HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

The #2 homebuilder in the U.S., Lennar Homes, has become the first major homebuilder to adopt “Wi-Fi Certified Home Design,” a new Wi-Fi Alliance seal that ensures your home wireless network is designed for “whole-home connectivity, with no dead spots.” Sounds great, until you realize they aren't running wired connections anymore.

Back for the third installment, Amazon Prime Day hits next week. There's a lot to be ready for, and so many deals to be had. And with summer vacation season in full swing, we also have an in-depth look at how we use automation to make us feel at home while on vacation. Maybe some of our ideas will spark some new additions to your own home automation setup. And if you're lucky they may even be on sale on Prime Day.

Back in May we introduced you to RTINGS.COM and mentioned that we would feature some of their TV reviews on our site from time to time. This week is the first of such reviews and we start off with the Samsung Q9F QLED. Read the full detailed review at RTINGS.COM

DTS Virtual:X bridges the gap between the DTS:X codec and the reality of so many consumer's homes, allowing everyone to enjoy multi-dimensional sound regardless of room size, layout, or speaker configuration.

Scott Wilkinson, a regular contributor at AVSForum.com, asked THX CTO Scott Francis "to outline some basic tips from THX to optimize the location and setup of the display, speakers, and seating in order to get the most out of the entire system, whether it’s just you, your immediate family, or a big party watching movies, TV shows, or sports."

We speak with David Dicks of Common Sense Audio makers of Audio Nirvana full range drivers. Ara used the Classic 5 drivers on his latest build.

The 2017 CE Pro Brand Analysis shows that integrators are using a wide variety of products to satisfy increased consumer demand for streaming media systems, voice-controlled automation systems, and robust networks that are capable of supporting today’s bandwidth-reliant entertainment technology.

On today’s show we have an interview with Daniel O’Keefe of RTINGS.COM. We will be publishing some of their reviews on HTGUYS.COM from time to time so we wanted to introduce their site to you. We’ll also get a couple of TV recommendations from Daniel as well as a discussion on 4K and HDR.

Last May, on Episode 740, we talked about moving to a Tivo based system for home television instead of a (typically) much more expensive standard Cable or Satellite package. We built our system around the Tivo Bolt and a few Tivo Minis for whole-house DVR. The idea was that if we could get rid of all the Cable company or Satellite company boxes and just get down to the one CableCard needed for the Bolt, we could drastically reduce our monthly television bill. Braden has been living the experiment for the last year. So is it all we thought it would be?

We at the HT Guys are always striving to find TVs that can closely mimic the experience that a projector gives you. Shortly after CES we discussed the LeEco uMax85 Ecotv which, from a screen size perspective, is identical to a projector experience for all but those with a dedicated theater room. The uMax85 is a whopping 85 inches, 4K, supports wide color and HDR and only costs $5,500! No way you’re getting a 4K HDR projector for that much!