Sony brings BRAVIA Engine 3, AppliCast on-screen widgets to HDTV lineup

Far be it for us to judge the decisions of a huge corporation and its ad campaign, but Sony announcing a new line of BRAVIA HDTVs while the vast majority of the consumer electronics industry is intently focused on cellphones in Barcelona seems a bit peculiar. For those who need a break from MWC 2009 shenanigans, we've got 19 new hi-def havens here, spanning 6 different models: WE5, W5500, E5500, E5300, V5500, and S5500. Boasted features include BRAVIA Engine 3 with 100Hz Motionflow and Image Blur Reduction for smoother images, a widget-rich on-screen AppliCast that gives you basic internet-on-TV functionality, DLNA for streaming media from a computer, and Sony's Xross Media Bar (XMB). Not every model here boasts all the new technology -- you'll have to invest in the V5500 (pictured, background) for the full experience. Sony boasts its 2009 LCD lineup is its "greenest ever," with most models carrying the "EU Flower" eco-friendly label from the European Commission, and not to worry, even some of the most coveted sets here carry the green mark. Hit up the read link for full specs.

[ Via: Engadget ]
[ Tag: bravia, bravia engine 3, BraviaEngine3, e5300, e5500, s5500, v5500, w5500, we5 ]

• VUDU permanently cuts retail price of movie set-top-box in half

SIM2 Solar Series infinite contrast HDR LCD ships in Q2

After several years high dynamic range lcd technology is finally ready for market, now that SIM2 and Dolby are showing off this Solar Series 47-inch screen at the 2009 Integrated Systems Europe show. Just like last year's prototype, it's both brighter (4,000 cd/m2) and has a greater contrast ratio than any flat panel currently available. The 2,206 LEDs can provide up to an infinite contrast ratio and supposedly match real world visuals thanks to 16 bit color processing. The only bad news is that even with a name change to Dolby Vision, that ugly wide bezel from the BrightSide days still remains. We'll have to wait until closer to the Q2 shipping date to find out the price, but with SIM2's high end reputation it won't be cheap.

[ Via: Engadget ]
[ Tag: bright side, BrightSide, dolby, dolby vision, DolbyVision, hdr, high dynamic range, HighDynamicRange, infinite contrast, InfiniteContrast, lcd, led, SIM2 ]

• Pentax Optio E70L plays 'spot the difference' with E70, loses

GestureTek brings 3D and gestures together for remote control

The idea of gesture-based remote control isn't new, but GestureTek has added in 3D tracking to the mix for, you guessed it -- even more expressive interaction with your TV. After all, you don't live in flatland, so why should your remote control gestures? Of course, adding in depth perception requires the use of more than one webcam, but maybe that's not a big tradeoff in our age of six and more speakers in the living room. The setup will be on display at CES (sans Xpletive), so we'll try and swing by for a, um, hands on while we puzzle over how to add voice commands to this system. Watching the big game with your buddies just might get even more entertaining yet.

[ Via: Engadget ]
[ Tag: ces, ces 2009, Ces2009, gesture, gesturetek, remote, remote control, RemoteControl ]

• Zviewer beta 2 turns Firefox into a web-based media center

Samsung prepping 6.5mm LCD for debut at CES

Samsung Korea has announced it will reveal an ever-so-thin hdtv prototype at ces this week -- a clear trend going into the show. There's a paucity of info about it as of now, but it's going to be between 6.5 and 7mm thick -- and it doesn't appear to be part of the possible lineup we saw leaked a while back. "Thinnest HDTV" ever, huh? We'll see about that soon enough: Samsung's Vegas press conference is scheduled for Wednesday.

