Archive

Author Archive

AV Rant #717: All Your Amps are Belong to Us

September 18th, 2020 Comments off

Thank you to DJ from https://www.brightsidehometheater.com/ for being our guest co-host last week!

Our Listeners of the Week are Ian and Eric for their donations, and our 125 Patreon Patrons, including Enrique. We also want to thank Adam, Shawn, Matt, Nathan, Shannon, John, Mike, and Brandon for their notes of gratitude to us for keeping the podcast going. We really appreciate the encouragement. And thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmQMoRH5

In the news:

– Xbox Series X & Series S launch details were revealed: https://is.gd/pEjhSy

– Via Abhue – Xbox Series consoles will support Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision for games: https://is.gd/3KflkV

– Xbox is getting DTS:X bitstream output: https://is.gd/4BmHDo

– NVidia is buying Arm for $40 billion: https://is.gd/EvneRz

– Apple changes their app store rules for game streaming: https://is.gd/7e7Fo5

– Oculus Quest 2 info was leaked: https://is.gd/jkxwOI

Comments:

– Gurinder is facing challenges with his in-ceiling speaker installation in his drop tile ceiling,
0:27:44 prompting Rob to mention his new go-to on-ceiling option.
– Monoprice HT-35 Satellites: https://is.gd/6XMZhm
– VideoSecu ceiling speaker mounts: https://is.gd/muKzkh

– Jim B. thinks a styrofoam cooler might make a super cheap backer box solution, but we worry about fire safety code.

– Marc “The Wood Whisperer” (https://thewoodwhisperer.com/) shares his positive experience with his quiet Mitsubishi mini-split air conditioner.

Read more…
Play

Categories: Podcast Tags:

AV Rant #716: DJ from Bright Side Home Theater

September 11th, 2020 Comments off

We have a special guest co-host this week! DJ from the Bright Side Home Theater Podcast was kind enough to step in on short notice. Tom (https://nerdylegion.com/episodes/brightsideht-34) and Rob (https://nerdylegion.com/episodes/brightsideht-39) have both been guests on DJ’s podcast, so it was a pleasure to have him on AVRant! You can find DJ on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrightSideHT and at his website: https://www.brightsidehometheater.com/

Our Listeners of the Week are Jefferson for his donation, and our 123 Patreon Patrons. We also want to thank Jefferson, Joe, Bob, Casey, and Daniel for their notes of gratitude to us for keeping the podcast going. Thank you all for continuing to listen!

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

In the news:

– Via Karl – JVC released their ExoField XP-EXT1 wireless headphone with full Dolby Atmos and DTS:X decoding: https://is.gd/Efbigd

– Emotiva finally delivered Dirac via a Raspberry Pi-powered Interface Kit: https://youtu.be/cwwSrcTHnMg?t=271

– JVC detailed the firmware update for their 4K projectors: https://is.gd/JNuvPz

– Optoma announced the CinemaX P2 UST projector: https://is.gd/8dyrbp

– Samsung announced The Premiere UST projectors: https://is.gd/0xvJPt

– LG’s CineBeam HU810P brings dynamic tone mapping: https://is.gd/wLOIm0

– Sony’s VW715ES & VE915ES are their first projectors with Dynamic HDR Enhancer: https://is.gd/wTvoFb

Comments:

– David B. explains why it makes sense to keep the same AC house wiring we already have.

– Nelson W. explains why pro amps often aren’t a suitable match for consumer pre-outs, and has a bone to pick with the “pulled, not pushed” phrase regarding amps and speakers.

– Fred R. now has a working Denon X4500H from Accessories4Less, and listening to Mario’s advice from Ep #713 (https://is.gd/4otmUW) led him to find grounding code violations at his house.

– Daniel W. encourages everyone to call companies if they have issues, as he got great results from LG and Logitech.

Read more…
Play

Categories: Podcast Tags:

AV Rant #715: Eco Mode & Masks

September 4th, 2020 Comments off

Tom’s lip sync is PERFECT this week! Check out https://www.youtube.com/avrant to see why.

