ago we talked with the CEO of AWOL about their new LTV-3500 which has Dolby Vision in Beta but it's big thing was that it has a super bright laser with a whopping 3500 lumens. And where this projector shined was in daytime viewing in a bright room. However it was at the low end on color gamut.  It finished second to last and costs $4900. But in the category second to last is still really good with a score of 8.76 which is only 3% worse than the winner.

Notes - Since all these projectors were calibrated we have no way of knowing if one calibrator’s results vs another could have changed the results. Some of the results only a percent of two off. We’d like to see this done again using the preconfigured settings of the manufacturer. Because if they are pitching these projectors as large format TV replacements and not high end home theater units most people won’t get them calibrated. 

Ara owns an Optoma P1 which was the predecessor of the P2. He really likes it so he is excited about where this category has gone. Every one of these projectors in the showdown is an improvement on P1. The Formovie Theater and the AWOL LTV-3500 are on his shortlist to replace his 4K LCD when it stops working.

This week Ara is on vacation again but we didn't want to leave you hanging so we have a special show. We go back to the early 2000s and learn how Ara and Braden became pilots for a very brief moment. And we also look at the best 65" TV for less than $1000

The Hisense 65U8G is the best 65-inch TV under $1,000 we've tested (full review here). It's an impressive TV, with outstanding contrast, excellent black uniformity, and high HDR peak brightness. It has the Android TV smart platform built-in, with an easy-to-use interface with a large selection of apps, so you're sure to find your favorite streaming content. It supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, meaning you can get a great HDR experience from any streaming service or external source.

Visibility won't be an issue if you want to use it in a well-lit room, thanks to its excellent reflection handling and amazing SDR peak brightness. It's also an amazing TV for playing video games, with an excellent response time, resulting in very clear motion with little blur behind fast-moving objects. It has low input lag and supports both FreeSync and G-SYNC Compatible variable refresh rate technology, which can help reduce tearing in some games. It's also great for PS5 or Xbox Series S|X gaming, with HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on two ports.

8.4 Mixed Usage 

8.6 Movies 

8.2 TV Shows 

8.0 Sports 

8.8 Video Games 

8.6 HDR Movies 

8.8 HDR Gaming 

8.3 PC Monitor 

Pros:

Cons:

This week we take a look at a new IPTV service called Vidgo and the five reasons why services like Vidgo are taking subscribers away from Cable and Satellite TV Services. Can they stem the flow? Perhaps but it's unlikely they will do what is needed. We also read your email and the news of the week.

News: 

Other:

Stream with Vidgo for 110+ channels of LIVE sports, entertainment news, local, and so much more. Every Vidgo subscription gives you access to 14,000+ shows and movies, with 100+ hours of new content added daily. Timeless hits, blockbuster movies, classics, and new releases - all at your fingertips. Grab your popcorn and get comfy! More info…

We have talked about Cable and Satellite systems dying a slow death for quite some time. This is a slow death that has been going on for almost ten years. Today we talk about what is causing it and how the cable companies can not only reverse it but thrive.

The most obvious is that there are streaming alternatives that provide on demand entertainment. Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Apple as well as the networks provide streaming content. You no longer need a set top box provided by cable and satellite companies to watch anything that is being broadcast to the masses. Ironically you need high speed internet and for most of us that is being provided by cable companies. This is a missed opportunity for better bundles by cable providers. We are no longer willing to pay for a ton of channels that we don’t watch. We joke about getting what we want (a la carte programming) is costing us more, which is true. However, for the same amount or slightly more money, we get an unproportionally large amount of programming. When we first opined that it would be great to just watch the channels we wanted and only pay for them, we had no idea what was coming in the way of content. There is just so much content out there that you have to subscribe to more services which ends up driving up the cost of your “TV”  plan. And it is good content!! No more summer doldrums as far as TV programming goes. If you have a limited budget you now allocate it to other services and not cable or satellite.  Companies like ESPN, Discovery, and HBO have made their content available directly to the consumer. No need for a cable or satellite service to get some of the best programming on TV. Cable and Satellite service costs have really risen to the point where the pain of separating is less than the pain of remaining on the service.  Back in the day if you wanted to watch something it had to be on TV. Now we watch on our phones, tablets and computers. It is so easy to take your content with you using streaming providers. Your entertainment is now portable both inside and outside the house. With IPTV every room in the house can easily be connected to your streamers. Gone are the days when adding a TV to a bedroom was an ordeal to string cable to it. Now if you have wifi you can add a TV.

