We're able to peel CNET television Editor Ty Pendlebury's eyes away from the Sharp 80-inch smart TV he's reviewing right now to sit down with us for a show about language translation apps, overused QR codes, Batman impersonators, and more.… Read more
Sound-quality advances in headphone design show no sign of slowing down, and even old names like Philips and Sony are getting serious about making great-sounding headphones. Sadly, those brands aren't attempting to make anything that could be compared with the world's best, like the JH-3A headphone/amplifier system, from JH Audio.
That company's founder and designer, Jerry Harvey, started building in-ear monitors for rock bands in 1995. He counts Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, Aerosmith, Foreigner, and Linkin Park as customers. Harvey is currently with the Van Halen tour--the band uses his 'phones onstage--and Harvey uses their feedback to improve his designs.
The JH-3A is an amplifier/in-ear headphone system, with analog and digital inputs with up to 24-bit resolution and 96kHz sampling rates. I've used portable headphone amplifiers before, and they can sound great with all types of headphones, but the JH-3A takes in-ear headphone performance to another level.… Read more
In response to complaints and a class action lawsuit over failing TVs caused by bum capacitors, Samsung has promised to provide benefits to owners of a select group of its TVs.
The benefits include extension of a warranty for 18 months after March 2, 2012, a "free service visit" to determine if your TV has the issue, and refunds for related expenses and/or payments via debit card or cash. They apply to all U.S. consumers, not just residents of Oklahoma where the lawsuit was filed.
The TVs covered by the proposed settlement include LCD, plasma, and DLP models made before December 31, 2008. The settlement does not cover Samsung TVs manufactured after that date.
Click through to Samsung's dedicated Web site at www.samsung.com/us/capacitorsettlement/ for the full details, to view the affected TVs or to download a claim form.
CNET Reader Dadar asks:
Are the "lifespan" claims by manufacturers proper? I've read numbers ranging from 50,000 hours to 100,000 hours, often with plasma TVs at the higher end of that scale compared to LED and CCFL LCDs.
I would have thought, being solid-state devices, light emitting diodes would have had a greater lifespan than their fluorescent counterparts. Hearsay also puts plasma at the bottom, but numbers I've found show the opposite? Are any of these true?
All claims by manufacturers should be taken with a grain of salt, but you pose an excellent question.… Read more
Samsung Electronics, the world's largest maker of flat-screen TVs, expects to spin off its money-losing LCD unit as a new corporation after the company's board of directors approved the plan today.
The new entity, which will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung, will be called Samsung Display Company and switch the company's focus from LCD panels to OLED panels. The spinoff, which still requires shareholder approval, is expected to launch April 1 and make it more competitive in the face of falling demand.
"Currently, the display market is undergoing rapid changes with OLED panels … Read more
Updated February 16, 8:45 a.m. ET
A couple of weeks ago a colleague at CNET walked into my office and told me his TV had died.
It was a Samsung LCD from 2008, and according to my colleague--let's call him "Bill" since he said he'd rather not be identified in this story--a quick Google search revealed hundreds of other Samsung TV owners with the same problem. Here's the 2010 story Bill found that "started the whole thing" for him.
Bill told me the TV simply wouldn't turn on despite repeated … Read more
Samsung might be a leading TV maker, but its LCD business is quickly becoming a thorn in its side.
Speaking to Reuters today, Samsung said that it's considering all options with its LCD flat-panel business, but declined to confirm that it has made any decisions. One rumor suggests Samsung is thinking about spinning off its LCD business, but the company would not comment on that.
"Samsung is looking into various options to improve the competitiveness of LCD business, but no decision has been made yet," a Samsung spokeswoman told CNET in an e-mailed statement.
Samsung's LCD … Read more
CNET Chris D. asks:
I have a CRT HD TV that is 5 and a half years old (one of the last ones they made). In terms of picture quality, it still looks better than any of the LED, LCD, or plasma sets I've seen. Am I right? I watch a lot of 4:3 TV. I'm concerned that if I upgrade I'll be forced to have a distorted 4:3 image (i.e., through "stretch" or "zoom" etc.). Is this still the case? Thanks for any reply.Normally I don't answer "should I upgrade" questions, but who can resist a good CRT bashing?… Read more
You know I can't resist a good monitor deal.
While supplies last, Mwave has the refurbished Hannspree Hanns-G HF225DPB 22-inch LCD monitor for $89.99, plus $4.99 for shipping. [Note: At 9:18 a.m. PT, this deal is marked "temporarily unavailable."] That is without question one of the best deals I've seen on a monitor of this size.
Okay, technically it's a 21.5-inch monitor, but apparently manufacturers are allowed to designate that as "22-inch class." In any case, this would work nicely alongside your laptop or existing desktop monitor. (I'… Read more
For the past few months, I've been trying to figure out how to rearrange my old wall art to make it look fresh again, but nothing's working at the moment. These mosaic LCD tiles would be the perfect solution--you know, if I were rich.
The Planar Mosaic LCD Tiles come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can be arranged in different patterns, while proprietary software allows you to program whatever video or image you want displayed across all screens.
Customers can choose from the three models. The first is the Planar Salvador, which is a square LCD that measures 15.6 inches on each side and ideal for use over larger surface areas. Meanwhile, the Planar Pablo has a rectangular shape and measures 40 inches wide, or you can go slightly bigger with the 48-inch wide Planar Vincent.
Planar designed the mounting hardware so that the displays can hang in any position and at various angles, including "concave and convex arrays."… Read more
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