HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

On today's show we take a look at your family room and decide whether a 7.2 system is worth it over 5.1. We also read your emails and catch up on the week's news.
News: 
How Valuable Is TV to Smaller, Independent Cable Operators?
DirecTV and EverPass reach new deal to keep NFL Sunday Ticket in bars after threatening split
Other:
Rage Against the Garage Door Opener (ratgdo)
Family Room - 5.1 vs 7.2 what makes sense?
Most of us don't have a fully dedicated theater room to fully deck out with a 7.2.4 Atmos system. Most of us have family rooms and would like some sort of a surround sound experience beyond a low end sound bar. The question we get asked a lot is whether a 7.2 system will provide a noticeably better experience than a 5.1 system. So today we answer that question.
Spoiler, in most family living rooms, a well-set-up 5.1 system is the smarter choice. A 7.2 system only becomes clearly better if you have good space behind the seating and can place the rear speakers properly. Let's get into it.
Pros of Going 7.2
Better immersion - The two extra rear speakers create a more continuous sound field. Sounds that move from front to back (or circle around you) feel smoother and more realistic.
Improved envelopment - You get a stronger sense of being "inside" the movie instead of just having sound coming from the sides.
Smoother bass (the .2) - Two subwoofers reduce bass peaks and nulls. This is often the biggest real-world improvement over a single sub.
More seating flexibility -  Multiple people can enjoy better surround effects even if they're not in the exact sweet spot.
Future-proofing - Many modern receivers can use the extra channels for Atmos height speakers later if you decide to expand.
Cons of Going 7.2
Space requirements - You need room behind the main seats for the rear speakers. If your sofa is against the back wall (very common), the rear speakers end up too close and the benefit largely disappears.
Higher cost - Two extra speakers + a second subwoofer + possibly a more expensive receiver adds significant cost.
Harder placement - Getting the rear speakers at the right height, distance, and angle is more difficult in a shared family room.
Diminishing returns in smaller rooms - In rooms under about 15x15–16x18 feet, the extra speakers can actually make the sound less coherent if they're too close together.
More clutter & wiring - Extra speakers and cables are harder to hide in a multi-purpose family room.
Content reality - Most streaming content is still mixed in 5.1. True discrete 7.1 tracks are less common outside Blu-rays
Rules of Thumb for a Family Room
If your sofa is against the back wall you are realistically looking at a 5.1 system since the rear speakers have nowhere to go. If you have 3 feet or more behind you, 7.2 may be worthwhile. If you can't fully afford a proper 7.2 system you will be better served with better speakers and a great subwoofer.
Bottom Line
For a typical family room:
A high-quality 5.1 almost always delivers more enjoyment for the money and effort.
Only go 7.2 if you have decent space behind the seating and are willing to spend more for the extra immersion and smoother bass.
Next week should we discuss if Atmos is worth it in a family room?

On this week's show we breakdown the Value Electronics 2026 TV Shootout and see who the new King TV is. We also read your emails and look at the week's news.
News:
LG is cracking down on smart TV apps that quietly turn your TV into a secret proxy
Streaming Execs Say Roku Most Important CTV Platform for Home Screen Visibility
Comcast has Lost Over 600,000 TV Customers So Far This Year & 232,000 Internet Customers
Other:
LG TVs are better than they've ever been — here's what they're doing right, what they're doing wrong, and what needs to change in 2026
2026 Value Electronics TV Shootout Summary
Value Electronics (Scarsdale, NY) held its annual expert-judged TV Shootout on July 18, 2026. All sets were professionally calibrated and compared side-by-side against reference Sony BVM-HX3110 mastering monitors. Judges scored attributes (contrast/grayscale, color accuracy, processing, shadow detail, motion handling, bright-room performance, etc.) on a 1–5 scale for both SDR and HDR. Combined averages determine the rankings. 
OLED Category (65-inch flagships)
Samsung QN65S95H (QD-OLED)  — Combined (SDR + HDR) average 9.3 → King of OLED TV and overall King of TV for 2026. Highest scores in both SDR and HDR; won the majority of categories. Ended Sony's seven-year winning streak. $2500 at Amazon
Sony K65XR80M2 (Bravia 8 II / QD-OLED) — Combined average 8.0 Close runner-up with strong, consistent performance in both SDR and HDR. $3000 at Amazon
LG OLED65G6WUA (W-OLED / tandem) — Combined average 7.0 Solid but finished a clear third. $3300 direct from LG
Micro RGB (True RGB Mini/Micro-LED LCD) Category (75-inch flagships) 
This was the first year the shootout included a dedicated Micro RGB / true RGB-backlit LCD category.
Sony K75XR90M2 (Bravia 9 II) — Combined average 7.9 → King of Mini/Micro RGB TV. Dominated most categories in both SDR and HDR. $3400 at Amazon
Samsung MRN75R95H — Combined average 6.2 Clear second place. $4500 direct from Samsung
LG 75MRGB95BUA — Combined average 5.2 Finished third. $4500 direct from LG
Key Takeaways
OLED still generally outperformed the new Mini/Micro RGB LCD technology overall.
Samsung's S95H QD-OLED was the standout performer of the event by a healthy margin.
Sony's new true RGB Bravia 9 II proved the Mini RGB approach is highly competitive (it even beat LG's G6 OLED and was competitive with Sony's own OLED in some HDR aspects).
LG placed third in both categories.
The event highlighted how close the top flagships have become, while still showing meaningful differences in accuracy, processing, and real-content performance under calibrated conditions.