So what can be done to reverse this trend? In our opinion there is nothing that can be done. However, the cable providers can steer into the skid and go full IPTV. We looked into adding a cable TV and an Internet bundles and on paper it looked comparable so why not just go with getting both services in one place. 

Well it's the fees and hidden costs that get you. We could not find a true IPTV service through Cox. Sure they had an option where you could watch your TV on different devices. But all their plans required a set top box that you have to rent. Plus the costs are only guaranteed for two years and require a two year commitment. And to top it off, there are a bunch of fees that just break the bank and make this an uncompetitive choice for almost everyone.

For cable companies to survive, they have to stop being cable companies and embrace the fact that they are now primarily Internet Service Providers that can also offer IPTV at a lower cost that other IPTV services. 

This week we discuss Bluetooth getting it's biggest upgrade in years, NFL+ launching it's own streaming service and Braden tells us if his new speakers were worth the wait. Plus we read your emails and news of the week.

News:

This latest evolution to the Bluetooth specification known as Auracast enables Bluetooth streaming “to an unlimited number of nearby audio devices." - This has so many cool uses. Imagine being at an airport gate and being able to connect your headphones to your particular gate announcements. That way you never have to wonder if the last call to board that you just heard was for your flight or for the gate across the way.  But more traditionally you can share your music with friends headphones or you can listen to the audio of a TV in a sports bar.  

There is also the new LC3 codec, which is designed to be a much more efficient way to transmit audio. That either means much higher audio quality at the same bit rate than the current baseline SBC codec, or even slightly better audio quality at less than half the bit rate. A lower bit rate means lower power consumption, which should translate to longer battery life. This would be nice if you can decide which way to go. If you were going for a long bike ride you may forgo the highest quality for longer battery life. 

Other features include better support for true wireless earbuds, since Bluetooth LE Audio allows each individual earbud to maintain its own separate connection with the source device. And it’s also hoped that, combined, all LE Audio’s features will serve as a massive benefit for future hearing aids.

The last thing that is left is whether or not it will be integrated into existing devices. While it may be possible to add support for Bluetooth LE Audio through updates in the present devices, most people might have to purchase better hardware.

The National Football League (NFL) has launched its own streaming service called NFL+. Beginning with the 2022 season. There are two subscription options for NFL+. The basic plan costs $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year. 

For $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year, the NFL+ Premium gives you all the features of the basic tier plus some extras. 

Braden took delivery of his new speakers (CSS Criton 2TD-X Tower Kit MSRP $1074) this week and we get his thoughts on hs Historic Speakers. 

Specifications:

This week we discuss whether TV reviews are worth using on the current crop of TVs and we look at the US use of Smart TVs growing even beyond the pandemic induced growth of 2020. Vizio announced their new lineup with the glaring omission of a new P-Series model. And finally we read your emails and look at the week’s news.

News:

TV reviews in 2022 have gotten messy. From delayed delivery and restricted availability, to confusing firmware updates, and unnecessarily deep dives, TV reviews don't look anything like they used to, and that's become a problem. (Youtube Video)

Supply Chain issues causing delays in TV shipments which means it's harder to get TVs for review. Some reviewers have to go to the manufacturer’s site for review. But you are reviewing the TVs on the manufacturer’s terms which means you won’t necessarily get the full picture. Because there is a lack of TVs that are available for review some reviewers dive so deep into the minutiae they may expose something that does not affect 99% of the watching experience but they complain loudly. Then the TV manufacturers, wanting no bad press, over react and fix the issue and inadvertently break something else. Which results in the TV you bought a month prior turning into a different TV due to a firmware update. This may or may not be a good thing. But it kind of does invalidate aspects of any previous reviews.