Our Listeners of the Week are Kevin and Jefferson for their donations, plus our 122 Patreon Patrons, as well as Tom K. for mentioning us to https://www.safeandsoundhq.com/ when he bought a refurbished NAD Receiver, and Joseph H. for offering to send Tom some Good Seasons dressing packets. We also want to thank Curt and RD for their notes of gratitude to us for keeping the podcast going. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmQvqLw1

In the news:

– Voxx, the parent company of Klipsch, bought Onkyo/Integra/Pioneer: https://is.gd/7jhp2L

– Via Andrew – NVidia Shield Experience 8.2 brings Match Frame Rate to older models, and HDR to SDR conversion to the newest models: https://is.gd/3piEax

– Disney let it slip that Mulan will be available to all Disney+ subscribers just three months after the $30 Premier Access release: https://is.gd/m7LMn3

– 0:20:06 NVidia RTX 30 Series graphics cards bring HDMI 2.1 to PCs: https://is.gd/gxlENY

Comments:

– RD discovered his Receiver’s “Eco” power saving settings were responsible for some annoying audio and video dropouts.

– Jim B. shared his kitchen setup in which he painted a Dayton SUB-1000 and added it to his TV’s built-in speakers with results that amazed him.

Read more…
Play

Categories: Podcast Tags:

AV Rant #714: Easy for Tom to Say

August 28th, 2020 Comments off

Our Listeners of the Week are Kris, David, Andrew, and Arturo for their donations, plus our 124 Patreon Patrons, as well as Nelson and Fred for dropping our name to Accessoires4Less, and Dan for offering to send Tom some Good Seasons packets, since Tom can’t find them at his local stores. We also want to thank Gurinder, Victor, Stefan, Michael, Kris, and Dan for their notes of gratitude to us for keeping the podcast going. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmQeWwP2

In the news:

– Disney revealed details of Premier Access on Disney+ for the release of Mulan: https://is.gd/rbdApX

– Via Allen G. – Channel Master and TiVo have teamed up to release the $350 TiVo Edge OTA DVR: https://is.gd/4mZFWw

– Aperion Audio released their Novus Slim on-wall speakers: https://is.gd/KjsiQX

– 0:18:27 Yamaha’s RX-V4A and RX-V6A Receivers are the first to offer more than one HDMI 2.1 input: https://is.gd/YRLu5P

Comments:

– Mike provided a handy diagram of the numbers for below black and above white for 8, 10, and 12-bit signals: https://is.gd/x7zdmC

Read more…
Play

Categories: Podcast Tags:

AV Rant #713: Tom’s in a Pickle

August 21st, 2020 Comments off

Our Listeners of the Week are Joseph for his donation, and our 122 Patreon Patrons, as well as Jay for writing to Tom with his horror movie recommendations. We also want to thank Chris and Terry for their notes of gratitude to us for keeping the podcast going!

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmQ6SymR

In the news:

– 0:11:52 Rob wants to make sure gamers are aware the new TCL 6-Series (R635) TVs top out at 1440p resolution with 120 fps. No 4K/120. CNET updated their article: https://is.gd/m4um7T

– No new JVC projector models this year. At CEDIA, they will unveil a firmware update: https://is.gd/QJBMie

– Via Karl – AMC Theatres are reopening, starting Aug. 20 with 15 cent tickets: https://is.gd/RaAjyA

– Disney says there are no official plans to discontinue releasing Ultra HD Blu-rays of catalogue titles: https://is.gd/ESSznY

Comments:

– Mario S. is a panel member of the National Electric Code, and he shared a write-up about the importance of bonded grounding for your home as the first line of defence against lightning strikes and power surges: https://is.gd/fQ6SPd

– Nick B. shares a laugh about cruzeFIRST Audio’s ridiculous Maestro power cord, electrical outlet, and faceplate: https://is.gd/04A3xp

– Terry G. says our advice helped him successfully run the Audyssey Editor App and solve some network issues.

Read more…
Play

Categories: Podcast Tags: