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LG intros power-sipping LH30FD LCD HDTVs in Korea
Not even a month after LG outed its 50PQ60D and 42PQ60D Xcanvas plasmas over in South Korea, the company has introduced a trio of LCD HDTVs in the nation as well. The LH30FD models, all part of the burgeoning Scarlet series, are all presumably equipped with 1080p panels, inbuilt speakers and other modern amenities. While LG leaves out most of the details, we are told that all three sets boast a variety of picture modes, a trio of HDMI sockets and a four-step power saving mode that can purportedly "reduce power consumption by up to 70 percent." We've no way to prove or disprove that claim, but hopefully the stipulations will be spelled out more clearly when, er, if these migrate to America. As for those in Seoul, they can grab one later this month for ???2,400,000 ($1,725; 47-inch), ???1,650,000 ($1,186; 42-inch) or ???1,200,000 ($862; 32-inch).[Via Slashgear]
Philips' 56-inch Cinema 21:9 HDTV sure looks good in conceptual shots
Philips' 56-inch Cinema 21:9 HDTV may not be spending any time in the homes of Americans, but it'll sure look good in the domiciles of those lucky / wealthy enough to afford one across the pond. Philips itself has hosted up a slew of swank concept shots (in the read link) showing the ultra-widescreen set placed in fashionable spots, and we'll be honest, that oh-so-long look really has our juices flowing. Britain needs a few more transplants, right?
Philips' 56-inch Cinema 21:9 HDTV: not for Americans
Oh, bollocks! If one particular spokesman who opened up to ZDnet today is accurate, Philips' totally sweet 56-inch Cinema 21:9 HDTV won't ever be sold on American soil. Quite frankly, we're wondering what's up with Philips and its apparent disdain for the US market. It farmed out its Blu-ray / DVD and TV operations in North America to Funai, it didn't even bother showing up in Vegas for CES, and anything even remotely swank that it produces seems to be reserved for those overseas. What happened to the worldwide love, Philips? Did someone give you the impression that Yanks wouldn't buy one of these completely mesmerizing new panels? Sigh.[Thanks, Sean]
Philips' 56-inch Cinema 21:9 HDTV gets showcased on video
Philips' groundbreaking Cinema 21:9 HDTV looked so curious when it launched a fortnight ago that we actually questioned its authenticity. Clearly, this beauty is for real. Pocket-lint was lucky enough to be on-hand for its unveiling in London, and it hosted up a nice video showing off the 56-inch beast in action. The black bars you've grown used to detesting were indeed gone, and while Philips wouldn't dole out any hard specifications, we are told that it boasts five HDMI sockets, a Spring release date and an estimated £3,000 ($4,276) price tag. Vid's after the break, per usual.
Sharp's LC-52D85U LCD HDTV reviewed: at least the image quality rocks
When it comes to HDTVs, there's really only one thing that matters most: picture quality. Evidently Sharp's engineers took this to heart, as the 52-inch LC-52D85U was harshed on in just about every other area. The remote was picked apart for having minuscule buttons and a near-worthless backlight, while the on-screen menus were lambasted for being difficult to navigate. Heck, critics even blasted the omission of an SD card slot, Ethernet jack, USB socket and picture-in-picture functionality. One thing they couldn't slam, however, was the quality of the images coming from the screen, with critics noting that "at $2,300, this model provides the best picture for its price among the 50- and 52-inch sets." So, do you stare at your HDTV, or tinker with it? That, friends, is the question.
VIZIO's 32-inch VO32LF LCD HDTV reviewed: not bad, not bad at all
You know what's tough? Finding a 30- to 35-inch HDTV that's actually worth owning. VIZIO's hoping to fill that gap with the 1080p VO32LF, a 32-inch LCD that just checked into CNET's labs. This here display takes the place of the CES 2008 announced VO32L, and for all intents and purposes, performance was pretty much the same. That said, reviewers appreciated the "accurate grayscale and primary color," the abundance of picture controls and the "generous connectivity suite" that included a trio of HDMI sockets and a single PC input. The only real knocks were on its below-average uniformity and off-angle viewing, but even those negatives didn't stop it from being called "one of the better small-screen LCDs." And at just $599 (MSRP), that just might be good enough to warranty a buy.
The HDTVs of CES 2009
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/The_HDTVs_of_CES_2009_HUGE_chart'; It's easy to see that a whole slew of new HDTVs were introduced to the world at CES, but actually keeping up with 'em is another thing entirely. In an effort to make sure you aren't duped into thinking that set you're about to buy is actually a CES '09-announced set, we've laid out the entire line of newcomers (ones that'll actually see store shelves -- we avoided the concepts to save you some grief) just past the break, complete with scheduled release dates and prices where applicable. Nah, you won't find any big screen OLEDs in there (maybe next year, kids), but there's plenty of Hz, pixels and inches to go around.
