It’s the end of an era as Logitech has officially discontinued manufacturing Harmony remote hardware, sending a slight wave of panic throughout the home theater community as we try to come up with alternatives. Check out our thoughts and suggestions in our news section this episode, as well as Tom’s write-ups over at AVGadgets: https://avgadgets.com/logitech-discontinues-harmony-remotes/

00:00:00 – Introduction & Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 124 Patreon Patrons, concluding Bertrand, as well as Dazz for encouraging people to check out our podcast via Facebook Groups. We also want to thank Bertrand, Mark, AJ, Patricio, Michael, and Terry 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/aHsmVhJQov

00:05:32 – In the news:

 – Arclight Cinemas and Pacific Theatres won’t be reopening: https://is.gd/iUJD7O

– Sony Pictures and Netflix sign a five year exclusive streaming deal: https://is.gd/k6TNDF

– Samsung Electronics will reportedly buy OLED panels from LG Display: https://is.gd/ZmBBoF

00:11:19 – Harmony Remotes are no longer being manufactured by Logitech, though they say software and database support will continue: https://avgadgets.com/logitech-discontinues-harmony-remotes/

We previously detailed four potential alternatives: https://youtu.be/w84M46icJJA?t=1371

And now we’ve come across a couple more:
– MyURemote – another phone/tablet app for about $35: http://www.myuremote.com/
– Sevenhugs Smart Remote U & X – a touchscreen IR, Bluetooth & WiFi remote that looks promising, but is much smaller than you might have thought: https://smartremote.sevenhugs.com/smart-remote/

00:18:07 – Comments:

– Michael Z. ribs us about Center speakers, and says if cassette tapes are making a comeback, then MiniDiscs ought to be next.

QUESTIONS:

00:19:21 – Bertrand and J.R.
Bertrand shares his dissatisfactory experience with Canadian retailer Electronics For Less. Then he and J.R. both ask about LG OLED TV picture settings. Bertrand asks about Panasonic UHD Blu-ray player settings, Center speaker aiming and imaging, Audyssey results, and some image artifacts he spotted. Then both Bertrand and J.R. ask if it’s worth using an external streaming device rather than the TV’s built-in apps.
– Panasonic UHD Blu-ray player settings: https://youtu.be/5–CUvUwhro?t=3088
– SpareChange Panasonic settings: https://youtu.be/Lsks6y1h7vg?t=139
– HDTV Test Panasonic HDR Optimizer explanation: https://youtu.be/oTw_Toh0PzA?t=121
– https://avgadgets.com/disc-or-digital-which-is-better/
– Home Theatre Engineering Apple TV 4K settings: https://youtu.be/htd_1RSaf3A

00:47:51 – Nathan W.
has us revisit mono vs. stereo listening for comparison and review purposes from a different perspective.

01:00:35 – Mark T.
genuinely wants to know if the NPS-1260 liquid from High Fidelity Cables Magnets is an intentional joke: https://is.gd/70TbKy

01:04:59 – Jeff A.
is building an addition to his house from the ground up, and wants to know where to start when it comes to theater planning.

01:17:31 – Mike N.
asks what he should get for wireless whole house audio.
– https://play-fi.com/products/
– https://www.sonos.com/en-us/home
– https://usa.yamaha.com/products/contents/audio_visual/musiccast/index.html
– https://usa.denon.com/en-us/category/heos

01:23:32 – Andrew L.
wants a multi-channel amplifier just to have one.
– Outlaw Model 5000X: https://is.gd/fjHynZ
– Monoprice Monolith 5X: https://is.gd/ooJ4HK

01:25:59 – Patricio
asks all about Class D amplifiers, and whether they could save him a bunch of electricity.

01:35:47 – Michael K.
has a large, dedicated theater room, and asks about Bookshelf vs. Tower Fronts.

01:39:25 – Jason S.
is still getting some interference using the Outlaw OAW4 wireless speaker kit, so he asks for an alternative.
– Audioengine W3: https://is.gd/tfhrV3

01:41:56 – Chris H.
gets our take on the OSD Nero Dual X8 (https://is.gd/yWEe4W) and TubeBass10 (https://is.gd/Tn6rPC) inexpensive subwoofers.

01:49:46 – Dazz
asks about acoustically transparent screen, and Front Wide ideas for his theater.

01:54:38 – Terry G.
gets details about using three AV Receivers to expand to 7.2.6.
– https://www.highdefdigest.com/blog/dolby-atmos-beyond-7-1-4-part-1/

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