Podcast #1015: Locast Shuts Down and Should You Evangelize Hi-res Audio to Your Friends

We have a really big show this week! First off there is the news about Locast shutting down. We have what we think could be a good candidate to replace the Harmony Remote. We look at suggested seating distances based on screen size. You won't believe this one. Then we look at an article that tries to tell you how to evangelize Hi-res audio to your friends. Plus we read your emails and look at the news.  SofabatonX1-Most Versatile Universal ALL-IN-ONE Smart Remote Sofabaton is launching X1, which is targeted at multi-device scenario-based Activity control, while adding a wireless Hub, which we believe can better meet the needs of power users. This looks like an actual Harmony Remote replacement with a hub. It's a Kickstarter project and has a cost of about $100. We will of course do a review when they become available. TV sizes: How big a screen do I really need? Your TV is probably too small. Use these rules of thumb to determine what size TV to buy. Full Article Here … SONY'S RECOMMENDED SEATING DISTANCE TV size Viewing distance range (approx.) 43-inch 35 inches (2.95 feet) 49-inch 39 inches (3.28 feet) 55-inch 39 inches (3.28 feet) 65-inch 47 inches (3.94 feet) 75-inch 55 inches (4.59 feet) 85-inch 63 inches (5.25 feet) Bottom line: You could go much, much bigger with your next TV The ultimate decision is one of personal preference. My goal here was to point out a rough idea of what's possible or recommended. For me, I would always err on the side of "too big." An old boss of mine used to say that no one regretted buying a TV they thought might be "too big." My opinion is that a 50-inch TV is too small for most rooms. That's not to say I think everyone should get a 102-inch screen, but the reality is a 50-inch flat panel is really not that much larger than the 36-inch CRTs of the old days. Since 65- and even 75-inch TVs are now far more affordable, they're worth considering if you've got the space.  If you want to go really big, consider a projector instead if you've got control over the ambient light in your room. Another View: Breaking the Sound Barrier – How To Talk To Your Friends About High Quality Audio To stay abreast of everything Home Theater, Smart Home, and Audio, we subscribe to a lot of News Feeds, Blogs, and Newsletters and we also receive emails from our listeners alerting us to articles. This one came across in one of our news feeds from TWICE (Full Article Here) (This Week in Consumer Electronics) and thought it was interesting to discuss because we are completely on the opposite side of this discussion. The premise of the article is that with all the music sites going Hi-res, most listeners don't think they can hear the difference and somehow need you to tell them that they can.  From the first paragraph of the article: For 25 years now, mainstream listeners have become accustomed to lossy, low-bitrate music. For audio enthusiasts that's been a longstanding gripe, but it appears to be finally over. With lossless and hi-res streaming about to go mainstream, bit-reduced audio will now go the way of the 8-track. That leaves an entire generation of listeners that don't know anything better and probably thinks they can't hear a difference. Audiophiles — this is a moment for true public service. Spread the word: high-quality audio is not only back, it's better than ever. Yes AAC and mp3 are lossy file formats, but low bit rate? The days of 96Kbps mp3 files on Napster are long gone. Apple, Amazon, Google, Spotify and others have been serving up 256Kbps AAC and mp3 files for years! This may be lower bit rate than Hi-res but we wouldn't call it low bit rate. Most people can't hear or even have equipment capable of reproducing the sound so that you can hear the difference.  To be fair, most people would hear an improvement with 256Kbps files if they listened on good equipment instead of cheap earbuds or their talking tube devices. We argue you would be doing a better service if you convinced people to get higher fidelity playback equipment than trying to tell friends that their music would sound better on the same crappy equipment because it's Hi-res.  From the article: Begin your public service by assuring your friends and all who'll listen that they really can hear the difference. The rational among them will immediately understand that more digital information means more sound. We call to the stand Rick Beato and his video Audiophile or Audio-Fooled? How Good Are Your Ears? In this video Rick explores the differences between MP3s, WAV, FLAC (lossless), AAC and whether you can tell the difference? He says it comes down to how you listen to music and whether it sounds pleasing or not. It's not about mp3, AAC, or Hi-res. If you listen to music in your car or on a run with earbuds, you have a different experience than someone who listens in a dedicated room with proper acoustics.  From the article: Now that master-quality audio content is going mainstream, so too will the equipment to play it back. This will be particularly true of personal listening, because headphones/earbuds have become a dominant product category. We agree here, but not because of Hi-res, but because we are used to listening on comprised equipment. That's not to say it's bad, there is a place for lower quality gear. But if you really like high quality audio, invest in some hi quality speakers, amplifiers and headphones.  The author finishes with: There's never been a better time to be an audiophile. Digital audio has made tremendous strides and will continue to evolve even further. Some lossless services will even deliver spatial 3-D audio; imagine the benefits for gamers and cinephiles. Good quality sound finally matters again. To those who already know the pleasures of deep listening and flawless reproduction, company's coming. If we help people find out about it, just watch how fast the audio world will grow. We agree! But it has nothing to do with Hi-res files because we are not living in the year 2005 any longer. Good quality sound always mattered and we have been listening to it for years. It's just that many people do not know what really listening to music is all about. Introduce your friends to the concept of truly enjoying music. Take your friends on this journey.  Pour a glass of your favorite beverage and enjoy the music and where it takes you. Just don't be a snob about it.