Hub Entertainment Research reveals the huge pandemic-era shift in consumption patterns. The big question in a post-growth era for Netflix: Is this shift still happening? Full article here…

Vizio has announced its 2023 collection of new M-, V-, and D-Series smart TVs. However, there weren’t any new P-Series products announced. Vizio says that its existing 65- and 75-inch P-Series Quantum TVs, and 85-inch P-Series Quantum X TV will all continue to be sold until at least the end of 2022. A quick search of the Vizio website showed none available. For reference, Vizio lists the 85” P Quantum X for $3100. It is possible that the high end chips required for these TVs are in short supply but we’ll have to wait until the end of the year for any info.  Press release…

Vizio M-Series Quantum X

Specs:

Vizio M-Series Quantum 6

Specs:

Vizio V-Series

Specs:

Vizio D-Series

Specs

This week we have a special guest host DJ Briggs of “The Bright Side of Home Theater” podcast filling in for Braden. We do the usual things like read your email and discuss the week’s news. But we also discuss how much DJ loves his Kaleidescape video server.

News:

Compact Terra Movie Server 

The compact size allows the server to be rack mounted side-by-side with the Strato C

Kaleidescape’s compact Terra movie server and Strato C movie players offer upgraded performance compared to Strato S, pulling key features from the top-level Terra sever into a smaller and less expensive package.

Strato C Movie Player

Kaleidescape designed the Strato C movie player to provide an immersive home cinema experience, with better audio and video playback quality than most commercial theaters. Strato C is a premium 4K Ultra HD movie player that supports high dynamic range (HDR) and lossless multichannel audio including Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, DTS:X, and DTS-HD Master Audio. Strato C plays movies from a Terra, a compact Terra, or a Strato S over a network, with bit rates up to 100 Mbps and frame rates up to 60 fps.

This week Ara is on vacation but we didn't want to leave you hanging so we have a special show. We go back to the mid nineties and learn how Ara almost gave up software to become a projectionist. Enjoy!

This week we take a look at the Hisense UG6 as the best budget TV (from RTINGS.com) and we take a look at a streamers dream site called “The Streamable”. Plus we read some listener emails and the week’s news.

News:

The best budget TV we've tested is the Hisense U6G (Full Review) (65” $549.99). It's a great all-around TV that delivers good picture quality and offers performance that rivals some more expensive options, but you won't get some of the same features. For example, it has fewer gaming features than both the Hisense U8G and LG C1 OLED, but if you don't need those features, it's a great choice that'll save you some cash. If you tend to stream a lot of content, you won't have to worry about getting an external streaming device because the built-in Android TV has a ton of apps available to download. Even if you watch content from a cable box, the picture quality is good because it upscales lower-resolution content without any issue.

It's also impressive when watching movies in dark rooms because it displays deep blacks with outstanding black uniformity. Unfortunately, if you want to enhance your movie-watching experience and connect a receiver, the U6G doesn't have eARC support to pass high-quality audio formats. If that's important to you, the Hisense U6GR is similar in performance and supports eARC. However, the U6G delivers the best picture quality for a budget TV and is easier to find.

8.0 Mixed Usage 

8.3 Movies 

7.8 TV Shows 

7.7 Sports 

8.2 Video Games 

8.0 HDR Movies 

8.1 HDR Gaming 

7.9 PC Monitor 

PROS

CONS

The Streamable is a website that helps you find the best way to stream anything. If you have wanted to know how to watch a movie or even find out if a movie is available to buy, rent, or stream through a service this website is for you!

The website is full of useful information to anyone who streams their entertainment. There is a tool to help you find the best TV service for what you watch. It's called the “Service Matchmaker”. Here you can enter sporting teams or networks you are interested in and it will give you a list of services that support it. Note - the site makes a commission on any purchases you make through them. 

Ara entered the Los Angeles Dodgers as a criteria and the only option was DirecTV Stream. Looks like he is not changing services soon. If I were a Rams fan Sling TV Orange package comes up as a possibility. However, so does DirecTV stream at a higher monthly cost. Even with the cost, Streamable says it's the better option based on the channels available and other features. But if I were strictly making a financial decision SlingTV is the way to go.

Searching Top Gun Maverick yielded “Top Gun: Maverick is not available to stream with a subscription service.” Nor did it provide any insight as to when it would be available for streaming. But searching for Jurassic World Dominion revealed that it will be available for streaming on Peacock on October 7. A little more than 90 days after it hit the theaters. Not day and date but not six months later either.

