We’re back! Last week’s absence was spur of the moment, so apologies for that. Now Tom is away this week. But Lee Overstreet and Joe Klusnick are here to guest co-host with Rob. Barco is buying VerVent Audio Holding, the parent company of Focal and Naim. Xbox Mode is coming to all Windows 11 PCs. Amazon Prime Video Ultra is replacing the Ad Free tier. We comment on NVidia DLSS 5. And we have Oscars rankings to share.

Our Sofabaton X1S Sale Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/4rLZW73

Promo Code: TOMX1S35

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCNYQ3

00:00:00 – Intro

Sorry for missing last week. Tom is away this week. So we catch up a little with Lee Overstreet and Joe Klusnick.

00:05:25 – Contact Info

Lee on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/leeoversky.bsky.social

Joe on AVS Forum: https://www.avsforum.com/members/jskmdwk.7537874/

00:07:38 – What We Watched

Lee watched, but didn’t like, Fallout S.2, The Beyond, and 2073. Then he watched and did like Chernobyl, and Station 11.

Joe watched Project Hail Mary in ScreenX, Mercy, The Oscars, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Battle: Los Angeles, War Machine, The Matrix Reloaded, Survivor, Company Retreat, and The Secret Agent.

Rob watched and reviews Marty Supreme, and The Secret Agent.

00:37:35 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 119 Patreon Patrons.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Steve, Adam, Leighton, Chris, Scott, and Jason. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

00:38:53 – 2026 Oscars Rankings

Rob gives his rankings of the 10 Best Picture nominees.

– https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2026

In the news:

00:44:39 – News: Barco Buying VerVent Audio Holding

The parent company of Focal and Naim is being sold to Barco: https://tinyurl.com/yh2vxfmw

00:47:19 – News: Xbox Mode

The Xbox Full Screen Experience is coming to all Windows 11 PCs with a new name: https://tinyurl.com/wemr2dpw

00:52:24 – News: Prime Video Ultra

Amazon Prime Video’s Ad Free tier is being replaced with the more expensive Ultra tier: https://tinyurl.com/bddrxjru

00:55:22 – News: Sofabaton X1S Sale

An even bigger 35% discount on the Sofabaton X1S if you use our affiliate link and promo code.

– Click “See All Buying Options” to add an X1S to your cart at full price first: https://amzn.to/4rLZW73

– Enter our promo code in the Payment section during checkout: TOMX1S35

00:56:39 – News: NVidia DLSS 5

Why have shadows and video game faces when you can overbrighten and yassify everything with AI?

– https://tinyurl.com/mt66x373

Comments:

01:05:28 – Joe’s Home Theater Facebook Group

Check out the Obsessed Home Theater Community where Joe is a co-administrator: https://tinyurl.com/mvrxu9e4

01:06:53 – Joe’s Panel Discussion on Image Quality

This Thursday at 1pm Pacific Time, Joe will be part of a panel discussion, hosted by Bright Side Home Theater, to talk about image quality with industry experts: https://www.youtube.com/live/wDTE4pZZz2I

01:08:29 – JPORTER Studios at AXPONA

If you’re at AXPONA this year, check out Jeremy Porter’s new Wellington Micro hybrid Bookshelf speaker in room 1415: https://www.jporterstudios.com/

01:10:15 – Comment: James – Gala Media Demo Clips

A shout out for some high quality HDR and Atmos demo clips: https://www.youtube.com/@jennifergala

01:11:08 – Comment: Infinite Gary – RIP Orbitron SX-10

A recent wind storm took down Gary’s C-band dish after 41 years.

QUESTIONS:

01:13:04 – David: Sony X800M2 Settings

A region-free Universal Disc Player is working well, but he wants to double check all of its settings.

– Sony X800M2 from 220 Electronics: https://tinyurl.com/yky76rx4

01:23:48 – Adam: Emotiva XMC-2 Firmware Woes

First he had to find a USB stick that works. Now he has to deal with even worse bugs than the old firmware.

– Transcend JetFlash Drive: https://tinyurl.com/s4fussvn

– Emotiva XMC-2 Firmware Thread: https://tinyurl.com/3hc6ntm2

01:33:25 – Leighton: Sony X90L Not Outputting Center Channel

We speculate as to why his new Sony X90L is sometimes not sending Center channel audio to his AV Receiver via HDMI-eARC.

01:40:17 – Infinite Gary: Ad Licensing and 4K Ben-Hur

What are the licensing restrictions that prevent some movies from playing on Netflix’ Standard with Ads tier? And does it make sense for a movie from 1959 to be in 4K and HDR?

01:46:47 – Scott: Analog System Upgrades

Scott put a bunch of vintage gear in his kids playroom. For the children, of course. We talk about VHS, dialogue clarity, and which subwoofer he could add.

– RSL SpeedWoofer 10S MKII: https://tinyurl.com/3dxe4kn4

02:04:26 – Chris: Plus-Shaped Room

We discuss display and seating plans, acoustic treatments, subwoofer and speaker placement, and Atmos, all in a room with a bit of an unusual shape.

– HT Market Seating: https://tinyurl.com/3zamkyka

– Acoustimac DIY Panels: https://tinyurl.com/yzhf3yd3

– RSL SpeedWoofer 12S: https://tinyurl.com/3dsrsaty

– HSU Subwoofers: https://tinyurl.com/yc2zdax2

– Paradigm Monitor SE Atom: https://tinyurl.com/492s9daf

– RBH Impression 55: https://tinyurl.com/4jv55ckz

– Kanto Living Adjustable Stand: https://tinyurl.com/4pwu8cr7

– Mount-It! Side-Clamping Wall-Mount: https://tinyurl.com/5f9v9vyd

– Sonance MAG6R: https://tinyurl.com/476rd6rf

– Denon X3800H from A4L: https://tinyurl.com/ms4zdu65

– Onkyo TX-RZ70: https://tinyurl.com/5n7ddjf4

02:27:00 – Gary H: Amps in Protection Mode

We discuss speaker impedance, and whether it could be the cause of his amplifiers going into protection mode.

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