HDTV and Home Theater Podcast
Episodes
Podcast #976: Thankful on Infinite Podcasts!
26 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Podcast #975: Black Friday Roundup
20 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 Bla...
Podcast #974: Roku vs FireTV and the Top 5 Object Based Surround (ATMOS) Movies
13 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Podcast 973: Black Friday will be radically different from prior years
06 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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. Walmar...
Podcast #972: Tribit Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Earbuds and Vizio OLED TV
30 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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. ...
Podcast #971: Hoobs Home Automation Hub
23 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Wireless Earbuds Active Noise Cancelling,Tribit FlyBuds NC Bluetooth 5.0 Earphones Deep Bass ENC 4 Mics Noise Cancelling Earbuds 35 Hrs Smart Touch C...
Podcast #970: UST vs Projector vs Large Format TV
16 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 trad...
Podcast #969: Google Pixel Buds 2 and the Best HDMI Cable for your new 4K TV
09 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Podcast #968: Sony noise Canceling Headphones and Amazon's product Announcements
02 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 emai...
Podcast #967: Hearing Loss and Hi Res Audio
25 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Amazon will launch a new location-tracking mesh network system later this year Amazon is preparing to launch an ambitious networking and location syst...
Podcast #966: The 6 Best TV's - Summer 2020 according to RTINGS.COM
18 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Podcast #965: New Samsung UST Projector, Optimized 4K Encoding, and Hue Outdoor Lights
11 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show Samsung introduces two new Ultra Short Throw Laser Projectors, Netflix starts streaming 4K content with shot-optimized encoding us...
Podcast #964: Samsung Hybrid QD-OLED, Six Cheap Security Devices, and the Optoma CinemaX P2
04 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Podcast #963" Micro vs Mini LED and Rob Jones CTO of Enclave Audio
28 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Podcast #962: Do You need 8K? Spoiler Alert… the answer is No!
21 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Podcast #961: Fall TV and Sonos ARC
14 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Podcast #960: Mulan, Cheap 98 inch 4K TV, and TCL 8-Series
07 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Podcast #959: Alexa Live 2020
31 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Podcast #958: Do Soundbars Suck?
24 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
Podcast #957: Sony A8H OLED TV Review RTINGS.com
17 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How Will Streaming Services Retain Subscribers Gained During COVID-19? Customers are showing an increased lack of loyalty when it comes to streaming,...
Podcast #956: Marantz 2020 Lineup
10 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
Podcast #955: eufy Security Indoor Camera
03 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Podcast #954: Ten Facts about the Over The Top Transition
26 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 usua...
Podcast #953: Listener Hoobs Review and HDR Formats
19 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 s...
Podcast #952: New Denon X-Series
12 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Podcast #951: HDMI Cables and Streaming Based on Your Viewing Habits
05 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 l...
Podcast #950: Setting Up AV over IP
29 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Podcast #949: Vintage Stereo Commercials and Best Practices for Optimizing your Smart Home
22 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 thr...
Podcast #948: Android Apps for TV, Did AT&T Abandon DirecTV, and What are We Streaming
15 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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'...
Podcast #947: Set Top Boxes, Tomorrow's World, and Outdoor Cameras
08 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Podcast #946: HDMI-CEC
30 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Podcast #945: Cool IFTTT Applets and Devices
24 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
Podcast #944: TV Show Renewals and Cancellations
16 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Podcast #943: The 7 Best 4K TVs - Spring 2020 (RTINGS.com)
10 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 tho...
Podcast #942: TV Ratings a Different Look
03 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Our First Podcast from 15 years ago
31 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 thereaft...
Podcast #941: Streaming Day and Date Content is Here!
27 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ti...
Podcast #940: Streaming through the quarantine
20 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 defu...
Podcast #939: Streaming and Cord Cutting
13 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Podcast #938: AT&T TV???
06 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Podcast #937: Best 80 Inch TVs (RTINGS.com)
28 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 scree...
Podcast #936: Top Ten TVs at Amazon Based on Sales
21 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Podcast #935: LG CineBeam HU85LA 4K UST Laser Projector
14 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Podcast #934: Should You Buy a TCL Series 4 UHDTV?
07 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Podcast #933: Micro LED vs Mini LED and ATSC 3.0 TVs
31 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This wee we discuss three articles: Seven of our best tips for your Sonos system - Popular Science MicroLED vs. Mini-LED: Which display technology wi...
Podcast #932: Home Cinema Streaming
24 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Podcast #931: Best of CES 2020
17 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 d...
Podcast #930; CES 2020
10 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Podcast 929: Happy New Year!
03 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Happy New Year!! Today we discuss a network strategy for all those new Home Automation devices you bought for Christmas as well as reading your emails...
Podcast 928: Prediction Review 2019
27 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Predictions Review 2019 At the beginning of each year we make predictions as to what we think will happen in the area of HDTV, Home Theater, and Home ...
Podcast #927: Smarthome Buying Guide 2019
20 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Smarthome Buying Guide 2019 We have been touting the Smarthome for a few years now but somehow have never put together a Buying Guide. So for 2019 we ...
Podcast #926: TV Buying Guide 2019
13 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
TV Buying Guide 2019 Back in the day you had top tier TV manufacturers like Sony, Panasonic, and even RCA. Everything else was second rate. That meant...
Podcast #925: Speaker and Receiver Buying Guide
05 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Speaker and Receiver Buying Guide Each year in December put out seperate buying guides for receivers, speakers, and TVs. This year with the shortened ...
Podcast #924: What we are Thankful for
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week the HT Guys are thankful for all our loyal listeners who have been with us throughout our 15 years of podcasting. We also discuss a THX tune...
Podcast #923: Black Friday Guide 2019
21 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Black Friday Guide 2019 Well Black Friday is almost here. Just like all the years we've talked about it, there are some exceptional deals to be had. T...
Podcast #922: Why Your Home Theaters Probably Stink (A Counterpoint)
14 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why Your Home Theaters Probably Stink (A Counterpoint) We found this article over at CEPro titled Why Your Home Theaters Probably Stink which immedia...
Podcast #921: Network TV Update and the Best Cheap Earbuds
07 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Network TV Update (officially renewed or canceled) ABC America's Funniest Home Videos - renewed Bachelor in Paradise - renewed Grey's Anatomy - renew...
Podcast #921: Optoma CinemaX P1 Review
01 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Optoma CinemaX P1 Review For the past year or two we have been talking about removing our projectors and replacing them with very large format TVs. Th...
Podcast #919: Confessions of a Cord Cutter
25 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Confessions of a Cord Cutter We received a great email from our listener Dennis Comfort describing his journey to becoming a cord cutter. Well maybe a...
Podcast #918:Best 4K Projector and Affordable 65" TVs
17 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Best 4K Projector and Best Affordable 65" TV This week we discuss two articles at AVS Forum. The first one is the "Best 4K Home Theater Projectors on ...
Podcast #917: IOGEAR Wireless 4K UHD
11 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
IOGEAR Wireless 4K UHD One of the reasons Ara ended up buying his UST projector system is that he didn't want to route new cables in his hard to reach...
Podcast #916 New Echo Devices
09 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
New Echo Devices Last week Amazon introduced a slew of new Echo based products. On today's show we try to figure out when will Amazon take over the wo...
Podcast #915: Fall TV 2019
27 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Fall TV 2019 It's that time of year when baseball crowns a world champion and football dominates our weekends. But there is something else that we are...
Podcast #914: CEDIA 2019
19 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
CEDIA 2019 Last week more than 20,000 home tech pros and 500+ exhibitors convened in Denver for the 2019 CEDIA Expo. This week the HT Guys run down so...
Podcast #913: DoItForMe.Solutions
12 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
DoItForMe.Solutions Today we have an interview with Robert Spivack owner of DoItForMe.Solutions. Hi, I'm Robert! A home automation technologist and pr...
Podcast #912: Make Your Family Love Your Smart Home and Filmmaker Mode
05 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Make Your Family Love Your Smart Home and Filmmaker Mode This week we take a look at what it takes to make your family love the Smart Home you created...
Podcast #911: Hacking a Sonos Speaker, Best Wifi Speakers, and Samsung entering the OLED game
30 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Hacking a Sonos Speaker, Best Wifi Speakers, and Samsung entering the OLED game This week we take a look at taking apart a $99 powered Ikea Sonos spea...
Podcast #910: What happened to the HTPC?
23 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What happened to the HTPC? When we first started doing the podcast many many years ago, the Home Theater PC was a thing. DIYers built them from scra...
Podcast #909:Sonos Company Profile
16 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sonos Company Profile Sonos was one of the first companies that sent our fledgling podcast equipment to review. We were just starting as were they. ...
Podcast #908: Story Time
10 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ara and Braden go back in time to talk about a then revolutionary communication protocol that they worked on.
Podcast #907: Sevenhugs Smart Remote
02 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sevenhugs Smart Remote We were asked by a listener to take a look at the Sevenhugs Smart Remote ($199 without contextual awareness and $299 with) a fe...
Podcast #906: The 7 Best LED LCD TVs - Summer 2019 (RTINGS.com)
26 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The 7 Best LED LCD TVs - Summer 2019 (RTINGS.com) The editors at RTINGS.com have just updated their Seven Best LED TVs for the Summer and we bring th...
Podcast #905: Power Amplifiers for the Rest of Us
19 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Power Amplifiers for the Rest of Us As we add more speakers to our home theaters our current AVRs may not have enough amplifiers to drive the system. ...
Podcast #904: Dedicated Home Theater vs. Media-Friendly Living Room
12 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Dedicated Home Theater vs. Media-Friendly Living Room We saw this poll over at AVS Forum, Dedicated Home Theater vs. Media-Friendly Living Room and s...
