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AV Rant #855: Defining Soundstage

April 6th, 2023 Comments off

HDMI Quick Media Switching has arrived, but not without complications and disappointment. Japan OLED filed for bankruptcy protection and is closing its factories. Onkyo TX-RZ70, Pioneer Elite VSX-LX805, and Integra DRX-8.4 11-channel Receivers have been announced.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAyt6i

00:00:00 – Intro

00:04:24 – What We Watched

Rob watched The King of Comedy. Tom watched Big Trouble in Little China…on DVD!

00:13:40 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Raf and Micah for their PayPal donations, plus our 137 Patreon Patrons.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: David, Martin, Richard, Chris, Scott, Gav, and Dan. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:15:12 – News: HDMI QMS

Limited device support, quirky setup and limited usefulness, and an AVR conundrum all lead to disappointment.

– QMS Devices: https://bit.ly/3KAJ151

– HDTV Test on QMS: https://youtu.be/I3e6CtBhdNY

– AVR QMS Problems: https://bit.ly/3Mj2kRF

00:22:57 – News: JOLED Bankruptcy

Japan OLED is shutting down: https://bit.ly/3nDP3IU

– https://avgadgets.com/tcl-oled-tvs-by-2023/

00:26:03 – News: Onkyo, Pioneer, Integra Flagship AVRs

New 11-channel Receiver models:

– Onkyo TX-RZ70: https://bit.ly/3MfPQtZ

– Pioneer Elite VSX-LX805: https://bit.ly/3GiFrtE

– Integra DRX-8.4: https://bit.ly/3U8Tbgh

Comments:

00:34:30 – Comment: Scott – Stewart Filmscreen Micro-Perf

A reminder that Stewart Filmscreen recommends at least one foot of distance for any speakers placed behind its micro-perf acoustically transparent screens.

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AV Rant #854: The Devil’s Bed

March 30th, 2023 Comments off

Lee Overstreet joins Rob this week. We cover RSL’s new, big Speedwoofer 12S subwoofer, Denon & Marantz’ new speaker configuration flexibility, a fix for 2023 LG OLED auto-dimming, and Roku ending support for their first 4K device. Plus, lots of your home theater questions!

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAxw7i

00:00:00 – Intro

00:03:03 – What We Watched

Rob watched Jem and the Holograms. Lee has an A/V take on American Idol.

00:15:48 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 139 Patreon Patrons, as well as David for sending a bunch of movie codes.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Andreas, Greg, and Bob. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:17:22 – News: RSL Speedwoofer 12S

A big, potent, relatively inexpensive sub: https://bit.ly/42LXpym

00:22:03 – News: Denon & Marantz Enhanced Features

New Setup Menu, Dirac Live options, and speaker configuration flexibility added: https://bit.ly/40qHi7C

00:26:05 – News: 2023 LG OLED Auto-Dimming Fix

No more having to void your warranty in the service menu: https://youtu.be/WL1k-K4jFcY

00:29:10 – News: Roku 4 End of Support

No more updates coming to Roku’s 1st 4K device: https://bit.ly/40siA6Y

Comments:

00:31:55 – Comment: Andreas – iFi-Audio LAN iSilencer

“Quiet your network”. Or just laugh at this ridiculous product: https://bit.ly/3ZryEV4

00:34:50 – Comment: Joe – Fantastic Theater Installation

Joe shares the results of the theater he installed at an assisted living residence.

00:38:57 – Comment: Jim – WinISD

Jim wants people to see how changing a speakers rear enclosure only impacts the bass for themselves: http://www.linearteam.org/

00:40:36 – Comment: Bob – HDMI Cable Warning

When “known good” isn’t good enough.

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AV Rant #853: Rob’s, Comma,

March 23rd, 2023 Comments off

Dirac Live Room Correction is now available for the newest Denon & Marantz Receivers. YouTube TV got a big price bump, but if you were paying for 4K Plus, it’s actually a bit cheaper now. And much of our discussion this week falls into the category of setting expectations, and putting commas where they should be.

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

00:00:00 – Intro & What We Watched

Rob watched Don’t Worry Darling. Tom caught up with all the episodes of The Mandalorian Season 3 that have aired so far.

00:14:23 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Richard for his PayPal donation, plus our 138 Patreon Patrons, as well as David for having us check a bunch of digital movie codes for him.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: David, Joe, Julian, Dan, Richard, and Klay. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:19:25 – News: Dirac Live for Denon & Marantz

Via Infinite Gary – Dirac Live Room Correction Limited & Full are now available as add-ons for the newest Denon & Marantz Receivers.

