AV Magazines

There's a school of thought that believes speakers should be heard and not seen; to that, BluTiger says "rubbish!"  They've taken a set of surround-sound computer speakers and strapped a couple of bright blue graphic equalizers to the front stereo pair.  Prepare to be dazzled (your eyesight if not your ears) by 200 LEDs.

Otherwise it's pretty much your basic surround-sound setup, with five speakers and a separate powered sub.  BluTiger boast 1,000 watts total, but we can't imagine any of those are particularly quality watts.  Still, there's thankfully a fader control to dim down (or switch off, but where's the fun in that?) the equalizers.

The package includes a remote control, "audio pod" with headphone jack, cellphone adapter and all the wires you need.  The BluTiger Computer Speakers are available now, priced at $300. 

[via Gizmodo]

Given the ratio of DVD player owners to Blu-ray player owners, you could argue that any of the high-definition decks are "high end"; however Denon Japan have announced what they're claiming is the world's first high end Blu-ray universal player.  The posh title is to take into account that the DVD-A1UD is capable not only of playing the usual Blu-ray and DVD video discs, but also DVD-audio, SACD and standard CDs.  It also comes with the company's DENON Link 4th technology, which apparently improves performance even from standard-definition sources.

Connectivity includes two HDMI 1.3 ports, component video, S-video, composite video, optical digital audio, coaxial digital, balanced two-channel stereo analog audio, ethernet, an SD card slot and a serial port, together with a DENON LINK port.  Thankfully the whole thing can be updated with new firmware, as in its current configuration the DVD-A1UD doesn't support BD-Live.

Denon are promising the DVD-A1UD in Japan by the end of January 2009, priced at 546,000 yen ($5,879) in black or silver.  A European launch will follow in March 2009, priced at €4,000 ($5,046).

Looking for a fully functional HTPC solution for your home theater, but don't have the room to spare for one of those big clunky ones? Well, Epson may have an answer for you with their Endeavor ST120 HTPC.

Packed into the ridiculously small form factor that you see above is quite an array of different features. On the PC side, it's got a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 80GB of HDD space. Now you may be thinking, that's not all that great. Well where the ST120 impresses is in it's built-in Blu-ray writer, and digital TV tuner, effectively making it a perfect solution for any home theater application.

All of that packed into such a little case isn't going to run you cheap though, Epson's ST120 HTPC starts at $1,531 with Blu-ray built in, or just $725 with a DVD writer.

Read (EngadgetHD)

Are you dissatisfied with the performance of your set top box? Don't worry Dear..Samsung is Here..with its latest offering SMT-H3050 Digital Set Top Box. This tru2way™ HD Set Top Box is designed to deliver standard definition, high-definition and analog video signals assuring astonishing picture quality. To let its users take benefit of the interactive services, the Digital Set Box is equipped with CableCARDTM slot for OCAP.

The SMT-H3050 set top box is designed to be a perfect fit for your existing surround sound system. Its key specifications include HDMI with HDCP, Component out (Y,PB,PR), SVideo Out and Composite (RCA) Out. You can also use it with OpenCableTM standard network that uses a CableCARDTM interface. SAMSUNG SMT-H3050 Digital Set-Top Box is fully compliant with OCAPTM 1.0. For more details, please visit Samsung.

We've already reported numerous LCDs made by IIYAMA, like the Prolite E2202WS, the E1902S, and the E1702S, but the latest additions comes in a pack of 2, and they are named E2209HDS and B2409HDS - both on the ProLite line.

Like the name suggests, the ProLite E2209HDS has a screen display of 22-inches, while the B2409 has a bigger screen at 24-inches. Both LCDs feature a 1000:1 contrast ratio, and 300cd/m2 of brightness. Obviously, we've got Eco Mode, Picture Mode, and different connections such as HDMI, RBG input, and others, that are included on the package.

Viewsonic has a new LCD TV ready for us. It's a 24 inch LCD TV that was just launched. It's the VT2430 LCD which might be one of your Christmas gift choices.

Here are some of its main features

• full 1080p resolution
• 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
• built-in ATSC / NTSC / QAM TV tuner
• HDMI 1.3 and VGA connectivity
• 250 nits brightness

How much it is you ask? Just $399. Ready to place it under a tree somewhere? I'd say you should be!

via Engadget

Japanese company Green-House has presented a new TV that many of us would enjoy having during Christmas time. It is a Full HD LCD that measures 23.6-inches and costs approximately 32,800 Yen, which is close to $360.

