Podcast #830: Various Topics

Disney's ESPN streaming service to cost $4.99, launch in spring And the company's Netflix competitor, a streaming service for movies from Disney properties like Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars, will arrive in late 2019. Braden: I'm mostly interested in the Netflix competitor and discussing how a Disney/Pixar/Marvel/Star Wars studio based streaming service could shake things up.     Best Subwoofers of 2017 Most modern movie soundtracks and music recordings have at least one thing in common: abundant bass. Explosions, rockets blasting off, deep synthesizer notes, and many other elements consist of copious low frequencies that most speakers simply cannot reproduce. To experience the full effect of these subterranean sounds, you need a subwoofer. To help you select a good one, we present a list of the best subwoofers we've reviewed during 2017.   Control4's New $350 Home Automation Hub: Affordable, Powerful IoT, No A/V Introduced at ISE 2018, the CA-1 home automation controller from Control4 'retails' for $350 and does everything a full-blown EA system can do except A/V -- ideal for home builders and consumers who want IoT controls, but not audio/video. With the CA-1, Control4 introduces their most affordable smart-home controller yet with Wi-Fi, ZigBee, and optional Z-Wave support. Braden: $350 for a dedicated controller isn't expensive at all. Add the detail that Control4 is every bit as sophisticated as any home automation system on the market and DIY home automation just got really interesting.