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Samsung's 65-, 55-inch Ultra HDTVs will ship to the US in August
After releasing its massive 85-inch UHD TV with a stunning $39,999 price in the US earlier this year, Samsung is ready to follow up with a few models that are more easily attainable. The 65- and 55-inch F9000 UHD TVs will carry US pricetags of $7,499 and $5,499, respectively, with pre-orders starting July 21st and shipments expected in early August. Samsung just began delivering these in its home country, and others like Sony, LG, Sharp and Toshiba are starting to offer 4K TVs in smaller sizes (not to mention value priced contenders like Seiki.) The F9000 series includes all of Samsung's latest features like 3D, Micro Dimming Ultimate LED display, Wi-Fi and an embedded camera, plus support for Evolution Kit upgrades the company claims will let it keep pace with any future UHD standards.
Distro Issue 65 arrives with the Jelly Bean-wielding Nexus 4 and Nexus 10
Like its Golden State neighbors, Google also had a gadget arsenal to unveil this fall. The folks in Mountain View trotted out the latest duo, the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10, without a huge press event a few days ago. In this week's issue of our tablet mag, we put these Android advocates through their paces to see if they live up to the Nexus moniker. We also offer in-depth musings on the WP8-packing Nokia 920 and visit Lockheed Martin to catch a glimpse of how that outfit is prepping for the future with the help of aging tech. Military-style rucksacks occupy Eyes-On, Visualized is all about cosmic self-portraits and M.C. Schmidt of Matmos handles the Q&A. Consult your link of choice to grab your copy and settle in for some end-of-the-week tech reading. Distro Issue 65 PDF Distro in the iTunes App Store Distro in the Google Play Store Distro APK (for sideloading) Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
Sony demos Bravia HX950 flagship HDTV at IFA, confirms pricing from €2,999 (hands-on video)
Eager to get your hands on a top-of-the-line set without shelling out five figures for a super-slick 55-inch OLED? Sony's Bravia HX950 may have caught your eye, with its Intelligent Peak LED Backlight that's said to deliver "the best contrast Sony has to offer." According to representatives at IFA (who don't always tend to offer the most consistent specifications), the full-array system includes 196 individual zones, letting the television adjust backlighting on a more granular level, resulting in brighter whites and deeper blacks. We caught up with both the 55- and 65-inch flavors of Sony's HX950 at the company's booth, where several demo stations were arranged to highlight the backlighting, along with features called 3D Super-Resolution, Internet Video Super Resolution and HD Super Resolution. All of the side-by-side demonstrations provided noticeable improvements, though all three Super Resolution settings may be a tad too sharp for some viewers. The set itself is as gorgeous as you'd expect for a flagship model, with a black glossy bezel and a narrow design that's sufficiently svelte without stepping into ultra-thin territory. The specially designed glass panel does indeed help to reduce glare, as we experienced in the visually congested IFA booth. Perhaps most interesting is the price -- €2,999 (about $3,800) for the 55-inch model, and €4,999 (about $6,300) for the 65 incher -- a steep drop from the 650,000 yen (about $8,270) the HDTV is commanding in Japan. We weren't able to confirm US availability or pricing, which will likely come in below the European tag, but reps did quote a November 1st ship date, which seems to be in line with the November 10th date we heard for Japan earlier this week. You'll have but two months to wait before adding this monster to your collection, but you can snag a look today in our gallery below and hands-on video after the break.%Gallery-164016%
Sony unveils latest HX950 flagship HDTV in Japan with 'Intelligent Peak LED' backlighting
While Sony's current lineup of HDTVs has so far topped out with the HX929/920 series that's been kicking around since 2011, in Japan it has just unveiled a new top of the line model: the HX950. Often rumored in the last few months, it's available in 65- or 55-inch varieties and features Sony's now-trademark monolithic style as well as "Intelligent Peak LED" backlighting. Although Sony's brand name for the tech doesn't exactly reveal how it works, information leaks have suggested it is full array LED backlighting and not edge based, although we don't know how many zones (individually controlled light sources) are in play. What we do know, however is that it claims to outperform the LED backlighting in the old 929 quite handily, although we'll let our eyes be the judge of that. It also includes MotionFlow XR960 (800 in the US) motion processing tech that can create 240fps from 60 frames and a glass panel mounted to the LCD itself with a special type of resin designed specifically to reduce glare. Finally, there's also the usual add-ins like 3D and Sony Entertainment Network streaming video. We haven't seen any European or US information for this model yet, although with IFA 2012 under way and CEDIA coming up that may change quickly. Currently pricing in Japan for the 65-inch is expected to be around 650,000 yen or $8,269 when it ships November 10th, but we should mention actual US prices are typically much lower than a direct conversion. Unofficially, one retailer is already listing the 55- and 65-inch models for sale in the US for $3,499 and $5,499, respectively, although we'd take that with a grain of salt until we know for sure.
Sharp's PN-655U 65-inch LCD now available
Weren't you just telling your boss yesterday that what you really need to increase productivity is a 1080p 65-inch LCD HDTV? We're sure you were because Sharp announced today that the PN-655U we've been drooling over is now available in the US. Of course, they didn't mention a price but judging from the nearly-$9,000 price tag of its existing 45-inch cousin, we suggest ratting out a coworker or two to make room in the budget. Isn't it worth it? They are also showing off the consumer edition LC-65D90U that is already available for between $15 and $20k, and their new 57-inch LC-57D90U, but you've probably got better odds of convincing your boss it's a good purchase than your wife.
