HDTVs, projectors, and surround sound systems.
Home Theater
Scott Wilkinson ... Can you Tell the Difference?
Episode 1673
Scott says that TV makers are leading the way to 8K TVs now. But the question is, can the human eye even see the difference between 4K and 8K? Scott says probably not. In fact, Warner Brothers tested 130 people and found that most people either couldn't tell the difference or found 8K TVs only slightly better. And some judged 4K better than 8K. But that could actually be a blind guess. People with 2010 vision sitting 5' from the screen could see the difference, but only slightly. So Scott says we've reached the limit of how the human eye can see the resolution.
Where Can I Get an Old Classic Amp?
Episode 1671
Edward fromEdward wants to know what happened to old classic companies like McIntosh or Marantz receivers. Leo says that Marantz is now part of Denon's parent company. McIntosh is still alive and kicking, but still too expensive. The Used Gear market may be the best option for amps. But not speakers. Leo says the entire industry is in a state of collapse now because most kids just listen to MP3s with earbuds.
Should I get a SONOS or an AV Receiver for Streaming?
Episode 1671
Ed fromEd wants to get a wireless AV receiver for his home, that'll also work with the TV. Leo says that he uses Sonos... but nowadays, he can do the same thing Sonos does for less money. Leo says that he can get a pretty good AV receiver from Onkyo or Denon for around $400 that will stream as well, and then choose his own speakers. It really comes down to what's most important - sound quality or price point. Leo says that he can get better if he wants to pay for it. ELAC speakers will do that.
Scott Wilkinson ... Professionally Retreated
Episode 1671
Scott Wilkinson joins Leo to talk about the HPA Tech Retreat in Palm Springs. 500 Hollywood professionals from directors to cameramen, to post-production people. All talking about new techniques in moving making. One was making a short film in a single day. Scott says that while shooting the demonstration film was the near real-time upload of every shot scene to the cloud for editing in post. Using proxies. Proxies enable you to create an "edit decision list" that can then be applied to the higher resolution footage to create the final cut.
Scott Wilkinson ... up in smoke
Episode 1669
Scott Wilkinson joins Leo to talk about one of the last vinyl record manufacturers, Apollo, being destroyed by fire. Apollo was responsible for making 74% of the lacquer masters that are used to create master vinyl recorders. Is this a big deal? Scott says that the sale of vinyl records has been rising every year for the last four or five years, and with a loss of this vinyl factory, it could mean that the cost of vinyl will go up dramatically. Can it be rebuilt? Maybe, but it'll be very difficult.
Why Aren't My Gaming Headphones Playing Surround Sound When I Watch TV?
Episode 1667
Chris fromChris wants to know why surround sound for gaming is different from Dolby 5.1 surround on his headphones. Leo wonders if the gaming audio is set up to use an app to give surround in the headphones vs. just listening to the system. Scott says that has to do with the bitstream that has to be decoded and the app is required. So if he's watching TV with his gaming headphones, he may not get surround. That's why Leo suggests hardware encoding. Even if he figures out a workaround though, Chris will likely be going to have lag.
Scott Wilkinson ... Streaming the SuperBowl
Episode 1667
Scott recently got into recordings of live concerts in 360 reality audio. Scott says it's like Dolby Atmos for audio. very object-oriented. And the sound elements/objects can be placed anywhere in 3D space. You can get those recordings from NUGS.Net.
Can I still get a "dumb" TV?
Episode 1666
Rich fromRich doesn't want a smart tv. Can he get a "dumb" TV anymore? Leo says not really. TV companies actually make money off the TVs online activity, and so they make all TVs that way. You can dumb down your TV by not connecting that TV to the internet. And use a third party box like Roku. Or even an inexpensive Chromecast. The best "dumbish" TV is Vizio, though.
Why is my TV "fluttering?"
Episode 1666
Jack fromJack 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.
How Can I Cut Cable and Still Watch TV?
Episode 1665
Daniel fromDaniels' cable bill keeps rising. He uses TIVO. Is there a service where he can still use his TIVO and not pay for cable? Leo says he can get an over the air TIVO, and if he has that, he can put up an antenna and still record local channels. Check out tvfool.com and AntennaWeb.org to find out what he can get over the air in the area and what antenna is best.
