AVexcel - Episode 194 →

AVexcel - Episode 194
Recorded on November 25, 2022
Hosts: Patrick Norton and Robert Heron 

The rundown:
- Next Patreon hangout on Dec 22nd
- Projector lamp sources
- Calculators are your (projection) friend
- Comcast + FIFA + Dolby Vision
- Business/commercial display options
- New Disney+ plans/prices
- Dolby Vision picture presets
- The best 4K and 8K LCD TVs
- Equal Loudness curve/contour
- CTA-2010 subwoofer benchmark
- Bill Burr's podcast on YouTube
- Your excellent feedback & questions
- Email us ask@avexcel.com
- What we're watching

AVexcel is 100% powered by our awesome crew of Patreon supporters - thank you! 

Visit www.AVexcel.com for links, show notes, contact info, and more! 

Link to this episode page

#CommissionsEarned with some links

AVexcel - Episode 38

Recorded on March 7, 2017 

Patrick Norton and Robert Heron are listening to the home theater goodness 

Our Patreon supporters make AVexcel possible, and we thank 'em all 

Exciting the senses

• Patreon Google Hangouts
  • March 16th and 30th
• YouTube TV
  • "TV made for you"
  • $35/mo
  • 6 accounts
  • 40+ channels
  • Unlimited DVR
• Spotify to offer lossless
• Netflix's AI video optimizations

Pat's electrostatic adventures

• The Source AV
• Sennheiser Orpheus HE 1
• HIFIMAN Shangri-La
• MrSpeakers Aeon

AV 101: Electrostatic loudspeaker

• Dynamic (speaker) headphones
  • Monoprice 8323
  • Focal Utopia
• Planar magnetic speakers
  • Fostex T50RP
  • HIFIMAN HE400s
  • MrSpeakers ETHER Flow

Sonos PLAYBASE

• Sound-base design
• ~2.3 inches high
• 10 speakers
  • Class D drivers for each
  • 6 mids
  • 3 tweeters
  • 1 sub
• $700

LG W7 Wallpaper OLED

• An all around better OLED
• Superb HD reproduction
• New 2-pt HDR calibration
• ~20ms HDR game mode
• 65-/77-inches

And then some...

• Samsung QLED TVs available now
• Dolby Lab tour
  • Great view

What we're watching

• Blu-rays
  • Moana
  • Jackie
  • S.O.B.

Gaming goodness

• Firewatch
• Nintendo Switch

Thank you

Visit us at AVexcel.com

Connect with us

• Tweet
  • @avexcel
  • @patricknorton
  • @robertheron
• Email
• AVexcel sub-Reddit
• Facebook

Enjoy

Subscribe to AVexcel

• iTunes
• Google Play
• RSS

Download the MP3

Link to this episode page

Episode 30

Patrick Norton and Robert Heron are preloading the home theater goodness

Our Patreon supporters make AVexcel possible, and we thank 'em all

Stimulating the senses

• The 'week' of 'deals'
• Formula 1 going 4K
• Chromecast Ultra

Chinese OLEDs

• LG has competition
• BOE unveils it’s own OLED creation
• Many unknowns

The new stuff: CES 2017

• TekThing meetup
  • Atomic Liquors

Netflix Offline

• Easy to use
• For the mobile user
• Tip: set to Wi-Fi xfer only

DirecTV Now

• No CBS (yet)
• Steady improvements or die
• CNET’s Super STB Chart

Bright Room Viewing

• Optimize 'Standard' TV preset
• Reduce contrast/sharpness
• Noise reduction can help
• Check picture size/processing
• Eye-savers
  • f.lux
  • ClickMonitorDDC
• Display Data Channel (DDC)

Donovan's curious about Pat's sound

• Plex Media Server
• Kodi Home Theater Software
• ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 vs Debut B6
• Volumio
• Roon Labs
• ELAC DS-S101G Music Server
• Tidal
• My Movies

Blu-ray movies for less than $10

Patreon Hangout - stay tuned!

