AV Rant #914: Best Value 75″ TV

May 23rd, 2024 Comments off

Onkyo & Integra have new Stereo Receivers, and the Integra packs exciting features for installers while costing less than expected. Comcast StreamSaver bundles Peacock, Netflix & Apple TV+. ESPN, Fox Sports & Warner Bros. Discovery’s sports streaming bundle is named Venu. And LG’s Signature OLED R rollable OLED TV is discontinued.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBrmy8

00:00:00 – Intro

The Sonos Ace headphones were officially announced moments before we started recording, so we only have extremely early and incomplete first impressions this week!

00:07:06 – What We Watched

Tom continued on with The Good Place. Rob watched the Vancouver Canucks lose in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, finished X-Men ’97, enjoyed The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, and loved “Asteroid City”.

00:23:37 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Raf for his PayPal donation, plus our 133 Patreon Patrons.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Mohsen, Adam, and Joe. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:24:50 – News: Onkyo & Integra Stereo Receivers

Onkyo TX-8470 is a capable 2-Ch Receiver for $799. But the Integra DTM-7.4 steps up the features in some surprising ways for only $101 more: https://avgadgets.com/onkyo-tx-8470-and-integra-dtm-7-4-which-is-the-best-stereo-receiver-for-you/

00:36:29 – News: Comcast StreamSaver

A streaming bundle of Peacock, Netflix & Apple TV+: https://tinyurl.com/4rwmd4d6

00:38:54 – News: Streaming Sports Bundle Named Venu

The ESPN, Fox Sports & Warner Bros. Discovery streaming sports bundle has a name: https://tinyurl.com/4taauvda

00:40:08 – News: LG Signature OLED R Discontinued

If you didn’t already buy LG’s $100,000 “Roll-LED” TV, you missed your chance: https://tinyurl.com/msnb2sxm

Comments:

00:41:11 – Comment: Kevin & Mike – TV Price Guesses

We weren’t flooded with guesses for how much regular people spend on a TV, after all.

00:42:19 – Comment: Jay – Turbine Media Picks Up 3D Blu-ray Mantle

Region-free 3D Blu-rays with Atmos can still be found. You just have to import from Germany: https://tinyurl.com/mr3acpne

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AV Rant #913: Hisense/Samsung Beef

May 16th, 2024 Comments off

Apple’s newest iPad Pro models feature Tandem OLED screens with 1,000 nit full-screen brightness. Hisense goes straight after Samsung’s The Frame with their new CanvasTV. Hisense also slots their new U9N Series between their U8N and UX. Disney+, Hulu & Max will form a streaming bundle.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:03:53 – What We Watched

Rob watched The Northman, and You Were Never Really Here. Tom rewatched The Good Place.

00:24:14 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Tyler for his PayPal donation, plus our 133 Patreon Patrons, including Toke.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Karl, Toke, and Bertrand. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:27:39 – News: iPad Pro Tandem OLED

New dual layer OLED screens with 1,000 nits full-screen brightness hint at potential advancements for TVs: https://tinyurl.com/4pppzhm6

– Why 11″ iPad Pros might be in short supply: https://tinyurl.com/3bbyfyfh

00:36:35 – News: Hisense CanvasTV

Hisense aims straight for Samsung’s The Frame with lower prices, and what seems like a better actual TV: https://tinyurl.com/vc8wy382

00:40:36 – News: Hisense U9N

With over 5,000 local-dimming zones and 5,000 nits peak brightness, the U9N slots in between the U8N and UX Series: https://tinyurl.com/4jh8zsrt

00:44:10 – News: Disney+ Hulu & Max Bundle

Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery are teaming up for a new streaming bundle: https://tinyurl.com/2wn97dcn

Comments:

00:47:00 – Comment: James – Favorite Theaters in LA

James’ suggestions for the best theaters to visit if you come to LA.

QUESTIONS:

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AV Rant #912: Once a Week? More Like Once a Quarter!

May 9th, 2024 Comments off

JVC announced new NZ800 & NZ900 8K e-ShiftX projectors to replace the NZ8 & NZ9. LG TVs all the way back to 2018 get an updated Apple Music App now with Dolby Atmos Music support. YouTube pause ads are coming. And Tom has an earthshaking update to his SOUNDPEATS Space headphones review.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:02:08 – SOUNDPEATS Space Headphones Update

Tom achieved the seemingly impossible.

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

00:12:08 – What We Watched

Rob’s been watching the NHL Playoffs. And saw The Zone of Interest, and The Beekeeper. Tom spent all his time engrossed in the Drake vs Kendrick drama.

