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Podcast #699: Sorting Through Atmos and DTS:X Receivers and Pre-Pros by Rob H. Aug 07, 2015

Show notes

Sorting Through Atmos and DTS:X Receivers and Pre-Pros by Rob H.

A Couple of Thoughts on Immersive Audio Setups

There are differing opinions on which additional speakers beyond the standard 5.1 layout deliver the most immersive experience:

- Mark Henninger, Senior Writer at AVS Forum, stated during an episode of the Home Theater Geeks Podcast that he feels that four overhead speakers are necessary in order to get a good sense of panning and movement of the audio objects. If he were limited to 9 speakers, he would favor 5.1.4 over 7.1.2:

https://youtu.be/GTaBj-L8etI?t=1h1m42s

- Representatives from THX, Matt Severaid and Craig Buckley, stated on an episode of the AV Forums Podcast that they feel the Surround Back speakers actually play a critical role. They also feel that the Surround and Surround Back speakers should still be elevated as opposed to being at seated ear level, which is the new recommendation from Dolby. With elevated Surround and Surround Back speakers, they would opt for 7.1.2 with Surround Back and Top Middle speakers if limited to 9 speakers total.

https://youtu.be/hx_uOquSs44?t=18m4s

General statements that might help you to quickly narrow down the field:

1) There are quite a few models that can decode Dolby Atmos but are unable to decode DTS:X (and will never get an update to do so). This is the case with ALL models that were released in 2014 - except for the flagship Denon AVR-X7200W Receiver and Marantz AV8802 Pre-Pro; those are the only two models that were released in 2014 that can be updated to decode DTS:X. There are also some 2015 models that decode Dolby Atmos but do not decode DTS:X.

This list from High Def Digest has done an excellent job of separating the DTS:X + Dolby Atmos models from the Dolby Atmos-only models:

LINK:http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/DTS/dtsx/Dolby/Atmos/Receivers/Home_Audio/Speakers/Pioneer/Denon/Marantz/Integra/Onkyo/Yamaha/KEF/Klipsch/hdds-dtsx-dolby-atmos-gear-buying-guide/24564

2) There were no models released in 2014 that included HDMI 2.0a with HDCP 2.2. While several 2014 Onkyo & Integra models touted HDCP 2.2 support, those ports were limited to 10.2 Gbps, which is insufficient for High Dynamic Range video signals that require the full 18 Gbps bandwidth of HDMI 2.0a. Once again, the only exceptions were the Denon AVR-X7200W and Marantz AV8802, which can have a hardware upgrade performed. No other 2014 models can be upgraded. Since the bandwidth (10.2 Gbps or 18 Gbps) is rarely listed on any spec sheets, the key features to look for are support for UltraHD/4K at 60 fps along with 4:4:4 chroma subsampling. Those features are the "code" that lets you know if a model has the full 18 Gbps bandwidth.

3) So far, in 2015, Pioneer & Pioneer Elite have not announced any models that can decode DTS:X or are able to receive an update to do so. This could change if they announce new models.

4) So far, in 2015, Onkyo & Integra have not announced any models capable of using more than 7 speakers simultaneously (5.2.2). This could change with the announcement of new models.

5) Denon & Marantz are the only mass market brands offering any models capable of decoding the Auro-3D immersive audio format. It is a $200 optional upgrade. It is only available on all models capable of using 9 or 11 speakers simultaneously.

6) In 2015, Denon & Marantz are the only mass market brands offering any models capable of using Front Wide speakers.

Getting into some of the finer details:

7) Denon & Marantz have announced several models that are not yet listed in the High Def Digest article linked above. That is because the official announcements were made in Europe, but they have not yet been officially announced in North America. The official North American announcements are expected soon - certainly during or before CEDIA Expo 2015. You can view an English language translation of the European announcements below:

LINK:https://translate.google.com/translate?depth=1&hl=en&ie=UTF8&nv=1&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://www.areadvd.de/tests/special-dm-neuheiten-und-highlights-aus-dem-bereich-core-und-new-media/

8) The additional Denon & Marantz models listed in a similar fashion as the High Def Digest article:

DTS:X & Dolby Atmos Receivers

Denon

AVR-X6200W - ($2299, October) 9.2 Channel A/V Receiver, Supports Additional Amp for 11.2 Channels, 4K HDCP 2.2 Compliant, Auro-3D ($200 option)

Marantz

SR6010 - ($1199, September) 7.2 Channel A/V Receiver, Supports Additional Amp for 9.2 Channels, 4K HDCP 2.2 Compliant, Auro-3D ($200 option)

SR7010 - ($1699, September) 9.2 Channel A/V Receiver, Supports Additional Amp for 11.2 Channels, 4K HDCP 2.2 Compliant, Auro-3D ($200 option)

AV7702 Mk. II - ($1999, October) 11.2 Channel A/V Pre-Amp/Processor, 4K HDCP 2.2 Compliant, Auro-3D ($200 option)

9) If you would like to be able to use 11 speakers simultaneously, the number of mass market DTS:X options is limited:

Denon

AVR-X7200WA AV Receiver with 9 internal amps - $2999, available now, the 'A' on the end of the model number is important and indicates HDMI 2.0a with HDCP 2.2 and DTS:X.

AVR-X7200W AV Receiver with 9 internal amps - $2999, available now. These do NOT have HDCP 2.2 nor DTS:X, but Denon will upgrade these units to AVR-X7200WA for free, although you have to pay to ship it to New York for the HDMI hardware upgrade.

AVR-X6200W AV Receiver with 9 internal amps - $2299, October.

Marantz

AV8802A Pre-amp/Processor with 13.2 XLR & 13.2 RCA - $3999, available now, the 'A' on the end of the model number is important and indicates HDMI 2.0a with HDCP 2.2 and DTS:X.

AV8802 Pre-amp/Processor with 13.2 XLR & 13.2 RCA - $3999, available now. These do NOT have HDCP 2.2 nor DTS:X, but Marantz will upgrade these units to AV8802A for free, although you have to pay to ship it to New York for the HDMI hardware upgrade.

AV7702 Mk. II Pre-amp/Processor with 11.2 XLR & 13.2 RCA - $1999, October. The "Mk. II" on the end of the model number is extremely important and indicates HDMI 2.0a with HDCP 2.2 and DTS:X. In 2014, there was an AV7702 model; it did NOT have HDCP 2.2 nor DTS:X, and it could NOT be upgraded. So be cautious about the "Mk. II" model number.

SR7010 AV Receiver with 9 internal amps - $1699, September.

Yamaha

RX-A3050 AV Receiver with 9 internal amps - $2199, September.

10) If you're ok with "only" using 9 speakers simultaneously, the number of mass market DTS:X options is even smaller:

Denon

AVR-X4200W AV Receiver with 7 internal amps - $1499, August.

Marantz

SR6010 AV Receiver with 7 internal amps - $1199, September.

Yamaha

RX-A2050 AV Receiver with 9 internal amps - $1699, available now.

11) Since Denon & Marantz, and Yamaha are the only mass market options right now for 9 or 11 speaker models that support DTS:X, what are some of the differences that might help you decide on a brand?

a) If you want Auro-3D and/or Front Wide speakers, only Denon & Marantz offer those features.

b) Room correction / auto-setup:

- Denon & Marantz use Audyssey MultEQ XT32 with SubEQ HT and LFC (Low Frequency Containment) in all of their 9 and 11 speaker models.

- Yamaha uses YPAO with RSC (Reflected Sound Control) and multi-point measurement. The RX-A3050 adds 3D angle measurement, but the speaker azimuth and elevation angles are only used by Yamaha's own proprietary Cinema DSP 3D Listening Mode.

c) Since Denon & Marantz use Audyssey, they also offer the Audyssey DSX Listening Mode, which expands 2-channel, 5.1, and 7.1 content to make use of Front Height and Front Wide speakers.

d) Denon & Marantz include ISFccc video calibration controls.

e) Denon & Marantz offer a greater number of potential speaker configurations for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

- In addition to the 7 main speakers (Front L/R, Center, Surround L/R, Surround Back L/R), Yamaha allows you to connect "Front Presence L/R", and "Rear Presence L/R" speakers. The Front Presence L/R speakers can be identified as Front Height, Top Front, or FRONT Dolby speakers. The Rear Presence L/R speakers can be identified as Rear Height, Top Rear, or REAR Dolby.

- In addition to the 7 main speakers and the optional Front Wide speakers, Denon & Marantz allow you to connect "Height 1" and "Height 2" speakers. The Height 1 speakers can be identified as Front Height, Top Front, Top Middle, FRONT Dolby, or SURROUND Dolby speakers. The Height 2 speakers can be identified as Top Middle, Top Rear, Rear Height, SURROUND Dolby, or REAR Dolby speakers.

Having the additional speaker position options allows you to better match the name of the speakers with their physical location in your room. This allows the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X Renderers to position audio objects more precisely.

Podcast #698: 2015 HDTV Shootout Jul 31, 2015

Show notes

2015 HDTV Shootout

Each year Value Electronics, an audio/video integrator with a showroom in Scarsdale New York, pits the top TVs from big name manufacturers against each other to determine the King of HDTV. This year there were four contenders:

Panasonic 65” Pro 4K Ultra HD Smart TV 240hz- CX850 Series- TC-65CX850U $3,200

Studio Master Drive- Helps 4K TV’s reproduce more detail and richer, more natural colors during dark scenes
An advanced LED Backlight Design, DCI 90-98% Color Space, which produces a wider color range
Firefox© OS to ensure ease for you to access smart apps and content
Voice Assistant Pro allowing to operate your TV just by talking to it with a remote control
Netflix© Recommended TV

Sony XBR75X940C 75-Inch 4K Ultra HD 120Hz 3D Smart LED TV $8,000

HD is upscaled to impressive 4K Ultra HD
Our best contrast ever with up to 3x brightness range
Brilliant, expanded color with TRILUMINOS™ display
Streaming 4K Ultra HD is enhanced for improved clarity
Android TV with Google Cast, voice search & Play Store apps
Powerful front-facing speakers and built-in subwoofers
Precise motion clarity with Motionflow™ XR 1440
Stream PS3® games directly to your TV
Black levels of plasma, brightness of LED

Samsung UN78JS9500 Curved 78-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV $10,000

Experience our Most Superior Level of Color, Contrast, and Brightness
Enjoy a Brighter, More True-to-Life Picture with a Wider Range of Colors
Experience the Full Vibrancy of your Favorite Media and Entertainment
Experience a Greater Sense of Depth with Optimized Contrast

LG Electronics 65EG9600 65-inch 4K Ultra HD 3D Curved Smart OLED $7,000

Curved 4K OLED TV
webOS 2.0 SMART TV
Magic Remote
Harmon/Kardon Sound
Netflix Recommended TV

The competition was conducted over two days with both professional and consumer evaluators. All in all just over 80 judges rated the TVs for Black Level, Contrast, Color, Off Angle Viewing, Screen Uniformity, Motion Clarity, and Day Mode viewing on professionally calibrated sets. Each category carries equal weight. The average scores for each category and overall average is listed below.

Observations

Consumers were tougher than the experts in their ratings except for when it came to off angle viewing. This translated to lower overall and average scores when rated by consumers. However the difference was small, less than percent or two.
The difference between the best TV and the worst TV was 1.51 | 1.38
The price difference between the number one and two TVs are $3,000. With the number two Samsung costing more! The lowest scoring TV and highest scoring TV’s price difference is $3,800. You can decide if the curved OLED is worth it based on the scores.
LED technology has come a long way in off axis viewing but apparently it still has a ways to go. OLED beat the other TVs by a wide margin.
As far as color accuracy goes, OLED was tied for last with the SONY when viewed by experts but it won the category when viewed by consumers.
If you do a lot of daylight viewing of TV you may want to go with the Samsung although the other TVs are only about a point lower in rating.
OLED had the worst screen uniformity.
OLED really won this competition based on three categories, Black Levels, Contrast, and Off Angle viewing.

Podcast #697: Costco Shootout: Curved vs. Flat Jul 24, 2015

Show notes

Costco Shootout: Curved vs. Flat

Costco has multiple TVs all lined up side by side. Some are worth comparing to each other, some are like comparing a Ferrari to a Kia. Both great for their own purpose and budget, but not at all similar enough to be compared. We happened to stumble into a Costco recently that had two 55 inch 4K LCD TVs side by side, one curved and one flat. And you can imagine we saw the challenge in that.

We decided, right then and there, to do our own shootout of Curved TVs and Flat TVs, all other factors being the same. Both TVs in this case were made by Samsung. Both were side by side on industrial shelves with horrible fluorescent lighting. Both seemed to be set to the default, full bright, dynamic/showroom setting. Neither were professionally calibrated for sure. Both were 4k; both were LCD.

As of this recording, Costco.com has multiple Curved and Flat TV sets available online. We compared two Samsung 55” TVs. They also have 65” versions of both styles available. There are many 55” models available at Costco.com two of them are the same ones we saw in store:

Samsung 55" 4K Ultra HD Smart Curved LED LCD TV (Model: UN55JU670DFXZA)

Price: $1,479.99 (or $1,297 from htguys)
Features: Clear Motion Rate 120, UHD Upscaling and Dimming, Built-in Wi-fi with Full Web Browser, Quad Core Processor, PurColor

Samsung 55" Class 4K Ultra HD Smart LED LCD TV (Model: UN55JU650DFXZA)

$1,269.99 (or $1,197.99 from htguys)
On sale for $1,179.99 After $90 OFF & Free Shipping
Features: Clear Motion Rate 120, UHD Upscaling and Dimming, Built-in Wi-fi with Full Web Browser, Quad Core Processor, PurColor

Visual Performance

As you can imagine, both televisions are visually stunning, even without being calibrated. Both are 4K or Ultra HD sets, so the clarity of the picture was impeccable. Neither showed any signs of pixelation nor motion blur. The colors on both sets were very good. Neither showed like an OLED TV, but neither showed like the overly bright, washed out colors of the LCD TVs of yesteryear. Both can produce very respectable black levels - we aren’t talking Kuro plasma - but a solid ‘A’ for effort.

No detail is ever lost in a dark scene; everything shows up with perfect detail. Which leads us to the actually clarity and detail in the picture. With the HD demo content we saw, the TV looked perfect. It was probably either a Blu-ray playing or a Blu-ray quality demo feed, so with high-quality 1080p the TVs are both amazing. We can only imagine that native 4k content will look at least as good and probably even better. We didn’t see any overly compressed HD or standard definition content on the screen, but it stands to reason that both TVs would perform just like any other HDTV with ugly input. Garbage in, garbage out.

To Curve or Not to Curve

That is the question. If you buy the hype, and they typical price bump you see on curved TVs, you would naturally assume the curved set is better for some reason. Maybe not an important reason, but at least for some reason. The typical reason you get is that the picture will look more natural, because the screen matches the curve of your eye. From our side-by-side comparison, that was not true at all. From straight on, it was nearly impossible to tell a difference in picture quality or overall viewing experience.

Moving away from a straight-on viewing angle the TVs did differentiate a little. The flat model seems to hold the most consistent off-angle viewing experience, while the curved TV could look different from wide angles. We couldn’t tell for sure if the curve itself just reduce the off angle capabilities of the TV, or if some of the differences were similar to the geometric issues the cnet author mentioned, but either way, the flat TV had a better off-angle experience.

Some articles online report the curved TV is better for a room with a lot of ambient light, the curve minimizes the reflection surface. Other sites claim the exact opposite, that the ambient light is reflected in strange, fun-house, hall of mirrors style - distorting the reflection and making it even more distracting. We had the same, consistent florescent lighting for both, so we weren’t able to really verify either point of view. In our observations, they were roughly the same on ambient light reflection.

Conclusion

In our limited test and sample, we came to the same conclusion cnet came to, the curve is cosmetic. There’s no real benefit in viewing experience nor picture quality on the curved screen. If anything, it reduces where you can use the screen by wanting to have the vast majority of your viewers coming from a straight-on seating position. Curved is like 3D: if that’s what you’re into, go for it. Have a blast. But if you end up buying a flat TV instead of a curved one, you certainly aren’t missing out on anything.

