HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

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Podcast #769: Receiver Buying Guide 2016 Dec 08, 2016

Show notes

Receiver Buying Guide 2016

It is that time of year where we get to spend your money again! This week we concentrate on receivers. Our goal with these guides is not necessarily about getting the latest product. It's about getting a good product at a great price so you may see some of last year's gear on the list. All these receivers are readily available online or at a big box store. Just like last year's Buying Guide, we're going to skip the budget categories jump right to our top picks. We each pick three receivers and one 'money is no object' / 'dare to dream' receiver for you to consider.

Braden's Picks

I tried to ignore Ara's picks when selecting mine, as to not be biased one way or the other. But his newfound love for Marantz did have an impact on my list.

Sony STRDH770 7.2 Channel Home Theater 4K AV Receiver $199

I wanted to pick the Sony STRDH770 as my value option, but for some reason it is limited availability online so I'm not sure what that means. You can get it from Sony for $199. It has 7.2 channel x 145W of sound power, 4 HDMI Inputs / 1 Output with HDCP2.2 compatibility, supports 4K 60p 4:4:4 / HDR, front surround sound technology, Bluetooth and NFC for easy wireless streaming, USB connection for music playback, quick speaker set up with automatic calibration, DSD decoding thru HDMI, pretty much everything. All for under $200. If you want a model that is a bit more available online, you can step up to the STR-DN1070 for $449. It adds a few more watts per channel, a couple more HDMI ins/outs and second zone capabilities.

Denon AVR-X3300W 7.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD A/V Receiver $799

No list of mine would be complete without a Denon. They have so many great options for receivers, just looking at them made me feel like a kid in a candy store. This model, the X3300 feels like the perfect intersection of affordable and ultra capable. Let's rattle it off: 7.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD AV Receiver with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, HDCP2.2, HDR, Audyssey MultEQ XT32, 8/2 HDMI In/Out, the list goes on. If you can swing $800 for a receiver, this is the one you get. If you can go higher, check out the Denon candy store.

Marantz SR-6011 AV Audio & Video Component Receiver $1399

I've never owned a Marantz, but the way Ara raves about his (and how I've heard it perform), I may have to try one out. You know, for the show. If I was going to dip my toe in that water, I'd opt for the SR-6011. It's a bit on the pricey side, but wow does it pack a wallup. 9.2 channel receiver with 110W per channel with 11.2 channel processing capabilities. 3D and 4K Ultra HD/60Hz full rate pass-through with HDR, BT.2020, 4:4:4 Pure Color support; 8 HDMI inputs (incl. 1 front) and 2 outputs (Main/Zone 2) with full HCDP 2.2 support. 4K/60Hz Up-scaling. Built-in Bluetooth(R) and Wi-Fi. Streaming Content; Airplay, vTuner Internet Radio, Pandora, SiriusXM, Spotify Connect, DLNA. Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, Audyssey MultEQ XT32, Sub EQ HT, LFC (Low Frequency Containment) with Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ. Marantz HDAM (Hyper Dynamic Amplifier Module) technology. The works.

Ara's Picks

Like my TVs, this year's list will only consist of receivers that support 4K, HDR, and the Wide Color Gamut. My list may cost more than you want to spend right now but it will set you up for years of enjoyment!

Onkyo TX-NR646 7.2-Channel Network A/V Receiver $389

This is my budget receiver on this years list. But don't let the price fool you, it's a full featured receiver that someone starting out would love to have. The NR646 puts out 170 w/channel supporting Dobly Atmos and DTS:X. The Onkyo has 8 HDMI 2.0 inputs with the first three supporting HDCP 2.2. The only real drawback, and you knew there had to be for the price, is the room correction firmware. Onkyo uses something called AccuEQ which is less demanding than Audyssey and thus not as good. Music streaming and high-res audio round out the receivers features.

Pioneer SC-LX501 Elite 7.2 Channel D3 Network AV Receiver $999

I have owned three Pioneers over the years and they all have been great receivers. This receiver is ready to serve you now and well into the future. There is support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X and it has enough power (120W) to fill large rooms with sound. Other features include support for Google Cast, Airplay, Pandora, Spotify, and Hi Res Audio round out this very capable receiver.

Yamaha RX-A1050 7.2-Channel MusicCast AV Receiver with Built-In Wi-Fi and Bluetooth $899

This is the next model up from the one that I use in my family room. It has everything you want in a receiver and more. Plenty of power (110W), Auto Calibration, Multidimensional sound, and wireless connectivity. I went with this model over the A850 because in addition to Dolby Atmos you also get DTS:X and and Advanced HDMI switching! You can watch different sources in different zones. Yamaha says that this receiver employs "audiophile grade design that incorporates a rigid chassis and symmetrical amp layout with the latest ESS SABRE DACs". Translation - It will make those who really care about sound quite happy!

Ultimate Present

Marantz SR7011 9.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD AV Receiver with built-in HEOS wireless technology featuring Bluetooth and Wi-Fi $2199

When I was looking for a receiver to add ATMOS to my media room Rob H. from the AV Rant Podcast really urged me to take a look at the SR6010 which I ended up buying and really liking. So based on that experience I am going to recommend the SR7011. It supports everything you need in next generation audio and video including a capable video processor and dual zone HDMI outputs. It has three HDMI outputs but only works with two sources. One of the outputs is a mirror of one of the sources. There are 9 amps outputting 125W and one of the best EQ systems available: Audyssey MultEQ XT32 automatic room acoustic measurement, which takes measurements in 8 locations. There is even an EQ for multiple subwoofer setups! We may differ on whether this is the ultimate receiver available, but if you got one, I don't think you would argue that it wasn't your ultimate present.

Sony STRZA5000ES 9.2-channel AV Receiver $2798

According to Sony, the 5000ES should be the new center of your theater system. It has up to 11.1-channel immersive sound (9.2ch discrete onboard amplifiers) from both Dolby® Atmos and DTS:X 2. Of course you get full-quality 4K/60p video pass-through, with HDR and HDCP 2.2 support, and a wealth of connection options for multi-room and network distribution. It even includes an 8 port ethernet switch in the back. With premium ES build quality, and a focus on sound purity, we have no doubt it will live up to its flagship status. Sure, the two star review at Amazon is concerning. But if you read the review, it isn't about the quality of the unit, it is about the features that were removed between revisions of the ES flagship model. If you need those features, this probably isn't the unit for you. If you don't, this thing will rock your theater.

Podcast #768: HDTV Buying Guide 2016 Dec 02, 2016

Show notes

HDTV Buying Guide 2016

It's beginning to look a lot like whatever holiday you may be celebrating this holiday season. Or that you may not be celebrating - not that there's anything wrong with that. But we grew up celebrating Christmas, so we know what we're hoping to see under the tree with our names on it. If you happen to be lucky enough to have budget for a new HDTV this Christmas season, but still aren't sure which one to buy, we've got you covered. Like last year, we're dropping the budget categories, and the screen size categories and jumping right to our top picks. We each pick three TVs and one ultimate HDTV present for you to consider.

If you don't have the HDTV buyer's guide from last year handy, here are couple of the sets we talked about along with their prices. Only two sets from last year are still available for sale direct thru Amazon. And for both their prices went down. If you'd like to make the argument to the finance committee that you don't know what will happen with prices so you should grab one now before the price goes up, we suggest referencing last year's buyer's guide where multiple sets did actually increase in price by one year later.

Braden's Picks

TCL 40FS3800 40-Inch 1080p Roku Smart LED TV ($243)

Life is all about trade-offs. Anyone who tells you differently is selling something. Sometimes you want the best of the best, sometimes you just want the best for the least you can spend. As someone who uses a TCL TV with the built-in Roku smart TV interface on the daily, I can tell you first hand that built-in Roku is solid gold. The TV is mounted to the wall and plugged into power. That's it. We can get to Pandora, et. al. for when we want music or Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, ESPN, HBO for TV or video content. For anyone looking for a super flexible second TV, TCL is a great, inexpensive choice. If 40" isn't the right size, they have a 32" for $169, 48" for $329, 50" for $399, or a 55" for $448.

LG 65" OLED65B6P OLED 4K HDR Ultra HD FLAT TV ($2599)

On the other hand, if you want the best of the best, OLED is the only option. Better than plasma on color and black levels, excellent detail and motion clarity, with 4K and HDR support. You really can't pick a more high performing screen than this LG. At 65 inches, it isn't the biggest TV you can find, but for most family rooms or home entertainment "dens" a 65 inch TV is the perfect size. This screen will blow you away, and anyone you have over to see it, with any content you put on it. Put some true 4K or HDR video sources up and you'll struggle to hold back the drool. With over a billion rich colors at its disposal, this LG OLED TV delivers a theater-quality experience from the comfort of your sofa. OLED HDR delivers a stunning high dynamic range picture, including support for Dolby Vision content.

VIZIO M60-C3 60-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV ($889)

Of course, there is a middle ground. You want 4K and some future-proof capabilities without totally crushing your budget and having to eat canned beans for a few months until you can recover from the expense of your TV. We get that. If that's you, check out this Vizio. It's a 4K LED, but lacks HDR. So kinda future proof, but not fully, excellent picture quality, but not the gold standard, and under $1000, not a couple months salary. This TV is an excellent blend of incredible performance and incredible value. Perhaps a bit dated, it was the highest rated TV at CNET for 2015. That was in 2015, but because of the age, you can get it for a steal. A 60" 4K TV for less than $900? Yeah, that should be on your list.

Ara's Picks

This year every TV on my list is 4K and supports HDR. If you want a budget TV they are easy to find. For 2016 I want the best TV out there for the money.

LG Electronics OLED55B6P Flat 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV ($1997)

OLED for under $2000! In not the curved model either. Deep plasma like blacks, HDR, and wide color gamut. Watching this TV will be like looking out a window! Other features include WebOS 3.0 and Harman Kardon sound. Just be sure to calibrate this TV to get the best picture possible!

VIZIO SmartCast™ P-Series™ 65" Class Ultra HD HDR Home Theater Display ($1999)

Amazon sells a lot of Vizio TVs however, if you want this one you won't find it there. You can buy direct from Vizio or at Bestbuy. This TV checks off all the boxes in what you need in a 4K TV. Dolby Vision, HDR, Clean Simple Design, and a Tablet remote!. This version of the P-Series has 128 active LED zones which gives some pretty impressive black levels for a LED based LCD TV. This TV looks great even when it's off.

Sony XBR65X850D 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart TV ($1398)

This is my "budget" 4K TV and it's a pretty capable TV in it's own right. It's the one I will buy for remodel project I am working on. Like the other TVs it supports HDR and Wide Color Gamut. Sony has developed a proprietary X1 chip that makes HDR, color, and upconversion look incredible. Sony is making great TVs again and at this price it costs less than the Vizio!

Ultimate Christmas Present:

Sony XBR75Z9D 75-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV ($8998)

Rodney Williams (Blu-ray Reviews) and I drove up to Sony Pictures to see the unveiling of this TV a few months ago and I have been wanting one ever since. It's still a little pricey but if you can afford it it is one beautiful TV. It takes everything in the XBR line that I mentioned above and makes it better. They updated the X1 chip to the X1 Extreme which produce color with more detail and fewer artifacts than what a typical TV does. Upconverted content looks like it's native resolution. Motion is smoother and contrast is better. I saw this TV compared to the LG OLED side by side and I felt it had a better picture. You can decide if you buy this now or wait until it comes down in price. Either way you won't regret how good the picture looks!

NEC X981UHD-2 98" 4K Ultra HD LED TV ($29,115)

Okay, we'll admit, we don't expect many in our audience to rush out and buy this TV. Heaven knows we never would. But when you look at the total install cost to get a 100" front projection system in your home, it adds up. Make that a 100" 4K front projection system and you're spending quite a bit more. This set from NEC gets you almost that same size, in 4K, with a brightness level that nearly removes any ambient light considerations. If you were thinking about putting in a 4K front projection system, the X981 from NEC could actually save you a bit of coin. You can tell from the comments that a few Amazon users wanted to get a crazy thread going, unfortunately they just weren't witty enough. Feel free to take a crack at it tho.

Podcast #767: What we're thankful for '16 Nov 24, 2016

Show notes

What we're thankful for '16

Each year at this time of year we do a show where we discuss what we are thankful for. There are the obvious things to be thankful for like our families, especially our wives who put up with our home theater obsessions. And of course we are thankful for you, the listener/reader of our show. So as is tradition over the last many Thanksgivings, on today's show we give you our list of consumer electronics things we are thankful for.

For 2016:

Ara's List:

Cord Cutters - It's is because of cord cutters that new TV services like Sling, Playstation Vue, and the upcoming DirecTV streaming services are hitting the streets. These providers know that there are a lot of people that are tired of paying through the nose for channels they barely watch. With devices like the Roku, FireTV, and AppleTV these services have a platform to easily get into your living room. It's because of cord cutters that these services even exists. If we get a few more look for cable and satellite fees to get even lower.

Internet of Things - So what is the Internet of things (IoT)? It's the concept that anything with power is connected to the network. Some may find this creepy but I like getting into my car and having it tell me how long ith will take to get to work or home. If your calendar is connected it would know you are going to the Airport for a flight and tell you that you need to leave the office early because there is traffic on the freeway. Or if you are driving home from a vacation it would automatically turn your air conditioner on. And that's just the beginning. There are so many things being developed now that we can't even fathom the possibilities. The whole purpose is to make our lives easier which should give us more time to do things we love.

4K/HDR/Wide Color Gamut - As if I need a reason to buy a new TV??? But the TVs of today are so much better than just a few years ago. Not so much the 4K part but the HDR and wider color gamut makes watching TV almost like looking out a very clean window. The studios are still learning how to create content that makes use of this technology but once they get it figured out it will incredible.

Plex - This is the year I dove deep into the Plex swimming pool. Available on just about any device you carry or can connect to a TV, Plex allows you to watch your movie library on your local network or anywhere that has decent Internet connectivity. It's much more than movies too! Plex supports music and there is a DVR function if you have and HD Homerun. They keep improving the software so what's not to be thankful for?? We'll be watching our movies while we are visiting family for Thanksgiving.

HomeKit - HomeKit is Apple's proprietary software and hardware smart-home platform, letting you control many of the most popular smart-home devices, including lights, switches, door locks, and thermostats. It started out being a concept with little support but now there are dozens of devices from different companies that all play well together. The Apple Home app is a solid piece of software that ties it all together. It decent now and will only get better. If you have an iPhone and an AppleTV I would highly recommend that Apple Homekit is a great way to get into home automation.

Braden's List:

Tivo - In years past I've been thankful for the Hopper from Dish. and yes, it is still an awesome DVR and whole house video system. Still love it. But I have a new love that I love even more, and that's my Tivo system with a Bolt and multiple Minis. Not only does Tivo have the most feature rich DVR on the market, it also cut my monthly cable bill by almost two thirds. Save money and get a better DVR? That's a sweet deal.

Power over Ethernet - Sure, this seems kinda old school, but PoE is pretty awesome. For whole house entertainment, especially video, Wifi is great, but wired Ethernet is better. And since some devices (we're looking at you Tivo Mini) don't support Wifi, you either need a cable connection or a wired Ethernet connection where you want to install a Mini. Don't have either? No problem, Power over Ethernet to the rescue. Early versions may not have cut it, but today's PoE devices more than fit the bill.

Amazon Prime Now - Ok, this is a repeat from last year. But before you judge me on the lack of creativity, Prime Now has come thru for me repeatedly this year and I couldn't be more thankful. Certainly first world problems, but I needed (ok, need may be the wrong word, definite first world problems) needed to get a TV installed quickly for the kids. Got the TV, Tivo Mini and PoE adapters delivered to the house in two hours. Amazon smiles all around.

UHD / 4K - This applies both to the television screens and the content you can get from Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. Not that the 1080p TVs and content we had before, actually still mostly have now, were bad by any stretch, but I'm just thankful we've moved past the 3D obsession. This could have been anything, from smell-o-vision to a new trend of just watching static on the screen to try to see patterns emerge. Doesn't matter. As long as the whole 3D nonsense is behind us.

Automation devices - This is completely me being thankful for devices that enable my laziness. For example, this year I added an automated sprinkler controller. It took about an hour to get it installed and configured, but after that I haven't touched it. I log in periodically to check on things, but it automatically adjust watering days, times and amounts based on weather conditions. Set it and forget it. Just like many of us have done with automating our lights to come on at dusk, etc. Ultimate laziness realized.

Podcast #766: Black Friday Preview 2016 Nov 17, 2016

Show notes

Black Friday Preview 2016

If you're going to set up camp and secure a great spot in line for Black Friday sales, you probably want to make sure you're at the right store. There may be one killer deal at one store, but ten almost killer deals at another. We've done all the research so you'll know where to camp out Thursday night. Looking back on years past, in 2008 a 50-inch 720p plasma was going for $900. In 2009 you could get a 50-inch 1080p plasma with a Blu-ray player for $1000. Fast forward to last year when the lowest price for a tier one brand HDTV was a 49" Toshiba 1080p LED for only $149.99. That might be worth camping for.

Our research came from our favorite goto sites for Black Friday circulars, including: www.bfads.net, www.blackfriday.com, and blackfriday.gottadeal.com.

CNet put together a list of Cheap TV deals of Black Friday 2016 (plus our favorite picks) - in case you don't trust our research.

Camp Worthy Deals

The lowest price tier one brand HDTV over 40" is at Best Buy

Toshiba 49" 4K 60Hz LED HDTV w/ Built-in Chromecast (49L621U), $199.99 (this is $50 more than last year, but last year was 1080p, this year is 4K)

The best prices on the largest TVs are at Best Buy

Best Buy - VIZIO 70" 4k LED Smart Ultra HDTV w/ Chromecast Built-in, $999.99
Best Buy - Sony 75" 2160p 4K Smart LED TV, $2,499.98

Other stats

The list still has multiple 720p TVs 32 inches or larger, more than we expected to see. There were 12 last year. There are 8 this year. All are 32".
There are two 4k Blu-ray players, both at h.h. gregg
- Samsung 4K Upscaling 3D Wi-Fi Smart Blu-ray Player, $84.99
- Samsung 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player, $199.99
The list has multiple 4K TVs as well.
- Best Buy - 23 (last year: 10)
- Wal-mart - 4 (last year: 2)
- Target - 6 (last year: 3)
- Sears - 5 (last year: 6)
- h.h. gregg - 22 (last year: 24)

Deal lists:

Best Buy

Samsung 50" 1080p 120Hz LED Smart HDTV (UN50J5201AFXZA), $299.99
Sharp 55" 1080p Smart LED HDTV (LC-55LB481U), $249.99
Samsung 55" 4K 120Hz Smart LED HDTV (UN55KU6270FXZA), $479.99
Samsung 50" 4K 120Hz Smart LED HDTV (UN50KU6300FXZA), $397.99
Toshiba 49" LED 4K Ultra HDTV w/ Built-in Chromecast (49L621U), $199.99
Insignia - 32" - LED - 720p - Smart - Roku TV - Black, $99.99
Samsung 50" 1080p LED Smart Black HDTV, $299.99
LG 60" 4K 120Hz Smart LED HDTV (60UH6035), $599.99
Insignia 32" 720p 60Hz Smart LED HDTV (NS-32DR310NA17), $99.99
LG 50" 4k LED Smart Ultra HD TV, $399.99
Toshiba 49" 4K 60Hz LED HDTV w/ Built-in Chromecast (49L621U), $199.99
Samsung 55" LED Smart 4K Ultra HD HDTV (UN55KU6270FXZA), $479.99
Insignia 39" 1080p Smart LED HDTV (NS-39DR510NA17), $179.99
LG 65" 4K 120Hz Smart LED HDTV (65UH6030), $799.99
LG 43" 4K 120Hz Smart LED HDTV (43UH6030), $299.99
Insignia - 39" - LED - 1080p - Smart - HDTV Roku TV - Black, $179.99
LG 60" 4K Smart Ultra HDTV (60UH6035), $599.99
LG 40" 1080p LED HDTV (40LH5000), $149.99
Samsung - 32" - LED - 720p - Smart - HDTV - Black, $157.99
Samsung - 58" - LED - 1080p - Smart - HDTV - Black, $427.99
Sharp 55" 1080P Smart LED Roku HDTV (LC-55LB481U), $249.99
Samsung 55" 4K 240Hz Smart LED HDTV w/ HDR (UN55KS8000FXZA), $997.99
VIZIO - 48" - LED - 1080p - HDTV - Black, $249.99
Samsung 50" 2160p 4K Smart LED TV, $397.99
Samsung 40" 1080p 60Hz Smart LED HDTV (UN40J5200AFXZA), $247.99
VIZIO 70" 4k LED Smart Ultra HDTV w/ Chromecast Built-in, $999.99
LG 50" 2160p 4K Smart LED TV, $399.99
LG 65" 2160p 4K Smart LED TV, $799.99
Toshiba 55" 4K LED Smart HDTV (55L621U) + PlayStation 4 Pro Bundle, $749.98
Sony 65" 2160p 4K Smart TV, $1,399.99
Samsung - 40" - LED - 1080p - Smart - HDTV - Black, $247.99
Sony 55" 4K 120Hz Smart HDTV w/ High Dynamic Range (XBR-55X850D), $899.99
VIZIO - 70" - LED - 2160p - with Chromecast - 4K Ultra HD, $999.99
Samsung 32" 720p Smart LED HDTV (UN32J4500AFXZA), $157.99
Sony 55" 2160p 4K Smart TV, $899.99
Sony 65" 4K 120Hz Smart HDTV w/ HDR (XBR-65X850D), $1,399.99
Sony 75" 2160p 4K Smart LED TV, $2,499.98
Samsung 65" 2160p 4K Smart LED TV, $1,497.99
Insignia 7" Portable DVD Player w/Swivel Screen, $39.99
Insignia 2.0-Ch. Black Soundbar w/ Digital Amplifier, $39.99
Vizio SmartCast 3.1-Ch. Soundbar System w/ 24.2-in. Wireless Subwoofer, $249.99
Klipsch Reference 5-1/4-in. Bookshelf Speakers (Pair), $124.99
Klipsch Reference Dual 6.5-in. Floorstanding Speaker, $174.99
Klipsch Reference Dual 8-in. Floorstanding Speaker, $224.99
Klipsch Reference 12-in. 400W Powered Subwoofer, $224.99
Logitech Harmony 700 8-Device Universal Remote, $49.99
Samsung White SmartThings Hub, $49.99
Insignia Smart Plug, $19.99
Amazon White Echo Dot, $39.99
Amazon Echo, $139.99
Sonos Play:1 White Wireless Speaker, $149.99

Wal-mart

Philips 55" 4K 2160p 60Hz LED Smart HDTV (44PFL5601), $298.00
Samsung 50" 4K LED Smart HDTV (UN50KU6300), $398.00
VIZIO 60" LED HDTV (D60N-E3), $398.00
Samsung 60" 4K HDTV (UN60KU6270), $648.00
TCL 32" 720p Roku Smart TV (32S3750), $125.00
Samsung 32" LED 1080p 60Hz Smart HDTV (UN32J5205), $188.00
Samsung 65" LED Smart HDTV (UN65J6200), $798.00
Hisense 40" 1080p LED HDTV (40H3B), $125.00
Hitachi 65" 4K 2160p 60Hz LED HDTV (65L6), $599.00
Samsung 24" 710p 120MR LED HDTV (UN24H4000), $98.00
Element 40" 1080p LED HDTV (ELEFW408), $125.00
Samsung 55" LED Smart HDTV (UN55J6201), $448.00
Emerson 50" LED HDTV, $225.00
Element 50" 1080p LED HDTV (ELEFW504A), $225.00
Samsung 40" LED 1080p 60Hz Smart HDTV (UN40J5200), $248.00
Roku Express+, $25.00

Target

Samsung 50" 4K 120Hz LED HDTV (UN50KU6300), $397.99
Hisense 50" 4K 120Hz LED Smart HDTV, $249.99
Element 43" 4K LED Smart HDTV, $199.99
Polaroid 32" LED HDTV (32GSR3000FC), $85.00
Samsung 60" 4K 120Hz LED Smart HDTV (60KU6300), $697.99
LG 55" 4K 120Hz LED Smart HDTV, $499.99
Samsung 40" 1080p LED Smart HDTV (40J5200), $247.99
Samsung 55" 4K 120Hz Curved LED Smart HDTV (55KU6500), $697.99
Samsung 55" 1080p 120Hz LED Smart HDTV (UN55J6200AFXZA), $447.99
Sonos Play:1 Compact Wireless Speaker, $149.99
RCA 9" Portable DVD Player, $89.99
Apple TV, $149.99

Sears

Samsung 65" 4K LED Smart UH TV, $999.99
Samsung 65" LED Curved Smart 4K HDTV, $1,099.99
Samsung 32" 720p LED HDTV (UN32J4000), $149.99
Samsung 65" LED Curved Smart 4K HDTV, $1,599.99
Samsung 55" Smart 4K Curved LED HDTV, $699.99
Samsung 40" Smart 1080p LED HDTV, $249.99
Samsung 55" Smart 4K LED HDTV, $599.99
Samsung 60" Smart 1080p LED HDTV, $579.99
Amazon Tap, $89.99
eMatic 7" Portable DVD Player w/ Carrying Case + Headphones, $49.99
Amazon Echo, $139.99

