Tom has returned. Thank you to Lee Overstreet and Joe Klusnick for guest co-hosting last week. Kaleidescape is celebrating their 25th Anniversary. PlayStation 5 console prices are going up…a lot. And we discuss the improvements that Sofabaton brought to their X2 Hub-based remote with their latest firmware updates.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Tom is back. Thanks to Lee and Joe for last week.

00:03:06 – LEGO Enterprise-D

Rob finally assembled the LEGO Enterprise-D that he bought, and he awkwardly shows it on camera a little.

00:07:18 – We’re Busy, You Guys

The little tasks in life just manage to eat up time, y’know?

00:11:05 – Impromptu AI Discussion

The number of questions being emailed to us has dwindled. But we suspect they’ll return at some point, and we explain why.

00:20:16 – Life Updates

Quick updates about our families.

00:23:16 – What We Watched

Tom has been watching SEC Gymnastics. Rob watched Zootopia 2, and Wicked: For Good.

00:40:20 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Dan for his PayPal donation, plus our 119 Patreon Patrons.

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

In the news:

00:41:57 – News: Image Quality Panel Discussion

Joe Klusnick took part in Bright Side Home Theater’s “Beyond Resolution” discussion: https://www.youtube.com/live/wDTE4pZZz2I

00:42:47 – News: Kaleidescape’s 25th Anniversary

Via Joe: Kaleidescape is celebrating 25 years with a curated selection of 25 movies: https://tinyurl.com/2hwjautj

00:45:26 – News: PS5 Price Hikes

PlayStation 5 consoles are going up in price…a lot: https://tinyurl.com/mrxn2vwp

00:55:34 – News: Sofabaton X2 Updates

The latest software and firmware updates brought improvements, so we share our thoughts: https://www.sofabaton.com/product/x2/

Our Sofabaton X1S Sale Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/4rLZW73

Promo Code: TOMX1S35

Comments:

01:03:59 – Comment: J. Karl – Plumbing

Just a suggestion to check what detection equipment and techniques your plumber will use prior to hiring them.

QUESTIONS:

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We’re back! Last week’s absence was spur of the moment, so apologies for that. Now Tom is away this week. But Lee Overstreet and Joe Klusnick are here to guest co-host with Rob. Barco is buying VerVent Audio Holding, the parent company of Focal and Naim. Xbox Mode is coming to all Windows 11 PCs. Amazon Prime Video Ultra is replacing the Ad Free tier. We comment on NVidia DLSS 5. And we have Oscars rankings to share.

Our Sofabaton X1S Sale Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/4rLZW73

Promo Code: TOMX1S35

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCNYQ3

00:00:00 – Intro

Sorry for missing last week. Tom is away this week. So we catch up a little with Lee Overstreet and Joe Klusnick.

00:05:25 – Contact Info

Lee on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/leeoversky.bsky.social

Joe on AVS Forum: https://www.avsforum.com/members/jskmdwk.7537874/

00:07:38 – What We Watched

Lee watched, but didn’t like, Fallout S.2, The Beyond, and 2073. Then he watched and did like Chernobyl, and Station 11.

Joe watched Project Hail Mary in ScreenX, Mercy, The Oscars, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Battle: Los Angeles, War Machine, The Matrix Reloaded, Survivor, Company Retreat, and The Secret Agent.

Rob watched and reviews Marty Supreme, and The Secret Agent.

00:37:35 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 119 Patreon Patrons.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Steve, Adam, Leighton, Chris, Scott, and Jason. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

00:38:53 – 2026 Oscars Rankings

Rob gives his rankings of the 10 Best Picture nominees.

– https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2026

In the news:

00:44:39 – News: Barco Buying VerVent Audio Holding

The parent company of Focal and Naim is being sold to Barco: https://tinyurl.com/yh2vxfmw

00:47:19 – News: Xbox Mode

The Xbox Full Screen Experience is coming to all Windows 11 PCs with a new name: https://tinyurl.com/wemr2dpw

00:52:24 – News: Prime Video Ultra

Amazon Prime Video’s Ad Free tier is being replaced with the more expensive Ultra tier: https://tinyurl.com/bddrxjru

00:55:22 – News: Sofabaton X1S Sale

An even bigger 35% discount on the Sofabaton X1S if you use our affiliate link and promo code.

