Podcast #1039: Five things to fix the Smart Home and the Best OLED under $1,500

This week we have a top ten list of what is popular on Vudu, five advancements that will "fix" the smart home and the best OLED under $1,500. Plus we read your emails and go through the week's news.

News:

• Discovery+ is Bringing an Ad-Lite Version to the U.K. and Ireland
• NFL Exec: Sunday Ticket Deal Isn't Done
• Fox to Stream Big Ten, Big East Basketball Tournaments In 4K
• ViacomCBS Gets a New Name: Paramount

Other:

• Black Leather - YouTube
• Black Leather - Spotify
• Join the Neat Exchange - Social Media for Whiskey Drinkers
• Ara's Woodworking
• Join the Flaviar Whisky Club and get a free bottle

Top Ten Titles on Vudu This Week

1. Ghostbusters: Afterlife
2. Sing 2
3. American Underdog
4. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City
5. House of Gucci
6. Dune
7. King Richard
8. Redeeming Love
9. The Matrix Resurrections
10. Encanto

These five advancements promise to "fix" the smart home in 2022

In less than a decade, smart home tech has gone from a luxury for the rich to something relatively commonplace. Even if you can't afford high-end Sonos speakers or a wall covered in Nanoleaf panels, you can probably afford an Echo Dot or a Lenovo Smart Clock. Yet adoption hasn't been as strong as some tech companies have been hungry for.

There are reasons for this, but 2022 promises to lift some of the barriers and "fix" the smart home. By the end of the year, the smart home industry could look very different, and here's why. Full article here…

Best 65" OLED TV Under $1,500 (RTINGS.COM)

According to RTINGS.COM the best TV under $1,500 ($1,400 at Best Buy) with an OLED panel is the LG OLED65A1PUA from 2021. The A1 is a no-frills basic TV for people who don't care about the extra features. It delivers very similar picture quality to the high-end models, with the deep, inky, uniform blacks that OLEDs are known for. Full Review…

Like all OLED TVs, it has superb viewing angles, so it's a great choice if you have a wide seating arrangement. It's not quite as bright as other OLEDs, so despite its superb reflection handling, it's not as well-suited for a bright room. It runs the LG webOS platform, which is easy-to-use and has a huge selection of streaming apps. It also supports casting from your mobile device, so you can easily watch content in a matter of a few seconds.

Sadly, this TV has limited gaming features, so it's best-suited for watching TV shows or movies. However, it's still excellent for casual gamers who don't care about those extra features. Also, like all OLED TVs, there's a chance of permanent burn-in, but we don't expect this to be an issue for most people. Overall, it's an excellent TV that should please most people.

• Mixed Usage 8.5
• Movies 9.2
• TV Shows 8.0
• Sports 8.0
• Video Games 8.7
• HDR Movies 8.6
• HDR Gaming 8.5
• PC Monitor 8.5

PROS

• Near-infinite contrast ratio.
• Wide color gamut.
• Perfect black uniformity.

CONS

• Not bright enough for small highlights to stand out.
• Some stutter in low frame rate content.
• Can't remove judder from all sources.