Ever wonder about highly directional sound? The Soundlazer promises just that. While it still has a ways to go before meeting its funding goal, it is well on its way. This is a tech that has obvious applications in a retail setting but might also work in a home. Tom would love to check one out and Liz wants to be shown that it isn’t some elaborate hoax. Firmware updates have become fairly standard these days and Tom doesn’t like it. Liz doesn’t like that they are now updating the ends of video games based on players’ reactions. Would you pay extra to be allowed to twitter while in a movie theater? How about for 2D, is that worth extra to you? Google wants all your data and users are crying foul. Tom thinks it is all an overreaction. What do you think? Oh, and your new Samsung TV may be spying on you. So there’s that.
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Lots of stuff this week. Pioneer has a new line of receivers, and Tom is particularly impressed with the $250 model. PlayGo, a device about five years too late. Liz is going to check out Watch It! – a service that updates you when something you want to see is available. We talk about This American Life because, well, everyone is. Axiom Audio announces new speakers. Which aren’t ready to ship yet, aren’t on their website, and are still very much theoretical. Tom, as you might expect, is skeptical (as he is of all bi/di/omni-polar designs that aren’t surrounds). This week in Netflix? They suck. But, apparently, not as bad as GameStop. So that is something. Will The Hunter bring movies into your home theater before they hit the theaters? Probably not. But maybe it is a first step. Check out the video of using lasers to see sound after the break.
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Tom and Liz are getting used to their new schedule and Liz is getting used to her new (old) phone. Liz found a post with some of the first sounds ever recorded. And they are CREEPY! The Olympics go ULTRA! Is there such a thing as a “bad” review? Maybe. But there are definitely bad ways to react to a review. Tom dissects this article. Listener questions from Jason (two) and an announcement from Andy (the EMP Tek E5Ti tower speakers are on sale for $275 a pair – just $25 more than the bookshelves! Jump on that if you have the spare cash). Liz talks a bit about how she got her phone unlocked and Spotify. Tom talks about this article on 24-bit/192kHz encoding. It’s a deep read so take your time. Don’t forget to comment on the last podcast to enter to win a Samsung Galaxy Nexus case. Oh, yeah, and some new Apple crap was released. You should totally sell your first born to get it.
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Liz and Tom try out their new schedule and are a little discombobulated. Technical difficulties abounded but they finally got a podcast out. Any background noise is from Liz’s cats. So…you know where to send your hate mail. This week, Tom announces how to win a Samsung Galaxy Nexus case from Otterbox (more below). Google is coming to Kansas City – and Tom would be too if he was moving back to the states. Tom and Clint wrote an article about how Apple would handle home theater. Aereo sued and no one is surprised. But are they legal? Tivo has a new box thingie. Here’s the xkcd that Liz was talking about. Someone needs to tell Tim Burton that there are more actors in the world. AT&T redefines “unlimited“. This week in Netflix – Comcast. Some more advice on how to audition speakers in a store. We can’t remember if we got to this topic on this version of the podcast but pirates care more about video quality than the studios.
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A while back Tom did an interview with David Janszen. David is one of the foremost experts in electrostatic speakers. This interview talks about everything from what an electrostatic speaker is to how it works. David walks us through materials, constructions, and why some of the electrostatic speakers on the market really aren’t. Tom makes sure to ask about directionality, size of sweet spot, and how hybrid designs work. If you are at all interested in this type of speaker, this is a podcast you can’t miss. Plus, the speakers he was talking about on the podcast have been released so check the link out above for more details.
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