Podcast #1099: Bluetooth Turntables and FAST TV

This week we ask whether you really need a Bluetooth enabled turntable and are products like the Anker X600 Boombox going to turn off people to "Spatial" audio. Finally, we look into FAST TV services. We also read your emails and the week's news!

News:

• Amazon expands Matter smart home support to older Echo speakers
• Hulu Plus Live TV Will Soon Offer Local PBS and Magnolia Network
• A free, ad-supported TV? Don't laugh, someone's working on it
• Dish Loses 552K Pay TV Subscribers in First Quarter
• Almost half of YouTube viewership happens on TV screens
• First NextGen TV-Certified Receivers to Hit the Market by This Summer

Other:

• Monoprice SS-Pro 8 High Power Dual Source 300 Watt 8 Pair Impedance Matching Speaker Selector $120
• Monoprice Dual-Source 2-Channel A/B Speaker Selector with Volume Control and Impedance Matching $42
• History of Rock Music in 500 Songs

Bluetooth Turntable - Yes or No?

The Audio Technica AT-LPW50PB (MSRP $449) is a fully manual, belt-drive turntable designed to give you optimal high-fidelity audio reproduction from vinyl. It features an anti-resonance 30 mm thick MDF (medium density fiberboard) plinth, with a high-gloss, piano-black finish, to dampen low-frequency acoustical feedback, and a sensor-monitored motor to ensure accurate platter rotation speeds of 33-1/3 and 45 RPM.

Listener Question about the Anker x600 "Boom Box

We received the following email from an anonymous listener and felt it warranted further discussion

Anker Motion X600

Pluto TV

For a while now we have been asking who would watch FAST TV. FAST stands for Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television. And there are a lot of ways to get it. This week Ara decided to download Pluto.TV and check it out for himself.

The first thing you notice is that the interface is similar to any of the other IPTV services. Pluto's channels are grouped by category. Food, Sports, Music, Entertainment, and the list goes on. They even have an on demand section that is a mixture of classics like In Harm's Way with John Wayne to more modern fare like 13 hours. They have game shows, home improvement, cooking, sports and the list goes on. There is no shortage of content.

There are plenty of news channels but not all localities are covered. For instance, Los Angeles has one local news station. And there are no live sports that we could find. Regardless, you can't beat the price of free! Just today the NHL announced that it is creating a FAST channel to be distributed first to Roku and then other providers. It will contain content from the NHL's past games, playoffs, and all star games.

Pluto, like other FAST services, are supported on just about every platform from phones to tablets and set top boxes and many TVs.

We can't see any downside because the price is perfect! Free. Download all the services and you will always find something to watch.