Home Theater Geeks Podcast

The inimitable Michael Fremer, editor of the new website AnalogPlanet.com, talks about his career as an analog advocate, the sonic and emotional difference between vinyl LPs and CDs, converting between digital and analog audio, objective measurements versus subjective listening, consumer preference tests, how to enjoy vinyl LPs without spending a fortune, his own reference system, answers to chat-room questions, and more.

Run Time: 56:01

Geoff Tully, Technology Development Director at THX, explains THX Media Director, a new technology that embeds metadata into audio/video content about how that content was created and how it should be reproduced, including the correct settings in compatible Blu-ray players, A/V receivers, TVs, etc. He also reveals which companies are working on implementing Media Director, answers chat-room questions, and more.

Run Time: 1:02:21

Live-sound pioneer and microphone maven Bob Heil returns to talk about his mic designs, new USB mic preamp/EQ, and headphones as well as his work with The Grateful Dead, The Who, Joe Walsh, and other rock legends, and his association with Paul Klipsch and organist George Wright, whose recordings helped launch the entire field of high-fidelity audio. Plus, answers to chat-room questions and more.

Run Time: 1:00:04

Dave Duncan, Business Manager of DLP Cinema for Texas Instruments, explains the technology of Digital Light Processing, including the impossibly tiny moving mirrors on the surface of a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) chip, 3-chip versus single-chip designs, and switching speed. Other topics include the transition from film to digital projection in commercial cinema, 2K versus 4K, 3D, high frame rates, alternative illumination sources such as lasers and LEDs, answers to chat-room questions, and more.

Run Time: 57:12

MIT postdoc researcher Gordon Wetzstein and Ph.D. student Matt Hirsch explain a new glasses-free 3D flat-panel technology they are working on at the MIT Media Lab. Conventional stereoscopic displays show two views (left and right eye) in a narrow viewing area, and all viewers see the same perspective. The new display shows many perspectives across a wider area, providing each viewer with a different perspective, much like a hologram. The new display combines several LCD layers, directional backlighting, and sophisticated processing to achieve its remarkable result. This isn't going to be a commercial product any time soon, but it does point the way toward a more realistic 3D display without needing those annoying glasses.

Run Time: 55:22

Digital-projection inventor and 3D maven Gene Dolgoff talks about several of his inventions, including digital projection, 3D printing, a new 3D compression algorithm and filter technology, a prototype projector that renders 3D images in midair without glasses, and more.

Run Time: 1:16:54

Floyd Toole, retired Vice President of Acoustical Engineering for Harman International, talks about live vs. recorded music, 2-channel vs. multichannel music, concert halls and small home-theater rooms, subwoofer placement, subjective vs. objective evaluations of speakers, and more.

Run Time: 1:28:45