HDTVs, projectors, and surround sound systems.
Home Theater
How Did Someone Guess My Banking Password?
Episode 1850
Ray fromRay works for Warner Brothers, and he agrees that today's modern movie sound design is terrible. It's not mixed for the home; it's mixed for the theater. Or, the networks of streaming or TV would change the mix and mess things up. Or they rush on set, not doing a room tone. There's also compression. So there are a bunch of factors that can upset the apple cart.
TV & Movie Dialogue Has Gotten Harder to Understand Thanks to Technology?
Episode 1850
If you've watched Foundation on Apple TV+ and other epic streaming content, you may have discovered that it's difficult to understand what the characters are saying. Well, it's probably not your fault. Leo says there are several reasons for this. Some are purposeful - where the directors and actors made a purposeful decision to depict a character that way.
Is There a TV Tuner That Supports ATSC 3 and Text-to-Speech?
Episode 1849
Chime fromChime needs a new tuner for his television. His favorite station is shifting to ATSC 3. It also needs to support text to speech. Leo says that TV stations are moving to ATSC because it'll give them more audio interaction features and side channels for additional content. Additionally, one will need to rescan the television set on December 7, 2021, after 10:00 a.m. PT in order to continue receiving that broadcast. The good news is that those tuners are as low as $25, so it won't cost a ton to weather the transition.
Scott Wilkinson ... a few more last minute Black Friday deals
Episode 1847
Scott is back with a few more last-minute Black Friday deals that are still available through Cyber Monday over at Amazon:
Amazon 4K Firestick .... $25
Amazon Fire Cube ... $80 (33% off)
Roku 4K streaming stick .... $29
4K BluRay players are also on sale, although physical media is on its way out. But Scott says that discs are still the best possible quality, and so getting that last Bluray player may be worth it. The Sony X700M and X800M are 40% off.
There's also the LG C1 OLED that's currently on sale for about 40% off.
What TV Antenna Should I Get for My RV?
Episode 1846
Randy fromRandy is cutting the cord in favor of an over-the-air antenna for his RV. Leo says to visit the site TVFool.com and see what the best channels are in the location you are at. There's also AntennaWeb.org. He can search both sites by address, and he will get a list of stations that are available by an antenna in that location. He can also get recommendations for what Antenna to buy.
Scott Wilkinson's 2021 Black Friday Deals
Episode 1845
Here's Scott Wilkinson's Black Friday TV Deals for 2021.
Scott Wilkinson and Black November
Episode 1843
Scott joins Leo to talk about "Black Friday" deals, or what is rapidly becoming Black November, with deals all month long. Now is a great time to buy a new TV. No longer is this time of year designed to dump last year's model. Sort of. Right now is the time to get the latest models, because the new models will be coming out in January. One thing to beware is the $100 TVs. Those are likely 720p models.
How Can I Watch Local TV Channels Without Cable?
Episode 1841
Kevin fromKevin's DirecTV drops his local stations a lot. How can he complain about it? Leo says to complain to local stations. They're likely demanding a lot more money than DirecTV is willing to pay to carry the channels. A better option anyway, is to get an antenna and watch local channels over the air. The HD is uncompressed, and if Kevin's within range of the antennas at Mount Wilson, he can get a much better picture anyway. Check out AntennaWeb.org and TVFool.com for a list of channels in the area and what antenna is best to use.
Scott Wilkinson and the Engine Speaker
Episode 1841
Scott joins Leo to talk about Audio Engine's latest computer speakers. He wanted to review them because the small form factor provides a large punch of sound. The Woofers are very small at 2.5", which provides as low as 65 Hz or bass. Not subwoofer territory mind you, but not too shabby. Super clean and super clear sound quality. Not a lot of bass, mind you, but still, you can also get a subwoofer for them. Leo agrees, saying speakers from Audio Engine sound really good and he's a fan.
They also have a digital audio converter (DAC) built-in, giving users a USB option.
How Can I Get My Printer to Print Faster?
Episode 1840
Bill fromBill bought an Epson EcoTank printer and it's really slow. About 1 page an hour. It prints photo quality on everything. Leo says you can adjust the printer quality in the print settings. Set it for normal or even draft. That will not only make it faster, but it will use far less ink. Look for Print Setup in the printer dialogue box when you start printing. Depending on the program, there will be choices and presets. Click on the pull-down menu and select the choice. There may even be a print faster option. It should then become the default setting.