AV Rant #947: You’re Gonna Be a Magnetar
It’s our final episode of 2024! And unexpectedly, Lee Overstreet joins Rob H as Tom was forced to be away with the flu. It wasn’t the plan. But we answer lots of questions, since we’re taking next week off for Christmas!
LG has discontinued all of their Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray players. Apple will release their own WiFi+Bluetooth chip next year, and a new Apple TV 4K will be one of the first devices to get it. And a new HDMI 2.2 spec will be announced at CES in January.
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00:00:00 – Intro
Tom is away sick. So we catch up with Lee Overstreet.
00:06:13 – What We Watched
Lee has been watching Another Life on Netflix. Rob watched Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.
00:19:21 – Listeners of the Week
Our Listeners of the Week are our 133 Patreon Patrons, including Daniel, as well as: Brandon for offering another AV Receiver to Tom; Dan for saying he’ll send Rob something made from the same Apple Wood tree as Tom’s cheese board; and, Infinite Gary for sending more movie codes to Tom.
We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: John, Trevor, Infinite Gary, Brandon, Jeremy, Mark, Julian, Joe Klusnick, Daniel, Henry, Curtis, and Will. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen! And Merry Christmas!
In the news:
00:27:12 – News: LG Discontinues Disc Players
No more Blu-ray or Ultra HD Blu-ray players from LG: https://tinyurl.com/m74metcp
00:31:02 – News: New Apple TV 4K in 2025
Apple’s own Proxima WiFi+Bluetooth chip is set to first appear in a new Apple TV 4K next year: https://tinyurl.com/48x8tmzb
00:32:34 – News: HDMI 2.2 Coming at CES 2025
A new, higher bandwidth HDMI spec and a new category of cables will be announced next month: https://tinyurl.com/yc88zf7h
Comments:
00:36:23 – Comment: Joe – Gonna Try 16:9
Thanks to the big haul of gear he bought, he’s going to find out if he likes having a screen that’s every bit as wide as his 2.35:1 screen, but also taller.
00:40:22 – Comment: Alan – Dual Sonos Amp Correction
Using two Sonos Amps together doesn’t split the bass.
00:42:05 – Comment: Curtis – Atmos Music Via AirPlay 2
Curtis helps us out by explaining how to select Apple Music on an iPad and send it to an Apple TV 4K with Atmos intact!
00:46:07 – Comment: Will – AVR on its Side
Ideas for Tony and Adam, including using an AV Receiver on its side.
00:49:08 – Comment: Kris – Kaleidescape Chroma Setting Success
We said to lower his chroma subsampling setting to avoid video dropouts, and it worked!
QUESTIONS:
00:51:28 – Ilango: New Basement, New Receiver
We go through his awesome basement reno, and say whether he should return the Denon X3800H he bought on sale.
01:05:17 – Andrew: NVidia Shield Frame Rate Switching
Awesome for Plex, not so much for anything else.
01:09:03 – Trevor: Subwoofer Amplifiers
What happens when you Y-split a subwoofer signal into both the Left & Right inputs? Replacement amp for a Polk PSW120. And 2-channel amps with a remote and sub out.
– Dayton SA100: https://tinyurl.com/4wpy8mst
– WiiM Amp: https://tinyurl.com/ycx2k5z9
– Fosi DA2120C: https://tinyurl.com/mr342ttn
01:14:58 – Brandon: Narrow Room Front Wides?
We say what we think he should do in terms of speaker placement in his narrow room.
01:21:43 – Ryan: Sonos Arc Ultra and TV Settings
Our reactions to Andrew Robinson’s YouTube review of the Sonos Arc Ultra Atmos SoundBar System. And some TV settings.
– Andrew Robinson Sonos Arc Ultra Review: https://youtu.be/0V-2wsBO78U
01:36:22 – Jeremy: Computer Speakers & Turntable
Suggestions for computer speakers and a Bluetooth turntable in France.
– Kanto YU4: https://tinyurl.com/zcavycve
– AudioEngine A2+: https://tinyurl.com/34bbtpcm
– Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT: https://tinyurl.com/46nsrweb
01:42:39 – Julian: Distribution Amp for Atmos
Should we be using distribution amps for all those Atmos speakers?
01:45:05 – Nick: New Apple TV 4K
Buy now, or wait?
01:49:01 – Daniel: DIY Perks Surround Sound with LASERs
We discuss DIY Perks’ video in which he made his own 3D printed speakers and modified TOSLink adapters into wireless audio signals using lasers.
– DIY Surround Sound Using LASERS: https://youtu.be/1H4FuNAByUs
01:53:36 – Henry: 4K Blu-ray Player Future
What will become of Ultra HD Blu-ray Players?
01:57:12 – Jeremy P: HTPC into JVC X750R
Why won’t his PC output 4K/60 into his JVC X750R projector?
02:00:49 – Dazz: Do What Rob Did?
Should he be irresponsible and spend all his money on new subwoofers?
02:04:19 – Mohsen: Monitor Audio and Tidy Wires
Mohsen’s latest purchase. And how to tidy up cables and wires.
02:07:35 – Will: UST vs Standard Throw Projectors
Given the same budget, what are the pros and cons of UST vs standard throw projectors? What about in a dark room? And what about ALR and CLR screens?
02:14:21 – Stefan: REL HT/1510 vs SVS SB-3000
How do the specs line up with real world performance?
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