Nov 24 Podcast #819: What we're thankful for '17
Podcast 
Each year at this time of year we do a show where we discuss what we are thankful for. There are the obvious things to be thankful for like our families, especially our wives who put up with our home theater obsessions. And of course we are thankful for you, the listener/reader of our show. So as is tradition over the last many Thanksgivings, on today's show we give you our list of consumer electronics things we are thankful for.
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Today's Show:
News:
- Sprint plans Hulu deal for unlimited-data customers
- iHome launches a $40 outdoor smart plug with Alexa, HomeKit, and Google Assistant support
Other:
- DirecTV Now is giving away a free Apple TV 4K when you pre-pay for 4-mos of service. Use promo code BDAY2017
- Samsung QLED 2018 series offer enhanced contrast
- Rocky Mountain National Park in breathtaking 8K video.
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- The HT Guys gratitude!
What we're thankful for '17
Each year at this time of year we do a show where we discuss what we are thankful for. There are the obvious things to be thankful for like our families, especially our wives who put up with our home theater obsessions. And of course we are thankful for you, the listener/reader of our show. So as is tradition over the last many Thanksgivings, on today's show we give you our list of consumer electronics things we are thankful for.
Ara’s List:
1. DirecTV Now (IPTV) - This is a follow on to last years Cord Cutter. DirecTV Now and all the other IPTV companies have made it easy to take your TV with you on the go. Plus you don’t need to install any special hardware. Download some apps and you are good to go. My TV bill went from over $200 to $35! It's not perfect. I’m still waiting on a cloud based DVR and the quality is less than DirecTV but It's still pretty good!
2. Movies Anywhere - It used to be that if I bought a disc and it only had a Ultraviolet digital code I couldn’t watch it on my AppleTV. Then I added Vudu which allowed me to watch the movies but I had to use either iTunes or Vudu. Now with Movies Anywhere I can watch them all in one app!
3. Falling Prices and Larger Screens - 85 inches for less than $4K?? Are you kidding me. This is a no brainer. Or if your room isn’t big enough for an 85 inch TV how about 55 inch UHD with Dolby Vision for $500? Yes it's a good time to be alive!
4. Netflix/Amazon/Hulu - When I was growing up there were three networks for TV and only about 20 hours of programming. Sure we used to read and visit with people but where’s the fun in that? Now with the addition of streaming we get more content than we can watch. Throw in HBO, USA, AMC, and others competing for your limited free time and you can pretty much guarantee that one of these networks will create content that you will be interested in. Now I just need to learn how to get by on less sleep!
5. DIY Audio - I am having a blast building speakers. The quality is quite good. Can you buy better speakers for much less hassle? Of course you can. But there is something really gratifying about building and listening to speakers you built. You can start out with a simple kit or design something that says something about you. Either way you’ll have fun! And since these speakers will probably still be working long after you are gone, you can leave a little of you behind for your family to remember you by.
Braden’s List
1. Mesh Wifi - We just moved into a new house and it’s a bit older than our prior house. The prior house had ethernet run to every room. The current does not so we have to rely even more on wifi. Not sure what the walls are made of in this old house, concrete, titanium, your-wifi-no-workatonium, but wifi is terrible. Without mesh wifi like Google Wifi, we’d be without Internet in places where we really want it.
2. 4K Televisions - There’s the obvious reason we’ve talked about to love 4K TVs or Ultra High Definition itself, it pushed 3D straight out of our lives. But it has also helped to push down prices of all TVs across the board - first by pushing 1080p TV prices down, then by starting a vicious price war for 4k TVs that has included a bunch of new bargain manufacturers. Just like the early push in HDTV, the bargain brands may not survive, but for now they’re really helping us all get 4K TV upgrades.
3. Netflix (also Amazon, Hulu, HBO online, etc) - The classic joke about Cable used to be that we had 300 channels but nothing to watch. Not anymore. When was the last time you even channel surfed? You don’t have to anymore. If there’s nothing on the DVR, or nothing you’re feeling into at that moment, you just pop open one of the streaming apps and see what’s there. You’ll probably find a movie you remember coming out that you never saw, or a new series someone recommended that you haven’t started yet. There’s always something on now.
4. Automation devices - Yes. I had this on my list last year. But honestly with every smart device I add, it just keeps getting better. That’s the beauty of DIY automation, you can add to it in small steps, piece by piece as you have time and resources to get it done. This year I joined the automated door lock club and it’s awesome. The kids don’t need house keys. Friends and family can get in without having to hide a key. It’s great. Also added a smart doorbell. It’s super annoying, but also really cool too.
5. Home Depot - I really wanted to say Amazon, but after the year we had with them, I just couldn’t get myself to do it. It is an amazing company. And I bought the most items from them to help us prepare our old home to be sold and get settled in the new one, including a faucet and a new TV (but not that TV just yet). But the place I visited second most to get everything for the move out and move in was Home Depot. So I’m thankful for Home Depot always having just what I needed, and when they didn’t Amazon did.
Reader Comments (1)
nyc show... thanks mate