CES 2009 HDTV mega-guide
CES 2009 may be over and done with, but we'll be feeling the ramifications of it for months to come. For those not watching for every last announcement from the show, you may be surprised to find that dozens upon dozens of new HDTVs were introduced, with many of them slated to start shipping this Spring / Summer. Engadget HD has hosted up a thorough mega-guide to showcase what sets made their debut in Vegas this month, complete with links to more information as well as release windows and pricing where available. If you're even remotely considering a new set this year, you owe it to yourself to give this one a look. Head on over, won't you?
Toshiba's REGZA 52XV545U reviewed: she's a beauty
Given that Toshiba's 46XV545U was harshed on pretty seriously by CNET a month ago, we weren't expecting much when going into Electronic House's review of the 52-inch Cinema Series REGZA 52XV545U. Contrary to popular belief, this set was said to be fairly awesome, with it producing "realistic color with precise picture detail and resolution free from visible artifacts." Critics even went so far as to say that its picture quality was "well above par," with both OTA HD broadcasts and DISH Network signals looking as sharp as ever. Potentially most unexpected was the praise given to the Super Resolution upscaling technology, which managed to produce "some of the best viewable images from regular cable fare" that reviewers had seen. Bottom line? You should probably give this one a look in person -- it's too tough to tell what your eyes will see.
Coby outs trio of LCD HDTVs, perfect for your guest room
Most of Coby's gear at CES was a little lacking in the quality department, but if you're looking for something that'll only need to be turned on every now and then, the outfit's latest trifecta may just fit the bill. From smallest to largest, we've got the 15.4-inch TFTV1524, which offers a 1,280 x 800 native resolution, dual ATSC / NTSC tuners, an HDMI port, VGA socket and a set of stereo speakers. Next up is the TFTV1923, a 19-incher with a 1,440 x 900 resolution and pretty much everything else remaining similar. Finally, the 22-inch TFTV2224 ups the resolution to 1,680 x 1,050 but doesn't add anything else. There's no mention of pricing / availability, but we'd guess they'll be available soon for not-so-much.
Poll: Do you prefer plasma or LCD?
The conversation already got going on our Plasma vs. LCD post yesterday, but now we're straight-up putting it out there. If you had to choose (and you do), would you opt for an LCD or PDP? Oh, and why? It's time to let your true fanboyism shine though, so don't stop with just dropping your vote below -- hit us up in comments with your supporting arguments. %Poll-25278%
Samsung separates LCD and television units in restructuring
Samsung, like most other companies in the free world, has suffered of late. To that end, it has just announced a reshuffling of divisions that will actually separate its LCD manufacturing business and its television business into two distinct areas. Reportedly, Samsung's semiconductor and liquid crystal display (LCD) units will be bundled into a "parts" division, which will be headed up by current CEO Lee Yoon-woo. The TV unit will be joined by the mobile phone and "other electronic products" in the "products" division, which will be led by the current head of the telecommunications business, Choi Gee-sung. It's not clear the financial impact that these adjustments are expected to make, but we are told that they're being made "in response to the global downturn and [in an effort to] reinvigorate the company."
Philips introduces ultra widescreen Cinema 21:9 LCD TV
Last July, we took a look at whether or not ultra widescreen HDTVs could eventually become a reality. Fast forward half a year and change, and here we have Philips answering that with a resounding "sure, why not?" The Cinema 21:9 is said to be the planet's first cinema-proportioned LCD TV, and of course, it'll also incorporate Ambilight technology around the borders. We'll be frank -- we had our doubts upon seeing the lackluster website linked below that this thing was even real, but Philips itself confirmed to us that the panel will be shipping this Spring in Germany, Belgium, the UK and France. We're also told that a full site will launch on January 29th, though no pricing details (nor a US release date) were mentioned. Our one and only wish? That this thing would've been displayed at CES last week.[Via GadgetVenue]
Panasonic talks up ultrathin NeoLCD / NeoPDP displays
Panasonic's NeoPDP plasma was lookin' mighty good on display today, and now we've got the nitty-gritty straight from the horse's mouth. The company's NeoPDP and NeoLCD technology showcases its latest advances in ultrathin, highly energy efficient displays. If you're looking for wow, the 37-inch NeoLCD has the lowest energy consumption of any LCD HDTV in the world, and the 0.33-inches thick 50-inch NeoPDP is really just 0.33-inches thick. 0.33-inches. Sadly, there's nary a mention of a productization date, so we suggest you just pretend that never heard of all of this awesomeness until that status changes.
