AV Rant #874: Give Me The Thing

August 17th, 2023 Comments off

Tom is away this week, so Lee Overstreet joins Rob as our guest co-host. JL Audio is being acquired by Garmin. Sonos finally admits their Arc SoundBar has a big problem with some Atmos signals. And if you don’t want ads, Disney+ and Hulu are getting significantly more expensive.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Catching up with Lee.

00:11:54 – What We Watched

Lee watched Nope, and is rewatching The Mandalorian.

Rob watched Season 1 of Silo on Apple TV+. And two movies: 65, and Clock.

00:27:13 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 134 Patreon Patrons, including Kevin.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Shawn, Chad, Gurinder, Karl, Jorge, Jason, Jay, and Ilango. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:31:13 – News: Garmin Buying JL Audio

Garmin is set to purchase JL Audio as they look to enter the RV market: https://tinyurl.com/48vchz83

00:34:14 – News: Sonos Arc Atmos Problem

An insanely loud bang, seemingly caused by an issue decoding the Dolby MAT version of Atmos, is finally acknowledged by Sonos: https://tinyurl.com/2p95spuy

00:37:52 – News: Disney+ Price Hikes

US price increases for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+: https://tinyurl.com/mr3pcvua

Disney+ in Europe gets tiers that don’t include 4K, Dolby Vision, or Atmos: https://tinyurl.com/2b3fv7zt

00:45:42 – Lee’s Scary Lightning + SVS Subs Experience

Lee shares a scary moment with a happy ending thanks to great customer service and engineering.

Comments:

00:49:16 – Comment: Gurinder – HVAC Duct Boots

Thankfully, he checked his local building codes before making his DIY HVAC changes.

00:50:46 – Comment: Jorge – TCL QM8 TV Tips

The 85″ has a larger VESA pattern than usual, so be careful which wall mount you purchase. And Harmony’s R646 remote codes work, since the QM8 Series isn’t in their database.

00:53:56 – Comment: Jay – Gibby’s Shout Out

If you’re in Canada, give them a call for better deals than they can offer online.

00:55:03 – Comment: Nick – TCL Comes Through

A 2020 4-Series got replaced under warranty with a 2022 model. But motion smoothing seems to be stuck on.

00:58:02 – Comment: Scott – Recording Loop & Instant Replay for Coaches

Scott suggests https://www.sporfie.com/ for athletics coaches.

QUESTIONS:

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AV Rant #873: Kid Headphone Recommendations

August 10th, 2023 Comments off

NASA+ streaming is free and doesn’t have ads. Disney stops sending physical media of any kind to Australia & New Zealand. LG’s Wireless M3 OLED TVs are real and not as expensive as we thought. And we’ve got suggestions for good kids’ headphones.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:07:30 – What We Watched

Tom & Rob both watched Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on Disney+ in IMAX Enhanced format.

00:25:06 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Ryan for his PayPal donation, plus our 128 Patreon Patrons.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Teemu, Gurinder, Dan, Patrick, Toke, and Shawn. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:28:05 – News: NASA+ Streaming Service

NASA’s free, no subscription, no ads streaming video service will bring live coverage and original videos to everyone: https://youtu.be/RrlDv-ts2f0

00:30:47 – News: No More Disney Discs Down Under

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the last physical disc from Disney in Australia & New Zealand: https://tinyurl.com/2p9k8fr3

00:32:33 – News: Wireless LG M3 OLED TVs

A Zero Connect Box and 60 GHz Wireless Signal mean LG’s OLED TVs only have a power cord: https://tinyurl.com/yr3p2uxy

Comments:

00:41:01 – Comment: Karl – JVC Projector Firmware

The latest update requires an old method of transferring the file that’s bricking some units: https://tinyurl.com/46axzwv8

QUESTIONS:

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AV Rant #872: The One With the Dog

August 3rd, 2023 Comments off

New Monolith M2100X, M3100X & M5100X amps from Monoprice. PS5 beta firmware adds Dolby Atmos for games & streaming. Samsung’s 89″ Micro-LED TV and Sony’s 2023 A95L QD-OLEDs get pricing.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:03:22 – What We Watched

Rob watched Knock at the Cabin.

00:14:26 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Peter, Galen, and Allen for their PayPal donations, plus our 127 Patreon Patrons, as well as Gary for sending a movie code to Rob to check if it works in Canada.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Vince, Fred, Jonathan, Galen, Gary, Teemu, Larry, Peter, Dazz, Eric, Julian, Jorge, Ilango, Ryan, and Vasanth. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:24:42 – News: Monolith M2100X, M3100X & M5100X Amps

New, less powerful, more affordable amp models from Monoprice: https://tinyurl.com/3ndux6rd

00:28:22 – News: PS5 Gets Dolby Atmos

Latest beta firmware adds Dolby Atmos for games & streaming: https://tinyurl.com/mswv6ws4

00:30:13 – News: Samsung 89″ Micro-LED TV Price

$100,000 gets you a preassembled, but still modular, 89″ Micro-LED TV: https://tinyurl.com/ydkby3hs

00:31:28 – News: Sony A95L QD-OLED Prices

Less expensive than last year, but still more than Samsung’s S95C: https://tinyurl.com/yc7mjnc7

Comments:

00:33:40 – Comment: Galen – Roku HDMI-CEC was to Blame

His TV was fine. And Auto Power Saving feature & HDMI-CEC were the problem.

