HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

Wyze Video Doorbell review: Spotty performance holds it back The Wyze Video Doorbell comes at an incredible price for an app-enabled live-streaming buzzer: $30. Nothing from major brands like Amazon's Ring or Google's Nest comes close to that level of affordability. That said, I experienced issues with the camera's performance on this video doorbell -- something I haven't encountered with other Wyze cams (more details on that in the section below). Full article here… Steven Soderbergh: The Reports of Cinema's Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated We are only taking a look at a couple of questions from this interview. We recommend that you take a look at the entire interview linked here. Full article here… HDTV Buying Guide 2020 Tis the season for us to go shopping and to continue to help you spend your money - one of our favorite times of the year. If you or anyone in your life is looking for a new UHD TV this Christmas, but still aren't sure which one to buy, we've got you covered. There are some incredible TVs out there with fantastic pricing. 50 Inch If you are looking for a TV in this size category you probably have a small room and don't want to spend a lot of money. With that said, you still want a good TV for your home. Hisense H8G Quantum Series Android 4K ULED Smart TV with Voice Remote (Street Price $525) When you consider the price and performance this TV is hard to beat. By the way, it comes in bigger sizes with similar values. RTINGS.com gives it a 7.8 out of 10 rating for overall use. Having full-array local dimming gives it great contrast and black levels. The TV has a good color gamut which produces rich and saturated colors in HDR content. The HDR drops off in a well lit room as the TV does not get bright enough. Finally, off angle viewing is not the best. 65 Inch At this size we are not looking for a bargain but more a high quality TV that won't break the bank. Vizio P-Series Quantum X 4K HDR Smart TV (MSRP $1530) This TV is great for most uses garnering an 8.3 overall rating from RTINGs.com. If you were turned off by the previous model due to its limitations in bright rooms, then this TV is for you. But it also does well in dark rooms with it's dark blacks which makes watching movies a joy. However, this TV has off angle viewing issues as fo most all LCD based TVs 75 Inch Now we are getting into serious TV watching here and will up the budget substantially. We also want a TV with as few compromises as possible. LG CX 77 inch Class 4K Smart OLED TV w/ AI ThinQ® (MSRP $3500) This OLED delivers excellent picture quality with the best black levels on the market. RTINGS.com rates it 8.8 overall and a whopping 9.3 for movies! If you are a movie junky this TV is for you, with the caveat that the room is dark. This is the only TV on our list that has no off angle viewing issues. The CX has a wide color gamut for HDR content. The only issue we have with the TV is the brightness. If you are watching in a bright room you may not be able to get brightness levels you like. Ultimate TV (for Braden) Our Ultimate category was added specifically for Braden this year by Ara. He is trying to get Braden to buy something!! Even if he has to store it in his garage until the home is ready for it's use. We all know Braden has an affinity for TCL but this TV is going into his main room so we are upping the game! 85" Class Q80T QLED 4K UHD HDR Smart TV (2020) (MSRP $3800) At 85 inches, this TV gets into the projector size category. I ruled out OLED out solely based on price but at $3800 this TV is not cheap. RTINGS.com gives this TV 8.4 overall. The Q80T is a wonderful all around TV. Great picture quality and contrast ratio combined with its high peak brightness makes it a great choice for use in bright rooms. But thanks to it's full-array local dimming, the Q80T has great contrast which allows it to perform well in dark rooms too. Finally of all the non-OLED TVs, this one has the best off angle viewing.

Receiver Buying Guide 2020 It's that time of year where we get to spend your money. This season we start off with AV Receivers. We take a practical approach with these guides in that we try to get you the best bang for your buck. Well we do indulge with one of our selections. Here is our AV receiver buying guide for 2020. Under $500 Sony STR-DN1080 7.2ch Home Theater AV Receiver (MSRP $499.99) The Sony STR-DN1080 is a receiver that has been out for a few years but still checks all the boxes for a 4K receiver that won't break the bank. If you spent a few hundred dollars on a new 4K TV at a Black Friday sale or will do so between now or Christmas this is the perfect receiver for you. We are not going to recommend that you spend a thousand dollars on a receiver for a $300 TV. Even still, this receiver is packed with a lot of features. Features: 6-in/2-out HDMI connectivity with 4K/60p (4:4:4)7 pass-through, HDCP 2.2 support, and HDR support Dolby Atmos® and DTS:X support High-Resolution Audio-compatible Wi-Fi®, AirPlay and Chromecast built-in for music streaming One-cable HDMI eARC With Google Home $500 to $750 Onkyo TX-NR797 9.2 - Channel Network A/V Receiver (Street Price $750, Back Ordered) The Onkyo TX-NR797 makes our list as a solid mid-level receiver with high end features typically found in receivers costing more than $1000. This is the receiver you buy when you spent a little more on your TV but ran out of budget for a receiver to match. Features: 100 Watts/Ch (8 Ohms 20-20kHz, 2 Channels Driven, FTC) HDR (High Dynamic Range) video including HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision®, and BT.2020 Six HDMI inputs, ARC-ready MAIN OUT, and SUB OUT pass 4K/60p and HDR video from player to compatible TV and projector and all terminals are HDCP 2.2 compliant. Dolby Atmos® and DTS:X® compatible THX® Certified Select™ theater-reference sound Access streaming content from Amazon Music, Pandora®, Spotify®, TIDAL, Deezer, and TuneIn and share sound as part of a multi-room system via Works with Sonos, AirPlay 2, DTS Play-Fi®, and FlareConnect. Chromecast built-in with the Google Assistant Works with Sonos $750 - $1000 Denon AVR-X2700H 7.2ch 8K AV Receiver with 3D Audio, Voice Control and HEOS Built-in® (MSRP $849.00) The Denon AVR-X2700H is a receiver that is as future proof as it can get. Do we think you will need 8K support anytime in the near future? Probably not. But this receiver can handle it if you do. Of course it supports all the audio formats, HDMI eARC, HDCP 2.3, and so much more. This receiver does it all and at $850 it's hard to beat! Features: 95W per channel (8 ohms, 20Hz-20kHz, THD: 0.08%,2 ch. driven) 8K/60Hz pass-through, 4K/120Hz* pass-through for gaming, and support for the latest HDMI specifications Dolby Atmos, Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization Technology, DTS:X, DTS Virtual:X and IMAX Enhanced HDMI section (7 in/3 out) with a dedicated 8K input that will support 8K/6OHz and 4K/120Hz video pass-through and upscaling HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG), Dynamic HDR, 3D, and BT.2020 pass-through support 4K/120Hz* pass-through and upscaling, as well as Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), Quick Frame Transport (QFT), and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), which reduces or eliminates lag and frame tearing to offer a smoother, lag-free gaming experience. Works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Siri and Josh.ai Greater than $1000 Denon AVR-X6700H 11.2 Ch. 8K AV Receiver with 3D Audio, HEOS® Built-in and Voice Control (MSRP $2499.00) If you have upgraded your room with a higher end TV/Projector and better speakers with full blown ATMOS/DTS:X you need a receiver to match. We are so impressed with Denon's 2020 lineup that we decided to stick with them for this category. Our top selection this year is the Denon AVR-X6700H. There are more expensive receivers out there but not necessarily better. The 6700 has everything we like about the 2700 but more! Features: Premium 140W per channel (8 ohms, 20Hz-20kHz, THD: 0.08%, 2 ch. driven) amplifier designed specifically for demanding speakers 8K/60Hz pass-through, 4K/120Hz* pass-through for gaming, and support for the latest HDMI specifications Dolby Atmos, Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization Technology, DTS:X, DTS Virtual:X and IMAX Enhanced Support for DTS:X Pro via a future firmware update Can process 13.2 channels with an additional amplifier HDMI section (7 in/3 out) with a dedicated 8K input that will support 8K/6OHz and 4K/120Hz video pass-through and upscaling HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG), Dynamic HDR, 3D, and BT.2020 pass-through support 4K/120Hz* pass-through and upscaling, as well as Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), Quick Frame Transport (QFT), and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), which reduces or eliminates lag and frame tearing to offer a smoother, lag-free gaming experience. Works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Siri and Josh.ai

We have a special show for you today. The AV Rant Guys (Tom Andry and Rob H), along with DJ Briggs of the Bright Side of Home Theater join us for a fun filled podcast that gives thanks to you our listeners.

Black Friday 2020 It's another Black Friday and the HT Guys have you covered. This year is a bit different as many companies go virtual with their Black Friday Deals. We can go through every deal out there but we do highlight a few that we really like. Let us know if you participate this year and what you get. WalMart Available 11/25 VIZIO 70" Class 4K UHD LED Smart TV HDR V-Series V705x-H1 $470 Get the Deal SAMSUNG 65" Class 4K Crystal UHD (2160P) LED Smart TV with HDR UN65TU7000 2020 $478 (was $550) Get the Deal SAMSUNG 58" Class 4K Crystal UHD (2160P) LED Smart TV with HDR UN58TU7000 2020 $398 (was $450) Get the Deal JVC 58" 4K UHD HDR Roku Smart LED TV + Free Shipping $298.00 Get the Deal VIZIO 32" 4.1 Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer (SB3241n-H6) $129 Get the Deal onn. 32" 2.0 Soundbar $29 Get the Deal Philips WiFi Streaming Blu-Ray and DVD Player - BDP2501/F7 $49 (was $65) Get the Deal Apple AirPods Pro $169 (was $250) Get the Deal PlayStation 5 Console $499 Get the Deal Roku Premiere 4K HDR Streaming Media Player $29.00 (was $39.99) Get the Deal Best Buy Available now unless otherwise noted Samsung - 85" Class Q80T Series LED 4K UHD Smart Tizen TV $2999.99 Get the Deal Samsung - 75" Class Q80T Series LED 4K UHD Smart Tizen TV $2199.99 Get the Deal Samsung 75" Class Q60T Series LED 4K UHD Smart Tizen TV $1,197.99 (was $1599.99) Get the Deal TCL - 50" Class 4 Series LED 4K UHD Smart Android TV $299 (was $349.99) Get the Deal Hisense 65" Class H6510G Series LED 4K UHD Smart Android TV $249.99 (was $499.99) Get the Deal Available 11/28 LG - 75" Class NanoCell 80 Series LED 4K UHD Smart webOS TV $999.99 (was $1499.99) Get the Deal Insignia™ - 32" Class LED HD Smart Fire TV Edition TV $99.99 (was $169.99) Get the Deal Samsung HW-Q60T 5.1ch Soundbar with 3D Surround Sound $279.99 (was $500) Get the Deal Samsung HW-S40T 2.0ch All-in-One Soundbar with Music $129.99 (was $179.99) Get the Deal Available 11/26 Insignia™ - 2.1-Channel 80W Soundbar System with Wireless Subwoofer $69.99 (was $149.99) Get the Deal So many Sound Bars! Bluray and UHD players from $50 -$200 Roku Players from $25 - $70 Amazon Fire Sticks from $18 - $30 Chromcast Streaming Player $19 Get the Deal Available 11/26 Denon AVR-X2600H 7.2 Channel 4K UHD AV Receiver, Supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X & DTS Virtual:X, Amazon Alexa Compatible $599.98 (was $799.98) Get the Deal Available 11/26 Klipsch - Reference Series 12" 400W Powered Subwoofer $224.99 (was $499.99) Get the Deal Target Available now unless otherwise noted LG 55" Class 4K UHD Smart LED HDR TV $349.99 (was $399.99) Get the Deal Westinghouse 55" 4K Ultra HD Roku Smart TV with HDR $269.99 (was $379.99) Get the Deal Hisense 50" 4K Roku UHD HDR Smart TV $249.99 (was $299.99) Get the Deal Ring Video Doorbell 3 $139.99 (was $199.99) Get the Deal Skullcandy Push Ultra True Wireless Headphones - Black $49.99 (was $99.99) Get the Deal JBL Tune 750 Bluetooth Over-Ear Headphones $99.99 (was $129.99) Get the Deal Amazon Prices start Dropping November 20th - 27th Ring Video Doorbell Pro $169.99 (was $249) Fire HD 10 Tablet $79.99 (was $149.99) Blink Outdoor Camera Kits up to $130 off Eero 6 Wifi system (3-Pack) $223 (was $279.99) Simplisafe Security Systems 40% off New echo Dot $28.99 (was $49.99) Sony Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headphones + Free Shipping $88.00 (Was $199.99) Get the Deal Fire TV 4K Stick + Free Shipping $29.99 (was $49.99) Get the Deal Costco Starting November 5th LG 86" UN8570 4K UHD $1449.99 Get the Deal LG 55" UN7300 4K UHD $379.99 Get the Deal LG 65" UN7300 4K UHD $499.99 Get the Deal Samsung 82" RU9000 4K UHD $1399.99 Get the Deal Sony 85" X90CH 4K UHD $1969.99 Get the Deal Klipsch R-125 Reference Powered Subwoofer $149.99 (was $249.99) Get the Deal Sony WH-H910N Bluetooth Noise Canceling Headphones $139.99 (was $199.99) Get the Deal Deals on Ring Products $30 to $100 off $100 off on a Klipsch 5.1 speaker system $349.99 Sonos Beam Shadow Edition Soundbar $80 off $289.99 Many many more… HT Guys recommend you make Costco your Black Friday Stop!

On today's show we take a look at the Top Ten most watched shows on Youtube, we compare Roku vs FireTV and DJ Briggs of The Brightside of Home Theater gives us his top five Object Based Audio (ATMOS) movies to give your home theater system a workout. All that plus your emails and news of the week! Netflix's Top 10 Most Watched Movies + Shows Netflix's Top 10 is a new feature that highlights the most popular movies and shows on the platform in real time. Right now, the 10 most watched titles on Netflix are an eclectic mix of originals, reality shows, sitcoms, and documentaries. You've probably heard of popular series like The Queen's Gambit, so its ranking on the Top 10 list today won't surprise you. Roku vs. Fire TV: Which cheap smart TV is better? Choosing a smart TV with all the streaming services and connectivity built in means not having to switch inputs, deal with extra cables, or juggle different remotes. That's the beauty of a smart TV and two of the easiest systems currently available—and available in some rock-bottom-priced bargain sets—are those from Roku TV and Amazon Fire TV. Full article here… Top 5 Object Based Surround Sound (ATMOS) Movies As selected by DJ Briggs from the Bright Side of Home Theater Join DJ on the Bright Side of Home Theater. This podcast will concentrate on the movies that make having a Home Theater FUN. DJ has been into Home Theater since 1988 when he had a simple "theater" in his bedroom. His passion for the hobby has lead him to the never ending pursuit of the best Theater he can build. He believes the best the best way to gauge a theater is by watching the movies and scenes we love. And that's what he LOVES to do. He loves to talk about the movies, the scenes, sounds, the picture, and all they have to offer. If you, too, have a passion for movies and/or Home Theater, join him in delving into the all the things that make Home Theater FUN. Here's DJ's List 5- Jurassic Park (DTS-X) 4- Lucy 4K 3- John Wick 3 4K 2- Mad Max Fury Road 4K 1- Gravity (Diamond Luxe Edition)

On today's abbreviated show we look at Walmart, Target, and Best Buy's Black Friday plans and we read your emails and discuss this week's news. Walmart, Target, and Best Buy have revealed their Black Friday plans, and they're all radically different from prior years Three of the biggest retailers just revealed their Black Friday plans. Walmart, Best Buy, and Target are spreading deals across the month instead of concentrating on one day. The stores said they would take measures to keep shoppers safe and offer more shipping options. Retailers have to both make shoppers feel safe with coronavirus precautions and deal with inventory issues and customers who might be less willing to spend in a recession. Over the weekend, three of the most popular Black Friday destinations — Walmart, Best Buy, and Target — released their plans for the shopping holiday. Full Article...

