home theater, cord cutting, video streaming, a/v tech, and more!

[dodint]

I'm paying like $203/month for DirecTV and then Netflix 4k is like $14 a month. I also pay for ad-free Youtube.

I'm getting really tired of the DTV cost since I basically only watch PTI and auto racing on it. But it has the DVR which is huge for live sports so I'm reluctant to give it up. That's why my first question is always "Does it have commercials?" because if I'm paying for the service, and the delivery, I'm sure as **** not paying to watch ads. That's a product of the cable over the air era that is damn near impossible to claw back.

[Viva la Ben]

Was nice to have the Pens game not blacked out on NBCSN for game one. Hope it’s not blacked out tonite either. ATTSN is the only thing I’m missing from my directvnow.

[DigitalGypsy66]

We dabbled in things like PlayStation Vue and Spectrum’s streaming TV service, but found the quality lacking. Missing channels, buffering (when there shouldn’t be with 100mbps service), and so on. So we use my parents’ Xfinity login for most things live (which is rare these days), my brother has HBO Now, and we pay for Netflix, Google Play Music (which includes ad free YouTube), Apple Music (my wife and kids are all iSlaves, and can’t be arsed with Google music for iOS), Plex Pass (which I need to cancel, because I rarely use the features), and of course Amazon Prime.

[tifosi77]

Source of the post They lost BeIN Sports

BeIN was dropped by pretty much everyone (**** Barca, BTW). All of this is creating a new problem of 'which service(s) should I subscribe to?' We went from the cable companies having everything, to adding something like Netflix, to now Netflix, Hulu, Vue, etc.

I'm curious to know what others are doing and paying for their entire TV solution. I only use FiOS, and pay $153/month for everything (including gigabit internet).

To be clear, beIN wasn't 'dropped'. They launched their own subscription-based streaming service/app and didn't want to be in competition with themselves, so they let all of their carrier agreements with OTTs term out over a five or six month span. And they did it (at least with us) in an absolutely dickish fashion; we pushed emails/notifications to subscribers 48 hours prior to the expiration of our deal stating that we were on the verge of losing the channel, and 12 hours prior to the actual expiration - during live La Liga coverage - they terminated the feed. So Vue subscribers lost the channel in the middle of live soccer coverage.

[tifosi77]

I don't include my Prime membership in any of this because I view Prime video content as a bonus.

Same here, in addition to Whole Foods stuff. We buy enough online that the 2-day shipping perk pays for the membership in about 4 or 5 months.

[NTP66]

The Ring Doorbell Pro install was surprisingly painless, and I was up and running in 10-15 minutes. Daytime video quality is very nice, and so far the motion zone that I setup works as expected.

[eddy]

Users with good speaker systems can now enjoy Netflix movies and TV shows in higher audio quality. Netflix says that it is taking "sound quality to another level".

- "Today we’re excited to announce a new feature, high-quality audio, which takes our sound quality to another level. We gave it this straightforward name because it fits: high-quality audio delivers audio that sounds closer to what creators hear in the studio, so every little detail is captured for a richer, more intense experience. Additionally, if you have bandwidth or device limitations, we’ve made the feature adaptive so that we will deliver the best possible audio to match your capabilities. This is similar to what we already do for video," said Netflix.

The bitrate on 5.1 surround will increase from 192 Kbps to 640 Kbps. The bitrate used to deliver Dolby Atmos will increase from 448 Kbps to 768 Kbps. To enjoy Dolby Atmos you must subscribe to Netflix's 'Premium' plan.

The company explains that improved audio quality has been implemented as an adaptive stream, meaning that users with compatible devices - and a fast enough internet connection - will automatically get improved quality. The company is also using adaptive video streaming.

Netflix added that 'high quality audio' is available for all movies and TV shows with 5.1 surround and Dolby Atmos. It is using the Dolby Digital Plus format.

- "Our high-quality sound feature is not lossless, but it is perceptually transparent. That means that while the audio is compressed, it is indistinguishable from the original source. Based on internal listening tests, listening test results provided by Dolby, and scientific studies, we determined that for Dolby Digital Plus at and above 640 kbps, the audio coding quality is perceptually transparent. Beyond that, we would be sending you files that have a higher bitrate (and take up more bandwidth) without bringing any additional value to the listening experience," the company argued

https://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?s ... 1556717977

[tifosi77]

That's a good thing. Now that we're moved in and (mostly) settled we plan on getting a new TV and I want to add an Atmos soundbar.

Our new house is pre-wired for audio - with flush-mounted down-firing speakers in the ceiling and drivers outside the house on the patio - but not surround. Given that the living room, dining room, and kitchen are all part of one big open space, proper surround probably isn't an option. (For aesthetic/Mrs Tif reasons)

[nocera]

Source of the post Atmos soundbar.

How can a soundbar recreate Atmos?

[tifosi77]

I think the processor changes the phase or polarity of the relevant signal(s) before routing them to front- or up-firing speakers. It's not really surround (obviously), but it's enough to trick your ear into thinking the sound is emanating from behind or above your head; it's akin to the way 3D audio headphones work. I've heard in-store demos (not ideal, I know) and the effect is surprising.

[NTP66]

I bought a Smart Lock this week, along with a SmartThings hub, so I'm going to try and catch up on the home automation game. I've got door sensors coming tomorrow that I intend to use with the lock to make sure that it automatically locks only when the sensor is closed.

[eddy]

Source of the post Atmos soundbar.

