We discuss the biggest Oscar winners from the 95th Academy Awards. Roku’s own branded TVs are available for sale exclusively at Best Buy. Filmmaker Mode for Dolby Vision is in the works for next year. And Clint’s Harmony Hub and desktop software both stopped working, so switching to the smartphone app now seems mandatory.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:02:30 – What We Watched

Rob watched Creed II, Star Trek: Prodigy, and Crimes of the Future. Tom watched R.I.P.D., and 1917.

00:13:57 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 138 Patreon Patrons, as well as Andrew for sending links for the Hal9000 Fan Edit versions of Star Wars, and Bryan for letting Monoprice know he bought a Dark Matter Sentry mic because of Tom’s review.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Gurinder, Bertrand, David, and Alex. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:22:58 – News: Oscar Winners

Popular movies actually won this year at the 95th Academy Awards: https://bit.ly/3LqQXXb

00:27:05 – News: Roku TVs at Best Buy

Affordable Roku branded TVs with ok specs are now exclusively at Best Buy: https://bit.ly/3YQaDqs

00:29:05 – News: Dolby Vision Filmmaker Mode

The UHD Alliance plans a Filmmaker Mode for Dolby Vision: https://bit.ly/40bfgfQ

00:32:08 – Heads Up: Harmony Hub & Desktop Software

Clint DeBoer’s Harmony Hub and Remote suffered an “account conflict”, and the desktop software won’t load. Seems the smartphone app is the only thing still working.

QUESTIONS:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Rob had a brief time to try out his PlayStation VR2 last week, so he shares his thoughts and impressions. SVS released their 3000 In-Wall Subwoofer System after beefing it up and increasing the price. Sony unveiled their 2023 TV lineup, but without prices, and with disappointing news for all but their QD-OLED flagship.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:51 – Rob’s PS VR2 Review

00:15:28 – What We Watched

Rob watched Creed. Tom had an all-Witcher week, finishing season 2, and The Witcher: Blood Origin.

00:21:27 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Mark for his PayPal donation, plus our 138 Patreon Patrons, as well as Aaron and Keshaun for having us check on some movie codes for them and Vince for sending us an Amazon gift card.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Aaron, Klay, Gurinder, Dan, J. Karl, Vasanth, and Keshaun. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:24:15 – News: SVS 3000 In-Wall Subwoofer

SVS’ first in-wall subwoofer was first shown a couple of years ago. After beefing it up, they’ve finally made it available through authorized dealers: https://bit.ly/3ZSjZmw

– https://avgadgets.com/svs-3000-in-wall-subwoofer-released/

00:30:30 – News: Sony 2023 TV Lineup

A95L QD-OLED leads the way, with a new 77″ size, the latest Samsung Display panels, and the MediaTek Pentonic 1000 HDMI chip for 4K/120 with Dolby Vision and VRR all at the same time. But the rest of the lineup is less impressive.

– Sony 2023 OLEDs: https://bit.ly/4299FZB

– Sony 2023 LCDs: https://bit.ly/3Jo8cXT

Comments:

00:34:26 – Comment: Brian – Actually Liked Our Advice

We thought he’d hate us saying not to go overboard.

00:35:57 – Comment: Dan – Fan of Integra App

AV Receiver control apps might not be great, but Dan’s satisfied with Integra’s.

00:36:35 – Comment: J. Karl – Consignment Store Shopping

A tip for sticking to your budget.

QUESTIONS:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Tom reviews the affordable Dark Matter Sentry USB Microphone from Monoprice. Netflix announced price drops for dozens of countries. 2022 reports show Samsung, TCL, and LG dominating TV sales. And a helpful correction informs us that playing Atmos Music from Amazon Music Unlimited on your home theater system is now possible.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:03:03 – Dark Matter Sentry Microphone Review

It isn’t perfect, but for the price, Tom’s impressed with Monoprice’s affordable USB mic: https://avgadgets.com/dark-matter-sentry-streaming-microphone-the-blue-yeti-killer/

00:11:46 – What We Watched

Rob finished Season 3 of Mythic Quest, and urges you to check out Corridor Digital’s Anime Rock, Paper, Scissors, and especially their making of video where they detail their impressive use of AI and freely available tools.

