“You don’t need to invent anything, you just have to do traditional research where you look at history and then compliment that with scientific research where you’re trying to do something new. That can lead to a lot in the business and technology sectors these days” – Bill Buxton
A chat with Microsoft Principal Researcher Bill Buxton, Part I
Hitachi is implementing Natal like technology on their new HDTV lineup. Looks like the 3D motion sensing technology is the new trend; as Hitachi demonstrated their prototype of a gesture control at CEATEC JAPAN 2009. You can see how the user can navigate through the menus and tuning the sound volume up and down using his hand only…
Via Vgarabia.com
“Another one bites the dust”
There are rumors today that LG is stopping producing plasma screen TVs and focus solely on LCD production. Again, these are not good news for TV manufacturer. If this is true, then LG will be joining Pioneer and Vizio.
Via Techradar.com
A super cool review from Gizmodo.com of the three “ultrathin” HDTVs currently in production:
Tags: ultrathinTV, HDTV, Aquos, Hitachi, JVC
Anyone who figured OLED would go the way of SED has another thing comin’, and Samsung’s got the prototype to prove it. Over at the OLED-heavy FPD International 2008 show, Samsung is showcasing the biggest panel (of this nature) that its pilot line can even create: a 40-inch Full HD OLED display. 1,920 x 1,080 pixels of delicious OLED goodness, mixed with a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1, a color gamut of 107% NTSC, a luminance of 200cd/m2 and a thickness of just 8.9-millimeters. Judging by first hand reports, the actual quality wasn’t top-notch, but we’re willing to forgive the early glitches in hopes of a better tomorrow.
Click here for more information >>>
Source: Engadget.com
If you thought the days of massive price drops in HDTV prices were over, think again. According to a survey by DisplaySearch, average global Internet pricing across all TV categories fell by a whopping 22 percent in September compared with the same month last year.
The survey found that larger models experienced the biggest drops year-over-year. In one example, worldwide prices for 52-inch LCDs–the largest popular size–fell 30 percent since last September, while 20-inch LCDs only fell 4 percent. In the North American region, one of the four tracked by the survey, the drop in the 52-inch LCD size was 30 percent (from $2,791 to $1,951), while 40-inch models fell by a more modest 21 percent (from $1,915 to $1,508). In North America, the average price of a TV fell by 16 percent.
September’s numbers are telling, but if past years are any indication, price drops should continue through the holiday season. In fact, for people who want to buy a new TV this year, the operative question, given retail price cuts in the face of impending recession, is how low they will go.
What do you think? Are falling prices enough to tempt you to get that new TV this holiday season? Or is economic uncertainty pushing a TV purchase toward the bottom of your priorities? Let us know in the comments section below.
Source: Engadget.com
Samsung today ushered in new high-end models to its LCD TV line-up: the Series 8 and Series 9 flat-panel LCD HDTVs. They’re the step-ups to the Series 6 and Series 7 models, both of which garnered high marks when reviewed by CNET earlier this year (the LN52A650 scored an Editors’ Choice). Full details follow.
Samsung Series 8 LCD HDTVs
Key features of the Samsung Series 8 line:
At first glance, the Series 8 line doesn’t look too terribly different than the Series 7. The main step-ups here are the thinner bezel (1.9 inches at its widest point) and the fact that you can opt for the midnight blue color, which a lot of folks will likely prefer to the rose red accent. One note on the so-called DLNA compliance: in the Series 7 model, we found that the TV only recognized digital media from a PC running Samsung’s own server software. That’s fine, but that doesn’t measure up to our understanding of the DLNA standard, which is supposed to provide for streaming from any DLNA-certified device, such as network hard drives.
Samsung Series 9 LCD HDTVs
Models
Key step-up features of the Samsung Series 9 line:
The big step-up for the Series 9 is the LED backlighting (as opposed to the compact fluorescent backlights on standard LCD models). It’ll be interesting to see if Samsung has improved its LED backlight technology beyond the level we saw implemented in 2007′s LN-T81F line.
All of the above models are equipped with an Ethernet port for accessing the Internet or network-based digital media and information. However, the $35 Wireless LinkStick accessory will add Wi-Fi access as well (to the Series 8 models, at least).