The site is pretty comprehensive in that you can search on sports, TV Series, movies, channels, devices, and more. It's really the streamers best friend.

What we’d like to see happen with streamable

Of course this is a pipe dream but why not. We’d like to see streamable integrated with smart TVs and set top boxes. It would also be nice if this integration automatically picked up the services you subscribe to. Displayed search results would be listed by the least expensive way to watch first with clickable links. If none of your services are able to stream a title then it would list options to stream if available, and clicking on them would take you to a one click signup page.  

If you stream “The Streamable” should be your go to site!

This week we take a look at the top ten movies on Netflix and talk about DTS Play-Fi becoming a challenger to WISA with their new Play-Fi Soundbars. We also discuss why 8K TV sales are not really doing anything worldwide. Plus we read your emails and the week’s news.

News:

The following are Netflix's most watched movies, based on Netflix's own reporting of total hours viewed in the first 28 days of each titles' release. Any changes are in bold text. 

Red Notice, an action movie starring Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds -- 364 million hours. Don't Look Up, a dark comedy with a star-packed cast -- 359.8 million hours.  Bird Box, a post-apocalyptic movie starring Sandra Bullock -- 282 million hours. The Adam Project, a sci-fi adventure comedy -- 233.2 million hours. Extraction, an action movie starring Chris Hemsworth-- 231.3 million hours. The Unforgivable, a drama about a woman rebuilding her life after prison -- 214.7 million hours. The Irishman, a period Mafia epic directed by Martin Scorsese-- 214.6 million hours. The Kissing Booth 2, a teen rom-com sequel -- 209.3 million hours. 6 Underground, a Michael Bay explosion-fest starring Ryan Reynolds -- 205.5 million hours. Spenser Confidential, an action-comedy starring Mark Wahlberg -- 197.3 million hours.

Play-Fi Home Theater Extended in TVs to support new Speaker Configurations. DTS Play-Fi Home Theater is both expanding the feature-set and availability. Full press release from DTS here…

Play-Fi Home Theater for Soundbars

Support for wireless surround sound has been added to the latest generation of Play-Fi soundbars, speakers and subwoofers. You can create a wireless home theater using multiple Play-Fi products as the cornerstone of your system. TYou can add up to two subwoofers and optional rear satellites or amplifiers for surround sound with support up to 7.2.4.

Play-Fi Home Theater for TVs Enhancements

Available beginning with 2022 TV models, Play-Fi Home Theater for TVs will allow Play-Fi speakers or amplifiers to be used either as stereo pairs with the TV, or alternatively to be used as left and right speakers with the TV serving as the center channel for a surround sound system. This functionality augments existing home theater functionality enabled in 2021 TVs including: Using the TV’s built-in speakers as the front channels of a surround system or upgrading them with a Play-Fi enabled soundbar to improve audio quality without wiring between TVs and external speakers or electronics. Select Philips TVs will be first to launch with these features.

New and Recently Launched Play-Fi Products

New products continue to launch featuring DTS Play-Fi in 2022 and more products are on the way. Products that have launched or are launching soon include:

Products that Support Play-Fi Surround

There are two elements of product required for Play-Fi Surround. They are the concepts of the Master and its Surrounds. In order to have Play-Fi Surround, you need at least one product that can be the Master, and you need two to act in Surround as Left and Right respectively. Any Play-Fi product can act as Surround Left or Right, but the Master has special requirements, and is limited to select products.

The latest DTS Play-Fi soundbars will allow you to create configurations up to 7.2.4—complete with height channels for Dolby Atmos—simply by adding more Wi-Fi-connected Play-Fi speakers.

8K TV has been getting a lot of hype, especially from Samsung, but the latest numbers show that consumers aren’t taking the bait. Full article here…

According to a recent report from Omdia research only 350,000 8K TVs were shipped to dealers worldwide in 2021, which amounts to only 1.5% of total TV shipments. With Samsung offering the most models, 65% of the 250,000 were from them. What is interesting is that according to the report, Samsung didn’t ship any 8K TVs to Japan. What makes this significant is that Japan is the only country that actually offers 8K TV broadcasts on a limited basis.  

