home theater

Scott has been testing a new in-ear monitor headphone called the REVONEXT, and when you put on the proper "tips" for your hears, the sound is really nice. Good bass, ground stereo sound. But if you use the wrong size tips, the sound degrades to being very tinny.  They come with three different tip sizes and are only $30. But they're also wired headphones, so if you're a current iPhone user, you'll need a lightning adapter.  Periodic Audio and Comply sell memory foam ear tips that will also work for them. Another cool function is that the cable that the IEMs use aredetachable. 

Scott is back to talk about a new movie service announced at NAB .. the RED CARPET MOVIE SERVICE. Scott has been reviewing noise cancelling headphones for TechHive.com of late, and he's found that the audio quality actually improves when you turn on noise cancelling, even if you don't need it. 

Leo tells Scott that he saw a movie on Netflix called the Highwaymen, and it was in Atmos! Scott says that Netflix supports Atmos at home now, as well as HDR. So it really is an impressive way to watch streaming video. 

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 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.

This year, the Academy Awards is going to be hostless, as the Academy seeks to avoid controversy generated by comedians who have questionable posts on social media. Leo says what he likes about the Oscars is that people in the craft of each category vote for that category, and best picture. Scott is going to be watching the awards on his SONY 65" OLED TV.

Scott went and saw the manga based sci fi action film ALITA BATTLE ANGEL this week. Scott says the story is pretty bad, but he saw it for the technology used in making the film, to see how it was presented. And it was pretty impressive. The actor who played Alita was completely CGI'd, so she had to wear a motion capture suit for the entire film. But the character still runs into the "uncanny valley," which means it doesn't look real, no matter how close they get it. But Scott says it works because Alita is supposed to be a synthetic character.

Scott Wilkinson joins us to talk about the producers and engineers' wing of the recording academy, which hands out the Grammy Awards. They put on a party during Grammy week every year. It was at the Village Recorders, a venerable and famous old recording studio. They honor someone every year, and give them something similar to a lifetime achievement award, and this year it went to Willie Nelson.

Scott says that this weekend is a great time to buy a new TV, ahead of the Super Bowl. But this year, the deals aren't as good as they were during Black Friday last november. But they're still pretty good. The LG B8 55" OLED is selling for $1500, $800 off. The 65" model is $1000 off. The next step is the C8, and the 55" is only $200 more. But Scott says it has a more powerful processor and the upscales are better. So it'll look better and is definitely worth spending the extra money for. Samsung's 55" QLED is 24% off at Best Buy, but you can get an even better deal at Costco or Sam's Club.