Tom watched Super 8, and finished Season 1 of The Witcher.

– Corridor Digital’s “Rock, Paper, Scissors”: https://youtu.be/GVT3WUa-48Y

– How Corridor Digital used AI to convert live action to animation: https://youtu.be/_9LX9HSQkWo

00:24:19 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 140 Patreon Patrons.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Jay, Gurinder, Julian, and Jorge.

NOTE: there’s a helpful tip here about dual subwoofer placement!

In the news:

00:29:13 – News: Netflix Lowers Prices

Dozens of countries get a price drop in an attempt to boost subscriber numbers: https://on.wsj.com/3SAFNRn

00:31:13 – News: Samsung & TCL Sell Lots of TVs

Samsung & TCL sold the most TV units in 2022. Samsung & LG made the most revenue: https://bit.ly/3mhD977

Comments:

00:33:21 – Correction: James – helpfully informed us that it is now possible to send Atmos Music from Amazon Music Unlimited out to your home theater system or SoundBar via HDMI: https://amzn.to/3kCAzYM

00:36:55 – Comment: Mike – Black Hole Active Acoustic Pressure Reduction

Journey back to 2012 to witness audiophiles discover the benefits of adding a second subwoofer at the back of the room: https://bit.ly/3II3W3V

00:40:16 – Comment: Jorge – 2 Names for 2 Echos

A clever suggestion for isolating music streaming from Amazon’s Assistant’s voice.

QUESTIONS:

00:44:47 – Brian: 9.2.4 vs. 7.2.6

With a new 13-ch AVR, he asks what speaker layout he should use, which amp to add, and how to configure it all.

– Emotiva BasX A3: https://bit.ly/3ZsyrRX

– BasX A5: https://bit.ly/3SGH0Xu

01:03:06 – Ryan: Get an Ultra HD Blu-ray Player?

Should he continue using his Xbox Series X as a disc player with his Sony OLED?

– https://avgadgets.com/is-dolby-vision-worth-it/

– https://avgadgets.com/xbox-series-x-and-s-dolby-vision-update/

– https://avgadgets.com/what-is-dynamic-tone-mapping-and-why-is-it-important/

01:07:47 – Jay: AVR Apps, Diffusion & Coax

Are any AVR control apps good? Questions about acoustic panel types & placement. Terminating bare coax wire.

– RG-6 coax crimping kit: https://amzn.to/3mjH7w0

– F-type to RCA adapter: https://amzn.to/3ZvIK84

– F-type to RCA wall plate jack: https://amzn.to/3EPUJFt

01:26:23 – Infinite Gary: More on Anthem Logic

Speculation about Anthem Logic listening mode processing, and another great example of misattribution due to changing more than one variable.

01:30:52 – Andrew: The Most Canadian Decoupler

How’s Rob’s apartment restoration going? And can Canada’s most sacred object make for a good decoupler?

01:33:06 – Jay: Single Subwoofer Upgrade

The room is open, placement options are limited, neighbors are attached: which sub to get?

– SVS PC-2000 Pro: https://bit.ly/41uV8qN

01:38:57 – Will: 2.1 Setup for Mac Mini

He owns a pair of speakers, but is willing to replace them to get the control and features he’s looking for.

– Fosi DA2120C amp: https://amzn.to/3SDmJlk

– Jamo S 801 PM: https://bit.ly/3kCF1qs

– Klipsch R-15PM: https://bit.ly/3YiT0Q8

– Fluance Ai41: https://avgadgets.com/fluance-ai41-powered-bookshelf-speakers-review-soundbar-killer/

– Dayton SUB-1200: https://amzn.to/3KMKe9Y

– SUB-1000L: https://amzn.to/3kFi3z2

01:45:22 – Vincent: Headphone for PS VR2

What’s Rob gonna use?