By the end of 2022, the number of 8K TV households is expected to break down as follows:

REGION NUMBER OF 8K TV HOUSEHOLDS

Western Europe 305,000

North America 269,000

China 244,000

Asia and Oceania 121,000

Eastern Europe 115,000

Japan 48,000

Latin America and the Caribbean 43,000

The Middle East and Africa 37,000

World Total 1,181,000

The following factors affect 8K TV Adoption:

This week we try to determine whether Netflix has jumped the shark and what they can do save the company. We also take a look at a new smart home protocol from Broadlink called Fastcon. It's highly reliable and very affordable. We also read your emails and discuss the week’s news.

News:

Other:

Just been thinking about Netflix and wanted to share my thoughts 

The old saying from Happy days when the Fonz jumped a shark tank on water skis and Happy Days was never the same.

Innovation & Interface

No one can say that Netflix was not an innovator in the DVD delivery and then streaming service.  They showed everyone what could be done and pioneered the streaming services.  A wise person in the software business who I work with to create our company’s digital platform told me this that our product was visionary and ahead of anything currently on the market.  He then said let’s make sure that we keep pushing forward because the competition is coming and this is their starting point.  Netflix in my opinion is no longer the innovator they once were and have fallen behind the crowd.  I believe the lack of integrating into a box or TV streaming OS really hurts them.  This is my main way to find new stuff to watch and the what’s next makes decisions easier.  Their interface I believe is one of the worst of the main stream services.  They have gone to allowing algorithms show you movies/shows that it thinks you would want to watch.  I have a soft side I don’t always need to see thing blow up in what I watch.  Trying to find the vast majority of their library is difficult.  The other streaming service allow you to see everything they have very easily again in my opinion.

Cost of main stream streamers & Business Model

Netflix 4k streaming at $19.99 Disney Bundle – No ads 4k streaming - $19.99 Netflix - 1080P only - @ $15.49 HBO Max - 4k streaming @ $14.99 Disney Bundle adds - $13.99

All others are under $10 a month I believe   

They raised their prices at the wrong time as inflation was starting to it creep up they raised the prices and in reality or the #1 & 2 highest priced streaming services as the Disney bundle is 3 separate services.  Also, it was kick in the face to be charging $15.49 for 1080P streaming – this is when I said goodbye.  I have kept my Paramount, Discovery, Apple TV+, subscription because their prices is low and upgraded to Peacock without commercials because the per month price is under $10.  I do get the Disney bundle and HBO Max free and if I had to pay for them I would pay from HBO Max & Disney Plus – wait for the $1 deal from hulu to sign back up.

Their business model of binging is great for consumers but not the corporations.  Once Netflix jumped the shark with their prices I decided I could just wait till the late summer and re-activate for a month or two to see all their good content and then put the service back on pause.  Disney & HBO have the weekly release that to me makes more invested in their services and they have good content.  

Future

Does NetFlix go the way of Blackberry, MySpace or can they reinvent themselves?  This is the questions each stockholder is asking right now.  If I were in charge first thing I would do is realize that I’m no longer the only big dog and be honest about my place in the streaming world.  I would integrate with the Box and TV OS’s integrated search.  I would redesign my interface.  I would change my $15.49 price to allow for 4K streaming.   I would not buy Roku as that does not help you but spend money.  If your plan is to make it the only way to get Netflix then you really don’t know your place in the streaming war.  If you want to buy something look for a content provider with a big catalog if there is one left.  I hope Reid can see beyond his ego and reshape Netflix to be competitive and still deliver great content and reasonable price. 

Roku stock was up nearly 10% Wednesday morning as internal discussions focus on the possibility of a tie-up with a streaming giant that suddenly needs help with advanced advertising Full article here…

Ad supported streaming? - With Roku Netflix would not have to share revenue with other hardware makers. 

We have spoken a lot about Matter this year as a way to unify the Smart Home market. Well there is another protocol that has recently been released that has some pretty cool features. We’re talking about the Broadlink FastCon Smart Home Protocol. FastCon BLE is a patented communication technology based on Bluetooth Low Energy developed by BroadLink, boasting many advantages over their previous Wi-Fi based smart products.

Benefits include:

What devices are on the market?