On this week's show Ara's gives us his impression of the Tribit Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Earbuds that we talked about a couple of weeks ago. We also look at the Vizio OLED TV Review by RTINGS.com. We also read your emails and take a look at the news! Tribit Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Earbuds Last week Ara was on vacation and used the time to review his new and very inexpensive in ear Active Noise Canceling headphones. They are made by Tribit and are available from Amazon for $50. So how did they fare? Well they are pretty good for $50. We could end it here and you really would have enough to make up your mind but of course we'll go into a little more detail. The main reason we were interested in these headphones was because they have active noise cancelling so we'll get into that first. The ANC was OK. There was a reduction in outside noise but not as good as full size over the ear headphones we have used in the past. The key to making the noise canceling work is finding the right size ear tip. I tried three including the default size and as it turns out the default size was perfect for me! When you place the headphones in your ear you need to use a twisting action to kind of screw them into place. This gave me the tightest seal and best results for noise cancelation/isolation as well as general listening. Speaking of sound quality, they did great for podcast listening and telephone calls. For music they were good too!. The bass, which was a feature that Tribit touted, sounded good. We used our go to bass test, the first five seconds of California Roll by Snoop Dogg. Again good, not great. Our $300 Sennheiser Momentums have much better bass response. But these things only cost $50! The phone mic quality sounds like you were holding the phone to your ear without a microphone. People listening on the other end had no issues hearing the conversation. Other Considerations Pairing - simple once you realize that the leads have a plastic strip on them and the headphones won't pair until you remove them. Clearly stated in the instructions but who reads that?? Battery Life - worked for my entire trip without a recharge. The longest continuous street was three hours before placing them back in the case which recharges the batteries. You can get an additional hour and a half play time if you charge the headphones for ten minutes. Comfort - if you properly size the ear tips they will be very comfortable. But after a three hour flight they were starting to irritate the ears. In fairness, no headphones we have tried have been free from irritation after prolonged usage. Charging Case - Small and easy to carry in your pocket. USB-C connection. Volume Control - There isn't any from the headphones. This must be done from the device Other Controls - double tap to pause, 3 taps to skip, hold right to activate/deactivate noise cancelling. Our Recommendation If you are very critical of your music, you will be better served with different headphones. If you are looking at these because of the ANC, well, it works but nothing that is going to make you say wow. If you are looking for good headphones with noise canceling and transparency mode that allows you to take calls or use for zoom meetings, you will be hard pressed to find anything better for the money. Vizio OLED 2020 TV Review The Vizio OLED 2020 is the first OLED TV Vizio has released and delivers impressive overall performance. Like any OLED TV, its ability to turn off individual pixels results in an infinite contrast ratio and perfect black uniformity. It displays an excellent color gamut for HDR content, but it doesn't get very bright in HDR, and large areas get significantly dimmer. Most gamers should appreciate the 120Hz refresh rate, near-instant response time, and low input lag. It's advertised to have variable refresh rate (VRR) support, but it doesn't work at all and there's screen tearing. The TV has a unique center-mounted stand that's designed to hold the Vizio Elevate soundbar. Sadly, the screen has the risk of permanent burn-in, which is typical of OLEDs, and our unit has noticeable temporary image retention, but this may vary between units. Full Review Here...

Wireless Earbuds Active Noise Cancelling,Tribit FlyBuds NC Bluetooth 5.0 Earphones Deep Bass ENC 4 Mics Noise Cancelling Earbuds 35 Hrs Smart Touch Controland Waterproof About this item Industry-leading 4MIC Active Noise Cancellation - The Noise Cancelling Processor works by capturing and identifying ambient noise then subdues these frequencies for a cleaner listening experience(Reduces noise up to 30dB). Crystal Clear Calls with Environmental Noise Cancellation - For an even better, more peaceful listening experience, you'll benefit from the AI Noise Reduction Technology which gives excellent vocal enhancement and reduces background noise for clearer calls even in noisy environment. Transparency Mode for hearing what's happening around you - If you want to still hear what's happening around you but don't want to take your earbuds out, transparency mode is a great way to get the best of both worlds. Tribit uses active microphone technology to amplify the sounds around you so you can still hear your surroundings, whether it needs to cross the street safely or hear what your workout partner is saying. Same experience as Airpods Pro! 10mm Dynamic Drivers for Deep Bass - Dive fully into the sound and enjoy the 10mm dynamic drivers along with active noise cancellation for immersive sound. NOTE: For the best audio performance please twist the earbuds around in your ear until the sound and fit feel correct. 5 Pairs Eartips - To ensure the highest possible quality listening experience, having earbuds that fit properly is extremely important. Choose from these 5 pairs soft, flexible silicone tips for a customizable fit. Plus, further enhances the effectiveness of the Noise Cancellation. Hoobs Home Automation Hub A few months ago I added a Raspberry Pi running homebridge to my home automation system so that I could use Ring and Harmony products on Homekit. It works quite well but it did require quite a bit of fiddling and knowledge of SSH, Config files, networking, building software, and installing plugins. For software developers like us we'd rate that a 7 out of 10 on the difficulty scale. For someone without this knowledge we'd rate it an 11 out of 10 on the difficulty scale. A few listeners emailed us about a solution called HOOBS (Homebridge out of the box system) that is supposed to make it much easier. It costs $170 for the complete system but if you already have a raspberry Pi you can buy a SD card with everything setup and ready to go for $20. For our test we went with the complete system out of the box. Setup The HOOBS box is about the size of a deck of cards and trival to get up and running, You plug in power, wait for it to boot up and install then connect it to your network with the ethernet cable that is provided. Next launch a browser and type hoobs.local into the address field. From there the system asks you to setup a user account and that gets the system up and running. It can't do anything at this point but it's ready to be configured with plugins. This process takes about ten minutes. To get to the same spot of the Raspberry Pi without HOOBS took more than an hour! What Next? First thing you need to do is add the HOOBS hub to your Homekit setup. The interface has a QR code that you scan with your phone in the Home app. It gives you a warning that it is not a supported accessory. Once you are done the HOOBS Bridge is now added and any device that can talk to HOOBS will be exposed as a supported HomeKit Device. Now you are ready to add plugins for your devices. In the HOOBS interface there is a good search tool that makes the process simple. Even the installation is one touch. We loaded our two plugins (Ring and Harmony) in a matter of minutes. The only place where the HOOBS process is still a bit geeky is the configuration. You don't have to actually modify the configuration file in raw form for certified plugins (both the Ring and Harmony plugins are certified) but you still need to know what to do. There is no real clear explanation for the Harmony Remote plugin so you will have to hunt around. There are plenty of Youtube videos that will walk you through it. The Ring plugin also required a bit of work. If you have two-factor verification turned on you need to run a command line application to get a key. The instructions are clear and Hoobs makes it simple to open a terminal window to run the command. Like the Harmony Plugin there are videos that show you what to do. There are instructions on how to add the new devices to your Homekit system. Some devices just show up and others need to be added like any other supported device. Other Thoughts We were never really able to setup the Rasberry Pi to boot into Homebridge and allow for remote access. That meant each time the system needed to be reset we had to SSH into the Pi and setup remote access. Then we had to remote into the Pi and launch Homebridge. Hoobs has taken care of this but making Homebridge auto start. This is even true for installing p

On this week's show we look at what movies are trending for on demand viewing and we try (again) to help Braden decide between a UST Projector, a traditional projector and a large format TV. We also look at email and news of the week. We received an email from a listener asking if we were building a media room today, would we still go the projector route and more specifically, if we went the projector route, would we go with an ultra short throw projector? There is a lot to unpack there. This listener is building out a media room in his basement and is in a situation where he can control lighting and has space for a 120 inch screen. He also said he does not mind buying higher end equipment since he intends on using it for the long term. Here is how our thought process goes. Large Format TV Reasonable cost and very good bang for the buck. Samsung is selling an 85 inch QLED TV that is 4k, HDR, Your assistant of choice, and many many more features for $3300. It's a good TV that has good reviews and would make an excellent choice for anyone's media room. However, is 85" big enough if you have enough room for a 120 inch screen and you have the budget? We think not. But still It's amazing how simple it is to install this TV in a room with full light and get an incredible big screen experience for a mere $3,300! Traditional Projector There are plenty of Long Throw projectors that are 4K that cost about the same as the samsung TV. The advantage is that you can get a 120" picture on a screen and it won't break your back moving the projector into the basement. The JVC LX-UH1B is a 4K UHD with HDR Projector that costs $2500. It does achieve 4K by using pixel shifting by from what we have seen it's not going to be any issue whatsoever. Going this route requires mounting the projector to the ceiling and the purchase of a 120" screen. Since there is no issue with ambient light a traditional screen can be used which should bring the cost to be about the same as the Samsung TV. You will need to pay attention to the cables being used to make sure that they support 4K HDR. But a very doable proposition at a reasonable cost. The only possible downside is that the room will be difficult to modify. However, that may not be an issue as none of my rooms have changed configuration in twenty years. Ultra Short Throw Projector The UST projector is, in our opinion, the best of both worlds! You can get a screen size of 120 inches that is easier to install than both the Long Throw Projector and 85" TV. There are many models from multiple manufacturers to choose from. The cost is a little bit more expensive than the TV or the Long Throw projector. However, if you are having the Long Throw projector installed by a professional it may end up costing you more money. Although a minor benefit. It's easy to move the UST projector around. If your aesthetics committee wants to change the room it can be done without a major headache. The Picture quality of the UST projectors are incredible and they work extremely well in light controlled environments. But imagine if you have a big game room next to the media room and the lights are on it has no real impact on the picture brightness. It's harder to get that kind of performance out of a traditional projector without spending a lot of money on an ambient light rejecting screen. Our Take It's Ultra Short Throw Projector for the win! You have more options for where you can use them and anyone can install them with minimal effort. They are easier to maneuver into and around your home and to get a TV of similar picture quality in 85" will cost more money.

We have a short show for you today. We take a look at the Google Pixel Buds 2. Google's new true wireless earbuds and we find you the best HDMI cables for your new 4K TV. Great news! If you are connecting components it won't cost you more than $10 a device! Pulse we have your emails and News of the week. OK, Google: Pixel Buds 2 are the real deal After underwhelming with its original Pixel Buds, Google's new true wireless earbuds stack up well against the competition, with a comfortable fit and strong performance. More info here… Best HDMI cables for your new 4K and HDR TV in 2020 There's no reason to spend more than $10 for 6 feet, even with the most expensive TVs. Here's what we recommend. More info here...

On this week's show we take a look at the Sony WH-1000XM4 Noise Canceling Headphones and all the new gear Amazon recently announced. We read some email and news stories as well. Sony WH-1000XM4 review: A nearly flawless noise-canceling headphone The much-anticipated new version of Sony's top noise-canceling headphone has finally arrived, and it makes small improvements to an already top-notch product. More info here… Amazon Product Announcements All-new Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) | HD smart display with motion and Alexa Alexa can show you even more - With a 10.1" HD screen that's designed to move with you, video calls, recipes, and shows are always in view. The speakers deliver premium, directional sound. $250 Coming Soon All-new Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote (includes TV controls) | Dolby Atmos audio Latest release of our best-selling streaming device - 50% more powerful than previous gen for fast streaming in Full HD. Includes Alexa Voice Remote with power and volume buttons. $40 Available Now All-new Echo Dot (4th Gen) | Smart speaker with Alexa Meet the all-new Echo Dot - Our most popular smart speaker with Alexa. The sleek, compact design delivers crisp vocals and balanced bass for full sound. $50 available for Pre-order Luna Introducing Luna, Amazon's cloud gaming service where it's easy to play great games on devices you already own. No waiting for lengthy downloads or updates — just play. Request your invitation for early access and help us make Amazon Luna even better. Early access pricing is $5.99 a month. Ubisoft coming soon. Introducing Amazon eero 6 dual-band mesh Wi-Fi 6 router, with built-in Zigbee smart home hub Whole-home Wi-Fi 6 coverage - eero covers up to 1,500 sq. ft. with wifi speeds up to 900 Mbps. Built-in Zigbee smart home hub - eero 6 connects compatible devices on your network with Alexa—so there's no need to buy separate smart home hubs for each device. $129 for the base router, $199 for base router and one extender. Available for Pre-order Introducing Amazon Halo – Measure body composition, activity, sleep, and tone of voice Membership includes body composition, tone of voice analysis, sleep & activity tracking, and more — free for 6 months. Auto-renews at $3.99/month + tax. All-new Echo Dot (4th Gen) Kids Edition | Designed for kids, with parental controls Meet the all-new Echo Dot Kids Edition - Our most popular smart speaker with Alexa, made for kids (not a toy). The super-fun design delivers crisp vocals and balanced bass for full sound. Help kids learn and grow - Kids can ask Alexa questions, set alarms, and get help with their homework. $60 available for pre-order. Ships in October. All-new Echo (4th Gen) | With premium sound, smart home hub, and Alexa New look, new sound - Echo delivers clear highs, dynamic mids, and deep bass for rich, detailed sound that automatically adapts to any room. With the built-in hub, easily set up compatible Zigbee devices or Ring Smart Lighting products (coming soon) to voice control lights, locks, and sensors. $100 available for pre-order. Ships in October.

Amazon will launch a new location-tracking mesh network system later this year Amazon is preparing to launch an ambitious networking and location system later this year under the name Amazon Sidewalk. Sidewalk will link smart home devices and other Amazon products using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), connecting beyond the range of a standard Wi-Fi network. Meant to be operated at the scale of a neighborhood, Sidewalk would turn devices like smart floodlights and home assistants into network bridges, passing along security updates and commands from a central Wi-Fi hub. In addition to transmitting software, the signals allow Sidewalk to triangulate a device's approximate location based on its contacts with other Sidewalk-enabled devices. The system will be built into the Echo, and Tile has also joined the project as the first third-party platform to support the system. Amazon plans to add Ring cameras to the network later, notifying device owners directly when Sidewalk is available to use. A full list of Sidewalk-compatible devices is available on the project landing page. More info here... Hearing Loss and Hi Res Audio A good friend of ours sent us a link to a Youtube video called "Hearing Loss at Age". This video tries to explain the physical degradation of hearing as we age. The video was produced by Hans Beekhuyzen a Dutch Hifi expert and member of the Audio Engineering Society. The video is a little technical but essentially says that as we age we can not hear the upper octave of the ten octaves between 20 Hertz to 20kHz. That tenth octave starts at 16.7kHz. He says not worry because we still hear 90% of the sound spectrum. So why do we need Hi Res files? We'll get to that. He mentions Nyquist in this video to discuss sampling. This is where the video gets quite technical. He has another video that goes into much more detail about this subject (The truth about Nyquist and why 192 kHz does make sense). What is Nyquist? It is named after electronic engineer Harry Nyquist. Nyquist's theorem states that a periodic signal must be sampled at more than twice the highest frequency component of the signal. In practice, because of the finite time available, a sample rate somewhat higher than this is necessary. Since we want to sample sound up to 20Khz, for those of us lucky enough to hear sound at that frequency, the sample rate should be no lower than 40Khz. Just for completeness, sampling is a representation of sound recorded in, or converted into, digital form. In digital audio, the sound wave of the audio signal is encoded as numerical samples in a continuous sequence. For example, in CD audio, samples are taken 44100 times per second each with 16 bit sample depth. We'll cover sample depth in a bit If a CD is sampled at 44.1Khz. That means it can recreate frequencies up to 22.05Khz, far above what people can hear! So we're all good right? Again why do I need Hi Res Files? Sampling Errors One of the issues with sampling is that it's not perfect and there are errors. This is where the video lost me because I am not an electrical engineer. We'll try to sum it up here. There is an error that is induced because of the sampling rate and that error can show up in the audio spectrum that you can hear. Filtering can reduce this but that too affects the sound as well. The solution is that you can sample at a higher frequency. Hi res files are sampled at 192Khz. That means technically it is capable of capturing frequencies up to 96Khz which is way above what any human can hear. However, there is a benefit in that the errors that are created fall outside what the human can hear. Thus leaving you with a more pure recording of the original signal. There is a price to be paid for this, the file size is much bigger. Bit Depth The other element to this discussion is bit depth. The bits store the amplitude of the sound wave. CDs use 16 bits which equate to 65536 possible values. Hi res files use 24 bits or 1,6777,216 possible values. If you think visually, consider a 16 bit color monitor vs a 24 bit color monitor. The 24 bit monitor will be able to display much finer color gradations and be less blocky. The audio version is that the sound will have finer detail. And it will be at ALL frequencies, more importantly, the ones us old people can actually hear. This to us is the best argument that can be made for Hi res files that we can see… or hear. At least mathematically. Does it Matter? Only you can be the judge of that. It really depends on the style of music you listen to. Is there subtlety in the frequencies that you can hear or is it just loud? Do you want to pay the higher price for hi res audio? Do you have enough storage for the files? Can your equipment play the music? Are you listening on good equipment, especially speakers? By the way, good equipment doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. But it will cost more than a few hundred dollars. What environment are you listening in? To some there is no other way to enjoy music.

