HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

On today's show we ask if you "Should You Trade Your TV for a Laser Projector?" And we look at the five most streamed TV shows in the US per Nielsen. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Streamers are running about 18% more ads, and viewers haven't revolted yet DirecTV now lets you build your own Multiview with up to four sports channels Cheap LCD TVs could be in trouble for Black Friday as panel makers raise prices Netflix is laying off about 1,000 employees, roughly 6% of its staff Deal: LG's 55-inch C6 OLED drops to $999.99, half its $2,000 list price Netflix beats on earnings, but its stock slides on a softer revenue and ad outlook Other: Amazon.com: NCIS Caf Pow White Mug - Officially Licensed - 11 oz : Home & Kitchen   Hackers are hijacking Plex servers to mine crypto. Update ASAP This Week's Five Most-streamed TV Shows in the US Here are this week's five most-streamed TV shows in the US, from Nielsen's Streaming Top 10 for Sept 28 to Oct 4. That's the newest week Nielsen has posted. Wonka's The Golden Ticket (Netflix) had 1.078 billion minutes. It jumped to No. 1 in its second week, up 26% (The Hollywood Reporter). The Big Bang Theory (HBO Max) had 953 million minutes and was once again the top show streaming outside its original network. East of Eden (Netflix) had 782 million minutes in just four days. It's Florence Pugh's Steinbeck limited series (The Data Stream). SpongeBob SquarePants (Paramount+) had 767 million minutes, spread across 336 episodes. Ted Lasso (Apple TV) had 750 million minutes. That's down 11%, but it stayed in the top five heading into its season four finale. Should You Trade Your TV for a Laser Projector? This week a listener who goes by Mr Eye sent us a YouTube video titled: "I SOLD My Flatscreen (and I'm NEVER Going Back)." In it, Kirk from the "Tech It Before You Wreck It" channel sets up XGIMI's new Aura 3 Max ultra-short-throw (UST) laser projector, first in his TV room and then in his bedroom, where it replaces a flat screen sitting on his dresser. He says the picture was watchable even in broad daylight with the shades open, and it passed what he calls the "wife test," because there's no big black rectangle on the dresser when it's off. That got us talking, because Ara is seriously thinking about shopping for a UST projector next year for his basement Media Room. This got us thinking, is this the year a laser projector can actually replace your TV, or is large format TV the way to go? What's New in Projectors This Fall Projectors have come a long way, and this fall's crop checks a lot of boxes that used to be deal-breakers: Triple-laser RGB light sources are now common on the higher-end models, which means very wide, rich color. 4K at 120Hz for gaming. Back in early 2025, no DLP projector on the market could even do 4K at 120Hz. Now XGIMI and JMGO are selling models that do, along with VRR and ALLM. Dolby Vision, plus HDR10+ on many models. Built-in Google TV, so you don't need a separate streaming stick for Netflix or YouTube. The Projectors Worth Watching There's a wave of new models hitting right now:  XGIMI Aura 3 Max and Aura 3 Pro (UST): These are the projectors from the video. They go live on Kickstarter on October 20. If you put down a $50 refundable deposit before the campaign starts, early-bird pricing is about $2,200 for the Max and $2,000 for the Pro, versus list prices of $5,000 and $4,000. XGIMI says they ship in December. Because they're UST, you can get a 120-inch picture with the projector sitting about 8 inches from the wall. XGIMI Horizon 30 series: This isn't a UST. It's a regular-throw projector on a built-in stand, with optical zoom and lens shift. Pre-orders run through October 31, starting at about $1,900 for the Horizon 30 Pro. JMGO IRIS Ultra Max: Started shipping October 19 at about $3,300. It's another 4K/120Hz triple-laser model, also regular throw, with optical zoom, lens shift and a motorized gimbal. Also shipping in October: BenQ's AK800ST and AK900ST and Hisense's C3 