Rob’s Switch 2 buying adventures. Tom watched a movie! Warner Bros. Discovery will split in two. Apple TV 4K will be able to pair with any AirPlay speakers. And HSU has a new beast of a subwoofer with their D15-Chimera SC featuring an optional quad-ported SuperCharger add-on, as well as a new, horn-loaded, angled front baffle speaker, the MFL-6.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Tom’s latest house hunting experiences.

00:11:55 – Rob Lined Up for a Switch 2

A day was spent waiting in line, and online pre-orders came through!

00:20:26 – What We Watched

Tom and Rob both watched Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, thanks to Mark’s recommendation. Rob also watched Kraven the Hunter.

00:44:23 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 131 Patreon Patrons.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Leighton, Henry, Vince, Karl, Luke, Sasi, and David. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:48:07 – News: Warner Bros. Discovery to Split

By mid-2026, Warner Bros. Discovery will be split into two separate companies, and one of them is definitely drawing the short end of the stick: https://tinyurl.com/dz7xzewu

00:54:25 – News: Pair Apple TV 4K with Any AirPlay Speakers

tvOS 26 will allow you to use any AirPlay speakers with your Apple TV 4K, not just HomePods: https://tinyurl.com/2wz3yfyj

– https://avgadgets.com/your-gen-2-apple-tv-4k-is-a-soundbar-now/

00:56:17 – News: HSU D15-Chimera SC & MFL-6

Shout out to Sasi for calling HSU and providing us some extra details!

HSU’s new D15-Chimera is a huge, dual opposed 15″ driver, sealed subwoofer that can be turned into an even bigger, quad-ported beast with the addition of an optional, add-on SuperCharger. And the new MFL-6 speaker model has a 30° angled face and can be wall-mounted in any orientation: https://hsuresearch.com/

Comments:

01:05:13 – Correction: David – Plex Needs MKVs

Rob misspoke when he said you could just use simple 1:1 disc backups. Sorry for getting any hopes up!

QUESTIONS:

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Rob has watched all the 2025 Oscars Best Picture nominees, and now he ranks them. Sony resumes projector sales in Europe. TCL officially releases the QM8K Series of quantum dot, mini-LED TVs with new WHVA LCD panels.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCgBP7

00:00:00 – Intro

Personal updates on the eve of Rob lining up to buy a Switch 2.

00:17:27 – What We Watched

Rob watched Emilia Pérez, and with that, he’s seen all 10 of the 2025 Oscars Best Picture nominees. So he has a little fun ranking them this week.

00:37:54 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 130 Patreon Patrons, including Nelson.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Mario, Ian, Nelson, and Henry. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:43:44 – News: Sony Resumes Projector Sales in Europe

Amendments to import regulations now allow Sony to sell Home Cinema projectors in Europe again: https://tinyurl.com/yh4dw3vp

00:45:20 – News: TCL Launches QM8K TVs

We knew they’d be coming, but now the TCL QM8K Series TVs have officially been released: https://tinyurl.com/7zpnarwv

Comments:

00:51:40 – Comment: Karl – K Scape Owners’ Forum

If you’re looking for used Kaleidescape players, this is the place to go: https://www.kscapeowners.com/XF/

00:53:14 – Comment: Infinite Gary – A Little Bit Dolby

Gary does have a single-seat, dedicated home theater, so maybe Dolby’s diagrams make sense for him.

– https://avgadgets.com/everything-wrong-with-dolby-speaker-layout-diagrams/

QUESTIONS:

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The new Marantz AV 20 Pre-Pro was definitely going to support Dirac ART. And now we have good news regarding other Denon & Marantz models. Aperion expanded their Theatrus Series speaker lineup with new Slim Stack models. Tom bought movie tickets!

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Rob’s still going to line up for a Switch 2, but he scored a pre-order on a low stock Switch 2 accessory! And Tom has updates about his house.

00:19:22 – What We Watched

Tom bought movie tickets! Rob started The Studio, and watched I’m Still Here.