The fresh LCD is codenamed GH-ACH243SHB, and boasts a contrast ratio of 1000:1, a resolution of 1920×1080, and a brightness level of 300cd/m2. In terms of connections, it can be considered normal for Japan, it has DVI-D, HDMI, D-SUB, and more.

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.

Are you looking for a new LCD monitor? Asus has no less than four 16:9 LCD ready for you.

The widescreen LCDs that Asus launched go from 18.5 inch to 23.6 inch. The LCDs will get you a 300 cd/ms2 brightness, dynamic contrast feature and an ultra fast panel response rate.

The 18.5 inch version or the VH192 will get you a WXGA (1366×768) widescreen with a 10,000:1 contrast, DVI-D, VGA but no HDMI connectivity.

The other LCDs will bring you full HD 1080P monitors with 1920×1080 screen resolution and they come with HDMI inputs. The 21.5 inch VH226 will get you a 12,000:1 contrast and a Color Shine glare-type panel. The VH222 is a 21.5 inch LCD while the VH242 is a 23.6 inch. Both monitors will get you a 20,000:1 contrast and a digital SPDIF audio output.

Prices you ask? We have no idea yet! Availability dates? We have no idea yet!

Here's a neat gadget which will get you access to 6 screens to use for your work or fun. ViBook's DisplayLink USB-to-DVI box has the much needed software to get those images displayed on up to 6 screens at once. That means you will be able to play with a gianormous Windows desktop made out of 1600 x 1200 22-inch displays. Just buy more ViBooks.

Oh and Mac users will have only 4 screens to play with if they get the ViBooks. One black box costs $130 and it should be available in a store near you.

via Engadget

If you're looking to get your hands on Digeo's latest foray into the DVR market then you will be happy to know that a small number of boxes are now available for purchase on Amazon.

Featuring 500GB of storage along with dual-tuner multistream CableCard support this much anticipated device will fit perfectly in your home theater.

Expect to be paying top dollar for this peice of hardware as it's currently on Amazon for $799.99, jeeze.

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.

via shinyshiny

On the UK there is a new sound system made by Roberts, it is named Sound 53 and can be considered a 4-in-1 because it comes with DAB functionality, FM radio, CD player, and an universal iPod dock. The system is on sale starting today and costs £250, cloes to $375.

The CD Player can playback normal CDs, as well as MP3 and WMA files. On top of the being a 4-in-1, it has a USB port and slot for SD memory cards that can be used to play audio. To make it even better, the radio has a few alarm settings and even a remote control.

DosPara from Japan has released a new LCD monitor on the Prime line, it measures 21.5-inches and is already available for $260, but only in the Japanese Market.

The fresh LCD monitor is codenamed Prime TW215FHD and has a resolution of 1,920×1080pixels. In terms of brightness level it is set at 300cd/m², while the response time is 5milliseconds. As for the connections, there are 2 HDMI inputs and 2 stereo speakers of 1.5W each. Other details include a contrast ratio of 1,000:1.

Liquavista started showing off their latest screen concepts, and I must admit, some of them are really cool. Together with Seymourpowell they presented their latest work this week in Cambridge.

Mark Gostick, Liquavista CEO said:

The combination of the design expertise of Seymourpowell and the innovative display technology of Liquavista ColorBright in these concepts demonstrate the possibilities for transforming everyday products. This comes at a time when the increasingly challenging market environment is making product differentiation more important and more valuable than ever.

You might have heard of Liquavista's ColorBright display platform, which has been already applied to phones and watches. Well these new concepts are living proof of the fact, that this display technology can be used to create an even wider user experience.

Personally I totally dig this Cycle Monitor Concept and the Shower Control Concept. Both are adjustable to environmental circumstances turning brighter or darker, using the displays at the max capacity.

What about you? Are you a fan of Liquavista? Well stick around if you want to see what concepts this Philips subsidiary will send to productions.

via electricpig

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.

Netflix sure seems thrilled about the quality of Microsoft's Silverlight. In fact it is so happy with Silverlight over Windows Media Player that it has fired 50 support specialists. The company has decided to go with Silverlight in their movie playing and streaming business while giving up Windows Media Player.

That's a mighty move from Netflix. In the battle of the giants, it has chosen Silverlight over Adobe Flash.

A Netflix representative said:

Silverlight makes it easier to connect to watching on the PC and Mac. There isn't the need for highly specialized technical folk.

via The Register

Do you like "The Dark Knight" movie? Are you planning on buying it? How about purchasing it online at Amazon and receiving a freebie? That's right, Amazon is giving something for free for everyone that buys a DVD or Blu-ray disc of the new Batman movie.

Basically, you can buy the Blu-ray version for $23, or the 2-disc DVD for $20, and in exchange you can watch the same movie for free via the "Video On Deman" service from Amazon, which normally costs $15.

The Dark Knight Blu-ray

The Dark Knight DVD

If you're looking to purchase Vutec's recently announced Vision-X Dyna-Curve projector screen, then you're going to need a nice projector to go with it, and DreamVision's recently announced Dream'E projector is the perfect candidate.

Availabe at the end of this month for an undiscloed price, the Dream'E projector has a 1920 x 1080 resolution, 1200 ANSI lumens, along with a 15000:1 contrast ratio. Not only this, but it's full-glass lens coupled with LCoS display technology make for the most vibrant, true to the theater picture you could possible hope for. It even has the ability to automatically adjust to room lighting making it the perfect application for any environment, and a 20 dB noise level for silent operation.

Two HDMI ports, RGSB inputs, along with composite, component, and S-Video are all ports you will see on the Dream'E when it drops later this month.

Looking to really make your home theater shine? You should check out Vutec's recently announced Vision-X Dyna-Curve.

This screen is the real deal, with the ability to adjust to make room for 2.34:1, 16:9, and 4:3 aspect ratios. Also available in several different materials including SilverStar, white, pearl, and grey with the option for sound screen technology so you can hide your speakers behind it.

The coolest feature that makes this product truly high-end is that the screen, ranging from sizes of 75″ to 140″, is slightly curved to imitated that of a movie theater and make for a brigther display.

How much does this baby cost? No idea, according to AboutProjectors, pricing is on a need to know basis.

LINN has recently announced a new digital media player codenamed MAJIK DS, that will hit the shelves on the UK market with a price tag of £1,750, which is close to $2,580.

The MAJIK DS is able to stream audio via a normal Ethernet port, or from NAS media servers, and supports the following format files: WAV, FLAC, MP3, AIFF, and ALAC. Among the top-notch connections like SPDIF and TOSLINK, it comes with 2 analog stereo RCA phono sockets.

The MAJIK can either integrate with an existing HiFi setup or, thanks to the on-board volume control, can be used directly with a power amp.

via

If you liked the strange-looking iPod dock from Scandyna named Sonic, you'll most probably like the iPanda that is made by Speakal.

Like the name suggests, this iPod dock has a shape of an animal, more specifically a panda. It comes with 5 speakers of 5W each, which in the end results in 25W of sound. Thanks to the included cradles the most popular MP3 players are supported by the iPanda.

The Speakal iPanda features a 3.5mm jack, Bass Reflex Technology, Bass Control, a remote control, and a price tag of $140.

iPanda

Even with the current economy situation, it seems that people in the UK aren't letting that stop them from purchasing their favorite high-def movies.

Well, following The Dark Knight's UK DVD and Blu-ray release (which happened yesterday), Pocket-lint has gotten word of the sales numbers. Apparently, with Blu-ray and DVD combined, the movie managed to push half a million copies, (513,000 to be a bit more precise). But the real information us HD-heads are interested in is the Blu-ray sales numbers. Pocket-lint reports that of those 513,000 movies sold, 21% of them were Blu-ray and after some quick calculations that works out to about 108,000.

And get this, in November, 463,000 Blu-ray discs were sold, a 66% increase from October. It looks like a lot of people will be getting an HD movie this holiday season.

Read (Pocket-lint)

Sure, having a 40 or even 50-inch TV is cool, but everyone knows the real way to go big is by making the transition to a projector. With the help of Elite Screen's products you can make the step towards having a robust home cinema much easier.

Take for instance their recently released 150-inch projector screen, big enough for any home theater installation. Too big for you? No problem, Elite Screen also offers high quality projector screens in sizes ranging from 60-inches to 120-inches. Don't worry what aspect ratio your projector outputs, when you order these screens you can choose from 1:1, 4:3, and 16:9 aspect ratios.