series, according to ProjectorCentral's new projector list. The Catch: Room Light Here's where reality sets in. The Hook Up ran a great head-to-head between a 100-inch Hisense QLED TV, a Hisense PX3-Pro UST and a Valerion Pro 2 projector. With the overhead lights on, the TV clearly won, even though both projectors were paired with top-of-the-line ambient-light-rejecting (ALR) screens. Bright scenes were watchable on the projectors, but dark scenes just fell apart. The reason is simple: a projector can only add light, it can't take any away. The darkest black you'll ever see is the color of the screen with the projector off, and with the lights on, even a great ALR screen looks gray next to a TV. In a dim room, it was roughly a toss-up, and it really came down to where your windows and lamps are. In a fully dark room, it was close: the Valerion came out on top overall, the TV was second and the UST finished third. Kirk's daylight results in the video are encouraging, but that's one reviewer's impressions, not a side-by-side measurement. Our bottom line: if you're putting a projector in a living room, budget for an ALR screen. It's not optional. What It Really Costs The old argument was that a projector is the cheap way to get a giant picture. At 100 inches, that's not really true anymore. Home Theater Guides priced it out on October 4: LG 100-inch TV: about $3,300 Hisense UST projector plus a 100-inch ALR screen: about $3,600 Epson 4K projector: about $1,800, and that's before you buy a screen and a mount So at 100 inches, the complete projector setup actually cost a little more than the TV. Where projectors pull ahead is above 100 inches. The same projector can usually fill a bigger screen, while TVs bigger than 100 inches are rare and pricey. One wild card: TechRadar reports that LCD panel makers are raising prices heading into Black Friday, and Samsung is reportedly cutting its QLED production way back. So don't count on cheap giant TVs being quite as cheap this holiday season. Don't Forget the Sound Projector makers love to talk up their built-in speakers. The Aura 3 has an 80-watt, 2.0-channel Harman Kardon system, and Kirk said it sounded better than any flat screen he's tested. That may well be true, but it's still two channels coming out of a box on your credenza. That's not a sound system. If you're putting up a 100- or 120-inch picture, it deserves sound to match, whether that's a good soundbar with a sub or a real surround setup. The good news is that the new XGIMI models include an HDMI port with eARC, so hooking up a receiver or soundbar is easy. A Word About Kickstarter Deals Those early-bird prices on the Aura 3 are tempting. They're less than half of the list price. But backing a Kickstarter isn't the same as buying from a store. Ship dates can slip, and you're often paying before full independent reviews of shipping units are out. XGIMI is an established brand, which helps, but if you can't live with a delay or a surprise, wait for retail and reviews. Our Take So, should you trade your TV for a laser projector? For most people watching in a bright living room, not yet. But it's a lot closer than it used to be. Make the switch if: You want a picture bigger than 100 inches. You can control the light in your room, at least in the evening when you do most of your watching. You're tired of a giant black rectangle on the wall, and you're willing to budget for an ALR screen. You're ready to add real speakers instead of relying on the built-in ones. Stick with a TV if you watch a lot of daytime sports with the blinds open, you want the simplest possible setup, or 100 inches is plenty for your room. As for Ara, he has to figure out where the aesthetics committee wants the couches to sit. In one orientation there is not a space for a 100" screen so it will be a TV. In the other, there is room for a 130" screen with less light from the windows so it will be a UST projector. By then these fall models will have real reviews, the Kickstarter units will be in people's living rooms, and we'll all know a lot more.   

On today's show we look at Apple's "Welcome Home" announcements and we talk about watching sports in 4K. Which apps should you use and on which devices. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Disney+ will stream Super Bowl LXI, plus two Monday Night Football games this fall. Newer Hue lights get a firmware update to use Zigbee and Matter at the same time. Google TV users are starting to get ESPN 4K HDR Google's next TV Streamer reportedly adds a built-in mic and presence sensing Apple's "Welcome Home" announcements are official.  Everything below comes from Apple's press releases, and pre-orders are open now. HomeView, $299, ships Nov 13. It has a 7-inch screen and an A18 chip and comes in two versions: one that sits on a speaker base you can tilt, and one that mounts on a wall. It recognizes up to six people's faces so each person's messages and calendar stay private, and it can show up to nine camera feeds at once. Siri AI works from day one. It isn't sold in the EU. Schneider makes wall mounts starting at $59.95. Apple TV 4K, $299, ships Nov 13. It has an A19 chip, a dedicated AV1 decoder and three microphones for hands-free Siri (S Lady), and it works as a Thread smart home hub. The new remote works with Find My, with Precision Finding to point you to it. One rumor missed: it ships Nov 13, not Oct 30. HomePod mini 2, $149, ships Oct 30. It has an S10 chip, five colors and a light show on top. The big home theater news is that four HomePod mini 2s or second-gen HomePods can now act as surround sound with the new Apple TV. Siri AI comes later in a software update. Apple Home Collection from LG and Schneider, starting in December. All of it uses Thread and sets up in the Home app. LG cameras cost $199.95 to $399.95, and recordings save to iCloud+ with no separate camera subscription. LG's video doorbell is $249.95. LG's smart deadbolt is $349.95. It unlocks automatically as you approach and keeps working without internet. Thermostats from LG and Schneider are $199.95, with $39.95 room sensors. 4K Sports Is Finally Here, So Why Doesn't It Always Look Better? Baseball's playoffs are streaming in 4K, ESPN is rolling out 4K HDR one device at a time, and Peacock's Sunday Night Football is still the picture everyone compares against. In this episode we dig into what's really streaming in 4K right now, why some of it looks stunning and some of it looks like regular HD, and what you can do about it. Who's actually streaming in 4K right now ESPN is finally in 4K HDR, but only on Apple and GoogleTV devices so far. Monday Night Football, the NBA, the NHL, some college football, and the Super Bowl get it in the ESPN app on Apple TV 4K and GoogleTV. Other TV platforms and Disney+ are promised "this fall," with no dates given. FlatpanelsHD notes some of it is upscaled 4K. FOX One has every FOX and FS1 playoff game in 4K. That covers the NLDS, the NLCS, and the World Series on Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku, and Google TV. Last year FOX's 4K was upscaled from 1080p HDR, and that HDR is why it often looks better than "4K only" feeds.  Peacock's Sunday Night Football is the one to beat. Peacock promised 4K HDR, Dolby Vision, and Atmos for live sports this year, including SNF. ecoustics found it worked best on Apple TV 4K and was hit or miss elsewhere.  YouTube TV's 4K Plus is cheaper but doesn't promise HDR. The add-on dropped to about $10 a month, but HDR depends on each network's feed.  Real 4K versus upscaled 4K Not every "4K" label means the same thing. FlatpanelsHD points out that some of ESPN's 4K is upscaled from a lower resolution. Listener Brian has seen it firsthand: ESPN's 4K college football looked no better to him than YouTube TV, and Fox's 4K, which includes HDR, looked much better than YouTube TV's 4K, which doesn't. His takeaway, and ours, is that HDR can matter more than the extra pixels. Buying advice: the streaming box matters more than the TV. Right now Apple TV 4K is the only box that gets all of these. And 9to5Mac says a new Apple TV is reportedly close, so anyone shopping might wait a bit.  

On this week's show we get into the inner workings of Ara's network at his new home and we discuss who else could benefit from a similar setup. We also read your emails and look at the week's news. News: ESPN and ESPN2 are rolling out 4K HDR in the US. Tom's Guide tested the Roku Pro Series OLED. Apple is testing surround sound from four HomePods. WiiM's first soundbar, the WiiM Bar, launches mid-October. Disney+ and Hulu raise prices again, the fourth hike in four years. HBO Max and Paramount+ will merge into one streamer under Skydance. Other: Vol. 3: Can Your Speakers Disappear?  The Network Behind the New House: Why I Went Beyond Mesh Wi‑Fi When we moved into the new house, I had a choice to make about the network. For years I've used the same kind of gear a lot of you have: an ISP gateway, then a mesh system like Orbi or eero. Those systems are good. You plug them in, run an app, and most of the house gets Wi‑Fi.  