Tom reviews the XGIMI Aura 4K Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector. We fear Yamaha MusicCast might be dead. Stadia tries to keep its controllers out of landfills. And MGM+ joins the streaming wars.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:36 – XGIMI Aura UST Projector Review

– https://avgadgets.com/xgimi-aura-ust-4k-projector-review-is-this-the-all-in-one-projector-for-you/

00:15:42 – What We Watched

Rob watched Fall. Tom watched Looper, Wine Country, and 1899.

00:27:11 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 141 Patreon Patrons, as well as Stan for talking us up to Ascend Acoustics.

Thanks to Julian, Vincent, Josh, Brad, Stan, Joe & Jorge for alerting us about our email server issues last week.

And we appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Parker, Julian, David, Scott, Vincent, Josh, Brian, Brad, Stan, Dan, Chris, Matt & Brannon. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:32:06 – News: Yamaha MusicCast Dead?

Via Matt – No more product listings. Discontinued speakers. Not in the newest SoundBars: https://yamaha.io/2TkzwO9

00:36:14 – News: Stadia Controllers Unlocked

Use them as Bluetooth controllers, rather than throwing them out: https://engt.co/3XmkSTt

00:37:11 – News: – Amazon Launched MGM+

No rolling MGM & Epix into Prime Video: https://www.mgmplus.com/

Comments:

00:38:55 – Comment: Andrew – High on Life

A great, M-rated Atmos demo.

00:39:30 – Comment: Julian – New Yorker Cartoon

Vinyl fixes everything.

QUESTIONS:

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Tom is back! Dirac Live Active Room Treatment is coming to StormAudio Processors this year, and we’ve got hot takes. TCL scales back on mini-LED backlighting. Hisense charges forward with more mini-LED than ever. And the Nakamichi Dragon SoundBar is expensive. Plus lots of questions answered.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAnLC3

00:00:00 – Intro & What We Watched

Rob watched Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Tom watched A Bad Moms Christmas, 1899, and The Batman.

00:17:59 – Listeners of the Week

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

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Manny, Vasanth, Paul, Kevin, Jay, Infinite Gary, Justin, Gurinder, and Andrew. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:22:16 – News: Dirac Live Active Room Treatment

Dirac Live ART will be exclusive to StormAudio Processors at first: https://bit.ly/3QuYVz7

00:33:31 – News: TCL 2023 TV Lineup

Only one Series with mini-LED backlights and large screen sizes: https://bit.ly/3X5CZgp

00:34:33 – News: Roku Makes Their Own TVs

Entry level TVs directly from Roku: https://bit.ly/3Zwi1J6

00:36:23 – News: Hisense Aims Higher

More mini-LEDs than ever. And bringing ULED X to North America: https://bit.ly/3GAuDGu

00:37:40 – News: Nakamichi Dragon SoundBar

Five wireless enclosures house 11.4.6 channels: https://dragon.nakamichi-usa.com/

Comments:

00:43:35 – Comment: Allen – Other OTA DVRs

Mentions for Tablo and the discontinued Amazon Fire TV Recast: https://www.tablotv.com/

00:45:21 – Comment: Jim – AC Infinity Aircom S6

Great results from a $50 cooling fan: https://avgadgets.com/ac-infinity-cooling-fans/

QUESTIONS:

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Welcome to 2023! Tom is away this week, so we start with a pinch-hitting performance from Lee Overstreet. At CES: IMAX Signature Sound by DTS comes to Disney+, OLED TVs add Micro Lens Array, QD-OLEDs get bigger and better, and microLED gets smaller. We also mention a great source for 9.1.6-channel test signals.

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

00:00:00 – Intro & What We Watched

Lee watched For All Mankind. Rob watched Disney’s Strange World, and finished Phase 4 of the MCU.

00:12:32 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 139 Patreon Patrons.

Thanks also to Gurinder 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: Dylan, Brad, Eric, Stephen, James, Mike, Nathan, Greg, Gurinder, Kevin, Stefan, Jack, and Karl. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:18:41 – News: IMAX Signature Sound by DTS

Disney+ IMAX Enhanced content will get optional DTS audio: https://bit.ly/3VNiy6n