On this week's show we look into our crystal ball to see what is on the Home Theater Horizon. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news.
News:
2026 Value Electronics TV Shootout: Samsung Snaps Sony TV Streak
CarPlay video coming with iOS 27
WGA Seeks Injunction to Block Deal's Closing
What is on the Home Theater Horizon
Home theater technology is advancing quickly and the trend is moving toward wireless setups, brighter and more flexible displays, AI-powered calibration, immersive spatial audio, and simpler high-end installations. Today we take a look at what we can expect over the next couple of years.
Displays: Brighter, Wireless, and Modular
Ultra-thin wireless OLEDs: LG's OLED evo W6, also called the Wallpaper TV, is part of their 2026 evo lineup. It's incredibly thin — just 9 millimeters thick — and features a true wireless design. All your devices plug into a separate Zero Connect Box that can sit up to 10 meters away. The box then sends 4K video and audio wirelessly to the TV with almost no quality loss. The TV also includes Hyper Radiant Color Technology. This delivers much higher brightness — up to 3.9 times brighter than standard OLEDs — along with deeper black levels and fewer reflections. For gamers, it supports 4K at 165 Hertz, G-SYNC, and very fast response times.
MicroLED and RGB advancements: MicroLED displays — including variants like Micro RGB or TriChroma — are becoming popular for luxury home theater setups. They deliver perfect blacks like OLED screens, but with much higher brightness, no burn-in risk, and modular designs that let you create custom sizes, such as 136-inch or even larger cinema walls. Brands like LG with their MAGNIT Active Micro LED, Samsung, and Sony are leading the way, offering seamless, cinema-certified picture quality. Consumer versions are still quite expensive — often six figures for a full wall — but they're becoming more realistic and affordable over time.
Mini RGB: These TVs are poised to be a big hit because they combine the best of both worlds: the perfect blacks and contrast of OLED with the extreme brightness, longevity, and modular flexibility of MicroLED-style RGB technology. By using advanced Mini RGB LED backlighting, Mini RGB delivers stunning HDR performance, vibrant colors, and seamless large-screen designs ideal for luxury home theaters — all without burn-in worries. Sony's reputation for premium picture processing, cinema-grade calibration, and build quality gives their Mini RGB  a clear edge over competitors, making these TVs the top choice for serious enthusiasts who want theater-like visuals that will stay impressive for years to come.
Projectors: Triple-laser UST (ultra-short-throw) and standard models dominate, with brighter outputs (thousands of ISO lumens), wider color gamuts (e.g., 110% BT.2026), Dolby Vision support, and 4K/8K capabilities. Examples include XGIMI Horizon 20 Max, AWOL Vision LTV-3000 Pro, and Hisense models. Laser is now the baseline for premium performance.
Audio: Wireless Immersion and Modular Systems
Wireless multi-speaker ecosystems: Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is rolling out more widely including the LG Sound Suite. This enables cable-free speaker placement with accurate panning. Sony's BRAVIA Theatre lineup (Trio, Bar 7/9, etc.) emphasizes modular wireless components with 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, phantom speakers (up to 24 channels), and room calibration.
Advanced AVRs and processors: Denon, Onkyo, and others offer higher-channel support (9.4+), Dirac Live/Audyssey calibration, and AI room tuning. Multi-channel processors use Audio over IP for fewer wires in custom installs.
Immersive extras: Haptic furniture, synchronized smart lighting using the  Philips HDMI Sync Box 2.1, and AI acoustic optimization for real-time adjustments.
Other Notable Trends
AI integration: Automatic calibration, content optimization, and adaptive environments including  room mapping for sound and light..
Hybrid/immersive rooms: 360-degree or wraparound video with spatial audio, plus premium formats inspired by commercial cinema (laser projection, higher baselines like 7.1+ with height channels).
Lifestyle focus: Movable displays, aesthetically integrated speakers, mainly acoustically transparent designs, and easier setups for non-dedicated rooms.
There are some exciting technologies shaping the next couple of years in home theater. Displays are getting brighter, thinner, and more flexible with ultra-thin wireless designs. High-performance UST laser projectors will bring huge screens to rooms where it was never possible before. And the shift toward truly wireless, immersive audio will fill any room with rich, room-filling sound. Best of all, your entire system will adapt to your room with the touch of a button!