– Shure SE215: https://amzn.to/3ZctHAe

– Petition to add 3D Blu-ray playback to PS5 & PS VR2: https://bit.ly/3mivMvS

01:48:42 – Julian: Parasound Noise Floor

We speculate about what could be causing a low, soft hum.

01:54:46 – Anonymous: Choice of Room & Subs

Which spare bedroom to use as a home theater? And why small, sealed subs might or might not be enough.

– Dual SVS SB-1000 Pro: https://bit.ly/3J3r0eU

– Monoprice Monolith M-10 V2: https://avgadgets.com/monolith-by-monoprice-m-10-v2-thx-subwoofer-review/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Fewer recording disruptions and a little extra episode length today to make up for last week! Kef released new R-Series Meta speakers. Sonos has new Era Series Smart Speakers coming in March, and the big one has Atmos. Samsung’s European QD-OLED prices were announced. And we use our favorite word a lot when discussing what’s really responsible for audible differences.

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

00:00:00 – Intro & What We Watched

Rob watched Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Tom watched The Witcher, Top Gun, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

00:13:24 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 140 Patreon Patrons, including James.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Gurinder, Greg, James, Brian, Eddie, and Jorge. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:20:57 – News: KEF R-Series Meta

KEF has brought metamaterial backwave absorption to their R-Series of speakers: https://avgadgets.com/kef-announces-the-r-meta-series-with-mat/

00:24:15 – News: Sonos Era Smart Speakers

Sonos Era 100 looks to replace the Sonos One while adding Bluetooth. Sonos Era 300 adds an upward-firing Atmos driver: https://bit.ly/3IJeNvw

00:26:37 – News: Samsung QD-OLED Pricing

Samsung Europe released prices (in Euro) for all S95C & S90C models: https://bit.ly/3ILm3Hc

Comments:

00:28:26 – Comment: Larry – Happy with Q Acoustics

Changed from Paradigm Monitor SE speakers to Q Acoustics and thinks they sound way better.

00:32:26 – Comment: Ian – Power from Amps to Speakers

Can’t help but cringe when words like “pushed”, “pulled”, “requested” or “drawn” are used, so we try a new analogy.

QUESTIONS:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

This week’s episode is a little rough. Tom is sick, and his modem was having problems. So apologies for being a little out of sorts. Hopefully we can make it up next week! Trinnov Active Acoustics is essentially a Double Bass Array. Martin Logan released new Motion and Motion XT Series speakers. And WARNING: Mark Schifter from AV123 has returned to the online audio retail world.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAs75S

00:00:00 – Intro & What We Watched

Rob watched Morgan, and Fresh. Tom watched a lot: Lockwood & Co., The Expanse, Andor, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

00:30:16 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Jonathan and Steven for their PayPal donations, plus our 141 Patreon Patrons, including Julian.

Thanks to Joe for sending photos with permission for Tom to use them on https://avgadgets.com/

And we appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Anders, Greg, Jonathan, Steve, Julian, Dan, and Dazz. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:33:03 – News: Trinnov Active Acoustics

Essentially a Double Bass Array, Trinnov’s new bass optimization system is very different from Dirac’s Active Room Treatment: https://bit.ly/3k14adW

00:39:31 – News: Martin Logan Motion Series Gen 2

Via Dazz – New Martin Logan Motion and Motion XT Series speakers get a waveguide: https://bit.ly/3E9VcBZ

00:43:02 – News: Mark Schifter is Back

The former AV123 salesman is back via Vera-Fi Audio and XSA Labs. Fair warning.

Comments:

00:48:11 – Comment: Steve – Virtual Listening Mode vs Up-Firing Surrounds

3.1 setup with Virtual Surround Mode vs using up-firing Atmos Modules on top of Front L/R speakers as Surrounds.

00:49:14 – Comment: Infinite Gary – HDMI Troubleshooting

Gary’s results from trying to track down why he’s getting video dropouts.

QUESTIONS:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS