Hyundai has revealed two new LCD monitors for the European market with the launch of the 22” W220S and the 24” W240S. These two new LCD monitors come with polarized glasses for 3D viewing and feature a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 2 3W speakers, a D-sub, DVI and HDMI port. The W220S offers a 1680×1050 pixel resolution while the W240S comes in at 1940×1200 pixels resolution. The W220S will retail for about 748 EUROS while the W240S costs about 2,095 EUROS.

(Source) Slippery Brick

Viewsonic is the latest company to join the media player bandwagon, revealing their VMP870 which can reportedly deliver 1080p displays over HDMI. It will render content from your USB-compatible devices which also feature composite cables and S/PDIF ports. It recognizes most media file formats like DivX and H.264 and will retail for $129.99. If you order in advance, a special holiday price of $98.99 is being offered for the early bird buyers.

(Source) Slippery Brick

I know that I just took Sony to task a couple days ago for their less than quality KDL, but today I’m here to praise Sony for the high quality they’ve put out in the form of the Sony KDL46X5100.

The Sony KDL465100 is a forty six inch 1080p LCD television with an integrated TV guide package (not specifically released or endorsed by TV Guide, at least I don’t think there’s a connection), Bravia widgets and internet video packages, and a whole slew of ports including Get versatile HD connection options with four HDMI inputs, one HD combination input, and one PC input.

The sound and picture on this one are absolutely beautiful (frankly, “breathtaking” might be a better word for that incredible 1080p picture) and the controls are smooth and easy to operate.  Of course, this had better be a great setup for what they’re charging for it–this sucker retails for about twenty two hundred bucks, but as always, your mileage may vary.  In fact, Amazon took about a third off the price and knocked it down to seventeen hundred.

Still, if you’re not afraid of that monster price tag then you’ll do just fine with this positively amazing TV.

It’s odd how sometimes a television might sound vastly better than it looks, or look vastly better than it sounds, but that’s exactly what will go on today with the Sony KDL46W5150.

The Sony KDL46W5150 is a forty six inch 1080p LCD television that comes with four HDMI inputs, one component input, one composite input, and a PC input.

Like I said, this is a strange one in that it sounds a whole lot better than it looks–sometimes I question whether some of these I look at are 1080p, because they get horrible artifacts and stutters in the video and suchlike, and you really wouldn’t expect that kind of thing out of the 1080p.  Maybe they’re not properly calibrated or something, I’m really not sure what accounts for big quality differences like that.  Suffice it to say that they’re there, whatever it is that’s causing the differences.

The sound is great, the picture poor, and the controls easy to handle.  You’d expect more than this out of a seventeen hundred dollar television (depending on where you shop), but that’s what you get from the Sony KDL46W5150.

As people continue to shift towards the new Blu-ray viewing era, there have been a couple of players released in the market to widen your Blu-ray player purchasing needs. And LG Electronics has been known to come up with their own and one happens to be the LG BD270 Blu-ray Disc Player. This Blu-ray player comes with the usual full HD 1080p HDMI output with Cinema mode paired with optimized audio performance with 7.1 channels of Dolby Digital Plus and TrueHD & dts-HD. It comes with express reaction for instant tray opening.

Price: $199.95

(Source) Amazon

Ah, Samsung…you give me so much to talk about.  You have so many different brands of television that I can go for weeks.  The odd part is that so much of what you offer is so very similar, and the Samsung LN52B750 is a good example.

The Samsung LN52B750 is a 1080p LCD television with four HDMI inputs, two component inputs, one PC jack, and two composite video inputs.  It also features two 10W bottom speakers and SRS TruSurround HD, as well as Auto Motion Plus technology to cut down on movement blurs.

Unlike a lot of Samsungs, this has both a great picture AND great sound, which is something wildly unusual for Samsung.  Normally Samsung drops the ball in one regard or another, and leaves me to complain about just one thing, that standard Samsung control scheme which is very much present on this model and never fails to irk me.

And considering that this sucker retails for just under three grand (you can get it for just over two on Amazon), it had better not offer a whole lot of complaints.  Thankfully, it doesn’t, which is a huge step for Samsung.

Today we’re talking about the Sharp LC40E77U, and though I’ve already given you my thoughts about this one in the title, it’s all a matter of WHY, and that’s what we’re going to tackle now.  Yes, I liked it, but there’s important reasons behind it, and that’s what you came here for.  Well, at least part of it, anyway.

The Sharp LC40E77U television is a forty inch 1080p TV with a dejudding mode and the Spectral Contrast Engine XD (Extreme Dark) that gives the picture extra improvement.  Plus, it also comes with four HDMI ports, two component video inputs, one composite input, one S-video port, a PC input, and one optical digital audio output port.

The picture and sound are just plain old awesome, though not as amazing as some, and are even better in light of the fact that this puppy retails for just over a thousand bucks, depending on where to shop.  Basically, if you’re cool with dropping four figures on a TV, this is a good one to do it with.

It’s kind of interesting this time around, but I didn’t really have a whole lot of problem with the Samsung LN32A450.  Not a whole lot, but as is generally the case with Samsung, there’s always some problem to get in the way of the experience.

The Samsung LN32A450 is a thirty two inch 720p LCD, and includes three HDMI ports, two component inputs, a composite jack, an RF input, an S-video port, a headphone jack, a PC input, an optical sound output port, hidden speakers (and hidden controls again, dammit anyway, Samsung), a series of display modes (entertainment, sports and games) and wide color enhancer.

Now, I didn’t see a whole lot of problems with the picture on this one but I wasn’t terribly happy about the audio.  However, considering that you can actually pick this one up used from $391 (just hit Amazon; they’ll save you HUGE amounts of cash), even a fairly low-rent set would be a good value at that price.

JVC announces the availability of the JVC DLA-HD950/DLA-HD550 Projector, a display solution that aims to deliver “true black” performance by showing better quality and smooth textures from various sources. The JVC DLA-HD950/DLA-HD550 Projector comes with a 1920×1080 pixel resolution for HD quality assurance and a 2x motorized zoom and focus. It has a contrast ratio equivalent to 30,000:1 with a 1,000lm brightness with a 310W standby mode. For interface, it has the usual inputs, it has HDMI and S-Video jacks as well as RCA and D-sub 9 pin jacks. This JVC projector weighs 11.2 kg.

(Source) JVC

Mitsubishi has announced its latest power saving monitor in the Mitsubishi RDT231WLM-S 23” full HD monitor. It boasts of a 1920×1080 resolution and a 5 ms response time along with a 1,000:1 contrast ratio. The RDT231WLM-S carries the usual ports like HDMI and DVI and is highlighted by an ECO professional feature which should help in cutting down the power consumption of this 23” monitor. There is no word on pricing or availability for now.

(Source) Engadget

Seems like every time I come in contact with a Samsung, something’s wrong with it.  It’s only a matter of determining exactly WHAT will be wrong at any one particular time.

Today we’re talking the Samsung LN32B460, a thirty-two inch 720p LCD TV with game mode, Wide Color Enhancer, three HDMI ports, two component jacks and one PC input.

This may be where Samsung’s low end starts, but even their low end stuff is priced like everyone else’s mid range.  For crying out loud, just yesterday I posted on the Toshiba 40RV525R.  Both cost about six hundred fifty bucks, but with the Toshiba, you get so much more it’s not even funny.

It’s really rather sad.  The Samsung LN32B460 has a grainy picture and a puzzling control scheme–this time they’ve got them mounted on the side instead of up front for some reason.  The up shot, however, to this model is that the sound quality is pretty sweet.

Yet another Samsung with one saving grace in a field full of calamity, the Samsung LN32B460 is one to stay away from.

So there’s some big news out for Viewsonic buffs–they’ll be coming out with a pair of new projectors, one in the DLP bracket and a second in LCD.

The DLP, a 120Hz projector, features 3,700 lumens of output and a 2,800:1 contract ratio. It’s slated to including a composite input, an S-video jack and a VGA input, is available now and retails for $949.

The LCD projector offers a projection strength of 4,000 lumens and a 2,000:1 contrast ratio, as well as a stated lamp life of five thousand hours. It also comes with sixteen watt speakers, the projector is available now for $1,749.

These are pretty fair dimensions, even if the prices are a bit salty in comparison to other available models, and no HDMI definitely doesn’t bode well.  I’m not quite sure that it’s a good value in comparison, but value is a subjective quality at best.  Both models are now available, so if you want to find out, you’re welcome to try.

Here is a great 19” HD LCD/DVD combo that should deliver great in-home entertainment and double as a PC monitor as well. The Sylvania LD195SSX 19-Inch Flat Panel LCD HDTV/DVD Combo boasts of a Clear Pix Technology and supports HDMI and PC inputs. It comes with a sleep timer and a headphone output that should make it an appealing entertainment display for enjoying quality videos with supporting audio.

This LCD/DVD combo is also lightweight and can easily be set up. It can even pick up some digital channels and displays clear and vivid colored images. A remote is included upon purchase.

Price: $249.99

(Source) Amazon

Crestron has had a whole slew of product announcements to come out of the CEDIA show, but two of the unquestionably biggest revolved around the tandem release of the PSPHD surround processor and its companion ProAmp amplifier.

The PSPHD is a 7.3 channel home theater surround processor that’s slated to retail for a spectacular nine thousand dollars.  It’s meant to be sold with the ProAmp for an additional cost of eight grand.

Now, what do you get for seventeen thousand bucks besides a wicked case of buyer’s remorse and quite possibly divorce proceedings after you explain it to your wife?  You get the first ever Crestron system that offers decoders for all Blu-ray surround codecs, AND HDCP-supported HDMI. Plus, you get a whole slew of Audyssey technologies like, MultEQ room correction, Dynamic Volume to volume-level when source switching or commercials interrupt TV programs, and Dynamic EQ. It also features built-in DVD-Audio/SACD decoding, six HDMI inputs, and dual front-panel VFDs.

Truly, if money is no object and you desperately want the choicest of home theater input systems, then this should be exactly what you’re looking for.  Regular humans, however, will have little trouble making do with much, MUCH, lower end hardware.

If you’ve been reading my review pieces here for any length of time, you know that I’m very concerned about value.  There have been some great TVs here, but they often cost ridiculous amounts of money.  This may well be one of the first times I’ve ever said that, yes, I would actually buy what I’m reviewing tonight.

I’m talking about the Toshiba 37RV525R, a thirty two inch 1080p TV, one component input jack, one composite input array, two HDMI ports and an  S-Video input.  It also comes with a special “game mode” to give gamers a little extra edge and improved frame rate.

And like I said, I’d actually buy this.  The picture is just plain old beautiful and the sound is spectacular.  There’s no two ways about it, this is an amazing setup.  It lists for seven hundred bucks, but Amazon’s got it for just under six hundred, so you’re actually getting a pretty substantial value with this one.  Not as cheap as some, but for what you get it’s an unbelievable setup.

I’ve made no secret about my general loathing for Samsung’s baffling video control scheme.  And today, while talking about the Samsung LN40B640, I’m going to run into a whole new set of problems.

The Samsung LN40B640 is a forty inch 1080p LCD TV with four HDMI ports, two component jacks, two composite input jacks, one PC input, two USB ports, one Ethernet port, and one optical digital audio output.  For those of you who think that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s approximately the same as the Samsung LN40B550, except the 640 costs a bit more (thirteen hundred retail, nine hundred sixty nine with Amazon), comes with an Ethernet port, and has one other extra feature.

Tinny sound.

I don’t know what it was this time, but listening to the LN40B640 set my teeth on edge.  The sound had this strange tinny reverb coming out of its speakers.  Sure, the picture was beautiful–it usually is–and the controls were just as confounding as ever, but the sound on this one was just badly off.  Or at least the one I heard was.

So there’s really no way I can recommend this particular model of Samsung, which is not only pricier but also of lower quality than the one just below it.

This review actually starts out sort of strangely as, for the first time, I managed to locate the manual controls on a Samsung set.  More about that later, but first, now I can say that instead of not being able to find the stupid things at all, I just hate them.

First, the technical rundown.  The Samsung LN40B550 is a forty inch 1080p LCD with a special “game mode” that speeds up response times to cut down on blur effect, four HDMI slots,  two  component jacks, one composite jack, one  PC input, one USB input, and one optical digital audio output.  It retails for just under a grand, but Amazon will take fifteen percent off and give you free shipping to boot.

The picture is, of course, beautiful and even the sound is in great shape, but now that I’ve FINALLY managed to find the stupid manual control on this thing (which they’ve very craftily hidden in various points along the front outer frame–some run horizontal and some run vertical; if you want to go looking for these yourself I suggest you bring a flashlight, three days rations and a change of underwear because it’s going to take longer than Vasco Da Gama’s expedition) and gotten a chance to try it, I actually hate it.  It’s some kind of touch-sensitive rocker switch that won’t work unless you press down just right and in the right spot. It took me this long to find it and what is my reward?  A whole NEW puzzle just to get the stupid thing to work!

The Samsung LN40B550 is a beautiful set at a great price, but the controls are just horrendous. If you can overlook that flaw this makes a great buy.

The sheer unparalleled spectacle of breathtaking glory that is the Samsung UN40B6000 will likely make your eyes go wide with awe–that’s exactly what they did to mine.  Seriously, when I first got a look at this monster LED screen, I just about lost it.  It was unbelievable.  It was amazing. And of course, I’m talking about the price tag there, which weighed in at an equally spectacular twenty four hundred bucks.

The Samsung UN40B6000 is a forty inch LED TV that shows images in full 1080p, and includes a detachable swivel stand, Broadband internet capability, four HDMI ports, one component jack, two USB ports, one  Ethernet port, one PC port, and one optical digital audio output.

As possible hubs for a home theatre system go this one could definitely go a long way toward providing exactly what you need.  It’s got more than enough slots and ports to be a real workhorse, plus the picture and sound quality are excellent.  The LED really is as good as advertised, although like most Samsungs it still has that odd and distressing variant of not bothering to include exterior controls.

Aside from that small trouble and a monstrous price tag, the Samsung UN40B6000 is pretty much all the TV you could ever want.

ASUS continues to blur the line between HDTV and computer monitor with their latest T1 series of computer monitors. The T1 series will feature displays in sizes of 22, 24 and 27 inches all featuing a full 1080p resolution, 2 HDMI ports, 2 seven watt speakers and last but not least a TV tuner.

According to Pocket-lint, these monitors are available now starting at around $461 with no word of a North American release.

Sometimes you can see a really beautiful TV, and discover there’s a lot more to it than you imagined.  The problem, of course, is that what you don’t see isn’t always good.  That’s the case with the Mitsubishi WD 60737; read on to see why.

The Mitsubishi WD 60737 is a sixty inch 1080p DLP system that comes 3D ready and includes three component inputs, three HDMI inputs, and a six color processor for better color and even better whites, which technically isn’t a color so much as it is every color at once.

Anyway, there were a lot of surprises with this one.  The image quality wasn’t a surprise–it was about as beautiful as highly-processed DLP could make it, and the hidden control panel on the set was also very nice and easy to use.  But where the surprises kicked in was that this thing isn’t as thin as it looks.  In fact, it’s actually got a lot behind that screen, if you take a look behind it.  And what’s stranger, the sound on this sucker isn’t that nice, odd for a set of this clear quality.  But they’re probably expecting you’ll use all those inputs to hook it up to proper speakers anyway, so what’s the difference in the long run?

But still–for a TV that retails at about thirteen hundred bucks, I expect a little more than a nice picture.