Podcast #1055: Sonos Ray - Ecovent - Costco TVs

This week we discuss the Sonos Ray Sounbar and we found a solution for controlling which rooms in your house get all the cool or warm air from your HVAC system. Finally we take a walk through Costco and look at their TV department. We have some breaking news about Insteon turning their servers back on along with the rest of the week’s news. We also read your emails in an action packed episode!.  News: NESN Becomes First Regional Sports Net to Launch DTC Service Ring is raising the cost of its cheapest subscription by 99 cents a month New Google TV app turns your iPhone into a virtual remote Cable & Satellite Lost Around 1.45M Customers in Q1 2022 Other: Signal GH on the iOS App Store From Top Gun Instructor to Four Star Admiral: A Conversation with Sandy "Jaws" Winnefeld Building a TRUE 4k home cinema projector (it’s awesome) Samsung caught cheating in TV benchmarks, promises software update - FlatpanelsHD What's New in tvOS 16 for Apple TV: Features and Enhancements Insteon Server is Back Online! (Eastern US 4:21 PM 07JUN2022) Sonos Ray Soundbar Review: Great TV Sound on a Budget, Even Better for Music The $279 Ray is the closest thing yet to a Sonos One speaker in soundbar form, and that's high praise. Full article here… Ecovent Whole Home Zoning System A few weeks ago we talked about trying to keep an entire home at the same temperature by using sensors throughout the house. Ara mentioned that in his home to get the upstairs cool he needs to keep the downstairs cold. Reverse in the winter for heat. Rather than getting a second A/C unit Ara bought portable A/C units for the bedrooms upstairs. But this is a manual process albeit one that works well when there are people in the house to turn the units on. At that time we opined that it would be great if there was a way to control the vents automatically to send the air where it was needed.  Richard from San Diego heard our call and let us know about a company called Keen Home that has solved the problem with their Ecovent Whole Home Zoning System. We have no relationship with the company nor do we have experience with the product so this is just for information. We reached out to the company to see if we can get a representative to come on our show.  The following is from the Keen Home Website: The Ecovent Whole Home System replaces 80% of your home's existing airvents to optimize airflow throughout your entire home. The Ecovent Sensors, Hub, and a Sensi Thermostat enable the Ecovent App to set specific room temperatures, giving you the ultimate climate control. You adjust the temperature in any room from your app. The Sensors gather and transmit climate data in every room. Your Ecovent Vents then open and close to redirect airflow in your home and make every room the right temperature. Mark vacant rooms to allow air to go where you are. Save your favorite room setpoints and schedule them for automated comfort. Adjust your settings easily while away from home. Add your Sensi thermostat to the Ecovent app for end-to-end control of your home’s HVAC system. Shopping for TVs at Costco Samsung QN85QN85BD (85”) for $3999.99 Oddly enough Samsung is selling them for the same price on their website. Amazon has it for $3997. Looks like the only discounts available on this TV is the 2021 model which goes for $3345 at Amazon. The only difference we can see is that the 2022 model has speakers at the top that support Dolby Atmos. In our opinion you will be better served with the 2021 model and saving $500.  Quantum Matrix with Mini LEDs 4K Resolution with AI Upscaling Quantum HDR 24x Optimized Eye Comfort Mode: Enjoy an optimized display without lifting a finger. Its lighting system evaluates the brightness of your space to tailor your screen contrast The Costco version comes with a $65 Samsung streaming credit. LG OLED77C1AUB (77”) for $2599.99. Like the Samsung this OLED is going for the same amount on LGs website for the PUB version which appears to be the non warehouse store equivalent. At the time of this writing we could not find the 2022 model at Amazon. But the 2021 was available for $2596. Self-lighting OLED: Perfect Black, Intense Color, Infinite Contrast  α9 Gen4 AI Processor 4K with AI Picture Pro/Sound Pro  Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Atmos  webOS + ThinQ AI w/ Magic Remote  Gaming: G-SYNC Compatible, FreeSync, VRR, ALLM The Costco version comes with a $100 streaming credit. Sony XR77A80CJ (77”) The best we can tell is that this is a 2021 model and the warehouse store equivalent of the XR77A80J. Feature wise they are identical. The 80J goes for $2799.99 on Sony’s website and is also available at Amazon for $2599.96. COGNITIVE PROCESSOR XR™ – Revolutionary TV processing technology that understands how humans see and hear to deliver intense contrast with pure blacks, high peak brightness, and natural colors. XR TRILUMINOS PRO™ - Rediscover everything you watch with billions of accurate colors and see impressive picture quality that is natural and beautiful to the human eye. XR OLED CONTRAST – Feel the beauty of OLED contrast with pure blacks and lifelike brightness. DOLBY VISION8, IMAX ENHANCED9, NETFLIX CALIBRATED MODE10 – Enjoy immersive and engaging cinematic content as the creator intended. The Costco version comes with a $200 credit to Bravia Core which brings the cinematic experience home. Enjoy streaming high-quality movies included with BRAVIA CORE™, exclusively on select Sony TVs Samsung QN75Q60BD (75”) for $1399.99 Samsung is selling them for the same price on their website. Amazon has the 2021 model available for $1197 at Amazon. The only difference we can see is that the 2022 model has more audio processing as compared to the 2021 version. In our opinion you will be better served with the 2021 model and saving $200.  Quantum processor Lite 100% Color Volume with Quantum Dot Dual LED  Quantum HDR Smart TV with Multiple Voice Assistants Object Tracking Sound Lite SolarCell Remote The Costco version comes with a $65 Samsung streaming credit.