Podcast #903: Are AVRs too complicated? And the Best Smart Plugs for 2019
04 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Are AVRs too complicated? And the Best Smart Plugs for 2019 On this week's show we discuss whether the new Ultra Short Throw projectors that Hisense i...
Podcast #902: Vizio P-Series Quantum X
28 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Vizio P-Series Quantum X If you have been listening to the show for a while you would think there are only four TV manufacturers out there LG, Samsung...
Podcast #901: Samsung's The Wall Luxury
21 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Samsung: Important to scan your Samsung TV for malware & viruses Samsung recently tweeted: Scanning your computer for malware viruses is important to...
Podcast #900: Five Items Every Home Theater Needs that Cost Less than $500
13 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Five Items Every Home Theater Needs that Cost Less than $500 We love our home theaters and want to get the most out of them that we can. This list is ...
Podcast #899: Cord Cutting, New TV Tech and Aereo Back from the Dead?
07 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Cord Cutting, New TV Tech and Aereo Back from the Dead? This week we discuss the top five Cord Cutting Stories to watch for this Summer, look at a new...
Podcast #898: Thoughts on the State of Home Audio
31 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Thoughts on the State of Home Audio In a recent interview with TWICE Magazine Tom Summer of Yamaha shared some thoughts on the state of home audio. Th...
Podcast #897: Email and News
24 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Braden is on travel this week so we have a short show for you this week. Email and News. Have a great weekend everyone!
Podcast #896: Best Overall 4K TV
17 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Best Overall 4K TV We get asked what's the best TV I can buy from time to time and we always reply with, "That depends on what you want to use it for"...
Podcast #895: Sennheiser Momentum vs GoNovate Airo True Wireless Headphone Face-Off
10 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sennheiser Momentum vs GoNovate Airo True Wireless Headphone Face-Off Recently my Bragi Dash Pro headphones broke which ended my love hate relationshi...
Podcast #894: USB 4.0
03 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
USB 4.0 The USB Promoter group recently announced that the latest specification (4.0) will be released towards the latter part of the year which means...
Podcast #893: Master Quality Authenticated - MQA
26 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Master Quality Authenticated - MQA We recently received an email from Scott in Pine Arizona asking us to talk about MQA (Master Quality Authenticated)...
Podcast #892: Is Amazon Listening to You?
18 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Today we are on travel but we pre-recorded a short conversation about an article over at Bloomberg that discusses Amazon employees listening to record...
Podcast #891: Interview with Gary Yacoubian of SVS
12 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Interview with Gary Yacoubian of SVS Last week we told you about the new speakers that SVS introduced, the Prime Pinnacle ($799.99 each) and this week...
Podcast #890: Monoprice Monolith Cassette Series Smart Boombox
05 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Monoprice Monolith Cassette Series Smart Boombox Almost at the same time as when we started our podcast we discovered Monoprice. For us Monoprice was ...
Podcast #889: AppleTV Plus, Channels, and Arcade
29 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
AppleTV Plus, Channels, and Arcade This week Apple launched it's new TV streaming service called AppleTV Plus. The service features original content a...
Podcast #888: Crutchfield Speaker Comparison Tool
21 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Crutchfield Speaker Comparison Tool For years we have been saying that the only way to know how speakers will sound in your home is to listen them in ...
How are this Season's New TV Shows Doing?
15 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How are this Season's New TV Shows Doing? Back in September we ran down the new network TV shows and we are sure you are wondering how they are doing!...
Podcast #886: Best Smart TVs for Streaming
08 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
More and more people are streaming content these days. At one time it was a cool novelty but today it's how many of us get our television. Netflix and...
Podcast #885: HDMI 2.1
01 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
HDMI 2.1 After reading Robert's email we thought it might be a good idea to review the HDMI 2.1 specification will everyone. The following information...
Podcast #884: Hollywood is Now Irrelevant
22 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The surprising list of top Netflix shows in the US by state If you're curious whether your taste in high-priced television shows streaming on Netflix...
Podcast #883: SVS Prime Wireless SoundBase
15 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
SVS Prime Wireless SoundBase Ever since Ara has begun building speakers he has been searching for ways to drive them. He has tried small desktop ampli...
Podcast #882: Bluetooth 5.1 and the Smart Home
08 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Top Ten Global TV Brands TCL has been rapidly expanding overseas and leading the market with its rich panel resources and the successful implementatio...
Podcast #881: Interview with the Owners of Creative Sound Solutions
01 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Interview with the Owners of Creative Sound Solutions Ara recently purchased a DIY Speaker kit (Model P215 $439) from Creative Sound Solutions because...
Podcast #880: Netflix Audience Numbers
25 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Netflix Audience Numbers Netflix audience numbers have been a mystery for some time now. World wide Netflix has 130 million subscribers but what and h...
Podcast #879: QLED vs OLED vs LED
18 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
QLED vs OLED vs LED The Super Bowl is right around the corner and that is a time when many Americans buy new TVs. Right now there are three competing ...
Podcast #878: CES 2019
11 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
CES 2019 CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is the world's gathering place for all those who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has serv...