4 places to avoid putting your Amazon Echo in your home Your Amazon Echo is there to help when it comes to setting up your preferred music streaming service and setting reminders. However, it doesn't tell you the best and safest areas in your house to place the smart speaker. You're probably thinking, "Does it really matter where I put it as long as I can speak to Alexa from most areas in my house?" Our answer is yes. Full article here... The 6 Best TV's - Summer 2020 According to RTINGS.com. Full article here... Samsung Q800T QLED - 8.5 Mixed Usage The Q90T ($2199.99 for 65") is an excellent TV for most uses. Nearly every type of content looks good on this TV, whether it's a low-resolution cable TV show or a 4k HDR movie. It has a fast response time and low input lag, and it also comes with FreeSync support to reduce screen tearing when gaming. However, there's a bit of dirty screen effect, which can be somewhat distracting when watching sports. LG CX OLED - 8.8 Mixed Usage The LG CX OLED ($2299.99 for 65") is great for watching TV shows. It has excellent reflection handling and it has decent peak brightness to combat glare in most rooms. It upscales 720p content well and has good built-in speakers. Unfortunately, like all OLED TVs, it has the risk of burn-in, which could be a problem with constant exposure to static logos. However, it has impressive viewing angles for when you want to watch your favorite show with the entire family. Sony A8H - 8.7 Mixed Usage The Sony A8H ($2499.99 for 65") is an excellent TV for most uses. It delivers excellent picture quality with its infinite contrast ratio and near-instantaneous response time. It upscales lower resolution content well, which is great for watching cable TV or sports. HDR content looks good thanks to its wide color gamut and decent peak brightness. Unfortunately, although its input lag is great, it doesn't support advanced gaming features like VRR. Additionally, like all OLED TVs, there's a risk of permanent burn-in. Vizio P Series Quantum X 2019 - 8.1 Mixed Usage The Vizio P Series Quantum X ( is an excellent TV for most uses. It looks great in almost any room but has narrow viewing angles, so it isn't as good for watching sports with a group of friends or playing co-op games. Fast movies and games look great, thanks to the fast response time, and games are responsive due to the low input lag. TCL 6 Series 2020 - 7.9 Mixed Usage The TCL 6 Series 2020 ($899.99 for 65") is a very good overall TV and performs well for most uses. It's great for watching movies in dark rooms thanks to its outstanding contrast ratio. HDR content looks great as the TV displays a wide color gamut and it gets bright in that mode. It also has great gaming features like quick response time and low input lag. Sadly, its local dimming feature results in blooming around bright objects. Also, it's not ideal for wide seating arrangements because it has narrow viewing angles. Hisense H9G - 8.4 Mixed Usage The Hisense H9G ($950 for 65" but may be hard to find) is an impressive overall TV. It's well-rounded and offers great performance for most uses. It's an amazing choice for watching movies in the dark as it has an outstanding contrast ratio and a great full-array local dimming feature. HDR content looks great because it gets bright enough to bring out highlights and it displays a wide color gamut. Also, gamers should appreciate its very quick response time and really low input lag. Unfortunately, it's not suggested for wide seating arrangements due to its narrow viewing angles.

On this week's show Samsung introduces two new Ultra Short Throw Laser Projectors, Netflix starts streaming 4K content with shot-optimized encoding using a 4K VMAF model to reduce the bandwidth load on networks. We also include a discussion of Ara's new outdoor lighting using Hue Outdoor lights. Video included! We have listener emails and a voice comment along with the latest news. Samsung Launches a 130-Inch 4K Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced The Premiere, its new 4K Ultra Short Throw laser projector, at its virtual press conference event "Life Unstoppable" on September 2nd. The new 4K laser projector provides a big picture cinematic experience in the comfort of one's home. The Premiere is the new anchor product in Samsung's award-winning Lifestyle product portfolio that is set to transcend the display experience – without the display. The Premiere will be available in up to 130" and 120" inch models – LSP9T and LSP7T respectively – that support a laser powered 4K picture resolution. The Premiere LSP9T is the world's first HDR10+ certified projector with triple laser technology and delivers revolutionary contrast details as the user watches from bright to dark scenes with a peak brightness of up to 2,800 ANSI lumens. The Premiere also supports Filmmaker Mode for the first of its kind as a projector allowing users to enjoy watching movies as director intended. The smart projector comes equipped with Samsung's Smart TV platform and experience full of streaming video apps from major content partners and mobile connectivity features such as Tap View and mirroring. Samsung will begin to rollout The Premiere globally starting in the U.S., Europe, Korea, and other regions later this year. No other details are available at this time. Full Press Release here... Optimized shot-based encodes for 4K: Now streaming! As the number of 4K titles in our catalog continues to grow and more devices support the premium features, we expect these video streams to have an increasing impact on our members and the network. We've worked hard over the last year to leapfrog to our most advanced encoding innovations — shot-optimized encoding and 4K VMAF model — and applied those to the premium bitstreams. More specifically, we've improved the traditional 4K and 10-bit ladder by employing: shot-based encoding dynamic optimization (DO) similar to that applied on our catalog-wide 8-bit stream profiles improved encoder settings. Details of how this new compression scheme work and visual examples provided in the original article found here Compression Improvements Results Analysis shows 50% gains on average over the fixed-bitrate. Meaning, on average we need 50% less bitrate to achieve the same quality with the optimized approach. The highest 4K bitrate on average is 8 Mbps which is also a 50% reduction compared to 16 Mbps of the fixed-bitrate approach. The optimized technique entails a smaller storage footprint compared to the fixed-bitrate technique. Benefits For members with high-bandwidth connections we deliver the same great quality at half the bitrate on average. (Help with Data Caps) For members with constrained bandwidth we deliver higher quality at the same (or even lower) bitrate Most streaming sessions start with a higher initial quality. The number of rebuffers per hour go down by over 65% Next Steps Netflix has started re-encoding the 4K titles in their catalog to generate the optimized streams and they expect to complete the process in a couple of months. Netflix continues to work on applying similar optimizations to their HDR streams. Philip Hue Lighting It's no secret that we are fans of Hue lights. Ara has over thirty hue lights and fixtures all throughout his home. He recently installed some of their outdoor lighting in his front yard. The video below shows the end result. It was easy to install once power was supplied. For that an electrician was called out to provide outdoor sockets. Each socket cost about $125 to install. If you are handy you can avoid this cost and just pay for the lights. The lights are expensive but as you will see in the video much better than the garden variety low voltage lights. If you already have a Hue Hub adding each light is very simple and takes a few minutes per light. In Ara's case he had a light that was stubborn but did eventually add after a couple of attempts. If you don't have the hub you will have to also buy one and add it to your network. The spot lights were purchased as part of a kit that included a power supply for $340. The path lights were bought individually for $130 each. If you need a power supply the cost goes up to $150, but you only need one of those. To install the lights it's as simple as connecting the lights to each other and then plugging the lights into power. Ara buried the wires under gravel but that is optional and can be skipped if the lagscaping does not require it. The lights illuminate the entry so beautifully it's r

Samsung has new hybrid TVs coming — and they could kill OLED Samsung is readying a new TV display technology that combines the immaculate picture of OLED with the brightness and color boosting properties of QLED's quantum-dots, into a new hybrid technology called QD-OLED. Even more exciting? According to reports from BusinessKorea, prototypes of the next-gen technology are already being shared with companies like Sony and Panasonic, as well as Samsung Electronics, and the new panels could start showing up in TVs as early as 2021. Full article here... 6 super cheap home security devices to buy in 2020 From Wyze Cams to Echo Dots, these gadgets will keep your home secure without emptying your bank account. Full article here… Optoma Releases CinemaX P2 All-in-One, 4K Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector From the Optoma Press Release: Optoma launched its next-generation true 4K UHD cinematic experience with the CinemaX P2. This ultra short throw projector features 3,000 lumens of brightness, laser technology and an ultra short throw lens. Using customer feedback from the award-winning CinemaX P1, Optoma engineered the next gen CinemaX P2 to deliver 25% more contrast and vibrant color performance than its top-selling predecessor giving you a richer color pallet and deeper blacks. It features an integrated Enhanced Gaming Mode making this UST projector an ideal choice for your gaming projector. It even has a state-of-the-art digital exhibit feature. All of this projection power contained in a sleek, white, space saving design. Optoma CinemaX P2 Smart 4K UHD Laser Features: Resolution: 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160) Lumens: 3,000 ANSI lumens Contrast: 2,000,000:1 with 3 Dynamic Black Dimming Modes (P1 1.5M:1 No Dynamic Black Dimming modes) Color: REC.709, DCI-P3 wide color gamut HDR10 compatible Color Wheel: 6 Segment RGBRGB (Editor's Note - The P1 had an eight segment color wheel that included yellow. Removing yellow is supposed to provide more vivid colors) Integrated 4K Media Player and popular video streaming apps available from Optoma Marketplace Smart+ Technology: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and IFTTT integration SmartFIT app: Auto geometry correction system for iOS and Android The Optoma CinemaX P2 is available for purchase at $3,299 and only comes in white. We have requested a review model.

Mini-LED gets cheaper: How tiny new lights could improve your next big LCD TV The new TCL 6-Series is powered by smaller LEDs and starts at $650. Here's why that matters. Full article here... What's the Difference between Micro and Mini LED? MicroLED displays, like Sony's Crystal LED and Samsung's The Wall, use millions of LEDs, one for each pixel. Essentially, you're looking directly at the LEDs which are creating the picture. And while each individual MicroLED is tiny, the modular nature of MicroLED means it can get truly gigantic. Mini-LEDs are found inside normal-size TVs -- TCL is currently selling versions from 55- to 75-inches -- but the LEDs themselves are much larger than MicroLEDs. Just like the standard LEDs found in current TVs, they're used to power the backlight of the television. A liquid crystal layer, the LCD itself, modulates that light to create the image. MicroLED isn't LCD at all, it's a whole new TV technology that also happens to use LEDs. Direct Lit with Mini vs Full LED Local dimming is a feature on LED TVs that dims the backlight behind parts of the screen that are displaying black. This makes blacks appear deeper and darker on those parts of the screen, which can be a big bonus for people who watch videos with darker scenes, like movies and TV shows. The more LEDs a TV has the finer the granularity of this process. A typical Direct Lit LED Array has hundreds of LED Zones to light the 8.2 Million pixels. A huge improvement over a single light source for the entire TV. Let's look at the Vizo 75 inch P series Quantum X. A very good TV by RTNGS.com standard. It has 485 zones. That means each zone is covering 16.9K pixels. Even with this "limitation" RTNGS.com gives it an 8.4 for watching movies and HDR content. Now take a look at a TV with 25,000 mini-LEDs arrayed across the back of the TV. That means each LED is responsible for 328 pixels! Much more control which translates to higher contrast Two such TVs are the TCL 8 and 6 Series. The 8 Series has just over 25,000 mini LEDs while the 6 Series has only a thousand. Still twice as good as a typical Direct Array LED TV. Buying Advice At this year's CES we saw OLED, Micro, and Mini LED TVS. All have their place. Micro LED may give OLED a run for the money because it has similar performance and will be easier and less costly to scale up to very large screen sizes. To date you can't buy a micro LED. When they show up they will be at a premium but should eventually come down to less than OLED. Especially at the larger screen sizes. Mini LED is here! TCL has two models on the market and LG is not very far behind. With much improved performance over the current line of LED TVs this technology gets you very close to OLED performance for much less money. And like the micro LED, mini LED can scale to larger screen sizes. We recommend you take a look at the mini LEDs that are on the market or will be introduced in the next few months. Interview with Rob Jones, CTO of Enclave Audio Rob Jones is the CTO of Enclave Audio, makers of a wireless 5.1 home theater system that is easy to set up anywhere in your home without the need of speaker wire. The Enclave 5.1 CineHome II ($1,099.98) and CineHome PRO THX® Certified ($1,599.98) can be installed by simply placing the speakers, connecting your TV or STB to the Enclave Smart Center and powering up. We talk with Rob about these products and his love of audio. More information can be found at their website EnclaveAudio.com

This week we ask whether Allen should open his factory sealed Empire Strikes Back VHS tape so he can digitize it. We also breakout sales of the top 10 selling discs by format, Finally we make a case for not buying an 8K TV just yet. We also read your emails and take a look at the news on an action packed episode!! Question of the Day Question of the day comes from Allen - I have an original VHS copy of Empire Strikes Back, it is still shrink-wrapped. Is it worth opening to digitize and add to my @plex server? Ara's answer - Yes! Preserve it before its unwatchable. What say all of you? I found an unopened 1990's original on eBay for $22 shipped. Lee Overstreet - As someone who does a lot of analog digitization, I'd say only bother if you have the right equipment and know what you're doing to get the most out of it. i.e.: High end preferably S-VHS VCR, TBC, lossless capture codec, chroma/luma adjust, etc. No cheap composite doohickeys. Bill S - Since it's a VHS it would be the original before all the enhancements. I'd go with digitizing it before the tape degrades. Graham Cole - eBay it Scott Foseen - No, shrink wrapped it is worth more as a collector's item. If you want it on plex buy a new disk instead DJ from the Brightside HT Podcast - I would keep that on display until the day I die. As far as I'm concerned it's priceless and isn't worth anything because I'd never sell it. It has to be pretty rare and some thing that unique is a pretty cool item to have. Congratulations! Top 10 Sellers for Week Ended 8-1-20 Broken out by Format Source - NPD VideoScan First Alert (based on unit sales from reporting retailers) Note - In the original numbers, NPD VideoScan considered UHD a Blu-ray version and added it to the Bluray Share for each title. We subtracted the UHD share from the NPD VideoScan Bluray numbers in the table below Title UHD BR DVD 10) The Secret Life of Pets 0.1% 1.9% 97.9% 9) NCIS (S7) 0 0 100 8) Jurassic World 0 7 93 7) Top Gun 8 25 67 6) Jaws 13 5 82 5) Capone 0 44 56 4) The Mule 0.4 7.6 92 3) Sonic the Hedgehog 9 41 50 2) Trolls World Tour 6 45 49 1) Scoob! 5 38 57 Full list of 20 here… Do You need 8K? Spoiler Alert… the answer is No! Pixel Counts for HDTV Formats 720p 1,280x720 921,600 1080p 1,920x1,080 2,073,600 4K 3,840x2,160 8,294,400 8K 7,680x4,320 33,177,600 Viewing Distances where Resolution is Noticeable So does resolution matter for your viewing distance? For this discussion we will look at a screen size of 75 inches and how resolution impacts the viewing experience. This is information from Carlton Bale and based on the resolving ability of the human eye. He states: A person with 20/20 vision can resolve 60 pixels per degree, which corresponds to recognizing the letter "E" on the 20/20 line of a Snellen eye chart from 20 feet away. He created a chart showing, for any given screen size, how close you need to sit to be able to detect some or all of the benefits of a higher resolution screen. We link to his entire analysis here (Screen Size vs. Viewing Distance vs. Resolution). His analysis does not cover 8K but you will be able to draw your conclusions from looking at his work anyway. At 22 feet (6.7M) 480p=720p=1080p=4K At 15 feet (4.5M) you can tell that 480p is lower quality but 720p=1080p=4K At 10 feet (3.0M) you can tell that both 480p and 720p are lower quality but 1080p=4K At 5 feet (1.5M) you can tell that 480p, 720p, and 1080p are lower quality Who sits this close to a 75 inch TV? Most people sit anywhere from 10 to 15 feet from their TVs. Many sit farther. Ara's media room is 13.5 feet (4M) from his 90 inch screen. According to Bale Ara can't see the difference in resolution between 1080p and 4K. As it turns out Ara would need a screen size greater than 140 inches to see any benefit from resolution. Of course newer TVs with higher resolutions usually come with other enhancements like HDR, better color, and contrast. Although a 720p TV is good enough resolution for many, these TVs do not have the better and more important feature enhancements of wide color and HDR making the image look far worse. Someday all you will be able to buy are 8K TVs. Will that alone have any perceived improvement on your viewing experience? Most likely not. However, there will probably be other improvements that will make buying an 8K TV worth it. But that's not the case today. Save your money and buy a high quality 4K TV and understand that 4K is not the most important feature of your TV. Of course there is the issue with finding 8K content. Is there any? Will the studios start filming in 8K? There is definitely some 8K content out there but as we said earlier. It doesn't matter to the human eye. Possible uses for 8K TVS Large Video Wall that can display multiple 1080P or 4K screens simultaneously A huge computer screen I got nothing else!

