HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

HT Guys
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HDTV and Home Theater Podcast Podcast

The HT Guys, Ara Derderian and Braden Russell, are Engineers who formerly worked for the Advanced Digital Systems Group (ADSG) of Sony Pictures Entertainment. ADSG was the R&D unit of the sound department producing products for movie theaters and movie studios. Two of the products they worked on include the DCP-1000 and DADR-5000. The DCP is a digital cinema processor used in movie theaters around the world. The DADR-5000 is a disk-based audio dubber used on Hollywood sound stages. ADSG was awarded a Technical Academy Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2000 for the development of the DADR-5000. Ara holds three patents for his development work in Digital Cinema and Digital Audio Recording. Every week they put together a podcast about High Definition TV and Home Theater. Each episode brings news from the A/V world, helpful product reviews and insights and help in demystifying and simplifying HDTV and home theater. Our email address is hdtvpodcast@mac.com

  1. Podcast #1166: CEDIA Expo 2024

    1 DAY AGO

    Podcast #1166: CEDIA Expo 2024

    On this week’s show DJ travels to Denver CO to attend CEDIA and we get a field report. We also read your email and take a look at the week’s news. News: Samsung “Premieres” Two New 4K Ultra-Short Throw Projectors US Open, college football coverage pulled for millions of DirecTV customers over carriage dispute with Disney Panasonic TVs return to the US with a huge 85-inch Mini LED screen Other: Radio Shack Catalogs CEDIA EXPO 2024 CEDIA Expo, the only show dedicated to residential tech, will connect home tech pros in Denver, CO, September 5-7, 2024. The CEDIA Smart Home Technology Conference will run September 4-6, 2024. CEDIA Expo 2024 will also be co-located with the Commercial Integrator Expo.

    51 min
  2. Podcast #1165: Is Now the Time for Smell-O-Vision?

    AUG 30

    Podcast #1165: Is Now the Time for Smell-O-Vision?

    On this week’s show Ara and DJ discuss data usage in a world that is relying more and more on streaming for entertainment. They also discuss a future where you can smell what is going on on screen. They also read your emails and discuss the week’s news. News: YouTube TV adding custom multiview to NFL Sunday Ticket Chick-fil-A Is Launching a Streaming Service DIRECTV & DIRECTV STREAM Could Soon Lose ESPN & Other Disney-Owned Channels Unless a New Deal is Reached Comcast Begins to Sunset CableCARD Other: 3D-Bluray Rental Choovie Rentals GameFly Many U.S. Broadband Users Consume More than 1 TB of Data Each Month More than 18% of U.S. broadband users now consume 1 terabyte or more of data each month, according to the latest quarterly report from OpenVault. Full article here… MovieScent brings sense of smell to home entertainment Elevated Perceptions, a specialist in the realm of immersive gaming and entertainment experiences, has unveiled MovieScent, an AI-powered device that releases real-time scents based on events and environments within movies, TV shows, televised sporting events and streams. Full Article here…

    55 min
  3. Podcast #1164: Are Gigabit Powerline Ethernet Adapters Worth it?

    AUG 23

    Podcast #1164: Are Gigabit Powerline Ethernet Adapters Worth it?

    On this week’s show  we discuss a couple of solutions to Chuck’s Ethernet problem including a  revisit of Powerline Ethernet Adapters. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news. News: Venu Sports Faces Very Real Prospect of Preliminary Injunction NHL's Florida Panthers Sign ViewLift to Take Them DTC More FAST Viewers Are Dropping Subscription Streaming Services Other: The Ultimate CEDIA 2024 VIP Experience Giveaway! FAQnatics YouTube Nexuslink Gigabit Powerline Adapter A few weeks ago one of our listeners asked us for help trying to run Ethernet data over an HDMI cable. Today, in our email segment, we discussed a novel approach to his problem by just using the HDMI cable as an Ethernet cable by simply removing the connectors and using the existing wires. There is another approach, one that we have discussed many many years ago, using Powerline Adapters. Back in the day, we were happy getting one or two Mbps via these cables and for what we were doing back then it was good enough. However, streaming companies increased their data rates to improve quality and suddenly this approach was dead. If it weren’t for listening to a podcast recently I would have never thought to consider this approach. The podcast made the claim that Powerline adapters have gotten much better. To the point where they can reach gigabit speeds. Very skeptical, I went on Amazon and bought the cheapest adapters I could find, the Nexuslinlk G.HN 1200 Wave 1 Powerline Adapter Kit (GPL-1200-KIT) for $40. Features: Includes everything you need in order to turn your electrical outlets into an ultra fast network. Expand your internet anywhere in the home with up to 16 devices in one network. Enhance your network performance for streaming and gaming. Reduces Lag and dropped frames using LDPC/FEC (Forward Error Correction) technology. Designed for high density environments (eg. Apartments, business offices, condos, hotels, etc.) using NDIM Signal Segregation Technology. Delivers better real world performance with unique G.hn algorithms that improve upon older powerline standards. Technology like MIMO Dual Phase Technology delivers a faster and more reliable connection and LDPC to reliably cross phases Installing Ethernet Cable can be expensive and troublesome. Get a strong, direct internet connection without the trouble. Setup: Plug one device into a wall socket and connect the provided Ethernet into your router. It is important that the device is plugged directly into the wall. We tested with extension cables and socket expanders and found they degrade the speed. We also found that wiring into a switch slows the signal down a bit. But to be honest we don’t know if that was because we plugged into a switch or that particular wall socket was noisier than the rest.  The second adapter can be plugged in anywhere you need a network connection. In our test we chose a socket on the kitchen island and then wired into a laptop. The entire process took about ten minutes. Performance: To measure performance we ran a speed test. We did multiple tests.The fastest time were: Ping 16ms Down 64.13Mbs Up 51.34 Typical speeds were off by three or four Mbps both up and down. For comparison. Using wifi at that location saw: Ping 116ms Down 272.56Mbs Up 109.23 Which is significantly faster!  So is it worth it?  The speeds we got in our test were nowhere near what was advertised in the product literature. Your results may vary so keep that in mind. However, if you have a spot where your wifi can’t reach and you don’t want to run Ethernet cables, this solution is recommended without hesitation. At 40 dollars getting 60Mbps to your entertainment system will more than allow you to stream 4K!

    53 min
  4. Podcast #1163: Streamers to Keep and How Going to the Movies is Changing

    AUG 16

    Podcast #1163: Streamers to Keep and How Going to the Movies is Changing

    On this week’s show Ara and DJ discuss what streaming services to keep and which one to let go. We also look at how going to movies are changing through charts and graphs. We also read your emails and look at the week’s news. News: Roku to Launch Dedicated FAST Sports Channel New chip design heralds arrival of compact low-power 4K projectors Netflix Christmas Day NFL Games To Be Produced By CBS Sports The Drew Carey Show Is Now Streaming for Free Online Other: onn. Google TV 4K Pro Streaming Device (New, 2024), 4K UHD resolution, Dolby Vision & Dolby ATMOS, Hands-Free Voice Control, Smart Hub I'd Keep Peacock but Skip These Streaming Services in August 2024 Streaming TV will really take off in the fall when shows like “Agatha All Along” and “The Penguin” hit the scene, but August isn't dry at all. The “Umbrella Academy” bows out for good on Netflix while “KAOS” and “A Good Girl's Guide to Murder” debut. But there are at least two streamers -- that aren't Netflix -- with worthy lineups this month, and Peacock is one of them. Full article here… How Going to the Movies Is Changing, in Charts We received an email from one of our listeners (John Lyman) in the Wall Street Journal titled - How Going to the Movies Is Changing, in Charts (paywall). John was kind enough to paste the charts in his email for our review. So here is our take on how going to the movies is changing.

    1h 3m
  5. Podcast #1162: HDTV Stress Test Key Findings

    AUG 9

    Podcast #1162: HDTV Stress Test Key Findings

    On this week’s show DJ Briggs (Bright Side Home Theater) joins me while Braden is taking the month off. We discuss the Key Findings from the RTINGS.COM HDTV Stress Test and we read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.  News: Venu Sports Stays Below vMVPD Partners on Price DirecTV UX Update for Satellite Customers Is Its First in Five Years … And Perhaps Its Last U.S. Subscription Streaming Had Its Most Watched Week Ever Roku Most-Used Streaming Media Device Key Findings From Running 100 TVs for Over 10,000 Hours RTINGS.COM We have been following RTINGS.COM’s accelerated longevity test on 100 TVs pretty much from the beginning. They started this experiment back in October 2022. They have some key findings out which led them to conclude that thin LCD TVs break faster under prolonged use.  They concluded: The goal of RTINGS.com's ongoing 100 TV longevity test is to push TVs to the limits of their durability to examine failure points as they happen. One clear trend we've observed and investigated is that thin, edge-lit LCD TVs fail prematurely compared to LCD TVs with other backlighting technology. The results of this investigation are unequivocal: edge-lit TVs are inherently prone to significant durability issues, including warped reflector sheets, cracked light guide plates, and burnt-out LEDs due to concentrated heat. These problems manifest after prolonged use at maximum brightness, posing a significant risk to their long-term reliability. This analysis, corroborated by real-world observations, highlights a crucial consideration for  consumers and the industry. As manufacturers continue to push for thinner designs, addressing these durability concerns is imperative to ensure consumer satisfaction and    trust. For consumers in the market for an LCD TV to whom the durability of their purchase is important, we recommend prioritizing models with better heat distribution, such as direct-lit or FALD TVs, for improved longevity and performance.

    1h 1m
  6. Podcast #1161: Entry Home Theater System

    AUG 2

    Podcast #1161: Entry Home Theater System

    On this week’s show we look at the Best Home Theater Systems of 2024 according to CNET. Then we define a system that actually is a home theater system! We also read your emails and look at the week’s news. News: MLB Network Launches Standalone Streaming Service, Available Without a Pay-TV Subscription Roku's ad director wants to bring Instagram-style shoppable ads to your smart TV Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney launch Hulu, Disney+, Max bundle Roku Acquires Streaming Rights for Beloved Sitcom “The Goldbergs” from Sony Pictures Television Other: NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING FOR UNLOCKING MOBILE PHONES DIRECTV Equipment Best Home Theater Systems of 2024 When we saw this article over at CNET we remembered the days of Home Theater in a Box setup. Do those even exist anymore? Anyway, we checked out this article wondering what is considered the Best Home Theater System. We came away thinking we may have taken steps backwards for the sake of simplicity. Full article here… Best Budget Soundbar - Roku Streambar Street Price ~$125 Best Budget Surround Sound Speaker Package Klipsch Reference Theater Pack  5.1 System Street Price ~ $400 Best Bookshelf Speakers Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 Street Price ~$400  Best Home Theater Soundbar System Vizio Elevate Street Price ~$700  Best 8K receiver Onkyo TX-NR6100 Street Price ~$475 If you are looking for a capable but value 5.1 system we have designed a “Home Theater in a Box System” for you! Our system will cost you more. However, it will sound much better! And for the record, we receive nothing from the manufacturers.  For speakers - The RSL CG3M 5.1 home theater system. This is a 5.1 system that includes four bookshelf, one center, and one subwoofer. The cost is $850. For the receiver - Denon AVR-X1800H. It's a 7.2 or 5.2.2 receiver (room for growth) that supports all the things we care about! It goes for $560. Total cost $1410. Yes, that’s $535 more than the Onkyo and Klipsch system from the CNET article but it's much better and can grow with you.

    22 min
  7. Podcast #1160: The Best HTDVs for the Summer - RTINGS.COM

    JUL 26

    Podcast #1160: The Best HTDVs for the Summer - RTINGS.COM

    On this week’s show we take a look at the summer’s best TVs according to RTINGS.COM. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news. News: This ‘Google TV Streamer’ set-top box is what comes after Chromecast Spotify HiFi likely to cost $17 or $18 a month Verizon Can Get Free NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV or YouTube DirecTV Warns FCC: Without Early Termination Fees, Our Equipment and Installation Costs Are Going To Be Paid For by Our Customers Upfront The  Best TVs - Summer 2024 - RTINGS.COM RTINGS.COM has published an article “The 8 Best TVs - Summer 2024” and we take a look at four of them. The article has the entire list. Best Budget TV - Hisense U6/U6K (Street Price $780 for 75” if you can find it) If you want to spend less, the best budget TV we've tested is the Hisense U6/U6K. It delivers a surprisingly great performance for the price. The Hisense has excellent contrast, so dark scenes look amazing in a dark room, with little blooming around bright areas of the screen. It also has good peak brightness in SDR and decent reflection handling, so glare isn't an issue in a brighter room. It has an excellent color volume, making this TV very colorful overall. It's bright enough in HDR for a pleasant viewing experience, and just like the Hisense U7N, it supports both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision HDR, although it doesn't support advanced DTS audio formats. Full Review… Mixed Usage 7.4, TV Shows 6.9, Sports 7.0, Video Games 7.8, HDR Movies 7.5, HDR Gaming 8.0, PC Monitor  7.7 Best Mid-Range TV - LG B3 OLED (Street Price $1800 for 77”) The LG B3 OLED is the best mid-range TV we've tested if you want something cheaper and still want high-end features. It's a great mid-range TV and can be an excellent entry point into the OLED market. The TV has all the features of the more expensive LG C3 OLED, but the B3 is dimmer and has only two HDMI 2.1 ports. It still delivers outstanding picture quality, especially in a dark room, with its near-infinite contrast ratio delivering deep, inky blacks with no distracting blooming. Its built-in webOS platform is just as fast on this lower-tier model, and it still has very good image processing, so it has no issues upscaling lower-resolution content if you watch DVDs, cable boxes, or Blu-rays. It also has Dolby Vision HDR and supports DTS advanced audio formats, which is great for physical media as it tends to use DTS for their audio tracks. Full Review… Mixed Usage 8.7, TV Shows 8.3, Sports 8.5, Video Games 9.3, HDR Movies 8.8, HDR Gaming 9.0, PC Monitor 9.2 Best Bright Room TV - Sony BRAVIA 9 QLED (Street Price $3500 for 75”) If you need a TV for a room with a lot of lights on, the Sony BRAVIA 9 QLED is an amazing option. Its superb reflection handling and SDR brightness mean it easily overcomes glare in the brightest rooms, so you aren't distracted by reflections on your TV screen. As impressive as this TV is in a bright room, it's also spectacular for use in a dark room. It has exceptional contrast that delivers incredibly deep blacks that are close to what you get from an OLED, with almost no blooming, thanks to its highly effective local dimming control. It's also a great option for 4k Blu-ray collectors or those looking to get the most out of high-quality streaming services due to its support for Dolby Vision and DTS audio formats. Full Review… Mixed Usage 8.8, TV Shows 8.4, Sports 8.3, Video Games 9.1, HDR Movies 9.0, HDR Gaming 9.0, PC Monitor 8.7 Best Home Theater TV - Sony A95L OLED (Street Price $5000 for 77”) If you're looking for the absolute best TV for a home theater setup and don't care as much about the price, check out the Sony A95L OLED. Although it's a very similar TV to the Samsung S90C OLED, it's better for home theaters thanks to its advanced video format support. Compared to Samsung's HDR10+ format, the Sony TV supports the more popular Dolby Vision HDR, so you'll enjoy the most advanced HDR experience possible from

    36 min
  8. Podcast #1159: Apple TV vs Google TV

    JUL 19

    Podcast #1159: Apple TV vs Google TV

    On this week’s show we have an AppleTV and a native GoogleTV comparison from a listener. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.  News: Samsung is helping to bring AirPlay to more hotel rooms NBCUniversal to Offer 400+ Hours of 4K HDR Olympics Coverage on USA Network, a Record Turns out Netflix makes more money if it just acts like regular TV Other: Handcrafted in the USA - Vintage Reclaimed Maple & Elm Speakers Doitforme.solutions Apollo Group TV Apple TV vs Google TV - John Lyman Around Thanksgiving the finance committee allowed me to purchase a new Hisense U7K 75” 4K TV.  However, once I got the TV setup and ready to go, something weird happened with my Apple TV that I had been using on the TV in that room. Max just stopped working. I did all the troubleshooting to no avail.  I decided that I would give the built in Google TV a shot to see if that could be a long-term solution. Over the course of six months I went back and forth with the two platforms and took notes. I thought I would write up my findings for everyone.   A few caveats: This is my first experience with Google TV  The Google TV is the built in version on my TV  I live in the Apple ecosystem and I have owned every Apple TV from the 1st gen to the current.  So, I do know the Apple TV a lot better, but I did my best to be fair. User Interface  Apple TV: The user interface is very nice, it seems lighter, crisp and clean. You can easily design the Home Screen the way you would like it laid out and create folders. I have a folder for my main TV/Movie apps, then one for sports, another for movies, etc.   Because you can customize the Home Screen it is very easy to navigate to where you want to go.   Google TV:  When you open it, you are at the top of google TV page with their offerings and everything is laid out in rows.  The App icons seem smaller than apps on the Apple TV and smaller than the “Google Recommended” apps.  You must scroll past those to get to your apps. I have not found a way to rearrange the main page so I can move my apps above the recommended offerings.  You can move your apps in the order you would like but it is not as nice.  I did try to find out if you can use folders on Google TV and it does not look like you can.  The interface is what it is. Remotes: Apple TV: The metal Siri remote in my opinion is one of the best remotes out there.  I can control 98% of what I need to use from that one remote.  The other 2% is for those times I can’t find a digital copy of a movie I own and need to use the Blu-Ray or tweak the picture of the TV.  Very quick to navigate with the remote around the Apple TV.  Also, the iPhone companion remote is really good too.  Google TV:  The remote that came with the TV controls my HT gear and if I used Google home I’m sure the remote's mic would give me voice control of lights and thermostat similar to the Apple remote.  Additionally, I find swiping over the touch-enabled clickpad much easier than clicking up/down/left/right buttons on the TV’s remote.  I didn’t have luck setting up the iPhone remote with the TV, this is probably a me item and I didn’t spend a lot of time worrying about it.  Apple TV+ vs Google TV’s Home app: Both apps have a lot in common, like Movie/TV suggestions, an area for your purchased content,  etc. Apple’s implementation is self-contained and can be placed anywhere on your home screen.  Google’s version is fixed at the top of the screen and you must scroll down the screen to get to your apps.  Picture quality, audio and App Responsiveness:  So the last test was to actually watch some video to see if there was any difference.   The setup: Internet – AT&T 1.0 GPS fiber, using a TPLink Mesh router – delivering 300 Mbs to the TV Denon AVR-X3200W receiver – running Dolby Atmos Speakers – RSL home theater package, 12” RSL speedwoofer and mirage omni-directional Atmos speakers I set

    49 min
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About

The HT Guys, Ara Derderian and Braden Russell, are Engineers who formerly worked for the Advanced Digital Systems Group (ADSG) of Sony Pictures Entertainment. ADSG was the R&D unit of the sound department producing products for movie theaters and movie studios. Two of the products they worked on include the DCP-1000 and DADR-5000. The DCP is a digital cinema processor used in movie theaters around the world. The DADR-5000 is a disk-based audio dubber used on Hollywood sound stages. ADSG was awarded a Technical Academy Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2000 for the development of the DADR-5000. Ara holds three patents for his development work in Digital Cinema and Digital Audio Recording. Every week they put together a podcast about High Definition TV and Home Theater. Each episode brings news from the A/V world, helpful product reviews and insights and help in demystifying and simplifying HDTV and home theater. Our email address is hdtvpodcast@mac.com

Information

  • Creator
    HT Guys
  • Years Active
    2005 - 2024
  • Episodes
    719
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    Copyright © 2022, HT Guys. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

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