Rebranded Zappiti products have magically appeared under the new brand name R_volution. The Matter 1.2 specification adds nine new smart home product categories to its interoperability standard. And Lee and his wife visited Tom in Florida, and you’ll never guess what happened right after they left.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:11:48 – What We Watched

Rob watched The Pope’s Exorcist, started Only Murders in the Building S.3, and continued with Loki S.2.

Tom has started watching Combat Juggling, and has nearly finished Star Wars Rebels.

00:29:53 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Kevin for his PayPal donation, plus our 136 Patreon Patrons, as well as Eddie for sending a movie code to Tom to check out.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: J. Karl, Julian, and Vince. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:32:16 – News: Zappiti becomes R_volution

Rebranded Zappiti products have appeared under the new brand https://www.rvolution.com/ shortly after Zappiti’s announcement that they’re closing down for good:

Shane Lee got the scoop that existing Zappiti products might be able to use R_volution’s software, for a fee: https://youtu.be/sI86wnbUqG4

00:37:49 – News: Matter 1.2 Spec Released

Nine new Smart Home product categories have been added to the interconnectivity standard: https://tinyurl.com/b3fs5zzw

QUESTIONS:

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PS5 consoles get a slimmed down redesign with a modular disc drive. Best Buy is abandoning DVDs and Blu-rays. Microsoft officially owns Activision Blizzard now. And McIntosh’s $3,000 Graphic EQ majorly misses the mark.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:06:35 – What We Watched

Rob watched the start of the NHL Hockey season, continued Loki S.2, caught up on Star Trek: Lower Decks,and adored Pearl. Tom continued with Star Wars Rebels, did his best to enjoy Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark, and revisited Star Trek TOS.

00:22:58 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Tyler for his PayPal donation, plus our 136 Patreon Patrons.

Thanks also to Kris for giving Tom permission to use his photos on https://avgadgets.com/

And we appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Dan, Kris, Mike, Luke, Stan, Greg, Julian, Michael, and Ilango. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:27:48 – News: PS5 Slim

Sony has redesigned their PS5 consoles to be smaller with a modular disc drive: https://tinyurl.com/44dhrtbn

00:32:02 – News: Best Buy Ditches DVDs

No more DVDs or Blu-rays, even online: https://tinyurl.com/2nv69hd4

00:39:07 – News: Xbox Owns Activision Blizzard

More than 20 months of legal battles and almost $69 billion finally results in Microsoft’s acquisition: https://tinyurl.com/3xyv4zfz

Comments:

00:45:35 – Comment: Infinite Gary – Cheap Sony Headphones

MDR-ZX110, which we’ve actually mentioned before: https://tinyurl.com/3habf47t

00:47:26 – Comment: Greg – WiiM Pro AirPlay 2 Transmitter

WiiM Pro has a trick up its sleeve: https://tinyurl.com/mrxpjf53

00:48:51 – Comment: Nathan – How To Build a False Wall

Link to instructions from an AVS Forum member: https://tinyurl.com/4cbjfucw

00:50:02 – Comment: Julian – Calvin, Hobbes & Dual HDMI

We reminded him of a comic strip, and splitting audio & video signals worked, but with a drawback.

00:52:41 – Comment: Ryan – Marantz Customer Service

A little slow, but ultimately satisfying.

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The WGA ratified their new 3-year contract. Sony Bravia Core rebrands to Sony Pictures Core and comes to PlayStation, but without Pure Stream. Onkyo, Integra & Pioneer Elite flagship AVRs get optional Dirac Live Bass Control. And Tom reviews a pair of affordable, ribbon headphones.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:03:58 – Sineaptic SE-1 Ribbon Wireless Headphones Review

Tom has several criticisms, but the sound quality ain’t one of ’em, nor is the price: https://avgadgets.com/sineaptic-se-1-wireless-ribbon-headphones-the-audiophile-headphones-you-can-afford/

00:18:26 – What We Watched

Rob finished Ahsoka, started Loki S.2, and watched The Voyeurs. Tom continued Star Wars Rebels.

00:28:33 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 135 Patreon Patrons, as well as Gurinder for sending Tom a movie code.