On today's show we breakdown the Top 50 Disc sellers format market share and look at a few shows that were either canceled or renewed for the upcoming Fall season with the most thorough resource we have found on this subject from Rotten Tomatoes. Finally we take a look at the Sonos ARC soundbar with a review from the Verge. All that plus your email and news! RENEWED AND CANCELLED TV SHOWS 2020 Want to know if your favorite television series is among the latest cancelled TV shows? Bookmark this page to learn about Netflix cancelled shows, when network series get the axe, and which cable TV limited series are being reworked as anthologies to squeeze every single drop of fan love out of them. Full article here… Some notable shows: A.P. Bio: season 3 (NBC) – Renewed (moves to Peacock after being cancelled by NBC) The Blacklist: season 8 (NBC) – Renewed Blue Bloods: season 11 (CBS) – Renewed Bosch: season 7 (Amazon) – Cancelled (after seventh, and final, season) Season six currently streaming. Season 7 still to be released. Criminal Minds: season 15 (CBS) – Cancelled (after fifteenth, and final, season) The Crown: seasons 4, 5 and 6 (Netflix) – Cancelled (after sixth, and final, season) Fear the Walking Dead: season 6 (AMC) – Renewed For All Mankind: season 2 (Apple TV+) – Renewed GLOW: season 4 (Netflix) – Cancelled (after fourth and final season) Homeland: season 8 (Showtime) – Cancelled (after eighth, and final, season) MacGyver: season 5 (CBS) – Renewed Magnum P.I.: season 3 (CBS) – Renewed The Mandalorian: season 2 (Disney+) – Renewed NCIS: season 18 (CBS) – Renewed The Walking Dead: season 11 (AMC) – Renewed SONOS ARC Review We recently had a discussion on the Sonos Arc and wondered if the $800 price tag is worth it. We reached out to Sonos for an evaluation unit but have yet to hear back. But we did find a review of the Sonos Arc over at The Verge and will share some of the high points.We have linked to the entire review for your convenience. Audio formats supported: Dolby Atmos TrueHD (for external Blu-ray players) Dolby Digital Plus Dolby Digital If you've been eyeing the Arc, you might already be familiar with a lot of this terminology. It's a soundbar meant for home theater enthusiasts who, for whatever reason, aren't interested in going all-out with in-ceiling speakers and a full 7.1 surround experience. If that's you, I think the Arc delivers a phenomenal audio experience for its price. You've just got to be sure your TV is capable of unlocking that potential. It's a strange limitation; at this price point, it's reasonable to expect an HDMI passthrough so you can experience Atmos without potentially having to upgrade your TV. This is a key point is that your TV needs to send the Atmos signal over Arc. In most cases your TV needs to support eARC for that to happen. There are some TVs that can do that over ARC but not many. Bottom line you may need a new TV to get ATMOS to work. Even still, it may not be the experience you would expect. We have talked about perfectly shaped rooms since the days of the Yamaha Sound Projector. The author comes to the same conclusion. Box shaped Room: Paired with the Sub, the Arc delivered sound as immersive as the multiple-speaker Atmos system. If you didn't know the Arc was bouncing sound off the ceiling and rear wall, you would easily believe that there were speakers there. Compared to the traditional Atmos system, the Arc sounded different — it's definitely tuned to deliver very loud dialogue, and it's still a soundbar, so the overall left / right soundstage isn't as wide — but it delivered a surround effect that was easily as convincing. Large Open Room: But if you don't have a room that's essentially a flat box, the Arc's ability to bounce sound goes away — in a large open living room with a double-height ceiling, the Arc didn't really deliver any surround experience at all. That's not a knock — the thing is designed to bounce sound off walls — but be aware of that limitation. Pros: Excellent, powerful, immersive sound Works well as a music speaker, too eARC means it's future-proofed Cons: Some TVs can't pass Atmos over ARC, and there's no HDMI passthrough Surround sound might not work well in large rooms Trueplay tuning available only on iPhone and iPad

On today's show we discuss Disney releasing Mulan on Disney+ with an additional $29.99 charge. Is this the world we have been hoping for? We also take a look at a really "cheap" 98 inch 4K TV. And finally we try to determine if the new TCL 8 Series mini-LED TVis Braden's next buy. All that plus news and your emails. Disney's 'Mulan' coming to Disney+ in September for $29.99 Disney said on Tuesday, in a surprise move, that its blockbuster feature "Mulan," which has been delayed from its theatrical release since mid-March, will hit Disney+ on Sept. 4, for a premium price of $29.99. The film will be simultaneously released theatrically in certain markets that have open theaters and where the company hasn't announced plans to launch Disney+. It will be Disney's first effort to sell content on Disney+, on top of the monthly $6.99 subscription. Full article here... Want a cheap 98-inch 4K display? Check out this behemoth from Xiaomi Meet the Redmi Smart TV MAX, a 98-inch TV that comes with its own white glove VIP installation service. Available at 19,999 Yuan (that's about US$2,800, £2,200, AU$4,000), this absurdly massive display is actually not all that expensive. The next cheapest 98-inch display on the market is the ViewSonic IFP9850, a touchscreen monitor that costs about three times more. Full article here… Or the: Samsung 98" QB98R Edge-Lit 4K UHD LED Display. $8999 at B&H TCL 8-series 4K UHD TV review: This TV gets as close to OLED as any LCD has come With thousands of mini LEDs forming its backlight array, TCL's 8-series Roku TV delivers blacks beyond what even the best LCD TVs from other manufacturers have managed. Full article here… TCL Q825 4K UHD smart TV (65-inch model 65Q825) $999.99 at BestBuy Quantum Contrast technology - Our new mini-LED backlight technology offers powerful and precise control of brilliantly bright and deeply dark areas of the image, delivering depth, dimension, and contrast. The viewing experience is improved throughout the screen. High-Performance Mini-LEDs - The 8-Series uses high-performance mini-LEDs to bring precise local dimming and smooth, uniform illumination. AiPQ Engine - Uses machine-learning algorithms to optimize color, contrast and clarity for an unrivaled 4K HDR experience. Wide Color with QLED color technology - Quantum dot technology delivers better brightness and wider color volume, matching the format used by most cinema screens and Hollywood content creators, for exceptionally vivid and lifelike picture performance. HDR - Provides images with superior color, contrast and brightness, so all your favorite movies, shows and games come to life in stunning clarity. Supports Dolby Vision, HDR 10, and Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG). From the article: OLEDs do starfields almost perfectly; the Q825 merely does them very, very well. It doesn't deliver pure black, but close enough that you have to look hard to see the difference. I kept throwing my most problematic material at it and the 65Q825 kept coming up smelling like roses. Mostly. It failed on one highly detailed pan, but I'm calling that an outlier as it aced others that should've exhibited the same artifacts. Screen conformity was also very good, though off-angle viewing isn't on par with some of the top-end LCD sets from Sony and Samsung. AT A GLANCE TCL Q825 4K UHD smart TV (65-inch model 65Q825) Super granular mini-LED backlighting delivers the most stunning blacks we've seen from an LCD TV. Quantum dots refine the color, and processing is top-notch. One of the best values in LCD TVs we've tested. Pros By far the best blacks of any LCD TV we've tested Excellent overall picture Cons Overpriced when not on sale No Bluetooth

On today's show we ask the question whether a $300 toaster with a touchscreen is worth buying. We take a look at Klipsch's Soundbar killer the Fives and we give you a rundown of the Alexa Live 2020 conference. All that plus your emails and news! The Revolution R180 Toaster has a touchscreen. It's ridiculous and I love it Refrigerators, countertop ovens, microwaves and even multicookers all adopted touchscreen displays in the wake of the birth of the smart home. Now there's a toaster with a touchscreen. This won't be the first time I question the idea of putting a touchscreen on an appliance, and it likely won't be the last. Full article here... LIKE Fast toasting Sleek design East to customize cooking DON'T LIKE No Wi-Fi or connected smarts Expensive Bill S - I see no reason to have a screen on a toaster at all 🍞 Aaron - Only if it's connected to a Panera Micky A - Nope! Klipsch's 'The Fives' are stunning TV speakers that challenge soundbar trends Klipsch talks a big game when it comes to its new bookshelf-style powered TV monitors called The Fives. Claiming to be the first powered monitors to feature HDMI-ARC, which allows them to communicate directly with a television, Klipsch promises The Fives will provide a big and bold sound experience that will outperform the soundbars most people currently rely on. Full article here... At $799 are they worth it? Audio Advice video review HDMI ARC - Using HDMI-ARC, enjoy The Fives with your TV with no additional cables or remotes using the included HDMI cable HIGH EFFICIENCY AMPLIFICATION - The Fives incorporate individual ultra-low noise amplifiers that are custom designed to maximize system performance and eliminate the need for external amplification. World- class Klipsch engineers picked and tuned the components to be an absolute perfect match throughout, making the system sound incredibly immersive and complete. The Fives are also bi-amped resulting in improved clarity and output PRECISE, CLEAR & HIGHLY EFFICIENT SOUND, PROPRIETARY TO KLIPSCH - The Fives feature 1" titanium tweeters on Tractrix® horns, a proprietary technology that has been the driving force behind the stunningly precise Klipsch acoustics. Each powered monitor also features a 4.5" long-throw woofer and is ported to provide enhanced bass. THE MOST VERSATILE SPEAKERS ON THE PLANET - Whether you are connecting to a turntable, television, computer, or smart phone, The Fives provide the solution. The Fives come equipped with an integrated phono pre-amp, Bluetooth® 5, HDMI-ARC, digital optical, analog RCA and USB inputs, allowing you to enjoy superior stereo sound from a beautifully crafted tabletop stereo system. DYNAMIC BASS EQ - As the human ear perceives frequencies differently with variations in output, The Fives will dynamically match the ear's ability to hear lower frequencies. Typically, only available with audio/video receivers, dynamic volume is a first for Klipsch powered monitors. What you get is powerful bass whether the listening volume is low, cranked up or somewhere in between 192KHZ / 24-BIT DECODING TO SUPPORT HIGH RESOLUTION AUDIO TRACKS - The Fives powered monitors also feature 192kHz / 24-bit decoding for flawless reproduction of high-resolution audio tracks from your PC or streaming source. ADD A SUBWOOFER - The Fives include a subwoofer output so you can easily add a powered subwoofer. Alexa Live 2020 Release Roundup Below are all features Amazon launched at Alexa Live 2020. Full List here (this is from a developer's point of view) Introducing Alexa Conversations (beta), a New AI-Driven Approach to Providing Conversational Experiences That Feel More Natural. Alexa Conversations is a new AI-driven approach to dialog management that enables developers to create skills that customers can interact with in a natural, less constrained way - using the phrases they prefer, in the order they prefer. Deep neural networks (DNNs) models can help improve Alexa's natural language understanding Multi-Value Slots (beta) Receive multiple slot values and respond to more complex utterances. The best way to describe this is with an example: User: Add apples to my shopping cart Alexa: How many apples should I add? User: Actually, add three bananas Alexa: Added three bananas. Would you like to add more items? User: Remove bananas from my cart Person Profile API Skills incorporating Alexa voice profiles can now create even more personalized experiences Example interactions: Mom: Alexa, order cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Alexa: You got it, but I need to verify your identity first. Alexa: What's your personal passcode? Mom: Two, four, eight, six. Alexa: Thank you, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are added to your grocery order. Teenager: Alexa, order ten microwave pizzas. Alexa: I need to verify your identity first. Alexa: What's your personal passcode? Teenager: Uh-oh. Alexa: I'm sorry, that passcode is incorrect. APL for audio (beta) Mix Alexa speech, sound effects, music, and other audio at ru

On today's show we look at how people are using their smart speakers with their smart TVs, ask the question, if Soundbars Suck, and provide you with the definitive resource list for finding content on Netflix. As usual we read you listener email and go through some news stories for the week. Research: Smart speakers increasingly linked to smart TVs Findings from Hub Entertainment Research's annual study – Evolution of the TV Set – reveal more viewers are using smart TVs linked to smart speakers to fill gaps in TV set capabilities. Highlights from the research: Resources for content discovery on Netflix Most Popular TV Shows & Movies on Netflix - Looking for a daily look on what's popular and most watched on Netflix? Here, we're tracking the daily top 10 TV series and top 10 movies on Netflix right now around the world. This includes what's popular on Netflix in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and a handful of other countries too What's New on Netflix - Looking for what's new on Netflix? Below are daily updates where we bring you latest new releases on Netflix in the US including the new movies, TV series, documentaries, Netflix Originals, and new-standup specials. You can filter out the non-foreign titles and we'll also do monthly roundups of the best new movies and TV series added to Netflix. Coming Soon to Netflix - Your source for new movies and new TV series coming to Netflix in 2020 including a release calendar, Netflix Original previews and what's coming from The CW, ABC, Disney, FOX and more. Leaving Soon - Netflix loses movies and TV series every month because of the way that licensing deals work. Here you'll find everything that's leaving Netflix in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. What To Watch on Netflix - Looking for a new show or movie? Then our what to watch section will give you the lowdown on all the best titles you can be streaming on Netflix from the big and small. Complete List of Netflix Originals - Netflix Library A-Z - This is where we scan and catalog the Netflix library (often a lot better than Netflix ever has) for your reading pleasure. Whether it's from the A-Z of Netflix Originals separated into genres, the complete Netflix Category list or 4k Titles on Netflix, there's something for everyone here. The fault in our bars: Making the case for old-school home theater speakers I'm about to say two words that will delight some, infuriate others, and echo a sentiment that has long been regarded as fact in the deeper reaches of the home theater community. Soundbars suck.

