What's this? A little standardization in the TV realm? Announced today at IBC2008, Microsoft has launched its Protected Broadcast Driver Architecture (PBDA), a new worldwide platform that was made possible by the recent release of Windows Media Center TV Pack. In short, this system enables the "PC-TV hardware ecosystem to integrate virtually any free or premium TV service into Windows Media Center," which keeps content guardians ultra-stoked while giving consumers more choice when it comes to TV tuning. Essentially, PBDA gives OEMs and tuner-makers the ability to develop and ship wares for WMC "regardless of geographic location or television standard." The initiative is being backed by some serious players, too -- Hauppauge, AVerMedia, NEC, and NXP just to name a few -- and a couple have already shipped PBDA-based solutions overseas. Hit the read link for more... if you dare.

It's round, white, and floats in the tub and goes by the name XDV-W600 -- the latest Bravia TV to numb the mind. The little 1-Seg set features a 4-inch, 16.7-million color, 272 x 480 pixel LCD; AM/FM tuner; 2GB of internal memory to record up to 10-hours of 1-Seg television broadcasts; and up to 23-hours of viewing off the internal rechargeable + 2x AA alkaline batteries. It also carries an IPX7 and IPX6 waterproof rating making it submersible for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 1-meter and capable of withstanding penetration by your Jacuzzi's water jets. Although it would likely distort the video into a fisheye view, we really wish that advances in curved and circular LCDs had progressed to the point of mass production -- that square display kills the aesthetic on these ovular TVs. Ships in Japan on October 30th for an expected ¥39,800 (about $368).

[Via Impress]

Forget schools, forget lighting, forget easy access to drinking water... it's that sweet TV goodness that people living off the grid really need. Well, that and laptops. You're looking at Sharp's 26-inch LCD prototype which uses just a quarter of the power (or a third measured annually) of a conventional CRT with the same screen size. That's low enough to be suitably powered by a Sharp, triple-junction thin-film solar cell module whose surface area is roughly equivalent to that of the LCD screen. Sharp hopes to market the two items as a pair in a bid to "contribute to the environment." Good thing too, 'cause nothing fills a billion empty bellies like an eye-full of boob-candy.

[Via Impress]

During the first episode of the new season of Criminal Minds, FBI agent and resident neat-freak David Rossi just couldn't shake the unsolved double homicide that he never could close a score ago. Oddly enough, that wasn't the only mystery involved, as we're still scratching our heads trying to figure out what's so important on the lid of Mr. Rossi's RAZR2. Maybe a super-secret 4G icon? Tommy Tutone's most favorite dame's number? The infamous Sad Moto face? Whatever it was, we're fairly certain a highly concealed RAZR2 is superior to the lowly RAZR Derek Morgan is still getting issued. What's a man got to do to get a leg-up, anyway?

Last October, not much was known about Lumenlab's elusive "Q," but now it seems the firm's all geared up to dish out the deets and accept obscenely large checks. The Qmax still maintains a 42-inch 1080p LCD display, but we now know that you'll find an overclocked Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 processor (humming along at 3.3GHz), 768MB GeForce 8800 Ultra graphics card by PNY (also overclocked), 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a trio of 1TB hard drives, the company's own Hotwire powerline networking technology, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi and a fairly swank cooling system for good measure. Additionally, you'll find HDMI, component and VGA inputs, 8.1-channel audio, optional HD DVD / Blu-ray drives and an optional $1,500 touch screen for those with plenty of cash to burn. Reportedly, this beast is handmade in Asheville, North Carolina and can be tweaked to your heart's content, but the general configuration will set you back around $10,000. The only question left, it seems, is why?

Yeah, we've got HMDs for the visually impaired, but seriously, who's for sporting one of those things just to catch an afternoon soap? Thankfully, Dr. Eli Peli (and colleagues) from Harvard Medical School is lookin' out for said sect, and has developed a method for "enhancing the contrast of images of people and objects of interest on their digital televisions," which, during trials, was found to enhance legibility and overall enjoyment when watching. Furthermore, the technology is said to be the first to play nice with digital TV images, which seems fairly important considering that analog signals have but a few months to live here in America. Purportedly, the all-important modification that made the adjustments possible could be applied to HDTVs and digital STBs in the future, and sure enough, Peli has already sparked up conversation with Analog Devices in order to create a prototype chip for use in forthcoming sets. Now, if only clearing up those Get Smart reruns were this simple...

[Via InventorSpot, image courtesy of Harvard (PDF)]

If you've been losing sleep over not knowing precisely what was going to happen to all that spectrum space that will be freed up when the imminent analog-to-digital cutover takes place, your insomnia is about to be (at least partially) cured. The US of A apparently pushed hard for a worldwide consensus on spectrum use -- suggesting that a common approach was more reasonable than each nation choosing separate frequencies for next-generation services -- and sure enough, it ended up getting exactly what it wanted. Apparently, the 700MHz band will now be reserved for a mobile broadband standard accessible throughout much of the globe, including most of North America, Central America, South America, Europe, China, India, South Korea and Japan. Of note, Europe was able to land a concession that enables it to offer up "about half of the bandwidth available for mobile services in their region" compared to what is offered elsewhere, but the agreement definitely makes the forthcoming auction that much more interesting.

[Via RCRNews, image courtesy of toddemslie]

There's a select group of red flags that appear when a product is, or is dangerously close to becoming, vaporware, and we've seen just about all of 'em when looking at McPerson's I-TV. Apparently, this so-called do-it-all LCD TV first appeared last year, but now it sports a different look and a flashy website that will make you wish your speakers were inoperative. The set supposedly functions as a home automation controller, DVR, DVD player and Media Center PC, and just in case you doubted its prowess, this thing is somehow Viiv-certified and able to run OS X. Specs wise, you'll find a 37-inch 1080p panel, dual 40-watt speakers (um, right), 7.1-channel audio out, built-in WiFi / Bluetooth, gigabit Ethernet and a slew of ports. Considering McPerson threw nearly everything in here save for the proverbial kitchen sink, it's not all that shocking to find a £3,924.49 ($8,235) pricetag floating around the intarweb, and if anyone has any actual proof that this thing exists, feel free to dash our doubts in comments.

[Thanks, Giorgio]

Accurately measuring exactly how much juice your HDTV is consuming has been all the rage of late, and now, "television manufacturers and broadcasters have produced what may be the world's most boring TV program to measure energy consumption on new-generation televisions." Apparently, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is looking to "have a standard way of measuring how much energy plasma and LCD TVs use," and there seems to be no better way to accomplish the goal than to edit together a ten-minute clip consisting of bits from soap operas, nature programs and sports which the tested sets would play. No word yet on whether this highly-anticipated programming will hit HD DVD or Blu-ray, though.

If you've ever dreamed of a cute little television which would speak to you (and we're pretty sure you have), you're in luck. Thanks to E-Revolutiona and Takara Tomy, that dream is now a reality. The two companies have gotten together and produced a 2.7-inch, QVGA TV called the Segnity which runs on AAA batteries or USB power, features a 1seg tuner (a a mobile terrestrial digital audio / video / data broadcasting service in Japan), and... talks to you. Apparently, the little display (which comes in black or white) will asking you things like, "Are you leaving already?" when you attempt to switch it off. No word on whether it whispers subliminal messages to you while you sleep, or threatens to kill you if you return it -- but we can certainly hope. Available at the end of September for about ¥10,000 (or $86). Check the video after the break to see the annoying device in action. [Warning: read link not translated]

[Via Akihabara News]

We know, it was a year ago yesterday that we had this very same conversation, but apparently, cable companies aren't heeding the advice of analysts. According to yet another study, this time by ABI Research, "cable providers will soon be faced with a serious bandwidth crunch" as more and more individuals look to online gaming, video-on-demand, and IPTV for enjoying their precious moments of leisure. Compounding the problem is the growing demand for more HD channels in the lineup, and considering that the satellite operators are already raising the bar, cable carriers can only play dumb for so much longer. Stan Schatt, VP and research director for ABI Research, was quoted as saying that "digital switching is key" to releasing some of the strain on current infrastructures, and while we aren't ones to believe that the influx of online TV delivery will debilitate the internet (or cable providers), something seemingly has to give -- and soon.

[Via Slashdot]

Consumer electronics manufacturer Philips will demo their successor to Ambilight -- the ambient lighting technology that generates light effects on the sides of a television -- at European expo IFA on August 30. The new technology, named Aurea, will be featured using a film by director Wong Kar called Seduction by Light. From early photos, the new sets incorporate the lighting directly into the frame, instead of using the previous method of a glass frame around the set.

Nah, it's not quite ready for your iPhone (or OS X at all, to be frank), but the BBC iPlayer has officially launched. The online TV service will go head-to-head with rivals 4OD and ITV, and according to director general Mark Thompson, the launch of iPlayer "is as big a milestone as the arrival of color TV." All exaggeration aside, the service will allow viewers to "download a selection of programs from the last seven days and watch them for up to 30 days afterwards," and of course, all files are not only laced in DRM, but will automatically delete themselves after they are viewed or after 30 days have passed. Currently, a fixed number of people will be able to sign up, with the numbers increasing throughout the year, and while it only operates in Britain on Windows XP systems using IE 6 or later, the BBC's Ashley Highfield has stated that hopes are for the iPlayer to "become a universal service available not just over the internet, but also on cable and other TV platforms, and eventually on mobiles and smart handheld devices."

[Via BBC]

Strapping a DirecTV antenna atop a moving vehicle is typically never a sound idea, but thanks to KVH's new lineup of TracVision SlimLine satellite systems, bringing HDTV to your RV just got a whole lot sleeker. The firm has launched four separate 12-inch systems that aim to bring "crystal-clear reception" into one's RV or camper, and those springing for the flagship R6 DX (pictured) will even receive a DirecTV H20 free of charge. Dubbed the "smallest and simplest" in the industry, these devices will actually come integrated into a number of 2008 RVs, but those looking to upgrade their current ride can look forward to "full support for standard and HD DirecTV programming," as well as access to Dish and ExpressVu. Now this is a quintessential aspect of a road trip done right.

Seemingly taking a step backward for even the terminally lazy, a team of scientists have unveiled a gesture-based control system for your television which uses only its own system of hand signals. Similar to a previous concept developed by MIT, the system works by monitoring the "movements" of a slothful couch surfer, and then reacts to a set of seven hand motions such as clenching your fist ("start"), thumbs-up ("up"), and a sideways peace-sign ("channel"). The researchers say the software can also distinguish between actual "TV gestures" and the movement of pets or small children. In related news, a similar device is also in development which allows its user to control almost all features of your television and associated equipment using a single thumb, although those involved in development are unsure they'll find a market for this "remote," as it were.

[Via The Raw Feed]