Not a review! But Tom has received Sofabaton X2 & R1 sample units that he has held in his very own two hands. So he shares how they feel and look at first blush. And he clicks the X2’s buttons for the first time on this very show!

Valve announced a trio of new hardware products: Steam Machine, Steam Controller, and Steam Frame VR Headset. And Amazon will block piracy apps on Fire TV devices.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCB9es

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:42 – Canadian Politics?

00:04:27 – Personal Updates

00:09:29 – Sofabaton X2 First Impressions

00:19:09 – AV Rant Contact Info

00:19:59 – Tom Clicks the Sofabaton X2’s Buttons!

00:27:30 – What We Watched

Rob watched Black Phone 2. Tom watched the beginning of Iron Heart. And Metroid Prime 4: Beyond misgivings.

00:46:17 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Richard for his PayPal donation, plus our 124 Patreon Patrons.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Mark, Rohan, Christian, and Patrick. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:47:36 – News: Valve Steam Machine, Controller & Frame

Valve announced a trio of new hardware gaming devices to complement the handheld Steam Deck. Steam Machine is a mini gaming PC using AMD gaming laptop internals. Steam Controller is basically a Steam Deck without a screen. And Steam Frame is their standalone and wireless streaming VR headset: https://tinyurl.com/3zpcrew9

00:57:32 – News: Amazon to Block Fire TV Piracy

After being declared “facilitators for piracy” Amazon Fire TV devices are having sideloading restricted, and piracy apps blocked: https://tinyurl.com/mrxkhrye

QUESTIONS:

01:00:17 – Mase: New Projector Decisions

A broken color wheel sparked the search for a new projector. But with room size, screen size, and budget restrictions, which model should he buy?

– BenQ W4100i: https://tinyurl.com/47bapmtp

– Valerion VisionMaster Max: https://tinyurl.com/47nck5nw

– Epson Pro Cinema LS12000: https://tinyurl.com/5n7j9265

– JVC DLA-NZ500: https://tinyurl.com/49wctu54

– https://avgadgets.com/whats-the-deal-with-ultra-short-throw-projectors/

– https://avgadgets.com/ust-projector-screen-does-it-have-to-be-alr/

01:19:10 – Christian: 77″ QD-OLED Mount

Our recommendations for TV wall-mounts that will fit a 77″ Samsung QD-OLED.

– https://avgadgets.com/monoprice-commercial-series-wall-mount/

– ECHOGEAR Low Profile Tilt Mount: https://tinyurl.com/4c46d92e

01:24:19 – Rohan: New Onkyo TX-RZ30 Owner

First impressions after replacing a problematic Marantz SR6015 with an Onkyo RZ30 Receiver, plus Reference Volume and curves of equal loudness questions.

– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contour

01:40:31 – Christian: New OLEDs are How Much Better?

Are the newest, higher-Series OLED TVs so much better than a lower Series from a year ago that it’s worth dropping down a screen size?

01:46:17 – Patrick: Mysterious Distortion

The high-frequency distortion he came across cannot be reliably recreated. Will it forever haunt him? Or can he troubleshoot further?

01:51:23 – Rob M: Hijacking Golf Simulators

What’s the easiest way to plug his Sony turntable into a pair of KEF LSX II LT speakers? And how can he add audio to a bunch of golf simulators he intends to rent?

– Analogue to Digital Audio Converter: https://tinyurl.com/4kw7cjbs

– JBL BAR300: https://tinyurl.com/bdem3uyy

– TCL S4BH: https://tinyurl.com/3r5y7ues

– HDMI Audio Extractor: https://tinyurl.com/384bpa5v

02:00:43 – Karl: IMAX Popularity

Our responses to The Wall Street Journal’s article, Why Everyone in Hollywood Wants Their Movie in IMAX: https://tinyurl.com/29unfvd9

Thanks for listening. Now, don't forget to:

• Check out the AV Rant YouTube channel to watch our show videos.
• Download Tom’s FREE superhero-themed ebook Bob Moore: No Hero.
• If you like it, you can purchase the two full-length follow-ups -  Bob Moore: Desperate Times and Bob Moore: Hostile Territory.
• Check out AVGadgets.com where Tom is the new Editor-in-Chief!
• Download Tom's NEWEST book, Touch of Pain from Amazon now!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS