Looking for a Netflix-enabled HDTV? LG is getting ready to launch a few of those at CES 2009 later this week. They are called Broadband HDTVs and they will arrive both in plasma or LCD versions. The Netflix software will be right inside of them for you to enjoy so you won’t have to install anything else to stream Netflix content for you.

HD Netflix content is going to be supported too and you will also be able to read synopses, rate movies and fast-forward or rewind the video stream. The new HDTVs will start shipping this Spring but there’s no word on actual arrival dates and pricing just yet.

via Press

If you live in California and own a Plasma TV you might be forced to give it up in the future. That is, of course, if you happen to display your Plasmas in your bar or other public location.

New regulations will prevent bar owners from using energy inefficient TVs. Like some of the Plasma TVs we’ve gotten used to seeing everywhere nowadays. The California Energy Commission wants to reduce the power consumption and it looks like bad TVs are going to get it first. The Los Angeles Times says that LCDs consume 43% more electricity than tube TVs. The regulations haven’t been passed yet but if they will be passed then they will take effect only in 2011. Plenty of time for the industry to develop TVs that won’t eat as much energy.

via latimes

The V22 is a 22 inch LED backlit panel ready to be revealed at CES 2009. It will get you a 1,680 x 1,050 resolution, a 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, a 2 ms respons time and an HDMI input. There’s no price or actual availability date yet but we might find the answer to those questions sometime soon.

Besides the V22 Verfino, AOC will bring two other panels at CES, the 2230Fm HD3 and the 2230Fh just so you don’t get bored at their stand.

via Press

I bet last year you were expecting that by now HDTV prices would have significantly dropped. Well bad news for us all here. Prices are still higher than they should have been due to the bad economy we’ve been having this year.

Some analysts over at DisplaySearch said that TV sales for 2009 are projected to drop by 4%. LCD TV sale are expected to grow only 2% next year compared with 22% in 2008 and 77% in 2007. The prices will stay up as panel factories are cutting back on production. The less they produce, the less efficient the whole business becomes and the higher the final prices:

Mr. Semenza [of DisplaySearch] expects that prices for LCD sets 32 inches and smaller will remain fairly stable. Retail prices on TVs 42 inches and larger will not decline as fast as they have in years past.

We hate that don’t we? Bad economy! You’ve been a really bad economy this year!

via NYTimes

Yes there’s a lot of mess in the picture here and no, it’s not my garage. We’re looking at all the stuff Sony is getting ready to take to next year’s CES. See those Bravia boxes in that right hand corner? Well I hope inside them sit neatly some surprises for us. Sure we care about everything else Sony will be unveiling at CES but we’re mostly interested in those LCDs and new Plasma TVs.

via Sony

Sony will terminate Sony TVs in the U.S. by February 2009 and one year later the plant will close completely. The U.S. plant from Westmoreland County in Pennsylvania has about 560 people which will have to find other jobs by 2010. No more Sony TVs you ask? Well the Mexico plant will supply all the Sony TVs needed in the USA. How do you like these harsh financial times? Will they take away your Plasmas and LCDs? We’ll see how that will turn out.

via sonyinsider

I don’t know if it matters to you if your Plasma has the Energy Star certification but if it does than you’ll be happy to know that three important plasma TV makers have gotten their Energy Star certification. These are Pioneer, Hitachi and Panasonic. That means that your future plasmas won’t consume more than 208W when on and less than 1W in standby mode. That’s the 42 inch versions at least.

Since you’re reading this lines you must be pretty interested in both Plasma or LCD TVs. Question is who is better? Plasma or LCD? Do you happen to know that? Well if you want to get a new TV make sure you’ve watched the videos bellow. They might get you some answers.

What would I go for? Depending on the budget and my needs I would definitely pick an LCD up. Although Plasma TVs are getting better and better to.