Thanks also to J. Karl for giving Tom permission to use his photos on https://avgadgets.com/

And we appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Karl, Joe, John, Julian, J. Karl, and Ilango. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:31:00 – News: WGA Ratify New Contract

The Writers Strike is officially over! https://tinyurl.com/y5mk4a5h

00:36:23 – News: Sony Pictures Core on PlayStation

Bravia Core is rebranded as Sony Pictures Core and comes to PS4 & PS5: https://tinyurl.com/mr24y8c6

But without Pure Stream: https://tinyurl.com/2wtz88vs

00:39:26 – News: Onkyo Gets Dirac Live Bass Control

Only the flagship Onkyo, Integra & Pioneer Elite AVRs get it. But you can now pay extra to add Dirac Live Bass Control: https://tinyurl.com/29tbrunb

Comments:

00:41:50 – Comment: Kris – Freestanding Projection Screen

Tom loves the suggestion to use closet support poles.

00:45:04 – Comment: Joe – Webinar with Anthony Grimani

And extended webinar covering network-based audio, RP-22, new approaches to bass, and more: https://youtu.be/3B9jbLgWBsM?

– direct link to RP-22: https://cedia.net/advocacy/rp22

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Zappiti is shutting down for good. Meta Quest 3 Mixed Reality Headset is almost here and will be getting Xbox Cloud Gaming this year. Value Electronics crowned their new King of 4K TVs for 2023.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:06:07 – What We Watched

NHL preseason for Rob, as well as X, and No One Will Save You. Tom continued Star Wars Rebels, and started Welcome to Wrexham.

00:14:49 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Paul for his PayPal donation, plus our 135 Patreon Patrons, including Aras.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Ryan, Dave, Kris, Jim, Toke, Rob, Jason, and Aras. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:20:58 – News: Zappiti Shuts Down

Zappiti is no more, and support for the future looks questionable: https://tinyurl.com/y7ad3c8x

00:25:59 – News: Meta Quest 3 Getting Xbox Cloud Gaming

Meta Quest 3 Mixed Reality Headset will be available Oct 10, and is getting Xbox Cloud Gaming this year: https://tinyurl.com/3rextk2e

00:27:46 – News: 2023 King of 4K TVs

Value Electronics held their annual TV shootout, and Sony’s QD-OLED won again: https://tinyurl.com/4j4hseyj

– https://avgadgets.com/8k-displays-are-stupid/

Comments:

00:31:08 – Comment: Scott – Netflix Webpage Settings

Getting 5.1 audio to play involved digging into Profile and Parental Controls only found on Netflix webpage.

00:33:16 – Comment: Toke – Use Older Dirac Version with NAD

Only mentioned in Dirac’s Version Archives.

00:34:23 – Comment: Rob – Audeze Maxwell Impressions

A little pricey but worth it.

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MQA Ltd has been bought by the parent company of NAD, PSB & Bluesound. Amazon Prime Video will start inserting ads unless you pay extra. LG is ditching built-in ATSC 3.0 Nextgen TV tuners. And we make our cost-no-object audio & video gear picks.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAWd8a

00:00:00 – Intro

00:12:12 – What We Watched

Rob finished Star Wars Rebels, and caught up with Ahsoka (aka Rebels S.5) so far. Tom is also watching Rebels.

00:21:36 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 134 Patreon Patrons, as well as Rohan for giving Tom permission to use his photos on https://avgadgets.com/

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Rohan, Mark, and Dan. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:27:51 – News: MQA Bought by NAD/PSB

Lenbrook Crop, parent company of NAD, PSB & Bluesound, has purchased MQA Ltd: https://tinyurl.com/44y7akp6

00:30:40 – News: Amazon Prime Video Getting Ads

Prime Video will start interrupting shows and movies with ads in 2024 unless you pay extra: https://tinyurl.com/y9c8x2tt

00:34:07 – News: LG Ditches Nextgen TV Tuners

None of LG’s TVs will have built-in ATSC 3.0 tuners in 2024: https://tinyurl.com/dxruy32r

Comments:

00:38:23 – Comment: Mark – Silence Phone in Car

A suggestion that silencing your phone when it’s connected to your car’s Bluetooth might prevent unwanted volume changes.

QUESTIONS:

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