Denon & Marantz have a workaround for their 8K Receivers that couldn’t pass through 8K. But it’s a huge missed opportunity, in our opinion. And we tackle the confusion surrounding the brands ToneWinner, Emotiva, and Jade Designs.

00:00:00 – Intro & Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 123 Patreon Patrons, as well as Manny for talking us up to Silver Ticket. We also want to thank Tom H., Andy, and Maggie for the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going, and bringing a smile this week. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

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

00:09:24 – In the news:

– Sound United announced the SPK618 HDMI 2.1 Adapter to fix the 8K and 4K/120 issues with their 2020 Denon & Marantz Receivers: https://avgadgets.com/denon-marantz-hdmi-2-1-solution-spk618-adapter-free/
– There’s a Sound United Training video to demonstrate: https://youtu.be/qJ1qLOkfRsE

– Yamaha says they’re still investigating their HDMI 2.1 models: https://is.gd/Ky0L24

– Via Karl – Apple and Amazon are facing lawsuits over Apple TV and Prime Video “purchases”: https://is.gd/ZC6CW6

– Via Karl – Locast will have to face the broadcast TV networks in court over using the internet to rebroadcast local TV stations: https://is.gd/VkVEpr

00:26:00 – Comments:

– Jay recommends Willy’s Wonderland: https://is.gd/Kcx5Ut

– Infinite Gary shares news about an upcoming 3-disc set of test patterns with helpful instructions from: http://spearsandmunsil.com/

00:29:48 – Apple TV Color Balance Results
– CNET’s David Katmaier posted his finding from testing the Apple TV 4K’s new Color Balance feature: https://is.gd/y3vwUg

QUESTIONS:

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There’s a new Apple TV 4K, and the Color Balance calibration feature…doesn’t work? Maybe Apple will improve it over time. Or maybe they know that most people don’t actually like a truly accurate image when they first see it, so the minimal changes are intentional? Regardless, just putting your TV into an accurate picture mode to begin with is easier.

00:00:00 – Intro & Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Ari for his donation, plus our 124 Patreon Patrons, including Bertrand, as well as Erick for telling SVS he heard about them from us, Jason for emailing Gary Yacoubian, CEO of SVS, to ask about potentially buying the Harmony Remote division from Logitech, and Kerry for helping out Tom with his cycling.We also want to thank Kevin, Andrew, Ari, Raul, Mark, Stan, Terry, and Michael for their notes of gratitude for us for keeping the podcast going. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmVrsQa9

00:10:45 – In the news:

– Apple announced the 2nd generation Apple TV 4K with a much needed Siri Remote redesign: https://is.gd/Omsdyg
– There’s a much touted new Color Balance feature: https://avgadgets.com/how-to-calibrate-your-apple-tv-4k-with-an-iphone/
– But the early reports are that it does little to nothing: https://is.gd/PnqKCg ; https://is.gd/jStMII

– Sony Pictures movies will come to Disney+ after Netflix’ exclusivity window: https://is.gd/X6QeWA

 – HDR10+ gained new supporters in Roku and Paramount+: https://is.gd/tv9hlL

00:23:06 – Comments

– Andrew L. casts another vote for Google Assistant as the best voice assistant.

– Will T. suggests the Amazon Basics 2-ch Class D amp: https://is.gd/MeCxKx

– Martin D. shared @ SweetChaos’ Subwoofer Comparison Spreadsheet: https://is.gd/tNO1JB

– J.R. got his panels from GiK and shared a pic.

QUESTIONS:

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Rob’s excited about his Robosen Auto-Converting Optimus Prime pre-order: https://robosenstore.com/pages/optimus . But since those are sold out, maybe a new Sony 4K projector or Emotiva BasX Gen2 amplifier will cure what ails ya.

00:00:00 – Intro & Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Bob for his PayPal donation, plus our 126 Patreon Patrons, including Max and Bertrand, as well as Kris for telling https://www.accessories4less.com/ we sent him their way, John for telling https://www.rythmikaudio.com/ he bought a second sub because of us, and mentioning us in his https://emotiva.com/ user review, and Clara for trying to convince Gary Yacoubian, the CEO of https://www.svsound.com/ , to take over Harmony Remotes from Logitech.
We also want to thank Michael and Reginald for sending in photos with written permission for Tom to use them on https://avgadgets.com/ .
And we appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from Kris, Greg, Bob, Michael, Jason, Bertrand, John, and Martin. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmVnze1v

00:10:15 – In the news:

– Via Karl – Stewart Filmscreen Harmony G2 is their new woven, acoustically transparent, UST-compatible projection screen material: https://is.gd/sxdxlb

– Via Karl – Sony’s new $5,500 VW325ES and $40,000 VW1025ES projectors complete their 4K SXRD lineup, but don’t be fooled by the “Dynamic HDR Enhancer” marketing, which is not frame-by-frame dynamic tone mapping: https://is.gd/m3h9FB

– Emotiva released the 2nd Generation of BasX amplifiers: https://is.gd/xAg6BJ

– SVS’ $200 SoundPath Tri-Band Wireless Audio Adapter aims to eliminate signal interference: https://avgadgets.com/svs-soundpath-tri-band-wireless-audio-adapter/

00:22:52 – Comments

– Jason S. mostly fixed his wireless audio interference by replacing his old WiFi router.

– Ilango updates us on the whole house audio MusicCast system his friend’s parents put together.

– Greg L. shares NASA’s free faux movie posters that would make for excellent printed acoustic panels: https://is.gd/zVJ5wa

– Timothy encourages everyone to audition speakers first, and put expectation and ego aside.

– Andrew L. used fence lattice from Home Depot to add decorative scatter plates to his DIY acoustic panels: https://is.gd/aXPUCj

QUESTIONS:

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It’s the end of an era as Logitech has officially discontinued manufacturing Harmony remote hardware, sending a slight wave of panic throughout the home theater community as we try to come up with alternatives. Check out our thoughts and suggestions in our news section this episode, as well as Tom’s write-ups over at AVGadgets: https://avgadgets.com/logitech-discontinues-harmony-remotes/

00:00:00 – Introduction & Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 124 Patreon Patrons, concluding Bertrand, as well as Dazz for encouraging people to check out our podcast via Facebook Groups. We also want to thank Bertrand, Mark, AJ, Patricio, Michael, and Terry 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/aHsmVhJQov

00:05:32 – In the news:

 – Arclight Cinemas and Pacific Theatres won’t be reopening: https://is.gd/iUJD7O

– Sony Pictures and Netflix sign a five year exclusive streaming deal: https://is.gd/k6TNDF

– Samsung Electronics will reportedly buy OLED panels from LG Display: https://is.gd/ZmBBoF

00:11:19 – Harmony Remotes are no longer being manufactured by Logitech, though they say software and database support will continue: https://avgadgets.com/logitech-discontinues-harmony-remotes/

We previously detailed four potential alternatives: https://youtu.be/w84M46icJJA?t=1371

And now we’ve come across a couple more:
– MyURemote – another phone/tablet app for about $35: http://www.myuremote.com/
– Sevenhugs Smart Remote U & X – a touchscreen IR, Bluetooth & WiFi remote that looks promising, but is much smaller than you might have thought: https://smartremote.sevenhugs.com/smart-remote/

00:18:07 – Comments:

– Michael Z. ribs us about Center speakers, and says if cassette tapes are making a comeback, then MiniDiscs ought to be next.

QUESTIONS:

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Happy Anniversary to us! It’s been 15 years of AV Rant! And we can’t thank you all enough for all the support, lively discussion, and just plain fun over the past decade and a half! Here’s to 15 more.

Check out Tom’s latest articles at https://avgadgets.com/ . And if you’re ok with Tom using your photos, remember to include written permission when you send them in. Thanks!

00:00:00 – Intro & Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Benjamin and Jayson for their PayPal donations, along with our 123 Patreon Patrons, as well as Daniel for telling SVS he bought subwoofers from them because of us, Paul for mentioning us in his user review over at Monoprice and talking us up to RSL, and Herb from https://cross-spectrum.com/ for helping out Rob and letting us know that individually calibrated UMIK-1 measurement mics should start shipping again in about a month: https://cross-spectrum.com/measurement/calibrated_umik.html
We also want to thank Mike, Kris, Daniel, and Clara 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/aHsmVfr63T

00:09:48 – In the news:

 – via Karl – Kaleidescape is offering a $3,000 discount when you bundle one of their systems with a high-end Sony projector: https://is.gd/zfv1Qs

– Comparison reviews of the newest OLED TVs are rolling in:
– https://youtu.be/05meraExYc4
– https://youtu.be/2-ajN7njZvQ

00:15:46 – Comments:

– Patricio gives a thumbs up to the Fosi TDA7498E compact Class-D amplifier: https://is.gd/VhcNCK

– Jonathan gives his opinion about which is the best voice assistant.

QUESTIONS:

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