Samsung LCD 750, Plasma PDP 850, new LED series hands-on
Sure, Panasonic's 0.33-inch thin Neo PDP might have just redefined our definition of thin, but the new Samsung HDTV are quite the lookers. The form factor, like the company's touted UI initiative, is fairly unified in appearance across all models. Frankly, we had a pretty hard time telling them apart, and all we could really think about is how awesome they'd look in our living rooms. Hard to tell from the gallery below, but trust us, the picture quality is very crisp and clean. Now if we could only get a glimpse of Internet@TV in action.%Gallery-40920%
Sony's BRAVIA VE5 series brings zero-watt standy, HCFL backlighting
During the run-up to CES, we heard through the grapevine that eco-friendly and well-connected HDTVs were going to be all the rage in early January, and so far, those premonitions are spot on. Sony's new BRAVIA VE5 line sucks down around 40% less power than many of the company's other LCD HDTV models, and there are two main developments to thank. First, the 52-inch KDL-52VE5, the 46-inch KDL-46VE5 and the 40-inch KDL-40VE5 all tout a zero-watt standby switch, which -- when flipped on -- cuts power usage to "nearly zero watts." Additionally, this Energy Star 3.0-compliant trifecta is the first from Sony to sport the micro-tubular Hot Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (HFCL), and as if that wasn't enough, there's even a motion sensor that can turn the set off if no action is sensed and a ambient light sensor for good measure. All greenness aside, each of the three also boasts Motionflow 120Hz technology, a USB port for loading up digital media files, the BRAVIA Engine 2, BRAVIA Sync, four HDMI inputs and 24- True Cinema. Check 'em this summer for currently undisclosed prices; full release is after the break.
Samsung properly introduces Series 6 / 7 LCD TVs
You knew Samsung wouldn't pull up in Vegas without a few new sets to clutter up your living room, and sure enough, we're being treated to a fresh pair of CCFL-backlit displays. The Series 6 ranges from 19- to 55-inches, while the Series 7 is comprised of just a 40-, 46- and 52-inch model, and the latter three (along with '09 Series 6 650 40-inch and above) sets feature the Yahoo!-driven Internet@TV functionality. Furthermore, the Series 7 is Sammy's first ever 240Hz CCFL-backlit display, while all Series 6 sets 32-inches and up tout the 120Hz Auto Motion Plus technology. All the nitty-gritty details (save for pricing and availability) are tucked away in the read link. %Gallery-40656%
JVC announces Full HD LCD TVs, new line of iPod-friendly sets
Just in case you haven't seen enough from JVC today, how's about a look at nine new TVs? From the top, we're look at four newcomers with 1080p panels -- the LT-32J300, LT-42J300, LT-46J300 and LT-52J300 -- all of which tout a dynamic backlight, the company's own Smart Picture technology, there HDMI inputs and a new cabinet with a snazzy new bezel and a black glossy finish. Moving on to more Apple-friendly pastures, we've got an all new TeleDock line that spans from 31.5-inches to 46-inches. All five models come with an integrated iPod dock for playing back portable media and recharging your player, and the whole crew should be in stores by April. Check the links below for all the minutiae.Read - JVC's new Full HD lineRead - JVC's TeleDock line
LG gets official with Netflix-enabled Broadband HDTVs
Yup, it's official. LG will be showcasing the world's first Netflix-enabled HDTVs at CES this week. The so-called Broadband HDTVs will arrive in plasma and LCD flavors, though exact screen sizes and model names have yet to be disclosed. They'll arrive with Netflix streaming software baked right in, meaning that no external set-top-box will be required to suck down Watch Instantly material. Best of all, it sounds like HD Netflix content will also be supported, and with the accompanying remote, viewers will be able to "read synopses, rate movies and fast-forward / rewind the video stream." No word on pricing, but the family of sets should be shipping this Spring. Hop on past the break for a look at the full release.
LG to release first HDTVs that instantly stream movies from Netflix
It was really only a matter of time, but instant streaming from Netflix is finally getting piped straight to the tele. Until now, users needed an HTPC or a set-top-box / movie player that supported Watch Instantly, but we've received word that LG will debut the world's first Netflix-enabled HDTVs this Spring. Details are pretty light, but we're told that both plasma and LCD models will be unleashed; unfortunately, it's not entirely clear if HD Netflix will be included and if the sets will / won't be WiFi-enabled. Keep it locked here for anything more, we get the feeling we haven't heard the last about these beauties.Update: The AP is suggesting that the inclusion of the Netflix streaming feature (or, "broadband capabilities," as it were) could add around $200 to $300 per set. That's a pretty hefty premium for ditching the box.
