HDTVs, projectors, and surround sound systems.
Home Theater
How can I extend the range of bluetooth?
Episode 1619
Jeff fromJeff has seen old time radios that have had a bluetooth receiver put in them so you can use them as a cool, retro bluetooth speaker. Leo says those a really cool idea. Is there such thing as a bluetooth extender? Leo says there is, but bluetooth is designed to be short-range. WiFi is a lot better and has five times the range. There are plenty extenders though that boost the range. Miccus makes a bluetooth extender with 160-foot range for $40.
Check out these old time radio bluetooth receivers at Wavelengthantiques.com
Why is my TV screen blank?
Episode 1619
Felix fromFelix has a Sony 4K TV and the screen is going black. He's only had it for two years. Leo says it sounds like it could be either a bad power supply or a failing component within the TV. Is the TVZ still under warranty? If so, contact Sony to get it replaced or repaired. But if it's not under warranty, it may not be worth repairing.
Should I Connect All Home Theater Devices to My AV Receiver Before the TV?
Episode 1618
Adam fromAdam recently bought an LG OLED 65" TV. But using his Sony receiver with Dolby 5.1, should he plug everything into that first? Leo says that his general standard is to route everything through the AV receiver and then to the OLED. But if he is streaming from the TV itself, he will need an audio return channel (ARC) in order to get that audio through the home theatre system.
How Can I Remotely Control Devices?
Episode 1618
Brock fromBrock wants to be able to turn off appliances and lights remotely for his elderly mother. He wants to be able to see her with a Wyze cam and then remotely control devices from where he lives. Leo says that's a great idea. One thing is, that if she has a Fire TV Cube, it's voice-activated, so if she can speak, she can tell the TV to turn on/off and change channels. But if that's an issue, he can change the channel remotely using the Infinity X1.
Scott Wilkinson ... actively cancelled
Episode 1616
This week, Scott is talking about the Audeara A-01 headphones, which comes with an app that will give you a hearing test and then optimize your audio experience based on the results. It has active noise cancellation as well. You can also apply a hearing curve setting that will help you to hear the music better without turning the volume up. Price is around $300. So they're not cheap, but for what they offer, it's a pretty good deal. And it sounds better with noise cancelling on than off.
Why Won't My Roku Authenticate?
Episode 1614
Pat fromPat wants to watch Fox News on Roku, and he hates that he has to jump through hoops to unlock it by entering a password. It's a pain. Leo says that many are using activation codes that they can navigate on from a mobile device. But if he's truly cut the cable, he may be out of luck. The true problem, though, is this guilty-until-proven-innocent attitude on the part of the content providers. This kind of protection doesn't stop pirates at all. Just people who do the right thing.
Scott Wilkinson ... interpolated
Episode 1614
Leo wants to talk about the Vulture article on how motion smoothing or frame interpolation is ruining cinema at home. Scott agrees that we've been conditioned to believe that watching a movie at 24fps is the best, but in reality, that was just the least expensive frame rate to save money on filming with motion picture film. There are plenty of directors, like Ang Lee, James Cameron, and Peter Jackson prefer shooting at higher frame rates.
Can I Get TV from an Antenna Anymore?
Episode 1612
Hans fromHans has cut the cable, and now he wants to get an antenna and get his TV that way. Leo says that modern TVs can handle it because they have their own tuner, but he'll need the right antenna and adapter. Check out AntennaWeb.org and TVFool.com. Both will tell him what he'll need for the area and where to point the antenna. Since Hans is in LA, he can point his antenna towards Mount Wilson and get a large portion of channels, and with uncompressed HD too.
Scott Wilkinson ... on the wall
Episode 1612
Scott joins us to talk about the next generation of TV displays, called microLED. Tiny LED lights that are .003 square mm which is what TV manufacturers are going to need to get to the next level of sharpness. And it looks perfectly smooth and beautiful. but they're super expensive, which is why we won't see them in homes for a few years. But when they do, the stand-alone TV will be a thing of the past, and we'll see video walls in homes. It's coming. Scott saw an example of it at Sony last week, 16' wide by 9' tall.
How can I pick up local TV stations with my antenna?
Episode 1611
Bob fromBob has been a cord cutter for nearly a decade. However, local TV is important to him and he's used an antenna for OTA signals for awhile. However, the FCC has sold off a lot of that spectrum, making it harder to pick up signals using his antenna. Leo says that FCC is also asking stations to move frequencies so they can sell off more of the spectrum. In most cases, all you need to do is run a re-scan on your TV to get the new station frequencies. You may need to do it several times. The FCC has a site that gives you the information here.