For a lot of homes, that's all you need. But I wanted something that gave me maximum control down to the connected device and remote access to manage every little detail.  Since I had the chance to run Ethernet before the walls were closed. That changed the math. Here's what I wanted: Coverage everywhere, including the theater, the backyard, and the garage, without dead spots. Wired backhaul. Mesh units talk to each other over the air, and that uses up some of the Wi‑Fi you'd rather give to your devices. When every access point has its own cable back to the rack, that problem goes away. Power over Ethernet (PoE). One cable carries both data and power to the access points and cameras. No power bricks hiding in the ceiling. VLANs and a real guest network. I wanted to keep the smart TVs, streaming boxes, and IoT gadgets separate from our computers and phones, and give guests their own network. One place to see it all. I wanted to look at a screen and see what's connected, what's using bandwidth, and what's offline. So I went with a "prosumer" setup: a UniFi gateway, UniFi access points, and two Araknis managed switches in the rack. Here's what each piece does, what I like about it, and where it falls short. Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine Pro (UDM‑Pro) What it is: The UniFi Dream Machine Pro is a rack‑mounted router and firewall that Ubiquiti calls a "cloud gateway." It also runs the UniFi software that manages the access points, so I don't need a separate controller box or a computer left running.  (Tech specs) What it does in my network: This is the front door. My internet connection plugs into it, and it handles routing, the firewall, the VLANs, and the guest network. It's also the dashboard where I set up and watch the Wi‑Fi. A few specs worth knowing: Two WAN ports (one 10G SFP+ and one Gigabit Ethernet), so you can add a backup internet connection. Eight Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports plus one 10G SFP+ LAN port. IDS/IPS (threat detection) rated by Ubiquiti at up to 3.5 Gbps. A bay for a 3.5" hard drive, so it can also record security cameras with UniFi Protect.A small touchscreen on the front that shows status at a glance. Compared to a consumer router or mesh base station: You get much more control. VLANs, firewall rules, traffic stats per device, dual‑WAN failover, and a camera recorder are all built in. Most consumer systems either don't offer those or hide them behind a subscription. The honest downsides: It's a 1U rack box. If you don't have a rack or a closet with ventilation, it's awkward. It has no Wi‑Fi of its own. You have to buy access points separately. The settings can be overwhelming at first. There are a lot of menus, and some of them assume you know networking terms. It's more than one‑app‑and‑done. Plan to spend an evening learning it. Ubiquiti U7 Pro Access Points (×4) What it is: The UniFi U7 Pro is a Wi‑Fi 7 access point that mounts on a ceiling or wall. It's tri‑band (2.4, 5, and 6 GHz), and it's powered by PoE+ through a single Ethernet cable. (Tech specs) What it does in my network: These four access points are the Wi‑Fi. Each one sits on the ceiling or hidden away in attic space in a different part of the house and connects by cable back to the PoE switch in the rack. The UDM‑Pro manages all four as one network, so phones and laptops move between them as we walk around. Specs from Ubiquiti: Wi‑Fi 7 with 6 GHz support. Rated coverage of about 1,500 sq ft per access point. 2.5 GbE uplink port. PoE+ powered, with a maximum draw of 21 W. Mounting hardware for ceiling or wall is included. Compared to mesh: Every access point has a wired connection to the rack, so none of the Wi‑Fi is spent relaying traffic between units. Ceiling mounting also helps. The signal spreads out from the center of the room instead of from a box sitting on a shelf behind the TV. And because they're managed from one place, I can see which devices are connected to which access point and how strong the signal is. The honest downsides: You need a cable run to every access point. That's easy during construction and harder in a finished house. You need PoE. You'll either need a PoE switch or individual PoE injectors. Speed limit in my setup: The U7 Pro has a 2.5 GbE port, but my switches are Gigabit, so each access point connects at 1 Gbps. For us that's fine. Just know you're leaving some headroom on the table unless your switch has 2.5G ports. Four of them add up. They aren't cheap compared to a 3‑pack mesh kit. Araknis Networks 320 Series L2 Managed Gigabit Switch with Full PoE+ (16 + 2 Rear Ports) What it is: The Araknis 320 Series 16‑port PoE+ switch (AN‑320‑SW‑R‑16‑POE) is a 1U rack‑mount managed switch from Snap One, the company behind Control4. It has 16 Gigabit Ethernet ports and two 1G SFP uplink ports, all on the back. "Rear ports" matters in a rack because the cables come out the back and the front stays clean. What it does in my network: This is the switch that powers the Wi‑Fi. All four U7 Pros plug into it, and it supplies both their data and their power. It also powers my Aqara cameras and supplies its data as well. Specs from Snap One: 16 PoE+ ports (802.3af/at), up to 30 W on any single port. 250 W total PoE budget. Snap One says that's enough for about 15 W on every port at the same time. Two dedicated 1G SFP ports for uplinks. They don't take away a PoE port. Layer 2 management: VLANs, spanning tree, and IGMP snooping (helpful for multicast traffic like some multi‑room audio and video). Remote management through Snap One's OvrC platform. 