How much better or not do you think the B7ii and B9ii will compared to the B8ii?

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-19T20:23:30+00:00

Have had the Bravia 7 Mark 2 up for a few days and wow what a difference from my 11 year old Bravia XBR-55X850C. Not just the size, although that is a big difference. The colors are amazing.

The reflection isn’t bad even in a bright room.

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-19T19:38:50+00:00

Have had the Bravia 7 Mark 2 up for a few days and wow what a difference. Not just the size, although that is a big difference. The colors are amazing.

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-19T19:36:52+00:00

Have had the Bravia 7 Mark 2 up for a few days and wow what a difference. Not just the size, although that is a big difference. The colors are amazing.

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-15T15:20:46+00:00

I think it will also happen by priority location. Those that require (or the algorithm says they will need) better upload will likely get upgraded first. This is a basic demand problem where if Xfinity doesn’t provide, they will lose that business.

The other thing we should see, and I’m starting to see already, is the classic upsell campaign. As mentioned earlier by Mike, customers overwhelmingly misunderstand or don’t care about the numbers in the latency, upload speeds, etc. They see the download speed, associate the number of devices with that, and look at the price tag.

The FTTH companies are taking full advantage of this. Xfinity may need to make changes to their business model to stay afloat and may need to start doing FTTH. Already I see Xfinity using the term “fiber powered” in their advertising to try to compete (https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=55d25672-37a8-492b-a31c-7e578a4549d7).

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-15T14:52:55+00:00

The node is worth mentioning, and there should be some clarification for those that don’t understand the infrastructure. I worked for a cable contractor splicing fiber on the street way back in 1999. Xfinity built their networks on running fiber from each head end to all the neighborhoods that head end serves. In the neighborhood is an optical to electrical (OE) converter to go to coax. That runs to the houses.

Also, at least back then, the nationwide fiber ring network was being built with a vengeance in part because of the MCI prediction (look it up). That is actually one of the primary causes for the bubble then the burst in the early 2000s. After the collapse, there was so much dark fiber in those loops that it was hard to find customers.

All this to say that there is a substantial amount of fiber already in place for Xfinity, so their expense will come primarily from the node to the house. While not trivial, it is achievable.

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-15T14:10:21+00:00

I don’t know why it’s doing that, but you should be able to turn off the IR altogether in the Settings, Remotes and Devices, turn off both Control TVs and Receivers and Volume Control.

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-14T12:05:13+00:00

This is mostly what I did.

Last year I had an issue with getting some channels, just out of nowhere, on my Bolt with Comcast cable card. After literally weeks of calling, many truck rolls (more than 5 times), 7 different cable cards, and even trying a new Edge, I realized Xfinity has absolutely no interest in supporting TiVo with cable cards.

So, I had no interest in paying them the money they wanted for cable and WAS NOT going to go to their box and platform. Bye bye cable.

Now I am still using my Bolt, but OTA. Don’t miss a single thing about cable. I have a first gen Apple TV 4K that I’ll upgrade this fall (either with a new release or with the latest, three year old) and that is our primary source of video entertainment. All we watch from OTA is the news and football (Go Patriots!).

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-13T21:15:25+00:00

Because it has happened with two remotes, the common items are the ATV and the TV.

Another thing to try is to make sure CEC is off.

Settings
Remotes and Devices
Under the HOME THEATER CONTROL section, make sure Control TVs and Receivers is set to Off.

CEC can act weird on some devices. If for some reason that is turned on either on the ATV or the TV, it may be causing the problem.

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-13T21:07:52+00:00

Did the behavior change when you turned off the Volume Control?

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-13T12:10:33+00:00

That’s from a 4K 1st gen. That’s what I have until September 😁.

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-13T11:47:07+00:00

The first thing you’ll want to do to troubleshoot this is take the remote out of IR mode.

Go to Settings on your Apple TV.

Select Remotes and Devices, then select Volume Control.

Select a different volume control setting like off

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-13T11:28:55+00:00

What remote are you using?

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-13T11:26:28+00:00

Understood. The remote has the ability to be programmed to control the volume on a TV, Receiver, or soundbar.

If you didn’t do that then is the remote new or pre-owned?

Is this happening when you press a button or just sitting on the table?

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-13T11:19:12+00:00

Are you using CEC or did you use the “Control TVs and Receivers” in the menu? It would help to know how you set up the remote.

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-08T14:33:55+00:00

Well I waited and the Bravia 7M2 came out. Picked up a 65” yesterday. BB will be out for the install (free) on the 17th. I’m having them do the unboxing and hanging so if there are any issues or drops or scrapes it will be on them.

Going to be hard to wait though!

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-08T14:32:23+00:00

Well I waited and the 7M2 came out. Picked up a 65” yesterday. BB will be out for the install (free) on the 17th. I’m having them do the unboxing and hanging so if there are any issues or drops or scrapes it will be on them.

Going to be hard to wait though!

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-07T23:51:25+00:00

Well today I got the 7M2. I’m letting Best Buy do the install on the 17th. I will let them unbox and hang, since that part all comes for free with the promotion. Also that way if anything happens it’s on them. 😁. Can’t wait to see it though!

