This year has been one where I have been working on my entertainment center and TV setup.
Giving a brief rundown of what I was using previously, it was a 2006 Vizio P50 HDM TV. Yes, it was that old, but it worked well for its time and was a TV I received for free from my brother in 2020. You can’t complain about a deal like that.
However, last fall, I began to think about all of the great quality content I was missing with the old Vizio HDTV since it is not a 4K TV.
By November 2023, I had purchased an Apple TV 4K (third generation) with Ethernet and purchased an LG 4K TV at my local Best Buy store by February 2024 which was a huge step in the right direction.
However, in April and May 2024 (back-to-back weeks), I purchased two blue HomePod Minis, which completed the setup and the final pieces to the puzzle.
The first thing I watched with the new TV setup in place was the first episode of the new season of “Doctor Who” on Disney+. Just the intro enough with the visual clarity from my LG TV and Apple TV 4K, but the sound from the HomePod Mini speakers is truly some of the best I have ever heard.
Here it is! Streaming the newest episode of @bbcdoctorwho from @DisneyPlus on my new 50-inch @LGUS UHD 4K TV via my  TV 4K with two blue #HomePodMini speakers for audio. This is truly amazing. Allons-Y! #DoctorWho #AppleTV4K #DisneyPlus pic.twitter.com/4HOAYJMDw1
— David Becker (@iBeckTech) May 11, 2024
I just watched “The Devi’s Chord” episode of @bbcdoctorwho. WHAT AN EPISODE! I LOVE Ruby’s song in it and @JinkxMonsoon needs to win a major award for the acting performance in this. Also, I cannot believe after 14 seasons, MURRAY GOLD FINALLY MADE AN APPEARANCE!!!!! #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/I7osOOx2m6
— David Becker (@iBeckTech) May 12, 2024
With it, you truly hear the bass in sound and music, along with how clear dialogue can be spoken.
I have also used this setup when watching TV shows such as “Suits” on Peacock (hearing the opening theme song with the HomePod Mini speakers is an experience in itself), “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Last Man Standing” on Hulu.
Another aspect of the HomePod Mini speakers that I like being on my entertainment center is that they are there, I know they are there, but when the lights are off and the content is playing, they are not that noticeable like a soundbar would be, which is another reason that I chose to use HomePod Minis for something like this.
The sound is just so rich and bold when you’re watching TV shows and movies on it that it makes it hard to not listen to what is happening on your screen.
I also love the fact that popular streaming services like Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+, and others do have support for this setup since you technically do have to go into the settings on your Apple TV and modify it so that it not only adds your home theater HomePod Mini speaker setup, but that you do occasionally have to change it in Control Center in tvOS.
The only streaming service I have seen that does not support it is Sling TV, but thankfully, I don’t use it all that much.
Needless to say, I am beyond happy about my purchase of the two HomePod Mini speakers and using them as the speakers on my Apple TV 4K. I would highly recommend using them for that purpose if you have the opportunity and means to do so.
In my view, it gets 4/4 stars from me without having to think about it.
Rating: 4/4 stars