While the 60-inch to 120-inch screens are available now, there is no word on pricing or availabilty for the 150-inch mammoth. Stay tuned..

Read (About Projectors)

HP along with the Flexible Display Center (FDC) recently announced the first prototype of affordable and flexible electronic displays at Arizona State University. Computer displays made almost entirely of plastic are called flexible displays. These new flexible displays are more portable and consume less power than other computer displays.

"The display HP has created with the FDC proves the technology and demonstrates the remarkable innovation we're bringing to the rapidly growing display market," said Carl Taussig, director, Information Surfaces, HP Labs. "In addition to providing a lower-cost process, SAIL technology represents a more sustainable, environmentally sensitive approach to producing electronic displays."

The new flexible and unbreakable displays are created by using self-aligned imprint lithography. These displays enable the fabrication of a thin film transistor through the SAIL technology. This production of new flexible displays is seen as the company's endeavor to progress in making displays from an environmental standpoint.

Via: Hp

It looks as if everyone wants a peice of the growing mini-projector market as Adtec has recently announced two of their additions to the game, the AD-MP15AW, and AD-MP15AB.

Both featuring a VGA resolution of 640 x 480, 15 ANSI lumens, a 200:1 contrast ratio, an LED lamp with 20,000 hours of life, and the capability to project an image up to 60-inch. Also including RGB and component ports, along with an internal battery good for 40-minutes a charge.

The white 15AW model will be availabe in Japan in December with the black 15AB coming in January retailing for 39800 yen or about $430.

Read (AboutProjectors)

This PCI Express2.0 card is a good option for the folks that want an unusual display system, because it can support multiple LCD screens at the same time.

Entitled ELSA NVidia Quadro NVS 450, the card has 512MB of GDDR3 VRAM which is pretty good for normal standards. With the NVidia Quadro card in your computer, you use not one, not two, not three, but four LCDs simultaneously, each with a resolution of 2560×1600 pixels. Just imagine yourself watching 4 movies at the same time, or playing 4 different games, or working with 4 screens - in the latter case I bet productivity would most likely have a hue jump, in a positive way of course.

Sim2 has recently announced their release of the C3X LUMIS HOST home theater projector. Featuring, 3000 ANSI lumens, a 35,000:1 contrast ratio, and 3 DarkChip 4 DLP display panels, the C3X LUMIS HOST doesn't f#*$ around.

Also featuring an external video processor and connection panel, or HOST (High-Definition Optical Signal Transfer) that sports 6 HDMI ports, along with RGB, composite, component, S-Video, and DVI ports. Inputs seperate from the projector? This has to mean a loss in quality, right? WRONG. The HOST is connected to the projector via 3 fiber optic cables, so you can have them up to 250 meters apart and still get top notch quality, perfect for hassle free home theater applications where you would have to mount the projector on the ceiling.

Of course it's £25,000, or $37,000, price tag won't exactly put this in mammoth in the low-end projector catagorey. Then again, is there a catagory for extermely-high-end? If not, there is now. 

Read (Pocket-lint)

It looks like Warner Bros is taking a step in the right direction, announcing that The Dark Knight will be their first release to take advantage of select Blu-ray player's BD-Live capabilites. But what exactly does this mean for you, the consumer?

Well, this opens up a whole array of gimmicky interactive features like the ability to watch and chat about the movie with friends via Live Community Screeings along with being able to post director-style commentaries over the film via My WB Commentary. 

Sounds cool and all, but is it just me or do all these new technologies some what promote less physical interaction with one another. I mean I know it's cool to watch movies with friends who are across the country, but why invite your friend over to watch a movie when he can just chat with you while it plays at home? And who even likes people talking during movies anyways?

(insert "Why so serious?" punch line here)
The movie is currently on pre-order status at Amazon.co.uk for £14.98 with free delivery ,or £14.99 from Play.com, also with free delivery.

If you're lucky enough to be living in Australia, and are on the market for a new HDTV, you should probably check out Toshiba's XV500 series. Why? Well, they have recently announced a promotion that throws in one of their nifty little 8.9-inch NB100 netbooks as a free gift when you purchase one of their XV500 HD LCD TV's at sizes of 37, 42, or 46-inches.

