Our Listeners of the Week are Dennis, Benjamin, and Chad for their donations, along with our 125 Patreon Patrons, as well as Aras V. for mentioning us to Abt and AV Science when he bought his new TV and Receiver. We also want to thank Jack, Josh, and Alex 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/aHsmPXzP6K

In the news:

– Disney’s Mulan skips theaters and can be unlocked early on Disney+ for $30: https://is.gd/atUnpX

– Disney allegedly halts Ultra HD Blu-ray releases of catalogue titles, including Fox’ library: https://is.gd/BwHW7d

– APC’s J-Type and S-Type battery backup UPS models have been discontinued. New Back-UPS Pro “Gaming Performance” models are the best replacement option: https://is.gd/jAXB3I

– TCL’s new 6-Series (R635) TVs have mini-LED backlights, but misleading marketing about 120Hz support for gamers: https://is.gd/hc6Yod
– They do not have full bandwidth HDMI 2.1. So 1440p/120 is as high as they go: https://is.gd/KuadAO ; No 4K/120 support: https://youtu.be/gs0072hZHdI

Comments:

– James W. notes that even flagship AV Receivers draw 8 amps or fewer, and in the UK, getting HDMI boards replaced by shipping two different Receivers to authorized repair centers was worth it vs. buying whole new units.

– Nelson W. got a candid reply from Marantz in the USA that shipping to an authorized repair center is only worth it if you’re within warranty.

– Andrew L. shares tips about setting up a Harmony Hub and adding on a new Harmony Remote to your existing system.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Our Listeners of the Week are our 124 Patreon Patrons, including Karl, Tom, and Nelson, as well as Karl R. and Felipe V. for both talking us up to Accessories4Less, and Don S. for letting Gary Yacoubian over at SVS know we recommended them. We also want to thank Karl, Nelson, Tom, Gurinder, Andrew, Daniel, Aras, Art, and Felipe for their notes of gratitude to us for keeping the podcast going. Thank you all for continuing to listen!

Check out Karl’s eBay listing if you’re interested in a Denon X7200WA Receiver:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/324247594299

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmPPk4gu

In the news:

– Sony has begun their “Ready for PlayStation 5” marketing: https://is.gd/UNLd47

– Netflix officially brings variable speed playback to mobile Android devices: https://is.gd/RLJLXf

Comments:

– Andrew L. suggests using a frame made from corner bead to prevent insulation from sagging in DIY absorption panels, talking to your TV’s voice assistant to start a screen saver or black out the screen, and confirms that relabelling your overhead speakers as Front & Rear Heights instead of Tops delivers the most discrete-sounding results for all immersive audio formats.

– Daniel W. shares his experience with doing DIY display calibration.

– Eddy responds to our suggestions, and our reactions to the renders that his girlfriend made of his apartment from last week.

– Our own Tom Andry recommends MovieBob’s “How to Fix the Fantastic Four”: https://is.gd/TvDi8I

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Our Listeners of the Week are Levi for his donation, and our 125 Patreon Patrons, including James, Brandon, and Rob. We also want to thank James, Brandon, Levi, Tim, and Fred for sending us notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmPFZ82d

In the news:

– “Tenet” by director Christopher Nolan is foregoing its intended global release, and will instead premiere when it can, where it can, starting August 26: https://is.gd/vWZCNk

– CES 2021 will take place entirely online: https://is.gd/wAIlSq

– AMC Theaters and Universal Studios forged a multi-year deal to allow movies on Premium Video on Demand just 17 days after premiering in theaters, with revenue sharing: https://is.gd/nx0Zqy

Comments:

– Adam G. benefited from good timing when he heard Brandon’s reminder last week that Harmony Remotes can be programmed to select HDMI Output 1 or 2 (or both) when connecting a flat panel TV and a projector to an AV Receiver.

