Tom is here! Not for the whole podcast, of course. But he lets us know he’s safe, and everything he and his family have been dealing with post-two-hurricanes.

Lee Overstreet co-hosts with Rob H. Sound & Vision and Home Cinema Choice both end their print editions and go online-only. The FTC has updated their Amplifier Rule. And ADTH announced their NextGen TV USB dongle that adds an ATSC 3.0 tuner to Google TV and Fire TV boxes.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBN9ZP

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:55 – It’s Tom!

First and foremost, Tom and his family are all physically ok and safe. But they’ve been dealing with…a lot. More than Rob was aware of. So Tom wanted to provide an update for everyone, and to express his gratitude for all of the support.

You’ll have to excuse the noise in the background; the house where Tom and his family have been staying also suffered some hurricane damage and was under repair as we recorded!

00:42:45 – Back to Rob & Lee

00:45:18 – Thank You, Anker!

The folks at Anker came in clutch, sending Tom a Solix Portable Power Station, a few GaN Prime Power Banks, a USB Hub, power adapters, charging cables, and anything else Tom requested.

So we cannot thank them enough. We already loved a ton of their products anyway. And this just shows what a stand-up group they are: https://www.anker.com/

00:51:54 – What We Watched

Some updates from Lee. Rob watched The Penguin Ep. 3, and Longlegs.

01:04:45 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are: Richard, Karl, Jayson, and Niels for their PayPal donations, plus our 133 Patreon Patrons, as well as Jefferson for talking us up to Value Electronics, and Vince for sending Rob an Amazon gift card for Canadian Thanksgiving, with a promise to send one to Tom for American Thanksgiving next month.

Thanks also to Stefan 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: Tony, J. Karl, Donald, Karl, Jonathan, Stefan, Joe, Manuel, Vince, Gurinder, Mark, and Tim. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

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Lee Overstreet co-hosts this week. Our thanks to Joe Klusnick for being here last week. We’re all hoping Tom and his family will be ok through Hurricane Milton.

AVRant Listeners Sasi found out the rough launch date and price for the Sofabaton X2 Remote. Fasetto Audio Cu sends audio signals over household power lines. Panasonic UB450 is available in the USA.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

We share us much as we know about Tom’s situation just prior to Hurricane Milton, which we’re afraid isn’t much. And we catch up with Lee Overstreet, who’s doing ok, and is here to co-host with Rob for the foreseeable future.

Our thanks to Joe Klusnick for being here last week.

And if you’d like to help Tom, and have experience setting up a GoFundMe, get in touch with Rob, and we’ll try to organize a single fundraising link.

00:12:56 – What We Watched

Lee watched football in “Enhanced 720p”, and has thoughts on videos being shot in HDR. Rob continues to love The Penguin, and watched Smile.

00:29:33 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are: Ilango, Jeff, James, Graeme, Raf, Daniel, Peter, Kevin, Charles, and Graham who all sent donations to Tom via PayPal.

We also thank our 133 Patreon Patrons, including Sherwyn, and Daniel, as well as Henry for offering to send Tom a Panasonic UB420, and Jim for sending a movie code.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Sherwyn, Jonathan, Stan, Henry, James, Ilango, Henry, Karl, Infinite Gary, Graham, David A, David B, and Donald. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:35:09 – News: Sofabaton X2 Rough Date & Price

Via Sasi: Sofabaton plans to launch their X2 touchscreen, Hub-based universal remote in April 2025 for under $300: https://tinyurl.com/2s4fndkk

Richard alerted us to the Matter logo. So there’s some hope the X2 will be better than the X1 at home automation control and integration.

00:37:50 – News: Fasetto Audio Cu

A system for sending audio signals over household power lines is now certified for Dolby Atmos: https://www.fasetto.com/audiocu-consumer

Comments:

00:44:25 – Comment: Josh – Panasonic UB450 in the USA

Rob was wrong. The Panasonic UB450 Ultra HD Blu-ray player is fully available in the USA: https://tinyurl.com/2s3h2mbr

QUESTIONS:

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Joe Klusnick joins Rob H on short notice. Tom’s house was badly damaged by Hurricane Helene, we are sad to say 🙁

Rob covers the news at the end of this episode: SVS 17-Ultra R|Evolution Series subs are now available. Arendal 1528 Flagship speaker Series details and prices were released. KEF Q Meta Series speakers launched. NAD T799 Receiver will deliver 9.4.6. TPG reached an agreement to merge DirecTV and Dish. Meta Quest 3S headset is like a blend of the Quest 2 and Quest 3.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBKV9E

00:00:00 – Intro

An update on the property damage that Tom is dealing with after Hurricane Helene. Anything he wants to share publicly is being posted to his Facebook page.

You can find Joe on AVS Forum: https://www.avsforum.com/members/jskmdwk.7537874/

00:09:05 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 134 Patreon Patrons, as well as Rohan and Peter for sending in movie codes that Tom will eventually be able to check.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Sasi, Rohan, Stefan, Gav, Ilango, Karl, Greg, Jorge, Gurinder, Fred, Vasanth, and Manuel. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

Comments:

00:13:49 – Comment: Nathan – Projector Fudge Factor

Projector lamps – and even lasers to some extent – dim a fair amount near the beginning before stabilizing. So it’s worth factoring that in when using a Projector Calculator.

00:19:06 – Comment: Fred – Vudu Still Exists

It’s changed owners and branding, but free updates are still happening.

QUESTIONS:

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Tom shouldn’t be here! Wish him luck during hurricane Helene! Masimo ousted CEO Joe Kiani from their board and fully intends to sell off the former Sound United companies. The National Association of Theatre Owners is investing $2.2 billion over 3 years to improve cinemas. And Sofabaton showed their new X2 Remote at CEDIA.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:07:55 – What We Watched

Rob is rewatching Parks and Recreation, he saw the first (excellent) episode of The Penguin, and watched Civil War. Tom is rewatching New Girl, saw the first two episodes of Agatha All Along, and watched Lucy, and The Killer.

00:34:56 – Tom’s Chair

Tom likes his new office chair enough to keep it: https://amzn.to/3MNy1kT

00:36:21 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 133 Patreon Patrons, as well as Jefferson for talking us up to AV Science, and Sasi for offering to send one of us his Harmony Elite Remote.

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

In the news:

00:41:56 – News: Masimo Ousts CEO from Board

An activist investor has seized control of Masimo’s board, and ousted CEO Joe Kiani as a board member, with intentions to sell off Masimo Consumer: https://tinyurl.com/ycx3e3ru

00:44:45 – News: Theatre Owners Invest $2.2 Billion

The National Association of Theatre Owners announced a 3 year, $2.2 billion investment to improve cinemas: https://tinyurl.com/wbkx665

00:48:01 – News: Sofabaton X2 Touchscreen Remote

We wish there were more details and coverage, but Sofabaton had a prototype of their new X2 Touchscreen Universal Remote at CEDIA: https://tinyurl.com/2s4fndkk

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Tom is back! Our thanks to Lee Overstreet and Joe Klusnick for guest co-hosting last week. AirPods Pro 2 receive FDA approval for use as hearing aids. We finally get to the PS5 Pro news.  And Vividstorm and AWOL Vision have motorized cabinets to hide your UST Projector & Screen when not in use.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Welcome back, Tom! Thanks to Lee Overstreet and Joe Klusnick for guest co-hosting with Rob last week.

00:13:42 – What We Watched

Rob watched I Saw the TV Glow. Tom watched Alien: Covenant, and finished Twisted Metal.

00:33:28 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 134 Patreon Patrons, including Jason.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Mike, Derek, Gurinder, Mohsen, Karl, and Stefan. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:39:30 – News:  AirPods Pro 2 as Hearing Aids

FDA approval came quickly after Apple announced its intention to have AirPods Pro 2 certified as over-the-counter hearing aids: https://tinyurl.com/4dfe6tv2

00:49:22 – News: PS5 Pro

More expensive than expected, and without a disc drive: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/ps5/ps5-pro/

00:53:04 – News: Vividstorm and AWOL UST Cabinets

A motorized screen and projector drawer let you hide your large display at the touch of a button.

– Vividstorm Dune: https://tinyurl.com/mr7dma7u

– AWOL Vision Vanish: https://tinyurl.com/ujv7mjwm

Comments:

00:55:36 – Comment: Infinite Gary – Technics

Gary’s dad worked for the Panasonic sub-brand in the 80’s. He informs us how to pronounce it correctly.

00:58:11 – Comment: Shawn – 100″ TV on Sale

The Hisense 100-inch U7N is currently selling for $2,200. And Costco’s version includes 5 years of warranty coverage: https://tinyurl.com/356numw4

QUESTIONS:

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