HDTVs, projectors, and surround sound systems.
Home Theater
How can I find my lost Apple TV remote?
Episode 1424
Jonathan wants to know how he can find his Apple TV remote. He's frustrated because he loses it all the time. Rich says it's almost always in a seat cushion. The good thing is that iOS11 supports the Apple TV remote natively, so if you installed iOS 11, you have the Apple Remote on your phone.
Another option is to get TILE, it's a tracker that will enable you to find anything you put it on. There's also TRACKR. Does the same thing. Sideclick is another one.
Can I use my Echo to control my stereo?
Episode 1423
Steve is visually impaired and he wants to know if he can use the Amazon Echo to control his Sonos stereo system. Leo says yes! You can set it to the auxiliary input and then you can use the Echo to control it. That's the way to do it. The Apple Home Pod will also be able to do it in December. Go for the DOT though. Leo has his DOT connected to his and it works great.
Why is my TV reception so bad?
Episode 1422
John from
John has cut the cord and he's having trouble streaming live sports with an over-the-air antenna. He says that the antenna plugged into the TV is ideal, but the HDHomeRun and Tablo have issues. That points to the culprit, then. Leo says LCDs have issues with live movement and a higher refresh rate will smooth that out. John should look for a higher frame rate in his TV's settings.
Scott Wilkinson on Home Theater
Episode 1422
Scott went to the CEDIA convention last week and he's seeing more 4K projectors out there. Most of them are 1080p, but will accept a 4K signal that is a faux 4K because they "wiggle the pixels" (called Wobulation). There are a few true 4K projectors, but they're over $30,000. Scott also says there's no point in waiting for full 4K because it's going to be awhile before they are affordable, and by then, it'll be something completely different. Has projection seen better days? Scott doesn't think so. It's still the best way to get that cinematic immersive experience.
Scott Wilkinson and the barking dogs
Episode 1420
Scott is at CEDIA in San Diego to look at the latest in home theater products. Both 4K and HDR are becoming more commonplace and coming down in price. Sony has a 4K HDR projector for under $5,000: VPL-VW285ES. The next big thing in color standards is Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG), intended for live broadcasts. Scott says when 4K UHD broadcast becomes live, it will have a huge impact.
Should I sell my Sonos home theater gear or upgrade?
Episode 1419
Jim from
Jim doesn't know if he should sell his Sonos stuff or wait. Leo says that there's going to be a Sonos event in the next month, and there's a new Play 5 speaker coming with voice command. So it wouldn't hurt to keep his powder dry until he knows what Sonos has in mind, and if they have new gear, the old gear will go down in price.
Does TiVo record over the air from an antenna?
Episode 1419
John from
John says that TiVo has finally come out with an over-the-air tuner/DVR called the TiVo Roamio. Leo says that TiVo is the best at DVRs, bar none, and it's about time it made an over-the-air product.
What's the best tuner for my HDTV?
Episode 1419
Michael from
Michael put up an HDTV antenna, and for eight months he saved hundreds over a cable bill. Leo says it's also a lot better because it's not compressed. He used it on his new 65" HD TV. But his tuner died. What does Leo recommend to replace the bad tuner he had? Leo says that Hauppauge has one. Most of the tuners are mostly commodity brands. Leo's guessing that there's one factory in China that makes them and slaps different nameplates on them.
Why doesn't my Amazon Fire Stick work with my TV?
Episode 1418
Steve from
Steve can't seem to get his Amazon Fire Stick to work on his TV, but it works fine in his other TV. Leo says that the older TV may not have the latest HDMI standard and so the Fire Stick can't "handshake" with the TV. There could be a firmware update to his TV, so he should look into that. He could also try unplugging his TV, let it set for a minute, then plug in his Fire Stick and turn it back on. That way it could handshake from scratch. The other issue may be copy protection. If his TV is old enough that it isn't HDCP compliant, it could be that the Fire Stick won't support it.
Why can't I play iTunes playlists to my Bose wireless speakers?
Episode 1418
Joe from
Joe connected his Bose network-connected speakers to his Mac, but he can't get the music to play via iTunes. Leo says it sounds like the Bose software is conflicting or doesn't know where to look for his music in the iTunes library. Joe should look in his settings to see where it thinks his music library is. It may just be looking in the wrong place. He did that, but the Bose SoundTouch software also only shows 30 of his files. Leo says it could have damaged his playlist database.