How can a soundbar recreate Atmos?

it's basically just a speaker aiming up that bounces sound off the ceiling and back to you. They also make surround speakers that sit on top of your front stage that do the same.

https://us.creative.com/soniccarrier/

[NTP66]

$4k for that sound bar?! Ouch.

[nocera]

Yeah you can install legit Atmos for less than that.

[tifosi77]

You can also get Atmos soundbars for under $1k.

[NTP66]

@eddysnake: You bought a new tv late last year, no? What did you go with? I’m considering upgrading my 5 year old 65” Samsung LED with a 75” set. I’d love to go OLED, but there are two huge factors for me that are preventing me from doing so - poor bright room performance and burn-in. I’m looking at either the Samsung QN75Q7FN or possible a Sony XBR75X900F.

[AuthorTony]

I'm not eddysnake, but I recently bought a TCL 6 series 65" set for my deck. I've been blown away by the quality. I still use a Panasonic plasma for my main TV in the house and always assumed I'd go OLED when it bit the dust. Now I'm not so sure.

[NTP66]

I still like the quality of my Samsung, but the color depth and contrast of the newer sets is absurdly good. I don’t even gave any 4K content and I’m thinking about the switch.

[eddy]

@eddysnake: You bought a new tv late last year, no? What did you go with? I’m considering upgrading my 5 year old 65” Samsung LED with a 75” set. I’d love to go OLED, but there are two huge factors for me that are preventing me from doing so - poor bright room performance and burn-in. I’m looking at either the Samsung QN75Q7FN or possible a Sony XBR75X900F.

I went from a Samsung back to a Sony 65xbr900e and it's incredible. The 900F is the newer version of what I have. Sony upscaling was the deciding factor for me between that and another Sammy and it does not disappoint.

If brightness is an issue, read about the Vizio quantum x or p or something like that? It's supposed to get up around 2000 nits in brightness, but has pretty average scaling.

I have a tcl in my bedroom and am really impressed with the bang for buck, but there are features that don't stand up to my current Sony.

You can't go wrong with the 900F from what I've read, it will blow you away.

[NTP66]

@eddysnake: You bought a new tv late last year, no? What did you go with? I’m considering upgrading my 5 year old 65” Samsung LED with a 75” set. I’d love to go OLED, but there are two huge factors for me that are preventing me from doing so - poor bright room performance and burn-in. I’m looking at either the Samsung QN75Q7FN or possible a Sony XBR75X900F.

I went from a Samsung back to a Sony 65xbr900e and it's incredible. The 900F is the newer version of what I have. Sony upscaling was the deciding factor for me between that and another Sammy and it does not disappoint.

If brightness is an issue, read about the Vizio quantum x or p or something like that? It's supposed to get up around 2000 nits in brightness, but has pretty average scaling.

I have a tcl in my bedroom and am really impressed with the bang for buck, but there are features that don't stand up to my current Sony.

You can't go wrong with the 900F from what I've read, it will blow you away.

Okay, I was right in that you switched to Sony. And yes, the Vizio P-series Quantum is another contender. I've basically been using rtings.com for all of my research, and the bright room may sway me in that direction. I honestly think it'll come down to Sony and Vizio, and I never thought I'd say that being someone who has owned Samsung for my primary set for the past decade or so.

[eddy]

That Samsung looks awesome too. I don't think you'd go wrong with either and would look to see which fits better in your environment.

Like Tony said above, look at the tcl too. I keep wondering about next time and if I'd go that route and turn the savings into a big receiver. I think I'm ready to make the switch to Atmos, but I want 4 up top and not just 2 and would like to keep the existing surround and back speakers and go 7.4

[NTP66]

Now I remember why I removed the Vizio - they only make it in 65". Part of my justification is going to a larger screen size, so 75" or above. Damn.

[eddy]

@eddysnake: You bought a new tv late last year, no? What did you go with? I’m considering upgrading my 5 year old 65” Samsung LED with a 75” set. I’d love to go OLED, but there are two huge factors for me that are preventing me from doing so - poor bright room performance and burn-in. I’m looking at either the Samsung QN75Q7FN or possible a Sony XBR75X900F.

I went from a Samsung back to a Sony 65xbr900e and it's incredible. The 900F is the newer version of what I have. Sony upscaling was the deciding factor for me between that and another Sammy and it does not disappoint.

If brightness is an issue, read about the Vizio quantum x or p or something like that? It's supposed to get up around 2000 nits in brightness, but has pretty average scaling.

I have a tcl in my bedroom and am really impressed with the bang for buck, but there are features that don't stand up to my current Sony.

You can't go wrong with the 900F from what I've read, it will blow you away.

Okay, I was right in that you switched to Sony. And yes, the Vizio P-series Quantum is another contender. I've basically been using rtings.com for all of my research, and the bright room may sway me in that direction. I honestly think it'll come down to Sony and Vizio, and I never thought I'd say that being someone who has owned Samsung for my primary set for the past decade or so.

My dad got a Vizio and I was very impressed with it and had it on my list, but then the Sony had a big sale and it was hard for me to pass it up. I like the Android TV experience so far with the Sony too. I really like the roku interface on the tcl the best though.

[eddy]

Now I remember why I removed the Vizio - they only make it in 65". Part of my justification is going to a larger screen size, so 75" or above. Damn.

Look at the new Vizio quantum p and x. It's in 75, just not out yet I think

[eddy]

I've also read some horror stories with how bright the vizios are that blooming can be a big deal, sometimes making subtitles downright unreadable. Not sure how much is an exaggeration. I had minor blooming issues with my Sony, but like everything else, if you go looking for problems, you'll find them. I don't even notice it now