00:36:30 – Comment: Stephen – Refurbished TV Purchase in Australia

His experience buying a 77″ Sony A80K OLED.

QUESTIONS:

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AV Rant #871: Rob Slams Nolan

July 27th, 2023 Comments off

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Oppenhemier, and Barbie reviews! AMC cancels Sightline pricing. Netflix eliminates the Basic Tier. Emotiva BasX MR1L 9-channel Receiver. Denon S670H & S770H Receivers. And is the Steelbook cover for WandaVision that doesn’t come with any Blu-ray discs in it for real?

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjANEf8

00:00:00 – Intro with WGA & SAG-AFTRA Strike Thoughts

00:15:47 – Listeners of the Week (with a question snuck in)

Our Listeners of the Week are Ryan and Joe for their PayPal donations, plus our 134 Patreon Patrons, including Martin.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Brian, Martin, Noel, Shawn, Ryan, and J.R. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

What was the best home theater experience we’ve ever had? Mike, Craig & Jeff from AVScience.com pose that question, and we answer in this segment.

In the news:

00:24:02 – News: AMC Cancels Sightline Pricing

Via Infinite Gary – No more Value, Standard & Preferred seat prices. But they want to put recliners in the front row: https://tinyurl.com/ymc7f7sf

00:28:53 – News: Netflix USA & UK Drop Basic Tier

Pricing jumps from Standard with Ads up to Standard, just like Netflix Canada: https://tinyurl.com/mw494nnn

00:32:53 – News: Emotiva BasX MR1L

9-channel AV Receiver with 13-channel processing: https://tinyurl.com/5n872ame

00:39:51 – News: Denon S670H & S770H

Seems the only difference from last year’s models is taking away all analogue video ports: https://tinyurl.com/586uxkmn

00:41:21 – News: Disc-less WandaVision Steelbook

Confusion over a WandaVision Steelbook cover that doesn’t come with any discs inside: https://tinyurl.com/2rfu4pp8

Comments:

00:43:33 – Comment: Ari – TV Audio Switching

Success after setting HDMI-ARC input selection to manual.

00:44:30 – Comment: Nick – Game Mode Difference

Surprisingly noticeable gameplay improvement.

00:47:40 – Comment: HDMI-CEC Hack

Cover Pin 13 to disable CEC: https://tinyurl.com/4r898aj3

QUESTIONS:

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AV Rant #870: No Good Solution

July 20th, 2023 Comments off

IMAX 70mm Film theaters had to be modified to accommodate Oppenheimer’s 3-hour runtime. Emotiva released their BasX A11 11-channel amplifier for $1,300. Xbox Game Pass Core will replace Live Gold on Sept 14. And we get more specifications about Loudness and Reference Volume.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:04:05 – What We Watched

Tom didn’t watch anything of note this week. Rob watched Cocaine Bear, and Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

00:13:36 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Ari and Brandon for their PayPal donations, plus our 133 Patreon Patrons.

Brandon sent photos with permission to use them on https://avgadgets.com/

And we appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Ryan, Ari, Jim, Paul, Dale, Shawn, Fred, Will, Steve, and Brandon. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:17:06 – News: IMAX 70mm Film Maximum Runtime

Via Eric – At 3 hours, Oppenheimer demanded new platters and arms to hold its 11 miles of film: https://tinyurl.com/h9a4ne5y

00:20:39 – News: Emotiva BasX A11 Amp

11 channels of amplification at 105 Watts/channel with All Channels Driven for $1,300: https://tinyurl.com/bdz2m3rd

00:24:08 – News: Xbox Game Pass Core

Xbox Live Gold is going away Sept 14. In its place are four tiers of Game Pass: https://tinyurl.com/bdfduuak

Comments:

00:31:21 – Comment: James – Loudness & Reference Volume Specs

Paul Hurt’s interview on Bright Side Home Theater Podcast inspired James to look up Dolby, ITU, EBU & ATSC Loudness specs.

– Dolby Loudness: https://tinyurl.com/37xphvb9

– Collection of PDFs: https://tinyurl.com/bdfsuch9

00:38:31 – Comment: Brandon – DIY Acoustically Transparent Screen

Prior to moving, Brandon experimented with a false wall, front wall treatment, and a DIY screen.

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