00:25:59 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 132 Patreon Patrons, as well as Aaron for sending Rob another movie code to test.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Aaron, Mike, Casey, and Bill. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:34:42 – News: JVC NZ800 & NZ900

New 8K e-ShiftX laser projectors replace the NZ8 & NZ9: https://tinyurl.com/3c6hrc7z

00:41:02 – News: LG TVs Get Dolby Atmos Apple Music

LG TV models going all the way back to 2018 get an updated Apple Music App: https://tinyurl.com/3mua6cas

00:43:02 – News: YouTube Pause Ads are Coming

Thank goodness YouTube found another place to show us ads: https://tinyurl.com/yxxe5ph8

Comments:

00:47:02 – Comment: Dazz – Painting Tips

A few tips about painting rooms learned through experience.

00:52:52 – Comment: Casey – Clarifications

We now know what’s above his TV, what’s under his subs, and which speakers he’ll buy.

00:54:22 – Comment: Bill – Monoprice Customer Service

Not all Monoprice service stories are happy, but Bill’s experience with them was great!

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AV Rant #911: The 7 Sub Podcast

May 2nd, 2024 Comments off

Samsung modular micro-LED cinema displays replace 2 of the 5 professional dubbing stage screens at Culver Post Production. Ang Lee says he isn’t going to use High Frame Rate or 3D for his next movie because, “the whole ecosystem is bad”. And one of our longtime Listeners shows us the home theater updates he’s made through the ages.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBorM5

00:00:00 – Intro

00:04:31 – What We Watched

Rob watched How to Train Your Dragon, and Anyone But You. Tom started Fallout.

00:21:08 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 133 Patreon Patrons, including Bertrand, as well as Mark & Sammy for alerting us to last week’s audio-only version problems, and Gurinder & Eddie for sending movie codes for us to try.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Gurinder, Mike, Rohan, Bertrand, James, Kevin, Casey, Karl, and Jay. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:26:11 – News: Samsung Micro-LEDs Installed at Culver Post

True cinema HDR, modular micro-LED displays have replaced 2 of the 5 professional dubbing stage screens: https://tinyurl.com/5d9fvc8p

00:32:18 – News: Ang Lee Interview

One of the biggest proponents of HFR 3D says his next movie won’t use either: https://tinyurl.com/mrx4r5yk

Comments:

00:39:29 – Comment: Jared – His Home Theater Through the Ages

A photo recollection of the many changes and updates he’s made over years, and his current results with measurements.

QUESTIONS:

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AV Rant #910: SVS Ultra Evolution Bookshelf Review

April 25th, 2024 Comments off

Tom reviews the new SVS Ultra Evolution Bookshelf speakers. Sony simplified the names for their 2024 TVs and SoundBars. Sony Pictures might buy Paramount. And TCL has a 163-inch modular micro-LED display that can hit 10,000 nits.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:59 – SVS Ultra Evolution Bookshelf Review

Tom loves their looks. The sound mostly remains the same. But they’re a bit more sensitive: https://avgadgets.com/they-finally-look-as-good-as-they-sound-svs-ultra-evolution-bookshelf-speakers/

00:21:25 – What We Watched

Rob watched Brooklyn, and Shin Godzilla. Tom watched The Batman, X-Men ’97, Deadpool 2, and Wrath of Man.

00:38:57 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 132 Patreon Patrons, as well as Aaron for sending Rob a movie code to test, and James for sending AV Receiver Dolby Vision settings for Tom to try.

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

In the news:

00:41:46 – News: Sony 2024 Bravia TV Lineup

New, simpler names. And XR Backlight Master Drive with mini-LEDs brings higher brightness and less blooming: https://youtu.be/Y8M8Jt3N7Ms

– Prices: https://tinyurl.com/yc7zwzth

00:45:30 – News: Sony 2024 Audio Products

Simpler SoundBar names. And the Bravia Theatre Quad replaces the HT-A9 wireless speaker system: https://tinyurl.com/mum55r6x

00:47:33 – News: Sony Might Buy Paramount

Paramount is clearly trying to sell itself, and Sony Pictures appears to be the likely buyer: https://tinyurl.com/mr34348j

00:49:28 – News: TCL X11H Max 10,000 Nit micro-LED

TCL is selling a 163-inch modular micro-LED display in China. It’s the first to hit 10,000 nits: https://youtu.be/p17fYSnlGLo

Comments:

00:51:32 – Comment: Sasi – Subwoofers in the UK

Suggestions for reasonably compact, solid performing subwoofers you can buy locally in the UK.

– Tonewinner D2000: https://tinyurl.com/2r6mfuav

– BK Electronics Monolith: https://tinyurl.com/y7sask5e

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