Podcast #696: Atmos Processor Discussion with Dipinjeet Sehdev Jul 17, 2015

Show notes

Atmos Processor Discussion with Dipinjeet Sehdev

Today we discuss some receiver options for Atmos. We are joined by Dipinjeet Sehdev Internet Marketing & Brand Relations of Kef Speakers. Here are a few receivers/pre-amps that support Atmos.

Podcast #695: Top Ten Selling TVs at Amazon Jul 10, 2015

Show notes

Top Ten Selling TVs at Amazon

July 8, 2105

Best Sellers in Televisions

10. LG Electronics 42LF5800 42-Inch 1080p Smart LED TV (2015 Model)

$398.00, 4.1 out of 5 stars

9. Samsung UN40H5003 40-Inch 1080p 60Hz LED TV (2014 Model)

$327.99, 4.2 out of 5 stars

8. Samsung UN32J4000 32-Inch 720p 60Hz LED TV (2015 Model)

$237.99, 4.3 out of 5 stars

7. LG Electronics 42LF5800 42-Inch 1080p Smart LED TV (2015 Model)

$398.00, 4.8 out of 5 stars

6. Samsung UN32J5003 32-Inch 1080p LED TV (2015 Model)

$247.99, 3.7 out of 5 stars

5. VIZIO E32-C1 32-Inch 1080p Smart LED HDTV

$269.99, 4.1 out of 5 stars

4. Samsung UN40H5203 40-Inch 1080p 60Hz Smart LED TV (2014 Model)

$377.99, 4.3 out of 5 stars

3. VIZIO E50-C1 50-Inch 1080p Smart LED HDTV

$528.00, 4.1 out of 5 stars

2. VIZIO E24-C1 24-Inch 1080p Smart LED HDTV

$168.00, 4.1 out of 5 stars

1. LG Electronics 42LF5600 42-Inch 1080p LED TV (2015 Model)

$348.00, 4.5 out of 5 stars

Statistics:

By Brand

Samsung : 4
VIZIO : 3
LG : 3

By size:

<30" : 1
30-49" : 8
>49" : 1

By Price

$300-500 : 5
>$500 : 1

By Resolution:

1080p : 9
720p : 1

By Display Technology

LED / LCD : 10

Top UltraHD / 4K TVs:

35. VIZIO M50-C1 50-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED HDTV

$798.00, 4.2 out of 5 stars

40. Samsung UN55JU6500 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV (2015 Model)

$1,097.99, 3.6 out of 5 stars

The #100 selling TV is #3660 overall in electronics. No OLED TVs appear in the top 100. The #1 selling OLED TV is #5132 overall in electronics; #2 is #15374 overall. The #1 selling plasma TV is #6641.

Best Sellers in OLED TVs

1. LG Electronics 55EC9300 55-Inch 1080p 3D Curved OLED TV (2015 Model)

$2,499.00, 4.5 out of 5 stars

2. LG Electronics 55EG9600 55-inch 4K Ultra HD 3D Curved Smart OLED TV (2015 Model)

$4,999.00, 4.3 out of 5 stars

Best Sellers in Plasma TVs

1. LG Electronics 50PB6650 50-Inch 1080p 600Hz PLASMA TV (2014 Model)

$699.00, 4.3 out of 5 stars

Top Ten Selling TVs at Amazon

Sep. 2014

10. LG Electronics 32LB5600 32-Inch 1080p 60Hz LED TV $270

9. LG Electronics 47LB5900 47-Inch 1080p 120Hz LED TV $480

8. LG Electronics 39LB5600 39-Inch 1080p 60Hz LED TV $350

7. Samsung UN32EH4003 32-Inch 720p 60Hz LED TV (2012 Model) $250

6. LG Electronics 55LB5900 55-Inch 1080p 120Hz LED TV $680

5. VIZIO E241i-B1 24-Inch 1080p 60Hz Smart LED HDTV (Black) $180

4. Sharp LC-32LE451U 32-inch Aquos HD 720p 60Hz LED TV $199

3. Samsung UN40H6350 40-Inch 1080p 120Hz Smart LED TV $500

2. VIZIO E500i-B1 50-Inch 1080p Smart LED HDTV $550

1. Samsung UN22F5000 22-Inch 1080p 60Hz Slim LED HDTV (2013 Model) $170

Two TV over 50 inches
Two 720P TVs
Lowest cost TV $170. Its $199 if you consider 32 inch as the smallest usable TV.
Four LGs, three Samsungs, two Vizios, one Sharp

No 4K TVs

Podcast #694: High Resolution Audio Vs CD Jul 03, 2015

Show notes

High Resolution Audio Vs CD

Over the past few months you have heard us mention high resolution audio on the show. There are audiophiles out there that swear that if you want the best quality audio then you must listen to high resolution audio. Others out there will tell you that CD quality is just as good. Then there are some that say mp3 or AAC files will suffice for the kind of listening most of us do.

On today’s show we will take both an objective and subjective look at the subject. But this will be a different type of show this week. We’ll discuss the subject on the podcast but there is a companion video that will greatly help in the understanding of the topics discussed. Its available on our Youtube channel (HT Guys) or you can find it embedded on the website for today’s post.