– Patrick P. vouches for Sherwin-Williams’ 7070 Series of neutral gray paint: https://is.gd/BTrLOi

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Our listeners of the week are Brandon for his donation, and our 125 Patreon Patrons, as well as Corey B. for emailing directly with Gary Yacoubian, the CEO of SVS. We’d also like to thank Dan, Brandon, Dazz, and Timothy for their notes of gratitude to us for keeping the podcast going. Thank you to everyone who continues to listen and send in questions!

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmPy9LKd

0:02:17 Turns out Rob has been right this whole time about museum putty: https://is.gd/PXCHxt

In the news:

– The mystery of Samsung Blu-ray players getting stuck in an endless reboot loop has been solved, and it wasn’t because of expired SSL certificates: https://is.gd/5NwPLe

– Microsoft has ceased production of Xbox One X and S All Digital Edition consoles: https://is.gd/Pu7Tt6
– They’ve also stopped selling 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscriptions: https://is.gd/J1r5QC
– But they’re adding xCloud game streaming to Game Pass Ultimate in September: https://is.gd/DJhyFY

Comments:

– Carl C. shares his early impressions of Peacock.

– Jackson corrects Rob about common household electrical panel amperage.

0:26:03 Matt G. is still having issues with ARC from his Sony X900F. He asks about picture settings, and MotionFlow and CineMotion in particular, and whether it makes sense to make a separate picture mode for poor quality content.

0:39:43 Gurinder shares a bunch of subwoofer and speaker measurements, and asks if they indicate a need for any further room treatments or adjustments to his subwoofers.

0:51:54 Rob M. asks us to convince him that he does not need a Receiver upgrade.

0:55:23 Manuel T. finally gets an answer from us about his Front speaker positioning (after we missed it last time), and we discuss his particular options for Atmos speaker placement.

1:00:38 Brian F. is getting occasional video dropouts with his JVC NX7 projector.

1:04:30 Buddy asks which tube amp we recommend for driving his Infinity Quantum 5 speakers.
– Monoprice Pure Tube Stereo Amp: https://is.gd/tWRP5R

1:08:43 Brandon N. asks about Panasonic HDR Optimizer settings, which movies will convince him a disc player was worthwhile, and he shares some comments about connecting a Receiver to both a flat panel and a projector, how noticeable Atmos was to his wife, and running a phantom Center.
– HDTV Test Panasonic player videos: https://is.gd/MpxtST

1:15:19 Jason H. asks about his clever idea for having a convenient way to switch between two different subwoofer output levels on his Receiver.
– Sewell HDMI SplitDeck:https://is.gd/w0fwIt

1:18:08 Dazz asks about in-ceiling Atmos speaker placement from side walls, speaker wire gauge, and whether it’s worth opening his drywall for some speaker wire runs.

1:22:57 Terry G. asks for a less expensive alternative to in-ceiling GoldenEar speakers, and whether backer boxes are necessary for maximum performance.
– Monoprice Amber in-ceiling speakers: https://is.gd/Pu60vX

1:27:29 Nick B. double checks his hand-me-down Receiver plan, and asks about plugging an HDMI-ARC connection from the TV into a normal HDMI input, and which Front speakers he should get.
– Ascend CBM-170SE: https://is.gd/vS2A7X

1:32:55 Steve M. wants the best possible video and audio from his Samsung Q80T and Denon S910W for Ultra HD Blu-ray, Xbox One S, and Xbox Series X.

1:39:53 Andrew L. asks all about bi-amping.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Our Listeners of the Week are Jeremy and Joe for their donations, and our 124 Patreon Patrons, as well as  Ken M. for talking us up to SVS. We also want to thank Efrain, Michael, and Martin for their notes of gratitude to us for keeping the podcast going. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen and send in questions!

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

In the news:

– Logitech is killing the Harmony Express Remote, but you can get a Harmony Elite in its place for free: https://is.gd/ahf4qi

– 0:10:15 The Marantz 2020 AV Receiver lineup was announced. And we do a little comparison between those and Denon’s 2020 models for DJ and Karl: https://is.gd/KaTg98

Comments:

– Gregory sent in some photos of how he turned a 2×6 wall into staggered studs without losing any floorspace.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS