Podcast Archives - AV Rant

Podcast Archives - AV Rant episodes:

• 04.18.2024

  AV Rant #909: Arbitrary Rules

  Tom’s first impressions of the new SVS Ultra Evolution Bookshelf speakers. A new range of Dolby Vision projectors from Christie for premium cinemas. Disney+ IMAX Enhanced titles finally getting DTS:X. And the future of streaming is…TV channels. Pictures shown in...

  
• 04.11.2024

  AV Rant #908: Cheap Audiophile Cables

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

  
• 04.04.2024

  AV Rant #907: RBH Impression Series Mk 3

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

  
• 03.28.2024

  AV Rant #906: Everyone is Talking About Bo

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

  
• 03.21.2024

  AV Rant #905: Extra Long Catch-Up Episode

  HSU VTF-TN1 flagship 15-inch subwoofer replaces VTF-15H MK2 and undercuts the competition. Sofabaton X1S Hub-based universal remote replaces X1 and is good. And we get a question from a very special surprise person. Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBi2Lu 00:00:00 –...

  
• 03.14.2024

  AV Rant #904: Notpenheimer

  IMAX App on Apple Vision Pro brings 3D documentaries in 1.43:1 aspect ratio home for the first time. More Disney+ shows are coming to Ultra HD Blu-ray. And TIDAL is simplifying their subscription tiers and actually lowering prices! Pictures shown...

  
• 03.07.2024

  AV Rant #903: Speaker Null Hypothesis

  OLED TV prices are either staying the same or going up a bit. M&K Sound has new THX Dominus Certified in-wall speakers. APC has two new Back-UPS BE power protection models. Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBgwkE 00:00:00 – Intro Quick...

  
• 02.29.2024

  AV Rant #902: Tom’s Surround Back Journey

  We’re excited about all the movies and shows we watched this week! A group of Hollywood directors banded together to buy the Westwood Village Theatre. Fubo is suing ESPN, Fox Sports & Warner Bros. Discovery over their joint sports streaming...

  
• 02.22.2024

  AV Rant #901: Deprogramming Bob

  KEF brings their MIE DSP to their Kube Subwoofers. Vudu is changing its name to Fandango At Home. Walmart is buying Vizio. UHP projector lamps can’t be restocked in the EU starting in 2026. And Tom finally watched Barbie! Pictures...

  
• 02.15.2024

  AV Rant #900: Ash Comes Through

  900th Episode! Could these be the final 100 episodes of AV Rant? We have thoughts about Apple Vision Pro. Marantz Cinema 30 top end Receiver. Amazon Prime Video makes Dolby Vision & Atmos cost extra. Plex movie rentals are 1080p...

  
• 02.08.2024

  AV Rant #899: SOUNDPEATS Space Headphones Review

  Tom has returned. And now both hosts are fighting cold or flu bugs of some kind. Tom reviews the SOUNDPEATS Space wireless headphones and their crazy long battery life. Emotiva has completely revamped their speaker lineup with the Airmotiv X...

  
• 02.01.2024

  AV Rant #898: Better Not Laugh

  Lee Overstreet makes his first appearance in 2024! SVS is clearing out their Ultra Series speakers at discounted prices. Plex will launch their own Movies & TV online store within a month. WWE pro wrestling is moving Monday Night Raw...

  
• 01.25.2024

  AV Rant #897: Tom Makes a Change

  Catch this ep on YouTube for a surprise on Tom’s side! CES: Hisense 8K DLP, 40% smaller UST, rising, Sonic Screen, and Ultra-Black screens, Dynamic Light Steering, and automatic edge-blending C1 projectors. XGIMI Aladdin ceiling light projector. Sharp Display QDEL...

  
• 01.18.2024

  AV Rant #896: The Royal Rob

  More from CES 2024: SVS demo’d their new Ultra Evolution Series Speakers, Hisense claims their 110″ ULED X TV can hit 10,000 nits, Portrait Displays offers their G1 Pattern Generator for Calman, but their C7 HDR Colorimeter got cancelled, and Filmmaker...

  
• 01.11.2024

  AV Rant #895: The Odd AV eCouple

  CES 2024 is happening now. But we record early in the week, so we only have the preview news to talk about. LG’s 2024 QNEDs, OLEDs, and their Transparent T Series. Samsung QD-OLEDs, and transparent microLED. Brighter, bigger – up...

  
• 01.04.2024

  AV Rant #894: Where Do You Get Your Dopamine?

  Happy New Year! Tom is sort of back in his home theater, and that means his video feed has returned! Denon & Marantz owners can now pay hundreds of dollars to add Dirac Live Bass Control. You can pre-register for...

  
• 12.21.2023

  AV Rant #893: Tom’s Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

  Season’s Greetings! It’s our final episode of 2023! Happy New Year! And we’ll see you all again in 2024. Tom has quite the tale to tell this week. Disney has dropped Jonathan Majors from his role as Kang in the...

  
• 12.14.2023

  AV Rant #892: Rob Doesn’t Recommend SVS

  Happy Holidays! It’s our second to last episode of the year! SAG-AFTRA ratified their new contract. Zappiti players can live on via a subscription to R_volution’s R_video software. And Rob says SVS crossed the line with their bi-wire claims. Pictures...

