Happy New Year!

HDMI got a new spec. Monoprice got new Monolith Class-D amps. TCL got their Google TVs back on store shelves. And Rob got an Optimus Prime!

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

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

Our Listeners of the Week are Bob, Billy, and Jason for their PayPal donations, plus our 137 Patreon Patrons, including Bertrand.
Also greatly appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Joseph, Martin, Jonathan, Bob, Angel, Brad, Infinite Gary, Zach, Billy, Gurinder, and Jeremy. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

00:12:29 – Auto-Converting Optimus Prime
Rob awkwardly demonstrates the Robosen Optimus Prime and has him say hello to you all: https://is.gd/Ps6tVX
Watch the transformation on Rob’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/firstreflect/status/1474488138978394113?s=21

In the news:

00:16:29 – News: TCL Google TVs are back
The interface and bugs are hopefully fixed, and TCL’s R546 & R646 TVs are available once again: https://is.gd/eYFvKA

00:17:31 – News: HDMI 2.1a brings SBTM
A new HDMI spec brings a new feature: Source-Based Tone Mapping: https://avgadgets.com/hdmi-announces-hdmi-2-1a/

00:21:43 – News: Monolith Hypex N-Core Class-D Amps
Monoprice Monolith M8125X & M8250X are 8-channel, 20-amp, Class-D amps with XLR-only.
– M8125X: https://is.gd/wqu5Jp
– M8250X: https://is.gd/WKgNBL

Comments:

00:26:27 – Comment: Zach – Apple TV+ 24p on Shield
The fix Rob suggested last week worked. But Dolby Vision isn’t making it through his Denon X4300H.

QUESTIONS:

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Tom reviews the Monolith M1070 planar magnetic, open-back headphones. Audyssey launched MultEQ-X.  HDMI Licensing has declared HDMI 2.0 no longer exists. And we tackle a ton of questions. Packed show!

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzvTt4

00:00:00 – Intro & Listeners of the Week
Our Listeners of the Week are Chad for his PayPal donation, plus our 137 Patreon Patrons.
We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: James, Julian, Shawn, Jason, Dan, Chad, Gurinder, and David.
James recommends The Cycling Dads Podcast: https://is.gd/fJeRaZ

00:07:52 – Monolith M1070 Review
Open-back, planar magnetic headphones from Monoprice for $400: https://avgadgets.com/monoprice-monolith-m1070-planar-headphones-review/

In the news:

00:11:57 – News: Audyssey MultEQ-X
$200 Windows program expands the info & capabilities of Audyssey built into your Denon or Marantz Receiver: https://avgadgets.com/audyssey-multeq-x-what-you-need-to-know/

00:26:52 – News: HDMI 2.0 no longer exists
HDMI 2.0 is now a subset of HDMI 2.1. Does that mean “fake” 2.1? https://youtu.be/qo9Y7AMPn00

00:32:22 – News: Disney on YouTube TV
Disney-owned TV channels were pulled from YouTube TV…for one day: https://is.gd/sRoEGx

Comments:

00:34:41 – Comment: Jay – Steve Yedlin article on HFR
An argument is made for continuing to shoot at 24 fps, and using frame interpolation if you want the high frame rate look: https://is.gd/XD3hbJ

00:35:18 – Comment: Nathan – HT consultant recommendations
Nathan has a correction about in-wall speaker dimensions. Then he suggests https://pmiltd.com/ , http://www.acousticfrontiers.com/ & Elite Home Cinema (https://is.gd/G5kB6B) for theater planning.

00:36:29 – Comment: Brad – Garage conversion progress

QUESTIONS:

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Fun collection of questions this week, including: bias lighting, Dynamic HDR Enhancer vs HDR Optimizer vs dynamic tone mapping, acoustically transparent drywall, a ground-up theater planning session, and much more!

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmXg5eRF

00:00:00 – Intro & Listeners of the Week
Our Listeners of the Week are our 137 Patreon Patrons, including Mel, as well as Mitch for letting SVS know he heard about their Black Friday sale from us.
We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Keshaun, Mitch, Mel, Lars, and Junior. Thank you to everybody for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:11:24 – News: YouTube TV is back on Roku
Via Nelson – Roku and Google worked out their differences with one day to spare on their expiring contract: https://is.gd/n0YzWi

00:14:07 – News: Emotiva prices will go up in ’22
Costs have gone up, and Emotiva cannot absorb them with their already low margins: https://is.gd/BrLh6U

00:15:03 – News: TCL Google TVs pulled from shelves
Via Jorge & Eric – TCL R546 & R646 TVs have been pulled from Best Buy due to interface complaints: https://is.gd/VBxbJW

00:18:01 – News: New PS5 side panel colors
Sony sued 3rd party panel makers out of business. But now you’ll be able to get something other than white: https://is.gd/tDb0qz

Comments:

00:19:29 – Comment: Michael – SVS Prime Elevation better than expected
In a head-to-head comparison with Ascend Sierra-2, it wasn’t as big a difference as expected.

QUESTIONS:

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Lots of interesting comparisons this week: QD-Display vs OLED, PlayStation Plus vs Xbox Game Pass, 75″ TVs, XLR vs DMX cables, 2 seats vs 3 seats, LG CX vs C1, acoustically transparent vs below the screen, and SVS Prime vs Ultra. Plus a bunch of other questions, too. Enjoy!

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

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

Our Listeners of the Week are our 137 Patreon Patrons, including Ron.
We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Ron, George, and Chris. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:09:15 – News: 97″ OLEDs will be 4K
We thought they’d be super expensive 8K TVs, but apparently they’ll be 4K: https://is.gd/wBbCQM

00:14:33 – News: Sony QD-OLEDs in 2022
Looks like Sony will use quantum dot OLED panels from Samsung for an A95K Series: https://youtu.be/-5ISJlsZMqA

00:17:31 – News: Android 12 for TV
Finally, frame rate switching and a 4K interface! https://is.gd/g246mz

00:21:11 – PlayStation Now becomes a PS+ tier
PlayStation Plus will introduce 3 tiers in 2022 to compete with Xbox Game Pass and Cloud Gaming: https://is.gd/uhepDd

Comments:

00:24:31 – Comment – Nathan: Acoustic Frontiers room planning
A suggestion to figure out your seating first and go from there: https://is.gd/nHgRla

QUESTIONS:

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Samsung’s quantum dot OLED TVs get a marketing name. But don’t expect them to rival LG OLED prices and sizes any time soon. We also dig into the confusing limitations of certain streaming apps on certain streaming devices, and why even an HD Fury can’t help.

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmXbUgu2

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

Our Listeners of the Week are Jacob for his PayPal donation, plus our 135 Patreon Patrons, including Ron.
We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Mike, Gurinder, Jeremy, Nathan, Joe, Gav, and Ron. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:12:56 – News: Roku firmware broke YouTube TV app
Via Karl, Roku OS 10.5 created so many problems, they rolled it back: https://is.gd/oX2XGe

00:15:36 – News: Samsung QD-Display
Samsung is using QD-Display as the name for their quantum dot OLED TVs that have begun mass production, but with reportedly low yields.
– QD-Display: https://is.gd/XmszWK
– QD OLED mass production: https://is.gd/BSNkn5
– 34″ monitor and low yields: https://youtu.be/AB7Lbia7Nlc

Comments:

00:23:01 – Comment: Erod – Stewart Filmscreen manual masking
– Stewart WallScreen manual masking: https://is.gd/7lxtwL

00:25:20 – Comment: Bertrand – Fist Test
If you want to approximate angles, Rob suggests using your compass and level apps on your phone instead.

QUESTIONS:

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