AV Rant #876: Dreadful Wookies
Tom is away this week because of Hurricane Idalia. So Lee Overstreet pinch hits once again.
Kaleidescape released new Terra Prime movie servers with an SSD option, plus their Ultimate 4K System. PlayStation Portal uses PlayStation Link instead of Bluetooth to connect to Pulse Explore Earbuds or Pulse Elite Headset. Sony bought Audeze. Dolby Atmos FlexConnect adds wireless Surrounds to your TV. And LG is bringing 32″ OLEDs next year.
Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjASNdV
00:00:00 – Intro
00:08:55 – What We Watched
Lee checked out Black Mirror. Rob watched the 1st season of Star Wars Rebels.
00:15:36 – Listeners of the Week
Our Listeners of the Week are our 133 Patreon Patrons, including Russell.
We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Nick, Matt, Elmer, Gurinder, and Greg. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!
In the news:
00:19:12 – News: Kaleidescape Terra Prime
New, faster movie servers with an SSD option. And the Ultimate 4K System: https://tinyurl.com/s72rn3p2
00:23:59 – News: PlayStation Portal, Pulse Elite & Explore
PS5’s WiiU Gamepad will be $200. With no Bluetooth, it uses PlayStation Link to connect to new Pulse Elite & Explore headsets: https://youtu.be/ExIweAvryzc
00:29:51 – News: Sony Buys Audeze
The Planar Magnetic headphone maker is probably where the new Pulse headsets came from: https://tinyurl.com/4e74ynbv
00:30:47 – News: Dolby Atmos FlexConnect
TV’s using MediaTek’s Pentonic chipset can add a pair of wireless Surrounds: https://tinyurl.com/bddeepc3
00:34:55 – News: LG 32″ OLED
The smallest OLED TV screen size yet arrives next year: https://tinyurl.com/4sa8n6p3
Comments:
00:38:06 – Comment: Matt – Moving Center Fixed Dialogue
Adjusting physical placement of his Center speaker improved dialogue intelligibility.
00:40:42 – Comment: Jim – AirPort Express & True Lies Blu-ray
Used Apple AirPort Expresses can still be found for adding AirPlay. And Spain’s Blu-ray of True Lies is region-free.
00:41:31 – Comment: Greg – 20% Off Samsung TVs for AAA Members
Makes Samsung’s 77″ S90C QD-OLED cheaper than an LG C2.
QUESTIONS:
00:43:14 – John: Overthinking Absorption Panels
We calculate the performance of multi-layer acoustic panels vs way simpler DIY options. We also discuss the 4K/120 capabilities of the NVidia Shield, TCL TVs, and an Outlaw Audio Pre-Pro.
– http://www.acousticmodelling.com/
00:58:04 – Infinite Gary: Oppenheimer Overhead Audio
With just a 5.1 mix, will any sounds make you look up?
01:05:30 – Matt: Bass Trap Ceiling Enough?
If his entire drop tile ceiling becomes a bass trap, will he need any more acoustic treatment?
01:10:31 – Yanick: Is JVC X790 to NX7 an Upgrade?
He found a deal on a JVC NX7, but is it actually an upgrade over his X790? And how to handle the NX7’s 4096 resolution.
– https://simplehomecinema.com/
01:19:17 – Jason: HDBaseT Replacement Options
Figuring out why an HDBaseT extender isn’t working with a particular Cable Box, and suggestions for long HDMI cables and a different HDMI-to-Ethernet converter.
– RUIPRO in-wall HDMI: https://tinyurl.com/t3nywbwh
– Cable Matters Extender: https://tinyurl.com/3dbn59c6
01:24:31 – Tyler: DIY Panel Thickness
Should side wall panels have symmetrical thickness?
01:27:11 – Gaylen: Time to Upgrade Epson 8350?
Projector options around the $2,000 price point.
– Refurb Epson 5050UB: https://tinyurl.com/bdzzhdrb
– BenQ HT3560: https://tinyurl.com/mr43xjw8
01:35:19 – Nick: TCL 98″ R754
Is it a bigger R745? How does the newer 98″ QM8 compare? What about the older 8-Series? Anything new coming to replace it? Will 97″ OLEDs get way cheaper? How’s the R754’s contrast & local-dimming?
– B The Installer QM8 vs R754: https://youtu.be/wEDU-hQ0nlo
– 98″ R754 is basically a big R646: https://tinyurl.com/3335mdzy
– 98″ TCL QM8 on Sale for $7,000: https://tinyurl.com/5xy4pkdp
– New 98″ TCL S5 already down to $3,000 (no local-dimming): https://tinyurl.com/2a4m5bxs
01:53:03 – Jonathan: Using 4 TVs as One Giant Screen
It’s not that hard to make your own modular display. But won’t the visible bezels be super annoying?
– https://tinyurl.com/2z42pmrh
01:54:17 – Elmer: Dirac on NAD T758v3 Too Quiet
Getting the volume right on NAD’s version of Dirac is a bit tricky: https://tinyurl.com/2s4av8wf
01:59:13 – Gurinder: Hear Only Overheads
We discuss a workaround for isolating just the overhead speakers.
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