We knew LG was cookin' up a LED-backlit LCD TV behind closed doors, and it's quite the treat to hear that all that work has paid off in the 47LG75. This 47-inch set touts an uber-slim design, oh-so-sexy frame, 1080p support and hidden speakers to boot. Unfortunately, we're not privy to actual specifications just yet, but we are told to expect a "high contrast ratio" to go along with the automatic brightness and color optimizing technologies. We've also got a sneaking suspicion that this beauty won't be one of the sets ringing up for next to nothing on Black Friday, but we certainly hope LG fleshes out a few more details by then, anyway.

The ByD:sign / EyeFi tag-team duo just announced a refresh of their 42 and 47-inch 1080p LCD sets. The new LF-4200DFK and LF-4700DFK pair of televisions still pack a 1920 x 1080 resolution and 500cd/m2 brightness only now with an integrated digital/analog tuner and improved 1200:1 contrast. They also tout a faster 6.5-ms response for the 42-inch panel on down to 6-ms for the 47-inch. The slabs pack a Faroudja DCDi scaler; HDMI, S-Video, D-Sub 15, and composite inputs (see ya component); and presumably a Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) panel like their previous low-cost sets. At ¥219,800 (about $1,903) for the 42-inch and ¥269,800 (about $2,336) for the 47-inch, they've got the minerals to call these the "industries cheapest Full HD LCDs." But as Costco and Sams patrons can already attest, that ain't even true. Still, let's wait for some solid US pricing after these launch in Japan on March 9th before bringing the hammer down too hard.

[Via Impress]

Read -- 42-inch
Read -- 47-inch

You've already seen Samsung's new LED-backlit LCDs for 2007, now check what cross-K-town rival LG.Philips has in store. Last week's ICDL 2007 had LG.Philips demonstrating their 47-, 26-, 15.4-, 12.1-, 8-, and 7-inch LED backlit LCD panels. The big daddy 47-inch panel appears to be the guts of the LG HDTV we heard rumors about. And just like we heard, this panel brings a Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution and a "Mega CS" 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio for truly black, black-levels obtained though a process of local dimming. It's listed with a 500cd/m2 brightness, 178-degree viewing angle, 8-ms response, and 1.07 billion colors covering 105% of the NTSC color gamut. No word on release so we'll have to cling to the original "as early as Q2" hearsay for now. Meanwhile, the 26-inch panel brings a 1366 x 728 pixel resolution, 540cd/m2 brightness, 18,000:1 contrast ratio, 178-degree viewing angle, and covers a hot 136% of the NTSC color gamut. The 15.4-inch and 12.1-inch LED-backlit LCDs are destined for laptops. The 15.4-inch panel matches the equivalent LED-backlit Samsung panel spec-for-spec only it comes in a bit dimmer at 300cd/m2 vs. Sammy's 330cd/m2. The 12.1-inch panel measures just 3.15-mm thin yet packs a respectable 1280 x 800 resolution, 400:1 contrast, 250cd/m2 brightness, and 16-ms response. The 20-mm thick 7-inch panel and 16-mm thick 8-inch panel are destined for navigation devices offering both a wide temperature range of operation and high-brightness. Great, nice to see LG, now please get that 47-incher onto the shelves with your 120Hz TrueMotion technology mkay? Oh, and less than $2k... pretty please, with sugar?

Read -- 47-inch
Read -- 26-inch
Read -- 15.4-inch
Read -- 12.1-inch
Read -- 8-inch
Read -- 7-inch

While we enjoy sporting a snazzy kimono as much as the next guy/girl, we're not sure that we want our super-expensive LCD TV to be fashioned after said article of clothing. Nonetheless, Nakamichi has just unveiled a new flat panel lineup with a swooping lower bezel called the KIMONO series, complete with an "asymmetrical fold" designed to resemble the overlapping sections of the traditional Japanese robe. Besides the questionable aesthetics, however, the 42- and 47-inch KIMONOs offer quite an attractive feature set, complete with full 1,080p resolution, a 5.1 channel amplifier outlet (when hooked up to external speakers, the TV acts as the center channel), both analog and DVB-T tuners, a built-in DVD player, integrated FM radio, and our old favorite, an HDMI input for getting your Blu-ray or HD DVD on. Other nice touches include a USB 2.0 jack and 6-in-1 card reader (even xD gets some love here), allowing you to view pictures and presumably video content captured from a variety of sources. Pricing and availability are as yet unannounced, but if the company's $512 Lumos portable DVD player is any indication, you'll definitely be paying a premium for the privilege of sporting such an, um, unique design.