Tom is back! Dirac Live Active Room Treatment is coming to StormAudio Processors this year, and we’ve got hot takes. TCL scales back on mini-LED backlighting. Hisense charges forward with more mini-LED than ever. And the Nakamichi Dragon SoundBar is expensive. Plus lots of questions answered.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAnLC3

00:00:00 – Intro & What We Watched

Rob watched Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Tom watched A Bad Moms Christmas, 1899, and The Batman.

00:17:59 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 139 Patreon Patrons, as well as Justin for sending a bunch of movie codes.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Manny, Vasanth, Paul, Kevin, Jay, Infinite Gary, Justin, Gurinder, and Andrew. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:22:16 – News: Dirac Live Active Room Treatment

Dirac Live ART will be exclusive to StormAudio Processors at first: https://bit.ly/3QuYVz7

00:33:31 – News: TCL 2023 TV Lineup

Only one Series with mini-LED backlights and large screen sizes: https://bit.ly/3X5CZgp

00:34:33 – News: Roku Makes Their Own TVs

Entry level TVs directly from Roku: https://bit.ly/3Zwi1J6

00:36:23 – News: Hisense Aims Higher

More mini-LEDs than ever. And bringing ULED X to North America: https://bit.ly/3GAuDGu

00:37:40 – News: Nakamichi Dragon SoundBar

Five wireless enclosures house 11.4.6 channels: https://dragon.nakamichi-usa.com/

Comments:

00:43:35 – Comment: Allen – Other OTA DVRs

Mentions for Tablo and the discontinued Amazon Fire TV Recast: https://www.tablotv.com/

00:45:21 – Comment: Jim – AC Infinity Aircom S6

Great results from a $50 cooling fan: https://avgadgets.com/ac-infinity-cooling-fans/

QUESTIONS:

00:46:42 – Stefan: Best 3-channel Amp & Universal Remote

Our 3-ch amp picks, 2 vs 4 Atmos speakers, and universal remote options.

– Monoprice Monolith 3X: https://bit.ly/3IGlH5l

– Aperion Energy 3: https://bit.ly/3IIRVNm

– Emotiva BasX A3: https://bit.ly/3IC5MVz

– Emotiva XPA-3 Gen3: https://bit.ly/3IGNgv1

– Emotiva XPA-DR3: https://bit.ly/3is0QrN

– Outlaw Model 5000X: https://bit.ly/3IL1Lhw

– SofaBaton X1: https://amzn.to/3H7ikTT

– SofaBaton U1: https://amzn.to/3GZ2eLY

00:58:34 – Manny: TV Speaker Upgrade

Options for a clean look above a fireplace.

– https://avgadgets.com/fluance-ai41-powered-bookshelf-speakers-review-soundbar-killer/

– https://avgadgets.com/kef-lsx-ii-speakers/

– SVS Prime Wireless Pro: https://bit.ly/3iCOrRD

– Klipsch Powered Speakers: https://bit.ly/3QzJZjb

– Vizo M512-H6: https://bit.ly/3vRRBUR

– Elac Debut 2.0 OW4.2: https://amzn.to/3Zo4uDH

– Fosi DA2120C: https://amzn.to/3itZ89f

01:05:49 – Vasanth: Black Levels & Front Presence

Are we too obsessed with black levels? And should he swap Surround Backs for Front Presence speakers?

01:19:00 – Karl: Avatar in 2D HFR

Is there a way to view Avatar: The Way of Water in high frame rate, but without 3D? Maybe at home?

– https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Avatar-The-Way-of-Water-4K-Blu-ray/316453/

01:21:16 – Paul: Acoustic Panels Canada

Are they a good option? Less expensive alternatives?

– https://www.acousticpanelscanada.com/

– https://avgadgets.com/making-your-own-acoustic-panels-a-tutorial/

01:25:23 – Kevin: From Giant Subs to 2.0?

Can we convince him to downsize his Living Room setup? And should he get Samsung’s The Frame?

01:33:27 – Jay: HDMI to micro-HDMI Adapter

Does it need to be certified? What to get?

– Cable Matters 48 Gbps micro-HDMI Adapter: https://amzn.to/3vWsG2d

01:37:59 – Jason: Yamaha R-N2000A Network Integrated Amp

It’s not cheap, but is it a no-brainer for audiophiles?

– R-N2000A: https://yamaha.io/3GyRy5c

01:44:17 – Rob’s Rant: “But I Heard It!”

A rant from Rob about sighted listening, and reassurance that we would swear we hear a difference, too!

01:52:04 – Infinite Gary: HDR TVs vs Cameras

It seems like most cameras can’t capture what HDR TVs are showing, but what about the reverse: TVs showing more than what the cameras captured? And what have we bought for purely “because I want it” reasons?

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