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VIZIO launches latest XVT series HDTVs, new Blu-ray players with 3D today
Say hello to the new VIZIO XVT 3D series, while the XVT Pro line announced earlier this year (and that 72-inch model we were drooling over) were not to be, these 42-, 47- and 55-inch HDTVs are real and on sale today through Amazon, Sam's Club and Target's online shops and should be on shelves later this month. Features like the number of LED backlighting zones (for the 47- and 55-, the 42-inch features edge LED lighting), claimed contrast ratio, WiFi N and VIZIO Internet Apps are consistent with existing models, so the big addition this time around is 480Hz refresh rate and obviously, 3D readiness (active shutter glasses not included). VIZIO's also announced two new 3D compatible Blu-ray players to match for $189, plus a new router and some high priced HDMI cables to fill out the lineup. Full specs and prices are in the press release after the break, but with a premium of $300-$400 on Amazon over the award winning 2D-only XVT3SV lineup (we have one in for review, hint: it's excellent), most will probably want to wait for some kind of package deal unless there's a copy of NBA 2K11 3D or Black Ops burning a hole in their console right now. Update: It appears VIZIO's made one other change since its initial 3D announcement, including RealD technology and using their glasses. We asked if these glasses will be compatible with those from other manufacturers but haven't gotten an answer to that question yet.
Sony looking to purchase LED HDTVs from Samsung?
Just because it's prepared to source millions of flat panels from a joint venture with Sharp, don't think Sony is even close to satisfying its hunger for LCDs. Word from the Seoul Economic Daily is that it may also deal with Samsung on LED backlit televisions (beyond the existing S-LCD partnership,) a decision probably somewhat related to its move towards cheaper white LEDs (already used by Samsung) in upcoming BRAVIA sets as opposed to its more expensive Triluminos backlighting scheme. This shouldn't affect the marketplace immediately, but tuck that knowledge away for TV shopping 2010, the price difference between one brand and another probably doesn't buy as much difference as you think.[Via Bloomberg]
Samsung's brightest 70-inch outdoor LCD meets the suddenly-blinded masses
Say hello to the brightest LCD panel entering mass production - Samsung's 70-inch super bright digital information display will be burning out retinas near you next year. Taking local dimming LED backlighting to a new application, it features 200,000:1 contrast ratio and 2,000nit (cd/m2) brightness -- as much as four times brighter than the HDTV on your wall and topping the previous 1,500nit champ -- more than capable of displaying information or advertisements in bright sunlight or dim environments. The 1080p panel already nabbed a CES Innovation Award earlier today and will be sampled (in Las Vegas, surely) before the year is out, but you may want to grab some shades now just in case.
Bandai's Luminodot: 1,600 glass pegs for your child to swallow
Bandai's Luminodot is a godsend for the light peg artiste looking to take his work to the next level. What we have here is essentially an updated Lite-Brite with over twice the resolution (read: pegs) of the original. Just like Hasbro's classic toy, several design templates are included with the kit -- and if you're feeling creative, there is an online template generator that will render your own designs to PDF. Also included with the kit are 1,600 pegs in twelve colors (or about half of what you will need to fill up the Luminodot's 70 x 50, 3,500 peg display -- you can order additional pegs on their website). But the most impressive feature is probably the LED backlighting: in addition to lighting the pegs, the Luminodot has twenty-five preprogrammed animated sequences. As with most toys this cool, Luminodot is only available in Japan -- though we have seen at least one for sale on eBay. Video after the break.[Via technabob]
Samsung's 70-inch LED-backlit LCD television now on sale
Samsung's gettin' busy this morning in Korea with the launch of their 70-inch Full HD LCD television. Not only is it the world's largest commercially available LCD, this 1080p pup also brings a 120Hz refresh along with Samsung's local dimming LED backlighting solution for a reported 500,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio... for whatever that measurement's worth. The LN70F91BD is another ACAP packer featuring 3x HDMI 1.3 terminals and a USB 2.0 jack for purposes unknown. Available in S.Korea only at the moment with worldwide sales starting in the second half of the year. Only ???59,000,000 for the privilege which translates to about $63k or €48k -- chump-change for culturally ambiguous superstars.[Via AVING]
MacBook Pros updated: Santa Rosa, LED backlighting, and 1920x1200 display
Right on cue, we've got MacBook Pro updates for you to love or hate depending upon your fanboy affiliation. First the 17-inch which now features new NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics and a new 1920 x 1200 pixel display (for $100 extra)... at last. Both the 15- and 17-inch models now sport Intel's Santa Rosa platform -- Intel's latest take on Centrino featuring an 800MHz front side bus which changes dynamically to save power. Apple was also kind enough to finally loose a MacBook Pro with LED backlighting just like Sir Steve promised. However, that appears to be limited to the 15-inch model. So now we're looking at a 15.4-inch MBP with a 1440 x 900 pixel display topping out with a new 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 160GB 5,400rpm disk, 2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (up to 4GB supported), pre-enabled 802.11n of course, a new 256MB of NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics option, 8x (up from 6x) slot-loading SuperDrive, and Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR. It maintains the same dimensions while tipping the scales at 5.4-pounds (down from 5.6-pounds). The 17-inch meanwhile tops out with the same 2.4GHz proc and up to 250GB of disk. Much newness, at least for the 15-incher, for the same entrance fee of $1,999 starting today -- that'll only get you into the cheap seats but the faithful have to sit somewhere.
AUO promises CRT quality from an LCD
AUO is showing off their new LCD technology this week at the FPD Taiwan 2006 show. They already improved conventional CCFL backlighting, but their new HiColor Technology with RGB LED backlight ups the available NTSC color gamut from 72% to 105%, eliminating one of the major complaints about LCDs. Their new Simulated Pulse Driving technology improves gray-to-gray refresh rates to 4ms, giving what they claim is CRT-level image quality. Advanced MVA technology provides a 1200:1 contrast ratio that will also improve the color washout typical of LCD screens, and improved image processing for better detail. Better yet, all this technology is ready for the 1366x768 and 1920x1080 panels of the future.It all sounds great, now we just need to find out who will be slapping their sticker on all this shiny new technology when it hits the shelf and how much it will cost. Hopefully we can get a picture or two once the show starts tomorrow.
Toshiba Matsushita Display intros world's thinnest 12-inch LCD
Just when you were feeling pretty smug with your new super-slim ultra-portable laptop, Toshiba Matsushita Display comes along and introduces the world's thinnest 12-inch LCD panel, which will be seen on notebooks much hotter than yours in a few months. Ranging from 2.9- to 4.5-millimeters thick, the new LED-backlit TFT display manages a 1280 x 800 WXGA resolution and 300cd/m2 brightness, packed into a light 183-gram design. TMD, a joint venture between two Japanese electronics giants, says that the display is already in production, although there is no mention of any specific products that will see the new tech, nor any info on when these presumed products would hit stores.[Via Akihabara News]