How Will Streaming Services Retain Subscribers Gained During COVID-19? Customers are showing an increased lack of loyalty when it comes to streaming, so instead of focusing solely on attracting new customers, many services are pivoting and focusing on keeping the subscribers they have. Production has been shut down across the globe, so there's not a lot of new content to roll out except what was already finished. That means services are either scrambling to secure the rights to already published content or moving release dates forward as Disney+ has done with a filmed version of Broadway smash hit Hamilton (dropping a full 15 months earlier than planned). A July 10 – 12 survey panel of 1,315 Americans on their current streaming and cable subscriptions found that 50% of respondents cite Netflix as their favorite service, with 8% signing up for the first time in the past 90 days. Analysts believe Netflix could report net sub additions of 15 million worldwide. Analysts also believe the likely giant spike in new subscribers increases pressure on Netflix for retention. More consumption of content suggests even greater need to replace content with something new. Questions - Have you started a new streaming service in the last few months? Have you canceled a new streaming service in the last few months? What would get you to leave? If new content stopped being released would you keep your service? Have your views changed in any way regarding streaming services over the past few months? Top 20 Movies by sales for Week Ended 7-4-20 Source: NPD VideoScan First Alert (based on unit sales from reporting retailers) Here are the Top Ten in reverse order: 10 Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn 6.1 out of 10 at IMDB - After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroes Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord. 9 Jumanji: The Next Level 6.7 - In Jumanji: The Next Level, the gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to rescue one of their own, the players will have to brave parts unknown from arid deserts to snowy mountains, to escape the world's most dangerous game. 8 The Call of the Wild 6.8 - A sled dog struggles for survival in the wilds of the Yukon. 7 The Invisible Man (2020) 7.1 - When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see. 6 Jaws 8.0 - When a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down. 5 The Mule 7.0 - A ninety-year-old horticulturist and Korean War veteran turns drug mule for a Mexican cartel. 4 Onward 7.5 - Two elven brothers embark on a quest to bring their father back for one day. 3 Top Gun 6.9 - As students at the United States Navy's elite fighter weapons school compete to be best in the class, one daring young pilot learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom. 2 Sonic the Hedgehog 6.6 - After discovering a small, blue, fast hedgehog, a small-town police officer must help him defeat an evil genius who wants to do experiments on him. 1 Force of Nature Rated 4.4 - A gang of thieves plan a heist during a hurricane and encounter trouble when a cop tries to force everyone in the building to evacuate. Sony A8H OLED TV Review RTINGS.com The Sony A8H ($2800 65") is an excellent OLED TV that delivers incredible picture quality for any type of content and is a fairly decent upgrade over its predecessor, the Sony A8G OLED. It produces perfect blacks with its infinite contrast ratio, which is great for those who like to watch in a dark room. It handles reflections exceptionally well, and its decent peak brightness is enough to fight glare in brighter lighting conditions. It has wide viewing angles, so the image remains accurate even if you're sitting off to the side. Its response time is almost instantaneous and it has a low input lag; however, gamers might find the lack of variable refresh rate (VRR) support a bit disappointing. As always, there's a risk of permanent burn-in with OLED panels, although it shouldn't be an issue for most. Its Android TV platform is user-friendly, it runs smoothly, and you should have no problems finding what you need from the immense Google Play Store. Full Review 8.7 Mixed Usage 9.4 Movies 8.2 TV Shows 8.6 Sports 8.5 Video Games 8.8 HDR Movies 8.3 HDR Gaming 8.2 PC Monitor PROS Perfect black levels. Low input lag. Near-instantaneous response time. Decent HDR peak brightness. CONS No VRR support. The article says that the TV is beaten by the LG E9 (2019) model which sells for $2750 for a 65" 8.8 Mixed Usage 9.4 Movies 8.3 TV Shows 8.7 Sports 9.1 Video Games 8.7 HDR Movies 8.8 HDR Gaming 8.7 PC Monitor

We have a full show today with a quick followup to last week's Eufy camera review that includes the Pan and Tilt version. We discuss our question of the day: Would you pay $280 for a High fidelity power cable for your AV system? We take a brief look at Home Theater Review's discussion of the NAD T778 and we run through the new receivers just announced by Marantz. Update to Eufy Camera Review - Ara bought and tested the Pan and Tilt version of the camera. It has all the same features as the stationary model but allows for moving the camera around via a touch pad. It costs $10 more and is like a tiny R2D2. This is the perfect camera for those situations where you want a larger field of view. Object tracking works will and is kind of creepy. Also, the camera has gone offline twice requiring a rest. Question of the day. Would you pay $280 for a High fidelity power cable for your AV system? Why or why not? Followup Question. What is the most you would pay for such a cable? Bright Side Home Theater Podcast - 25 years ago yes. I absolutely would and did because I didn't know any better. You're system is only as good as it's weakest link and I've since learned I'd need a system worth over 1mil to even approach seeing a difference in a $280 power cord. J.P. Lyman - How much is the rest of the system? For myself my hearing is not what it once was - so I doubt that I would hear that much of a difference. Russel H - I paid $100 for a cable about 10yrs ago. I was kicking myself because I probably could have gotten the same results with a $20 cable. Joakim Lind - If it would make a noticeable difference then yes. But I doubt it would. Jon Zbrzeski - No, because the cable from my house to the electric tower isn't hi-fi. NAD T 778 AV Receiver Reviewed - HomeTheaterReview.com We don't typically review really high end gear on the show but we thought it might be nice to learn about such a receiver. The NAD T 778 goes for $3000. More than many of our listeners will pay for their entire setup ($1500 for a TV, $750 for a soundbar and another $100 for a set top box). We know there are many who will pay more than the $3000 for their system but very few will spend that much on the receiver alone. Speaking of high quality receivers... Marantz introduced their new lineup for 2020. SR5015 ($1,099) (September 15) SR6015 ($1,599) (September 15) SR7015 ($2,299) (July 15) SR8015 ($3,199) (August 15)

eufy Security Indoor Cam 2K We are always on the lookout for new home automation/security devices. Especially ones that really deliver and don't cost a lot of money. The eufy Security Indoor Cam 2K does exactly that. At just $40 a pop, this is an absolute no brainer! Add the fact that it works with Amazon, Google, and will work with HomeKit in July, this is the camera that every HT Guys listener should own. Features Detect Pets vs Humans Encrypted video stored locally. Cloud based storage available if desired Setup multiple Activity Zones Two-way Audio Night viewing iOS and Android app 1080p HD Video Setup Plug in, connect via the app and join Wifi. That's it! There are settings you can customize in the app that include rotating the image 180 degrees if you mount the camera to the ceiling (upside down). If you want local storage you can insert a mini SD card. You can buy a 64GB card for about $10 which gives you a ton of storage. Or you can opt for cloud based storage for $30 a year or $100 for ten cameras for a year. The cloud storage gives you a rolling 30 day record of events for each camera. Performance It works great! Video is clear. Detection of Pets vs humans was very good. Audio is what you would expect from a tiny speaker but it's passable. There is an alarm feature that has decent volume. Not sure how effective it would be in deterring a burglar but maybe if you had multiple cameras with all of them blaring it might do something. The Activity zones worked well and we were able to cut down on false alarms by creating a zone that had no objects in it but would trigger if a human walked through. The camera did a good job in detecting animals vs humans. But there were some false alarms. Mind you we had to get an old stuffed animal from when my kids were little and tie it to a string to make it move across the floor. We suspect this will improve as Eufy fine tunes their AI algorithm. There is even sound detection that can be turned on and off. It has the ability to detect a crying baby which we didn't test. Unlike finding an old stuffed animal we did not have access to a baby nor would our kids pretend to be one! There is a sensitivity setting for this feature that can be used to fine tune it. Smarthome Integration was not tested because we tested in Ara's house which is a HomeKit home and that functionality has not been activated yet, But according to the literature it does work with Google and Amazon which means you can speak to your device and get the video on screen provided you have a device with a screen. A plus for Apple users, when HomeKit does come to the device, it will support secure video to iCloud. So if you have an iCloud device your videos will be stored encrypted at no cost beyond your iCloud fee. Bottom Line The Eufy Indoor 2K Camera provides you with great looking video and motion detection that is typically found on more expensive cameras. It supports Alexa and Google Home today and will support Homekit in July. Really the only drawback that we see is that it is a fixed camera. But if you can afford a whopping $10 more ($50) you can get the eufy Security Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt. We'll take a look at that camera in the future.

On today's podcast we bring you 15 Smart Home Devices that are worth Every Penny and Ten Facts about the Over The Top (OTT) Transition. And, as usual, we read some listener email and go through the top news stories of the week. 10 Facts about the OTT transition OTT is the fastest growing media and entertainment segment - OTT services have been around for less than 10 years and they've already grown to surpass the size of major broadcasters and studios around the world. In some markets, there are now more eyeballs watching OTT services than traditional broadcasters. OTT costs less - With OTT you select the services you feel provide the most value, and you're not bound by contracts — You can cancel anytime. However, if you try to replicate the exact service you can come pretty close to the same cost. OTT allows you to watch content from around the world - You can find content from just about any country. When my mother-in-law was staying with us for a couple of weeks I was able to purchase two networks for her stay and then I canceled when she went home. The most popular OTT services, like Netflix and Amazon Prime, provide a premium experience with no commercials - Premium OTT services are becoming the source for high-quality, highly entertaining original content. The shift in advertising dollars has seen many broadcasters adopt lower quality, cheaper programming. The demand for content has reinvigorated the global content creation industry - Unprecedented demand to serve the ever-growing content budgets of services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and now HBO Max and Disney+ Demand for content is driving studios and content owners to find a more efficient way to monetize their libraries - It seems like every network has some sort of OTT platform With the increased competition in OTT, more and better options for consumers are being developed - For example, there are now OTT services for people who love tennis or soccer, and that's all they broadcast. Quibi serves quick bites of content optimized for mobile consumption for younger audiences and people on the go. OTT is agile - Content providers can react in real time and serve up relevant programming in response to current events. Services like Netflix and Amazon allow parents more control with the ability to filter content and create childproof user accounts During the COVID-19 crisis, the cinema industry has been particularly hit hard with screens going dark - Studios have had to turn to alternate methods of generating revenue from first-run movies using OTT services. It has been an overwhelming success."Trolls 2: World Tour" wrapped up nearly $100 million in rentals in its first week.

This week we have a Listener review of Hoob, a plug and play hub that makes smart accessories compatible with your favorite ecosystem. We give you some ideas for getting yourself that Father's Day gift your family didn't get you, and we discuss the different HDR Formats. Father's Day Gifts - that you can buy yourself because your kids didn't! FIIL T1X TWS True Wireless Noise Canceling Earbuds $50 - These are getting rave reviews and at $50 it's a no brainer. Roku Streaming Stick Plus $40 - Stream pretty much everything under the sun from Netflix to HBO to Hulu, and everything in between. It streams up to 4K resolution, and the included remote controls the TV's power and volume, too. Bose Frames Alto $200 - OK we are not huge Bose fans but this is pretty cool. Sunglasses with speakers built into them. You can listen to music or even our podcast without people knowing that is what you are doing! HDR HDR10 HDR10+ Dolby Vision Bit Depth Good Good Great Peak brightness Great Great Excellent Tone Mapping Varies Better Better Metadata Static Static Dynamic TV Support Great Limited Great Content Availability Great Limited Great

New Denon X-Series Introduced Denon introduced four new receivers to the X-Series AVRs that are packed full of new features. You would expect support for HDMI 2.1 and you would be correct. The new models are the Denon AVR-X6700H ($2499), AVR-X4700H ($1699), AVR-X3700H ($1199), and AVR-X2700H ($849 MSRP). Lineup Features 8K & HDMI 2.1 The X-Series features an advanced HDMI section with a dedicated 8K input that will support 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz video pass-through. All HDMI inputs feature 4:4:4 Pure Color sub sampling, HDR10, Dolby Vision, Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG), 3D, and BT.2020 pass-through support for exceptional color, clarity and contrast. Enjoy 8K upscaling as well as HDCP 2.3 processing to play copy-protected content uninhibited. The X-Series also adopts eARC (enhanced Audio Return Channel) to enable uncompressed and object-based audio transmission, like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, directly from your smart TV apps to your AV receiver. Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization AVR-X6700H - Set up a 7.1.4 or 9.1.2 with eleven channels of amplification built-in to the receiver AVR-X4700H - Set up a 5.1.4 or 7.1.2 with nine channels of amplification built-in to the receiver AVR-X3700H - Set up a 5.2.4 or 7.2.2 with nine channels of amplification built-in to the receiver AVR-X3700H - Set up a 5.1.2 using Dolby Atmos elevation speakers, or dedicated overhead speakers High Resolution Audio Support Enjoy superb audio fidelity with your favorite high-resolution audio tracks. The X-Series features the latest AKM 32-bit D/A converters allowing for high resolution audio decoding with multiple lossless file types All new Denon AV receivers are now Roon Tested. Get more out of your digital music library with searchable, surfable information about your favorite artists and songs. Find lyrics, concert dates, photos, bios, reviews and more. Bluetooth Audio Transmission Enjoy your favorite audio without waking your whole home by transmitting the audio coming from your AV receiver to your Bluetooth headphones. The X-Series even allows you to play the audio on both Bluetooth headphones and connected speakers simultaneously. If you have a family member or a friend who is hearing impaired, we recommend this setup. Custom Install Ready The Denon X-Series features external control and IP control capabilities for easy customization and compatibility with third-party integration solutions. It offers IP control capability for major third-party control devices, as well as Control4 SDPP (Simple Device Detection Protocol) certification for seamless integration with Control4 home automation equipment. Remote Monitoring Capability The Denon X-Series AV receivers features Domotz Pro and OvrC remote monitoring and management interface and service compatibility. These programs allow custom integrators to monitor the status of connected products and troubleshoot remotely from the office or on the go, radically reducing the time it takes to address the issue. Model Specific Features Preamp Mode All but the 2700 support Preamp mode which was previously only found on the Denon flagship X8500H receiver. 13.2 Channel Processing The X6700H supports 13.2 channels with an external amplifier. HDMI Diagnostic Tool Allows you to test cables up to 8K before you wire anything up. An input and output port is on the back panel. Simply plug both ends of the cable into the slots and run the test. Auro 3D This is IMAXs spatial sound format. It's only available on the 6700 and 4700

On today's show we take a look at streaming services from different points of view. What's the best service for your watching habits. We finish with looking at the different Active HDMI cables available at Monoprice.com. But of course no show is complete without reading your emails and checking out the news of the week! The Best Streaming Service for your Watching Habits - TechCrunch The Best Monoprice Active HDMI Cables - AVS Forum

Setting Up AV over IP Many of our listeners ask us about the best way to setup distributed AV systems. Mainly for audio but occasionally video as well. In the old days of analog this was a complex task that required a ton of wiring and big heavy equipment. Now that IP is almost everywhere (both wired and wireless) it's much easier to do. The following are things to consider when setting up a distributed digital AV system. Advantages Makes use of an existing infrastructure (wired and wireless) to distribute audio. Easier to expand. Can easily add more ports to a router. This also makes things like video walls simpler to do. Finally there is size and cost. Analog equipment is bulkier and more costly. Infrastructure Wiring Topology Differences It's essentially the same thing. Your routers and equipment can be in a closet similar to distribution amps. It's a star topology. Mix and Match different Technologies Maximum flexibility allowing mixing and matching without the need for multiple scalers. The different formats and resolutions transmit over the same infrastructure without conversions. What to look for in HDMI Cables that Claims to be 2.1 Compliant Since there are not any "Official" 2.1 compliant cables, what do you look for when a company advertises their cables as being 2.1 compliant? Reputation of the company. Does their current products meet the claims made about it for previous versions of the HDMI spec. Do your research about the cable. Read reviews! Using a Single Ecosystem Products are designed to work together seamlessly. Installation and setup are easier. Additional devices appear in control apps without the need for programming. At most you will provide a specific name and location for the device. You have a single contact point for customer service.

