Pioneer's 2008 Kuro Plasma TV lineup

Pioneer has announced their 2008 US lineup of Kuro Plasma TVs.

The focus is on deeper black levels, 5x deeper than last years models plus they have software that monitors room conditions and automatically makes adjustments.

There aren't many hard details in the press release, butthey are 3.7" thick, they will start arriving in June, are all 1080p, and will start with a 50" for $4000 and a 60" for $5500.

Press release:

Continue reading "Pioneer's 2008 Kuro Plasma TV lineup"

Asus my cinema USB TV Receiver

Asus has announced a little USB TV tuner/receiver that they claim is plug and play (or should that be plug and watch) on any xp or vista pc.

The My Cinema U3100 mini automatically launches TV viewing software and doesn't need any external power source, getting all it's juice through the PCs powered USB2 slot.

The press release makes it sound like the second coming, but I think we will wait for a few reviews to get a better idea of it's capabilities.

(via fareastgizmos)

Continue reading "Asus my cinema USB TV Receiver"

Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD blu-ray announced

Pioneer's second blu-ray announcement of the day is the Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD.

It's basic features are the same as the Pioneer BDP-51FD we covered earlier: blu-ray profile 1.1, 1080p/24 output, onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD master audio, 7.1 analog output, and wolfson digital audio converters.

The Elite adds gold plated connectors, aluminum front panel, touch sensitive buttons, and $200 for a total price tag of $800.

We are still not impressed.

Pioneer BDP-51FD blu-ray announced

Pioneer has announced their least expensive blu-ray player to date.

The $600 Pioneer BDP-51FD will be out this summer features blu-ray profile 1.1, 1080p/24 output, onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD master audio, 7.1 analog output, and wolfson digital audio converters.

Overall those specs aren't very impressive and the lack of blu-ray 2.0 support is a real deal-killer for us.

Sharp Aquos LC32X20E reviewed

Trusted Reviews has reviewed the Sharp Aquos LC32X20E 1080p LCD TV.

Here's what they thought:

"Despite not completely delivering on its full HD promise, Sharp's LC-32X20E is a good TV that becomes very good with really immaculate HD sources and most HD video games.

In other words, if you're a resolution obsessive on a limited budget, especially if you're also a big console gamer, the LC-32X20E definitely warrants a look."

32" with 1080p seems pointless to us unless you plan on using it as a PC monitor. At regular TV viewing distances you won't be able to tell the difference between 1080p and 720p on a 32" screen.

(more at trustedreviews)

First BD-Live Blu-Ray player priced at $700

Panasonic has announced the pricing of the first BD-Live Blu-Ray 2.0 player (i.e. the first standalone player that finally catches up with what HD-DVD players were capable of all along).

The Panasonic DMP-BD50 is priced at $700 and has BD-Live (requires an ethernet connection), decodes DTS and Dolby Digital internally, has 1080p/24 playback, and a SD card slot.

(more at gizmodo)

UK gets free satellite TV

Freesat, a free satellite TV service, has launched in the UK: there are no monthly subscription fees just a one-off payment for the hardware and installation.

Currently it offers 80 TV and radio channels but only one of them is high-definition (BBC). Freesat plans to have 200 channels up by the end of the year.

A standard-definition only receiver is priced at £49 ($100), high-definition receivers will cost £120 to £150 ($240 - $300) and installation will cost £80 ($160) on average.

Freesat also plans on launching 42" 46" and 50" HDTVs with integrated receivers in the next 3 months.

(via theregister)

Panasonic TH-42PX80 plasma tv reviewed

Trusted Reviews has reviewed the $800 720P Panasonic TH-42PX80 plasma tv.

Here's what they thought:

"After combining Panasonic's finest plasma performance to date with an amazingly aggressive price for a 42in flat TV, the 42PX80 starts to look like arguably the biggest bargain of the year so far."

(more at trustedreviews)

Sony launches Bravia V4500 TVs in Europe

Sony has launched 3 new TVs for the European market.

The Bravia V4500 comes in 26", 32" and 37" flavors each with a 720P (1388 x 720) panel.

They also have 33,000:1 contrast, 178 degree viewing angle and 3 HDMI ports.

No word yet on a release date or price.

Continue reading "Sony launches Bravia V4500 TVs in Europe"

LG Vu now for sale on AT&T site

Yep, we're scraping the bottom of the barrel to provide "news" today as everyone else seems to be off drinking margaritas or celebrating communism.

AT&T has now made the LG Vu available for purchase on their web site.

The cost is $549.99 without a contract or $299.99 with a 2 year enslavement plus a $100 mail-in rebate.

This is one of only two phones that currently support the new Mobile TV service.

(at&t, via engadget)

GreenPix zero energy LCD display

China is building some interesting stuff in an attempt to look good for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, case in point is this zero energy media wall by GreenPix.

The wall is said to be the largest color LCD display in the world and is powered only by solar panels built into the wall. It charges during the say and displays images at night.

No information on the actual dimensions of the wall or the resolution of the images it will display, but the real question is "will the wall and the rest of the Olympics takes peoples mind off what is happeneing in Tibet, the massive pollution in Beijing, and the crackdowns on free speech and any political dissent?".

(via psfk)

Dvico FusionHDTV7: first dual HDTV PCI express tuner

Dvico has launched what they say is the first dual tuner HDTV PCI express TV tuner.

It allows you to watch or record two 1080i HDTV channels at one time using two of the latest XC5000 silicon TV tuners from Samsung and supports digital cable (64QAM/256QAM) and ATSC terrestrial reception.

The FusionHDTV7 is available now at cyberestore for $139.00.