00:21:17 – News: Panasonic Micro Lens Array OLED

MZ2000 is the brightest WOLED yet: https://youtu.be/MbmQ98my5bE

00:22:18 – News: LG 2023 OLED Lineup

G3 Series gets Micro Lens Array: https://bit.ly/3XbIYzM

00:24:35 – News: LG Wireless M3 OLED

97=inches, and only a power cord: https://bit.ly/3Cr0Aju

00:25:43 – News: Bigger, Better Samsung QD-OLEDs

Two Series, 77-inch models, better ambient black levels: https://bit.ly/3Gm5DTu

00:27:47 – News: TCL QD-OLEDs

A new brand offering QD-OLED TVs: https://bit.ly/3VSIBZY

00:27:54 – News: No Sony TVs at CES

Hopefully they’re waiting for MediaTek’s newest HDMI chips: https://bit.ly/3IqmU0k

00:29:55 – News: Smaller microLEDs

Modular microLED TVs all the way down to 50-inches: https://bit.ly/3GkkGgv

Comments:

00:31:34 – Comment: Joe N Tell – Spatial Audio Calibration Toolkit

Some clarification about their goals: https://spatialcd.com/

00:33:40 – Comment: Atmos Test Signal Generator

Studio Six Digital’s Surround Generator offers 9.1.6 test signals from an Apple TV 4K: https://bit.ly/3Zc8ve5

00:35:31 – Comment: Michael – Apple TV YouTube App

The easiest way to avoid the exit message and black screen problem.

00:36:44 – Comment: Nathan – APC Battery Replacement

A scary warning had an easy fix.

00:38:28 – Comment: Jack – Projector Screen + Cheez Whiz

A very surprising, but official, method for cleaning stains off a SeymourAV projection screen.

QUESTIONS:

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Happy New Year!

Glasses-free 3D with eye-tracking is coming to Acer SpatialLabs displays. LG’s 2023 SoundBars take on Samsung’s Q-Symphony with Wow Orchestra. Tom watched good shows. And Rob had a travel adventure.

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

00:00:00 – Intro & What We Watched

Rob’s family had quite the Christmas travel adventure. Tom watched Wednesday, The Addams Family, Andor, and Peripheral.

00:17:44 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Aras and Eric for their PayPal donations, plus our 137 Patreon Patrons, including Bertrand.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Dazz, Karl, Aras, Gurinder, Infinite Gary, Jay, Mark, Dan, Bertrand, and Greg. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:23:27 – News: Acer SpatialLabs 3D Displays

Glasses-free 3D displays with eye-tracking: https://bit.ly/3WQedjI

00:26:21 – News: LG Wow Orchestra SoundBars

LG adds Wow Orchestra to take on Samsung’s Q-Symphony: https://bit.ly/3IaR1bY

Comments:

00:31:31 – Comment: Mark – YouTube App on Apple TV

Resetting video output settings back to default got it working for him.

00:32:48 – Comment: Jay – Random Space Media 3D

Australian disc publisher has 3D Blu-rays unavailable in North America: https://randomspacemedia.com/collections/3d-blu-ray

QUESTIONS:

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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everybody!

Rob saw Avatar: The Way of Water in HFR 3D, so he shares his lengthy review. Parasound’s founder retired, so there’s a new owner. 77-inch QD-OLEDs have been confirmed for next year. There’s a “truly wireless” TV with a battery. And we list our all-time favorite movies. Some might surprise you!

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAjW9k

00:00:00 – Intro & What We Watched

Rob has many thoughts about Avatar: The Way of Water in his review of his HFR 3D experience. Tom watched Burnt, and The Bear.

00:27:49 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 135 Patreon Patrons, including Martin, as well as Dan for sending a Movies Anywhere code.

Thanks also to Michael and Dylan for giving permission to use their photos on https://avgadgets.com/

And we appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Lance, Dan, Peter, Jay, Michael, and Martin.

Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:31:17 – News: Parasound Has a New Owner

Via Infinite Gary – Richard Schram, founder of Parasound, has retired, and sold the company to David Sheriff: https://bit.ly/3PFJeEU

00:33:17 – News: 77-inch QD-OLEDs in 2023

Samsung Display is making QD-OLED panels with better ambient black levels: https://bit.ly/3PQn96z

00:34:19 – News: Displace Readies 1st “Truly Wireless” TV

A long-life, swappable battery makes for a 55″ OLED with no wires at all: https://bit.ly/3WiN5dE

Comments:

00:37:51 – Comment: Peter – EIPMA Atmos Webinar Series

The Entertainment Industry Professionals Mentoring Alliance posted a 5-part webinar on Atmos: https://www.youtube.com/@eipma7270/videos

00:38:40 – Comment: Michael – SVS Ultra to 4000 Amp Upgrade

SVS gave instructions to build a spacer. Rob just turned his upside down.

QUESTIONS:

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