HBO Max and Discovery+ will merge May 23 to become Max, with a new app and pricing tiers. SMPTE is working with all the other industry acronyms to create a Cinema HDR standard. And Tom’s SVS subs bottomed out!

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:03:02 – What We Watched

Rob watched The Menu. Tom finally watched Everything Everywhere All at Once, and he sort of came around on Willow, plus The Mandalorian bottomed out his subwoofers! What about yours?

00:17:48 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 137 Patreon Patrons, including Alvin.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Dan, Joseph, Adam, Nick, Alvin, Will, and Ilango. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:19:42 – News: HBO Max & Discovery+ Merge into Max

Starting May 23, Discovery+ will still be around, but HBO Max will become Max, with a new app, Discovery+’s content added to it, and new pricing tiers: https://bit.ly/41B2QP8

00:23:58 – News: SMPTE Working on Cinema HDR

Via Infinite Gary – at the NAB Show, SMPTE joined with other industry associations to announce their Cinema HDR plans that don’t have to rely on Dolby: https://bit.ly/3Aa5nnE

Comments:

00:27:41 – Comment: Joe – Portland Airport Theater

A joint venture with Portland’s Historic Non-Profit Theatre and the Erskine Group shows off home theater equipment and local short films.

QUESTIONS:

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Inity Acoustics offers absorption panels & bass traps at good Canadian prices, but there’s a catch if you’re outside of Ontario. MQA filed for Appointment of Administrators (bankruptcy) in the UK. And we’ll be playing catch-up next week. Sorry!

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Star Wars Celebration chat.

00:04:13 – What We Watched

Rob watched Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Tom watched The Mandalorian, Willow, and The Night Agent.

00:20:34 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 137 Patreon Patrons.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude from: Micah, David, Martin, Ilango, and Adam. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:23:32 – News: Inity Acoustics Canadian Panels

Absorption panels & bass traps at good prices in Canada. But shipping outside of Ontario stings a bit: https://inityacoustics.com/

00:26:33 – News: MQA Bankruptcy

Master Quality Authenticated filed for Appointment of Administrators in the UK: https://bit.ly/3o9EfT0

Comments:

00:32:49 – Comment: Joe – Assisted Living Installations

Updates on previous and upcoming theater installations.

00:37:16 – Comment: Donald – YouTube HDR on Apple TV

Rob gets corrected about Apple TV 4K playing HDR on YouTube.

QUESTIONS:

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HDMI Quick Media Switching has arrived, but not without complications and disappointment. Japan OLED filed for bankruptcy protection and is closing its factories. Onkyo TX-RZ70, Pioneer Elite VSX-LX805, and Integra DRX-8.4 11-channel Receivers have been announced.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAyt6i

00:00:00 – Intro

00:04:24 – What We Watched

Rob watched The King of Comedy. Tom watched Big Trouble in Little China…on DVD!

00:13:40 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Raf and Micah for their PayPal donations, plus our 137 Patreon Patrons.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: David, Martin, Richard, Chris, Scott, Gav, and Dan. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:15:12 – News: HDMI QMS

Limited device support, quirky setup and limited usefulness, and an AVR conundrum all lead to disappointment.

– QMS Devices: https://bit.ly/3KAJ151

– HDTV Test on QMS: https://youtu.be/I3e6CtBhdNY

– AVR QMS Problems: https://bit.ly/3Mj2kRF

00:22:57 – News: JOLED Bankruptcy

Japan OLED is shutting down: https://bit.ly/3nDP3IU

– https://avgadgets.com/tcl-oled-tvs-by-2023/

00:26:03 – News: Onkyo, Pioneer, Integra Flagship AVRs

New 11-channel Receiver models:

– Onkyo TX-RZ70: https://bit.ly/3MfPQtZ

– Pioneer Elite VSX-LX805: https://bit.ly/3GiFrtE

– Integra DRX-8.4: https://bit.ly/3U8Tbgh

Comments:

00:34:30 – Comment: Scott – Stewart Filmscreen Micro-Perf

A reminder that Stewart Filmscreen recommends at least one foot of distance for any speakers placed behind its micro-perf acoustically transparent screens.

QUESTIONS:

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Lee Overstreet joins Rob this week. We cover RSL’s new, big Speedwoofer 12S subwoofer, Denon & Marantz’ new speaker configuration flexibility, a fix for 2023 LG OLED auto-dimming, and Roku ending support for their first 4K device. Plus, lots of your home theater questions!

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAxw7i

00:00:00 – Intro

00:03:03 – What We Watched

Rob watched Jem and the Holograms. Lee has an A/V take on American Idol.

00:15:48 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 139 Patreon Patrons, as well as David for sending a bunch of movie codes.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Andreas, Greg, and Bob. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:17:22 – News: RSL Speedwoofer 12S

A big, potent, relatively inexpensive sub: https://bit.ly/42LXpym

00:22:03 – News: Denon & Marantz Enhanced Features

New Setup Menu, Dirac Live options, and speaker configuration flexibility added: https://bit.ly/40qHi7C

00:26:05 – News: 2023 LG OLED Auto-Dimming Fix

No more having to void your warranty in the service menu: https://youtu.be/WL1k-K4jFcY

00:29:10 – News: Roku 4 End of Support

No more updates coming to Roku’s 1st 4K device: https://bit.ly/40siA6Y

Comments:

00:31:55 – Comment: Andreas – iFi-Audio LAN iSilencer

“Quiet your network”. Or just laugh at this ridiculous product: https://bit.ly/3ZryEV4

00:34:50 – Comment: Joe – Fantastic Theater Installation

Joe shares the results of the theater he installed at an assisted living residence.

00:38:57 – Comment: Jim – WinISD

Jim wants people to see how changing a speakers rear enclosure only impacts the bass for themselves: http://www.linearteam.org/

00:40:36 – Comment: Bob – HDMI Cable Warning

When “known good” isn’t good enough.

QUESTIONS:

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Dirac Live Room Correction is now available for the newest Denon & Marantz Receivers. YouTube TV got a big price bump, but if you were paying for 4K Plus, it’s actually a bit cheaper now. And much of our discussion this week falls into the category of setting expectations, and putting commas where they should be.

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

00:00:00 – Intro & What We Watched

Rob watched Don’t Worry Darling. Tom caught up with all the episodes of The Mandalorian Season 3 that have aired so far.

00:14:23 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Richard for his PayPal donation, plus our 138 Patreon Patrons, as well as David for having us check a bunch of digital movie codes for him.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: David, Joe, Julian, Dan, Richard, and Klay. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:19:25 – News: Dirac Live for Denon & Marantz

Via Infinite Gary – Dirac Live Room Correction Limited & Full are now available as add-ons for the newest Denon & Marantz Receivers.

– https://www.dirac.com/denon/

– https://www.dirac.com/marantz

– https://avgadgets.com/i-switched-from-audyssey-to-dirac-and-i-wish-i-hadnt/

– https://avgadgets.com/which-room-correction-program-is-the-best-audyssey-ypao-or-dirac/

00:25:35 – News: YouTube TV Price Hike

It’s $73/month now. But adding 4K Plus costs half as much: https://engt.co/3K0bVez

Comments:

00:27:53 – Comment: Joe – Expensive Screens & In-Wall Origins

Joe’s 2-cents on value vs. expensive projection screens. And an early story from Sonance about how in-wall speakers started.

QUESTIONS:

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