(cyberestore, via tvsquad)

Popcorn hour a-100 available for pre-order

The Popcorn Hour a-100 network media player is now available for pre-order on their site.

For $179 you get a box that you connect to your network via ethernet cable and then stream just about anything at 1080p via HDMI to your TV.

You can also add a hard drive of your own to the a-100 and then send it off to download stuff via bittorrent, look at youtube, flickr etc.

It's a good gadget for people that don't have a dedicated media pc.

(pre-order at popcornhour)

Hitachi ultrathin LCDs now available

Hitachi has announced the availability of their new ultrathin 1.5" display line for the US market. Available in 32'', 37'', 42'', and 47'', ultrathin is being offered in two series.

The directors series models will cost between $1999 and $4699, and come with a 2 year warranty.

The ultravision - V Series will cost from $1799 to $4499, and come with a 1 year warranty.

32" models support 720p and larger models support 1080p, almost all models are 120Hz

Continue reading "Hitachi ultrathin LCDs now available"

Mvix MV-2500U HDD media player

Mvix have announced a new 2.5" hard drive based media player that provides up to 250GB of portable media storage in a 5" x 3" x 0.5" enclosure.

The MV-2500U doesn't have a screen of it's own so you need to connect it to a TV via component cables then use the remote control and on screen menus to access your media.

The MV-2500U supports MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, AVI, DivX® 3.11, 4x, 5x, XviD, DVD(IFO, VOB), ISO video, AC3, MP2, MP3, DTS pass through, WMA, OGG, M3U audio, and JPG photos and outputs in 1080i or 720p resolution.

Cost for the basic unit is $149 without a drive or you can get one with a 80MB, 160MB or 250MB drive for between $99 and $199 more.

Continue reading "Mvix MV-2500U HDD media player"

R2-D2 DVD Projector: Want!

So when we first heard about the $3000 R2-D2 DVD projector we thought it would be really cheesy.

Now there is a video out and it is cheesy but in an awesome spectacular way!

This thing moves around, projects movies onto the wall at 1024x768 (1500 lumens), can lead back and project onto the ceiling, 20 watt speaker system, ipod dock, it does everything (except electrocute other robots).

How long until the first video comes out showing some 40 year old overweight geek in his basement pleasuring himself to the tune of "help me obi-wan kenobi, you're my only hope" while wearing his homemade princess leia slave costume?? *shudder*

(video at starwarsblog)

AT&T launching mobile TV on May 4th

AT&T are launching two new handsets on May 4th that support MediaFLO Mobile TV: the LG Vu ($300 with 2yr contract) and the Samsung Access ($200 with 2yr contract).

The TV broadcasts will be available in 58 cities and there are 10 channels available. The Mobile TV service will cost $15 a month for unlimited access.

One interesting thought: in an emergency (9/11, Katrina etc) the normal cellphone network gets overloaded, as MediaFLO operates on a separate network you would still be able to get CNN or Fox News to keep abreast of events if you were caught up in the emergency.

(more at myfoxutah, via engadget)

Continue reading "AT&T launching mobile TV on May 4th"

Big LCD TV price cuts coming next month

Sony is going to be making big price cuts in their LCD TVs next month in order to try to gain market share.

It appears that Sony's big competitors Toshiba, Sharp, Sansung, LG will follow suit.

It is also likely that the lower end producers such as Westinghouse and Vizio will cut their prices to remain competitive.

What does this mean? Sony's planned cuts of 20-25% could spread across all TV manufacturers and top quality 1080p sets will be under $1200.

(via hdguru)

Samsung P960 phone receives over the air digital TV broadcasts

The Samsung p960 is the first cellphone outside of Asia to receive and show over the air digital TV broadcasts.

This little slide phone sports a 2.6" QVGA (240x320) screen, GSM 900/1800/1900, HSDPA 2100, bluetooth, and microsd card.

The Europeans gets to play with this phone but hopefully there will be something similar in the US soon (are you listening blackberry and apple?)

(via gizmodo)

Full press release:

Continue reading "Samsung P960 phone receives over the air digital TV broadcasts"

Sharp goes wireless for TVs

Sharp has announced a wireless option for their super-thin X-series LCD TVs.

For about an extra $800 your TV comes as the screen plus a separate tuner/control box that communicate wirelessly with each other at a range of up to 100 feet. Plug your cable and DVD boxes into the control box and hide the whole package away somewhere for a clean crisp minimalist TV viewing experience.

(either that or buy a regular tv and run a conduit inside your wall to hide the cables like we did).

Full press release:

Continue reading "Sharp goes wireless for TVs"

LG GGW-H20L HD combo drive reviewed

The Register has reviewed the $250 LG GGW-H20L HD combo drive, they seem to feel a drive that supports HD-DVD is still needed but we disagree.

Here's what they thought:

"Blu-ray writing has a certain appeal but ultimately it's a bit pointless. Most people can't read a Blu-ray video disc, especially on their PC, and the format doesn't have enough capacity and write-speed - an a low enough cost - to put DVD-R in the shade.

For movie playback, a combo drive with both Blu-ray and HD DVD in a high-end media centre is a winner, but the GGW-H20L falls betwixt and between, as you pay £50 for a feature that may only get occasional use."

(full review at theregister)

Toshiba Regza 42XV505BD 42" LCD reviewed

Trusted Reviews has reviewed the 42" Toshiba Regza 42XV505BD LCD TV.

Here's what they thought:

"Toshiba's 42XV505DB is a solid TV: surprisingly affordable, with pictures that can look good and occasionally even great. But for the most part, aside from looking exceptionally cute, it just doesn't do anything truly outstanding, and as such struggles to stand out from the crowd."

(full review at trustedreviews)

PureDepth's Multi-Layer Display technology

Engadget is reporting that the first products using PureDepth's Multi-Layer Display technology will be hitting the street soon.

Puredepth uses displays that have two or more stacked LCD screens with a common backlight to give the impression of depth.

(more at engadget)

Orb Audio home theater speakers reviewed

Digital Home Thoughts has reviewed some speakers I had never heard of before: the Orb audio Home Theater Speaker System that retails for $549 and up.

Here's what they thought:

"When it's all said and done, the bottom line is that the Orb Audio speakers impressed me so much that I'm going to purchase my own set of these speakers. There's no higher recommendation I can give than to say that this is the product I personally want to use. The Orb Audio speakers are not only smaller than the Harman Kardon speakers I had before, they sound better, look better, and made me never want to set up the old system again. While the overall package can get a bit pricey if you need two pairs of their HOSS stands, if you're looking for a quality system - or an upgrade from that horrendously bad Home Theatre In-A-Box system you might have - Orb Audio has a range of solutions at every price point that will allow you to enjoy movies, music, games in ways you never have before. And because their system is so modular, you can start with a minimal Mod1 system and as long as you get the right kind of stands or mounts, you can add more speakers to your system over time. That's a powerful advantage that I haven't seen in any retail speaker solution, and is the cherry on top of what is already a luscious mix of tasty audio."

(full review at digitalhomethoughts)

46 watt home theater pc

Jeff Atwood at coding horror decided to improve on his existing homemade home theater pc by taking advantage of the simplicity and low power of the AMD 780G platform.

He ended up with a small form factor home theater pc with directx 10 support and dual TV tuner, and you can copy his setup for around $500.

(full instructions at codinghorror)

Verizon raising TV prices

Verizon must be living on a different planet as they have decided the economy is so healthy that they can raise prices for their TV service.

Meanwhile the number of people giving up home phone lines and relying solely on cellphones has increased: Verizon's number of residential phone customers has dropped 10.9% over the past year.

(more from fortune)

Sony doubling European LCD production

According to fareastgizmos Sony has announced plans to double production of Bravia LCDs TV at their plant in Slovakia.

The plant produces the full range of Bravia TVs for sale in Europe and the increase in production capacity will lead to the creation of 4 million LCD TVs in 2008.

(more at fareastgizmos)

Pioneer Kuro 9000-FD projector

Pioneer has just announced a new projector as part of their high-end Kuro line of A/V equipment.

The Kuro 9000-FD is a LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) projector capable of 1920x1080 pixel resolution on a 14.5 x 8 foor screen.

Other features include a 2x zoom lens, 30,000:1 contrast ration, 600 lumens brightness, 2 HDMI 1 component 1 composite 1 S-video ports, and a remote with backlit buttons.

The Pioneer Kuro 9000-FD projector will be available in Europe in May for about $12,000.

(via electronista)

Continue reading "Pioneer Kuro 9000-FD projector"

Matsushita (panasonic) expects 40% growth in flat TVs next year

The Panasonic maker hopes to boost global sales of plasma display panel TVs by about 40 percent to over 6 million units, while increasing sales of LCD (liquid crystal display) TVs by more than half to about 5 million units.

(full news story after the jump)

Continue reading "Matsushita (panasonic) expects 40% growth in flat TVs next year"

Sony and Samsung building new LCD plant

Sony and Samsung have agreed to extend their LCD making partnership by building a new factory in South Korea costing $1.8B.

The plant will be based on eighth-generation LCD manufacturing technology capable of creating sheets up to 2.2m x 2.5m or 86" x 98" (each sheet containing multiple LCD panels). It is planned to be operation in Q2 2009 and will churn out 60,000 sheets a month.

This isn't Sony's only new plant: they also just partnered with Sharp for a $3.5B 10th generation plant due to come online in 2010.

What difference do new plants make over old ones? increased supply of panels at a lower cost per square inch, resulting in either cheaper TVs and/or bigger profits for Sony.

(more at pcworld, via engadget)

Samsung new lcds - exact pricing

Earlier today we told you about the new Samsung 750 series LCD TVs.

Samsung have now released the exact MSRP pricing for all 27 new TVs they showed at CES: the 4,5,6 and 7 series LCDs and the 4,5, and 6 series plasmas.

All support 1080p except the 4 series plasma and LCDs which are 720p.

(exact pricing after the jump)

Continue reading "Samsung new lcds - exact pricing"

Panasonic joins the OLED game

Panasonic is investing big in a new LED plant and looking to take 25% of the large LCD TV (>37") market in 2008.

With an eye on the future they have also announced they are going to start producing OLED TVs in the future

(via digitimes)

Denon DVD-1740 reviewed

Trusted Reviews reviewed Denon's $150 entry level upscaling DVD player which lacks DVD-audio and dolby digital support but does include upscaling to 720p 1080i and 1080p via HDMI.

What did they think of it?

"We can't deny that the DVD-1740 is a very competent deck, but even taking its excellent performance into consideration we can't help but feel that you can get more for your money elsewhere - the Pioneer DV-600AV, for example, adds DVD-A, SACD, WMV and AAC playback plus a USB port for the same price, putting the Denon's feature list to shame. The Denon's pictures are possibly better, but not enough to make up for the lack of these features - most people would choose extra bells and whistles over fractionally better pictures any day of the week.

