Podcast #644: Pioneer VSX-44 Elite 7.2 Home Theater Receiver

Back in May of 2013 we reviewed one of Pioneer’s entry Elite models the VSX-70. At that time we were impressed with the sound quality but the MSRP of $750 may have been a barrier for some. Now Pioneer has introduced two new entry Elites (VSX-80 MSRP $700 and VSX-44 MSRP $500) that have more capability and lower prices. We take a closer look at the VSX-44.

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Podcast #643: Oppo BDP-103D Blu-ray Player, Darbee Edition Review

Oppo Digital has long been a favorite of the HT Guys. There have certainly been more expensive and exotic Blu-ray players built, but we’re yet to find a competitor that packs the functionality and features of an Oppo, with the same build quality at the same price. Dollar for dollar, Oppo makes what is probably the best Blu-ray player you should ever need to buy.

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Podcast #642: Interview with Mark Ely, CEO of SimpleTV

There has been a lot in the news about cutting the cord lately especially in light of the recent supreme court decision regarding Aereo’s business model. We learned that its a copyright infringement if a company leases you equipment that captures OTA signals, transcodes them and then sends them to you via the Internet. But its not against the law if you do that yourself. There are a few products on the market that can do this. One of them is Simple.TV.

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Podcast #641: Dolby Atmos Enabled Speakers and Receivers

When we first read the Pioneer press release about Dolby Atmos enabled speakers, we’ll admit, it sounded a bit puzzling and we found ourselves scratching our heads. Atmos enabled receivers? Sure, that makes sense, but what does it take to make an Atmos enabled speaker? We’ve never heard of a Dolby TrueHD enabled speaker, or a DTS-HD Master Audio enabled speaker. So what is the difference with Atmos that it needs, or can even provide, a special speaker?

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Podcast #640: ATSC 2.0: Over the Air gets Better... But is it too late?

Before there was HDTV there was NTSC (National Television System Committee) or, as it was known by most people today, standard definition. That was the standard developed in 1941 and was in effect until it was superseded by ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) which brought us high definition television - which in turn gave rise to this podcast!

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Podcast #639: Sonos Playbar and Sub Review

We’ve reviewed multiple soundbars in the past, from a wide variety of companies, but we’ve never reviewed a Playbar. What is the difference between a soundbar and the Playbar by Sonos? Quite a bit as it turns out. Knowing Sonos we expected big things, and we weren’t disappointed in the slightest. The Playbar sells for $699 and the optional Sub for an additional $699.

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