Karl sent us an email with a link to a Youtube video loaded with stereo commercials from the 70s and 80s. It was fun going down memory lane. We go through the commercials and discuss what has changed over the years. We also round out the discussion with some cool Smart Home products and how you can optimize their use! Audio electronics companies like Marantz and Pioneer used to run television commercials touting their hi fidelity products. You don't see that too much any more. Even television manufacturer commercials presenting their proprietary TV technology were more prevalent than they are today. Honestly if the pharmaceutical companies took their ads off the air there might be more room for these types of ads to come back! Some were quite creative. Video Found Here Korvetts - A New York Department store with a large Home Entertainment section. It is amazing how many different stereos and home electronics department stores carried. Now to see something like that you have to go to a Best Buy. I remember going shopping with my mom at the "The Broadway", a local department store in Southern California, just so I could hang out in the stereo section and drool over gear I had to save my money for to buy. In 1983 I bought a Fisher Stereo system that had a receiver/amp, cassette player, turntable, and two speakers for $999.99 ($2600 today's dollars). I kept that setup until I moved into the house that I live in now. I finally got rid of it when I bought my first 5.1 system from Yamaha. Stereo Sofas! Columbia House - I ordered my records and never bought the minimum required each year. Circus Magazine - Self proclaimed Toughest, Timeliest, Gutsiest Magazine around. Circus was a monthly American magazine devoted to rock music. It was published from 1966 to 2006. In its heyday the magazine had a full-time editorial staff that included some of the biggest names in rock journalism. RCA Video Disc Player - Discs start at $15 and the player costs $500 back in 1981. The technology was from the late 60s but making it work in commercial form delayed it until 1981 which made it compete with the laser video disc. Which more or less killed this RCA Video Disc concept. By the way in today's dollars the player would cost about $1350. Discs would start at $42.50! Fred Rated (Shadoe Stevens)!! Federated Electronics Super Stores was a home electronics store in Southern California in the 70s and 80s. JC Penny had their own line of stereo equipment. MCS by JC Penny G.E. - The power of Music. Who would have thought?? Magnovox had an extensive line of audio equipment. Pacific Stereo - A stereo shop in So Cal that had private listening rooms. May still be around but not the same ownership. Pioneer PL518 Turntable - $175 in 1978. In today's dollars it's worth $690. A used one in good shape on ebay is selling for $275 Racquel Welch selling Motorola TVs Quasar II TVs 1970. 23 inch color console TV went for $600 in 1970 that is a whopping $3975 today! Marantz CD Player CD73 $649 in 1983 ($1665) Panasonic Dynamite 8 - 8-Track player. Looks like a plunger sounds like Dynamite. You can buy an original ad with Jimmy "Dynamite" Walker holding the player for about $100 Zenith Hand Crafted Color TVs - Space command remote control tuning. The quality goes in before the name goes on! Sanyo - That's Life Kenwood Stereo - High Speed Circuity for cleaner sound The Best Tech, Appliances, and Gadgets For A Smarter, Safer Home Tips and best practices for optimizing your smart home

10 best TV apps and Live TV apps for Android! Why Did AT&T Abandon DIRECTV? Hulu's 'Solar Opposites' Top Rising Show, Netflix's 'Never Have I Ever' Again Top Binge on TV Time Charts Top Binge Shows Week Ended May 10 by Share of Binges: "Never Have I Ever" (Netflix) — 2.82% -The complicated life of a modern-day first generation Indian American teenage girl, inspired by Mindy Kaling's own childhood. "Friends" (NBC) — 1.79% "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (NBC) — 1.57% "The Office" (NBC) — 1.54% "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC) — 1.41% "Dead to Me" (Netflix) — 1.38% -A series about a powerful friendship that blossoms between a tightly wound widow and a free spirit with a shocking secret. "Outer Banks" (Netflix) — 1.17% - A group of teenagers from the wrong side of the tracks stumble upon a treasure map that unearths a long buried secret. "Community" (NBC) — 1.12% "Prison Break" (Fox) — 1.11% "Money Heist" (Netflix) — 1.10% Top "Shows on the Rise" Week Ended May 10 by Rise Ratio: "Solar Opposites" (Hulu) — 99.9% - A family of aliens move to middle America, where they debate whether life is better there or on their home planet. "The Hollow" (Netflix) — 95.7% - Three teen strangers awaken in a dangerous world and try to make sense of what connection they have to each other as they attempt to make it out alive. "Dead to Me" (Netflix) — 91% "Workin' Moms" (CBC) — 85.7% "The Neighborhood" (CBS) — 82.9% "All Rise" (CBS) — 78.2% "Into the Night" (Netflix) — 75.4% "Boris" (Fox IT) — 74.9% "Billions" (Showtime) — 73.4% "The Ministry of Time" (TVE) — 72.2% - A warrior from the 16th Century, the first female university student from the 19th Century, and a paramedic from the 21st Century join a secret agency to prevent people from changing Spanish history using time-traveling doors.

On today's show we take a look at comparison of Set Top Boxes from Roku, Amazon, Google, Apple, and NVIDIA. More Info... We also found a cool video from 1989 that tried to predict what the home of 2020 would look like. They were eerily accurate! Video here Finally we take a look at the best outdoor security cameras for 2020. More Info...

HDMI CEC On the last podcast we talked about using HDMI CEC to replace a universal remote for certain applications. Mainly for those who may have one or two set top boxes connected to their TV with the audio running through ARC to a sound bar. In this case we said that your TV's remote could control everything. We received a few emails asking us to explain the concept a bit further. What is HDMI-CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) Theoretically speaking HDMI-CEC provides a framework that allows control functions of a Home Theater System to be pass through to other devices in your system. There are numerous controls specified by the HDMI organization. Not all manufacturers implement them so although it should make these functions automatic they may in fact not work. The HDMI-CEC landscape has gotten much better from when the fucnationality was intrioduced but it's not bulletproof. What we have found is that if you have gear from one manufacturer HDMI-CEC works very well. If you have a complex home theater setup with gear manufactured by different companies HDMI-CEC does not work that well. But for many setups it works quite well. How do you Activate HDMI-CEC Each device in your system must support CEC for it to work. You will have to go to your device's settings and activate this feature on each device. You should be aware that some manufacturers have a fancy name for this functionality. Sony calls it "Bravia Sync". Some devices will limit the functionality over CEC, so if you want another device to control the volume you may have to select that as well. Here is a list of some names CEC is being referred by: Anthem: CEC Control Denon: CEC or HDMI Control Funai, Emerson, Magnavox, Sylvania, and some Philips: Fun-Link Hitachi: HDMI-CEC Insignia: InLink LG: SimpLink Mitsubishi: NetCommand Onkyo: RIHD Panasonic: Viera Link, HDAVI Control, EZ-Sync Philips: EasyLink Pioneer: Kuro Link Samsung: Anynet, Anynet+ Sharp: Aquos Link Sony: Bravia Sync, Bravia Link Toshiba: Regza Link, CE-Link Vizio: CEC Real World Use Case 1 Devices - Optoma CinemaX P1 UST Projector, Marantz Receiver, Emotiva Amplifier, AppleTV Control Device - AppleTV Remote In this example the receiver does not switch inputs and was set to automatically detect and decode the audio format. All devices were set up and calibrated originally with their respective remote controls. HDMI CEC control was activated on each device. The amplifier is turned on by a 12v trigger connection between the receiver and the amp. So when the receiver turns on the amp turns on. Since all viewing is done via the AppleTV, the AppleTV remote was chosen to be the interface into the system. Pressing the menu button on the remote wakes up the AppleTV which in turn wakes up the receiver. Once an HDMI signal is detected by the projector it too wakes up. Since everything goes through the receiver, the projector never has to change inputs. All it ever has to do is turn on and off. Using the AppleTV remote TV, Movies, apps, or games are selected and used. The volume control is done through the receiver but controlled via the volume buttons on the AppleTV Remote. Once everything is done the AppleTV is put to sleep. This turns off all the electronics in the system. Real World Use Case 2 Devices - LG UHD TV, AppleTV, Sonos Sound Bar Control Device - AppleTV Remote In this example the Apple TV is connected to HDMI 4 and the Soundbar is connected to the HDMI with ARC support. Like the previous case, all viewing done via the AppleTV thus the AppleTV remote was chosen to be the interface into the system. Pressing the menu button on the remote wakes up the AppleTV which then turns on the TV and soundbar. Pressing the volume control on the AppleTV sends the volume command to the Sonos. But be sure to tell the system that you want the volume to come from the Sonos. Using the AppleTV remote TV, Movies, apps, or games are selected and used. Once everything is done the AppleTV is put to sleep. This turns off all the electronics in the system. Conclusion There are many scenarios that no longer require a universal remote control. In the above use cases you can easily switch out the AppleTV for a Roku or the Sonos for another brand. You may have to play around with it but with just a little fiddling you can have a simple setup with one remote that doesn't cost you any more money.

Cool IFTTT Applets and Devices Many of us have some sort of home automation device in our homes. Many of the products we had do not necessarily work together unless you are using a framework from Google, Amazon, or Apple. That's where IFTTT comes in. IFTTT connects devices that normally don't talk to each other with something called an Applet. These Applets are composed of triggers and actions. Triggers tell an Applet to start, and actions are the end result of an Applet run. To use an Applet, you'll need a free IFTTT account. Then you need to connect your apps and devices to IFTTT, so they can talk to each other via the IFTTT service. Today we are going to discuss some of the cooler Applets we have found. Please let us know what your favorites are and we'll share. Turn on lights when Ring senses motion Turns on selected Hue lights when the Ring doorbell senses motion only during night hours. This may be good especially when you are away from home. People wanting to break into your home may be discouraged if all the lights are one. Stop Sonos when you leave the house Pause music in all your rooms when you leave your house. There's also one to start playing your favorite tunes as soon as you walk through the door. Receive a notification on your phone when your Amazon Alexa timer goes off You'll get notified when your Amazon Alexa timer goes off. Must have the IFTTT app installed. Wireless Tag Wireless Tags are very small devices that can sense even the slightest movement. They have light and temperature sensors as well. They cost about $35 and are only about an inch and a half square. Requires a $40 hub. These devices are inexpensive and can be used to detect motion or movement of objects and they can be tied together to many other devices via the IFTTT app. Notion The Notion Smart Security Starter Kit provides monitoring for opening doors and windows, sounding smoke/CO alarms, water leaks, and temperature changes. With IFTTT you can add more capability like connecting them to your Hue Lights. Fing Fing is a network scanner that makes you discover all connected devices, run internet speed tests and help troubleshoot network and device issues. Get Fingbox for more advanced security and protection for your network. With IFTTT you can add more capability like connecting them to your Hue Lights. Are you sensing a pattern here? But you can do more than just turn on lights. You can arm cameras, start a Harmony activity, or even activate Hubitat devices. Airthings Airthings produces radon and indoor air quality system for multi-room, connected monitoring. With IFTTT you can connect your WeMo products, Hue Lights, and even make a calendar entry. Weather Stations IFTTT connects to a few weather stations which can allow for triggers based on weather so you don't water your lawn in the rain or shut your Hunter Douglas blinds when it gets hot outside.

MLB TV: Please Give Us Our Refunds! if you ordered on February 4, or beyond, you had five days from the date of the order to cancel and get a full refund. That's a decent interval to accommodate those who develop sticker shock after their purchase. More... Vizio P Series Quantum 65″ Now Only $898 It's amazing how much TV you can get for your dollar these days. An excellent example is the Vizio P Series Quantum 65″ TV that is now on sale for $898. This is a truly full-featured TV that has a 200-zone FALD backlight capable of 1100-nit peak brightness, for eye-popping HDR. Quantum dots ensure this TV will deliver bright, vivid color for years to come without risk of burn-in. Remember last week we talked about this TV in our Best 4K TV for Spring. Here is a reminder of the RTINGS.com rating: 8.4 Mixed Usage 8.4 Movies 8.1 TV Shows 8.1 Sports 8.9 Video Games 8.5 HDR Movies 8.7 HDR Gaming 8.7 PC Monitor Broadcast Network TV Shows that have been canceled: "BH90210" (FOX) "Fresh Off the Boat" (ABC) "Grand Hotel" (ABC) "The InBetween" (NBC) "Reef Break" (ABC) "Sunnyside" (NBC) Broadcast Network TV Shows that have are in their final seasons: "The 100" (The CW) "Arrow" (The CW) "Blindspot" (NBC) "Criminal Minds" (CBS) "Empire" (FOX) "The Good Place" (NBC) "Hawaii 5-0" (CBS) "How to Get Away with Murder" (ABC) "Madam Secretary" (CBS) "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (ABC) "Modern Family" (ABC) "Supernatural" (The CW) "Will & Grace" (NBC) Broadcast Network TV Shows that have been renewed: "All American" (The CW) "America's Funniest Home Videos" (ABC) – through 2021 "American Ninja Warrior" (NBC) "Batwoman" (The CW) "Black Lightning" (The CW) "Bless the Harts" (FOX) "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (NBC) "Charmed" (The CW) "Dynasty" (The CW) "Evil" (CBS) "The Flash" (The CW) "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC) "Holey Moley" (ABC) "In the Dark" (The CW) "Legacies" (The CW) "Legends of Tomorrow" (The CW) "Making It" (NBC) "Mom" (CBS) "Nancy Drew" (The CW) "New Amsterdam" (NBC) – through season 5 "The Outpost" (The CW) "Riverdale" (The CW) "Roswell, New Mexico" (The CW) "The Simpsons" (FOX) "Supergirl" (The CW) "This is Us" (NBC) – through 2022 "Young Sheldon" (CBS)

The 7 Best 4K TVs - Spring 2020 (RTINGS.com) The editors at RTINGS.com have just updated their Seven Best Best 4K TVs for the Spring and we bring those to you. RTINGS.com is a great resource when you are looking to buy a new UHD TV. They have the most thorough reviews of any site on the Internet. All the TVs that we discuss come with an in depth review that can be found at the links below. Best 4k TV: LG B9 OLED (Street Price $1,900 65") The best 4k TV we've tested so far is the LG B9 OLED. With OLED technology, you get an amazing picture quality that's suitable for almost any type of setting. It has exceptional dark room performance due to its infinite contrast ratio and perfect black uniformity, and its excellent reflection handling and good peak brightness make it a good choice for bright rooms too. Its out-of-the-box color accuracy is a bit disappointing, but on the bright side, it supports a wide color gamut to produce rich and vibrant colors in HDR content. Full Review 8.9 Mixed Usage 9.3 Movies 8.5 TV Shows 8.7 Sports 9.4 Video Games 9.0 HDR Movies 9.0 HDR Gaming 8.9 PC Monitor PROS Perfect blacks and black uniformity. Image remains accurate when viewed from the side. Nearly instantaneous response time and very low input lag. CONS Has the risk of permanent burn-in with static content (see here). Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL) can become distracting at times. Best 4k TV Cheaper LED Alternative: VIZIO P SERIES QUANTUM X 2019 (Street Price $1,000 65") If you'd rather not have to worry about the possibility of burn-in on an OLED TV like the LG B9 OLED, then consider the Vizio P Series Quantum X 2019. It has a VA panel with an outstanding native contrast ratio, and it also has a great local dimming feature that boosts the contrast even more, producing deep, inky blacks when viewed in the dark. And best of all, VA panels are virtually immune from image retention and permanent burn-ins. The most notable aspect of this TV is its incredible peak brightness. Combined with its excellent wide color gamut, HDR content is delivered the way it was intended, with saturated colors and bright highlights. Response time and input lag are both outstanding, but unfortunately, it has sub-par viewing angles, so images don't look as good when viewed from the side. Vizio's SmartCast platform is easy to use; however, it's still quite limited when it comes to app availability. Full Review 8.4 Mixed Usage 8.4 Movies 8.1 TV Shows 8.1 Sports 8.9 Video Games 8.5 HDR Movies 8.7 HDR Gaming 8.7 PC Monitor PROS Outstanding peak brightness in SDR and HDR. Deep, uniform blacks. Great motion handling. CONS Image degrades when viewed at an angle. Best 4k TV For Color Accuracy: Sony X950G (Street Price $1,400 65") The TV with the best color accuracy out of the box is the Sony X950G. This TV has a great picture quality and a host of features to please most people. It has outstanding contrast ratio and impressive black uniformity, making it a good choice for dark room viewing. It even has a full array local dimming feature, though the performance is somewhat mediocre. If you have a wide seating arrangement, the VA panel can cause colors to shift when viewed from the side, but the larger variants of this TV has Sony's 'X-Wide Angle' feature to improve viewing angles, albeit at the expense of contrast ratio. Full Review 8.3 Mixed Usage 8.4 Movies 8.1 TV Shows 8.0 Sports 8.7 Video Games 8.3 HDR Movies 8.5 HDR Gaming 8.6 PC Monitor PROS Outstanding peak brightness. Amazing out-of-the-box color accuracy. Great motion handling. CONS Poor viewing angles. For the remaining TVs will list category, model, price, and mixed usage rating. We'll also provide a link to the full review. Best 4k TV For Color Accuracy Wide Viewing Angle Alternative Model LG SM9000 Street price $1,100 65" Mixed Usage 7.9 Full Review Best 4k TV For Color Accuracy Alternative for Gaming Model SAMSUNG Q70/Q70R QLED Street price $1,100 65" Mixed Usage 7.9 Full Review Best Budget 4k TV Model Hisense H9F Street price $900 65" Mixed Usage 8.4 Full Review Best Budget 4k TV (Cheaper Alternative) Model Hisense H8F Street price $600 65" Mixed Usage 8.0 Full Review