5‑year limited warranty. Four U7 Pros at their 21 W maximum come to 84 W. That leaves plenty of budget for other devices like my cameras. Compared to consumer gear: Most consumer mesh systems have just a few Ethernet ports on each unit and no PoE at all. A managed PoE switch gives you one central, powered point for every wired device, and it understands the VLANs set up on the UDM‑Pro. The honest downsides: Cost. This is the most expensive piece in the rack. Dealer channel. Araknis is sold mainly through Snap One/ADI dealers and integrators, not on a regular store shelf. If you're doing it yourself, it can be harder to buy and get support. Gigabit only. No 2.5G or 10G ports, so it's not the fastest option for Wi‑Fi 7 access points. It's a second dashboard. UniFi doesn't manage Araknis switches. The switch has its own web interface and OvrC. I'll come back to this. There's a fan, so it's not something you want in a quiet room. (Snap One lists the PoE model's maximum noise at about 47 dBA.) Araknis Networks 320 Series L2 Managed Gigabit Switch (16 + 2 Rear Ports) What it is: The Araknis 320 Series 16‑port switch (AN‑320‑SW‑R‑16) is the same switch without PoE. You still get 16 Gigabit ports and two 1G SFP uplinks on the back, the same Layer 2 features, and OvrC management. What it does in my network: This one handles everything that doesn't need power over the cable: the AV receiver, streaming boxes, TVs, game consoles, the NAS, and the wall jacks in the office and bedrooms. Splitting the wired gear across two switches keeps the expensive PoE ports free for devices that actually need power. Compared to consumer gear: It's like the cheap unmanaged switch you might have behind your TV, but it understands VLANs. It's also built for a rack, and you can monitor it remotely. The honest downsides: $600 is a lot for a Gigabit switch with no PoE. You're paying for the management features, the build quality, and the Snap One ecosystem. Same dealer‑channel and second‑dashboard issues as the PoE model. If you don't need VLANs or remote monitoring, a basic unmanaged switch will move packets just as well for much less money. How It All Hangs Together The internet comes into the UDM‑Pro, which is the router, firewall, and UniFi controller. The UDM‑Pro connects to the two Araknis switches, which act as the wired backbone of the house. The PoE+ switch powers and connects the four U7 Pro access points and cameras throughout the house, and the non‑PoE switch serves the TVs, AV gear, and wall jacks. The VLANs I create on the UDM‑Pro (main, IoT/AV, and guest) are carried through the Araknis switches to the access points and wired devices. One note about the "single dashboard" goal: the UniFi app shows me the gateway, the Wi‑Fi, and every client, and that's where I spend most of my time. The Araknis switches are managed separately through their own interface. Who This Is For (and When Consumer Gear Is Still Fine) This kind of setup makes sense if you have a larger home, can run Ethernet to the ceilings, want PoE for access points and cameras, and like the idea of keeping your smart TVs and IoT devices on their own network. It's especially worth considering during new construction or a remodel, when pulling cable is easy. If you live in an apartment or a smaller home, can't run cable, or just want something that works from a phone app in ten minutes, a good mesh system from eero, Orbi, or similar is still a great choice. Honestly, it's what I'd recommend

On this week's show we have a listener review of the NETGEAR Orbi 770 Series WiFi 7 Mesh System as well as a review of the Aqara cameras. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Yamaha's Unveils Its Most Compact Dolby Atmos Soundbar Yet Philips Adds Two TV Lighting Sync Options Fubo will offer local hockey games in four markets  Sony Is Skipping CES 2027 for the First Time in Over Six Decades Apple's Smart Home Launch is Set Netgear Orbi 770 and Aqara Camera Review This week we have a listener review of the NETGEAR Orbi 770 Series WiFi 7 Mesh System. These can be bought in One, two, and three packs costing $300, $550, and $700 respectively. Netgear's specs say that a single unit can cover up to $2750 square feet and a three pack can cover 8000 square feet combined. And just for good measure John talks about his experience with Aqara cameras.These are the same cameras Ara uses so let's see if John has similar results. Product Features: Tri-band hardware with a dedicated backhaul is meant to keep throughput more consistent when many devices