Olevia 65-inch LCD HDTVs Back on Woot For $2300, 40% Below Amazon [Dealzmodo]

In case you missed it the first time, James Madison's favorite 65-inch 1080p LCD TV from somewhat troubled brand Olevia is back on Woot today for the same low price of $2300—40% off of Amazon's price of $3810. Panel's made by Sharp. Woot away: [Woot]

[ Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]
[ Tag: ]

Funai (Sylvania, Symphonic and Emerson) Will Sell HDTVs With Blu-rays In 'Em [HDTV]

Funai, whose subsidiaries are more familiar to us as Sylvania, Symphonic and Emerson, is planning on selling LCD HDTVs with Blu-rays on-board starting summer 2009. The company's previous successes in recent years with combo units (TVs with VCRs and TVs with DVDs) totaled up 40% and 20% of their sales in the US respectively. So how much will this low-end brand charge you for the all-in-one experience? CrunchGear says the target price for a 42-inch will be between $1100 and $1300. Keep in mind that's a price for something launching a year from now. [CrunchGear] Update: Funai also took over the Phlips TV brand in the US, which means you might be seeing this under their name as well.

[ Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]
[ Tag: ]

Westinghouse: Struggling to Keep Up With LCD Tech [Television]

I was really excited to check out the 2008 line from Westinghouse today, but I left the showroom very disappointed. After last year's sweet n' cheap 52”, I expected bigger and better tech with the same nice let's-make-a-deal pricing, but lo, I got nothing. No 120Hz, no LED backlighting, and no new TV larger than 52”. While cheapo LCD brands Olevia and Vizio have at least announced their intentions to play ball with the big brands by adopting performance-LCD technologies, Westinghouse seems content to stay at the bottom rung. That said, if you don't mind shopping on the bottom rung, there are some deals to be had.GALLERY

ENDMy guess is that the cost of 120Hz—not to mention thinner panels and LED backlighting—is still too high to incorporate into a cheap LCD. Late last year, a Westinghouse rep said that the company was exploring 120Hz, and that we'd see it at CES. They didn't come through.Vizio claims their first 120Hz offerings announced back in January, will be out in July, a full six months later. The 42” and 47” LCDs are said to list for $1500 and $1900 respectively, but so far they only exist in pictures and press releases. We'll believe in them when we see them.Similarly, the Olevia 120Hz is nothing more than a concept shown on the CES floor, with no schedule for release. While we have no reason to doubt they are working on the tech, we don't expect to see it any time soon, at which point something better may have already passed it by.All that said, if price is your main concern when it comes to TV shopping, Westinghouse still has some good options. The 40” VK-40F580D has solid picture quality and an embedded DVD player, and it goes for $1100. 42-, 47-, and 52-inchers from the TX series all claim 1080p resolution out of all HD connectors, component and VGA included. Those sets retail for a reasonable $1200 to $2000. Bargains aside, if Westinghouse wants to be more than the Apex Digital of LCD TVs, it had better step up its motion-blur reduction, contrast and back lighting tech . [Westinghouse]

[ Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]
[ Tag: ]