HDTVs, projectors, and surround sound systems.
Home Theater
Is Hisense a good TV?
Episode 1540
Clarence fromClarence needs to get a new 55" TV. What does Leo know about HiSense? Leo says that HiSense is a budget TV manufacturer from China, but the TVs are really well made. They're the next Samsung. Vizio is another really good TV. In fact, it's the best 2nd tier TV for the money.
Can my HD TV be fixed?
Episode 1539
Theresa fromTheresa's 7 year old LCD TV has gone black, and if she looks up close, she can still see an image. Can she fix it? Scott says that the backlit LED panel has gone out and it's really not worth fixing. For less money, she can just buy a better 4K TV. If she's on a budget, TCL and Vizio are the best options.
Scott Wilkinson on Home Theater
Episode 1539
Scott got an email from a listener who wanted to stream using an old analog receiver and speakers, and Synology NAS. Scott says that the listener discovered that using the Chromecast audio (which has an analog/digital output) was the ideal solution. It works great with a powered speaker or a pair of speakers which are powered by the AV receiver. You have to set it on AUX, but if all you have is analog, this is a great workaround.
Why can't I get sound out of my TV?
Episode 1538
Al fromAl has an old receiver and he wants to connect his TV to it. He bought one, but he's not getting sound from the TV. If he connects it to the Blu-ray player, though, it works just fine. Leo says that he'll need to go into the LG menu setup and disable the onboard speakers in favor of external speaker output. Another possibility is the DAC may not understand the TV signal because it's encoded, while the BluRay Player is using unencoded PCM audio. Al should figure out what audio the Blu-Ray is sending out and see if he can duplicate that setting on the DAC.
Scott Wilkinson on Home Theater
Episode 1537
What is the difference between OLED and QLED? Scott says that OLED is Organic Light Emitting Diodes, and is based on organic chemistry, or carbon. That's how it makes light. QLED, on the other hand, stands for Quantum Dot Light Emitting Diode, and it's just a higher end LCD TV. The light source behind the panel is using quantum dots, including LEDs to illuminate the image. They are completely different technologies. But the "QLED" term confuses people, and they may think they're getting a special OLED screen, but they aren't.
What's a good 4K Blu-ray player?
Episode 1535
Glen fromGlen is looking for a good 4K Blu-ray player for his parent's new Sony Master Series 4K TV. Scott Wilkinson says that Sony makes a great player. Last year's Sony X700 supports every format, including HDR10 and Dolby Vision. But this year's X800 does not.
Scott Wilkinson on Home Theater
Episode 1535
Scott says that when calibrating a TV, different people see colors differently. It's called Metaphorism. It kinda makes it a challenge to have accurate color reproduction.
Technology always marches on and your technology going out of date is happening faster and faster. So Scott says don't get caught up in it. Buy in when you need to and enjoy your technology as long as you need to.
What sound bar should I buy?
Episode 1534
Eddie fromEddie bought a new 65" Vizio 4K TV. What sound bar should he get? Leo says that a sound bar is made for convenience first and audio quality second. Eddie will want to get a sound bar that comes with a subwoofer, though. A home theater system is the ideal solution, but if his space limited, a sound bar is a good compromise.
How do I connect my TV to my Bose surround sound device?
Episode 1533
Jeff fromJeff has a Vizio 4K TV with a Bose surround system. He cut the cable recently, but now he doesn't know how to use his surround sound system with the TV because it doesn't have audio out. Leo says most systems now connect audio via a SPDIF or TOSLINK optical connection. The Bose should have an optical connection to it. He'll also need a TOSLINK cable. There's different connectors, so he'll have to see what his Bose wants, and what his TV takes. Monoprice makes them for pretty cheap, and Amazon Basics does as well.
Scott Wilkinson on Home Theater
Episode 1533
Scott Wilkinson says he went and saw FIRST MAN in IMAX because the moon walking scenes were shot primarily with IMAX cameras to get a larger, taller image. Scott says that is the trend now, shooting a portion of a film with IMAX in order to make those scenes far more immersive and dramatic. Scott says that there's now a program called IMAX Enhanced, which brings that experience into the home by filling the 16x9 screens of today's TVs with additional content. No letterboxes.