– https://www.dirac.com/denon/

– https://www.dirac.com/marantz

– https://avgadgets.com/i-switched-from-audyssey-to-dirac-and-i-wish-i-hadnt/

– https://avgadgets.com/which-room-correction-program-is-the-best-audyssey-ypao-or-dirac/

00:25:35 – News: YouTube TV Price Hike

It’s $73/month now. But adding 4K Plus costs half as much: https://engt.co/3K0bVez

Comments:

00:27:53 – Comment: Joe – Expensive Screens & In-Wall Origins

Joe’s 2-cents on value vs. expensive projection screens. And an early story from Sonance about how in-wall speakers started.

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AV Rant #852: A Denon Died, Don’t Despair

March 16th, 2023 Comments off

We discuss the biggest Oscar winners from the 95th Academy Awards. Roku’s own branded TVs are available for sale exclusively at Best Buy. Filmmaker Mode for Dolby Vision is in the works for next year. And Clint’s Harmony Hub and desktop software both stopped working, so switching to the smartphone app now seems mandatory.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:02:30 – What We Watched

Rob watched Creed II, Star Trek: Prodigy, and Crimes of the Future. Tom watched R.I.P.D., and 1917.

00:13:57 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 138 Patreon Patrons, as well as Andrew for sending links for the Hal9000 Fan Edit versions of Star Wars, and Bryan for letting Monoprice know he bought a Dark Matter Sentry mic because of Tom’s review.

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

In the news:

00:22:58 – News: Oscar Winners

Popular movies actually won this year at the 95th Academy Awards: https://bit.ly/3LqQXXb

00:27:05 – News: Roku TVs at Best Buy

Affordable Roku branded TVs with ok specs are now exclusively at Best Buy: https://bit.ly/3YQaDqs

00:29:05 – News: Dolby Vision Filmmaker Mode

The UHD Alliance plans a Filmmaker Mode for Dolby Vision: https://bit.ly/40bfgfQ

00:32:08 – Heads Up: Harmony Hub & Desktop Software

Clint DeBoer’s Harmony Hub and Remote suffered an “account conflict”, and the desktop software won’t load. Seems the smartphone app is the only thing still working.

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AV Rant #851: Rob’s Brief Review of PS VR2

March 9th, 2023 Comments off

Rob had a brief time to try out his PlayStation VR2 last week, so he shares his thoughts and impressions. SVS released their 3000 In-Wall Subwoofer System after beefing it up and increasing the price. Sony unveiled their 2023 TV lineup, but without prices, and with disappointing news for all but their QD-OLED flagship.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:51 – Rob’s PS VR2 Review

00:15:28 – What We Watched

Rob watched Creed. Tom had an all-Witcher week, finishing season 2, and The Witcher: Blood Origin.

00:21:27 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Mark for his PayPal donation, plus our 138 Patreon Patrons, as well as Aaron and Keshaun for having us check on some movie codes for them and Vince for sending us an Amazon gift card.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Aaron, Klay, Gurinder, Dan, J. Karl, Vasanth, and Keshaun. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:24:15 – News: SVS 3000 In-Wall Subwoofer

SVS’ first in-wall subwoofer was first shown a couple of years ago. After beefing it up, they’ve finally made it available through authorized dealers: https://bit.ly/3ZSjZmw

– https://avgadgets.com/svs-3000-in-wall-subwoofer-released/

00:30:30 – News: Sony 2023 TV Lineup

A95L QD-OLED leads the way, with a new 77″ size, the latest Samsung Display panels, and the MediaTek Pentonic 1000 HDMI chip for 4K/120 with Dolby Vision and VRR all at the same time. But the rest of the lineup is less impressive.

– Sony 2023 OLEDs: https://bit.ly/4299FZB

– Sony 2023 LCDs: https://bit.ly/3Jo8cXT

Comments:

00:34:26 – Comment: Brian – Actually Liked Our Advice

We thought he’d hate us saying not to go overboard.

00:35:57 – Comment: Dan – Fan of Integra App

AV Receiver control apps might not be great, but Dan’s satisfied with Integra’s.

00:36:35 – Comment: J. Karl – Consignment Store Shopping

A tip for sticking to your budget.

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