An unusual week behind the scenes means a shorter episode, and there’s one listener who asks a whole alphabet’s worth of questions!

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzB2Ff

00:00:00 – Intro an Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Gregory & Jonathan for their PayPal donations, plus our 135 Patreon Patrons, as well as Curt & Alex for helping out https://avgadgets.com/ with a correction, and permission to use photos, respectively.
We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Daryl, Sean, Gurinder, John, Mike, Jason, Allen, Jay, Greg & Aras. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!
– IKEA PEPPRIG duster: https://is.gd/Q25fDD

In the news:

00:11:41 – News: Sony bought Bungie
The game studio behind Destiny sold for $3.6 billion: https://is.gd/nZtf6Z

00:13:28 – News: Sony A75K OLED
Less expensive OLEDs from Sony, but only in 55″ & 65″ sizes: https://is.gd/aK7MEI

00:15:31 – News: Samsung Micro-LED prices
89″ to 114″ sizes range from $80K to $100K: https://is.gd/Ry9VR1

QUESTIONS:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Our movie review disagreements were short-lived. Some SVS in-wall sub details. Wishing we had better news for attached dwellings. And bagging on Activision and REL.

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

00:00:00 – Intro & Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Gav for his PayPal donation, plus our 136 Patreon Patrons, including Bertrand & Todd. We also want to thank JT for sending a Movies Anywhere code.
And we greatly appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Brandon, Tue, J.R., Aras, Gurinder, Bertrand, Grad, Gav & Justin. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:14:34 – News: SVS 3000 In-wall Subwoofer
AV Nirvana scored details on the dual 9-inch drivers, price, and release date: https://is.gd/OVKqhf

00:18:47 – News: Microsoft buys Activision
The largest game studio acquisition ever leaves us feeling icky: https://is.gd/9qgGz1

Comments:

00:24:26 – Comment: Andrew – Cross-Spectrum Labs
Herb from Cross-Spectrum gets a shout out for their individually calibrated UMIK-1 mics.
– https://cross-spectrum.com/

00:25:15 – Comment: Nathan – Acoustimac Panels
The 2″ panels come with a solid back by default, but the DIY kits and bass traps can have open backs.
– DIY kits: https://is.gd/ykyfli
– Bass traps: https://is.gd/zGmxcv

00:26:52 – Comment: Tue – Strøm open source WiFi speaker
Tue started a project to escape closed ecosystems.
– Strøm website: https://is.gd/4yINjI
– Wiki: https://is.gd/9v45Lg
– GitHub: https://is.gd/gBfbNn

QUESTIONS:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

We kick off with an Eternals movie review before tackling Netflix’ price hike, warning against updating your NVidia Shield right away, and another Monolith Series release from Monoprice. You’ll also want to stick around until the end for an impromptu venting session that lives up to our AV Rant name!

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzz4Hr

00:00:00 – Intro & Listeners of the Week
Our Listeners of the Week are Jason and Mark for their PayPal donations, plus our 136 Patreon Patrons.
We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Dale, Jay, Todd, Bret, Zach, Augie, J.R., and Paul. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:13:16 – News: Netflix Price Increase
North American subscriptions cost more: https://is.gd/CwuHVo

00:18:04 – News: NVidia Shield gets Android TV 11
It’s still a version behind, and you might want to wait before updating.
– Android 11 on Shield: https://is.gd/O2M8qN
– Not Android 12 yet: https://is.gd/nGCfh1
– Via John – Android 11 on Shield breaks Plex Servers and causes streaming issues: https://is.gd/LC8Die

00:20:51 – News: Monolith THX 5.1 Package
An affordable, THX Certified Sub/Sat system from Monoprice.
– Monolith M518HT: https://is.gd/OdYTN4
– THX 8″ Subwoofer: https://is.gd/XhyZ0t
– THX Satellites: https://is.gd/BjidGU

Comments:

00:23:19 – Comment: Augie – Projectors don’t need UPS
His projector’s fan shuts off immediately, so maybe battery backup isn’t so important?

QUESTIONS:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

We wrap up CES coverage, Tom reviews a gaming headset, and we share some short takes on recent Disney+ releases at the very beginning and the very end (stay tuned past our sign off).

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

00:00:00 – Intro & Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Kevin, Julian & Terry for their PayPal donations, plus our 135 Patreon Patrons, including Jack, Julian & Terry, as well as Joe for telling Aperion he learned about them from us, and Bertrand for sending Tom a Movies Anywhere code.

