AV Rant #949: Now Powered by AI
CES 2025 is underway! But we recorded early in the week, so we only have the preview news to cover this episode. HDMI 2.2 is official with new Ultra96 cables. LG’s OLED TV lineup is all about AI, and the G5 Series has ditched MLA in favor of 4-layers instead of 3. Samsung has Anti Glare 2.0 and The Frame Pro made its debut. TCL showed a 115″ QM7 that will bring the price down. AWOL Vision’s AWALL micro-LED displays hit lower price points. And Hisense has a 136″ MX micro-LED.
Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBXzCT
00:00:00 – Intro
An update on how things are progressing for Tom.
– NVidia Event Summary: https://youtu.be/fjO9GPh_vJI
– LG AI Home Summary: https://youtu.be/gYRM00Oe2BM
00:14:13 – What We Watched
Tom watched a couple of Hulu Comedy Specials. Rob watched Cuckoo.
00:24:54 – Listeners of the Week
Our Listeners of the Week are our 132 Patreon Patrons, as well as Gurinder for sending movie codes to Rob, Brandon for sending Tom an Amazon gift card, and Nathan for offering his substack articles for use on https://avgadgets.com/
We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Stefan, Jay, Gurinder, Karl, Vince, Dan, Nathan D, Nathan W, Dazz, Eliezer, Anthony, and Tony. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!
In the news:
00:29:45 – News: HDMI Ultra96
HDMI 2.2 brings 96 Gbps bandwidth and new cables: https://tinyurl.com/2f7zmacu
00:34:54 – News: LG 2025 OLED Lineup
Lots of AI. No more MLA: https://youtu.be/Hl7yTFtKois
00:40:13 – News: Samsung Anti-Glare 2.0 & Frame Pro
No sign of 83″ QD-OLEDs yet. A 115″ mini-LED. And The Frame Pro.
– https://youtu.be/RVFujCl999c
– https://youtu.be/y3GxVdDUWj4
– https://youtu.be/qXIlxxrNfWs
00:43:24 – News: TCL QM6K & 115″ QM7
Trickle down tech to less expensive TV Series: https://youtu.be/F9FU8UYVA50
00:45:10 – News: AWOL Vision’s AWALL microLED
Much less expensive microLED TVs are here. Prices were updated after we recorded: https://awallvision.com/
00:49:40 – News: Hisense MX microLED
Hisense has microLED, too. And it can do 120Hz: https://youtu.be/LRrso28_PQs
Comments:
00:50:47 – Comment: Andrew – Sofabaton Updates
Improved Hue Lighting control. And when the X2 touchscreen remote should release.
00:51:24 – Comment: Dazz – Layers, Ascend & Puppy
Cold weather cycling, bigger Ascend Surrounds, and a new puppy!
QUESTIONS:
00:54:12 – Chad: Audio & Video From Different HDMI Inputs
Can he play the audio from one HDMI input on his AVR while showing the video from a different HDMI input?
– https://avgadgets.com/how-to-watch-one-source-but-listen-to-another-with-your-av-receiver/
00:59:12 – Joe: 3 Zone Setup
Should he still consider HEOS for his large, open, 3 Zone basement?
– WiiM Amp: https://tinyurl.com/ycx2k5z9
01:10:23 – Stefan: RBH On-Walls & AT Screen
We discuss his choices for on-wall speakers & subs, as well as screen size and material.
– Sonance MAG6 in-ceilings: https://tinyurl.com/mm6efjpk
– Back Cans: https://tinyurl.com/bde2vcp3
01:21:14 – Jay: Tidal Volume & Swishy Panning
Some concert Blu-ray suggestions. Why Tidal is quiet. Swishy panning on his projector. And a crashing disc player.
– https://concertsondvd.com/en-ca/collections/blueray-concerts
– Tidal Volume: https://tinyurl.com/e4dkb6a8
01:30:01 – Henry: Paradigm Founder 70LCR
Should he get two more LCR speakers and put them all below his screen?
01:34:37 – Karl: Top 10 Movies & Predictions
Karl’s Top 10 movies in 2024. Rob’s Top 10 that he watched last year. And 2025 tech predictions.
01:42:16 – Vince: TCL QM7 Judder
It should do automatic reverse 3:2 pulldown.
– TCL QM751 Settings: https://tinyurl.com/4czsj95h
01:44:12 – Infinite Gary: New Denons in 2025?
A pure guess as to whether there will be any new Denon products.
01:45:40 – Jonathan: Cheap SoundBar for Big Living Room
We question how well this will turn out, but offer a couple of inexpensive Living Room audio suggestions.
– JBL BAR 500: https://tinyurl.com/3bt5j9y8
– Fluance Ai61: https://tinyurl.com/dtb6xrap
01:52:02 – John/Adam: Which 65″ LCD for 4K/120?
He wants maximum bang-for-buck. Should he get a Roku TV or Fire TV Omni?
– TCL QM751: https://tinyurl.com/36xxwdyp
01:55:49 – Anonymous: Epson 5050UB Contrast
Will switching to a larger, white screen be a good move?
02:01:00 – Brandon: 5.2 AV Receiver
Further discussion about mixing Ascend Sierra RAAL Fronts with other brands. And which AVR for a 5.2 bedroom setup?
– Denon S760H from A4L: https://tinyurl.com/22p5wsh5
02:07:58 – Eliezer: Different PSB Speaker Series
Can he safely mix and match different speaker Series from PSB?
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