– Click “See All Buying Options” to add an X1S to your cart at full price first: https://amzn.to/4rLZW73

– Enter our promo code in the Payment section during checkout: TOMX1S35

00:56:39 – News: NVidia DLSS 5

Why have shadows and video game faces when you can overbrighten and yassify everything with AI?

– https://tinyurl.com/mt66x373

Comments:

01:05:28 – Joe’s Home Theater Facebook Group

Check out the Obsessed Home Theater Community where Joe is a co-administrator: https://tinyurl.com/mvrxu9e4

01:06:53 – Joe’s Panel Discussion on Image Quality

This Thursday at 1pm Pacific Time, Joe will be part of a panel discussion, hosted by Bright Side Home Theater, to talk about image quality with industry experts: https://www.youtube.com/live/wDTE4pZZz2I

01:08:29 – JPORTER Studios at AXPONA

If you’re at AXPONA this year, check out Jeremy Porter’s new Wellington Micro hybrid Bookshelf speaker in room 1415: https://www.jporterstudios.com/

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AV Rant Podcast is taking one week off.

Sorry, everybody. Life…uh…got in the way.

We didn’t have a ton of emails, so those who wrote to us over the past week received replies so they weren’t left hanging.

And not to worry, we will be back next week!

Posted: 2026-03-18

Now that the Sofabaton X2 Universal Remote is widely available, Sofabaton is running a sale on the X1S model. And we have a promo code you can use for extra savings: TOMX1S20 . RSL launched their online Encore Store with a cosmetic grading system on open box items for extra cost savings. The new CEO of Microsoft Gaming confirmed the next Xbox console is code named Project Helix, and it will play both Xbox and PC games.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Ugh. The repairs on Tom’s house are going to be more extensive than hoped and anticipated.

00:08:16 – Update on Tom’s Home Theater

SVS Prime Elevation speakers have been hung with Sewell Ghost Wire stuck to the walls (but not painted yet). Stands for Surround speakers were purchased.

– Sewell Ghost Wire: https://tinyurl.com/42dv2h6j

– Kanto Living Satellite Speaker Stands: https://tinyurl.com/28rs5jrj

00:13:33 – What We Watched

Tom enjoyed SNL with Ryan Gosling. Rob watched One Battle After Another.

00:33:19 – Listeners of the Week

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

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

In the news:

00:34:41 – News: Sofabaton X1S Sale

Buying a Sofabaton X1S Universal Remote through our Amazon affiliate link, and then entering our Promo Code in the Payment section can save you 30%.

– Promo Code = TOMX1S20

– Sofabaton X1S Remote via Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/46Xugnv

– https://avgadgets.com/sofabaton-x1s-is-the-harmony-killer/

00:37:05 – News: RSL Encore Store

RSL has introduced a cosmetic grading system on Open Box items via the launch of their online Encore Store: https://rslspeakers.com/pages/encore-store

00:40:25 – News: Xbox Project Helix

The new CEO of Microsoft Gaming confirmed the code name for the next Xbox console that will play both Xbox and PC Games: https://tinyurl.com/yfamyfzu

QUESTIONS:

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Paramount Skydance gave their best and final offer to buy Warner Bros Discovery, and Netflix declined to match it. RTings now requires a paid membership to view their full product reviews, a change made in light of AI scraping all their data and leading to far fewer page visits. Tom has updates about his back, and his house.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Updates on Tom’s bad back.

00:07:31 – The New House Leak

Uh oh. That water leak Tom told us about last week? It’s turning into another saga.

00:16:22 – Hey, Scott! Tom Wants “The Product”

Shout out to SVS for their Prime Elevation wall-mount bracket. And Tom would like to take Scott up on his speaker cable offer.

– “The Product”: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUTZ_ilDl41/

00:21:00 – What We Watched

Tom is still watching The Olympics. Rob watched Frankentstein.

00:34:10 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 120 Patreon Patrons, including Patricio.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Patricio, David, Steve, John, Dan, Jorge, and Karl. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:37:22 – News: Paramount Buying Warner Bros.

Paramount Skydance’s best & final offer was declared by Warner Bros. Discovery to be superior, and Netflix quickly declined to match it: https://tinyurl.com/558dhzf9

00:44:37 – News: RTings Goes Membership-Only

With AI scraping all their reviews, RTings has decided to put all of their full product reviews behind a paywall. Early bird members get a discount: https://tinyurl.com/2d2rvnp9

QUESTIONS:

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