TVs

Jack is having a "fluttering" issue with his AppleTV, where it goes to black. Spectrum says it's a box problem, and it should be rebooted. Apple says it shouldn't. Leo says that Apple is wrong; he has to reboot his AppleTV all the time. It's easy by pressing the menu and home button at the same time for five seconds. Stuttering can also indicate a bandwidth issue. Samsung also says his TV is out of date as well. But Leo says that it's probably not the TV. He suspects that his carrier Spectrum and a bad app. Uninstall the app and reinstall it. Also, try using a wired ethernet connection.

Rich wants to know if there's an app that can automatically adjust his commercial volume on his TV. They get louder than regular programming. Leo says that the FCC has required the volume being the same, but due to volume compression, it can sound louder than it actually is. A lot of AV receivers and TVs have an average sound feature that will adjust it. 

Dickie D also shows off the "Shut the F up" Smash TV Mute Button, which will mute the TV during commercials with a quick smash.

Ed is looking for a 70" plus TV. What's the sweet spot for where to sit and which model should he buy? He can't find any mention of full-array local dimming. Scott says some do include the spec, some don't. But that doesn't mean that aren't FALD. The Samsung 70" Q70 is FALD, as is the Q80 and Q90. Scott also says the Sony X50 isn't, but the X950 is. Most LG TVs are edge-lit. 15 feet is ideal for and 80-85" TV.

Jeff wants to know why his Xbox gets better WiFi reception than his Vizio TV. Leo says it's simply the quality of components. The Xbox offers a computer grade WiFi antenna, while the Vizio likely has a much cheaper part. TV Wifi is terrible as a result, and Scott says if he can hardwire the TV, it's always better, especially for streaming. 

Brian's TV recently went black. Leo says that means the backlight has died and it's really not worth repairing. So it's time to get a new TV!

Max is having issues with his TV speakers on his Vizio D series TV. He keeps hearing audio coming out, even when it's off. Leo says that today's modern TVs don't really turn off anymore. They just go into a very low power mode. Leo suspects that Max's Xfinity cable box woke his TV up through HDMI. Leo recommends putting the Vizio into Eco mode and it will turn off. Then, he should turn off CEC in his TV settings.