IMAX App on Apple Vision Pro brings 3D documentaries in 1.43:1 aspect ratio home for the first time. More Disney+ shows are coming to Ultra HD Blu-ray. And TIDAL is simplifying their subscription tiers and actually lowering prices!

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBhg2V

00:00:00 – Intro

Little bit of Oscars chat.

00:07:54 – What We Watched

Rob watched Booksmart. Tom continued Ahsoka, and heard some of Oppenheimer through a wall.

00:15:36 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Adriano for his PayPal donation, plus our 130 Patreon Patrons, as well as Justin and Aaron for both sending us some movie codes to check.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: J. Karl, Eric, Aaron, Dan, James, and Dazz. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:18:07 – News: IMAX App for Apple Vision Pro

At last, 1.43 aspect ratio at home: https://tinyurl.com/57z64h47

00:25:14 – News: More Disney+ Shows on Disc

The Falcon & the Winter Soldier, Moon Knight, Andor & Obi-Wan on disc: https://tinyurl.com/5n7ka3jc

00:26:24 – News: TIDAL Simplifies Subscriptions

No more Free with Ads. $11/month gets you lossless & Atmos: https://tinyurl.com/ycke4jj2

QUESTIONS:

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OLED TV prices are either staying the same or going up a bit. M&K Sound has new THX Dominus Certified in-wall speakers. APC has two new Back-UPS BE power protection models.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Quick word about OLED TV prices this year.

00:07:03 – What We Watched

Rob watched The Holdovers. Tom re-started Ahsoka.

00:22:25 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Raf and Dane for their PayPal donations, plus our 129 Patreon Patrons.

Thanks also to Dane for giving Tom permission to use his photos on https://avgadgets.com/

And we appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Dan, Ryan, Jay, J.R, Brandon, Dane, and Alvin. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:26:35 – News: M&K THX Dominus Speakers

IW500 is M&K Sound’s first THX Dominus Certified in-wall speaker, as well as their first horn-loaded design: https://tinyurl.com/2a3h4dx5

00:31:54 – News: APC Back-UPS BE Series

Higher wattage, basic battery backup power protection with some quality-of-life upgrades:

– BE900G3: https://tinyurl.com/msh4byae

– BE1050G3: https://tinyurl.com/2y359b9u

Comments:

00:34:59 – Comment: Stephen – Mystery Hum Fixed

We talked about cables and wires picking up interference, and that helped him solve an issue without even asking us.

QUESTIONS:

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We’re excited about all the movies and shows we watched this week! A group of Hollywood directors banded together to buy the Westwood Village Theatre. Fubo is suing ESPN, Fox Sports & Warner Bros. Discovery over their joint sports streaming plans. And Disney is handing over everything to do with physical media and letting Sony Pictures handle it for them.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Has Tom needed to charge those SoundPEATS Space headphones yet? And you’ll never believe what Tom hooked back up in his theater!

00:13:14 – What We Watched

Rob watched The Iron Claw, and Dune: Part 2. Tom watched What If…? S.2, and Loki S.2.

00:35:52 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 130 Patreon Patrons.

We also thank Dean for giving permission to Tom to use his photos on https://avgadgets.com/

And we appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Parker, Adriano, Jeff, Ryan, Todd, Gurinder, and Jorge. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:40:38 – News: Directors Buy Westwood Village Theatre

A coalition of Hollywood directors, led by Jason Reitman, have successfully purchased the Westwood Village Theatre in Los Angeles, with plans to keep it open and expand its entertainment offerings: http://tinyurl.com/4uud288t

00:44:33 – News: Fubo Sues ESPN, FS & WBD

Fubo filed an antitrust lawsuit to either block the joint streaming sports venture or require economic parity: http://tinyurl.com/2aha5373

00:46:38 – News: Sony Takes Over Discs for Disney

Disney is handing over everything to do with physical discs to Sony Pictures: http://tinyurl.com/2ns8pkjm

Comments:

00:50:09 – Comment: Robert – Rarewaves Imports

A recommendation to use https://www.rarewaves.com/ for importing discs and other items.

00:52:07 – Comment: Karl – Zapperbox OTA

Thumbs up for the https://zapperbox.com/ OTA NextGenTV equipment.

00:54:30 – Comment: Infinite Gary – Episode 1,500

We have to stick around until broadcasting sports in 4K is the norm.

QUESTIONS:

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KEF brings their MIE DSP to their Kube Subwoofers. Vudu is changing its name to Fandango At Home. Walmart is buying Vizio. UHP projector lamps can’t be restocked in the EU starting in 2026. And Tom finally watched Barbie!

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:04:07 – SoundPEATS Space Update

It’s been a couple weeks; how’s the battery life?

– https://avgadgets.com/charge-your-headphones-once-a-week-soundpeats-space-headphones-review/

00:06:57 – What We Watched

Rob watched Madame Web, and Titane. Tom finally watched Barbie! Was it everything he had anticipated?

00:35:58 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 131 Patreon Patrons, including Bertrand, as well as all the people who alerted us about last week’s audio-only version cutting out early: Vince, Jonathan, Mark, Herb, Martin, Theo, Valdeze, Ilango, and anyone we might have missed!

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Infinite Gary, Bobby, Bertrand, Vince, Mark, Bob, and Nathan. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:40:13 – News: KEF MIE Subwoofers

KEF has a new dual 9-inch KC92 model, and they’ve brought their Music Integrity Engine to their Kube Series: http://tinyurl.com/hmrnzxb4

00:45:05 – News: Vudu Renamed to Fandango At Home

Supposedly a change in name only. Your digital library remains intact: http://tinyurl.com/5ajzu8ce

00:46:40 – News: Walmart Buying Vizio

A rumor when we recorded, and confirmed the next day: http://tinyurl.com/2r6kzpdv

00:48:44 – News: UHP Lamps Finished in 2026

An amendment to an EU regulation means UHP projector lamps cannot be restocked starting in 2026: http://tinyurl.com/3s72u2ee

Comments:

00:50:19 – Comment: Jack – Super Bowl Streaming Lag

Various services were measured and ranked by a streaming technology company: http://tinyurl.com/yckt4b3y

00:52:44 – Comment: Nathan – Cheaper Dolby Vision Hack

If you can manually force your projector into HDR mode, you can use a $30 EDID device instead of an HDFury: https://hometheater.substack.com/p/dolby-vision-on-projectors-lldv

00:56:00 – CORRECTION: Marantz Cinema 30 NOT Identical to Denon X6800H

A YouTube comment took us to task. They are objectively different inside.

QUESTIONS:

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900th Episode! Could these be the final 100 episodes of AV Rant? We have thoughts about Apple Vision Pro. Marantz Cinema 30 top end Receiver. Amazon Prime Video makes Dolby Vision & Atmos cost extra. Plex movie rentals are 1080p only. Fox Sports, ESPN & Warner are making a combined streaming sports service. Sony is killing Funimation.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBe2wS

00:00:00 – Intro

Are these our final 100 AV Rant episodes?

00:15:21 – Apple Vision Pro Thoughts

Rob’s basically the last 3D fan on Earth, and even he thinks the hype is silly.

00:20:16 – What We Watched

Rob watched The Whale, and started Evil S.3. Tom started watching Obliterated on Netflix.

00:38:41 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Raf and Tyler for their PayPal donations, plus our 130 Patreon Patrons, including Daniel, as well as Ash for providing our Episode #900 artwork, Terry for talking us up to SVS and sending Tom a movie code, and Aaron for sending even more movie codes to Rob.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Terry, Daniel, Ryan, Raf, and Aaron. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:41:11 – News: Marantz Cinema 30 Receiver

It’s a Denon X6800H that looks a little different and costs $1,000 more: http://tinyurl.com/33htus8s

00:44:44 – News: Prime Video Charges Extra for Atmos

You can only get Dolby Vision & Atmos if you pay the extra $3/month to go ad-free: http://tinyurl.com/4hxfbtyn

00:49:37 – News: Plex Movie Rentals are 1080p Only

Plex opened their online Movie Store. Rentals only, no TV shows yet, and 1080p with 5.1 audio max…at least for now: http://tinyurl.com/nhb4uuty

00:51:41 – News: Combined Sports Streaming Service

Fox Sports, ESPN & Warner Bros Discovery are teaming up: http://tinyurl.com/ymy9azx8

00:56:58 – News: Sony Kills Funimation Collections

Crunchyroll is taking over, and Funimation Digital Copies will disappear. No refunds: http://tinyurl.com/3uputmjj

Comments:

01:01:25 – Comment: Greg – It’s a PS VR2

His charging stand tricked us into not recognizing his VR headset.

QUESTIONS:

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