We go over Ascend Acoustics’ updated website and newest speaker model, the Sierra-LX. We plan a full audio system, explain bitstream vs PCM audio, dig into THX Listening Mode settings, and much more.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzX19J

00:00:00 – Intro

Rob completed Severance on Apple TV+. Tom watched Gravity and RRR.

00:16:02 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 138 Patreon Patrons, as well as Dan, who finally gets an update on the Harmony Elite Remote he sent for Tom’s parents.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Dale, Terry, Aras, Gurinder, and Mike. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:22:01 – News: Ascend Sierra-LX Speakers

Ascend Acoustics has updated their website, streamlined their lineup, and introduced the new Sierra-LX model: https://bit.ly/3P4v67b

00:25:43 – News: Samsung Gaming Hub

All the major streaming gaming services can be played directly on Samsung 2022 TVs: https://bit.ly/3yo4mXQ

Comments:

00:30:45 – Comment: Karl – JVC Authorized Dealers

Make sure to buy any replacement JVC lamps from an authorized dealer, or else your warranty will be voided.

00:32:07 – Comment: Ryan – Prebuilt Shed

A suggestion to consider a prebuilt shed, rather than renovating a room in your house for a theater.

00:34:06 – Comment: Zach – OLED TV Dimming Fix

Vincent Teoh from HDTV Test details how to dig into the service menu of OLED TVs to stop them from dimming during HDR content: https://youtu.be/E5qXj-vpX5Q

QUESTIONS:

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We feature LG’s Ultra Short Throw projector lineup. Lots of questions about subwoofers. Rob got to meet one of our favorite listeners and supporters in person. And wouldn’t you know it, HDMI-CEC strikes again!

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzWh6L

00:00:00 – Intro

Tom and Rob both watch Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and finished up Obi-Wan Kenobi. Rob watched Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. And Tom watched The Bear.

00:17:32 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Kevin, Michael, Bill, and Aras for their PayPal donations, plus our 139 Patreon Patrons, including Bertrand and Daniel, as well as Bertrand and Clint DeBoer for helping sort out our email issues, Dale P for talking us up to AudiMute, Infinite Gary for mentioning us to Rythmik, and Dale “Lt Sulu” for telling his local Sherwin Williams store about us.

Dale P, Mike, and Bill all sent 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: Bertrand, Dale P, Daniel, Dale “Lt Sulu”, and Mike. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

00:23:06 – Meetup with Herb from Cross-Spectrum Labs

Rob got to have dinner with Herb from CS Acoustics & Cross-Spectrum Labs, and you get to hear all about it!

– https://csacoustics.com/

– https://cross-spectrum.com/

In the news:

00:29:13 – News: Netflix with Ads Confirmed

A new, lower-priced tier will bring ads. Existing tiers remain ad-free: https://bit.ly/3Acvtro

00:29:44 – News: SVS SoundPath UHS HDMI Cables

Fully certified 48 Gbps Ultra High Speed HDMI Cables from SVS: https://bit.ly/3nt5fJE

00:31:29 – News: LG UST Projector Lineup

LG has three new Ultra Short Throw Projectors, all with frame-by-frame Dynamic Tone Mapping for HDR: https://bit.ly/3NuURf9

Comments:

00:39:03 – Comment: Nathan – CTA Audio & Video Guidelines

More published guidelines for setup, this time from the Consumer Technology Association: https://bit.ly/39ZQURQ

00:41:03 – Comment: Mike – Unexpected CEC

Mike sought the advice of the Twitter hive mind. Rob got him to check an unexpected HDMI-CEC culprit.

QUESTIONS:

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Perlisten Audio has an entire new THX Ultra speaker Series at a lower (but still expensive) price bracket. We go over the details of Emotiva’s new monoblock amp. And our honest advice about a new theater room probably isn’t what one of our listeners wants to hear.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Rob watched The Last Duel, and Tom revisited Turner and Hooch, and The Last Jedi. And we discuss Ms. Marvel.

00:21:24 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Raf for his PayPal donation, plus our 139 Patreon Patrons, including Bertrand, as well as Infinite Gary for letting Rythmik know he heard about their subwoofers from us.

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

In the news:

00:23:17 – News: Emotiva BasX A1 Monoblock Amp

It spoils the easy pricing structure they had going, and it’s RCA only, but the BasX A1 is a reasonably affordable 200 Watt monoblock amp: https://bit.ly/3HLRjnv

00:27:44 – News: Perlisten R-Series THX Speakers

After introducing the first THX Dominus speakers with their S-Series, now Perlisten has unveiled their lower-cost, THX Ultra R-Series lineup: https://bit.ly/3QCjEk6

00:30:27 – News: Buy Walmart Products on your Roku

Two clicks are all it takes to order advertized products from Walmart on your Roku streaming device: https://bit.ly/3HMs6Jw

Comments:

00:32:32 – Comment: Andrew – Waxing Speakers

Andrew had good results using car wax on his glossy speakers. Rob suggests piano polish: https://www.corycare.com/productcat/piano-care-products/

QUESTIONS:

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Auro, Insteon, and the Xbox Cloud Gaming Stick all appeared to be dead, but they’ve lurched back to life in various ways! Some in-depth discussions on room curves, home theater influencers, and which HDMI cable to buy at a store, plus much more.

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

00:00:00 – Intro
Rob watched “RRR”. Tom shares his thoughts on Baahubali and the first episode of Ms. Marvel.

00:14:37 – Listeners of the Week
Our Listeners of the Week are Aras for his PayPal donation, plus our 139 Patreon Patrons, including Tom, Dale, and Terry.
Thanks to Dale for giving Tom permission to use his photos on https://avgadgets.com/
And we appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Tom, Dale, Kiran, Terry, Andrew, Dan, Kevin, and Aras. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:19:21 – News: Auro Technologies goes Bankrupt
It isn’t the end of the Auro-3D format, as it’s being folded back into Galaxy Studios: https://bit.ly/3Ok1dyN

00:22:13 – News: Insteon gets New Owners
Insteon Hubs sprang back to life, followed by an announcement of new ownership: https://bit.ly/3tFd1n8

00:24:38 – News: Xbox Cloud Gaming on Samsung TVs
2022 model year Samsungs get an Xbox App with Cloud Gaming: https://bit.ly/3NZHm8p

Comments:

00:26:11 – Comment: Nathan – Dolby & Trinnov Room Guides
Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment Studio Guidelines: https://sforce.co/39wqIy4
Dolby Audio Room Design Tool: https://bit.ly/3Oge9Wk
Trinnov Speaker Layout Guide: https://bit.ly/3b6wLtH

QUESTIONS:

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A shorter episode this week, as Rob had an appointment to keep. But not to worry, we’ll be back next week to play catch up!

HDMI cables get a new feature, and Samsung’s QD-OLEDs weren’t the only TVs cheating on tests.

Check out Tom’s newest novel, “Touch of Pain”, and leave a review: https://amzn.to/3JRVzSu

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Rob watched The Green Knight, and Tom watched The Hating Game, and has more thoughts about Obi-Wan Kenobi.

00:16:45 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Ryan and Aras for their PayPal donations, plus our 139 Patreon Patrons, including Martin.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Aras, Dale, David, Ryan, Martin, Karl, Jay, Greg, and Max. Shout out to Gurinder and Mark for finding our new 2Hour+ Club Secret Words!

And since Dale asked about YouTube episodes prior to #505, those can be found here: https://bit.ly/3xtPwju

In the news:

00:20:42 – News: HDMI Cable Power

The latest HDMI 2.1a Amendment 1 spec includes power from source devices for HDMI sources: https://bit.ly/3tj7vGT

00:31:00 – News: Samsung QLED also Cheating

Samsung’s QD-OLEDs were cheating on test pattern measurements, but they were updated to at least fix Filmmaker Mode. Now their flagship 4K QLED has been caught doing those same cheats and more. But Samsung says they’ll update that, too: https://bit.ly/3QkvC1Q

Comments:

00:32:39 – Comment: Aras – John Carpenter for Front Wides

Aras recommends John Carpenter’s movies that have been released on Ultra HD Blu-ray as demo material for Front Wide speaker usage in their Atmos soundtracks, with two notable exceptions.

00:33:39 – Comment: Ian – HDMI to RCA

Ian suggests a digital to analogue HDMI to RCA converter for using a streaming device for audio without needing to have a TV turned on: https://amzn.to/3H9A2o8

00:34:52 – Comment: Greg – Thoughts on Sonos

Greg weighs in on Blake’s in-laws regarding using a Sonos home theater setup in their open Living Room.

QUESTIONS:

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