Before we get into the discussion let’s define a few terms for the purposes of our discussion:

Hi-Res Audio - (From Wikipedia) There is no standard definition for what constitutes high-resolution audio, but it is generally used to describe audio signals with bandwidth and/or dynamic range greater than that of Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA). This includes pulse-code modulation (PCM) encoded audio with sampling rates greater than 44100 Hz and with bit-depths greater than 16, or their equivalents using other encoding techniques such as pulse-density modulation (PDM).

High-resolution audio file formats include FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF and DSD, the format used by Super Audio Compact Discs (SACD). It should be noted, however, that audio encoded into one of these file formats is not necessarily high-resolution audio. For example, a WAV file could contain audio sampled at 11,025 Hz and quantized at eight bits, which is lower quality than CD-DA.

CD Audio - (From Wikipedia) Digital audio encoding: 2-channel signed 16-bit Linear PCM sampled at 44,100 Hz.

Objective Comparison

For the objective comparison we start out with a Hi-Res audio file (24 bit 96KHz Sample Rate) and then we encode a CD version (16 bit 44.1KHz Sample Rate) from that. We also created 256Kbps AAC file from the CD version for the subjective test. We imported the 24 bit version into Audacity then we did the same but inverted the track. If the files are identical they should cancel out and the only thing you would hear is silence. That is exactly what happened.

The next step was to import the both the 16 and 24 bit files and then invert the 24 bit track. We expected to see a difference but not by much. What we saw was a resultant audio track with audio from 14KHz to 20KHz. The audio was not loud enough to hear. Our conclusion is that the two tracks are virtually identical.

Subjective Comparison

For this portion of the test we used an application called ABX. ABX is a cross platform (Java Required) blind audio test application that makes this type of testing fool proof. Our setup was a Macbook Pro, Audio Engine D1 24bit DAC (Buy Now $169), and Bowers and Wilkins P5 Headphones (Buy Now $250). While not audiophile territory, it's a far cry from earbuds connected to your phone.

We had friends and colleagues listen to the Hi-Res vs the AAC file and we found that Ara and two self proclaimed audiophiles were able to hear a difference between these files about 70% of the time. The remainder of the participants could not hear a difference . No one could hear a difference between the 24 and 16 bit audio tracks.

Some Thoughts

Is this a conclusive test? Not really. We will never say that no one can hear a difference between hi-res audio, CD, and AAC/mp3. So much has to do with the quality of the recordings, the hearing of the listener, and the equipment being used.

On the video we import some music that has been mastered since the loud wars started (late 90s) and it's pretty obvious that there is not much dynamic range. Do you really need 24 bits when everything is maxed out? If you are used to listening to music that is loud with little or no dynamic range then you listen to something that is pure and full of dynamic range you are amazed. Truth be told you would be impressed even if you weren’t listening to a hi-res recording. When there are just a few instruments and a vocal you can hear everything including little nuances in the recording. That’s why almost every demo I have heard used artists like Norah Jones or Chris Botti. Its because their music has a lot of dynamic range and the detail in the recording usually blows you away. You can also get that detail with CD quality while saving some money and being just as blown away.

Our recommendation is that you rip your CDs in two formats. Do a lossless version for listening at home in a dedicated environment. Then create a compressed version for your portable devices. If you try the test and can’t hear a difference then just go compressed. If you try the test and you can hear a difference, congratulations on having some fantastic hearing skill. This is a blessing and a curse.

Finally, don’t get so caught up in listening at the music to find flaws or a reason to not be happy. You can spend thousands of dollars to diminishing returns. Instead do some simple things like listen in an environment that is comfortable and noise free. Pour yourself a drink and let the sounds take you away to someplace that makes you happy and stress free.

Podcast #693: What the H? Jun 26, 2015

Show notes

What the H?

In the transition from High Definition Television to Ultra High Definition TV, we’ve seen the acronym dictionary go from bad to worse. On the good side, HDTV was multiple video resolutions and display formats, like 480p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p, while UHD is essentially just one. Some call it 4K, some call it UHD, some call it 2160p, but it all really boils down to the same thing for the TVs we’ll buy as consumers - 4 times the resolution of 1080p.

HDTV to UHD

There are differences between what the professional video industry considers 4K, which is a resolution of 4,096 by 2,160, and what the rest of of get when we buy a 4K TV, or an Ultra High Definition television set, which is typically 3,840 by 2,160 resolution, but the two are quite close. Some TVs support the slightly higher resolution, but for the most part we’re dealing with the one, quad-HD format, that defines UHD.

In some ways, this makes the transition from HDTV to UHD very simple. In early HDTV days, there were the EDTVs: plasma TV sets that could display HDTV content but scaled it down to a native resolution of 480p. Then there were two dominant resolution formats, 720p and 1080i. 720p was better for fast moving action while 1080i had better resolution and produced sharper images. Eventually we got 1080p sets, the best of both worlds, and the debate was solved. With UHD, we don’t have to worry about it,. We get 2160p televisions. That’s it. Nice and simple.

But that’s not the whole story. It isn’t just a resolution change in the migration from HDTV to UHD. There are so many more changes under the covers, so many more changes built into the transition that are intended to improve our lives and make the entire viewing experience better and more advanced. We’ve talked about many of them before, but sometimes it’s easy to get them confused or to gloss over the relationships between all of them. They build a somewhat twisted web of interconnected relationships it’s easy to get turned around. It happens to us all the time.

HDMI 2.0

The High-Definition Multimedia Interface 2.0 specification is typically considered part of the UHD or 4K transition. HDMI cables have been heaven-sent. One cable that carries high definition audio and video in the same connection makes wiring up your home theater soe much easier - so much simpler than the days of old with a coax or SPDIF audio cable and three component video cables, or one DVI cable if you were so lucky to have digital video support on both ends.

As the demands for what you can watch on your HDTVs evolves, the HDMI spec has had to evolve as well to support the better video. HDMI 1.4 actually supports 4k resolution, but only at 24 or 30 frames per second. If you want full 4k resolution at 60 fps, you have to get a system that supports HDMI 2.0. In addition to the higher frame rates, the higher bandwidth supported by HDMI 2.0 also allows more audio and video information to travel across the cable. For example, HDMI 1.4 is limited to 8-bit color, HDMI 2.0 can go to 12-bit. That higher bandwidth paves the way for something called HDR or High Dynamic Range.

HDCP 2.2

But before we get to HDR, let’s take a brief detour to discuss HDCP 2.2, the next rev of the High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection spec also commonly associated with Ultra High Def TV. HDCP has been around since the beginning of HDMI. It is the copy protection part of the spec aimed to keep pirates from getting their hands on pristine, high quality digital formats that they could turn right around and post on the Internet for anyone to download. It is designed to protect the content owners from the evil pirates who want to post movies and TV shows on bit torrent and other file sharing sites.

However, what it typically does is just make all of our lives harder. Many of the HDMI communication issues we’ve all experienced between set top boxes, receivers, and other home theater devices are due to the copy protection part of the spec. A part of the spec that probably, in most cases, isn’t even enabled for the content we’re viewing. But HDCP 2.2 is the next evolution, so if you want to make sure you’ll be able to watch copy protected 4K content, you’ll need gear that supports HDCP 2.2.

Odds are they’ll never turn on the content protection for most of what we watch, because it would create so many issues with people trying to view it that it wouldn’t be worth it, but if they do decide to enable it, all the devices in the chain: set top box, blu-ray player, receiver, television, etc. will all need to support it for you to see the content. The biggest bummer is that we’ll probably have a whole new batch for HDMI incompatibility issues as some devices begin to roll out with HDCP 2.2 and try to talk with legacy devices that don’t support it. HDMI, for all its benefits, hasn’t been without its issues, and HDCP will most likely compound them, not make them any better.

HDR

If you can get past the copy protection, and get your devices all talking with HDMI 2.0, you might very well be able to enjoy HDR content, or High Dynamic Range video. High dynamic range video is, in a nutshell, a better luminance range than typical video, providing whiter whites and blacker blacks, this gives you better contrast, better color response and better shadow detail in the videos you watch on TV. You don’t get better resolution, but you get more realistic, more lifelike images because the contrast more closely resembles what we see in the world around us.

HDR isn’t an essential part of UHD or 4K TV. You don’t even need 4K resolution to enjoy the better color and contrast you can get from HDR video, but in most cases you’ll need to upgrade to a 4K set if you want a TV that will display the High Dynamic Range content - not because the two are required or connected, but just because the latest and greatest TVs, the ones that support HDR, just so happen to be 4K sets. There may be 1080p OLED TVs in the future that have support for HDR, but why would you upgrade to that?

HEVC

The last piece in the puzzle is our last ‘H’ acronym: HEVC or High Efficiency Video Coding. It is the successor to the standard H.264/MPEG4 AVC codec used predominantly for our current HDTV content and is the codec used most often to encode or transmit UHD content. It has twice the compression capabilities without sacrificing video quality, or it can be used to transmit much higher quality video, up to 8K resolution, in the same bandwidth currently used for 1080p HDTV content.

One important note about HEVC is that it is currently the only mainstream codec that supports HDR content. so while it is possible to get HDR in your 1080p HDTV movies, you’d need those movies to be encoded with HEVC, not the old-school H.264 codec you have now. So you’d need a TV and a player that both support HDR and HEVC to get the benefit of higher dynamic range. Since HEVC is typically associated with UHD, it isn’t likely that many manufacturers will introduce support for it in non-UHD devices. so while it might be possible to watch 1080p content with HDR, you’d probably need to do that on a 4k set anyways.

Conclusion

The move from tons of resolution options in the HDTV spec to essentially one in the UHD world should have made our lives easier, but content providers and manufacturers wouldn’t stand for it, so they gave us a bunch of new ‘H’ acronyms we’d have to worry about to keep us on our toes. The good news is that in a couple years, when UHD is commonplace and reaches mass adoption, everything will support all the new acronyms and it won’t really matter anymore. But for those of us on the early adopter curve, it can be tricky. For now, make sure you read the specs on everything you buy to make sure it’ll support what you want now and in the near future. And if you have any questions, give us a shout.

Podcast #692: Audioengine B1 Bluetooth Receiver Jun 19, 2015

Show notes

Audioengine B1 Bluetooth Receiver

Both iOS and Android device users have easy ways to wirelessly transmit audio. For Apple users, Airplay sends music to the AppleTV and various Airplay speakers. Android users have Chromecast which has similar functionality. But what if you want to OS agnostic solution? Fortunately for you there is the Audioengine B1 Bluetooth Receiver (Buy Now $189).

The B1 streams high-quality audio from your Bluetooth enabled smartphone, computer, or tablet to any music system or powered speakers. Audioengine used the aptX codec which enables your mobile device to transmit 24 bit audio to the B1. The aptX® audio codec algorithm originated in the late 1980s at Queen’s University Belfast. The research was focused on bit rate reduction and achieved significant bit rate efficiencies while preserving audio quality.

Features:

Fast Setup
Plug-n-play, no software to install
Superior sound and extended range
Streams audio from any media player (iTunes, Amarra, Youtube, etc.)
Connects to any music system with an audio input

Setup:

The physical part of the setup is pretty straight forward. Connect power via USB and connect the audio, either RCA or Optical. Then pair your source device through its Bluetooth settings. That’s it! The entire process is less than 5 minutes. Then on your device you select the B1 in your bluetooth settings and anything you listen to will be routed to the device. That means all apps work with the B1. If you have a player that makes use of 24bit audio you are good to go! If your app is only 16 bits, the B1 will pad out the bits to 24 which will get you a better signal to noise ratio.

Audio:

We tested the B1 with four songs played on an iPhone, Macbook, and Samsung S5. We tried to find music that had a lot dynamic range, (Diana Krall - Fly Me to the Moon, Eagles - Hotel California) as well as some Rock from our youth (Van Halen - Ain’t Talkin’ ‘bout Love) and finally some current stuff (Imagine Dragons - Its Time).

The sound was quite good. Highs on the first two songs were crisp and airy. You could swear the piano was in the room with you. The mid-range was smoother than a fresh jar of skippy. Bass was tight and felt full. In all you could close your eyes image the soundstage in front of you. The music was easy to listen to and didn’t sound cluttered or muddy.

Summary:

Now we’re not saying that the B1 made the music better or clearer but we are saying that it didn’t add any artifacts that would distract from listening to it. If you are looking for a cross platform cross device product that allows you to share your music in crystal clear quality, the Audioengine B1 is made for you.

Podcast #691: 4DX: The Savior of Cinema? Jun 11, 2015

Show notes

4DX: The Savior of Cinema?

Movie theaters are faltering, at least in our opinion. The large format home theater has reached a price point where it is attainable for many of us. And TVs are so big, you can practically create a large format home theater with just an LCD TV. No need for a projector or a screen or the hassle of running wires to the back of the room. And if anyone can have a huge home theater, what’s the allure of the traditional movie theater?

We’ve talked for a long time about the cinema owners and operators needing to modernize. They can no longer rely on being the only game in town. To date, the biggest moves in making the old school cinema house more attractive have come at the concession stand. Full restuarants with in theater service, full bars with beer, wine and cocktails delivered to you while you watch. It totally transforms the experience and some of those theaters are doing really well.

Other theaters have renovated the room itself. They have larger, more plush seating that fully reclines, or small couches you can share with a date. The rooms themselves are more elegant, mores intimate than the giant sticky packed houses we’ve been used to in the past. Some even allow you to reserve your seat in advance so you don’t have to worry about getting bad seats. This helps, but even so, most of us would still prefer our couch at home.

4DX To the Rescue

But what if the cinema owners could differentiate on technology again. They used to be the only game in town for big screens, surround sound, booming subwoofers. But now we all have those. Then they were the only option for watching movies in 3D. Then that technology made its way home, where we all hate it just as much as we did in the theaters. The next big thing very well may be what South Korean company CJ 4DPLEX is calling 4DX technology.

If you’ve been to a 4D movie experience at a theme park, odds are you’re familiar with the concept. 4DX is more than just picture and sound. It combines 3D video and multi-channel surround sound with moving seats, wind, mist, and event scents and smells, al synchronized to the movie, to provide a totally immersive experience. Your chair moves in sync with the movie, wind blows when you’re moving or something flies past you on screen, It all works in harmony to bring you into the movie going experience.

A theater can be built or retrofitted with special equipment to support 4DX features, which include:

Seat Motion (tilt left, tilt right, tilt forward, tilt backward, raise up, drop down)
Vibration
Leg Tickler
Back Poker
Face Air Jets
Left and Right Neck Air Jets
Water Spray
Wind
Lightning
Fog
Scents (from a collection of 1000 scents)
Bubbles
Rainstorm
Snowstorm
Heated Air

Due to the complexity of the equipment needed to provide this total body experience, theaters must be specially built or retrofitted to accommodate it. In many cases, the work is so drastic theaters can’t even be retrofitted but need to be totally stripped down and rebuilt. And it isn’t cheap. In 2011, the cineplex company Cinépolis invested $25 million and partnered with CJ Group to open up to 11 4DX theaters. That’s roughly $2.3 million per room, and there’s no telling how much the partnership offset the total cost.

For starters, every seat has to move, and they all move independently. So you have the seats and the actuators to buy and install, and the wiring to the control unit to make sure they move on time. Then there are the fans and misters, some have these built into the seatbacks, so that’s already included, unless you’re in the front row. Then there are the scent bubble machines. And of course the controlling units to make sure all of these items fire at just the right time to draw you into the movie. It’s complex and complicated.

Getting 4DX at Home

So what are the odds we’ll ever get anything like 4DX in the home? That’s a tough one. Looking at the surface, it’s probably a long shot. But there are so many technologies in the home today that we never could have fathomed would be there had we took a guess 10 years ago, so if history has taught us anything, it’s that someone will find a way to make it happen. Entrepreneurs listen up. We’re looking for you to show up on Shark Tank with an idea, or set of ideas, for getting 4DX into the home.

There are multiple challenges in making this a reality. First are the chairs. Sure there are things like D-Box controlled seats available now, but the 4DX seats take it to the next level. And you have to have one for anyone that may come over to watch a movie. Its almost like the 3D glasses dilemma, but instead of a couple hundred dollars for a few extra pairs of glasses, you’re talking about tens of thousands to add additional seating. Braden’s family alone would need 7 chairs - not even sure 7 of them would fit in the theater room.

Next you’d need devices for the wind and mist and maybe even the smells. You might be able to get away with one scent delivery unit to fill the whole room with an odor, but who knows if that would even work. And unless you want to soak the whole theater, you’ll need individual misters to hit each person or a small group of viewers. Same thing for the fans to control wind. Not a trivial install to say the least.

A reason to go out to the Movies?

So let’s assume we’re at least a good 5 to 10 years away from anything like 4DX appearing in our homes - at least at a price that would make it attainable for most of us, is the experience compelling enough to pull you out of your home theater and into a cineplex? For kids of course, they’ll love it. But they go to the movies anyways. For horror movies it could be great - get sprayed by mist when blood splatters off the screen. But for most movies it just feels too gimmicky. Like it would be fun for the first half of the movie, then you’d just want it to stop so you could watch in peace. Can you imagine a two hour long Star Tours at Disneyland?

Try it out

If you want to give it a shot for yourself, there are options out there for you. Maybe nothing close by, but if you happen to be travelling somewhere with a 4DX cinema, it might be worth checking out. According to Wikipedia, as of November 2014, the 4DX technology is currently active in 28 countries: South Korea, Venezuela, China, Cambodia, Israel, Thailand, Russia, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Czech Republic, Guatemala, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Taiwan, Chile, UAE, Croatia, Ukraine, India, Indonesia, United Kingdom and the Philippines, with new theaters being prepared in the United States, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Jordan, Bahamas, and Costa Rica.

There is actually now one 4DX theater in the US. It is at Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 in Downtown Los Angeles - the first of many planned locations according to Regal. It is located at 800 West Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, California.

Podcast #690: T.H.E. Show Jun 04, 2015

Show notes

T.H.E. Show

The Home Entertainment Show (The Show) was in Irvine last week and we had an opportunity to stop by and see some really cool products. The Show is like CEDIA and CES but on a much smaller scale and with a focus on high end audio. It is a much more intimate way of seeing some of the most expensive products in the home audio world.

Since the attendance is a fraction of what you would see at CES or CEDIA you get more hands on time with the gear and direct contact with representatives who can spend a little more time with you discussing their products as well as those of other vendors. There were more than a hundred exhibitors from all over the world. Next year’s show will be June 3 - 5 and if you live in Southern California or are looking for a reason to visit you should start making plans now.

There were amps, speakers, turntables, headphones, cables and pretty much anything the audio lover would want to see and hear. Too many products to checkout in the afternoon that we had at the show. We want to highlight a few and recommend that you look for a reason to attend next year.

Woo Audio

We met with Mike Liang of Woo Audio and he gave us a great demo of their vacuum tube headphone amplifiers. These amplifiers not only sounded great but looked like art. The WA7 Fireflies goes for $999 with a solid state power supply and $1398 for the vacuum tube WA7tp linear power supply. They sounded incredible.

I (Ara) even had my daughters in on the action. This is a picture of myself and my daughter Stephanie checking out the equipment.

They had a prototype portable DAC that is also tube based and will run about $1,000 when it's released. Its a bit bigger and heavier than the Audioengine D1.

But the coolest thing we saw at Woo Audio was their $16,000 WA-234 multiblock headphone and speaker amplifier. One for each channel. This amp comes with multiple tubes so you can optimize your experience based on the music you are listening to. An amp of this caliber required something more than ear buds and for today I used a pair of Abyss AB-1266 Planar Magnetic headphones (MSRP $5495). Imagine… I had $21,500 worth of gear creating music for my ears! I listened to Classical, Jazz, and Rock and was amazed at how full the music sounded.

Abyss AB-1266 Planar Magnetic headphones

These headphones do not go over your ears in the typical way. They are supposed to rest on your head and stay just off your ears. As a result the are extremely comfortable and can be worn for long periods of time. The frequency response on these phones go from 5 Hz to 28KHz. That would be overkill for most humans but the range I can hear sounded good.

ELAC Speakers

Elac showed a line of speakers created by noted speaker designer Andrew Jones called Debut. This was my favorite thing I saw for two reasons, one they sounded fantastic, incredible low end from a bookshelf speaker, and two, they are affordable. The frequency response on the bookshelf is 44Hz to 20KHz. A pair will run about $275.

They will also sell these as a set that supports Dolby ATMOS with a speaker that sits on top of the bookshelf or floor standing speakers and aimed towards the ceiling.

They also showed a subwoofer that can be calibrated via your Smartphone. Friend of the show Ray Coronado posted a video detailing the process:

Nordost Audio and Video Cables

Way up on the 14th floor where all the really expensive gear is was a cable company called Nordost. So we figured that a cable company on the 14th floor must mean really expensive cables. And boy were we right. Nordost showed off their ODIN 2 line of cables. Which just might be the most expensive cables you have ever heard. For instance:

RCA or XLR .6 M $20,000 for the stereo pair.
Power Cords 1.25 M $17,000
Speaker Wire 1M pair $30,000

It was a fun show. It had a completely different vibe than CEDIA or CES. There is little chance that we will ever be able to afford the gear that was demoed at the show. But for those who can afford it, there is plenty of manufacturers that cater to your needs. Most of the equipment is handmade with much of it made right here in the USA.

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