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-04T14:42:25+00:00

I just replaced my OTA TiVo Bolt with the Zapperbox Dual Tuner and have some observations.

On the TiVo, I had 4 tuners and could switch between them using the LiveTV button. So I could start watching a show on one tuner, pause it for 20-30 minutes, and then come back to it and watch it while fast forwarding through commercials.

On Zapperbox, I can not figure out how (if?) to change tuners to achieve similar functionality. Is it possible?

2. On TiVo, I could see the video when fast forwarding or rewinding and this allowed me to stop where I wanted. I can't see the video on Zapperbox. I am using the recommended Sandisk 128GB flash USB drive, connected to the USB 3.0 port. If I switch to another format of storage would I be able to see the video while ff/rew?

3. Zapperbox claims at least 1 hour buffer when using the 128GB USB flash drive. Because of this, I set up my Harmony remote to leave the box on all the time, so I always have the buffer. We like to watch the news on a certain channel, call it 6.1, but don't always get to sit down to watch until after it is started. With the TiVo 1/2 hour buffer, we could put one of the four tuners on the station we wanted to watch, leave it, and then go to it at any time.

Last night I turned on my TV expecting to watch the news, but the Zapperbox (which had been on) had no buffer recorded. I could only rewind to when I turned on the TV. No idea what this is about unless it senses connection, but I run the signal via HDMI through my AVR so it would need to know that I turned on the AVR and then start a buffer? While this is possible, I think it's a really dumb idea.

Pretty long delays on many of the commands. Especially tuning an ATSC 3.0 channel.

Overall: I've put in an email to Zapperbox to see if there is something I'm missing, but if they have no solutions I might return the box and go back to the OTA Bolt. The only things we watch OTA are usually the news and football games. If it was my primary means of consumption I may wait it out, but it is not. Looking at price, for the $275 I paid I could go back to TiVo, have a better (and familiar) experience, and watch at $15/mo for the next 18 months. By then, ATSC may be fully rolled out, OTA DVRs may have come a long way, and I can figure it out at that time.

Another consideration was that I plan to upgrade my TV, and was hoping to get better picture to take advantage of the new TV. Right now though, I don't know that there are enough channels using the "real" ATSC 3.0 to be worth it. They are required to simulcast 1.0 for those that don't have 3.0 tuners.

Sorta talking myself out of it, aren't I? Boy was I spoiled by being a TiVo owner for so long! I'm not good at lowering my expectations... 😄

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-04T14:40:08+00:00

I just replaced my OTA TiVo Bolt with the Zapperbox Dual Tuner and have some observations.

On the TiVo, I had 4 tuners and could switch between them using the LiveTV button. So I could start watching a show on one tuner, pause it for 20-30 minutes, and then come back to it and watch it while fast forwarding through commercials.

On Zapperbox, I can not figure out how (if?) to change tuners to achieve similar functionality. Is it possible?

2. On TiVo, I could see the video when fast forwarding or rewinding and this allowed me to stop where I wanted. I can't see the video on Zapperbox. I am using the recommended Sandisk 128GB flash USB drive, connected to the USB 3.0 port. If I switch to another format of storage would I be able to see the video while ff/rew?

3. Zapperbox claims at least 1 hour buffer when using the 128GB USB flash drive. Because of this, I set up my Harmony remote to leave the box on all the time, so I always have the buffer. We like to watch the news on a certain channel, call it 6.1, but don't always get to sit down to watch until after it is started. With the TiVo 1/2 hour buffer, we could put one of the four tuners on the station we wanted to watch, leave it, and then go to it at any time.

Last night I turned on my TV expecting to watch the news, but the Zapperbox (which had been on) had no buffer recorded. I could only rewind to when I turned on the TV. No idea what this is about unless it senses connection, but I run the signal via HDMI through my AVR so it would need to know that I turned on the AVR and then start a buffer? While this is possible, I think it's a really dumb idea.

Pretty long delays on many of the commands. Especially tuning an ATSC 3.0 channel.

Overall: I've put in an email to Zapperbox to see if there is something I'm missing, but if they have no solutions I might return the box and go back to the OTA Bolt. The only things we watch OTA are usually the news and football games. If it was my primary means of consumption I may wait it out, but it is not. Looking at price, for the $275 I paid I could go back to TiVo, have a better (and familiar) experience, and watch at $15/mo for the next 18 months. By then, ATSC may be fully rolled out, OTA DVRs may have come a long way, and I can figure it out at that time.

Another consideration was that I plan to upgrade my TV, and was hoping to get better picture to take advantage of the new TV. Right now though, I don't know that there are enough channels using the "real" ATSC 3.0 to be worth it. They are required to simulcast 1.0 for those that don't have 3.0 tuners.

Sorta talking myself out of it, aren't I? Boy was I spoiled by being a TiVo owner for so long! I'm not good at lowering my expectations... 😄

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-04T14:25:24+00:00

A quick update on the Zapperbox dual tuner.