TV Ratings a Different Look Ever since we could remember Neilson has been the main way for networks to get their read on what America is watching. You would think by now with all the new technology that is available to us we would have a better method to rate what we watch. Enter the website TV Series Finale. The site was started in 2005 and was devoted to the last episodes of TV shows, It quickly morphed into a site that tracked if a show was renewed or canceled. In fact we use their info each year when we discuss the same topic with you. On their website they have a Viewer Ranking for TV shows in the current season. So we thought it would be interesting to go through how TV Series Finale readers rated the current lineup of TV shows vs the Nielson ratings. Are their readers more in tune to what America is watching? This show will have a lot of numbers but we'll try to make it less boring. The Top Ten Name/Season/Rating/Viewers in Millions/Renewed or ending The Resident (FOX) s3 9.63 3.972 Supernatural (CW) Final Season s15 9.63 1.118 E Emergence (ABC) s1 9.61 2.706 Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (NBC) s1 9.61 2.047 Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (NBC) s1 9.61 3.656 Good Girls (NBC) s3 9.60 1.895 Chicago PD (NBC) s7 9.59 6.964 R The Rookie (ABC) s2 9.59 4.091 Prodigal Son (FOX) s1 9.59 3.380 9-1-1 (FOX) s3 9.58 6.738 The Bottom Ten Name/Season/Rating/Viewers in Millions/Renewed or ending Carol's Second Act (CBS) s1 8.25 4.985 Ellen's Game of Games (NBC) s3 8.25 4.763 R America's Got Talent: The Champions (NBC) s2 8.22 7.274 Indebted (NBC) s1 8.21 1.612 Will & Grace (NBC) s11 8.05 2.250 E Survivor (Fall) (CBS) s39 7.65 6.424 R Dancing with the Stars (ABC) s28 7.55 6.737 The Bachelor (ABC) s24 6.96 6.398 The Conners (ABC) s2 6.92 5.723 Batwoman (CW) s1 6.18 1.074 R How Did they Rank Top Bottom ABC 2 3 CBS 0 2 NBC 4 4 FOX 3 0 CW 1 1 Shows That We Watch Name/Ranking/Rating/Viewers in Millions/Renewed or ending Hawaii Five-0 (CBS) 12 9.57 7.085 E Magnum PI (CBS) 17 9.52 6.530 Seal Team (CBS) 22 9.50 4.842 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC) 23 9.50 2.050 R God Friended Me (CBS) 27 9.47 6.241 Last Man Standing (FOX) 33 9.44 4.298 NCIS (CBS) 49 9.31 11.439

The HT Guys would like to thank all our listeners for 15 years of support. Many of you have been with us since day one and others joined soon thereafter. Be kind when you listen to our first episode as we didn't have a clue to what we were doing. We hope you like this trip down memory lane The HT Guys Ara Derderian and Braden Russell

Streaming Day and Date Content is Here! So you are stuck working from home or are on temporary furlough. Either way you may find that you have more time on your hand and don't know what to do. The HT Guys have you covered. There are plenty of new movies that were in or scheduled to be in theaters that are available for digital purchase or rental. Today we'll run down the list and hope you can find something worth watching! Current Release Superheroes Are Getting An Upgrade – BLOODSHOT – Now on Digital! Available for purchase for $19.99. Was in theaters March 13. Based on the bestselling comic book, Vin Diesel stars as Ray Garrison, a soldier recently killed in action and brought back to life as the superhero Bloodshot by the RST corporation. With an army of nanotechnology in his veins, he's an unstoppable force –stronger than ever and able to heal instantly. But in controlling his body, the company has sway over his mind and memories, too. Now, Ray doesn't know what's real and what's not – but he's on a mission to find out. More info… Love conquers all, as I Still Believe becomes available in households everywhere through Premium On Demand March 27 from Lionsgate. Originally released March 13th. It is based on the life of American contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter Jeremy Camp and his first wife, Melissa Lynn Henning-Camp, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer shortly before they married. More Info... Onward -Originally premiered in theaters March 6, is now available for digital purchase in the U.S. for $19.99. In Disney and Pixar's ONWARD, two teenage elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot (voices of Tom Holland and Chris Pratt), get an unexpected opportunity to spend one more day with their late dad and embark on an extraordinary quest aboard Barley's epic van Guinevere. Like any good quest, their journey is filled with magic spells, cryptic maps, impossible obstacles, an unimaginable discoveries. But when the boys' fearless mom Laurel (voice of Julia Louis-Dreyfus) realizes that her sons are missing, she teams up with a part-lion, part-bat, part-scorpion, former warrior – aka The Manticore (voice of Octavia Spencer) – and heads off to find them. Perilous curses aside, this one magical day could mean more than any of them ever dreamed. Onward will also be released on the Disney+ streaming service April 3. More Info... The Invisible Man - It came out in theaters on Feb. 28. What you can't see can hurt you. Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss (Us, Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale) stars in a terrifying modern tale of obsession inspired by Universal's classic monster character. Available for rent at $19.99. More Info... Frozen 2 -Currently out of the theaters but available on Disney+ three months ahead of schedule. Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom. Then, Elsa faces a dangerous journey into the enchanted forests and dark seas beyond Arendelle in search of truths about the past in "Frozen 2." More Info... EMMA - Available to rent for $19.99 for 48 hours. "EMMA." was released in theaters on Valentine's Day. Jane Austen's beloved comedy about finding your equal and earning your happy ending is reimagined in this delicious new film adaptation of EMMA. Handsome, clever and rich, Emma Woodhouse is a restless "queen bee" without rivals in her sleepy little English town. In this glittering satire of social class, Emma must navigate her way through the challenges of growing up, misguided matches and romantic missteps to realize the love that has been there all along. More Info... Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - This is out of the theaters and came to the streaming market a little early. The surviving members of the resistance face the First Order once again, and the legendary conflict between the Jedi and the Sith reaches its peak bringing the Skywalker saga to its end. More Info... The Hunt - Released March 13, "The Hunt" is now available for 48-hour rental for $19.99.Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don't know where they are, or how they got there. They don't know they've been chosen - for a very specific purpose - The Hunt. More Info... Birds of Prey - Released Feb. 7 is available to buy on digital platforms for $19.99.After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroes Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord. More Info... The Way Back - Released in theaters March 6. It's available for purchase on digital platforms. Jack Cunningham was an HS basketball phenom who walked away from the game, forfeiting his future. Years later, when he reluctantly accepts a coaching job at his alma mater, he may get one last shot at redemption. More Info... The Gentleman - Originally released in theaters in January, now available on digital. From writer/director Guy Ritchie comes THE GENTLEMEN, a star-studded sophisticated action comedy. THE GENTLEMEN follows American expat Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey) who built a highly pro

I used cloud gaming exclusively for a month. Here's what happened Cloud gaming is real. In fact, it has been real for over a decade. OnLive, now defunct, launched in June of 2010. Yep. You're that old. Gamers were skeptical of the idea, which is why OnLive didn't make it. But last year's launch of Google Stadia put a spotlight on it, and multiple tech giants are either working, or rumored to be working, on cloud gaming services. Google and Nvidia are in the fray, Microsoft has a service in beta, and Amazon is said to have an entry in the works. In a Potential Game-Changing Decision, NBCUniversal Will Make Theatrical Movies Available On Demand Immediately After years of discussions about the possibility of shrinking the theatrical window, NBCUniversal is going to obliterate it altogether. According to a new report, the company is going to release at least some of Universal Pictures' theatrical offerings on demand at the same time that they hit theaters. When a book is written about this period in history, this may be a crucial turning point in the way the entire industry operates. Here's how to try every major streaming service for free during the coronavirus quarantine We are taking things day by day in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic. This week we venture into more uncharted territory as multiple mayors and governors have mandated that schools, bars, entertainment spaces, and other venues where large crowds gather be shut down for about a month in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. We don't know what's next, but it's important to stay sane and entertained during this period of #QuarantineAndChill. One of the best things we can do to keep our minds off of our real-life drama is streaming our hearts out. Since streaming services won't bail us out with discounts and free subscriptions, we have to figure out ways to keep the costs down. Aside from password sharing, there's also the free trial hustle. All you need is an email address that hasn't been registered yet (wink). So here's a breakdown of how much time you will have to indulge in the most popular streaming services for free before your time is up.

Streaming and Cord Cutting On Today's show, in addition to your email and news, we review the year 2013, ask you "How do you Stream your Entertainment, and finally look at your top streaming attributes. Poll: Do You Stream Movies, Live TV or Shows? The last decade has seen streaming grow into a dominant category of content delivery. It's hard to believe that Netflix started out by shipping discs to viewers. Today, the average Internet speed in the US is close to 100 Mbps, which is more than enough to support 4K streaming and more. Read the Article and take the poll at AVS Forum Cord Cutters Don't Care About Live TV & Are Willing to Watch Ads, According to Nielsen Will ad-supported and on-demand streaming services continue to become more popular with cord cutters, leaving live TV streaming services in the dust? That could be the case, according to a special "Streaming Wars" edition of the Nielsen Total Audience Report. Read the Article

AT&T TV How many TV services does AT&T have? Let's count them. There is DirecTV, U-Verse, AT&T TV Now, and AT&T Watch TV. Kind of confusing huh. Well there is one more newly minted TV service from AT&T simply named AT&T TV. AT&T TV is a TV service that does not require a dish or cable connection but does require a set top box. In this case an Android based box. You need at least a 25Mbps internet connection but higher speeds will get higher quality streams. There is no installation from a professional. You simply plug in the set top box, connect it to the Internet and then to your TV. There are three packages ranging in price from $50 to $65 for the first 12 months but you need to sign up for a 24 month commitment. After the first year the prices go up! Plus you pay taxes and fees. Sound familiar? Other features include a cloud based DVR, Sports packages, and Premium channels. AT&T will continue to accept new signups for all it's TV services and has said that none of them are going away. Why? This does not make sense to us. There is no compelling reason to choose this service over any of the other streaming services out there. Especially those that do not have any commitments including AT&T TV Now. What are your thoughts? Comments from around the Internet So....basically everything we hate about cable. Contracts plus bait and switch.Ohh. and a set top box. This is a Bait and Switch Program. they give you an OK price to start with, but you have to do 2 Year Contract. Year 2 the prices goes up to the same cost as what Satellite and Cable. So the whole point with Cord Cutters is to reduce cost which this does not do and it locks you in for 2 years. Hard Pass… Wow! 1981 all over again. Are they kidding? Any idea what the competition is doing? What the landscape looks like? A box? This is just stupid. Sorry. DOA! Someone at AT&T should be fired over this. Probably not though. Is AT&T television the new BlackBerry - clueless? I'm so confused by this offering. Who is the target market here?? Contracts? A set top box? Fees? Bundles? Price per month nearly doubles after one year? Sounds a lot like... cable. Do they think it's still 1985?

By now you all know that we have been searching for the best large format TV to emulate a projector and screen. We know nothing beats a 120 inch screen but with that comes some drawbacks like installation, cost, and light control. Ara settled on an Ultra Short Throw Projector which does really well in a fully lit room. The entire setup cost him just under $4000. Braden is still looking for that one TV that will say buy me. Our friends at RTINGS.com must have known Braden was in the market for such a TV because they just published The 5 Best 80-82-85 inch TVs Winter 2020. Let's see if we can get Braden a new TV?

On today's show we take a look back at the year 2012, discuss how to make your HDMI connected devices work with Hotel HDTVs, take a poll on home much our dedicated home theaters cost, and finally give you the top ten HDTVs at Amazon based on sales. Top Ten TVs at Amazon Based on Sales Toshiba 32LF221U19 32-inch 720p HD Smart LED TV - Fire TV Edition 4.4 stars (16584 ratings) $129.99 TCL 32S327 32-Inch 1080p Roku Smart LED TV (2018 Model) 4.5 out of 5 stars (8,253 ratings) $149.99 Insignia NS-50DF710NA19 50-inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV HDR - Fire TV Edition 4.5 (8,849 ratings) $249.99 TCL 32S325 32 Inch 720p Roku Smart LED TV (2019) 4.5 stars (8,253 ratings) $127.88 TCL 55S425 55 inch 4K Smart LED Roku TV (2019) 4.5 stars (6,196 ratings) $299.50 TCL 43S425 43 Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart Roku LED TV (2018) 4.5 stars (6,196 ratings) $229.99 Samsung UN65RU7100FXZA Flat 65-Inch 4K UHD 7 Series Ultra HD Smart TV with HDR and Alexa… 4.6 stars (5,974 Ratings) $597.99 TOSHIBA 50LF711U20 50-inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV HDR - Fire TV Edition 4.4 stars (16,584 ratings) $299.99 Samsung UN55RU7100FXZA Flat 55-Inch 4K UHD 7 Series Ultra HD Smart TV with HDR and Alexa… 4.6 stars (5,974 ratings) $399.99 Samsung UN43RU7100FXZA Flat 43-Inch 4K UHD 7 Series Ultra HD Smart TV with HDR and Alexa… 4.6 stars (5,974 ratings) $299.98

Where to watch free movies online Maybe you're sick of paying for streaming services you don't use as much as you thought you would. Maybe you've just gone through all the movies you want to see on Netflix. Maybe you're looking for something a little weirder or less mainstream than what you'll find on traditional streaming services. Whatever the reason, there may come a time when you're looking for something to watch that won't dent your wallet. There are tons of sites and services out there, but some are less legal or trustworthy than you may feel comfortable using. More… LG CineBeam HU85LA 4K UST Laser Projector Review What does the future of projection look like? The LG CineBeam HU85LA Ultra Short Throw 4K Laser Smart Projector ($5500 at Amazon) offers an answer to that question today. It's a projector that fits right into your living room, sitting mere inches away from the screen. It's a projector that gives you a picture up to 120" in size, turns on and off right away and maintains its brightness even with years of daily use. More… Features: 4K UHD (3840x2160) Display Up to 2700 ANSI Lumens brightness - laser projector (Class 1 laser) Display a 120" Screen from just 7. 2 inch away from projector surface LG SMART TV - includes magic remote Includes LG ThinQ AI and the Google Assistant Bluetooth connectivity HDR10 compatible LG eliminates the color wheel on this DLP eliminating the rainbow effect: DLP projection offers smooth motion rendering and a sharp, consistent, color accurate image. However home DLP projection has traditionally suffered from "rainbow" artifacts associated with the use of a color wheel to create the RGB primaries. However LG makes the color wheel obsolete with its 3-laser design, it features one red and two blue lasers with one of the blue lasers exciting a phosphor to create pure green light. Since the light source already comprises the three primary colors, there's no need for the color wheel. LG uses a .66″ DLP chip in the HU85LA. It relies on pixel-shift technology to achieve full 4K resolution on screen. Test patterns show the HU85LA manages to display 4K resolution, but it's not quite as "crisp" as a 4K TV of the same size. However—and this is the crucial point—native 4K projectors are often limited by the quality of their lens. The lens LG created for this projector is surprisingly sharp from edge-to-edge, despite the CineBeam UST's short throw ratio of 0.19:1. I've seen native 4K projectors that don't look as sharp as this LG. Conclusion While hardly cheap, this LG's design features and performance make a compelling argument for choosing it over an 85" or larger TV. Regardless of whether you install it in a living room, AV room, basement or even a bedroom, as long as you calibrate it, provide an appropriate screen and are mindful of the lighting, the HU85LA will absolutely impress you with the picture it puts up on screen. The LG CineBeam HU85LA is a Top Choice selection for 2020. What owners are saying: 4 ½ out of 5 stars at Amazon Good Can Be Better: Great picture, easy setup. Issue 1 - Hard to align picture with 120 in screen, sorely needs lense shift like other high end projectors. Issue 2 - Missing YouTube TV which is available on LG TVs Issue 3 - Pricey The best 4K dual laser UST in market I had no real reference available as there are no LG authorized retailers around my area. So I followed this model from CES 2018 till launch and gone through all the information available on web before making decision to buy this product. I do not have a UST screen or specially prepared wall. I'm speechless with the picture quality, brightness and colors. This is definitely one of the costliest product however I'm fully convinced with the value it delivers.