But judged on its own merits, the DVD-1740 is a solid player, once again demonstrating the Japanese brand's uncanny ability to wring the very best performance out of a player within the limitations of its price point. Build quality is superb, the rich, cinematic quality of the images it produces are ideal for movie fans - even those with demanding bigscreen displays - while the smooth audio playback means you can ditch your old CD player with confidence."

(full review at trustedreviews)

Continue reading "Denon DVD-1740 reviewed"

Samsung 750 series LCDs coming in May

Samsung has announced that the touch of color LCDs they showed off at CES will be available for purchase in May.

The high-end 750 series with 1080p, 50,000:1 contrast, and 120Hz will cost $3,599 to $3,499 for 40" to 52".

All models include Samsung's Infolink RSS service for news direct to your flat screen, plus for $34.99 you can buy a wireless linkstick to connect to your wireless network instead of needing to run an ethernet cable to your TV.

(Full press release after the jump)

Continue reading "Samsung 750 series LCDs coming in May"

Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-Ray specs

Samsung has released the final details on their BD-P1500 Blu-Ray disc player that sould be available in June for around $400.

The BD-P1500 will support both 1080p60 and 1080p24, has HDMI1.3 output, and had an upconverter chip: basically similar specs to HD-DVD machines that were half the price until Sony succeeded in buy their way to victory over HD-DVD (am I still bitter about that? a little).

The BD-P1500 comes with Blu-Ray profile 1.1 but is said to be easily upgradeable to BD Live when that is launched.

(via electronista)

Continue reading "Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-Ray specs"

RDX-HX1080 and RDX-HXD1090 hard disk recorders from Sony

Sony has announced a pair of new hard drive DVD recorders designed to compliment their bravia range of televisions.

Both the new models have a 500GB hard drive, both have analog tuners, and the RDX-HXD1090 also has a digital tuner.

(full press release and photo after the jump)

(via newlaunches)

Continue reading "RDX-HX1080 and RDX-HXD1090 hard disk recorders from Sony"

Iomega 500GB Screenplay HD

Iomega has announced a new Hi-Def media player for connecting to your TV: the 500GB Screenplay HD.

It doesn't connect to your network so it looks like you have to hook it up to a PC via USB to transfer files to it. Once you have done that you can connect it up to your TV (via composite, component, or HDMI).

It supports the following formats:

# Audio Formats - MP3, AC3 (Dolby® Digital.Encoding), WMA, WAV, OGG
# Video Formats - MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (AVI/VOB), .MPEG-4 (AVI/DiVX 3.11, 4.x, 5.x/XViD)
# Photo Formats - JPEG

List price is $218.45

Continue reading "Iomega 500GB Screenplay HD"

Watch MythTV on your iPhone

New software written by Chris Carey allows you to view TV programs recorded by MythTV on your iPhone.

Chris write:

"MythTV for iPhone allows you to watch your TV shows recorded on your MythTV DVR on your iPhone - wirelessly.

The software combines the work of many great programmers into one application. It allows you to browse your recorded shows, and look at show details. You can stream any recorded show to the iPhone wirelessly. It allows you to control your other (PC based) MythFrontend with a web-based remote control."

(photo and video after the jump)

Continue reading "Watch MythTV on your iPhone"

Now Shipping: Mediagate MG-450HD

Mediagate is now shipping their MG-450HD. Straight out of the box it lets you stream HD video, photos and audio from any PC on your wireless network to your TV plus you can add a SATA hard drive to it and store media locally.

The MG-450HD supports full 1080p (1920x1080 pixels) in all the common video formats: AVI: MS-MPEG4v3/XviD/WMV9 (XviD with GMC option applied not supported) WMV: WMV9, ASF: WMV9, MP4: MPEG4 Video, DAT: MPEG1, VOB: MPEG2, MPG/MPEG: MPEG1/MPEG2, TP/TS/TRP: HD-MPEG2/SD-MPEG2, it also supports MP3, OGG, WAV, WMA audio and JPG/JPEG, PNG, BMP.

It weighs 20oz, and measures 2.2" x 5.9" x 7.3". It is avilable now for $228.95.

Continue reading "Now Shipping: Mediagate MG-450HD"

Netflix to announce 3 new partners

Netflix has announced that it expects to soon announce three new partnerships to bring streaming movies to your TV. What's up with the announcement of an impending announcement anyway??

They aren't saying who the partners are yet but the plan is for these hardware manufacturers to sell devices that can connect over the internet to Netflix's servers and stream movies (of which there are over 9000 offered for viewing).

(more from reuters)

Now Shipping: MediaLounge PC-on-TV DPG-1200

The D-Link DPG-1200 PC-on-TV is now shipping.

This gadgets connects to your TV (via VGA, composite or component cables) and then to your PC via Wi-Fi. Using a remote control you can then access media on your PC from the TV as well as go online to view videos on places like youtube and Google Video.

A useful gadget for people who don't have a media center PC. The retail price is $239.99.

(press release after the jump)

Continue reading "Now Shipping: MediaLounge PC-on-TV DPG-1200"

NEC's new Hidef 2.7" LCD screen

NEC has announced a high-definition 2.7" LCD module that in the future could end up on a camcorder, digital camera, ipod, or windows mobile phone near you.

The NL9654HL06-01J (great name by the way) offers a resolution of 960x540 pixels on a 2.7" diagonal screen, that equates to 413 pixels per inch.

Hidef is great but I still can't get excited about watching the latest desperate housewives, american idol, or battlestar galactica on a tiny 2.7" screen, given the choice I would stick with a nice 60"+ LCD TV (although they are a little tricky to carry aboard planes for long flights).

(full press release after the jump)

Continue reading "NEC's new Hidef 2.7" LCD screen"

LG Plasma HDTV with DVR

LG has introduced a couple of new plasma HDTVs with built in DVR (digital video recorders).