are online at once. WiFi 7 peak rating is up to 11 Gbps and it also connects WiFi 6 and WiFi 5 devices; real speed depends on your plan and hardware. Devices can easily roam between the router and satellites. Setup, device management, and guest WiFi are handled in the Orbi app. Sold for use in the United States only. John Lyman's Review A few years ago, I replaced my old Netgear Orbi system with a TP-Link Deco XE75 mesh system. At the time, my older Orbi just wasn't able to handle all the devices we had in the house. After doing some research, the Deco XE75 and XE75 Pro had great reviews, so I decided to give Deco a try. The Deco worked, but as we added more devices—and because of the design of our house—I kept having to add more and more nodes to get good, consistent coverage. Even with gigabit fiber, I never really felt like I was getting the speeds I should have been getting throughout the house. When Amazon Prime Day came around in July, I decided it was time for an upgrade. At the same time, I decided this was going to be MY "year of home automation." Back to Orbi — This Time with Wi-Fi 7 For the network, I went with the Netgear Orbi 770 Series Wi-Fi 7 mesh system. I considered going down the Ubiquiti route, but ultimately I wanted something easier to manage and more "set it and forget it." I spent enough time around networking years ago. These days, I'd rather leave my network-engineering hat in the past and have something that simply works. I've now been running the Orbi 770 for about four months, and—with one exception—it has been pretty much bulletproof. That exception was automatic firmware updates. I didn't realize they were enabled, and Orbi decided to install an update in the middle of the day. That's something I'd definitely check when setting up the system. Other than that, the performance has been excellent. I have AT&T Fiber with the AT&T gateway configured to pass the connection through to the Orbi. My office is upstairs and away from the main router, but I have my computer connected by Ethernet to an Orbi satellite. I'm consistently seeing speeds in the low 900 Mbps range both down and up. My media/home-theater room has historically been the hardest room in the house to reach with good Wi-Fi. With the Orbi, I'm seeing roughly 700–800 Mbps there over Wi-Fi, connecting on 5 GHz. More importantly, coverage throughout the house is now excellent and the system has been extremely stable. If you're considering a mesh system and aren't ready to go down the Ubiquiti route, I'd strongly suggest looking at the Orbi 770. Based on my experience with both systems, I'd skip the Deco, spend a little more and get the Orbi. The Orbi also gives you separate IoT and guest Wi-Fi networks. Devices connect quickly, stay connected and, in my experience, have worked considerably better than they did with my Deco system. Moving Away from Ring The next part of the project was home automation. Over the years, I had accumulated a hodgepodge of smart-home products: Ecobee thermostats, Ring doorbells, different cameras, Hue lights and other devices. Even the Ecobee that was supposed to work with Apple HomeKit would periodically disconnect. I wanted to simplify everything, and I particularly wanted to move away from Ring. While researching alternatives, I came across Aqara. They make doorbells, cameras, thermostats, switches, sensors and a number of other smart-home products, with particularly strong integration with Apple's Home ecosystem. So during Prime Day, I jumped in. I bought two thermostats, two cameras and two doorbells. There was definitely a settling-in period. Between changing the network and adding all the new smart-home equipment, it probably took about six weeks before everything really fell into place. Since then, however, it has been remarkably solid. The network can go down and come back up, and the Aqara devices reconnect on their own. About the only problems I've encountered have been when somebody physically unplugged one of the doorbell hubs. Since some of the other devices were relying on that hub, unplugging it naturally caused those devices to disappear as well. The $34 Camera That Surprised Me One of the biggest surprises has been the Aqara G100 indoor/outdoor cameras. I paid $33.99 each for them, and they've been excellent. For the price, I'm genuinely impressed with how well they've worked and how nicely they integrate into the Apple ecosystem. Security and privacy were also part of my decision to move away from Ring. I like having my cameras integrated with Apple Home and being able to use iCloud/HomeKit Secure Video rather than building my smart-home camera system around Amazon. The Doorbells — A Big Improvement Over Ring The Aqara doorbells have also worked really well. I have two of them. One is at our front door, and the other is on a door that we added to the house where I don't have wiring available. For that one, I use rechargeable batteries, and that setup has worked well. The front-door unit is very small and unobtrusive, which I like. More importantly, both