Home > Podcast > AV Rant #843: Tom Hates Dirac ART

AV Rant #843: Tom Hates Dirac ART

January 14th, 2023

Tom is back! Dirac Live Active Room Treatment is coming to StormAudio Processors this year, and we’ve got hot takes. TCL scales back on mini-LED backlighting. Hisense charges forward with more mini-LED than ever. And the Nakamichi Dragon SoundBar is expensive. Plus lots of questions answered.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAnLC3

00:00:00 – Intro & What We Watched

Rob watched Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Tom watched A Bad Moms Christmas, 1899, and The Batman.

00:17:59 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 139 Patreon Patrons, as well as Justin for sending a bunch of movie codes.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Manny, Vasanth, Paul, Kevin, Jay, Infinite Gary, Justin, Gurinder, and Andrew. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:22:16 – News: Dirac Live Active Room Treatment

Dirac Live ART will be exclusive to StormAudio Processors at first: https://bit.ly/3QuYVz7

00:33:31 – News: TCL 2023 TV Lineup

Only one Series with mini-LED backlights and large screen sizes: https://bit.ly/3X5CZgp

00:34:33 – News: Roku Makes Their Own TVs

Entry level TVs directly from Roku: https://bit.ly/3Zwi1J6

00:36:23 – News: Hisense Aims Higher

More mini-LEDs than ever. And bringing ULED X to North America: https://bit.ly/3GAuDGu

00:37:40 – News: Nakamichi Dragon SoundBar

Five wireless enclosures house 11.4.6 channels: https://dragon.nakamichi-usa.com/

Comments:

00:43:35 – Comment: Allen – Other OTA DVRs

Mentions for Tablo and the discontinued Amazon Fire TV Recast: https://www.tablotv.com/

00:45:21 – Comment: Jim – AC Infinity Aircom S6

Great results from a $50 cooling fan: https://avgadgets.com/ac-infinity-cooling-fans/

QUESTIONS:

00:46:42 – Stefan: Best 3-channel Amp & Universal Remote

Our 3-ch amp picks, 2 vs 4 Atmos speakers, and universal remote options.

– Monoprice Monolith 3X: https://bit.ly/3IGlH5l

– Aperion Energy 3: https://bit.ly/3IIRVNm

– Emotiva BasX A3: https://bit.ly/3IC5MVz

– Emotiva XPA-3 Gen3: https://bit.ly/3IGNgv1

– Emotiva XPA-DR3: https://bit.ly/3is0QrN

– Outlaw Model 5000X: https://bit.ly/3IL1Lhw

– SofaBaton X1: https://amzn.to/3H7ikTT

– SofaBaton U1: https://amzn.to/3GZ2eLY

00:58:34 – Manny: TV Speaker Upgrade

Options for a clean look above a fireplace.

– https://avgadgets.com/fluance-ai41-powered-bookshelf-speakers-review-soundbar-killer/

– https://avgadgets.com/kef-lsx-ii-speakers/

– SVS Prime Wireless Pro: https://bit.ly/3iCOrRD

– Klipsch Powered Speakers: https://bit.ly/3QzJZjb

– Vizo M512-H6: https://bit.ly/3vRRBUR

– Elac Debut 2.0 OW4.2: https://amzn.to/3Zo4uDH

– Fosi DA2120C: https://amzn.to/3itZ89f

01:05:49 – Vasanth: Black Levels & Front Presence

Are we too obsessed with black levels? And should he swap Surround Backs for Front Presence speakers?

01:19:00 – Karl: Avatar in 2D HFR

Is there a way to view Avatar: The Way of Water in high frame rate, but without 3D? Maybe at home?

– https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Avatar-The-Way-of-Water-4K-Blu-ray/316453/

01:21:16 – Paul: Acoustic Panels Canada

Are they a good option? Less expensive alternatives?

– https://www.acousticpanelscanada.com/

– https://avgadgets.com/making-your-own-acoustic-panels-a-tutorial/

01:25:23 – Kevin: From Giant Subs to 2.0?

Can we convince him to downsize his Living Room setup? And should he get Samsung’s The Frame?

01:33:27 – Jay: HDMI to micro-HDMI Adapter

Does it need to be certified? What to get?

– Cable Matters 48 Gbps micro-HDMI Adapter: https://amzn.to/3vWsG2d

01:37:59 – Jason: Yamaha R-N2000A Network Integrated Amp

It’s not cheap, but is it a no-brainer for audiophiles?

– R-N2000A: https://yamaha.io/3GyRy5c

01:44:17 – Rob’s Rant: “But I Heard It!”

A rant from Rob about sighted listening, and reassurance that we would swear we hear a difference, too!

01:52:04 – Infinite Gary: HDR TVs vs Cameras

It seems like most cameras can’t capture what HDR TVs are showing, but what about the reverse: TVs showing more than what the cameras captured? And what have we bought for purely “because I want it” reasons?

Thanks for listening. Now, don't forget to:

  • Check out the AV Rant YouTube channel to watch our show videos.
  • Download Tom’s FREE superhero-themed ebook Bob Moore: No Hero.
  • Visit Tom's website for download links as well as links for the two full-length follow-ups -  Bob Moore: Desperate Times and Bob Moore: Hostile Territory.
  • Check out AVGadgets.com where Tom is the new Editor-in-Chief!
  • Download Tom's NEWEST book, Touch of Pain from Amazon now!

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