AV Rant #999.9o: We Fight Diminishing Returns

Value Electronics’ new King of TVs. The Odyssey in 70mm Film IMAX Review.

Value Electronics crowned their new King of TVs for 2026. Rob saw The Odyssey in 70mm Film IMAX and shares his review. And if you missed it last week, check out our interview with Michael Kobb from Kaleidescape that we posted as a Special extra episode.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:09:53 – Kaleidescape Interview

We posted an extra episode last week in which Rob and Joe Klusnick interview Michael Kobb from Kaleidescape to discuss the new Strato K Movie Player, 8K, 4K Cinematic, 4:4:4, and more!

– https://avrant.com/av-rant-special-interview-with-michael-kobb-from-kaleidescape/

– https://youtu.be/10KtbZQFyzM

00:18:09 – What We Watched

Tom watched What If…? S.3. Rob watched The Running Man, and The Odyssey.

00:56:20 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Steven and Dan for their PayPal donations, plus our 120 Patreon Patrons, as well as Ilango for talking us up to HSU Research.

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

In the news:

00:58:18 – News: Brand New King of TVs

Value Electronics’ 25th annual TV Shootout tested OLEDs and RGB-backlit LCDs this year, and they crowned a new King of TVs for 2026: https://tinyurl.com/yj3anusj

Comments:

01:04:12 – Comment: Infinite Gary – Trinaural Speaker Selector

Watching The Food That Built America reminded him he has a vintage Speaker Selector in his basement.

01:06:28 – Comment: Greg – Plush Toy Wall Panels

Last week he found a way to turn plush toys into standing corner bass traps. This week, he found a solution to make plush toys into hanging wall panels: https://tinyurl.com/4af2pj5y

QUESTIONS:

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Welcome to an AV Rant Special episode. Today, Rob H. and Joe Klusnick interview Michael Kobb, the Principal Engineer of User Experience at Kaleidescape. We learn a bit about Michael and his personal home theater. Then we dig into the new Kaleidescape Strato K Movie Player and its unique 8K and 4K Cinematic format capabilities. We dig into the nitty-gritty of 4:4:4 playback and how it might impact your setup and settings. And we satisfy some of our curiosity about mezzanine files and the rest of Kaleidescape’s hardware lineup. Enjoy!

0:00:00 – Intro

Rob and Joe welcome you to this interview episode.

– https://avrant.com/

– https://www.youtube.com/avrant

– https://www.kaleidescape.com/

0:02:40 – Welcome Michael Kobb

A bit about Michael and his position at Kaleidescape as Principal Engineer of User Experience.

0:04:16 – Michael’s Home Theater

We hear about Michael’s personal home theater, perhaps the most impressive one we’ve heard about yet from one of our guests!

– https://www.avsforum.com/threads/theater-build-mikes-money-pit.1351987/

0:11:03 – Introduction to the Strato K

– https://www.kaleidescape.com/strato-k-movie-player/

0:13:54 – The new Hardware in the Strato K

0:16:34 – Delving into Strato K’s Specs

– https://www.kaleidescape.com/strato-k-movie-player/spec

0:19:41 – Let’s Talk 8K

– https://8kassociation.com/

0:24:05 – The New 4K Cinematic Format

– https://www.kaleidescape.com/4k-cinematic/

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Our usual News, Q&A show today, and a Special Episode tomorrow! Dynaudio is leaving North America. Criterion will release The Complete Kubrick as a 30-disc set. We review Daredevil: Born Again S.1, and Obsession.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Keep an eye out for another Special Episode of AV Rant Podcast this week! World Cup thoughts. And RIP, Sam Neill.

00:13:20 – What We Watched

Tom finished Daredevil: Born Again S.1. Rob watched Obsession.

00:32:31 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Allen for his PayPal donation, plus our 120 Patreon Patrons.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Sasi, Karl, Dev, Bill, “Tall Scott”, and Ilango. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:36:26 – News: Dynaudio Leaving North America

A rather shocking and complete exit from North America for the Danish audio brand: https://tinyurl.com/yxy3c9j5

00:39:51 – News: The Complete Kubrick

Criterion has a 30-disc set available for pre-order: https://tinyurl.com/3j69pb9r

QUESTIONS:

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Dirac Live Processor is the new name for the PC and Mac versions of the old Dirac Live Room Correction Suite, and along with the new name comes support for ART. Xbox announced major layoffs and the release of five studios. PlayStation announced that 2028 will bring the end of physical games, but they’re also closing online stores for older systems. Also, a doggie appears!

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Quick World Cup comments. And congrats again to the three winners of our Sofabaton U3 Giveaway!

– https://www.sofabaton.com/product/u3/

– Our U3 Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/4xoP9Um

– Discount Code for 15% off: AVRANTROBU3

00:08:06 – What We Watched

Tom’s been watching the Tour de France. Rob watched The Sheep Detectives.

00:19:08 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Ari for his PayPal donation, plus our 120 Patreon Patrons, including Tom T.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Neil, Greg, Tom, Karl, Ari, Kerry, Larry, and John. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:24:15 – News: Dirac Live Processor

Dirac’s PC and Mac software has a new name, and they’ve added support for ART: https://www.dirac.com/home/dirac-live/processor

00:29:06 – News: Xbox Layoffs & Studio Releases

Five Xbox game studios will have new ownership, 1,600 Xbox staff members lost their jobs, and another 1,600 will be let go within a year: https://tinyurl.com/3kccrxsk

00:39:57 – News: PlayStation Ending Discs

When 2028 arrives, PlayStation games will go digital download only. But they also announced that PS3 and Vita online stores will be closing, and they’re yanking 551 Studio Canal movies out of your PlayStation Store library, so maybe not optimal timing of these announcements: https://tinyurl.com/w2kjtmtt

Comments:

00:53:08 – Comment: James – How to Prompt AI

We appreciate James’ lengthy list of commands to copy & paste prior to asking AI a technical question. But if this is what’s required…

00:57:28 – Comment: Infinite Gary – 48″ LG C6 vs. C3 and Sony

Now that he’s tried a 48″ LG C6 OLED in his own setup, how does it stack up to an older C3, and a much older CCFL-backlit Sony LCD?

QUESTIONS:

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We announce the 3 winners of our Sofabaton U3 Giveaway! GTA VI pre-orders are selling like crazy despite the inflated price. Xbox prices go up (a lot) for the third time. Everything Apple, except iPhones, got way more expensive. And PlayStation Store is yanking 551 titles with no apology.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCY1xK

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:42 – Sofabaton U3 Winners!

Without delay, we randomly draw the names of 3 winners for our Sofabaton U3 Giveaway.

– https://www.sofabaton.com/product/u3/

– 15% Discount when you use code: AVRANTROBU3 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GY8BPNL8

00:06:09 – Personal Updates

00:25:06 – What We Watched

Tom started watching Daredevil: Born Again. Rob watched Avatar: Fire and Ash.

00:48:28 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Bill and Terry for their PayPal donations, plus our 121 Patreon Patrons.

Thank you to Steve for giving permission to use his photos on https://avgadgets.com/

And we appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Nels, Dale, Steve, Mark, Kris, Perry, Russ, Marcella, John, Nelson, and Phil. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:51:41 – News: GTA VI Pre-orders

The starting price is a little high, but not unprecedented. But that’s only if you literally want to be a second class citizen in the game: https://tinyurl.com/mw9e6s3f

00:53:33 – News: Xbox Price Hike

It truly doesn’t make sense to buy an Xbox after July 31: https://tinyurl.com/ype9jnkf

00:59:52 – News: Apple Price Hikes

Apple raised its prices on everything other than iPhones. Apple TV 4K was hit especially hard: https://tinyurl.com/3d2pwtxv

01:01:59 – News: PlayStation Store Yanks Movies

551 Studio Canal titles will disappear from the PlayStation Store in September, and they’re not even sorry about it: https://tinyurl.com/mr3hsev5

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