CNET will strive to review these latest Samsung TVs as soon as they’re available. In the meantime, for those who don’t need the streaming media features, thinner bezels, or LED backlight, the Series 6 models continue to deliver the best bang for the buck in the Samsung 2008 LCD line-up.
Source: Samsung press releases (Series 8, Series 9) via Engad
getHD and Crave.cnet.com
HDGuru.com made a great review of the new Pioneer Elite Kuro Pro-111FD and how it is compared against the top of the line Panasonic TH-50PZ850U.
As HDGuru described, it’s up to you to decide which one to go. According to the review, the Pioneer Elite Kuro came on top of Panasonic, but with an extra $1500 on the price.
Both TVs deliver the BEST YOU CAN GET for a HDTV in the market:
- Full HD (1080p)
- Great Color reporduction
- Noise Reduction mechanism
- Anti-reflective coatings
- Signal Processing
- Concious Power Consumption
- UNBELIEVABLE deep blacks
With all these things together in one package, these new plasmas will leave any LCD/LED “in the dust” for sure!
Tags: PioneerElite Kuro PRO-111FD, Panasonic TH-50PZ850U, Pioneer Elite Kuro, Kuro, HDTV, Plasma
Just noticed this posting from an Australian site (gadgetzone.com.au) mentioning the new line up of LED TVs from Sony:
The XBR8 range consists of the Full-HD 55-inch KDL-55XBR8 and the 46-inch KDL-46XBR8, boosting Sony’s already significant range of panels.
These new models feature Sony’s mythical sounding TRILUMINOS three color LED backlight technology that expands the TV’s colour reproduction by aligning the red, green and blue backlight LED. This improves colour reproduction when compared with models with single white LED backlights.
The TVs will also be great for sports fans everywhere. Motionflow 100Hz technology has been replaced with Motionflow 120Hz providing for a clearer, judder-free picture. Sixty unique frames are created by the Bravia for every 60 regular frames for the clearest picture possible.
Another fancy new technology that Sony has added is its Advanced Contrast Enhancer PRO (or ACE PRO as we like to say) technology. ACE PRO enhances contrast and dynamic range by controlling the LED backlight level depending on the area, so that dark areas are given more detail while other areas are given more brightness. By reducing unnecessary light emission better blacks are achieved, which has always been a weakness of LCD TVs when compared to Plasma displays. This reduction of light also saves on your power bill.
Photos: Panasonic rolls out Net-enabled plasma | CNET News.com
For those looking for a REAL TV, this is the one to get!
“The PZ850 will feature “Viera Cast” to connect to YouTube and Google’s Picasa straight from the TV. Other items viewed with “Viera Cast” include weather from five chosen locations and Bloomberg news and stocks that are updated every 15 minutes. A computer can be hooked up to the TV, but isn’t necessary for access to the Internet. The PZ850 plugs into the Web via Ethernet.”
Can you imagine? Internet-Ready TV. And soon we should have Media Center TV fully integrated. But don’t buy it yet. Wait 3 months after release in order to find better prices. Remember, do your homework and you could save big time.
OMG, now I have to start selling my plasma 
For those looking to get a new HDTV, PS3 or XBOX 360, I think you should see this first before spending tons of money in HDMI cables and connectors:
http://www.cbc.ca/mrl3/8752/marketplace/packing_the_deal.wmv
In a report by CBC’s Erica Johnson, three HDMI cables were rounded up for testing and supplied to Maxine Caron, a CBC production engineer. The group consisted of a well know brand name cable ($216 Canadian), Best Buy’s house brand (Rocketfish $110 Canadian) and a the generic 15ft. HDMI cable obtained via the internet for $6 plus $6 shipping.
Caron compared his source HDTV test signals to the output of each HDMI cable being tested at CBC’s test facility. The findings, all three HDMI cables tested reproduced every single pixel of the HDTV source. Caron commented that all three cables reproduced exactly the same image, including color quality, sharpness and black level. There was no performance advantage using the higher priced HDMI cables!
Here is a good site where you can find good deals on high definition cables and wall mounts for HDTVs:
Enjoy!
Thanks to HDGURU.com for the heads up!
