AV Rant #999.9z: End of an Era
This is the last AV Rant ever! But don’t worry; the podcast lives on. AHA!
New Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K fails to impress. The Paramount Skydance – Warner Bros. Discovery merger is complete, and the whole thing is just called Skydance now. HDTV Test determined the best LCD TV of 2026.
Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjD6Pzj
00:00:00 – Intro
It’s the last AV Rant episode! But we’re not going away. We’re just changing to a new name and a new brand…little by little.
Pardon our dust: https://actuallyhonestadvice.com/
00:22:18 – Happy Birthday, Tom!
Yup, he’s a year older.
00:23:34 – What We Watched
Tom’s been watching the World Athletics Ultimate Championship. Rob watched Soulm8te.
00:35:41 – Listeners of the Week
Our Listeners of the Week are our 116 Patreon Patrons, as well as Aaron for sending another movie code, and Brandon and Nelson for offering to help Dazz and Patrick, respectively.
We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Vince, Dazz, Brandon, and Billy. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!
In the news:
00:40:18 – News: Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
It’s slim, it’s got a better remote, but with its limitations, we wouldn’t buy one: https://tinyurl.com/3p3phym5
00:43:05 – News: Paramount – Warner Bros Merged
The lawsuits were settled, so Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery have merged to form…Skydance: https://tinyurl.com/bdh92wyt
00:47:58 – News: HDTV Test Best LCD of 2026
No real surprise which LCD TV won the shootout. And now it will take on the OLEDs: https://tinyurl.com/38nu7npm
QUESTIONS:
00:52:54 – Kevin: Tricking Ourselves
Is our peripheral vision the key to tricking ourselves into thinking a home theater feels exactly the same as a large commercial cinema?
01:01:37 – Patrick: Avoiding Power Problems
Why didn’t his Furman surge protector eliminate the small, repeated surges we suspect damaged his Pre-Pro’s power supply? And what power protection device would do a better job?
– CyberPower CP1500PFC: https://tinyurl.com/ywur83yt
01:07:05 – Dev: Living Room Upgrades
We discuss options for his: AV Receiver, TV, acoustic treatments, subwoofers, and speakers.
– Denon X3900H from A4L: https://tinyurl.com/39euh5v3
– Onkyo TX-RZ30: https://tinyurl.com/45bj22uc
– https://www.gikacoustics.com/collections/bass-traps
– https://www.gikacoustics.com/products/acoustic-art-panel
– https://www.acoustimac.com/acoustic-insulation-materials/diy-kits
– https://www.acoustimac.com/acousticart
– https://www.dirac.com/products/art
01:24:36 – Galen: How to Clean Your TV Screen
The ideal way to clean your TV screen.
– LG Screen Cleaning Instructions: https://tinyurl.com/2vn2npr5
01:27:45 – Jason: Printed Panels, New Speakers
Jason shares the results of his all-Canadian, DIY, printed panel project. And we suggest AV Receivers and speakers to buy in Canada.
– Denon S670H from Gibby’s: https://tinyurl.com/3562t66z
– Denon S770H: https://tinyurl.com/5du2dk9k
– ToneWinner SW-D1000 from Summit HiFi: https://tinyurl.com/yu82zt34
– Kanto Speakers & Subs: https://tinyurl.com/bdevduva
– Paradigm Speakers & Subs: https://tinyurl.com/2t7ed8pn
01:33:41 – Vince: Garage Loft Theater Upgrades
We examine the home theater he’s set up in the loft above his garage. We think it can be improved by simplifying it. And we’d reposition his subwoofers.
01:49:00 – Dazz: Starke Sound Brio Subs
Are we fans of the Starke Sound Brio SW15?
– Starke Sound Brio SW15P: https://tinyurl.com/2mms5eby
01:53:22 – Brandon: Measuring Volts
We discuss how he can use his multimeter to measure the voltage coming from his amplifiers and pre-outs. Volts squared over Ohms equals Watts.
01:57:01 – Billy: Kaleidescape Annoyance
His Denon Receiver is old enough that it only has a single 8K input. But he’s forced to toggle its setting depending on whether he’s watching HDR or not. Is there a fix?
02:02:56 – Manuel: TCL QM7K HDMI Ports
Which HDMI port should he use to connect his Marantz SR6014 to his TCL QM7K, since the eARC port is not an HDMI 2.1 port?
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.
- If you like it, you can purchase 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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