We mostly settled Tom’s OLED & Roku settings. Masimo is separating from their Sound United consumer audio brands to protect their stock price. Roku has ways of putting ads on HDMI inputs. Best Buy issued mass layoffs of Geek Squad employees. And more cinemas will be getting Dolby Vision.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:06:51 – What We Watched

Rob watched Past Lives. Tom finished Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and watched Road House (2024).

00:23:40 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 132 Patreon Patrons, as well as Greg for sending Tom an Apple TV 4K, Curt for offering to send Tom an Apple TV 4K, Jack for alerting Tom about a security issue on https://avgadgets.com/ , and Aaron for sending more Canadian movie codes to Rob.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Max, Sasi, Mark, Aaron, Steve, and Ciso. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:26:20 – News: Masimo Spins Off Consumer Audio

Masimo bought Sound United back in 2022 and created a Masimo Consumer division. Now that division is being spun off as a separate company to protect the parent company’s stock price: https://tinyurl.com/y3keuxnt

00:29:40 – News: Roku Patents Ads on HDMI Inputs

We were all thinking it: there just aren’t enough ads! So Roku found a way to bring ads where there were no ads before: https://tinyurl.com/3s62xrjf

00:31:52 – News: Geek Squad Layoffs

Reportedly, Best Buy has issued mass layoffs of Geek Squad employees: https://tinyurl.com/3uk6pm2e

00:37:13 – News: Dolby Vision Coming to More Cinemas

They won’t be full-on Dolby Cinemas, but premium cinemas around the world will be able to show Dolby Vision: https://tinyurl.com/ypuw93p4

Comments:

00:41:27 – Comment: Sasi – The AliExpress Audiophile

Want pretty-looking speaker wires at low prices? Consider the many knock-offs sold on AliExpress, perhaps.

QUESTIONS:

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Another week, another very high-tech solution to a problem Tom was having with his new OLED TV setup. Vizio announced new TVs, including a $999 86-inch model. ZapperBox M1 gets updated to allow DRB-protected NextGen TV channels to be recorded. And the RBH Impression Series of speakers is back!

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

00:00:00 – Intro

How Tom fixed an issue between his LG OLED and Roku.

00:07:18 – What We Watched

Rob rewatched Oppenheimer…on disc this time, and had thoughts about X-Men ’97 Ep 3. Tom finished Ahsoka, started Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and mistakenly rewatched all of Morbius.

00:28:46 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 133 Patreon Patrons, as well as Julian for giving us a shout out on his Vibe Home Media YouTube channel ( https://www.youtube.com/@vibeinstalls9890 ), Greg for sending a Fosi ZA3 amplifier to Tom and offering to send an Apple TV 4K, and Curt for offering Tom an Apple TV 4K as well.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Sasi, Dan, Julian, Clinton, and Max. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:33:32 – News: Vizio V4K $999 86-inch TV

Vizio TVs are back with a simplified lineup, and a new $999 86-inch model: https://tinyurl.com/y263r3y2

00:37:11 – News: ZapperBox NextGen TV DVR

Via Karl – ZapperBox M1 tuners get an update to allow DRM-protected channels to be recorded: https://zapperbox.com/products/zapperbox-m1

00:39:23 – News: – RBH Impression Series Gen 3

RBH’s entry-level, manufacturer-direct speaker series is back! https://tinyurl.com/54mp5naf

– https://avgadgets.com/mtm-center-speakers-why-all-the-hate/

Comments:

00:54:48 – Comment: Clinton – DIY Eyeglasses Cleaner

An inexpensive solution for cleaning TV screens and lenses.

QUESTIONS:

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Big news for Tom’s home theater this week! We even change up our format a little because of it. RSL announced a new, less expensive SpeedWoofer 10E subwoofer model. And the SVS Ultra Evolution Series speakers are now available to purchase.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBiK7X

00:00:00 – Intro

00:02:28 – What Rob Watched

Gotta save Tom’s surprise, so we just talk about Rob having watched Mean Girls (2024) and X-Men ’97.

00:13:41 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Anand for his PayPal donation, plus our 133 Patreon Patrons, including Kris, as well as Aaron for sending Rob another movie code, Greg for offering to send Tom a Fosi amplifier, and Ryan for sending a Movies Anywhere code.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Jay, Aaron, Dan, Eddie, Dazz, Nathan, Robert, Stan, Brian, John, and Ryan. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

00:19:16 – What Tom Watched…and How!

Big news for Tom’s home theater. Then he rewatched Barbie, plus some episodes of The Bad Batch, and Ahsoka.

In the news:

00:38:55 – News: RSL SpeedWoofer 10E

A new, slightly smaller, less expensive 10-inch subwoofer model: https://tinyurl.com/bdzk8kb

00:41:51 – News: SVS Ultra Evolution Series Speakers

New SVS flagship speakers Series is now available to purchase: https://www.svsound.com/collections/ultra-evolution-speakers

Comments:

00:44:46 – Comment: Kris – Hi-Res Tidal

We reminded him why the higher sampling rate doesn’t matter.

00:45:12 – Comment: Sasi – Worry Over Bo’s Subs

It bothered him that Bo might overpay, or be convinced a better option is somehow inferior.

QUESTIONS:

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HSU VTF-TN1 flagship 15-inch subwoofer replaces VTF-15H MK2 and undercuts the competition. Sofabaton X1S Hub-based universal remote replaces X1 and is good. And we get a question from a very special surprise person.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBi2Lu

00:00:00 – Intro

Tom visited https://www.electrifyexpo.com/

00:05:01 – What We Watched

Rob watched Poor Things. Tom saw Dune: Part 2 in IMAX.

00:19:01 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Tyler and Stephen for their PayPal donations, plus our 132 Patreon Patrons, including John, as well as Aaron for sending Rob yet another movie code.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Aaron, Karl & E, Jay, Bo, Dan, Jorge, Stephen, and Adam. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:21:46 – News: HSU VTF-TN1 Subwoofer

A new 15-inch flagship sub replaces the VTF-15H MK2 while undercutting the competition on price: https://tinyurl.com/3krv62d5

00:30:24 – News: Sofabaton X1S Remote

Sofabaton updated and improved their X1 Hub-based remote with the new X1S: https://tinyurl.com/5ek8f4dh

– Andrew’s review: https://avgadgets.com/sofabaton-x1s-is-the-harmony-killer/

– AVGadgets additional 15% off code: https://avgadgets.com/sofabaton-releases-the-x1s-hub-based-remote/

Comments:

00:34:21 – Comment: Nathan – DSPeaker Anti-Mode

He used one, and explains when it’s useful.

00:36:27 – Comment: Stephen – Cable Hum

Seems we were correct about unshielded RCA cables. And he wrote about his Velodyne SMS-1: http://www.stephenmacmillan.com/ht/tips.htm

00:37:19 – Comment: Joe – Theater Installation

Shared photos from a recent assisted living project. Gorgeous!

00:40:09 – Comment: Gurinder – Soundproofing Success

His theater’s back up and running, and he’s happy with the results.

QUESTIONS:

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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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