doorbells have been rock solid. That's probably the biggest difference I've noticed compared with my old Ring setup. The Aqara doorbells are consistently connected and integrate directly into Apple HomeKit. I don't feel like I'm waiting for the doorbell to connect when I actually need to see who's at the door. They just work, which is becoming a recurring theme with most of the Aqara equipment I've installed. For me, replacing the Ring doorbells with Aqara has been one of the better parts of this whole home-automation upgrade. Aqara Thermostats — Simple, Which Is Exactly What I Want The Aqara thermostats were very simple to install. I was replacing my Ecobees, and the changeover was straightforward. They connected to Apple HomeKit easily and, since getting everything settled, they just run. Easy peasy. There's really not much more I want from a thermostat. I don't need it to be exciting—I need it to control the temperature, stay connected and work when I open the Home app. So far, that's exactly what they've done. One feature that really interested me is Apple Home's Adaptive Temperature. Instead of relying on a traditional fixed schedule, the temperature can automatically adjust based on whether people in your Apple Home are actually home or away. There are four modes you can configure: Home, Away, Night and Extended Away. Home and Away automatically adjust the temperature depending on whether anyone from the household is home. Night mode lets you set different temperatures for specific days and times, so the house can automatically adjust while everyone is sleeping. The one I'm particularly happy to have is Extended Away. When we're going to be gone for an extended period, the system can automatically adjust the temperature appropriately. That's one less thing I have to remember to change before we leave—and, more importantly, remember to change back when we get home. It's another example of what I'm looking for with this whole project: home automation that actually automates things instead of giving me another app and another device to manage. The One Finicky Aqara Device I also bought an Aqara Smart Climate Sensor with three programmable buttons. This has been the one finicky device in my Aqara setup. Getting it set up properly with HomeKit was a little tricky. Each of the three buttons is supposed to support three different actions—a single press, double press and long press—which theoretically gives you nine different programmable actions. In practice, I've only been able to get the single-press actions to work somewhat reliably. I currently use Button 1, the middle of the three buttons, and even that hasn't been as seamless as the rest of my Aqara equipment. That said, I like the concept enough that I'm planning to put a second one in my media room. The idea is to program the buttons for lighting and temperature control so the kids can simply push a button rather than flipping off the actual light switch—which, of course, defeats the whole purpose of having smart lights. So this one is still a work in progress. I really like what the device is supposed to do; I just wish the HomeKit button actions worked as reliably as the rest of my Aqara setup. Finally, One Home App That's probably the biggest improvement from this whole project. Instead of having different pieces scattered across different ecosystems, I can now open Apple's Home app and see essentially everything in one place. I've also settled on Nanoleaf as my primary smart-lighting platform. I still have some Philips Hue lights in the house, and I'm not ripping out perfectly good bulbs just for the sake of replacing them. As those eventually die, however, I'm replacing them with Nanoleaf. Four months into this project, I'm very happy with where I've ended up. For networking, the Orbi 770 has been

On this week's show we take a look at the consumer reports ratings for 70 inch and larger TVs. We also read your email and take a look at the week's news. News: Your Google Home can now take orders from Claude and other AI agents Roku Adds 30 New Bundles To Premium Subscriptions Element Launches New TiVo-Powered Smart TVs in the U.S. Paramount Settles States' Antitrust Suit, Clearing Way for Warner Megadeal Consumer Reports Ratings for 70-inch and larger TVs: On this week's show we take a look at the consumer reports rating for 70 inch and larger TVs. This list was sent to us by Dermot who thought it may make a nice topic. We took the list and only updated pricing. So how does Consumer Reports determine a score for their TV ratings? Consumer Reports builds each TV's Overall Score from three buckets: lab performance, member surveys, and (for smart TVs) privacy/security. They do not accept manufacturer samples. Secret shoppers buy the sets at retail so they test the same units you would buy. They run 200+ TVs a year. Each set goes through 20+ tests and more than 500 data points in their Yonkers labs. Picture settings are optimized with the on-screen user controls only—not a full professional calibration. If a set