So without further ado, here are the video comparisons done by the guys over at macsimumnews:

Philips has launched its Essence TV which was shown at the IFA earlier this year. And what a light TV the Essence is. It weighs only 16kg which would make it really portable. Not that you get to move your TV around that much. Most importantly than being portable, the Essence TV can easily be hang up any wall without the danger of making the wall collapse.

Here’s the secret of the ingenious Essence TV. This Philips TV has all its inside neatly arranged in a box while the TV gets only a power cord that also carries the audio and video signal. The box in the picture there offers three HDMI inputs, while the TV screen will get you a 2 ms response time and a 66,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. The 42-inch Essence TV set will cost £1999 so make sure Santa knows about it in advanced. (more…)

Say hello to the giant waterproof LCD display from Collevo. Why waterproof? Well because it is meant to be an outdoor display and survive all environmental circumstances. It features a satisfying IP65 water-dust proof classification, auto power saving, a top, side and rear case waterproof designs to protect against rain, splashing and even a wash down by direct hoes. And the difference it promises to bring, is the fact that it is readable even in the sunlight. It comes in different sizes from 26″ to 42″, displaying 16.7 million colors and running on 115W to 240W, which isn’t that much compared to other huge LCD outdoor displays.

If you feel like buying it for indoor use, be sure to get yourself a new house featuring a giant living room. And here’s a tip. Wear a big giant tent when using it outdoors. It be weird to sit through football in the rain without a tent just because this Collevo is waterproof.

We don’t know yet for how much it will retail, but stick around and you’ll know as soon as we will.

Samsung recently unveiled its new P63FP Professional Plasma Display. Sporting a huge 63-inch display, this new product from the house of Samsung is something not worth missing. Offering greater reliability it comes with 6-way anti burin-in protection.

Samsung’s P63FP Professional Plasma Display can deliver a high contrast ratio of 10,000:1 and a superb brightness of 1000 nits. This full HF 1080p resolution display comes with integrated speakers for a crystal clear sound effect.

The new Samsung P63FP Professional Plasma Display comes with an optional set back box for DTV and networking. For greater connectivity with HDMI, it features PC inputs including VGA, DVI and BNC.

Via: Samsung

Recently, Samsung, a leading television manufacturer, launched its new PN42A400 HD Plasma TV. Designed to give you the best home entertainment experience, this new television delivers bold and brilliant images. Sporting a 42-inch big screen, this HDTV makes the best use of DNIe technology.

Delivering a dynamic contrast ratio of 15,000:1, Samsung PN42A400 HD Plasma TV produces realistic scenes. It incorporates Samsung’s ACEsilhouette editor to deliver even the minutest of facial expression. Apart from this, it features anti burn-in technology to use auto pixel shift and signal pattern processing.

The new SamsungPN42A400 HD Plasma TV is capable of delivering a superb resolution of 1024 x 768 dpi. For a perfect audio effect, it features SRS TruSurround. It delivers a fast 5ms response time and a elegant viewing angle of 175 x 175 degree.

Via: Samsung

VIZIO, having recently moved away from the budget consumer market, has recently announced that the VP505XVT, which was originally expected in July, has begun shipping.

From what you can see in the picture above, this is really a beautiful TV. 1080p, 4xHDMI ports, 30,000:1 contrast ratio, and the ability to display more than 1-Billion colors. This set has it all, even a 100,000 hour( more than 11 years of veiwing) expected lifetime.

Want it? Head over to VIZIO’s official site and place an order for this $1499.99 mammoth.

It looks like the US judicial system takes no sides, recently forcing Samsung to pay Pioneer a sum of $59,351,480. But why would anyone be forced to pay such a ridiculous sum of money?

Well, Samsung recently lost against Pioneer in a patent battle with Pioneer claiming that Samsung willingly infringed on two of Pioneer’s plasma patents. They must have had a good case considering what they won from it.

There has been no word from Samsung but the question arises, will they cut their losses and pay the fee,or appeal it? Only time will tell.

