HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

Podcast #677: VidiPath Technology from DLNA

06 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

VidiPath Technology from DLNA   What is the worst part about subscription television service? Ask ten people and you may get a few different answer...

Podcast #676: Interview - Gary Yacoubian President of SVS Speakers

27 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Interview - Gary Yacoubian President of SVS Speakers From the SVS Website:   SVS was founded in 1998 by four audiophile/engineers who noted that...

Podcast #675: Sling TV Review

20 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Sling TV Review The idea of cutting the cord, removing your reliance on Cable or Satellite to provide the hundreds of channels you rarely watch, has ...

Podcast #674: Dayton Audio XRA25 Wireless Rear Channel Amplifier

13 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Dayton Audio XRA25 Wireless Rear Channel Amplifier Since the beginning of this podcast we have been on the lookout for a product that will wirelessly...

Podcast #673: Dish Upgrade Time

06 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Dish Upgrade Time This is the time of the year when HDTV and Home Theater take a quick nap.  CES has come and gone, the Super Bowl is done, and ther...

Podcast #672: Interview: Howard and Joe Rogers from RSL Speakers

30 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

We received an email from a listener in early January asking us to take a listen to some speakers manufactured by RSL Speakers. We are still in the pr...

Podcast #671: Best of CES 2015 Winners

23 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Best of CES 2015 Winners We did our personal roundup of CES and told you about our favorites, but it is nearly impossible for the two of us to see ev...

Podcast #670: DIY Speaker Project

16 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

DIY Speaker Project The HT Guys are very DIY oriented and we love new projects! When some of our listeners emailed us about their DIY speakers we jus...

Podcast #669: CES Recap

09 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Listen in as we talk out our trip to Las Vegas for the CES show.

Podcast #668: Predictions for 2015

01 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Predictions for 2015 Time for the HT Guys to look into our crystal ball and try and predict the HDTV and Home Theater landscape for 2015. Our crystal...

Podcast #667: Prediction Review for 2014

24 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Prediction Review for 2014 Had we just waited about 11 months on our predictions for 2014, we could have done much, much better. Hindsight is always ...

Podcast #666: Ultimate Home Theater in a Box for 2014

19 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Ultimate Home Theater in a Box for 2014 There are so many cheap Home Theater in a Box (HTIB) systems out there, most of which cost less than the pric...

Podcast #665: Projector Buying Guide 2014

12 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Projector Buying Guide 2014 We aren’t done spending your money yet. And we’re still loving every minute of it. This one hits really close to home...

Podcast #664: Receiver Buying Guide 2014

05 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Receiver Buying Guide 2014 It is that time of year where we get to spend your money again! This week we concentrate on receivers. Our goal with these...

Podcast #663: HDTV Buying Guide 2014

27 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

HDTV Buying Guide 2014 Tis the season for us to go wishlist shopping and help you spend your money - one of our favorite times of the year. If you ha...

Podcast #662: What we're thankful for '14

21 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

What we're thankful for '14 Each year at this time of year we do a show where we discuss what we are thankful for. There are the obvious things to be...

[email protected]

21 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Podcast #661: Black Friday Preview 2014

14 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Black Friday Preview 2014   Another year passes, another Black Friday approaches. True to form, the deals are as good as ever. Looking back, the de...

Podcast #660: Jack Sharkey Discusses Dolby Atmos

07 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Jack Sharkey Discusses Dolby Atmos A few listeners have written and asked us what our take on Dolby Atmos is. Since we don’t have any gear capable ...

Podcast #659: Halloween Movies

31 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

This one is mostly audio. 

Podcast #658: Review VIZIO P702ui-B3 70-Inch 4K UHD

24 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

VIZIO P702ui-B3 70-Inch 4K UHD We have been talking about 4K TVs for what seems like an eternity. This week Ara finally took possession of his VIZIO ...

Podcast #657: Dual Lamp Projectors

17 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Dual Lamp Projectors Grant Clauser, Technology and Online Editor at Electronic House, recently posted an article titled “Home Theater Projector Tip...

Podcast #656: Movie Theaters Enter the Fourth Dimension

10 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Movie Theaters Enter the Fourth Dimension It will come as no surprise that the HT Guys will opt to wait for the Blu-ray version of popular movies so ...

Podcast #655: Video Scalers and Processors

03 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Video Scalers and Processors A recent discussion on the show about the “good old days” of HDTV, the days of rear projection LCD, DLP and LCoS, th...

Podcast #654: Best New Products CEDIA 2014

26 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Best New Products CEDIA 2014 CEDIA (Custom Electronics Design & Installation Association) just wrapped up and with that the organization announced th...

Podcast #653: New TV Shows for Fall 2014

19 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

New TV Shows for Fall 2014   We celebrate it every year, and it's that time of year again - a whole fall slate full of new HDTV shows. These new sh...

Podcast #652: Interview - Will Price of Roomie Remote

12 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s show we interview Will Price CEO and Founder of Roomie Remote Incorporated. Will tells us about the next release of the remote app which ...

Podcast #651: Interview: Blake Vackar of Screen Innovations

05 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s show we interview Blake Vackar Director of US Residential Sales for Screen Innovations. Blake tells us what to look for in a screen that ...

Podcast #650: SmartThings Home Automation

29 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

SmartThings Home Automation We have had a running joke about the year of home automation for a few years now. Judging by how many home automation hub...

Podcast #648: 4K TVs

22 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Podcast #648: Handheld Movie Server

15 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Handheld Movie Server We both took vacations recently and decided to leave the laptops behind. But that didn’t mean we didn’t want to take our co...

Podcast #647: 3 Big Smart Home Trends

08 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

  When it comes to home technology trends, there is much to talk about – Google, Apple, DIY, the “learning home,” protocol overload, voice and...

Podcast #646: Interview - Mohu CEO

01 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Interview - Mohu CEO We are big fans of Mohu products. We have reviewed just about every antenna they have sold: Podcast #489: MOHU Paper Thin H...

Podcast #645: 4K TV Options

24 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

4K TV Options 4K or UltraHD technology is starting to approach mainstream, and the options for 4K TVs is getting better all the time. In a quick glanc...

Podcast #644: Pioneer VSX-44 Elite

18 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Pioneer VSX-44 Elite 7.2 Home Theater Receiver Back in May of 2013 we reviewed one of Pioneer’s entry Elite models the VSX-70.  At that time we w...

Podcast #643: Oppo BDP-103D Blu-ray Player, Darbee Edition Review

11 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Oppo BDP-103D Blu-ray Player, Darbee Edition Review Oppo Digital has long been a favorite of the HT Guys. There have certainly been more expensive an...

Podcast #642: Interview with Mark Ely CEO of SimpleTV

04 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Interview with Mark Ely CEO of SimpleTV There has been a lot in the news about cutting the cord lately especially in light of the recent supreme cour...

Podcast #641: Dolby Atmos Enabled Speakers and Receivers

27 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Dolby Atmos Enabled Speakers and Receivers When we first read the press release about Dolby Atmos enabled speakers, we’ll admit, it sounded a bit p...

Podcast #640: ATSC 2.0 Over the Air gets Better... But is it too late?

20 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

ATSC 2.0 Over the Air gets Better... But is it too late? Before there was HDTV there was NTSC (National Television System Committee) or as it was kno...

Podcast #639: Sonos Playbar and Sub Review

13 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Sonos Playbar and Sub Review We’ve reviewed multiple soundbars in the past, from a wide variety of companies, but we’ve never reviewed a Playbar....

Podcast #638: Slingbox Sharing

06 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Slingbox Sharing You know we are fans of the Slingbox (Buy Now $265) and have used them to “Sling” our local TV from one side of the world to an...

Podcast #637: Glasses-free 3D projector concept

30 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Glasses-free 3D projector concept Nothing says “the future of display technology” like holograms. If you’re a Star Wars or a Star Trek fan, you...

Blu-ray Review #77: Lone Survivor

28 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Lone Survivor - Blu-ray Review 4.8 Stars (out of 5) - Rated R Synopsis Based on the failed mission "Operation Red Wings" which tasked four member...

Podcast #636: Emotiva UPA-700 Seven-Channel Power Amplifier

22 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Emotiva UPA-700 Seven-Channel Power Amplifier One of the best thing about producing this podcast each week is knowing that our listeners go on the sa...

Blu-ray Review #76: Concert Videos

20 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Music to Show Off Your Theater We received an email from Martin who asked us to take a look and listen at the Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds concert ...

Podcast #635: Wireless Audio

16 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Wireless Audio: Products, systems, tips and tricks for selecting the best wireless music system for your home. Can be downloaded here:   http://ww...

Podcast #634: Interview with a Broadcaster about Aereo

08 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Interview with a Broadcaster about Aereo This week Ara spoke with a broadcaster from the Birmingham AL about the internet streaming upstart Aereo and...

Podcast #633: Use an AVR for Pre/Pro or a PreAmp?

02 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Use an AVR for Pre/Pro or a PreAmp? We recently reviewed the NuForce AVP-18 all-digital HT dedicated preamp/processor (MSRP $1095) paired with the Nu...

Podcast #632: SONY 4K UHD TVs

24 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

SONY 4K UHD TVs On the last show we read a news story that SONY announced pricing and availability for their new line for 4K TVs. This week we though...

Podcast #631: NuForce AVP-18 Processor and MCA-20 Amplifier

18 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

NuForce AVP-18 Processor and MCA-20 Amplifier We don’t need to repeat ourselves, but we will anyways: Home Theater without surround sound isn’t r...