K-Mart

Samsung 50" 1080p LED Smart HDTV (UN50J5200), $349.99
Samsung 40" 1080p LED Smart HDTV (UN40J5200), $249.99
Samsung 32" 1080p LED Smart HDTV (UN32J5205), $189.99
Samsung 58" 1080p LED Smart HDTV (UN58J5190), $429.99
Samsung 48" 1080p LED HDTV (UN48J5000), $299.99
Sylvania 7" Portable DVD Player, $39.99
Samsung 2.1 Channel 120W Bluetooth Soundbar w/ Subwoofer, $84.99
Nakamichi 2.2 Channel 500W Bluetooth Tower Speakers, $249.99

h.h. gregg

LG 43" 4K HDR Ultra HD Smart TV (43UH6030), $299.99
Samsung 40" 1080p LED HDTV (UN40H5003), $219.99
LG 55" 4K HDR Ultra HD Curved Smart TV, $1,999.99
Samsung 55" 4K HDR S LED Smart HDTV, $999.99
Samsung 40" 4K Smart HDTV, $299.99
Vizio 70" 4K Ultra HD Smart TV (E70UD3), $1,199.99
Samsung 60" 4K HDR S LED Smart HDTV, $1,199.99
Samsung 55" 4K Curved LED Smart HDTV, $1,099.99
LG 55" 4K Ultra HD webOS 3.0 Smart TV (55UH6030) + Blu-ray Player, $499.99
Samsung 58" 1080p LED HDTV, $429.99
Samsung 70" 4K HDR Ultra HD Smart TV (UN70KU6300), $1,299.99
LG 55" 4K HDR Super Ultra HD Smart TV (60UH3500), $1,299.99
Seiki 1080p LED Smart HDTV (SE60FYP1T), $399.99
LG 65" 4K HDR Ultra HD Smart TV, $2,999.99
LG 65" 4K Ultra HD webOS 3.0 Smart TV + Blu-ray Player (65UH6030), $799.99
Sony 55" 4K HDTV, $899.99
Samsung 65" 4K HDR S LED Smart HDTV, $1,499.99
Samsung 55" 4K HDR Ultra HD Smart TV (UN55KU6290), $549.99
LG 65" Curved 4K HDR Ultra HD Smart TV, $2,999.99
Proscan 40" 1080p LED HDTV (PLDED4018A), $129.99
Sony 65" 4K HDTV, $1,399.99
Haier 65" 4K Ultra HD Smart TV (65UF2505), $549.99
Samsung 65" 4K Curved LED Smart HDTV, $1,599.99
Proscan 55" 4K Ultra HD TV (PLDED5515A), $299.99
Sony 75" 4K HDTV, $2,499.99
Samsung 50" 1080p LED Smart HDTV (UN50J5200), $349.99
LG 55" 4K HDR Super Ultra HD Smart TV, $799.99
Samsung 32" 720p LED TV (UN32J4000), $149.99
Amazon Echo Dot, $39.99
Amazon Echo, $139.99
Onkyo 700-Watt 5.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver, $199.99
Samsung 2.1-ch. Soundbar w/ Subwoofer, $84.99
Klipsch Dual 8-in. Floorstanding Speaker, $224.99
LG 2.1 Channel Soundbar w/ Wireless Subwoofer, $69.99
Klipsch 4-in. Bookshelf Speakers, $99.99
Klipsch 210W 2-Way Soundbar w/ Wireless Subwoofer, $199.99
Klipsch 5.25-in. Bookshelf Speakers, $125.99
Samsung 3.1-ch. Soundbar w/ Wireless Subwoofer, $229.99
Klipsch 400W 12-in. Subwoofer, $224.99
Sony Streaming Wi-Fi Blu-ray Player, $49.99
Onkyo 5.1 2-ch. Dolby Atmos Ready Network Home Theater, $549.99
Samsung 4K Upscaling 3D Wi-Fi Smart Blu-ray Player, $84.99
Polk Audio 100-Watt 10" Monitor Series Powered Subwoofer, $99.98
Samsung 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player, $199.99
Chromecast HDMI Streaming Media Player, $25.00
Apple TV 32GB w/ Siri, $129.99

Podcast #765: Ray Super Remote Nov 11, 2016

Show notes

Ray Super Remote

Just like a conductor's baton a good remote control is mandatory to conduct and direct the use of your home theater. We've reviewed so many over the years. Ara has settled on the Simple Control application running on an iPad Mini while Braden uses the Logitech Harmony Remotes around his home. But today we are taking a look at the Ray Super Remote (Buy Now $249) which creators bill as the "the ultimate touchscreen universal remote control".

Features

Fast setup, responsive interface, high resolution display
Sophisticated recommendation engine
Rechargeable battery
Support for Hue Lights and Nest Thermostats

The Ray Super Remote is a nicely built piece of hardware. The fit and finish remind us of a high quality smartphone. In fact it's about the size of a smartphone of yesterday. It's a bit thicker and heavier. No biggie since you won't be carrying it around with you. Front and back are made of gorilla glass so it should stand up to wear and tear of daily use. And the occasional fall off the coffee table.

The charging cradle also feels substantial and will sit firmly on your end table. The remote slides in and out with ease. We have gotten about two days battery use out of one charge with typical usage. But if you really go into the guides and recommendations pages you will probably get less. Fortunately it is simple to place the remote on the cradle every evening and have a fully charged remote in the morning.

Setup

This is an area where the remote excels. Setup up takes about 10 to 15 minutes. First you connect to Wifi and then let it download updates and codes. Next you tell it how you watch TV. For this portion you have to be in front of your TV and have it on. In our case we turned on the TV, AV Receiver and Satellite box. The remote asks you tell it what kind of TV you have. Then it tells you that it will perform an action and you need to respond with yes it happened or no it did not. After a few of these it decides on a command set for the device and you are done.

You do this for all your devices. You also tell it what input the TV and receiver are on so it can switch them for you. We setup our Blu-ray, AppleTV, DirecTV Genie, Receiver, and TV. The remote does not have FireTV capability. You can request that Ray adds the commands for equipment you have that is not supported through their website. In addition to lack of support for the FireTV there currently is no support for PlayStation, Roku stick, or Chromecast. Plus there is no support for multiple rooms. So if you want to use the remote in another room you will need to buy an additional remote.

Use The remote works well! Although it took us a little time to get used to pointing the remote towards the TV. The Simple Control remote works from anywhere and you wouldn't think that is a big deal but it did become a bit annoying to have to remember this. That also means if your equipment is out of sight you will need an IR repeater. But you probably already have one anyway. The commands went out quickly and the user interface is responsive. The volume control is done via a rocker on the side of the device. Nice tactile buttons to make raising the volume easy without having to look at the screen. There is also a physical mute button as well as a sleep/wake button.

To activate an activity you go to the home screen and select it, DVR, Blu-ray, or AppleTV. The remote fires off the appropriate commands and in a few seconds you are watching what you want. The shutdown process is simple to. You hit the power off button and you are given an option to turn off any device that is currently on or all of them at once.

We were concerned that a small screen with limited buttons would be difficult to use. We wouldn't call it difficult but it's a bit cumbersome. The main screen for the DVR has the transport controls, which while important are not used as often as changing channels or bringing up the guide and recordings list. For that there are customizable soft keys on the bottom of the screen. There are a few that are always visible but to get to all of them you have to swipe up. We found that the small form factor means you have to hit a few more screens to get to what you want. Still better than using four remotes.

When setting up your remote it asks you questions about what you like to watch and which channels you subscribe to. It then makes recommendations for you. To access these recommendations you hit the TV button on the home screen. You can swipe through your different categories, Movies, News, Sports, Etc, and find something to watch. If the show is currently on pressing the button will tune to that channel. If it's not on you can set a reminder or setup a recording.

Note - The remote is capable of controlling Hue lights and the Nest Thermostat. We do not have these devices in our homes so we were not able to test these features.

Conclusion

You have a lot of choices out there for universal remotes. Some are pretty basic while others not only control your home theater but they also can do home automation. The Ray Super Remote is a great looking and fully featured remote that will indeed make controlling your home theater easier. It's easy to setup and controls almost any device you have. It's a little on the expensive side but like any conductor you need a baton and this device is one cool baton!

Podcast #764: Kodi Nov 04, 2016

Show notes

Kodi

There has been an explosion of devices recently, or perhaps going back a couple years, that are based on the Kodi Media Center software or include Kodi as a standard app you can run along with other the other apps available on the device. A simple search at Amazon for 'Kodi' yields pages and pages of options for devices. Intrigued by this streaming platform that seems to have taken off like wildfire, we decided to pick up one of these little boxes and see what all the fuss is about.

History

Kodi is the current name for a streaming software application formerly known as XBMC, short for Xbox Media Center. The initial release of XBMC dropped in 2004. It grew out of an earlier project, called Xbox Media Player, into a full player and streaming platform, thus the name change. When XBMC dropped support for the Xbox as a platform, they had to change the name again; that's when it became Kodi - in August of 2014. The current version of Kodi runs on Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, iOS and Android. Linux and Android support make it ideal for the inexpensive streaming boxes you find at Amazon.

Back in the day, you would get XBMC running on your original Xbox by jumping through a few hoops and taking advantage of a software flaw or vulnerability in the native Xbox software from Microsoft. It sounded more complicated than it was - including having to get your hands on one of the specific games that would exploit the vulnerability, like Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, but if you had an old Xbox laying around, it was well worth it. Lifehacker even published an article called Transform Your Classic Xbox into a Killer Media Center back in 2007 and walked you through all the steps. Now you just install it.

Use

Because Kodi is free and Open Source, you can create your own home media server using pretty much any hardware you'd like. Simply download, install and configure. Then add the add-ons and plug-ins you need to make it do what you want, and you're off to the races. If you want to save a bit of time, or you don't have an old computer sitting around to play with, you can buy a dedicated Kodi streaming box and skip some of the steps. We chose the RBSCH M96X Android 6.0 4K TV BOX with KODI 16.1 for $36.99. Not because we knew anything about it, but just because we could get free Prime Same Day shipping.

The box arrived a few hours later and we were ready to go. It is pretty small, a bit smaller than an Apple TV, but in the same ballpark. It came with a power cord, an HDMI cable and a remote, but no batteries for the remote. We plugged it in and powered it on - it took a minute or so to boot up and we were ready to start playing. This model, being Android based, has a bunch of apps like the Chrome browser, Pandora and Facebook that you can use in addition to the Kodi app. The browser was very cumbersome to use with the included remote. But we bought it for Kodi, so we skipped all the other apps and loaded up the Kodi interface right away.

As a local media player, Kodi worked quite nicely. You can play a wide variety of audio and video formats either from local drives (in our case attached via USB) or from somewhere else on your home network. For network streaming, you can use shared folders (SMB/SAMBA/CIFS), DLNA, DAAP for iTunes or stream from ReplayTV DVRs/PVRs. Kodi can also stream content from the Internet from sites like YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix, or music from apps like Pandora. Unlike some other media platforms, Kodi does not include a tuner for watching live TV, but you can get a PlayOn app to DVR content from your favorite streaming services like Netflix for viewing offline. Not super important in our case, but good if you think content may disappear from Netflix before you'll be able to watch it.

But the not-so-guarded secret about Kodi, and where it gets into a bit of a gray area, are the apps that allow you to stream movies you would otherwise download via sharing applications like BitTorrent. You can use Kodi as a front end to get access to new release movies, including movies still in the theater, for free. In many cases they are terrible Cam videos you wouldn't want to sit thru for two hours. Other times they are DVD rips or even Blu-ray rips. You have to make your own value judgement on the ethics here, but as we understand it, this is one of the main reasons people want to get their hands on a Kodi streaming box.

The user experience with the BitTorrent style videos was pretty bad. According to the Internet, it isn't Kodi that has the issues, but each of the individual apps that allow access to the content. They have their own quality issues that leave the experience lacking. Often times we'd click on a menu item and nothing would happen, or we'd try to play a video and it would fail with some cryptic message about checking the logs to see what happened. When we did get a movie to play, even the ones that claimed to be DVD quality looked really rough. It would be hard to watch a full film like that.

Conclusion

Overall Kodi is a really nice streaming media player. The interface is solid - in fact Plex grew out of the XBMC/Kodi source. For content you have on your home network, the playback was great. Looked like any other player we've used. For streaming from commercial apps, no issues there either. For streaming bootleg movies, we found it to be very frustrating. If you really want to avoid the box office, or the $5-6 rental fee from Vudu or Amazon, and you can get past the ethics of it, it's certainly an option. But you need patience and the ability to sit thru a feature length of poor quality streaming. But we were able to get a stream of Dr. Strange to work, so currently in theater titles are available. We only watched enough to see it work, but it did.

Note: Kodi doesn't allow direct access to bootleg content. There are several add-ons that provide that. Kodi is an open platform, anyone is free to write any add-ons they choose. The existence of an add-on doesn't imply that Kodi or the XBMC Foundation support, endorse or approve of the add-on.

Podcast #763: Room Acoustics Oct 28, 2016

Show notes

Room Acoustics

On today's show we have an Interview with David Kroll KEF's World Wide Ci Product Manager and we discuss room acoustics. What are some simple things you can do to improve your sound and what are things to avoid.

Acoustic Panels

Diffuser

Bass Trap

Speaker Isolation

Podcast #762: Vudu Movies on Us Oct 21, 2016

Show notes

Vudu Movies on Us

You'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't think Netflix totally changed the game in home entertainment. First, with the unlimited DVD rentals for a small monthly fee. They essentially ended the video store business. Then, with the shift into unlimited streaming movies, anywhere, anytime, again for a small monthly fee. It has changed the way most of us watch movies, and in some cases, television series. They've been so succesful, others, like Amazon, have tried to copy their model. But you can't be king forever. Someone will eventually come along with a different game changer and dethrone you.

Vudu, the on demand movie rental service from Walmart, has never really been competition for Netflix. The two services are quite different. Vudu offers newly released movies for a per movie fee, very much like a streaming version of the old school rental stores. They compete with Apple, Google, Amazon and the like for your new(ish) release rental dollars. Netflix on the other hand, offers older catalog titles and doesn't charge per movie. The movies aren't as fresh, but you can watch as many as you want for a fixed monthly fee.

On Tuesday, Vudu rolled out a brand new service they're calling Vudu Movies on Us. They're going right at Netflix, but they've dropped the monthly fee. They have thousands of movies and TV shows available for streaming for free. No charge. The only catch? You have to watch some commercials. They are paid for by the Ads you have to watch. This leaves us with two choices for streaming catalog titles, do you want to pay a fixed monthly fee to avoid watching ads, or pay nothing at all and have to sit through a few commercials?

Of course Vudu wants you to sign up so that when you want to rent a newly released title, you'll select Vudu as your service of choice instead of any of the other options out there. They don't really need to make any money on the new Movies on Us service if it brings in a deluge of new accounts. They just need to find a way to convert those free accounts into rental customers. If they can do that, the new service is a huge success. For many people who pay monthly for a Netflix account, but perhaps don't use it all that much, Vudu Movies on Us could be a great option.

Historically there has been a pretty decent gap in the video quality you get from the various streaming services, with Vudu and specifically their HDX format, being hands down the best experience available. That is changing with some services starting to offer 4K streaming, and the gap for HD or so-called 1080p, has gotten much smaller. But, it is pretty awesome that Vudu will allow you to stream movies in the HDX format for free. They aren't crippling the quality if you choose to watch for free. The experience is exactly the same. For most titles, you can rent them for $3.99 if you don't want to watch the commercials. If you watch the ads, you get the same video you get if you pay for it.

And the titles aren't all random, artsy, independent flicks you've never heard of before. They are the same catalog titles you'd find on Netflix or Amazon Prime. Titles for whatever you're into, like the western remake of True Grit with Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon, comedies like School of Rock with Jack Black or The Love Guru with Mike Myers, action movies like Out of Time with Denzel Washington, or romantic stuff like Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow. We didn't have the opportunity to watch any of the titles all the way through to the end, but for those we did watch, we sat through three, 30 second ads then watched the movie like normal. It's possible they insert more ads in the middle of the movie, but we didn't see any.

Doing the math, you've got a minute and a half of advertisements to save $3.99 per title. Of course most people would opt for Netflix for those titles, so they'd get them included in their $9.99 or $11.99 monthly fee. But if you watch less than three movies per month on Netflix, it's actually cheaper to just rent them on Vudu. And now, it's totally free. You can have up to 8 devices associated with your Vudu account, and computers, like laptops or desktops, don't count against that 8. From what we can tell, there's no limit on how many of them can be streaming simultaneously like you have with Netflix.

The Competition

Looking at the competitive landscape, Vudu Movies on Us gets the Walmart streaming service in a head to head with Netflix and makes them more competitive against Amazon. All things considered, the Amazon service is probably still the best deal. You get the unlimited catalog streaming as part of your Prime subscription that also gets you the great deals on shipping and other Amazon perks. Of course, if you don't do lot of shopping at Amazon, the need for Prime shipping goes away, so the streaming fee would be measured against the Netflix monthly fee. And you'd compare that with the free, ad supported offering from Vudu.

Like Vudu, Amazon has both newly released titles for rental and the catalog content included in your subscription. Netflix doesn't have the new release titles, so if you stick with Netflix, you still have to supplement with another service if you want to watch something that isn't available in their catalog. Both Netflix and Amazon have original content; something Vudu doesn't have right now. Vudu does occasionally get exclusive titles, but not typically the blockbusters everyone is clamoring to rent. With Amazon and Netflix, similar to how DirecTV can hook you with NFL Sunday Ticket, if you're really into the exclusive content Amazon or Netflix produce, you'll have to stick with one or both of those services. That's a hook Vudu doesn't have right now.

Of course, the real competition would be a fixed monthly subscription that included newly released titles. If Netflix wanted to change the game again and stay king, they should be looking into that. Or, perhaps Vudu making the newly released titles available for streaming for free if you watch ads. That would send their subscriber numbers through the roof. If you could get any new title as soon as it became available for streaming for free, by just agreeing to sit through a couple minutes of ads, who wouldn't go for that? We should probably let Vudu enjoy this moment of disruption before we push them to the next one, but ad supported new release titles would be the killer app.

Well, the real killer app is day and date with the movie theater, but we're still waiting for that.

Podcast #761: Tivo Mantis...Cord Cutter's Dream box? Oct 14, 2016

Show notes

Tivo Mantis...Cord Cutter's Dream box?

We have read countless emails from listeners who have cut the cord over the years and many of them have turned to Tivo to become the center of that process. With an antenna and a Tivo box you can cut your TV subscription services to almost nothing. Tivo boxes support Hulu, Netflix, Youtube, Plex, and Amazon Prime so you really don't have to give up everything. Yes there are cable channels that you may miss, but many of those have an app where you can watch some of the programming for free. Worst case you may need to buy a few season passes of a couple of TV shows that are not available through an app. Regardless, you should be able to watch everything you want and dramatically cut your yearly bill.

Tivo even has options for those who want to connect multiple TVs through a network connection. The $150 Tivo Mini will connect a bedroom TV to the main Tivo Unit bringing the full Tivo experience to any room in the house without any additional fee. A typical multi room setup can run about $750 including a year of the TV service. Compare that to $1,200 ($50/month 24 month min required) for a basic level of DirecTV service. For some this is still a bit steep because you have to come up with the money up front.

Well we have heard that Tivo is working on a new box called the Mantis. It is a headless network DVR box that may change everything for the cord cutter. It's a box that isn't much bigger than than Roku or AppleTV that connects to an antenna and then transcodes the signal for viewing by other devices. It's not clear if it will come equipped with a hard drive or will require an external drive for storage.

Tivo will also include an app for viewing what's on the Mantis for AppleTVs, Rokus, and the FireTV as well as the apps for tablets and smartphones. That means that you can now bury the Mantis in any room that has a network (or within range of Wifi) and antenna connection. With minimal details at this time we can only speculate on the feature set. Our wish list would include:

Online viewing of live and recorded content - This is kind of like a personalized Aereo service and slingbox all rolled into one.
Offline viewing of recorded content - It would be nice to be able to catch up on all the TV that is piling up on your DVR without needing an Internet connection.
Cloud Support - No need to open up ports on your router. This makes setup and use much easier.
Content Archiving - It would also be nice if the content on your local drive could be archived to iCloud, Amazon, or Google Drives

Tivo has not confirmed or denied that the Mantis actually exists. The information has been gleaned from an FCC filing. Look for the Mantis to be announced at CES in January. Or you can pick up a Tablo (Buy Now $199) right now. It doesn't have all the features we discussed but it will give you access to your DVR from anywhere you have a network connection.

Podcast #760: ATSC 3.0 Oct 07, 2016

Show notes

ATSC 3.0

In the United States and a few other parts of the globe, the standard that defines how digital television transmissions work over terrestrial, cable and satellite broadcasts is called ATSC, named after the Advanced Television Systems Committee. ATSC 1.0 is in use now as the current standard, adopted by the FCC in 1996. But the committee is actively working on the next generation of broadcast standards and has released both 2.0 and 3.0 versions - neither of which are actually in use yet. Some feel that ATSC 3.0 may leapfrog 2.0 and make it obsolete before it even gets any serious mileage on it.

One of the great characteristics of the ATSC 2.0 standard is that it is fully backward compatible with ATSC 1.0. This could, in many ways, make it a great bridge to the newer 3.0 standard. It has a ton of new functionality, like interactive and hybrid television experiences that connect your television with Internet content and services and actually merge the interactive elements directly into the broadcast stream. You don't have two separate/disjoint experiences running side by side or on top of one another. But while it is cool, it doesn't actually match the experience most viewers would be looking for in today's world, so the odds are it will never make it over the airwaves.

The ATSC 3.0 standard is actually a collection of 20 individual standards. This week, on October 5, the Advanced Television Systems Committee gave its formal approval to 3 of those standards. This brings the overall picture to 5 published standards, 11 candidate or proposed standards and the remainder still in the documentation phase of development. Of the other 17 standards, many of them are quite noteworthy. Along with the interactivity features that build on the ATSC 2.0 spec, 3.0 adds support for 4K video, High Dynamic Range content and H.265 compression. The plan is to take the best of what modern technology has to offer, from 4k TVs to smartphones and tablets, and deliver it to you in a unified television broadcast.

New Standards

One of the three standards that received approval is the ATSC 3.0 Link Layer Protocol. Bear with us here, because this might go full geek for a bit. For those familiar with the protocols used to make the Internet work, the standards that deliver websites from servers in the cloud to your browser at home, you'll recognize the term Link Layer as the lowest layer in the Internet Protocol Suite, more typically referred to as TCP/IP. As it turns out, ATSC 3.0 Link Layer Protocol serves the same purpose for digital broadcasts as its namesake does for Internet communication. It is responsible for moving data between the network layer and the physical layer or the hardware itself. On the sending side data moves from the network layer to the physical layer to be sent out as a broadcast. On the receiving side in your TV set at home, it is also responsible for moving data from the physical layer to the network layer so it can be processed.

Two other standards also approved were both Audio and Video Watermark Emission standards. As you would probably guess, they specify the audio and video watermark encoding used in ATSC 3.0 broadcasts. The Audio Watermark Emission Standard (A/334) specifies the audio watermark encoding for use with systems conforming to the ATSC 3.0 family of specifications. And the Video Watermark Emission Standard (A/335) specifies the emission format for video watermarks used by systems that conform to the ATSC 3.0 spec. Audio watermarks are signals embedded in the audio portion of the broadcast, typically inaudible, they are primarily used to identify ownership of a copyright. Video watermarks are more obvious, but the ATSC spec places them in an ancillary stream so they can survive any issues in video compression, transcoding or transmission. The two streams are brought together on your TV.

This week, the ATSC Technology Group 3 members also began the voting process to elevate three other ATSC Candidate Standards to the elevated Proposed Standard status. If they were a bill on Capitol Hill, this would be the last step before ATSC member approval. The three are:

A/332 Service Announcement - More Info

The Service Announcement function enables ATSC 3.0 Service providers to describe the ATSC 3.0 Services that they make available. From a user's point of view, the Service Announcement function enables an on-screen Service Guide that can be seen as an entry point to discover ATSC 3.0 services and to select services. Service Announcement provides descriptions of the content offerings and also may provide a filtering capability based on user preferences and content properties, such as the presence or absence of captioning, interactive enhancements, video formats (3D, SD, HD, UD), audio formats (stereo, 5.1, immersive), caption formats (IMSC1 text or image), content advisory ratings, genre, accessible audio tracks, alternate languages, etc. In the case of scheduled services, Service Announcement also provides information about the date and time each offering is scheduled to be broadcast.

A/333 Service Usage Reporting - More info

A Service that captures consumption information for a streaming A/V channel. The Service identifies a reporting interval during which a stream is accessed, the time the stream access started and the time the stream access ended. If any Applications are active during the report interval, it also records when the Applications are active (whether on a primary device or a "second screen", companion device), including the Application Identifier, the time the Application started being active, and the time it stopped being active.

A/343 Captions and Subtitles - More info

The title pretty much says it all. This defines how content providers can embed subtitles and captions which include not Latin based languages.

We're all pulling for these guys to get their shot and be signed into full committee approval.