00:07:10 – In-wall Extension Cord Diagram
Big thanks to Mario for sending a diagram to illustrate a proper in-wall power extension cord with a male inlet with permission for Tom to use it on https://avgadgets.com/

And we greatly appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Jack, Chris T, Gurinder, Eric, Dale, Jason & Monty. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

00:09:47 – Beyerdynamic MMX 100 Review
Tom reviews a $99 gaming headset: https://avgadgets.com/beyerdynamic-mmx-100-gaming-headset-review-the-best-99-you-can-spend/

In the news:

00:14:36 – News: Samsung The Freestyle Projector
Portable, $900, LED projector with extremely easy setup: https://is.gd/IitElx

00:15:45 – News: TCL 98″ R754
Projection-sized flat panel for $8,000: https://is.gd/SYBVba

00:16:45 – News: Pixelworks TrueCut Motion
End-to-end Motion Grading solution: https://is.gd/GLsTq9

00:18:49 – News: Hisense U9H & U8H get mini-LED
Brighter, more dimming zones: https://is.gd/MJh39V

00:20:42 – News: Sony 2022 TV Lineup
A95K QD-OLED, A90K & A80K OLEDs, Z9K & X95K mini-LED: https://is.gd/PGaGtT

00:24:42 – News: PlayStation VR2
Upgraded headset announced, but not shown: https://is.gd/AILcqz

00:25:26 – News: New Monoprice Monolith Speakers
Smaller Monolith Encore models: https://is.gd/2nMYo1
Expanded in-wall lineup: https://is.gd/vP9iEY
THX on-walls: https://is.gd/knNrqs

Comments:

00:28:25 – Comment: Joe – Loves his new Aperion Verus III Grand speakers

00:29:01 – Comment: Aaron – Avoid converting RCA to ethernet

QUESTIONS:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Welcome to a whole new year of your home theater and AV questions, answered! We recorded this episode prior to the first full day of CES 2022, so it’s only pre-CES news for this week from LG, Samsung, and JVC.

Pictures shows in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzxqiT

00:00:00 – Intro & Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Chris for his PayPal donation, plus our 133 Patreon Patrons, including Terry, Bertrand, and Chris H.
Chris also bought a screen from Seymour AV and let them know it was thanks to our recommendation.

00:08:18 – Old Dolby Diagrams
James dug up Dolby diagrams from 2001 that were a big help for Tom’s article on AVGadgets: https://avgadgets.com/everything-wrong-with-dolby-speaker-layout-diagrams/
– Dolby Guide to Home Theater 2001 PDF: https://docdro.id/ILW6sZH

And we appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Brandon, James, Martin, Eric, Terry, Andy, Chris, Mark, and Bertrand.
Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:11:37 – News: LG OLED.EX
Behind the scenes, LG Display is working to make OLED TVs brighter and lighter: https://avgadgets.com/lg-announces-the-next-gen-oled-ex/
– press release: https://is.gd/MM8ZWz

00:13:58 – News: LG A2, C2 & G2 OLEDs
Smaller, bigger, Evo, and Brightness Booster.
– HDTV Test coverage: https://youtu.be/4a1l6U3ajAY
– Digital Trends: https://youtu.be/6viyZaLF26A
– CNET: https://youtu.be/kyo48Xd0EFU

00:18:28 – News: Samsung QD-Display, Neo QLED & Micro LED
QD-Display was behind closed doors, Neo QLEDs get Atmos but not Dolby Vision, and Micro LED gets smaller.
– Eyes on QD-Display: https://is.gd/mfGfAp
– 2022 Neo QLED lineup: https://is.gd/Dv33NM
– Smaller Micro LED screens: https://is.gd/TZukW5

00:22:25 – News: JVC NP5 / RS1100 4K projector
The $7,000 lamp-based “entry-level” gets 4K/120 but no 8K e-shift: https://avgadgets.com/jvc-dla-np5-4k-rojector-ships-march-2022/
– Price increase coming in Feb: https://is.gd/w1SafR

Comments:

00:26:06 – Comment: Michael – Eyes & Mics
Michael discovered surprising reasons why his TV started looking yellow, and his trim levels were way off.

00:28:16 – Comment: Jason – Denon X4300H passes Dolby Vision
Jason says his Denon X4300H passes through Dolby Vision from his NVidia Shield Pro just fine.

QUESTIONS:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS