The Front Row

On this episode of The Front Row Podcast, we’re joined by David Solomon, Chief Hi-Res Music Evangelist at Qobuz and one of the people responsible for bringing TIDAL to the U.S., for a conversation about one of the biggest debates in audio today: quality vs convenience. Streaming has made it easier than ever to access millions of songs instantly, but what are we actually giving up in the process? D...

On this episode of The Front Row Podcast, we’re joined by Bruce Walker, Product Evangelist for TCL North America, for a deep dive into where TV technology is today and where it might be headed next. Bruce breaks down everything from traditional LCD panels to SQD Mini LED technology and the new RGB Mini LED TVs that are starting to hit the market. We talk about how light moves through the panel sta...

On this episode of The Front Row Podcast, we’re joined by Rob Brennan, Technical Account Manager at Epson, for a conversation focused on one big question… the state of video in 2026 and where it might be headed. What used to be all about black levels has turned into something very different. Now it feels like we’re in the middle of brightness wars and screen size wars. Everything is getting bigger...

On this episode of The Front Row Podcast, we’re joined once again by Peter Aylett from Officina Acoustica and Cinema Buro, and the topic is one that can get a little controversial, especially since it comes up so often when people start planning a home theater: form versus function. Peter has a simple way of explaining it. Think of your theater room like a mullet, business in the front, party in t...

On this episode of The Front Row Podcast, we’re joined by Janina Baltaziewicz, an engineer with Christie Digital Systems who works directly with professional cinema projection systems. If you’ve ever been to a Dolby Cinema in Europe, there’s a good chance you’ve already experienced some of her work without realizing it. Janina is one of those behind the scenes making sure those systems are perform...

On this episode of The Front Row Podcast, we’re joined by Chris Seymour, Manager and Co Founder of Seymour Screen Excellence. If you’ve spent any time around projection, chances are you’ve heard his name. Chris has been building acoustically transparent screens for years, and lives in the weeds when it comes to what actually happens once light hits the screen. This conversation is all about the pa...

On this episode of The Front Row Podcast, we’re joined by Ben Goff, owner of the U.K.-based integration and consultancy firm Cinema Bureau. He’s an active contributor to CEDIA’s R10 standards group, helping shape recommended practices for RP22 immersive audio and RP23 immersive video. He’s also a past CEDIA EMEA award winner and now serves as a judge, splitting his time between designing high-perf...

On this episode of The Front Row Podcast, we’re joined by Chuck Back, Managing Partner of Trinnov Audio and Procella Audio US, for a conversation that digs into one of the most talked about and least clearly explained topics in calibration: target curves. With nearly 50 years in high end audio, Chuck has spent decades designing and tuning systems at the highest levels. He also spent more than 20 y...

On this episode of The Front Row Podcast, we’re kicking off the new year by sitting down with Adam Pelz, a name many of you already know, but one that’s worth properly introducing if you don’t. Adam is the Owner and President of Bespoke Cinemas, and he’s spent years designing, installing, and dialing in high performance home theaters. He’s ISF, THX, and ARCOS certified, an expert instructor with t...

On this episode of The Front Row Podcast, Peter Aylett from Officina Acustica and Cinema Bureau joins us once again to close out the year with a conversation about subwoofer placement and low frequency in a room. This episode feels like a natural continuation of our earlier discussions around room design, but this time we zoom in on the part of home theater that tends to cause the most head scratc...

In this episode of The Front Row Podcast, we sit down with Peter Aylett from Officina Acustica and Cinema Bureau, a thirty year veteran of the industry and one of the most respected voices in acoustics. Peter is known throughout the professional community as a mentor, teacher, and lecturer, and his work has shaped the standards many integrators follow today. He is a longtime CEDIA instructor, and...

In this episode of The Front Row Podcast, we’re finally kicking things off on the audio side, and we could not have asked for a better guest to start with. We’re joined by Geoffrey Heinzel, co managing partner and designer at Ascendo Immersive Audio, and someone who brings a wealth of experience in how speakers are designed and engineered. We dig into what actually goes into designing a speaker fr...

In this episode of The Front Row Podcast, we sit down with Tayloe Stansbury, CEO of Kaleidescape, to talk about the changing landscape of cinema and home entertainment. Tayloe isn’t just the company’s CEO, he’s also a longtime Kaleidescape customer and fellow enthusiast with a background in both technology and the film industry. We discuss how the movie industry continues to evolve, from theatrica...

This week on The Front Row Podcast, we’re joined by Rob Brennan, Technical Account Manager at Epson, and someone who’s been around long enough to see just about every shift in display technology. We sit down to talk about HDR - what it is, why it matters, and why it can be such a mixed bag on projectors. If you’ve ever looked at HDR on a projector and thought something seemed off, you’re not alone...

We’re back with part three of our HDMI series featuring James Chen, Managing Director of Kordz. This time, we’re taking a look at the physical side of HDMI: how the cables are manufactured, what testing looks like, and what’s really going on inside once you strip away the jacket. James walks us through the cable-building process and gives us a clear understanding of how design and build quality pl...

This week, we’re switching gears for a special CEDIA 2025 recap episode. It’s a more relaxed conversation, more like a roundtable hangout, and we’re joined by a few friends we caught up with at the show: Don from Horizon Home Theater, Ike from EasyHT Tech, and Paul from Brews and Views. CEDIA is one of those events that’s hard to explain unless you’ve been there. Yes, it’s about gear and demos, bu...

In Episode 7 of The Front Row Podcast, we’re back with part two of our deep dive into HDMI with James Chen, Managing Director of Kordz. Last episode, we set the stage by unpacking the fundamentals, from pin layouts to protocols like TMDS and FRL. This time, we’re going further down the rabbit hole. We start by breaking down HDMI 2.2 and what it actually means in a real-world setup. From there, we...

In Episode 6 of The Front Row Podcast, we’re joined by James Chen, Managing Director of Kordz, for a deep dive into HDMI—what it is, how it works, and why it’s been both a blessing and a headache. In Episode 4, we laid the foundation by explaining the basics and frustrations around HDMI. This one peels back the layers and gets into the engineering and signal science behind the cable we all love to...

Episode five of The Front Row Podcast is here, and this week we’re sitting down with the one and only Rob Brennan. He’s the Technical Account Manager at Epson and someone who’s been around the industry for a long time. Some of you probably remember him from his Sony days, and let’s be honest, Rob knows his stuff! We all know projectors are awesome, but choosing the right one isn’t always easy. The...

This week on The Front Row Podcast, we’re joined by Eric Bodley, founder of Future Ready Solutions and a well respected voice in the AV industry. Eric’s career spans over four decades and includes everything from launching Monster Cable programs and developing the Perfect Path brand of locking HDMI cables, to training hundreds of installers through his IHAVS certification program. He’s also a form...

In Episode 3 of The Front Row Podcast, we’re back with part two of our conversation with Jason Dustal, who brings over 25 years of expertise as an ISF trainer, Level 3 calibrator, CTS certified professional, CEDIA certified instructor, and Certified for Envy Product Specialist. This time, we dig deeper into the video technology and how we went from 1080p LED TVs to today’s 4K HDR display. We talk...

Welcome to episode two of The Front Row Podcast, and the first where we sit down with a guest - Jason Dustal! As a well-known and highly respected figure in the AV industry, Jason brings over 25 years of expertise as an ISF trainer and Level 3 calibrator, CTS certified professional, CEDIA certified instructor, and Certified for Envy Product Specialist. He also serves as co-chair on multiple CEDIA...

In case our written reviews and video content weren’t enough, AVSForum has officially entered the world of podcasts! Say hello to The Front Row Podcast, hosted by Erik Wesley and Ryan Charpentier. In our very first episode, we talk about what the podcast will focus on, how often you can expect new episodes and why we think it’s  worth tuning in. We also share how we each got into the AV industry a...