[ Via: Engadget ]
[ Tag: backlit, ces, ces2009, hdtv, leak, led, samsung ]

• ezGear gets in the Blu-ray game with the BluCobra Blu-ray Disc Player

LG's super slim LED backlit LCD packing wireless HD, DivX HD

Finally ready to give up further details on its 24.8-mm thick LED backlit LH95 (apparently dubbed the LH9500 in the UK), revealing to Stuff.tv we can expect a 55-inch HDTV with wireless hd box included. DivX hd support on the panel itself (sorry, no word about any Netflix streaming abilities just yet) via USB or Bluetooth makes sure there will be plenty to watch on the 2,000,000:1 contrast screen with 240Hz technology. At least on paper, one of the slimmest, best looking LCDs we've heard about so far, we'll see if it impresses in person shortly.

[ Via: Engadget ]
[ Tag: 240hz, ces, ces 2009, Ces2009, divx, divx hd, DivxHd, lcd, led, lg, lh95, lh9500, wireless hd, WirelessHd ]

• LG to release first HDTVs that instantly stream movies from Netflix

Sony's 240Hz BRAVIA KDL-52XBR7 HDTV reviewed: extra Hz not worth the $

Here it is, the review you've been waiting for. Are all those Hz worth all those dollars? If you believe CNET, the answer is "sadly, no." The 52-inch KDL-52XBR7 was all the rage upon its arrival, promising slick visuals and a dejudder processor that would wow, stun and awe. Unfortunately, it seems the set hasn't exactly lived up to expectations, as the deep black levels, accurate color temperature and color decoding, comprehensive complement of inputs and beautiful body weren't enough to overcome the breathtaking $4,200 price tag. Furthermore, the 240Hz refresh rate was found to offer "only minor improvements to picture quality," proving our fears of it being more about marketing than performance absolutely correct. Bottom line? Take your dollars elsewhere -- chances are, you won't miss the Hz.

[ Via: Engadget ]
[ Tag: 240Hz, BRAVIA, hdtv, KDL-52XBR7, LCD HDTV, LcdHdtv, review, reviewed, sony ]

• Casio's EX-FH20 reviewed : perfect for YouTube slow-mo junkies, nobody else

Samsung shows clean lines on 1080p SyncMaster 2494HS LCD

It's missing the nearly iconic glossy black bezel that has become such an expectation on Samsung displays, but the SyncMaster 2494HS would still be welcome at our cluttered work desk. The 23.6-inch panel sports an all-business, matte black motif with a native 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, 300 nits of brightness, a 5-millisecond response time, 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, inbuilt stereo speakers and DVI / VGA / HDMI inputs. The LCD is expected to go on sale in Japan next month for around ¥40,000 ($423), but if we were the betting type (an we're not), we'd expect it to roll onto fresh, moist US soil in due time.

[ Via: Impress ]
[ Tag: 1080p, 24-inch, 2494HS, lcd, lcd monitor, LcdMonitor, monitor, samsung, SyncMaster, SyncMaster 2494HS, Syncmaster2494hs ]

• Mcor launches Matrix 3D printer, only asks for your paper and glue

Panasonic unveils new 11 Series plasma displays in Germany

While not quite as brain-melting as Panasonic's 150-incher and not nearly as sophisticated as its tru2way-enabled VIERA TH-50PZ80Q, Panny's 11 Series is still worth a gander. Announced today over in Deutschland, the line gets going with the 42-inch TH-42PH11EK/ES and 50-inch TH-50PH11EK/ES, which check in with a 1,024 x 768 and 1,366 x 768 resolution, respectively. Moving on to bigger (or similarly sized) and (mostly) better things, we've got the TH-42PF11EK (42-inch), TH-50PF11EK (50-inch), TH-58PF11EK (58-inch) and the TH-65PF11EK (65-inch), all of which offer a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution and a 30,000:1 contrast ratio. As for pricing and availability, everything smaller than 58-inches can be acquired now for undisclosed amounts, while the big daddies should follow in December.
[ Via: Macrush ]
[ Tag: german, germany, panasonic, RS-232, RS-232C, TH-42PF11EK, TH-42PH11EK, TH-42PH11ES, TH-50PH11EK, TH-50PH11ES, Th-58pf11ek, TH-65PF11EK ]

Pioneer's 37-inch KRL-37V KURO LCD reviewed: other LCDs should be scared

Anyone remotely familiar with the KURO brand knows that with it comes the expectation of awesomeness (and a large price tag), and the question on everyone's mind has been: will the KURO LCD line live up to the name? According to TrustedReview's critique of the 37-inch KRL-37V, the answer is a resounding "yes." The reviewers put together five long-winded pages detailing the ins and outs of this here set, but in general, they found that it produced better pictures than most other LCDs on the market today, and that's saying something. Sure, it wasn't without its flaws -- there were occurrences where odd color tones popped up in SD footage, black levels weren't astonishing and the viewing angles weren't the greatest -- but the colors in HD were simply terrific. 'Tis a shame we North Americans will have to wait until sometime next year before we can even have a look for ourselves, but those in Europe may want to give this one some serious attention.

[ Via: HDTV Lounge ]
[ Tag: hdtv, KRL-37V, KURO, KURO LCD, KuroLcd, LCD, lcd hdtv, LcdHdtv, pioneer, review, reviewed ]

Mitsubishi's 65-inch LaserVue HDTV undergoes further testing

It's one thing to witness an HDTV under the watchful eye of the company that made it, but it's an entirely different experience to get out on your own, with your own hand-picked sources, your own food stash and the freedom to really speak your mind. From what we've seen under Mitsu's own conditions, the 65-inch LaserVue is truly a sight to behold, and even when the gurus over at TheTechLounge managed to see this thing in their own element, they were equally amazed. They wouldn't go so far as to call it the best HDTV ever, but even when compared side-by-side with Pioneer's heralded PRO-151FD KURO plasma, they found the laser-packed set to be superior in a few instances. The test subjects underwent a few grueling hours of Iron Man and Ice Age: Meltdown on Blu-ray, and at the end of the night, critics didn't hesitate to recommend the set for anyone with loads of cash.

[ Via: Engadget ]
[ Tag: 65-inch, hdtv, impressions, L65-A90, laser tv, LaserTv, laservue, Mitsubishi, review, reviewed, testing ]

Samsung & LG HDTV prototypes battle for supremacy

Samsung and LG are locked in a tight race for "best HDTV you won't be buying this year or next" this week at the International Meeting on Information Display 2008, trading shots with OLEDs, LCDs and more. Samsung brought along an upgraded version of its true 240Hz 15-inch Blue Phase LCD panel with improved image quality, some fresh carbon nanotube-based color electronic paper, plus slimmed-down versions of its 40- and 50-inch LCDs. Then it got busy with the OLEDs, dropping in a 14-inch HD display, 31-inch 1080p display and 5-inch VGA panel, to which LG could only respond with the above 19-inch OLED powered by amorphous silicon TFT. More stills of the carnage exist beyond the read link, but in the battle of display tech streeting in 2011 at the earliest, we just hope LG is holding back a few surprises for CES.

[ Via: OLED-Display ]
[ Tag: 240hz, amorphous si, amorphous silicon, AmorphousSi, AmorphousSilicon, blue phase, BluePhase, carbon nanotubes, CarbonNanotubes, cnt, e-paper, imid, imid 2008, Imid2008, lg, oled, samsung, txt ]

Panasonic reveals first tru2way HDTVs in Chicago and Denver

We already saw Panasonic's 50-inch TH-50PZ80Q plasma doing the tru2way thing at CEDIA 2008, but the official lever has just been pulled in Denver and Chicago. As of today, Comcast's tru2way platform is active in the aforesaid cities, and the very first tru2way-capable HDTVs are arriving to retail. Eager consumers in the Windy or Mile High City who are ready to ditch the set-top-box altogether without sacrificing VOD and such can polish off their wounded credit cards, as both a 42-inch (TH-42PZ80Q; $1,599.95) and 50-inch (TH-50PZ80Q; $2,999.95) VIERA plasma will be on sale by "late October." As for the rest of the US anxious to dip in the cool, cool waters of tru2way? A few undisclosed locales should be going live with the service "in the coming months," though your guess is as good as ours as to what exactly that means.

[ Via: Engadget ]
[ Tag: breaking news, BreakingNews, cablecard, chicago, comcast, denver, EPG, glenview, illinois, panasonic, plasma, th-42pz80q, th-50pz80q, tru2way, VIERA ]

LG's Scarlet LG80 1080p LCD HDTV packs 3.1 sound system

The highly controversial (okay, maybe not so much) Scarlet series from LG is being expanded today with the introduction of the LG80. The natural step-up from the LG60 and LG70 features an undisclosed screen size (though we assume it'll range from 42- to 65-inches) with a Full HD (1080p) resolution, 30,000:1 contrast ratio, three AV modes (for movies / video games / sports) and a USB 2.0 port for piping in photos or digital video files. You'll also find a pair of HDMI 1.3 sockets, but the real kicker is the sound system. When powered on, two side speakers extend from the rear of the unit while working alongside the stationary center speaker and "subwoofer" to create a 3.1 system with 50-watts of output. Sure, it's not a 3,000-watt, 7.1-channel master rig, but it's probably decent enough for an inbuilt setup. Look for this one to ship everywhere save for the US and Europe starting later this year.


[ Via: Pocket-lint ]
[ Tag: 1080p, HDTV, lcd, lcd hdtv, lcd tv, LcdHdtv, LcdTv, LG, LG80, scarlet ]

Sharp shows off 52-inch solar-powered LCD TV at CEATEC

We've seen some fairly fascinating things at CEATEC this year, but this one could be the biggest game-changer of 'em all, if you'll allow us just one buzzword. The LED-backlit 52-incher you see above comes attached to a not-at-all convenient solar floor panel which presumably provides at least some of the energy required to power this thing. We've no clue how close the design is to being viable for the commercial realm, but we'd say Sharp's definitely headed in the right direction here.

[ Via: Engadget ]
[ Tag: ceatec, ceatec 2008, Ceatec2008, HDTV, LCD HDTV, LCD TV, LcdHdtv, LcdTv, sharp, solar, solar-power, solar-powered ]

NICT, JVC Victor team up on no-glasses-needed 3D HDTV

Betcha didn't see this one coming, did you Philips? No sooner than the aforementioned company unveiled a rather striking 56-inch Quad Full 3D HDTV over on the left coast of the US did Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) and JVC Victor one-up that with a 72-inch prototype of their own. Revealed at CEATEC 2008, the Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) set doesn't even require viewers to sport those face-consuming glasses to experience the effect. In essence, the display utilizes multiple projectors to really emphasize that elusive third-dimension, but the viewing angle is understandably limited. Oh, and we hope you're not too geeked up about this -- NICT stated that we probably wouldn't see these in the commercial realm before 2011. Ah well, at least there's IMAX to hold us.

[ Via: Gearlog ]
[ Tag: 1080p, 3d, 3d hdtv, 3dHdtv, ceatec, ceatec 2008, Ceatec2008, japan, JVC, JVC Victor, JvcVictor, NICT ]

Carl Zeiss' powerdomeVELVET planetarium projector: 2,500,000:1 contrast ratio

We've seen dynamic contrast ratios on HDTVs climb as high as 2,000,000:1, but an in-house design from the famed Carl Zeiss blows that right out of the water. The powerdomeVELVET planetarium projector was obviously not designed with home cinema in mind, though the specifications are no less impressive. We've got a 2,500,000:1 contrast ratio, DLP / BrilliantColor technologies, a 1,200p native resolution and a DVI input. Not like you're actually considering one for your own domed theater, but it'll be available for a small fortune in Q1 2009.

