Tom has a TV and a pair of speakers set up now! Kaleidescape joins the 8K Association. Epson QS100 adds a UST projector to the Q-Series. Emotiva’s RMC-1+ and XMC-2+ Pre-Pros finally bring HDMI 2.1 and DTS:X Pro. Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders begin in Canada and the USA.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCa6vh

00:00:00 – Intro

Tom’s purchase of a Sanus universal TV stand allowed him to finally set up a TV with a pair of KEF speakers.

00:21:33 – What We Watched

Rob watched the first half of Nickel Boys, and the first half of S.4 of Mythic Quest.

00:28:57 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Bill for his PayPal donation, plus our 133 Patreon Patrons, including Michael, as well as Michael for talking us up to RSL, and Justin for sending a whole bunch of Movies Anywhere codes.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Nelson, Kerry, Graeme, Allen, Brian, Sebastian, Henry, and Sasi. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:34:06 – News: Kaleidescape Joins 8K Association

No products or content yet, but Kaleidescape says they’ll play a pivotal role: https://tinyurl.com/jbc2c526

00:38:08 – News: Epson QS100 UST

A bright UST Q-Series projector from Epson, but only 2x wobble-K and 60 fps: https://tinyurl.com/3hwvbdtj

00:42:04 – News: Emotiva RMC-1+ & XMC-2+

New Emotiva 16-ch Pre-Pro models finally bring HDMI 2.1 and DTS:X Pro: https://tinyurl.com/yhtme2rn

00:48:18 – News: Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-orders

April 24 is the date. At the stroke of midnight ET for most US retailers. And 12 noon ET for most Canadian retailers: https://tinyurl.com/mry889fk

Comments:

00:51:15 – Comment: John – Decouple Your Seats

He agrees with us about damping/decoupling your speakers and subs, but has also found benefits from damping beneath the legs of his couch.

QUESTIONS:

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Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders were delayed in Canada shortly after we finished recording last week. PS5 gets a price increase in Europe. SVS has a new 5000 R|Evolution Series of subs to replace the 4000 Series. And Chinese companies have banded together to support a new GPMI standard to rival HDMI and DisplayPort.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC989u

00:00:00 – Intro

Tom’s laptop died 🙁

00:12:03 – What We Watched

Rob watched Wicked (Part 1).

00:23:12 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Jefferson for his PayPal donation, plus our 133 Patreon Patrons, as well as Cody for offering to help Tom with his CAD file conversions.

Thanks also to Jefferson 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: Gurinder, Henry, Jefferson, Mark, Nelson, Sasi, and Tom. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:28:13 – News: Canadian Switch 2 Pre-Orders

Nintendo decided to align Canadian Switch 2 pre-orders with the USA, so the date is unknown when we recorded: https://tinyurl.com/3cxkvyr3

00:29:58 – News: PS5 Price Increase

Four and a half years in, and prices just went up for the PS5 in Europe: https://tinyurl.com/yks5da5b

00:31:11 – News: SVS 5000 R|Evolution Series

New SB-5000 and PB-5000 R|Evolution subs replace the 4000 Series. There’s no cylinder: https://www.svsound.com/collections/5000-revolution-series

00:39:29 – News: GPMI Takes On HDMI

More than 50 Chinese companies are supporting the General Purpose Media Interface with up to 192 Gbps bandwidth: https://tinyurl.com/578j8jva

Comments:

00:45:15 – Comment: Steve – JBL Go 4

His wife bought it because it’s cute and pink. But he’s surprised how good it sounds: https://tinyurl.com/4xt27vc8

00:48:29 – Comment: Gurinder – SVS Replacement Amp

His replacement amp arrived, and it was an easy swap.

QUESTIONS:

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Nintendo Switch 2 will launch June 5, but initial pre-orders have been delayed in the US (and now Canada), and more Switch 1 games than we thought aren’t backwards compatible yet. Sony showed off their full 2025 BRAVIA Lineup. Kaleidescape’s Strato M is their least expensive player yet. And the JBL Synthesis SDP-80 gets HDMI 2.1.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC8m8D

00:00:00 – Intro

Stress behind the scenes!

00:18:54 – What We Watched

Rob watched Flow.

00:30:38 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Laurence for his PayPal donation and lovely note, plus our 131 Patreon Patrons, including Brandon.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Dan, Eddie, Brandon, Kevin, Jorge, Gurinder, and Dazz. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:36:10 – News: Nintendo Switch 2

It’s launching June 5. It’s more capable and more expensive than anticipated. And it might get even more expensive after pre-orders were delayed (now in Canada, too). There are also more Switch 1 games that aren’t backwards compatible yet than we expected.

– Won’t Boot at All: https://tinyurl.com/mud2xpvu

– Glitches After Booting: https://tinyurl.com/5n6zh3p8

00:46:32 – News: Sony 2025 BRAVIA Lineup

New TVs, a projector, and SoundBars with dumb naming choices that already mess up Sony’s efforts to simplify by just calling everything BRAVIA: https://tinyurl.com/2s35ehdk

01:02:24 – News: Kaleidescape Strato M

Would you step down from 4K to 1080p, but keep Dolby Vision & lossless Atmos, to save $2,000?

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

01:10:29 – News: JBL Synthesis SDP-80

The replacement for the SDP-75 gets HDMI 2.1: https://tinyurl.com/4ank8sjp

Comments:

01:12:21 – Comment: Dan – More Great SVS Service

Yet another tale of SVS customer service going above & beyond.

QUESTIONS:

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Arendal’s smaller, less-expensive 1961 Series of speakers has returned. Sony suspends all Home Cinema Projector sales in Europe due to sanctions. LG drops support for DTS in 2025. TCL’s 2025 TV lineup.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC7wTk

00:00:00 – Intro

00:07:36 – What We Watched

Rob finished S.3 of Invincible, and started S.2 of Silo. He also watched Conclave.

00:22:36 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 132 Patreon Patrons, including John.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: John, Gurinder, and Sasi. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:24:06 – News: Arendal 1961 Series Speakers

Arendal’s least-expensive speaker Series was gone for a while, but now they’re back: https://tinyurl.com/57u53r97

00:33:48 – News: Sony Suspends European Projector Sales

Newly enacted sanctions have forced Sony to stop selling projectors in Europe: https://tinyurl.com/3zwd2pe2

00:36:23 – News: LG Drops DTS

LG’s 2025 TV lineup doesn’t support DTS audio: https://tinyurl.com/y4nyku9x

00:40:04 – News: TCL 2025 TV Lineup

The European model numbers are slightly different from North America’s, but the full lineup is very close to the same: https://tinyurl.com/4dh537sr

Comments:

00:46:56 – CORRECTION: Steve – Anthem Upmixes to Front Wides

Confirmation that Anthem’s AVM70 Pre-pro does put sounds into the Front Wide speakers when using the Dolby Surround Upmixer.

QUESTIONS:

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Rob was a little surprised by this year’s Best Picture Oscar winner…and by Venom: The Last Dance. WiiM 2-channel Vibelink Amp. Netflix adds HDR10+. HDR by Barco gets two permanent installations. Christie has a new, smaller Dolby Cinema projector.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC6MrB

00:00:00 – Intro

Canadians will head to the polls next month.

00:09:50 – What We Watched

Rob watched Venom: The Last Dance, and Anora. Tom continues to watch The Golden Girls.

00:25:59 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 132 Patreon Patrons.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Infinite Gary, Martin, Dazz, Greg, and Joe. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:28:07 – News: WiiM Vibelink Amp

A $300, 2-ch, 100 Watts/ch amp that doubles down into 4 ohms: https://tinyurl.com/mr3365k6

– https://avgadgets.com/banana-plugs-do-they-make-speakers-sound-better/

00:32:52 – News: Netflix Adds HDR10+

Netflix wants their whole HDR library available in HDR10+ by the end of the year: https://tinyurl.com/572775et

00:34:42 – News: HDR by Barco Theaters

Via Infinite Gary – The HDR by Barco pilot program has now led to two permanent installations: https://tinyurl.com/2fnaddur

– HDR by Barco Pilot Program: https://tinyurl.com/4m2b58sn

00:42:36 – News: Smaller Christie Dolby Cinema Projector

Smaller, lighter, brighter, and only one needed for smaller Dolby Cinemas: https://tinyurl.com/msmnmcsh

Comments:

00:44:12 – Comment: Martin – SVS Service in Denmark

An SVS replacement amp after the warranty has expired in Denmark.

QUESTIONS:

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