While these look pretty we don't think this is a step in the right direction as there will always be problems with the cable and satellite providers trying to control everyone's TV experience.

These TV work with the "industry standard" CableCARD, the same CableCARD system that nearly every US cable and satellite provider is ignoring. A perfect example of this is Time Warner Cable who have a webpage devoted to proving how limited CableCARD is and how you are better off with their set-top box. The main downside of CableCARD is that it is one-way only so you can't get Pay-Per-View or your cable companies program guide.

Other downsides to these TVs are their cost ($15k for 60-inch and $8k for 50-inch) and small storage capacity (just 12 hrs of HDTV).

We think this is convergence gone wrong and that for the same amount of money you could get a great LCD TV along with a terabyte sized storage solution and a media center PC.

(via Gear Live)

Buffalo LinkTheater

If you are looking to stream video, music, and photos from your PC to a TV and are concerned about some of the drawbacks of the Microsoft Media Center edition software with Media Center extenders then the Buffalo LinkTheater could be the answer:

Unlike a Media Center Extender it supports all popular video formats including Xvid and DivX (allowing much smaller files sizes).

Unlike a Media Center Extender you can stream HDTV (720p and 1080i).

Unlike a Media Center Extender the LinkTheater has a built-in DVD player.

The downside to this extra functionality is that the LinkTheater isn't designed to talk to a media center PC so you can't browse TV listings, watch live TV, or schedule recordings.

(Buffalo Product Page)

Guess What We're Watching?

Technically it is known as the Sharp LC45GX6U, but to us it is 45 inches of High Definition LCD TV goodness.

We saw it in person at the CES show in Vegas, and opened our wallet. Yes, we didnt blag, beg, borrow, or steal this to review, we bought it, for you our loyal readers (well maybe we bought it for ourselves as well!).

Here's is the short review:

Wow! this thing f**king rocks!

A long review will follow next week.

CES TV Lust

We were lusting after so many nice TVs on the CES show floor today that we had to share.

First up is the largest TV in the world, a 102" plasma from Samsung that will probably cost a outrageously lust-deflating bank-account-emptying amount:

More after the jump......

Continue reading "CES TV Lust"

More LG LCD TV Details

We had the scoop on the new big LCD TV from LG earlier today and now we have more details.

The new 55" LCD TV will have 1920x1080 pixel (1080p HDTV resolution) and both digital and analog tuners. There will also be new 42, 37, and 30" LCDs that have 720p resolution.

LG also announced some new Plasma TVs including a massive 71" plasma tv with 1080p resolution that costs an equally massive $75k.

Engadget has a bigger photo of the LCD TV

Nevo SL Universal Controller

If you have a high-end audio-video solution and/or a media pc and you want a high-end remote control to go with it you can't go far wrong with the Nevo SL.

The Nevo SL is completely customizable via a web interface, supports universal plug and play, and sports a 203MHz Samsung processor, 32MB RAM / 64MB SDRAM, a color 3.5" 320x240 pixel LCD touch screen, has consumer IR and 802.11b Wi-Fi, a 1350mAh battery, and runs Windows CE.NET 4.2.

The Nevo SL is 4.78" x 1.98" x 0.76" and weighs 7.4oz. Cost is expected to be $799!

Snippit: 55" LG LCD TV

Lg are going to be announcing a 55" LCD later today.

Kreisen 30-inch LCD HDTV Review

ecoustics have posted a review of the Kreisen LT-30FMP 30-inch LCD HDTV Monitor which displays 720p HDTV (1280x768 resolution).

Overall it seemed a good LCD for the price ($1349) but seemed to have a few too many cons to be someones main TV.

"It was hard not be impressed when I first viewed the Kreisen LT-30FMP 30-inch flat panel LCD HDTV monitor.
The HDTV over-air-picture was stunning when I watched Monday Night Football in high definition (720p). The LCD handled bright scenes very well, and at times the picture looked 3-dimesional in HD."

"Only after extended viewing did I start to notice some of its shortcomings. Reds seemed to be over-emphasized, and the picture at times seemed overly bright. Not surprisingly, the contrast and brightness settings were set almost all the way up, which is a common tactic manufacturers are using to make flat panels look better on a showroom floor."

Full review at ecoustics

HDTV Buying Guide

Extremetech have updated their HDTV buying guide and here are their conclusions:

"HDTV is still evolving, and will no doubt continue to grow. In 2004, 50% of HDTVs sold had built-in HDTV tuners. By mid-2005, 100% of all HDTVs will be required by FCC mandate to have embedded HDTV tuners. Once tuner availability hits full penetration of new units sold, we'll likely see an avalanche of new content. Already, DirecTV has repurposed several satellites that were slated for data transmission and converted them to high-definition broadcasting. Those will be launched in the coming year.

So the transition is well under way. In the coming year, HDTVs will improve and hardware prices will drop. The only question is: When will you hop on the bandwagon? "

It is a shame that the US is still so far behind many other parts of the world wheh it comes to HDTV but it looks like things are finally moving forward more quickly.

More from Extremetech

FCC Power Grab

Susan Crawford found some very interesting wording in a legal brief filed by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) as part of a lawsuit brought by a number of advocacy groups over the Broadcast Flag (a mandate that by mid-2005 all devices capable of receiving a digital signal have to obey a flag settable by the networks to prevent copying).

Now this is bad in itself as it limits our rights to record a program for viewing at a later date but it gets worse: in the brief the FCC claims that they have regulatory power over "all instrumentalities, facilities, and apparatus associated with the overall circuit of messages sent and received via all interstate radio and wire communication."

So, if a Gadget (PC, Tivo, home distributed wiring control panel, wireless router, networked hard drive) is capable of receiving and/or transmitting on any digital file the FCC thinks they can regulate it and force manufacturers to support the broadcast flag.

Now the FCC is on a morality crusade at the moment, starting with Janet Jackson at the Superbowl and leading to 20 ABC affiliates refusing to air "Saving Private Ryan" on Veterans day because they were afraid of FCC fines over the violence and the F word, I don't want an organization like that trying to regulate my pc, my home network, and my internet use.

(Does the White House know? at Susan Crawford blog)

Dell Accessories Deals

Dell Home has a bunch of coupons today:

Dell Axim X30 high Pocket PC: $379 with free shipping (use $35 off $350 code)
Dell Axim V50v VGA Pocket PC: $464 with free shipping (use $35 off $350 code)
Canon Powershot S500 5 megapixel digital camera: $324 with free shipping (use $35 off $350 code)
Canon Powershot S410 4 megapixel digital camera: $279 with free shipping (use $35 off $350 code)
Dell 2001fp 1600x1200 pixel 20 inch LCD monitor: $604 with free shipping (use $35 off $350 code)
Dell 2005fp 1680x1050 pixel widescreen 20 inch LCD monitor: $644 with free shipping (use $35 off $350 code)

$35 off $350 accessories purchase with code BPDHZ0CHM?ZBLZ (expires 11/11/04)

25% off $999 Inspiron laptops with code 2WL7WMLD3Q4G23 (expires 11/15/04)
25% off $1299 Dimension desktops with code M60LDQM2TH?N37 (expires 11/18/04)
30% off $1799 Dimension desktops with code 3TB6R405280WT1 (expires 11/18/04)
(above codes replace the 15% to 25% discounts shown for desktops and laptops)

HDTV Listings

CNET has an excellent guide showing which programs on broadcast and cable/satellite TV are broadcast in high definition, it even goes so far as to tell you which are in 720p format and which are in 1080i.

Channels listed include: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS, UPN, WB, Bravo HD+, Comcast SportsNet, Discovery HD Theater, Encore HD, ESPN HD, HBO HDTV, HDNet, HDNet Movies, INHD/INHD2, The Movie Channel HD, MSG Network, NBA TV, Showtime HDTV, Starz HD, and TNT-HD.

CNET HDTV Listings

TitanTV Listings (thanks KCT)

(via pocketmediathoughts)

Samsung Develops Thin CRT TV

Samsung has announced a new 32 inch CRT TV (cathode ray tube... you know, the big TVs we used to have before LCDs came along :)

The big selling point is that is is "only" 15 inches thick (compared to 20 to 25 inches for regular CRT TVs).

Maybe I will be mistaken and this will be a big seller but I doubt it: if you can afford to pay extra for a Thin CRT then why not pay a little more and get a 3 or 4 inch thick LCD TV?

LCD TVs are coming down in price and going up in screen size and quality, and in the next two years they will push plasma out of the market. The only decision I have to make is to replace my aging back projection TV with a 37 inch LCD or wait until 45 inch or larger comes down in price.

(via designtechnica)

World's Biggest OLED

Sometimes writing this site seems more like the Guinness Book of World Records instead of gadget news, the main difference is that here the records change almost daily:

LG Philips broke the record for largest OLED (organic light emitting diode) display at the FPD show in Japan yesterday by showing off a 20.1 inch screen.

People (ok, geeks) get excited about OLED screens as they do not need a seperate backlight, so power consumption is lower and battery life is longer, and the screen is thinner.

(more from cnet)

23 inch Monitor Reviews

TrusterReviews hasa head to head review of two 23 inch monitors, the ViewSonic VP231wb and the hp 2335.

While these monitors are nice it would take a lot to get me paying more than twice what I paid for my dell 2001fp monitor for one of these.

Trusted Reviews review

(via pocketmediathoughts)

Toshiba TDP-P7U Projector

Toshiba had a really light little projector at the digital life show.

The Toshiba TDP-P7U projects at 1024 x 768 (XGA) resolution with 1100 lumens brightness and a contrast ratio of 200:1, but it only weighs 2.9 pounds.

The Toshiba TDP-P7U is 7.3" x 6.9" x 1.8", and connects to your PC via USB, RCA, D-Sub, S-Video and just about anything else you can think of. If you want one it will set you back about $1899.

Press release and photos below.

Continue reading "Toshiba TDP-P7U Projector"

Denali HDTV Media Center PC

Hush Technology fanless PCs are expensive but very very quiet, just what you need to go with your $10,000 65 inch LCD TV :)

Niveus has a new Media Center PC based on the Hush Technology called the Denali HDTV Media Center PC.

Just like you would image from a name like Denalt HDTV Media Center PC, you get a high definition video 8 channel 24 bit 192KHz audio behemoth that packs a 3.2GHz Pentuim 4, dual tuners, PCI-express graphics, and DVD recorder, into $4,000 worth of sweet sweet high definition AV goodness.

"Dear Santa, I've been a very good boy this year and I now know what I want for Christmas!"

(via gizmodo)

Philips Streamium Wi-Fi LCD TV 23PF9976i

Philips announced their Wi-Fi enabled 23 inch "Streamium" LCD TV back in April and it's looks like it is getting closer to reality.

Philips has now announced the Streamium Wi-Fi LCD TV 23PF9976i will be available in November through Amazon.com.

Features of the Streamium Wi-Fi LCD TV 23PF9976i are:

• Wi-Fi connectivity to your home network and online entertainment media – compatible with iFILM and Yahoo! Movies, Photos, and Games.
• Philips PC Link – access to music, videos, and photos stored on a PC including the ability to tune into thousands of Internet radio station via the TV's on-screen menu.
• Built-in FM Tuner – FM digital tuning with 40 presets.
• Futureproof – The Streamium TV upgrades its own software to add new services, features, and media formats.
• Audio Support – MP3, MP3 Pro, PCM, WAV
• Video Support – MPEG-1/2/4, DivX, XviD
• Photo Support – JPEG, GIF, BMP, PNG

No prices yet and no sign of it on the amazon site as of October 12th. Click the amazon link below to see if you can find it.

(via ehomeupgrade)

Samsung LT-P468W 46 inch LCD

We are waiting for the 65" LCD that Sharp announced last week, but until that comes out the largest LCD TV you can buy is the Samsung LT-P468W 46 inch LCD.

Extremetech took a detailed look at the Samsung LT-P468W 46 inch LCD:

"Unless there's a magic combination of knobs and levers to change the panel's dark-scene performance characteristics, we're left with a big, bright LCD panel that despite some very good image quality in bright scenes, we still can't award it top marks."

Extremetech only gave the Samsung LT-P468W 46 inch LCD 7 out of 10.

(more from extremetech via ubergizmo)

Sharp Aquos 65 Inch LCD TV

(Update: We got to see the Sharp 65" LCD TV at CES, click here for photos)
They are too late for this year's baseball playoffs but for the ultimate viewing experience next year check out the new LCD TV from Sharp.

The Sharp Aquos 65 Inch LCD TV announced today by Sharp is by far the world's largest LCD TV. The massive 65 inch diagonal screen will be almost 57 inches wide and 32 inches high, and will display a massive 6.2 megapixels (1920 x 1080 pixels) resulting in a great high-definition TV experience.

Sharp doesn't say much else in their press release (japanese) excelpt that the Sharp Aquos 65 inch LCD TV would be available in 2005 if they decide to go ahead with production.

Sharp's 45 inch LCD TV currently goes for around $7000 and thier 37 inch can be bought for close to $3000, so I would expect a 65 inch LCD TV to be introduced at $10000 and would fall to $7000 within a few months.

If you can't afford the 65 inch (and who can?), one side effect of this announcement is that prices for smaller LCDs should go lower.

LCD TVs typically outperform Plasma in screen life, picture quality, and brightness, so if you are in the market for a new TV don't forget to consider them.

Personally I am looking to buy a 30 to 40 inch LCD TV in the next year, I'm just waiting for the right price.

Sharp Mebius 26" LCD PVR TV

Sharp has announced a 26" LCD TV and PC combo in Japan that is more PVR than PC.

The Sharp Mebius PC-TX26GS/TX26G has a 1366 x 768 pixel resolution 26" LCD TV (that needs a seperate tuner if you want to watch HD-TV), and a DVD recorder/PC with 250gb hard drive, celeron processor, and 512mb RAM.

The Sharp Mebius PC-TX26GS/TX26G will be available in Japan in December.

Sharp press release (japanese)

How TV and HDTV Work

ecoustics has posted a brief but very useful article on how TV and HDTV work, including a simple explanation of the different digital formats:

480i: Picture transmits at 60 interlaced fields per second (30 frames per second). Same number of scan lines and frames per second (fps) as analog, but provides a slightly improved image merely because of digital transmission method. Provides surround sound-capable digital audio that matches CD-quality Known as Standard Definition Television (SDTV)

480p: Same number of scan lines as analog, but sent progressive-style (60 complete fps) resulting in an even more improved picture. Capable of Dolby Digital Audio. Known as Enhanced Definition Television (EDTV)

720p: Higher resolution picture with 720 scan lines, sent at 60 complete fps. Provides Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround This is HDTV

1080i: Even higher resolution (1080 scan lines), but fewer frames per second. (60 fields per second, equal to only 30 complete fps). Provides Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround This is HDTV

1080p: This is the ultimate format goal for the future: the best of both worlds with maximum scan lines and maximum fps. No broadcasters have adopted this format, and not many TVs can display it properly.

more at ecoustics

ATI TV Wonder USB 2.0 Review

The ATI TV Wonder USB 2.0 is an external TV tuner for PCs (mostly useful to notebook owners) that sends uncompressed video images from an aerial, composite video cables or an S-video cable through a USB 2.0 connection to your PC or notebook.

TrustedReviews got hold of an ATI TV Wonder USB 2.0 card and tested it out, they liked it despite the lack of a remote control.

TrustedReviews review

Dell 26" LCD TV

Dell has announced a new addition to their line of LCD TVs that is a leap forward for them in terms of good looks.

The Dell W2600 is a 26" LCD TV that is HDTV (720p) ready, has a good 500:1 contrast ratio, 450 nits brightness, 25 ms response time, dual tuners, and works with a PC at 1280x768 pixel resolution.

The Dell W2600 26" LCD TV is 32.7" x 16.6" x 4.2" and weighs 43lb (with stand).

It is currently available from Dell.com for $1999 with free shipping and we think it may come down as low as $1699 later in the year.

Dell Shopping Link

(Dell are also expect to announce Plasma TVs later this fall)

Akimbo Internet Video Player

Akimbo, the broadband internet based video on demand player is almost ready to launch.

Through the Akimbo service you can download and watch any of the 20,000+ hours of programming from 50+ channels they have available.

The Akimbo player is available for pre-order for $229 and is expected to ship in October. The player requires a subscription ($9.99/month or $199.99 lifetime) plus you will have to pay to watch some premium programming.

The Akimbo player has a 80gb hard drive and an ethernet port but if you want to go wireless you will need a seperate 802.11b USB wireless adapter.

(more from the associated press)

HP LCD and Plasma Televisions

PCWorld got the scoop on some of Hewlett-Packard's new consumer electronics:

2 LCD TVs, the 26" LC2640N ($2499) and the 30-inch LC3040N ($2999, listed incorrectly on PCWorld as 40-inch). Both have dual-tuners for picture in picture, 1280 by 768 pixel resolution, and can support HD-TV and DVD-D.

2 Plasma TVs, the PL4245N HD-Ready Plasma Television ($4999) supports 1080i HD (but needs a seperate set-top box) and the PE4240N Plasma Television ($2999) supporting regular 480p TV. Both also have dual-tuners and DVI-D.

(via Engadget)

Sharp Aquos 37" LCD TV under $3000

The price on high quality large screen LCD TVs keeps dropping.

Onecall currently has the Sharp Aquos LC37HV4U 37" LCD TV on sale at $2997, including Free Shipping, after $200 rebate. (Price is for Onecall PASS members: join free on their home page, price expires 8/29 and is limited to stock in hand).

Click here for more info or to buy, or keep reading for the specs.

Continue reading "Sharp Aquos 37" LCD TV under $3000"

Sanyo DMX-C4

Continuing this morning's theme of world smallest we have the Sanyo Xacti DMC-C4, the world's smallest camcorder, which looks remarkably like one of those gadgets for removing lint and fuzz from clothes.

The Xacti C4 features a 1.8 lcd screen, VGA (640x480 pixel) video at 30 frames per second, video stabilizer, SD card slot, and a 4 megapixel still camera.

press release (japanese)

Sony Qualia 005

Sony have announced a number of new TV's including the Qualia 005, a 46" LCD TV that uses LEDs (light emitting diodes) as a backlight (Sony claim this improves the color reproduction of the TV).

Other features include Emotion Engine and Graphics Synthesizer, regular TV to HDTV upscaler (makes regular TV look better), and cross media bar GUI. The price is around $10,000.

A very nice product but again Sony are unwilling to be price competitive. I can get the 45" Sharp Aquos (which looks amazing!) for $7300 from Onecall (onecall price valid until 8/23) so I am not convinced why I would want to spend 40% more for Sony.

Great Deals on LCD TVs

Onecall has a great deal starting today on LCD TVs, Plasma TVs, and projection TVs: at least 10% off, free shipping (usually $200 for a big TV), and gift certificates for up to $300 off your next purchase.

Sharp Aquos 45" LCD TV: $7299 (was $8999)
Sharp Aquos 37" LCD TV: $3586 (was $5499)
Sharp Aquos 20" LCD TV: $799 (was $1099)
Panasonic 47" Rear Projection HDTV: $1259

Prices may change daily on these and the coupon for free shipping and gift certs expires August 23rd. Use coupon code: TRIPLEPLAY

Sharp Aquos 45" LCD TV

The Sharp Aquos 45" LCD TV is now available in stores. I saw this in Hong Kong and the picture quality is amazing!

It is the largest LCD TV currently available and the only one to deliver a 1080p progressive image (1920 x 1080 pixel resolution).

The Sharp Aquas 45 inch LCD Television features a built-in tuner for HDTV reception, so you can enjoy high-resolution over-the-air broadcasts. It also is compatible with the newest Digital Cable Ready requirements. Consumers can simply connect this LCD television to a cable output and discard the old-school outboard box.

Onecall will be one of the first site to have these in stock at $8,999: click here to see if they have it yet

If $9k is a little much, Onecall has the almost as massive 37" Aquos LCD TV on sale at $3397.56 including delivery (price expires 8/5)

Philips Outlet Deals

Philips has an outlet store where you can get discontinued and/or refurbished products massively discounted. They also offer free UPS shipping on most orders.

Some current (7/1) deals include:

• 60in Digital Widescreen HDTV Monitor $1899.99 ($900 off)
• 55in Digital Widescreen HDTV Monitor $1699.99 ($800 off)
• 5 disc Super Audio CD DVD Player $189.99 ($90 off)
• 6 Channel Dolby DTS DVD Player $95.00 ($304.99 off)
• Lots of Progressive Scan DVD Players $49.00-$60.00 ($20-30 off)
• Progressive Scan Dolby Digital DVD Recorder $229.00 ($221 off)
• 300w Digital Home Cinema Package, 5 speakers, receiver, DVD, MP3, $129.00
• Pronto Pro Home Theater Control Panel $539.00 ($411 off)

Click here for the outlet store

Sharp Aquos 45" LCD TV

Sharp has announced that the 45" version of its widescreen LCD TV will be available from August 1st for around $9000.

I'm going to write a very polite letter to Santa this year!

Onecall will be one of the first site to have these in stock at $8,999: click here to see if they have it yet

More from Reuters
(thanks engadget)

Big OLEDs

2 news items on OLEDs (LCD screens that dont need a backlight so are thinner, brighter, and use less power than regular LCDs):

Samsung announced a 17" OLED LCD screen with 1200x1600 pixel resolution, a brightness of 400 lumens, and only 1/3 hte thickness of a regular LCD. It is due for release next year.

Seiko Epson showed off a 40" OLED display, but this wont be in commercial production until 2007.

(via engadget)

New TV's Coming Soon

I would love one of these: Sharp has just released their new 37-inch Aquos widescreen LCD monitor (available at Amazon.com for $5000): 1366x768 resolution, 1