You better make haste though, you need to buy one between now and January 15th to qualify for this promotion, and it's while supplies last. Common Toshiba, let's see some of these promotions in the States!

Read (SmartHouse)

Everyone know's of the Eee PC right? The little laptop that pretty much introduced the "netbook" form factor to the computing world? Well, the much less talked about Eee Box (pictured above), which has been on the market for some time now, has just gotten an update that may give home theater enthusiasts reason to take notice.

Formally entitled the Eee Box B204, and B206, their 1.6Ghz Intel Atom processor, coupled with an ATI Radeon 3400 GPU sporting 256MB of RAM, isn't exactly a hardcore gamers dream machine. But, with the newly added HDMI port (not the mention it's ability to handle 1080p video) the updated Eee Box may be exactly what your home theater is looking for.

While it hasn't hit the market yet, just imagine with a beefy external harddrive, this little wonder could turn your home theater into a completely interactive experience. Sure, you could get a TiVo box or any of those other fancy Blu-ray players with all their newly announced Netflix streaming and all, but let's be honest, what can those boxes do, in terms of media streaming, that a fully functional PC can't do (besides play Blu-rays, obviously)? 

Read (ASUS)

If you remember, we reported to you that two of Samsung's Blu-ray players would be getting support for HD Netflix streaming at some point in the future via a firmware update. Well, that time has come as it has recently been announced that Samsung's BD-2500 and BD-2550 have gotten the firmware update that enables this feature.

The firmware, version 2.1, adds "support for Netflix VC1-AP HD Stream" along with improving playback compatibility for some movie titles. If anyone has either of these BD player's we'd love to hear about how the new HD Netflix streaming goes for you, let us know!

Oh yeah, you can get the firmware update here.

Add another unit to the category of small-sized projectors, the K10 made by Acer. This model will hit the shelves next year, on January 2009, with a price tag of $450. The Acer K10 uses Texas Instrument DLP technology and has a native SVGA resolution, but other settings like SXGA and WXGA+ can also be used. In the technical department it features a contrast ratio of 1000:1, and lumens ANSI level of 100. In terms of connections it has S-Video, and D-Sub/VGA, while the supported formats are the usual widescreens and the more traditional 4:3.

How small sized is the Acer K10? Only 127 x 122mm and pretty lightweight too - 0.55Kg.

It seems like the cellphone market isn't big enough for Nokia and they want to get into other deals, like the beautiful world of innovative radios. With that being said, in the same day that the Nokia N97 was announced, the Home Music WiFi Radio also got a bit of attention. This is the first media streamer made by Nokia, and comes with a 10W speaker plus WiFi and FM stations. As always, you can use other speakers besides the "poor" one that is included. Other formats supported by Nokia Home Music include MP3s, podcasts, and making use of WiFi to stream music via UpNp or DLNA. So far there is no information about the power mode, the price or release date.

A universal Blu-Ray player? Really? Yes, at a price, but yes, the new Denon DVD-A1UDCI will not only play Blu-Ray, DVD's but also SACD and DVD-A.

Available in February at a price of $3800.00 it is Blu-ray 2.0 ready, SACD and DVD-A playback (a first in combination with a Blu-ray player), and just about any other format you can think of. Of course, you're going to be interested in 1080p upconversion and Denon's got you covered with the 10-bit Silicon Optix Realta chipset famous for providing the highest resolution high-definition video available today via HDMI connection. The DVD-A1UDCI has dual HD video output scalers so images can be output in HD resolution quality via both the HDMI output and component output ports.

On the audio side, you've got Advanced AL32 Processing, allowing digital upsampling of 16- and 24-bit digital signals to 32-bits. The player offers full on-board HD Audio decoding from Denon's DDSC-HD branded circuitry, as well as allowing for Bit Stream Bypass to HDMI for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution and DTS-HD Master Audio digital transmission to an AVR/AVP for decoding.

ZVOX has proudly announced its new Z-Base 550 All-in-One Home Theater. Designed for stand-mounted flat-panel TV sets, this new product reproduces music and movie soundtracks with lifelike accuracy. The entire home theater system has been designed in such a way that it fits perfectly fine in the super-slim cabinet that is engineered to accommodate any flat-panel television.