On this week's show we take a hypothetical look at Cable and Satellite TV's future. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news!
News:
Netflix Is Exploring Live TV and Bundles as It Struggles to Keep Viewers Hooked
Scripps, DirecTV End Blackout, Ink New Retrans Deal
RGB LED TVs Set For Market Growth In Coming Years
What If Cable & Satellite Providers Exit Traditional Linear TV Business
On this week's show we take a hypothetical look at Cable and Satellite TV's future.   We have said that we see TV being delivered via the Internet vs the traditional means of OTA, Cable, or Satellite. What would this world look like and who are the winners and losers?
Scenario Setup
Major providers — Comcast/Xfinity, Charter/Spectrum, DirecTV, Dish Network, Altice, and smaller cable operators — face accelerating cord-cutting. Traditional pay-TV subscribers have already dropped to ~34% of U.S. households. Revenue from linear TV (cable channels + satellite) is shrinking fast due to high programming costs, declining ad revenue, and competition from streamers. In this scenario, the industry collectively decides to abandon legacy linear TV (bundled channel packages) and pivots hard to two main businesses:
High-speed broadband/data which is their most profitable product.
IPTV / Streaming aggregation with their own apps or virtual third party MVPD services like YouTube TV-style offerings.
They sunset traditional cable TV boxes, satellite dishes, and legacy contracts over 2–3 years.
What Happens Next
For the Providers it's mostly upside. Broadband becomes ~70–80% of revenue. Margins on data are much higher than on video because there are no expensive content carriage fees. Companies like Comcast and Charter already make most of their profit from data.
Huge reduction in programming fees paid to Disney, NBCU, Warner, etc. No more maintaining old coaxial/satellite infrastructure for TV. All of which greatly cuts costs.
New Growth Areas:
Sell/partner on IPTV services (e.g., Xfinity Stream becomes the main offering, or they white-label streaming bundles).
Mobile + home internet bundles (5G fixed wireless + fiber expansion).
Advertising on their own streaming platforms.
The biggest hurdles are massive customer service transition, potential loss of some rural satellite customers, and potential regulatory scrutiny over broadband monopolies.
For Consumers the benefits include: Lower base bills, faster innovation in home internet which results in more fiber, better speeds, and  lower latency, and IPTV options could be cheaper/better than old cable (cloud DVR, multi-device streaming).
Of course there is a downside. Sports fans and older viewers lose easy "flip channels" experience. Live sports become fragmented across streamers which could end up costing more if you want everything. 
There will be Market & Industry Ripple Effects
Streaming Wars Accelerate: YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, Fubo, and new entrants gain millions of former cable customers. Netflix, Amazon, etc., may expand live offerings.
Content Owners Adapt: Networks like ESPN, CNN, TBS shift to direct-to-consumer or wholesale deals with IPTV platforms. Some channels may disappear or go streaming-only.
Competition & Consolidation: Telecoms (AT&T, Verizon) and tech giants (Google Fiber, Amazon, Starlink) push harder into broadband. We could see more mergers.
Advertising: Shift from traditional cable ads to targeted streaming ads and broadband data insights.
The reality is that it's already happening gradually. Cable companies have been de-emphasizing video for years, pushing broadband bundles, and launching their own streaming apps. Satellite providers are in steeper decline. The full pivot described here would simply formalize and accelerate a trend that's well underway.

On today's show we discuss a post about how Netflix is experiencing a severe "sophomore slump". We also read your emails and discuss the week's news.
News:
Sony's New Blu-ray & DVD Player Upscales DVDs to Near-HD Quality – Bring Your Old DVDs To Life Again
Satellite Pay-TV Provider Dish DBS Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection
Other:
Paramount+ and Showtime for $40.00
Who Owns Klipsch And Where Are The Speakers Made? 
VOPLLS Smart Portable Outdoor Projector
VEVOR Inflatable Movie Screen
Reclaiming the lost art of listening to music
Why Are Netflix Top Shows Losing Viewers?
Cinema Shorts is reporting that Netflix is experiencing a severe "sophomore slump," with data revealing that its top-performing original series are losing between 30% and 70% of their viewing audience between seasons 1 and 2.
As first reported in Bloomberg's "Screentime" newsletter, executive leadership is actively trying to diagnose this mass viewer abandonment.
Theories include the multi-year gap between seasons, that dropping an entire season creates a burst of convo that flames out quickly, and the vicious cycle of cancellations.