needs a calibrator to look good, that hurts it. What the lab actually measures HD and UHD picture quality — test patterns plus real movie/TV clips for detail, black level, contrast, and color accuracy after the set is optimized. HDR — peak brightness (measured with a Photo Research PR-740 spectroradiometer), plus how well highlights and shadows hold up in dark and bright scenes. Viewing angle — color and contrast from both horizontal and vertical off-axis positions. Motion blur — how clean moving text and action stay. Sound quality — built-in speakers: clarity, bass, volume range, and distortion, compared against reference sets in the lab. Features / versatility — inputs, smart-TV functions, ease of use, etc. Data privacy and data security — whether the TV collects extra data, how easy it is to control that, encryption, known vulnerabilities, update practices. These scores are folded into the Overall Score. A viewing panel then watches real content side-by-side after the meter work is done. Survey piece  Predicted reliability and owner satisfaction come from CR member surveys, not from the lab unit they bought. Reliability is brand-level, not model-level. A statistical model estimates the chance a new set from that brand will have a problem in the first five years. They control for age, how often it's used, and whether it has an extended warranty. Owner satisfaction is how likely members are to recommend that brand. It is weighted at 5% of the Overall Score for every product category. Reliability's weight varies by category (typically 10–20%). For TVs it sits toward the lower end of that range because members rate reliability about even with picture performance. If a brand scores Poor or Fair on predicted reliability, that model cannot get a CR "Recommended" badge, no matter how well it tested. When they don't have enough survey data for a brand (like  on some Roku sets), they plug in category-average survey scores. How it becomes one number Overall Score is a weighted mix of the lab scores plus those two survey scores (and privacy/security). Models are then ranked against others in the same size group. That's why two 91-point sets can sit at very different prices: one won on lab performance plus surveys at a lower street price; the other is a more expensive flagship that still maxed the same scoring formula.  Brand            Model                  Overall     Score Price LG                  OLED77C5PUA   91              $1,800 Samsung      QN77S95F           91              $3,000 Samsung      QN77S90F           90              $2,500 Samsung     QN77S90H           89              $2,600 LG                OLED77G6WUA   89              $3,800 LG                OLED77G5WUA   88              $3,150 LG               OLED77C6HUP     88              $2,700 LG               OLED77M5PUA     87              $3,870 Samsung    QN77S84FA          85              $1,600 LG               OLED77B5PUA      84              $3,000 Sony           K-77XR80               83              $3,000 Sony          K-75XR90                83             $3,500 Samsung   QN75QN90F          82              $2,000 Sony          K-77XR8B               78              $2,500 Sony          K-75XR70                78             $1,500 Hisense    75U8QG                   75             $1,700 (65") LG              75QNED92AUA      75             $1,680 TCL           75QM8K                   74             Mostly Unavailable Sony          K-75XR50                73             $2,000 Roku          75R8B5                    73            $1,250 Roku          75R8C5                    72            $1,200 Hisense     75U75QG                 72            $1,700 (65") TV COMPARISON SUMMARY TOP TIER (Score 88-91) LG       OLED77C5PUA     91    $1,800    Best score-to-price Samsung  QN77S95F        91    $3,000    Same score as C5, $1,200 more Samsung  QN77S90F        90    $2,500 Samsung  QN77S90H        89    $2,600 LG       OLED77G6WUA     89    $3,800    Highest-priced LG LG       OLED77G5WUA     88    $3,150 LG       OLED77C6HUP     88    $2,700 Our takeaway is that the only score that actually matters here is not "91 vs 89." It is that the LG C5 is tied with Samsung's flagship S95F at 91, and it is $1,200 cheaper.  If we were going to spend money for a 75–77" set, we would treat the list like this: Buy the C5 if the room is normal-to-dim and you want the best picture per dollar. Buy the S95F only if the room is bright, you want a matte screen, and you specifically want a bright picture. Do not buy it just because it is tied at 91. The Samsung S84F at $1,600 / 85 is the value model if you don't want to go OLED. Anything at 75 or below is fine for a secondary room. Especially when you consider models from Samsung and LG providing higher quality for barely more in cost.  Does Consumer Reports still matter? Yes, but not as the only vote, and not the way it did 15 years ago. There are other sources out there and each weighs aspects of TVs differently. With that said, they all agree that the LG C5 is a really nice TV.