[ Via: DVICE ]
[ Tag: BrilliantColor, carl zeiss, CarlZeiss, DLP, PJ, powerdome, powerdomevelvet, projector, Texas Instruments, TexasInstruments, VELVET, zeiss ]

Philips introduces Flavors LCD TVs with interchangeable frames

Look out, tweens -- Philips has a new line of LCD TVs aimed squarely at your wall / bedroom pedestal. Introduced over in Italy, the Flavors family will initially consist of a 22-, 32- and 42-inch set, the latter of which packs a 1080p panel, 30,000:1 contrast ratio, 5-millisecond response time, 500 cd/m2 brightness and a pair of HDMI ports. The concept here is pretty easy to grasp -- each set comes bundled with two interchangeable frames which are reportedly held up by good ole magnetism, and if two just aren't enough, more can certainly be ordered. Currently, Philips simply has a placeholder page up for the new crew, so we'll just let you simmer on the prices for now: they'll be €549 ($803), €799 ($1,168) and €1,199 ($1,754) in order of mention.

[ Via: Engadget ]
[ Tag: europe, flavor, flavors, frames, global, hdtv, lcd, lcd hdtv, lcd tv, LcdHdtv, LcdTv, philips ]

Hitachi makes like Toshiba and touts "super resolution technology"

We actually had to dust off our spectacles to make sure this wasn't some sort of misunderstanding, but clearly, Hitachi is pulling a Toshiba. Generally, we wouldn't make such a claim, but given that Tosh also calls its wizard-like upconverting technology Super Resolution, we'd say the likeness requires such a comparison. Reportedly, Hitachi has been toiling day and night on its own "super resolution technology," which will theoretically take SD images and scale them to near-1080p. Amazingly, we're told that it can also "convert HDTV images, such as digital terrestrial broadcasts, into images with even higher (what, SHV?) definition." The tech is executed on a frame-by-frame basis and should be exhibited at the upcoming CEATEC trade show in Japan; as for a release, Hitachi's currently aiming to get this into LCDs and plasmas "after 2010."

[ Via: Engadget ]
[ Tag: ceatec, ceatec 2008, Ceatec2008, Hitachi, japan, super resolution, SuperResolution, upconvert, upscale, upscaling ]

ViewSonic's 22-inch N2201w LCD TV packs inbuilt DVD player, TV tuner

We still haven't been able to shake the ViewSonic dragon from our memory, but we're attempting to move on with our lives by directing our attention (however briefly) to the N2201w. This so-called "3-in-1" LCD TV packs a 22-inch 1,680 x 1,050 resolution panel, a 5-millisecond response time, 1,000:1 contrast ratio and a built-in NTSC / ATSC / QAM TV tuner. You'll also find an integrated DVD player and an HDMI port, and just to prove it really is multifaceted, there's a PC input to boot. No telling if the picture quality is anything to write home about, but the $429 price tag sure is palatable.

[ Via: CEPro ]
[ Tag: atsc, clearqam, dvd lcd combo, DvdLcdCombo, lcd, lcd tv, LcdTv, monitor, N2201w, qam, ViewSonic ]

Panasonic bundles 103-inch plasma, Blu-ray player in 3D home theater package

Didn't see anything that particularly suited your fancy at CEDIA? Then feast your eyes on CEATEC. As the Japan-based trade show hastily approaches, out pops a mind-boggling new home theater package from Panasonic. The system will include one of its marvelous 103-inch plasma HDTVs, a Blu-ray player and at least one set of fancy 3D goggles. Hailed as a world's first in some form or fashion, the Full HD 3D package utilizes an undisclosed format "employed by major Hollywood film studios" to "distribute full HD images of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels to each eye via synchronized shutter glasses." Panny is hoping to promote the technology and possibly get a leg up on Samsung (our assumption) by impressing wealthy homeowners and members of the Blu-ray Disc Association. As expected, there's no mention of a price, but rest assured -- you'll be stuck choosing between this and a new BMW.

[ Via: Impress ]
[ Tag: 103-inch, 1080p, 3d, bd, bda, blu-ray, blu-ray player, Blu-rayPlayer, ceatec, ceatec 2008, Ceatec2008, full hd, FullHd, home theater, HomeTheater, japan, Matsushita, panasonic, plasma ]