Merry Christmas!

If you are sending in pictures, and you’d be ok with Tom using them over at https://avgadgets.com/ , please include written permission, or send them directly via email to Tom @ AVRant dot com. Many thanks!

Our Listeners of the Week are Manuel for his PayPal donation, and our 127 Patreon Patrons, including Bertrand, as well as Kevin for talking us up to Accessories4Less and SVS, and Jason for buying Rob Ford v Ferrari on Ultra HD Blu-ray! We also want to thank Paul, Kevin, Gurinder, Bertrand, J.R. & Chris for their notes of gratitude to us for keeping the podcast going. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmT2AsDB

In the news:
– Cyberpunk 2077 has been riddled with problems and pulled from the PlayStation Store: https://is.gd/ObktfL

– HBO Max is now on Roku devices: https://is.gd/afuUdI
– And PS5, too: https://is.gd/PYbRAD

– Chromecast with Google TV will get the Apple TV App in early 2021, with Android TV devices to follow: https://is.gd/1R6TdL

– Samsung’s 110-inch microLED TV is $155,000: https://is.gd/bkiEso

– 0:20:29 Via Joe K. – we have confirmation that Denon & Marantz’ DTS:X Pro update includes Front Wide speaker support for Dolby Surround Upmixer, and Upmixer cross-pollination.

Comments:

– Chris C. shared the results of following our advice.

– Carl & Ilango recommend the CyberPower SL700 slim battery backup UPS (https://is.gd/BP8Ifm) and Tripp Lite UltraBlok compact surge outlet (https://is.gd/7puN60).

0:25:05 Joe K. praises Marantz and JVC for their feature-adding firmware updates, and also the Datacolor SpyderX Pro colorimeter. He painted his ceiling black, and asks how he should acoustically treat his ceiling.
– Datacolor SpyderX: https://is.gd/sDbO0j
– GiK GridFusor: https://is.gd/LuJXQ7

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If you are sending in pictures, and you’d be ok with Tom using them over at https://avgadgets.com/ , please include written permission, or send them directly via email to Tom @ AVRant dot com. Many thanks!

Our Listeners of the Week are Brian, Chris, and Brendan for their PayPal donations, plus our 126 Patreon Patrons. We also want to thank Jack, Nick, Chris, and Joe for their notes of gratitude to us for keeping the podcast going. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmSTSynw

In the news:
– Headlines saying Denon & Marantz’ HDMI 2.1 AVRs work with 4K/120 now are a bit misleading: https://is.gd/ARW9MH
– https://avgadgets.com/why-2020-21-is-a-terrible-time-to-buy-an-av-receiver/

– Samsung announced a non-modular, 110″, “consumer” micro-LED TV (pricing is higher than we’d heard at the time of recording): https://is.gd/bkiEso

– Disney announced oodles of new shows & movies for Disney+: https://is.gd/wrvTkP
– Disney+ prices are going up, and countries outside of the USA are getting Star (whether you want it or not) instead of Hulu: https://is.gd/KTzAVY

– 0:19:44 Harmony Remotes are getting hard to come by, and we don’t know if they’ll be around much longer, so we detail your alternatives:
https://avgadgets.com/logitech-discontinues-harmony-remotes/

Comments:
– Clara doesn’t think Power Sound Audio’s 18″ subwoofer models are fully optimized or particularly good, and suggests opting for Monoprice Monolith or JTR instead.
– Monoprice Monolith M-215: https://is.gd/sYyZlt
– JTR Home speakers & subs: https://is.gd/n2wLzw

– Nick B. auditioned KEF Q-Series speakers, but opted for Ascend SE Series instead.

– Jason S. heard from Amphony that their Model 1700 wireless speaker kit with amplification won’t be back in stock until February: https://is.gd/cf8Czo

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Have a look at what Tom’s been up to over at https://avgadgets.com/ . You’ll find written versions of some of our most frequently discussed topics, product reviews, and tidbits of info that aren’t readily available anywhere else!

Our Listeners of the Week are our 126 Patreon Patrons, as well as James “House of Cards” C. for talking us up to Accessories4Less, and James S. from Linus Tech Tips for giving us a shout out in their recent review of the LG 8K OLED88ZX: https://youtu.be/M5IfCdJq_ow . We also greatly appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from Kris, Andy, James, Bret, Martin, Nathan, and Gurinder. Thanks to everyone for continuing to listen!

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmSGNG66

In the news:

– WarnerMedia will release all its 2021 theatrical movies day-and-date on HBO Max: https://is.gd/kawkyM
– HBO Max will gain support for 4K/HDR, Dolby Vision & Dolby Atmos: https://is.gd/lR1sNP
– And Christopher Nolan isn’t happy about it: https://is.gd/XHHj6z

– HDTV Test reviewed Sony’s newest projectors, and they do not have frame-by-frame dynamic tone mapping, after all: https://youtu.be/ST11jRYwmr0

Comments:

– Dan T. extols the virtues of bias lights for making LCD TVs look perceptually closer to OLED.

– Nick K. warns that the heat from a register close in front of a projector actually can distort the image.

– 0:35:15 Nathan W. says we convinced his friends to increase their budget, and possibly consider other speakers.
– Klipsch RP on-walls: https://is.gd/pLqW0s
– KEF T-Series: https://is.gd/flpWin

– Gurinder warns that cutting Super Chunk bass traps can still be messy.

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Our Listeners of the Week are Dane and Jack for their donations, plus our 126 Patreon Patrons, including Jack, as well as Gurinder for sending Amazon gift cards, and telling someone in person to start listening to our podcast. We also want to thank: Jason, David, Bertrand, Dane, John, Rob, Andrew, Greg, Karl, Nathan, Brendan, Joe, and Colin for their notes of gratitude to us for keeping the podcast going! Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmSyjGfZ

In the news:

– Via Theo – Front Wide support for the Dolby Surround Upmixer was mentioned back in August during a SpareChange interview with Trinnov: https://youtu.be/de7mtHD_m6I?t=3568

– Polk and Def Tech have the first IMAX Enhanced speakers: https://is.gd/UxJbjU

Comments:

– Bob thinks the Center speaker really is the most important when you have tinnitus or other hearing issues.

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Tom is now the Editor-in-Chief at AV Gadgets: https://avgadgets.com/

0:02:07 Tom reviews the Tribit QuietPlus 50 Bluetooth Active Noise Canceling Headphones.
And you can read his full review at AV Gadgets: https://avgadgets.com/tribit-quietplus-50-bluetooth-anc-headphone-review/

Also check out Rob’s Recommended Video, Audio & Blu-ray Player Settings for Xbox Series X & PlayStation 5: https://youtu.be/Z2IJnxWTF14

Our Listeners of the Week are Kevin and Dazz for their PayPal donations, and our 127 Patreon Patrons, including Bryce. We also want to thank: James, Brandon, Dan, Nathan, Nelson, Bastian, Chris, Luke, Chad, Dazz, Vince, Jairus, Gary & Bertrand who all sent us notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going! Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmSoozZd

In the news:

– SVS has a Black Friday Sale on 2000 Series (not 2000 Pro) subwoofers: https://is.gd/dA8OTo

– Wonder Woman 1984 will be released on HBO Max day-and-date with theaters on Christmas Day: https://is.gd/ytNmSJ

– Via Clara – Plex Pass subscribers can now add HDR to SDR tone mapping: https://is.gd/uL1Xgv

Comments:

– Jonathan needed to vent about needing to have multiple streaming devices, and the woes of switching from fiber optic to cable ISP.

– Bob still gets nagged to replace his LG OLED’s power board, which was already done. And he wonders if he’s experiencing the placebo effect, since colors seem to look more vibrant now.

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