Podcast #630: FireTV and Falcon Screens

11 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Amazon Fire TV Review Last week Amazon released a set top box the Amazon Fire TV Fire (Buy Now $99)  to compete with the likes of Apple, Roku, and a...

Podcast #629: Sharp 2014 Quattron+ Televisions

03 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Sharp 2014 Quattron+ Televisions We mentioned the upcoming Quattron+ technology from Sharp in our CES roundup earlier this year.The tech just got rea...

Blu-ray Review #75: American Hustle

01 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

4.1 Stars (out of 5) - Rated R Synopsis American Hustle tells the story of brilliant con man, who along with his equally cunning British partner a...

Podcast #628: New Pioneer Receivers

28 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

New Pioneer Receivers If you are tired of the long cold Winter then these product announcements from Pioneer should warm your soul. What better way t...

Podcast #627: JVC 4K UltraHD Projectors

21 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

  We haven’t spent too much time talking about 4K projectors because, to be blunt, they’re just too expensive to be within reach for us, and for...

Podcast #626: Interview with Jack Sharkey of Kef Speakers

13 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Interview with Jack Sharkey of Kef Speakers This week we sit down and talk with Jack Sharkey of Kef Speakers. Jack shares his experience in making a ...

Blu-ray Review #73: Ender's Game

11 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Ender’s Game - Blu-ray Review 4.9 Stars (out of 5) - Rated PG-13 Synopsis 70 years after a horrific alien war, an unusually gifted child is sent to ...

Podcast #625: Gefen TV Wireless Extender for HDMI 60 GHz

07 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Gefen TV Wireless Extender for HDMI 60 GHz Through the years we’ve had the opportunity to check out several wireless audio, video and wireless HDMI...

Podcast #624: Channel Master DVR+

28 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Channel Master DVR+ Review If you are a cord cutter you know that one thing that is difficult to live without is a DVR. You can buy a Tivo Roamio and ...

Podcast #623: Home Theater Calibration Disc

21 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Home Theater Calibration Disc If you don't think your home theater looks or sounds as as good as it should, you probably want to calibrate it. Calibra...

Blu-ray Review #72: Gravity

18 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Gravity - Blu-ray Review 4.9 Stars (out of 5) - Rated PG-13 Synopsis Dr. Ryan Stone is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, wi...

Podcast #622: Skybell Doorbell Review

14 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Skybell Doorbell Last August a listener alerted us to an Indiegogo campaign for a Wifi doorbell that would allow you to answer the door from anywhere...

Podcast #621: Wireless Headphones

07 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Wireless Headphones You’ve probably heard us stress over and over again how important surround sound is to your HDTV and home theater experience. Wi...

Podcast #620: Revolv Home Automation Hub

31 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Revolv Home Automation Hub With 2013 being the year of home automation ;-) we saw a bunch of new products come on the scene to make our lives easier. ...

Podcast #619: 2014 Time Capsule

24 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

What’s Hot Right Now (2014 Time Capsule) We didn’t update it in 2013, but back in January of 2012, we put together a snapshot of the then-current ...

Podcast #618: Best of CES

17 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

CES has come and gone so today we talk about what others have deemed “Best”. We rundown winners (home theater related) from the Digital Trends, En...

Podcast #617: CES Roundup

10 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Trends at this year’s CES Show: 4K TVs - Actually we saw a lot of this last year as well. Perhaps Braden’s prediction of a 4K TV year may actua...

Podcast #616: 2014 Predictions

03 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Predictions for 2014 Time for the HT Guys to look into our crystal ball and try and predict the HDTV and Home Theater landscape for 2014. Our crystal ...

Podcast #615 Prediction Results

26 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Predictions Results for 2013 At the start of each new year we look into our high def crystal ball to make our best predictions on what we think the co...

Podcast #614: Ultimate Home Theater in a Box

20 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Ultimate Home Theater in a Box There are so many Home Theater in a Box systems out there many of which cost less than $400. But seriously, what can yo...

Podcast #613: HDTV Buying Guide 2013

12 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

HDTV Buying Guide 2013 If you happen to be lucky enough to have budget for a new HDTV this Christmas, but still aren’t sure which one to buy, we’v...

Podcast 612: Receiver Buying Guide 2013

06 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Receiver Buying Guide 2013 Its that time of year where we get to spend your money again! We kick off our holiday buying guides with receivers. Our goa...

Podcast #611: What we are thankful for

27 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

What we're thankful for '13 Thanksgiving is a time to, well, to give thanks.  So that's what we're going to do; give thanks for everything we have i...

Podcast #610: Why are the networks upset with Aereo?

22 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Why are the networks upset with Aereo? We have been covering the Aereo story for a few months now. Aereo is a service that allows you to watch and rec...

