Podcast #1016:Hisense's new laser TV, Bluetooth for Audiophiles and a review of a $5 smart plug

We have a fantastic show for you today! Hisense announced what appears to be one of the best Ultra Short Throw Projectors on the market. We discuss Ara's experience with his and how this may be the one to replace your regular TV. Qualcomm has something for audiophiles with their AptX Lossless codec for CD Quality Sound Over Bluetooth. Finally we take a look at a $5 smart plug from monoprice. Who would have thought that you can start your home automation journey for $5. As usual we read your emails and news stories for the week.

Hisense's new laser TV is pricey, but could prove its best home cinema experience yet

Hisense has just announced its latest laser TV, the new L9G. In what promises to be a premium home entertainment device, the L9G TriChroma laser TV will use a 3000 Lumen ultra-short throw projection to create a razor-sharp and color-accurate image. Full article here

Hisense L9G TV Series features

• 4K Ultra-Short Throw – Positioned just inches from the wall, the L9G Laser TV casts a massive image at beautiful 4K resolution. Up to 3.5x more screen than a 65" TV.
• TriChroma Laser Engine – The L9G uses pure red, green, and blue lasers to achieve new levels of color performance, reaching 107% of the BT.2020 color space.
• High Dynamic Range – With a brightness of 3000 Lumens, L9G's High Dynamic Range delivers incredible specular highlights and depth of color, to give every scene the stunning details it deserves.
• Smooth Motion – The Digital Micromirror Device reacts faster to movement than LED or OLED, creating motion that's smoother than any other type of display. MEMC Technology helps too, making fast-action in sports, movies, and games more fluid.
• DLP Technology Powered by Texas Instruments – The projection technology used in 9 out of 10 cinemas worldwide to create laser-focused detail is now available at home. Every piece of content feels like it's fresh from the theater.
• Long Lifespan – X-Fusion™ laser light technology provides up to 25,000+ hours of entertainment without the need of replacing a bulb – because there is none.
• Ambient Light Rejecting Screen – The included UST ALR screen is perfectly paired with the L9G projector to produce a color-accurate picture with incredible viewing angles and brightness uniformity.
• Dolby Atmos® – L9G's 40W Dolby Atmos sound reveals every detail of the audio mix with unparalleled clarity and depth. A high-speed HDMI port with eARC also allows pass-through so users can enjoy high bitrate audio through their home theater.
• Android TV OS – Android TV OS brings more than 5,000 apps and games to the biggest screen in the home. Watch live sports and news from popular channels or gather around to watch the hottest videos with 1,000+ Chromecast compatible apps.
• WiSA Ready – integrate your wireless multi-channel surround sound, the L9G is WiSA Ready.
• Smart Home Ready – Built-in WiFi, Google Assistant, Works with Alexa and Control4 certified, the L9G can integrate with smart home IoT devices and control systems.
• Eye-Safety (And Kid Resilient) – The L9G features a proximity sensor that shuts off the laser light source when a moving body gets too close. This protects the eyes and is also a great feature to stop the little ones from placing items on the laser console. Users also have the option to turn off the eye-safety feature.

Qualcomm AptX Lossless Offers CD Quality Sound Over Bluetooth But It Won't Be Available On Existing Devices

Qualcomm has done something nice for all the audiophiles who are still getting used to listening to music on Bluetooth headphones. The company has decided to announce the latest Bluetooth audio codec called the aptX Lossless. Full Article Here …

Stitch Wifi Outlet

One of our listeners, Tom, sent us an email a couple weeks ago alerting us to a really inexpensive smart home outlet made by Monoprice called "The Stitch". This line has been around for at least a couple of years but this was the first we had heard of it. We purchased it for $5 but it's currently being sold for $8.50.

The Stitch is a 10A Outlet that works with Alexa and Google Home and has an iOS and Android app. The outlet is really small and can be used anywhere and does not require a hub.

Setup was a tale of two experiences. The first attempt resulted in nothing but frustration then ended with us giving up and thinking that the outlet was not working. So we set the outlet aside and went on with our day. Being stubborn and not being happy that a smart home device got the better of us, we tried again the following day. This time everything worked exactly as advertised and within seconds had the device connected to our network.

Now that the outlet was functioning we were able to put it through its paces. To sum it up, it worked well. We were able to set up scenes and automations based on time of day, events, and timers. We liked the timers which could come in handy if you needed to set up a temporary automation. There is even a "Circulate" mode which turns on devices for configured durations at times defined by you.

There is not much more that needs to be said about a $5 outlet so we will leave this here. If you are on Google Home or Alexa we highly recommend this outlet for your automation needs. If you are on HomeKit you can still use this in your home but more for standalone types of tasks like turning lights on and off at specific times. This device is the deal of the year for simple home automation.

Beyond the outlet, Stitch has an entire line of home automation products. There is a five piece starter kit for $90 that includes:

• Smart LED Light Bulb
• Smart Outlet
• Door/Window Sensor
• Motion Sensor
• Water Sensor