Take Over Tuesday: Featuring Ara Derdarian of the HT Guys
It’s Take Over Tuesday where you the listener run the podcast.
And this week’s episode is featuring Ara!
From CEDIA to the Workshop: Real-World Home Theater, UST Plans, and Speaker Artistry
In this episode, DJ sits down with Ara to catch up on everything from flying at 30,000 feet and lurking in live chats to the latest home theater debates coming out of CEDIA. We dig into the marketing spin around “brighter is better,” why context and room design matter more than nits, and how blown-out demo images miss the point of proper calibration and detail retention. From there, they veer into real life: Ara’s custom home build in Nashville, the keystone decision that tied his interior design together (kitchen cabinets!), navigating permits and future-proofing for an in-law suite, and plotting out a flexible upstairs media space with an ultra short throw, Atmos prewire, and external speakers. They also hit DIY audio—Ara’s artisan speaker builds with reclaimed woods and Bluetooth amps, matching cabinetry, and the artistry of blending classic materials with modern tech.
They wrap with a trip down memory lane: car stereo glory days, street-racing stories, and moviegoing in the pre-reserved-seating era—why Jaws still slaps, how Star Wars shaped expectations, and why today’s faster theatrical-to-streaming window changes the calculus for cinephiles at home. Plus, a peek at this year’s upcoming 25-hour charity livestream and why weekly podcasting is as much about community as it is about gear.
So much Fun!
If you don’t believe it…
Push Play and Hear for yourself!
🍿Chapters
1. (00:00:00) Cold open and catching up
2. (00:02:41) JVC email, trade show drama, and "brighter is better" marketing
3. (00:08:14) Building a house in Nashville: decisions, keystone, and timelines
4. (00:13:36) Where the theater goes: UST vs large TV, wiring, and Atmos plans
5. (00:18:17) Custom speaker ideas, SVS/JBL components, and DIY mods
6. (00:22:22) Heritage wood meets modern tech: building speakers with a story
7. (00:33:00) The 25-hour charity livestream: guests, logistics, and global handoffs
8. (00:41:02) Show longevity, content generation, and the bond with listeners
9. (00:51:08) Home theater rewind: early PVOD windows vs today
10. (00:53:26) Theaters need reinvention and the end of the megaplex era
11. (01:04:09) Rewatching Star Wars with modern eyes (and heresy)
12. (01:08:24) Happy accidents: Jaws suspense and Lucas’s episode order
13. (01:09:01) Jaws still thrills: using the mind as the special effect
14. (01:10:11) The 1970s as an outlier decade for movies and style
15. (01:24:26) Do kids still blast music? Shifting priorities to podcasts
16. (01:29:15) First home theater steps: VCR stereo outs and mono hacks
17. (01:31:42) Today’s choices: OLED vs mini-LED and the small-room advantage
18. (01:35:31) Reference level in small rooms and why it feels different
19. (01:36:10) Closing plans: meetups, next live show, and sign-off
🍿About Ara
Ara Derderian is an audio engineer and co-host of the long-running HDTV and Home Theater Podcast (often called the HT Guys Podcast), which he started in 2005 alongside Braden Russell. Formerly part of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Advanced Digital Systems Group (ADSG)—the R&D arm for cinema sound tech—he contributed to innovations like the DADR-5000 digital audio dubber, earning a 2000 Technical Academy Award for the team and holding three patents in digital cinema and audio recording. Now a Senior Engineering Manager at Rockwell Collins, Ara uses his expertise to deliver weekly episodes demystifying home theater setups, AV news, product reviews, and tech tips in an entertaining, accessible way.
🍿Links from the Show🍿
Follow & Say Hi to the Guys on Twitter
DJ - 🍿Bright Side Home Theater🍿 (@BrightSideHT) / Twitter
John - John Circone ⚽️ (@JohnCircone) / Twitter
Steve - Steve George (@LegalBeagleOK) / Twitter
And if you’d like to contribute to the show…
Here are Two Ways YOU CAN BE ON THE SHOW
Email the guys and put “HT Experience” in the subject line they will talk about your comment on the Podcast.
Email or DM Them on Twitter to schedule to record a Take Over Tuesday episode.
A movie you liked or a Movie you hated?
A favorite scene?
Good or Bad Experience with Home Theater gear?
Comments about past Bright Side Home Theater podcasts?
Anything about your Home Theater Experience, just let them know and you’ll be on the show!
🍿Links
Patreon: patreon.com/brightsidehometheater
Twitter: @BrightSideHT
email: brightsidehometheater@gmail.com
web: Brightsidehometheater.com
Merch: www.teepublic.com/user/bright-side-home-theater
🍿Thanks to:
Theme Music by Jeff Bernheart/Throne Vault Productions.
https://thronevaultproductions.bandcamp.com/