Read(EngadgetHD)

In case you’ve got a 30-inch to 50-inch TV at home and want a useful wall mount solution, check out the latest Lite Series made by Memorex. According to the company, this is the world’s thinnest full-motion wall mount, can you believe it?

Anyhow, the Memorex Lite Series is able to support 150lbs (close to 70kg) of weight, and it can either accommodate a Plasma or LCD TV being 1.4-inches from the wall. Thanks to TorqControl technology, users have the following details to work on full-range motion: tilt, pan, swivel, extend and retract.

In terms of limits, the Memorex Lite Series can be tilt down to 70 degrees, and has a swivel range of +/-25 degrees.

Memorex Lite Series

Samsung is proud to launch its new P42HD Display. Incorporating the latest display technologies, this newly launched display comes with a digital TV tuner and best network capability. Featuring an in-built RS-232C interface, this display allows you to control up to 10 displays directly from your PC.

P42HD Display comes with an expanded functionality of an optional set back box. It delivers an amazing contrast ratio of 10,000:1 and a super brightness of 1,300 nits. Not only this, it incorporates a built-in 6-way anti-burn protection timer in its OSD Menu. Get the freedom of creating impressive video walls with up to 5 displays on the new Samsung P42HD.

Measuring 44.49 x 12.4 x 30.51-inches in dimension, the new Samsung P42HD Display sports a huge 42-inch screen. It comes with video inputs of CVBS/HDMI and PC inputs of VGA/DVI.

Via: Samsung

The world of Plasma Televisions has recently got an uplift with the introduction of two new models. Both KRP-500AW and KRP-500ABG are Limited Edition KURO Plasma Televisions. Both these televisions come with a glossy black and whisper quiet media receiver.

The two new Limited Edition KURO Plasma TVs are capable of delivering flicker-free images in 1080p resolution. These televisions have been designed to show movies in Blu-ray format. Both these models are compliant with the EICTA HDTV 1080p minimum requirements.

Featuring PURE AV Mode, KURO LINK and Home Media Gallery, these two new Limited Edition KURO Plasma televisions incorporate HDMI interface x 4. With these new televisions, you get an Aluminum preset remote control.

Samsung, a popular electronic brand, has recently introduced its new P50H Large Format Plasma Display. Designed to give the users a cost effective and world-class solution with a PC, this new display delivers a high brightness of 1,300 nits and a dynamic contrast ratio of 10,000:1.

P50H Large Format Plasma Display provides you slim connectivity through HDMI with its PC inputs and video inputs. Featuring 6-way anti burn-in protection, this new display from Samsung also incorporates a multi display control with RS-232C that lets you to control up to 10 displays from your computer.

The new Samsung P50H Large Format Plasma Display measures 52.1 x 15.6 x 34.2-inch in dimensions, this new display delivers a superb resolution of 1365 x 768 on its 50-inch screen.

Via: Samsung

LG has just launched its new 60PG7000 Plasma TV in UK. The plasma TV comes with built-in Digital Freeview, frame-less design, 100Hz, XD Engine and 3 x HDMI.

The high-end plasma TV displays high quality images including sports, action movies, as well as video games. The LG TV supports high image resolution of 1920 x 1080p along with the superb contrast ratio of 30,000:1.

(more…)

LG has recently announced the launch of its 32 inch 32PG6000 Plasma TV with Bluetooth functionality. This HD Ready Plasma TV boasts Dual XD Engine. Its frameless design makes it appealing.

The TV equips 4 HDMI, 2 SCART (1Full), USB 2.0 (JPEG / MP3 Playback), Component(Y,Pb,Pr) + Audio, RS-232C, AV In, Digital Audio Out (Optical), S-Video, PC Input and Composite.

It offers a resolution of 1024 x 720, aspect ratio 16:9, peak brightness 1,500cd/m2 and contrast ratio 30,000:1. Invisible 2 Way 4 speakers provided in the 32PG6000 Plasma TV offers Sound Output of 10W + 10W.