Thank you

Visit us at AVexcel.com

Connect with us

• Tweet
  • @avexcel
  • @patricknorton
  • @robertheron
• Email
• AVexcel sub-Reddit
• Facebook

Enjoy

Download the MP3
Subscribe to AVexcel on iTunes or RSS
Link to this episode page

Recorded December 1, 2016

Episode #029

Patrick Norton and Robert Heron are maximizing the home theater goodness

Our Patreon supporters make AVexcel possible, and we thank every one of them

The guys are (finally) back

What excites your senses

• Domestic bliss
• Mayhem in moderation
• Less Mad Max in Bay Area

Speaker acceptance factor

• KEF T305 surround sound system
• ELAC Uni-FI B5
• Bookshelf speaker placement
  • Elevated + off the wall
• Speaker stands
  • Pangea Audio LS200
  • LS300 for a little more
• Blu-Tack Reusable Adhesive
• Sorbothane
• Spiked speaker stands (or not)
  • Audioholics to the rescue

Full-bore 3D sound setup

• Atmos allows for 30+ speakers
• 11-channel amp/decoder/receiver = $$$
  • Denon AVR-X6300H = fine example
• Trinnov Altitude32 preamplifier = lust-worthy
• Pat: stereo ceiling Atmos setup sounds good
• Emotiva

We want your questions ask@avexcel.com

Two Patreon Hangouts down + many more to come

Brian aka @neccros Tweeted a need for Class-T amplification

• Needs small footprint
• $200 or less
• Start w/Lepai Class-T amp
• Lepy LP-2020A Class-D
• Upgrade power supply for better sound
• Dayton Audio APA100
  • Class AB, $99

HDMI Follow-up

• Samsung UHD BD player (UBD-K8500) does 4K apps too
• Fewer HDMI issues thanks to Simplay Labs

Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) Follow-up

• Not 'no metadata', but a scene-referred signal
• For live production, not stuff on discs/streaming
• Some 4K projectors support HLG now

Favorite Blu-ray/4K/Streaming

• Netflix The Crown = really good
• To Live and Die in L.A.
• One-eyed Jacks
• Kubo and the Two Strings
• The Squid and the Whale
• C.H.U.D.

Transducers for all the LFE

• ButtKicker
• AuraSound Pro Bass Shaker
• The Bass Shaker Site

Thank you

Visit us at AVexcel.com

Connect with us

• Tweet
  • @avexcel
  • @patricknorton
  • @robertheron
• Email
• AVexcel sub-Reddit
• Facebook

Enjoy

Download the MP3
Subscribe to AVexcel on iTunes or RSS
Link to this episode page

Recorded November 23, 2016

Episode #027

Patrick Norton and Robert Heron have returned for more home theater goodness

Our Patreon supporters make AVexcel possible, and we thank every one of them

The guys are (finally) back

• Adventures and shoveling dirt
• More Patreon Hangouts

Shop smarter every day

• Black/Cyber/<insert name> <insert day(s)>
• @snubs shopping laws
  • Know what you want
  • Know what it's priced at
  • Know what a real sale is

Rocky Mountain Audio Fest

• Denver, Colorado
• Audeze planar magnetics
  • LCD-4 headphones
  • Sine on-ear headphones
  • iSine in-ear headphones
• Roon Labs
  • Album art in the digital age
• Embedded Audiophile
  • Rune Audio
  • Volumio
• For the love of
  • CDs & Vinyl
  • Blu-ray Audio
• Zu Audio high efficiency speakers
  • Prototype Zu Experience speaker
  • Soul
  • Soul Supreme
• Peachtree Audio
  • nova300 Amplifier
  • deepblue2 Bluetooth Music System
    • "it's pretty badass"
• KEF Blade speakers
  • LS50 Mini Monitor speakers
• Klipsch
• Tekton Design Mini Lore speakers
• ELAC
  • Uni-Fi UF5 tower speaker
  • A101EQ-G Integrated Amplifier
• Focal headphones/loudspeakers
• PSB Speakers
• Hifiman
• InnerFidelity
• Head-Fi
• MrSpeakers
• Astell&Kern
• Rupert Neve mixing consoles
• Audioquest NightOwl Carbon headphones
• McIntosh Laboratory
• PS Audio
• beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro
• Thoeress 845 mono power amp
• And much, much more

Adventures in China + Hong Kong

• 14,700+ miles/14 days
• Planes, trains, cars, buses, foot
• Hisense in Qingdao
  • Traffic automation masters
  • R&D facility
  • Assembly
  • (Destructive) testing
  • Subjective/objective analysis
  • RF/Anechoic chamber
  • Laser Cast TV
    • 4K DLP short throw laser
    • Screen is the key
    • See it in action at CES
    • ~$10K retail price
• H8C Series TV out now
• HDR H10C soon
• Watching cell phones being born
• Nantong...Shenzhen...Beijing
• Kowloon/Hong Kong
  • Great public transit
  • No VPN needed
• Powerplug adapter to rule them all
• USB power pack
• Travel more
  • Agoda for hotels
  • Qua for flights
• Air quality concerns
  • Air Quality Index
• N95 and P95 filtering recommended

Thank you

Visit us at AVexcel.com

Connect with us

• Tweet
  • @avexcel
  • @patricknorton
  • @robertheron
• Email
• AVexcel sub-Reddit
• Facebook

Enjoy

Download the MP3
Subscribe to AVexcel on iTunes or RSS
Link to this episode page

Recorded on November 14, 2016

Episode #009

Welcome to episode 009 of the AVexcel podcast

Our Patreon supporters make AVexcel possible, and every bit helps

This week Patrick Norton and Robert Heron bask in home theater goodness

On the table

• Air blower
• Amp Camp Amp (PDF)
• RIVA S
• KEF MUO
• Mobile gear

Samsung's UHD Blu-ray player arrives

• CNET's solid review
• Enable TV's 'UHD color' option
• Initial UHD Blu-ray movie quirks
• Such an odd collection of 4K titles
  • The Martian
  • Deadpool
  • Sicario
  • Chappie
  • Salt
  • Pan
  • Concussion
  • Hancock
  • Wild
  • The Revenant
    • Congratulations, Leo
  • Ender's Game
  • The Maze Runner
  • San Andreas
  • The Peanuts Movie
  • Mad Max: Fury Road

Lab time: 2016 Samsung KS9500 LCD

Blu-ray movies of interest

• The Decline of Western Civilization
• Howard the Duck
• Xanadu
• The Flash: Season 1
• History of the World Part 1

Going 4K...slowly
 
Daniel asks about the fate of AnyDVD HD

• Blu-ray decryption software
• SlySoft is gone
• Great coverage on MyCE
• Alternatives
  • MakeMKV
  • DVDFab

AnyDVD lives (in Belize)!

• RedFox Forums
• Lifetime subscriptions still work
• Great free virtual drive sw

Michael's tip for Chris' power woes

• Try disabling CEC

TampaOrange via Reddit loves Marantz

• Marantz SR series w/HDAM
• Compact NR series wo/HDAM

kpbearfl via Reddit on DTS:X

• AVR bargain: Onkyo TX-NR646

Marc needs white stereo RCA cables

• Blue Jeans Cable
• Custom DIY: Home Theater Shack
• Add an RCA cable coupler

Steve asks if the time is now for ultra-high definition

• 4K projectors are available
• Sub-$2K 4K projectors not here yet
• UHD setup tools
  • Florian Friedrich's UHDTEST.com
  • SpectraCal's CalMAN

The AVexcel sub-Reddit is a great place for group interaction

And, we'll soon be adding additional show support methods for folks who prefer an alternative to Patreon

Enjoy!

Download the MP3
Subscribe to AVexcel on iTunes or RSS

Recording date: March 2nd, 2016