Blu-ray Review #71: 2 Guns

19 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

2 Guns - Blu-ray Review 4.5 Stars (out of 5) - Rated R Synopsis When an attempt to take down a drug cartel blows up in their faces, two undercover o...

Podcast #609: Black Friday Preview 2013

15 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Black Friday Preview 2013 As the years come and go, one thing remains the same, Black Friday has some killer good deals for the home theater enthusia...

Blu-ray Review #70: Man of Steel

12 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

4.8 Stars (out of 5) - Rated PG-13 Synopsis Clark Kent must keep his alien origins and fantastic powers hidden from the world at large. But when the...

Podcast #608: Subwoofer Basics aka Subwoofer 101

08 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Subwoofer Basics aka Subwoofer 101 Its been a while since we talked about subwoofers and since the subwoofer has the single biggest impact in your hom...

Podcast #607: Universal Devices ISY-994i Review

31 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Universal Devices ISY-994i Review You can control the volume on your surround sound system, it isn’t a simply on or off switch.  You can control th...

Podcast #606: Best Selling Projectors

25 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Best Selling Projectors We’ll receive emails from time to time asking us for a little more coverage of projectors so for today’s show we decided t...

Podcast #605: Is Virtual Reality the Next Big Thing in Home Theater?

18 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Is Virtual Reality the Next Big Thing in Home Theater? Many of us are constantly on the lookout for the next big thing in Home Theater. When the HDTV ...

Blu-ray Review #68: Iron Man 3

15 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

4.7 Stars (out of 5) - Rated PG-13 Synopsis Tony Stark/Iron Man faces an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destro...

Podcast 604: Understanding Speaker Specs

11 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Understanding Speaker Specs We threw out a speaker specification a couple episodes back while reviewing the Cerwin Vega VE Series Speakers and afterwa...

Podcast 603: CEDIA Wrapup

04 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

On today's show we speake with Stuart Sweet of the Solid Signal Blog about what he saw at CEDIA

Blu-ray Review #67 - World War Z

01 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

World War Z - Blu-ray Review 4.3 Stars (out of 5) - Rated PG-13   Synopsis A U.N. employee races against time and fate as he travels the world tryin...

Podcast 602: Cerwin Vega VE Series Speakers

27 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Cerwin Vega VE Series Speakers Ara was looking for a use for his Harman-Kardon receiver that was put out to pasture by his Denon. He figured why not p...

CEDIA Day 1

26 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Stuart Sweet of the Solid Signal Blog checks in with Day One of the CEDIA Expo

Blu-ray Review #66 - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

24 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

To escape his desk job, Adm. James T. Kirk returns to the USS Enterprise, assisting Spock in a training mission for Starfleet cadets. But the inexperi...

Podcast 601: New TV Shows for Fall 2013

19 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Ara and Braden run down the new TV season.

Podcast #600: IFA 2013

13 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

IFA 2013 Each year in Germany consumer electronics manufacturers come together to display their wares at IFA. The IFA or Internationale Funkausstellun...

Blu-ray Review #65 - Star Trek Into Darkness

10 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Synopsis When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonate...

Podcast #599: HDMI 2.0 Announced

06 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to movie sequels, 2.0 is rarely better than 1.0. In fact, we struggled to think of a single instance where a 2.0 movie was better than t...

Podcast #598: DirecTV Genie

30 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Its hard to believe that only about 5 years ago most of us had to watch TV when the Networks wanted us to. Our first DVRs were so liberating because i...

Podcast #597: Google Chromecast

23 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

There was a lot of buzz a couple weeks back when Google announced the release of a new HDMI device called the Chromecast (buy now, $35). We weren’t ...

Podcast #596: ZyXEL 500 Mb/s Fast Ethernet Powerline Wall-Plug Adapter

16 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Just about everything we add to our home theaters need an Internet connection. Sure you can use WiFi but nothing beats a hardwired connection. If you ...

Podcast #595: HT Guys Top 5 Receivers for less than $600

08 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Last week we gave you our opinion on which TV to buy for under $1000. This week we’ll do the same for AV Receivers, but for less than $600. As with ...

Blu-ray Review #65 - Oblivion

06 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

A lone security repairman is stationed on a desolate, nearly-ruined future Earth. Who rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft, her arriv...

Podcast #594: HT Guys Top 5 HDTVs for less than $1,000

02 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

HT Guys Top 5 HDTVs for less than $1,000 A week doesn’t go by without the HT Guys receiving an email asking us for our opinion on which TV to buy. W...

Blu-ray Review #63

30 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

This action-packed sequel to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra finds the elite G.I. Joe assault team framed for treason by the global mercenary Zartan. Forc...

Podcast #593: Blu-ray: Here to stay?

26 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

In our last episode we spelled out the reasons the Blu-ray disk, and the DVD for that matter, may not be around for much longer. That sparked some hea...