The new Z-Base 550 All-in-One Home Theater features beautiful hand-lacquered high-gloss black and panels. Its scratch-resistant black vinyl matches any type of home décor. ZVOX's Z-Base 550 All-in-One Home Theater makes the best use of ZVOX PhaseCue virtual surround system for creating wide and three-dimensional sound. This system uses an Energy Star qualified power adapter for an increased efficiency. It comes with full-range speakers and a subwoofer. It is priced at $499.99.

Via: Press

Get ready for an ultimate home entertainment experience with the newly launched Klipsch RF-62 Home Cinema Speaker System. Packed with the advanced entertainment features, this new home cinema speaker system lets you enjoy exceptional music effects.

The new RF-62 Home Cinema Speaker System is considered as an entry-level product featuring several permutations and combinations of speaker choice for a 5.1 surround sound set up.

The new Klipsch RF-62 Home Cinema Speaker System sport bright gold cones that delivers superb music. This set comprises of 20 units and you will be really puzzled to choose six out of them for yourself.

Klipsch's RF-62 Home Cinema Speaker System is available at a price ranging between £900-£2000

Sharp's Slim-line D64U Series is so named because the cabinet has 25 percent less depth and 20 percent less weight than previous Sharp LCDs, and there's only about 1.5 inches of bezel surrounding the 46-inch screen. This 1080p LCD has a 4-millisecond response time and a healthy connection panel that includes three HDMI, two component video, and one PC input, plus a single RF input for access to the internal ATSC, NTSC, and Clear-QAM tuners. Both the HDMI and component video inputs accept 1080p/60 but not 1080p/24, and Sharp has put one HDMI and component video input on the side panel for easy access. Picture-in-picture is not available, but an RS-232 port is included, so you can integrate the TV into an advanced control system. This TV does not include the 120Hz technology found in Sharp's higher-end LCD lines.

In addition to a whopping eight picture modes and five color-temperature settings, the LC-46D64U features a Color Management System that lets you precisely adjust the hue and saturation of the six color points. The OPC feature automatically adjusts image brightness based on your room's lighting conditions. However, advanced white-balance and gamma controls are not available. The TV features four aspect-ratio options for both HD and SD sources, including a Dot by Dot mode for viewing 1080i/1080p images with no overscan.

A thin, silver speaker bar runs along the bottom of the panel. The audio menu includes treble, bass, and balance controls, as well as a generic surround mode and bass enhancer and the option to turn off the screen and only output an audio signal.

Looking forward to your next HDTV set? Well how about a future Aquos from Sharp with will pack some built-in Blu-ray. The new designs are supposed to arrive in a couple of weeks at CES 2009. Sharp will launch two new Aquos HDTVs which can get an integrated Blu-ray player but also a DVD or CD player if you wish for one. We're going to have a 32 inch model and a 42 inch model and they will be available right after CES. Pricing is said to be around $2,000 for the 42 inch model while the smaller one doesn't have a price yet. Sharp will definitely reveal those too at next year's CES.

If you have been looking for a new and advanced LCD display, then do check out the newly launched Samsung 320MXn Professional LCD Display. Designed to deliver sharp details and crystal-clear images, this display comes packed with advanced technology to provide you with superb functionalities.

The new Samsung 320MXn Professional LCD Display delivers 3000:1 contrast ratio and a viewing angle of 178 degree. Featuring a built-in PC, this display saves you from using a separate media player. It incorporates MagicInfo Pro that makes it LAN and WAN compatible.

Samsung's 320MXn Professional LCD Display measures 30.7 x 20.9 x 12.2" in size and deliver a native resolution of 1366 x 768. Sporting a 32" big screen, this new LCD display features four types of anti-image retention that can be automatically activated throughout the day.

Via: Samsung

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:

Although more expensive than HD-DVD players, Blu-rays are becoming more and more popular. Sure in time the price will drop but people are still buying them today. That's the case in Japan where Blu-ray disc recorders just got more that 50% of the market share in the first week of November according to market research GfK Retail and Technology. Same time last year Blu-rays accounted for 10% only.at they had just about a year ago.

Responsible for that percentage increase is the drop in price. You can get a Blu-ray for under $1,000 now compared to a price tag of $1,100 to $1,300 las year. The same company said that Blu-Rays are replacing DVD recorders about one and a half times faster than DVD recorders replaced VHS recorders. How about that? We sure know how to adapt to new technology.

via Wired