Podcast #1234: Happy New Year!
HDTV and Home Theater Podcast
Happy New Year from the HT Guys!
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Podcast #1233: The Streamable Awards
HDTV and Home Theater Podcast
On this week’s show we look at the streamable awards and we read your emails and look at the week’s news. News: Other: The Streamable Awards Let’s be honest, being a cord-cutter in 2025 wasn’t for the faint of heart. If you felt like you needed a spreadsheet to track which app housed your favorite shows or a law degree to understand why the sports you wanted to watch were blacked out, you weren’t alone. This was the year that the industry seemingly threw everything at the wall — dizzying rebrands, the demise of standalone apps, and the aggressive return of the “bundle”...
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Podcast #1232: Large Format TV vs Projector
HDTV and Home Theater Podcast
On this week’s show DJ Briggs from fills in for Braden who is away on business. We ask DJ to give us his opinion on using a large format TV as a replacement for a projector. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news. News: Other: Swapping a projector for a 100” TV Jon Taylor recently purchased a TCL 98QM7K (2025 model, QD-Mini LED QLED with Google TV) during Black Friday for $1,999.99 (50% off the $3,999.99 retail price). After using it for a couple of weeks in his basement home theater (replacing an older 82" Samsung and supplementing a projector...
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Podcast #1231: Mail Bag
HDTV and Home Theater Podcast
On this week’s show we come back after taking a week off and read your emails and take a look at the week’s news. News: Other: Listener Emails On this week’s show we read your emails. The following are links that are discussed on the show. Brady’s 98” TV Dilemma - $1800 vs $5000 Eric’s recommendation for . Scott’s email about connecting your set top box correctly - and and $20,000 Mark’s solution for Chamberlain dropping support for Google Home, Apple Home, and Amazon A-Lady. And we finish the main part of this episode with Joe’s app recommendation link...
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Podcast #1230: Matter Update
HDTV and Home Theater Podcast
This week Ara is on vacation and rather than skip a show we go back to May of 2022 where we looked at a panel discussion about teh then new automation framework Matter. We play for you that discussion and then Braden and I discuss that current state. Emails and news will return next week.
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Podcast #1229: Second Screen Viewing
HDTV and Home Theater Podcast
On this week’s show we look at the phenomenon of watching a little screen while simultaneously watching a big screen. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news. News: Second Screen Viewing The phrase “Second Screen Viewing” is when a person watches TV and simultaneously uses a secondary device like a smartphone, tablet, or laptop to engage with content related (or unrelated) to what’s on the TV. On this week’s show we will focus on the “unrelated” aspect Second Screen Viewing and how it is affecting what you watch on your TVs...
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Podcast #1228: Black Friday 2025
HDTV and Home Theater Podcast
On this week’s show we find you the best Black Friday deals for your home theater, well at least at the time of recording. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news. News: Other: Bright Side Home Theater MOVEMBER MEGA RAFFLE 2025 Black Friday 2025 Each year we go through the Black Friday ads from various stores and list items. It's a long list and can be tedious to listen to. So this year we decided to search out what we thought were the best deals on various items for your Home Theater and Smart Home. This year many retailers are not releasing their sales until...
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Podcast #1227: Best AV Receivers for Newbies, Enthusiasts, and Fanatics
HDTV and Home Theater Podcast
On this week’s show we look at alternatives to YouTube TV for sports fans. We also look at AV Receivers for Home Theater Newbies, Enthusiasts, and Fanatics. And like always, we start with your emails and take a look at the week’s news. News; Other: Please support Movember and enter to win great prizes from Bright Side Home Theater Best AV Receivers for Newbies, Enthusiasts, and Fanatics It's getting close to Black Friday and you may want to upgrade your home theater system for the Holidays and you are wondering what AVR should I consider. Well the HT Guys have done the...
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HDTV Rewind Episode #15: Your email and News
HDTV and Home Theater Podcast
On this episode of the Rewind show we go back to November 12, 2010 where we read your emails, look at a news story or two.
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Podcast #1226: What is Automatic Content Recognition (ACR)?
HDTV and Home Theater Podcast
On this week’s show we have an essay from one of our listeners on why he wants to stick with his DVR over streaming. We also take a deep dive into Automatic Content Recognition and how to turn it off on your smart TVs. As usual we also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news. News: Please support Movember and enter to win great prizes from Bright Side Home Theater Swimming against the Stream - An essay from Jorge Beltran I know I will sound old and swimming against current, but I would like to go back to my world where we had our cable subscriptions, DVR and...
info_outlineOn this week’s show DJ Briggs from Brightside Home Theater fills in for Braden who is away on business. We ask DJ to give us his opinion on using a large format TV as a replacement for a projector. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.
News:
- LG will debut its first Micro RGB television at CES
- Local ABC, CBS, FOX, & NBC Stations Are Demanding Up to a 50% Price Hike for Cable TV Customers
- WBD board recommends rejection of Paramount’s takeover bid
Other:
- YouTube TV Wants to Unbundle the Cable Package That Streamers Were Meant to Kill in the First Place
- Tailwind
- Meross Garage Door Opener
Swapping a projector for a 100” TV
Jon Taylor recently purchased a TCL 98QM7K (2025 model, QD-Mini LED QLED with Google TV) during Black Friday for $1,999.99 (50% off the $3,999.99 retail price). After using it for a couple of weeks in his basement home theater (replacing an older 82" Samsung and supplementing a projector setup), he shares highly positive impressions.
Key Highlights:
- Size and Installation: The 98" screen is enormous and immersive. Delivery and installation (included from Best Buy) went smoothly, though modifications to basement stairs were needed to fit the massive box.
- Picture Quality: Exceptional deep blacks (best non-OLED he's seen, rivaling his old Panasonic plasma), vibrant colors, and strong contrast. Upscaling of lower-resolution content (720p/1080p from cable, Blu-ray, streaming) is excellent. 4K sources, including Ultra HD Blu-ray and YouTube, look stunning with minimal motion blur.
- Performance Across Sources:
- Built-in Google TV streaming: Clear and smooth.
- Roku Premier: Deep blacks and popping colors.
- Standout: Apple TV 4K shines brightest, leveraging Dolby Vision for an incredibly vivid, "popping" image—far superior to non-Dolby Vision devices on his previous Samsung.
- Gaming and Features: 144Hz refresh rate delivers outstanding performance with low motion lag. Fun feature: Displays four simultaneous 48" screens for NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV.
- Observations: Large size exposes weaknesses in poor cable signals (fixed by rerouting). He notes TCL (and Hisense) are seriously challenging premium brands (Samsung, LG, Sony) with high-end specs at budget prices, earning praise from reviewers like RTINGS.com.
Jon historically preferred established brands for reliability but now sees TCL/Hisense as the new value leaders, similar to how Samsung/LG rose decades ago. He recommends checking out the latest high-end TCL models, especially for large sizes where premium brands were too expensive for him. He's also considering switching from Verizon Fios to a streaming TV service to cut costs.
Overall, Jon is thrilled with the TV's performance and value, calling it a "force to be reckoned with."