  
• 12.07.2023

  AV Rant #891: Rush Job

  We had to start recording a bit late, and Tom had to duck out a bit early, so it’s a slightly jumbled episode this week. But AVRant finds a way! Samsung, Google & the Alliance for Open Media are introducing...

  
• 11.30.2023

  AV Rant #890: Everyone Is Buying Receivers

  Tom is back, but still under the weather. Our thanks to Lee Overstreet for pinch hitting last week. Lee also shared some sad news, so we’re thinking of him. Harman bought Roon. LG C4 OLEDs will get 144 Hz but...

  
• 11.23.2023

  AV Rant #889: Thankful: Across the Podcast-Verse

  Welcome to Thankful: Across the Podcast-Verse! This is our 4th annual multi-podcast, 6-man crossover event with Tom, Rob & Lee from AV Rant Podcast, Andrew from AV Gadgets, DJ from the Bright Side Home Theater Podcast, and this year we’re...

  
• 11.22.2023

  AV Rant #888: Everything Has Updates

  Tom had to call in sick this week. So Lee Overstreet is here to pinch hit. Six James Cameron movies are getting Collector’s Edition Ultra HD Blu-ray releases. Portrait Displays has a new, affordable C7 HDR Colorimeter that’s accurate up...

  
• 11.16.2023

  AV Rant #887: Genuinely Disingenuous

  Oh boy did we have lots of technical problems this week! No video of either of us. And a slightly awkward edit near the beginning. But we’re still here to answer your home theater questions! SAG-AFTRA has a tentative agreement,...

  
• 11.09.2023

  AV Rant #886: For REAL Fans

  SVS is running a Black Friday sale, and this year, it includes most of their current speakers and subwoofers. Amazon, Peacock, Max, YouTube, and Apple TV+ are all increasing prices and/or inserting more ads. And Disney fully owns Hulu now. Also,...

  
• 11.02.2023

  AV Rant #885: Proper Positioning

  The transition to UHD television broadcasts is going slowly, but France intends to make it happen by 2029. MEMS are solid state devices that are manufactured like semiconductor chips and vibrate in response to an electrical current, and they’re here...

  
• 10.26.2023

  AV Rant #884: Already Obsol_te

  Rebranded Zappiti products have magically appeared under the new brand name R_volution. The Matter 1.2 specification adds nine new smart home product categories to its interoperability standard. And Lee and his wife visited Tom in Florida, and you’ll never guess...

  
• 10.19.2023

  AV Rant #883: Why Cylinders are Best

  PS5 consoles get a slimmed down redesign with a modular disc drive. Best Buy is abandoning DVDs and Blu-rays. Microsoft officially owns Activision Blizzard now. And McIntosh’s $3,000 Graphic EQ majorly misses the mark. Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAYLFz 00:00:00...

  
• 10.12.2023

  AV Rant #882: Sineaptic SE-1 Wireless Headphones Review

  The WGA ratified their new 3-year contract. Sony Bravia Core rebrands to Sony Pictures Core and comes to PlayStation, but without Pure Stream. Onkyo, Integra & Pioneer Elite flagship AVRs get optional Dirac Live Bass Control. And Tom reviews a...

  
• 10.05.2023

  AV Rant #881: Truck Liner Subwoofer Mod

  Zappiti is shutting down for good. Meta Quest 3 Mixed Reality Headset is almost here and will be getting Xbox Cloud Gaming this year. Value Electronics crowned their new King of 4K TVs for 2023. Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAXdfZ...

  
• 09.28.2023

  AV Rant #880: Tom’s Troll Theater

  MQA Ltd has been bought by the parent company of NAD, PSB & Bluesound. Amazon Prime Video will start inserting ads unless you pay extra. LG is ditching built-in ATSC 3.0 Nextgen TV tuners. And we make our cost-no-object audio...

  
• 09.21.2023

  AV Rant #879: One Broken App

  Tom is back! Our thanks to Joe for guest co-hosting last week. PS5’s latest update puts Tempest 3D Audio in a Dolby Atmos container. Denon announced their X6800H Receiver. AVA Cinema Remote could be a (more expensive) Harmony replacement, if...

  
• 09.14.2023

  AV Rant #878: Bathtub Spatulas

  Tom is away this week dealing with house repairs. So we welcome back Joe K. who attended CEDIA Expo 2023. As promised, we hear about Joe’s home theater. We go over some fun items that were shown at CEDIA, discuss...

  
• 09.07.2023

  AV Rant #877: Flooded

  Welcome back, Tom. We hear all about last week’s awful experience with Hurricane Idalia. Dolby Vision projectors are coming from AWOL Vision and XGIMI. THX and Pixelgen team up for Certified HDMI Cables. Denon’s X1800H gives you less for more....

  
• 08.31.2023

  AV Rant #876: Dreadful Wookies

  Tom is away this week because of Hurricane Idalia. So Lee Overstreet pinch hits once again. Kaleidescape released new Terra Prime movie servers with an SSD option, plus their Ultimate 4K System. PlayStation Portal uses PlayStation Link instead of Bluetooth...