Broadlink has a lot of devices and from what we can tell you can do your entire home with their devices and here is the kicker, their products are inexpensive. They even have an IR remote that allows you to integrate your smart home with your home theater.

The best way to get started is with a starter kit that consists of 3 A19 Bluetooth Color Changing Light Bulbs with Music Sync, 1 Wireless Scene Switch and a Hub. While the Hub is not required for local control, it does allow remote access of your home as well as voice control via Alexa or Google Home. All of this for the whopping price of $34.99!

There are Smart Touch Wall Light Switches available for $24.99 for the 1 Gang model that requires a hub but not included. The version that comes with a hub is only two dollars more ($26.99). Someone is taking a loss on the hub! There is a model that allows you to control three light lights for $30.99. 

There are also two types of wall plugs, and the cheapest one available is $5.99 and is a simple on and off switch. The second version has a dimmable night light that sells for $11.99

You can use the $24.99 Smart Button (includes a hub) to kick off scenes and automations as well as control lights and turn on your home entertainment system. To control your home entertainment system you will need the Mini IR Universal Remote Control which runs $25,99.  They support almost all TVs and entertainment systems on the market today. But with this remote you are not limited to TVs. You can control AC Units, blinds, and pretty much anything that takes an IR command. 

This system looks similar to Insteon in the sense that it is proprietary. We didn’t find a Thermostat that works with it so keep that in mind. It is also unlikely that Broadlink will support Matter anytime soon. If you go this route you may be on an island. Albeit a nice tropical island.

This week we discuss the Sonos Ray Sounbar and we found a solution for controlling which rooms in your house get all the cool or warm air from your HVAC system. Finally we take a walk through Costco and look at their TV department. We have some breaking news about Insteon turning their servers back on along with the rest of the week’s news. We also read your emails in an action packed episode!. 

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Other:

The $279 Ray is the closest thing yet to a Sonos One speaker in soundbar form, and that's high praise. Full article here…

A few weeks ago we talked about trying to keep an entire home at the same temperature by using sensors throughout the house. Ara mentioned that in his home to get the upstairs cool he needs to keep the downstairs cold. Reverse in the winter for heat.

Rather than getting a second A/C unit Ara bought portable A/C units for the bedrooms upstairs. But this is a manual process albeit one that works well when there are people in the house to turn the units on. At that time we opined that it would be great if there was a way to control the vents automatically to send the air where it was needed. 

Richard from San Diego heard our call and let us know about a company called Keen Home that has solved the problem with their Ecovent Whole Home Zoning System. We have no relationship with the company nor do we have experience with the product so this is just for information. We reached out to the company to see if we can get a representative to come on our show. 

The following is from the Keen Home Website:

Samsung QN85QN85BD (85”) for $3999.99 Oddly enough Samsung is selling them for the same price on their website. Amazon has it for $3997. Looks like the only discounts available on this TV is the 2021 model which goes for $3345 at Amazon. The only difference we can see is that the 2022 model has speakers at the top that support Dolby Atmos. In our opinion you will be better served with the 2021 model and saving $500. 

The Costco version comes with a $65 Samsung streaming credit.

LG OLED77C1AUB (77”) for $2599.99. Like the Samsung this OLED is going for the same amount on LGs website for the PUB version which appears to be the non warehouse store equivalent. At the time of this writing we could not find the 2022 model at Amazon. But the 2021 was available for $2596.

The Costco version comes with a $100 streaming credit.

Sony XR77A80CJ (77”) The best we can tell is that this is a 2021 model and the warehouse store equivalent of the XR77A80J. Feature wise they are identical. The 80J goes for $2799.99 on Sony’s website and is also available at Amazon for $2599.96.

The Costco version comes with a $200 credit to Bravia Core which brings the cinematic experience home. Enjoy streaming high-quality movies included with BRAVIA CORE™, exclusively on select Sony TVs

Samsung QN75Q60BD (75”) for $1399.99 Samsung is selling them for the same price on their website. Amazon has the 2021 model available for $1197 at Amazon. The only difference we can see is that the 2022 model has more audio processing as compared to the 2021 version. In our opinion you will be better served with the 2021 model and saving $200. 

The Costco version comes with a $65 Samsung streaming credit.