HDTVs, projectors, and surround sound systems.
Home Theater
How Can I Watch TV With Headphones?
Episode 1574
Ken fromKen has a few Samsung 8500 TVs and would like to listen to them with headphones via TOSLINK. Leo says that TOSLINK is optical, but there are many TOSLINK-analog converters out there. Leo says to go to Monoprice.com since they make a similar box for about $20. He will also need to get an amplifier for them. Check out Headphones.com for that.
What's Wrong with my TV Tuner?
Episode 1574
Frank fromFrank bought a Sony XBR 800e. Three weeks after his warranty expired, it started having trouble. Leo says that while the warranty is expired, it's close enough that if he calls them and pleads his case, Sony may be willing to extend the coverage and fix it, and it's likely just a tuner that's gone bad. The other option is to use a third-party tuner. Leo recommends a TiVo or Channel Master product.
Scott Wilkinson ... A Little Wider
Episode 1574
Scott wanted to clarify comments last week on IMAX aspect ratio. IMAX Film ratio is 1.43-1. While IMAX DIGITAL is 1.9-1. By contrast, most standard commercial movie theaters have an aspect ratio of 2.35-1. Projectors in home theater also do 2.35-1 and when you get a video or program that's below that, you get letterboxing.
Scott Wilkinson ... Captain Marvelous
Episode 1572
Scott says that the profiles and codecs for Bluetooth, like aptX, are getting better. Scott saw Captain Marvel in Dolby Vision and he said the filmmakers did a great job with the sound and picture. See it in Dolby Cinema with High Dynamic Range and Atmos sound if possible, although IMAX is also a good choice.
Why can't I Use a Home Email Server to Send Email?
Episode 1571
Neal fromNeal has a Helm home email server, but he's having issues sending his email. Leo says that ISPs are blocking email that doesn't come from an approved IP address. They will test from big companies, but little companies and personal mail servers don't get enough attention. The idea is to avoid spam. Neal can precondition a mail server by sending as many emails as he can. So create some emails on Gmail or Yahoo, and send a bunch of email to them from the home server. But Neal says his bank won't accept .EMAIL as a domain.
Scott Wilkinson ... near and dear to hear
Episode 1570
Scott Wilkinson joins us to talk about hearing loss. Tomorrow is World Hearing Day and Scott says hearing loss is caused by being exposed to sounds that are simply too loud. That means loud music, listening to headphones, etc. You can get custom moulded headphones with flat filters that will help musicians and radio people save their hearing. Puro Sound Labs is offering wireless, Bluetooth, noise cancelling headphones for kids, and they limit sound to 85db. Leo says Etymotics has Etymotics Kids as well.
Why can't I stream from my Samsung smart TV?
Episode 1569
Greg fromGreg can't mirror his phone with his Samsung smarTV, but he can use his hub to search the internet. Leo says the TV has to be cast-enabled to do it, and the feature may not be turned on in the settings. It could be DNLA or AirPlay. But it also says "smart hub is trying to update." Leo says that Samsung is notorious for not updating their TVs, and it will eventually get to the point where it can't be updated online. It's clearly looking for the update though. Samsung does suggest you can reset the country and that will fix it. The wrong country code could very well cause this issue.
How do I stream from my Android Phone to my TV?
Episode 1567
Dave fromDave wants to know how to stream from Android to his TV. Leo recommends a Google casting device, like the chromecast. It plugs into the back of the TV and any enabled device can be cast to the TV once Dave taps the chromecast logo. Leo says the device uses a handoff mechanism to achieve what it does.
How can I cast from my Android to my TV?
Episode 1566
Dave fromDave needs to know how to stream from his Android phone to his TV. Leo says that the Google Chromecast is the easiest way. And it's $35 for the HD version, $70 for 4K. It's built for Android. A very cool concept.
Can I stream TV to all my TVs at once?
Episode 1566
Nate fromNate has cut the cord, and he has a killer media server with the HD Home Run. But he wants to find a way to broadcast the stream to all his TVs in his house at the same time. Leo says it's called MultiCast, or Party Mode. PLEX may be able to do it. They've been working on it for quite some time. Here's info from the PLEX Forums - There's an open BETA that started last year. So it's likely ready to go. Search for MULTIPLEX. Then it's a question if your router and network can support it.