00:40:48 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Ray for his PayPal donation, plus our 132 Patreon Patrons, as well as Bertrand for sending in a movie code for us to test for him.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Joe, Jefferson, Bertrand, and John. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:45:46 – News: More Denon & Marantz Getting Dirac ART

The full list of Receiver & Pre-Pro models that will support Dirac ART via a future firmware update has been revealed: https://youtu.be/WFCFqtU8DA0

00:48:53 – Aperion Theatrus Slim Stack Speakers

If you’d prefer your on-wall or in-wall Aperion Theatrus speakers to be tall rather than square-shaped, the new Slim Stack versions are for you: https://tinyurl.com/ykedhkrk

QUESTIONS:

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Warner Bros. Discovery will rebrand Max back to HBO Max this summer. Kaleidescape Strato E is a standalone player that slots right between the Strato M and Strato V. Marantz AMP 20 is a 12-channel, Class-D amplifier, while the AV 20 is a 13.4-channel Pre-Pro that will get Dirac Live ART as an optional, paid upgrade via a future firmware update.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Rob’s lining up for a Switch 2. Tom’s way off on a tangent.

00:16:21 – What We Watched

No movies watched this week. Rob’s been watching the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, and he finished the final season of Mythic Quest.

00:29:55 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Brandon for his PayPal donation, plus our 132 Patreon Patrons, as well as both Infinite Gary and Greg for sending in Movies Anywhere codes for Tom to test out.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Ilango, Mike, Manuel, Sebastian, Kevin, Greg, and Ray. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:33:11 – News: Max Renamed HBO Max

Yup. Warner Bros. Discovery is going back to the HBO Max name for their streaming service: https://tinyurl.com/yadvvkw7

00:39:29 – News: Kaleidescape Strato E

It’s the Strato M, but it can do 4K, for a price smack dab in between the Strato M and Strato V: https://tinyurl.com/2phup2ba

00:45:20 – News: Marantz AV 20 & AMP 20

Take the Denon AVR-A10H and make it into a Pre-Pro and you’ve got the Marantz AV 20. 13.4-channel processing. But it’s also the first Denon or Marantz to officially announce Dirac Live ART support (coming via a future firmware update, and you’ll have to pay extra for it). AMP 20 is a 12-channel, Class-D amplifier: https://tinyurl.com/bdefmfev

Comments:

00:51:33 – Comment: Mike – Shop With an Expert

Best Buy’s website has a Live Chat option that might be able to price match and give you a discount. Just ask!

00:54:13 – Comment: Sebastian – Pioneer LX505 Success

We mixed up which speakers he has, but the global crossover still worked out.

00:55:48 – Comment: Daniel – Android TV Flexibility

He’s a fan of being able to side-load and use 3rd party launchers.

00:58:42 – Comment: Gurinder – Inside that Resort Theatre

After last week’s tease, Gurinder got the code to get inside. Can’t say we’re impressed.

QUESTIONS:

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Harman – A Samsung Company is buying Masimo Consumer (aka Sound United). Emotiva has launched their Pre-Pro Trade-in program earlier than expected, and there’s an option to retrofit upgrade. Panasonic unveiled their 2025 OLED TV lineup. Sonos has ended the IKEA Symfonisk Series. And Rob has a sad.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCe6FN

00:00:00 – Intro

Tom’s son is ok. And Nintendo failed Rob.

00:10:53 – What We Watched

Tom is watching Reacher. Rob watched The Brutalist.

00:26:23 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Eli, Larry, and Tim, plus our 131 Patreon Patrons, as well as Andrew for trying to alert Rob when Walmart Canada briefly had more Switch 2 pre-orders available.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Tom, Infinite Gary, Larry, Sebastian, Henry, Sasi and Tim. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:30:56 – News: Harman Buys Sound United

Harman – A Samsung Company has agreed to buy Masimo Consumer: https://tinyurl.com/jkxmkwjh

00:35:01 – News: Emotiva Trade-ins & Upgrades

If you have an XMC-2, RMC-1L, or RMC-1, you can now trade it in – or retrofit upgrade it – to an XMC-2+ or RMC-1+: https://tinyurl.com/yee5ubv4

00:40:23 – News: Panasonic 2025 OLED Lineup

Only the Z95B is coming to North America. But elsewhere, there will also be Z90B and Z80B models: https://youtu.be/QIN-wMIWX1E

00:44:49 – News: Sonos Ends IKEA Symfonisk

The partnership between Sonos and IKEA has ended: https://tinyurl.com/bp76ej3u

Comments:

00:45:56 – Comment: Gurinder – WiFi Clue Leads to Resort Theatre

No one said the resort he visited had a dedicated Theatre, but their WiFi revealed its existence.

QUESTIONS:

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