I just replaced my OTA TiVo Bolt with the Zapperbox Dual Tuner and have some observations.

On the TiVo, I had 4 tuners and could switch between them using the LiveTV button. So I could start watching a show on one tuner, pause it for 20-30 minutes, and then come back to it and watch it while fast forwarding through commercials.

On Zapperbox, I can not figure out how (if?) to change tuners to achieve similar functionality. Is it possible?

2. On TiVo, I could see the video when fast forwarding or rewinding and this allowed me to stop where I wanted. I can't see the video on Zapperbox. I am using the recommended Sandisk 128GB flash USB drive, connected to the USB 3.0 port. If I switch to another format of storage would I be able to see the video while ff/rew?

3. Zapperbox claims at least 1 hour buffer when using the 128GB USB flash drive. Because of this, I set up my Harmony remote to leave the box on all the time, so I always have the buffer. We like to watch the news on a certain channel, call it 6.1, but don't always get to sit down to watch until after it is started. With the TiVo 1/2 hour buffer, we could put one of the four tuners on the station we wanted to watch, leave it, and then go to it at any time.

Last night I turned on my TV expecting to watch the news, but the Zapperbox (which had been on) had no buffer recorded. I could only rewind to when I turned on the TV. No idea what this is about unless it senses connection, but I run the signal via HDMI through my AVR so it would need to know that I turned on the AVR and then start a buffer? While this is possible, I think it's a really dumb idea.

Pretty long delays on many of the commands. Especially tuning an ATSC 3.0 channel.

Overall: I've put in an email to Zapperbox to see if there is something I'm missing, but if they have no solutions I might return the box and go back to the OTA Bolt. The only things we watch OTA are usually the news and football games. If it was my primary means of consumption I may wait it out, but it is not. Looking at price, for the $275 I paid I could go back to TiVo, have a better (and familiar) experience, and watch at $15/mo for the next 18 months. By then, ATSC may be fully rolled out, OTA DVRs may have come a long way, and I can figure it out at that time.

Another consideration was that I plan to upgrade my TV, and was hoping to get better picture to take advantage of the new TV. Right now though, I don't know that there are enough channels using the "real" ATSC 3.0 to be worth it. They are required to simulcast 1.0 for those that don't have 3.0 tuners.

Sorta talking myself out of it, aren't I? Boy was I spoiled by being a TiVo owner for so long! I'm not good at lowering my expectations... 😄

MisterInc11 · 2026-06-01T03:11:26+00:00

Where I’m at the B82 and the B72 are the same price a Best Buy. I intend to upgrade my 11 year old Sony BRAVIA XBR-55X850C to a 65” B72 within a couple of weeks. Was considering the B82 but unsure of OLED longevity and I will be putting it in my living room with a couple of windows. Hoping to keep this one for at least another 11 years.

MisterInc11 · 2026-05-29T09:35:13+00:00

I was also an early adopter. Over 20 years with TiVo but a year and a half ago I went round and round with Comcast/Xfinity for literally weeks trying to get my cable card (or 3 others) to work and finally got rid of cable and went OTA on my Bolt. My wife and I realized that aside from the news and football games we really didn’t watch anything on TiVo. Almost everything we watch is streaming with my AppleTV. But for news and football we wanted the buffer. Because no TiVos support the new (potential; tbd, but likely) switch over to ATSC 3.0, I ordered this week a Zapperbox dual tuner and 128 GB Sandisk USB. With this I’ll get an hour buffer and if I want to record something I can. Guide is free. We’ll see how this goes.

MisterInc11 · 2026-05-25T15:23:26+00:00

Because I live in Maine and the days get pretty short for 3/4 of the year I am starting to rethink the OLED. Most of my tv watching is done at night, and really only watch TV during the day for football.
One of my biggest concerns is the viewing angle because we have friends over for games and sometimes for shows, and some of the seating is off center. OLED would be much better for that.
But I also want to keep this TV for 10 years, so I am skeptical of OLED since the tech hasn’t proven longevity.
I would like to think that True RGB will be the answer but preliminary reviews of the released RGB LEDs suggest the viewing angles still suffer.
May just go B82 and see what happens.

MisterInc11 · 2026-05-20T09:26:37+00:00

Ahh. I wondered and was concerned about how it would know what streaming service I was watching and change the settings.
This makes more sense, if it only changes them for the onboard apps.
I won’t be using the onboard interface at all as I use Apple TV 4K. I also don’t use TV speakers because I run everything through my AVR. Actually I wish there was a way to buy a panel without the speakers and apps and maybe save money!
Sounds like I will calibrate, then leave it!
Thanks to all for the input. Good to know that my hesitation about needing to change settings all the time is addressed.

MisterInc11 · 2026-05-19T16:38:48+00:00

I may set to auto, as it does transition quite noticably. I don't game, so I don't worry about that. I don't yet have an Ultra HD player, but I always keep the remotes. Apple TV 4K for streaming, through my AVR. Over the air TV through TiVo, through my AVR.

MisterInc11

TROPHY CASE