  
• 08.24.2023

  AV Rant #875: Subjective > Objective

  Tom is back. Our thanks to Lee for filling in last week. Netflix DVD.com offers up to 10 additional discs-by-mail for their final shipment in Sept, and you can probably keep them forever. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is being shot...

  
• 08.17.2023

  AV Rant #874: Give Me The Thing

  Tom is away this week, so Lee Overstreet joins Rob as our guest co-host. JL Audio is being acquired by Garmin. Sonos finally admits their Arc SoundBar has a big problem with some Atmos signals. And if you don’t want...

  
• 08.10.2023

  AV Rant #873: Kid Headphone Recommendations

  NASA+ streaming is free and doesn’t have ads. Disney stops sending physical media of any kind to Australia & New Zealand. LG’s Wireless M3 OLED TVs are real and not as expensive as we thought. And we’ve got suggestions for good...

  
• 08.03.2023

  AV Rant #872: The One With the Dog

  New Monolith M2100X, M3100X & M5100X amps from Monoprice. PS5 beta firmware adds Dolby Atmos for games & streaming. Samsung’s 89″ Micro-LED TV and Sony’s 2023 A95L QD-OLEDs get pricing. Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAPzZq 00:00:00 – Intro 00:03:22 – What...

  
• 07.27.2023

  AV Rant #871: Rob Slams Nolan

  Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Oppenhemier, and Barbie reviews! AMC cancels Sightline pricing. Netflix eliminates the Basic Tier. Emotiva BasX MR1L 9-channel Receiver. Denon S670H & S770H Receivers. And is the Steelbook cover for WandaVision that doesn’t come...

  
• 07.20.2023

  AV Rant #870: No Good Solution

  IMAX 70mm Film theaters had to be modified to accommodate Oppenheimer’s 3-hour runtime. Emotiva released their BasX A11 11-channel amplifier for $1,300. Xbox Game Pass Core will replace Live Gold on Sept 14. And we get more specifications about Loudness and...

  
• 07.13.2023

  AV Rant #869: It Didn’t Make a Difference

  Salk Sound is shutting down their speaker business. Sony’s HT-AX7 Portable Theater System is truly wireless with removable Surround speakers. Bright Side Home Theater Podcast interviewed recording engineer Paul Hurt about Reference Volume at home. Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAM1kx 00:00:00 –...

  
• 07.06.2023

  AV Rant #868: Lee’s Fault

  Happy Canada Day and 4th of July, everybody! Paramount+ joined Max and Disney+ in removing original shows from their streaming service, including Star Trek: Prodigy. Meta Quest+ is a VR game subscription service for $8 a month. And Audyssey MultEQ-X Pro doesn’t...

  
• 06.29.2023

  AV Rant #867: Jay Wins Atmos

  Welcome back, Tom! We get to hear about his family vacation, and watching movies on a plane. Netflix eliminated the Basic Tier in Canada. Can other countries be far behind? Xbox Series X will go up in price outside of...

  
• 06.21.2023

  AV Rant #866: Charlie Brown of A/V

  Welcome back Lee Overstreet, pinch-hitting once again! JVC dropped the price of their NP5 4K projector by $1,000. PS5 cloud game streaming might give Project Q a reason to exist. A couple corrections & clarifications for us. And plenty of...

  
• 06.15.2023

  AV Rant #865: Say Hello to Curt G!

  Welcome Curt G, another new guest co-host this week, with a leg up on Rob since he’s actually met Tom in person! We chat about Curt’s home theater setup and being an enthusiast. Then we dive into news about specs...

  
• 06.08.2023

  AV Rant #864: Welcome Joe K!

  Say hello to Joe K. He’s a long-time AV Rant Listener, a CEDIA member, and a new guest co-host for us this week. We dig into the recently announced mixed reality headsets: Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3. We...

  
• 05.31.2023

  AV Rant #863: Bon Voyage, Tom!

  Spears & Munsil released a new UHD Benchmark Test Disc. HSU Research celebrates their 30th anniversary. Sony announced the mysterious Project Q for PS5. Netflix brings their crackdown on password sharing to the USA. The new Max app broke HBO...

  
• 05.25.2023

  AV Rant #862: Status Between 3ANC Earphone Review

  Tom reviews the Status Between 3ANC Wireless Earphones. Ascend Acoustics launched their new flagship ELX Series Tower speakers. Telly TV costs $0 and uses a second screen to constantly show you ads. YouTube makes their ad load even worse. And more...

  
• 05.18.2023

  AV Rant #861: Go Out and Listen to Something!

  Marantz is offering an online exclusive color option for their Cinema 40 & 50 AVRs. Hulu will be added to your Disney+ app by the end of the year, along with a price increase. SignUp Captions is a free browser...

  
• 05.11.2023

  AV Rant #860: The Curse of Dr. Toole!

  Rob is back! Premium Audio Company added new features to Onkyo, Integra & Pioneer AVRs, including Klipsch Optimized Mode. Disney+ added an ASL option to Ant-Man. LG Display’s 10.5G OLED factory is delayed again. And BenQ announced new projector models....