4K Fail: Why I Completely Hate TCLs Cheap 4 Series HDTV (A Piece of Junk) Despite some very serious concerns about who makes them—and the illegal financial support they receive to build TVs at too good to be true prices—U.S. consumers love TCL TVs. In fact, they also love their other consumer products like soundbars and what appears to be some amazingly foldable smartphones. Read the Article...

This wee we discuss three articles: Seven of our best tips for your Sonos system - Popular Science MicroLED vs. Mini-LED: Which display technology will power your next TV? - Digital Trends Want free 4K from an antenna? Here's the 2020 TVs with Next Gen TV tuners built-in - CNET Seven of our best tips for your Sonos system - Popular Science Pair up your Sonos speakers Wake up to your music Play your music everywhere Customize your speakers to fit their rooms Get chatty with your Sonos speakers Save your Sonos playlists Stream directly from your laptop MicroLED vs. Mini-LED: Which display technology will power your next TV? - Digital Trends Size - Micro LED Price - Mini LED Brightness, black levels, and contrast - Micro LED Availability - Mini LED Want free 4K from an antenna? Here's the 2020 TVs with Next Gen TV tuners built-in - CNET Free 4K TV over the air is rolling out this year all across the US. It's called Next Gen TV, aka ATSC 3.0, and it promises a revolution not just in resolution -- for the first time you'll be able to watch 4K via an antenna -- but in how you watch broadcast TV. Over 60 stations in 40 markets already are, or are planning to start transmitting before the end of the year. TVs LG ZX: 77- and 88-inch 8K OLED TV WX: 65-inch 4K OLED TV with "wallpaper" styling. GX: 55-, 65- and 77-inch 4K OLED TV with ultrathin profile. These are all OLED and all relatively high-end. The mainstream-priced CX and BX models won't get Next-Gen TV tuners, and neither will any of the LCD-based (aka NanoCell) TVs LG announced. Samsung Q950TS: A bezel-less 8K flagship model in 65-, 75- and 85-inches. Q900: Step-down 8K model without that fancy styling. Q800: Entry-level 8K model. As of this writing, Samsung has only announced Next Gen TV support in its 8K TVs. None of the company's 4K TVs have Next Gen TV tuners. Sony X900H: 55-, 65-, 75- and 85-inch 4K LCD Though no pricing was announced at CES, based on the technology and model number, these are Sony's midrange models, and should be cheaper any of the Samsung or LG TVs listed above. None of Sony's higher-end OLED and LCD TVs for 2020 will have Next-Gen TV tuners. Tuners and set-top-boxes Most of you reading this probably aren't interested in getting a new TV just for Next Gen TV. Nor should you be. If you don't want to get a new TV, but still want to watch free over-the-air 4K TV, you'll be able to buy an external tuner. There were a few companies at CES discussing set-top-boxes, though neither pricing nor availability were made official. We'll likely get more info along those lines at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) expo in April. Zapperbox is one of those companies. It's working with BitRouter, a company that's been around since the early ATSC 1.0 days. Another company is Apollo, a company that works behind-the-scenes with public TV broadcasters. They're working on an Android-based modular system design.

Home Cinema Streaming We were alerted to an article at Home Theater Review by one of our listeners, Tom Green, regarding Home Movie streaming. We link to it here: Home Cinema's Streaming Future Is Now. The author states that for reference material they still use UHD Bluerays "But for day-to-day viewing, many of us here on staff have migrated almost entirely to streaming consumption." They note that this fact infuriates their readers: And it only takes a quick glance at the comments section here and on our accompanying Facebook page to see that this fact infuriates the most vocal amongst our commentariat. One commenter stated - that any given standard-definition DVD from 20 years ago is far superior to the Netflix 4K HDR today. The author doesn't even bother replying to this but we will. This is just plane wrong. Codecs are better which means you get more actual data on lower data rates. Streaming data rates can be higher than the highest DVD data rate of 9.5 Mbps and with better codecs that should be enough, but there is more! There is higher resolution, dvd is only 480p. Plus you can get better color and HDR via streaming which is not even an option on DVD. So no DVD is not better than Netflix 4K HDR. Then there is the "Well, UHD Blu-ray delivers generally 80 to 100 Mbps or more, and streaming is only 16 Mbps, so that makes UHD Blu-ray six times better." To try and refute the more bits are better than less bits the author of the article asks: What's the difference between "1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1" and "1 + 3 x 4"? In reality, nothing. But functionally, the second equation is more efficient. It's also interestingly more prone to error The issue here is that if you are not good in math you may say the second equation is equal to 16 and not 13 because you don't understand that you do multiplication before addition. So while it is more efficient it is also more prone to error. Today we have more powerful processors so we can use more efficient, and complicated codecs. That means with better compression and 10 or 12 bit color, the compressed video of today is vastly superior to that of DVD and approaching the quality of some Blurays. "But what about the crappy low-bitrate Dolby Digital+ audio?! When we talked to Dolby more than 10 years ago we brought up that many people are saying that Dolby Digital+ is imperceptible from Dolby True HD. They would not confirm that it was the case. There statement was, and we are paraphrasing here because it was so long ago, "Isn't that a good thing that our Dolby Digital+ compression is so good!" In this article Dolby now goes on record saying that: Dolby has done extensive listening panels and firmly established that, at the bitrates now employed by Netflix, Vudu, and Disney+ (up to 768 kbps), Dolby Digital+ is perceptually transparent. So Audio is as good as UHD! Conclusion Streaming will only get better with advancements in compression. And unlike discs or over the air TV, providers like Netflix can roll out changes on their own terms. As new devices come on the market completely new compression schemes become possible. And the beauty of this system is the servers can detect what capability your streaming box can support and stream the appropriate level of compressed content. There will come a day, and it will be here sooner than later, that you won't be able to tell the difference between streamed and physical content. And that has us very excited.

Best of CES 2020 This week we take a look at the best of CES. From the Verge: Best TV SAMSUNG QLED BEZEL-LESS 8K Samsung's 8K Q950 has a stunning design with bezels so small they disappear to your eyes as soon as the screen turns on. The black space surrounding the displays on our smartphones is almost gone, so why shouldn't TVs get the same treatment? Samsung has pulled that off. This should be the future of TV design — but it should've been available in a 4K TV since buying 8K remains just as preposterous now as it was at CES 2019. —Chris Welch Best Smart Home Thing GE Smart Switches and Dimmers GE Lighting is introducing new smart lighting switches and dimmers to its C by GE line of connected products that do not require the use of a neutral wire. This allows the C by GE Hubless Three-Wire Smart Switch and Hubless Dimmer models to be installed in many more homes than most smart switches, including homes built before 1980. In addition, the new switches do not require a hub to connect to the internet or be used with the Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. The smart switches will arrive in the first quarter for $39.99 and up, while the dimmers are due in the second quarter for $49.99 and up. Homekit support coming soon via C-Reach Smart bridge Best Router Netgear Nighthawk Mesh Wi-Fi 6 is here, built into the latest iPhones and already in the pockets of millions of people. Except, it's been held back by one critical missing component: affordable Wi-Fi 6 routers, with the initial mesh options costing an outlandish $400 to $700. At CES 2020, Netgear changed that. The Nighthawk Mesh, available in March, includes two Wi-Fi 6 routers for $230. It's by no means the fastest combination out there, but it brings Wi-Fi 6 to a far more typical price, supports up to 1.8 Gbps of throughput, and offers 1,500 square feet of coverage per node. This is the kind of package Wi-Fi 6 needs to actually be put to use. —Jake Kastrenakes Best Vaporware: Samsung Ballie The demo video for Samsung's Ballie had all the hallmarks of a Kickstarter pitch: a contrived tale meant to sell a dream that technology doesn't support yet. In the video (titled, incredibly, "A Waltz For Ballie") Samsung's "companion robot" is seen organizing a user's life like a tiny spherical butler: opening curtains, checking yoga poses, and cleaning up after the dog. In the actual demonstrations, however, Ballie seems merely capable of rolling back and forth a bit and going "bleep bloop" in an endearing fashion. Samsung hasn't announced a price or release date for the bot. And although it's certainly well-designed, don't expect to see this thing in stores anytime soon. Oh, and as proof that while history doesn't necessarily repeat itself, it does rhyme: you might have forgotten that back in 2016, LG announced its own spherical companion robot. That one rolled out of sight pretty quickly, too. —James Vincent From Engadget: Best home theater product Dolby Vision IQ Dolby Vision IQ takes a good thing (Dolby's enhanced spec for creating and displaying HDR content) and improves its application in everyday life. While some of us would prefer to watch every bit of The Mandalorian or John Wick 3 in a darkened theater room, that's not what's available. Beyond just tweaking the picture so it looks the best for the room you're in, Vision IQ is also going to make sure that different types of content, like action sports, documentaries or feature films, are presented with the settings that best match what's on-screen. It's tech that should make everyone's home theater experience better and more accurate. Best TV product LG CX-series OLED TVs LG's OLED sets have been among our favorite TVs for years, and they're no exception in 2020. LG has added a ton of new features like NVIDIA G-Sync support, which makes your games look smoother, and Filmmaker Mode, which disables motion smoothing and other unnecessary video tweaks. And they still have all the benefits of OLED, like an insanely high contrast ratio, inky black levels and rich colors. LG has also improved its image processing to sharpen objects and improve details in your video. They're so good that you'll wonder why so many TV companies are pursuing 8K TVs instead of catching up to the quality of OLED. From Digital Trends: Audio: Vizio Elevate The Elevate features upfiring drivers that, besides being just plain cool, can adapt the sound automatically, spinning upward to fire sound at the ceiling for 3D audio, or rolling forward for more power and musicality when you're jamming to your favorite tunes. Aside from that, the Elevate packs plenty of key features like a backlit remote, a dedicated input for your smart speaker, HDMI eARC connection for compression-free Dolby Atmos, DTS:X sound, and perfect audio sync from supported TVs. We don't know the pricing for this massive bar yet (fingers crossed it keeps the Vizio tradition of affordability going), but the Elevate is an impressive new soundbar that gets our gold star for the s

CES 2020 After a few year Hiatus we returned to Las Vegas for CES. Because we were there on our day job's behalf we did not get to see everything that CES has to offer. We focus on the main players. We'll do a susquent show on the cool things that were reported on but not seen by us. TCL TCL had a good sized booth and as an attempt to solve Braden's Analysis Paralysis Ara checked them out first. He found what Braden was looking for, an 85 inch QLED! The picture was amazing! Bright colors, the content was extremely optimized to show this off, great contrast and slim space saving design. Then it was on to the Mini LEDs which were shown in a darkened room. The content they had was showing severe banding in the sky shots. But the color and blacks looked quite good. There were better implementations of Mini LED at the Sony and LG booths. TCL also had a Cinema Wall that had stuck pixels and min LED grids that were visible to the naked eye. On the second day the wall was turned off. TCL also demonstrated Smart products including locks. And let me tell you these locks are beefy! LG At LG I focused solely on their TVs. I was given a presentation that pertained to my day job at Delta Airlines and thus limited to what I can talk about. What I can tell you is the bendable OLED is a big part of their strategy. I saw the OLED that rolls up and it is amazing! Unfortunately I was not allowed to take a photo of the screen, how thick it is, or the mechanism. What I can talk about is the OLED, Mini, and Micro LEDs. All delivering fantastic pictures. Seeing the Micro LED with my own eyes makes me excited about that technology. Pretty much all the goodness of OLED without any of the drawbacks. It almost looked 3D. Not gimmicky 3D but like you were looking through a glass window. The 8K OLED looked incredible as did their mini LED. Sony Sony had their Masters Series TV. Sony has been involved with film mastering for years. These are small monitors with exacting color calibration. With this line Sony wants to bring what the film maker has created into your living room unadulterated! They claim it's as close to what the film maker sees in the studio. I can tell you that the color, detail, and contrast is nothing like I have seen in the past! I have uploaded a hi-res video that does not do the TV justice but it's still pretty good :-) Sony also had their micro LED technology which they call Crystal LED. People we are living in an age where there are incredible TVs on the market! Klipsch Klipsch, known for speakers, was at the show but not a speaker to be seen. Well almost, they did show up with sound bars and some really cool wireless headphones. The "Klipsch Bar 54A Dolby Atmos" bar was one of Digital Trends best soundbar of CES 2020 but it will set you back $1500. Klipsch feels that they have solved the active noise cancelling for wireless earbuds but again that will cost you a pretty penny. Their x McLaren T10 True Wireless smart earphones will cost $999 and will be available in the fall. They have other models that cost much less and look really cool! Samsung Samsung had the Wall prominently displayed. When you see this in person it is quite impressive. This is a massive display measured 24 feet or 7.4 meters diagonally. Check out this picture to get an idea of how massive it is! They also demonstrated a soundbar called Q-Symphony that worked in conjunction with their TVs speakers to give you a surround sound experience without the need for speakers on the back wall. The demo worked well. But we were in a perfect rectangle room with nothing on the walls. No prices were given but we were told it would be in line with their higher priced sound bars. Plus you need an upper tier Samsung TV. More than a thousand Dollars but less than two thousand dollars. Finally there is Samsung's Robots. One little guy that looks like a tennis ball and will follow you around and can show you videos when you are not home. The thinking here is that the robot is like your personal valet and will take care of you while you are at home and can keep an eye on things when you are away. This may be a good idea for people with pets. Smart Home Everyone had some sort of smart device! There was even a smart closet that helped you pick out something to wear and though RFID delivered it to you!