Home Theater Geeks Podcast

Gregg Loewen and Michael Chen, well-known video calibrators and instructors of the THX video-calibration course, talk about teaching the THX course in China, the importance of setting a TV's basic picture controls, the problem of calibrating for a broadcast source such as satellite or cable, the ups and downs of color-management systems, different types of calibration meters, the importance of educating calibration clients, answers to chat-room questions, and more.

Run Time: 1:00:06

In Part 2 of my discussion with 3D maven Gene Dolgoff, he talks about how 2D is normally converted to 3D, how his company, 3-DVision, does it differently (and better!), and the limitations of all stereoscopic 3D, including lenticular glasses-free techniques. He then explains a bit of the history and technology of holography, venturing into the mind-bending realm of four spatial dimensions, and talks about his technique for creating a truly holographic, full-color, full-motion 3D display for the home and commercial cinema.

Run Time: 57:17

In this episode, I fly solo, answering questions from the chat room about everything from plasma versus LCD to tonally matching the front speakers to my opinion of various specific makes and models of AVRs, TV, and speakers, and many things in between. Plus, for those who watch the video, I show you around my new podcast set and point out some of the interesting items that appear behind me as I do the show each week.

Run Time: 1:06:51

Home Theater editor Rob Sabin, senior editor Tom Norton, and I chat about what we saw at the 2011 CEDIA Expo, including the new Sharp Elite LCD TV that looks like a worthy successor to the now-legendary Pioneer Kuro plasma, home-theater projectors with 4K resolution or 2.35:1 native aspect ratio, Epson's first LCoS-variant projector that produced a spectacular image for less then $5000, 3D, Atlantic Technology's bass-friendly soundbar, GoldenEars' and Definitive Technology's new bookshelf speakers, PSB's noise-cancelling headphones, answers to chat-room questions, and more.

Run Time: 58:16

Laurie Fincham, senior vice president of audio research and development at THX, talks about the difference between live and reproduced music, the importance of exposing consumers to high-quality audio, THX's new analog power amp design that rivals switching amps in efficiency and small size, the theory and application of speaker line arrays, answers to chat-room questions, and more.

Run Time: 1:05:09

SpectraCal co-founder and CTO Derek Smith talks about the evolution of CalMan, SpectraCal's video-calibration software intended for enthusiasts, the process of calibration, automated calibration, the new eeColor image processor that adjusts a display's color for different amounts of room light, 3D calibration, 4K, expanded color gamuts, answers to chat-room questions, and more.

Run Time: 1:00:54