Televisions

TV tuner or stalactite?

Is it stalactite or stalagmite? We never could get that straight, which is just one reason we're doing this for a living instead of making millions at an oil company. It doesn't really matter anyway, where this new TV tuner is concerned, because it can pretty much be attached to any surface--on the floor or even the ceiling, if you'd like.

The cone-shaped USB Buffalo tuner has a built-in booster and noise filter for clearer TV reception on the computer, as well as the ability to search for program information. But what makes it special in our … Read more

Dongle promises to turn laptop into DVR

OK, we admit to being somewhat harsh at times on USB keys and sticks, especially when they appear to be getting too big for their gold-plated britches. But our beef mostly has been with their necessity, or lack thereof.

None of that would apply to AMD's latest invention if it does just half the things the company says it can do. The "ATI TV Wonder 600" USB dongle promises to turn your laptop into a DVR, even for high-definition stuff, and you can do even more with AMD's new PC card for desktops. As CrunchGear notes, … Read more

70-inch PC-TV has touch screen too

So you've been bitten by the touch-screen bug, unlike us, and want a combo PC-TV as well? And nothing less than a 70-inch LCD will do? My, what demanding Cravers we are.

Then feast your greedy eyes on this all-in-one beast from GPNC Korea, which supports full HDTV and has wireless Internet access--just switch from TV to PC by way of the remote. It also includes a wireless keyboard that's dwarfed by the size of this monstrous screen (check out the photo from PClaunches for a comparison).

Alas, we have no information on price or availability, but that'… Read more

Pie charts indicate Blu-ray victory over HD DVD assured

If a picture's worth a thousand words, a pie chart has to be worth at least 500. Well, Ken Pierce over at Pixel Perfect Productions has cooked up five pie charts' worth of data on why the HD DVD/Blu-ray war is over--and as James Carville would say, it's all about the content, stupid.

To give credit where credit is due, I first noticed this link in Bill Hunt's "My Two Cents" column on Digital Bits. (Sorry, the item was from a couple of days ago, but I've been on vacation). Says Hunt: "… Read more

Juice box tracks HDTV power consumption

At CNET, we've been publishing information about HDTV power consumption for a year and a half in our Quick Guide, which currently lists the results of our tests of more than 50 televisions. Until now, this data has been restricted to the Guide, but it really belongs in each individual HDTV review. That's why we're pleased to announce the "Juice box," a new chart that summarizes the television's power consumption and scores it against other models.

You can check out an example here. Clicking the phrase "Juice box" takes you to an … Read more

Sony makes it easier for the visually impaired to watch TV, but will others follow suit?

In a move that could usher in a whole new era of enjoyment for the visually impaired, Sony has officially announced that it will be incorporating Audio Description (AD) (a system already included in some set-top boxes) into all of its new Sony Bravia HDTVs.

Andreas Ditter, vice president of Sony TV Operations Europe, explained the new Sony focus in a recent interview. He explained that, "We are all used to seeing and using subtitles on TV, but what many people don't know is that the technology exists to make a similarly useful service available for the 30 … Read more

Down the Line: Sharp flat-panel LCD

We've reviewed three models from Sharp's 2007 flat-panel LCD lineup lineup so far this year: the LC-52D92U, the LC-32GP1U, and the LC-32D43U. If those model numbers don't mean much to you, don't worry. We'll take you through the company's extensive 2007 LCD lineup from least to most expensive, and when we don't have actual reviews we'll provide our take on step-up features and how the models relate to one another.

Sharp LC-D42U series

Sharp LC-D43U series

The main 2007 entry-level series of Sharp's widescreen flat-panel LCD lineup--we'll ignore the company'… Read more

A $4.88 plasma TV?

Could it be a rounding error? Deep discounts? Rebates? Try none of the above: The Associated Press reported today that a man in Monroe, La., paid just $4.88 for a Sanyo plasma TV (normally $984) at a Wal-Mart self-checkout stand. The 23-year-old suspect allegedly switched the TV's original price tag with a tag from another product. When store security stopped the man on his way out, he produced a receipt for the full value of the TV.

The glitch? The man was at the Monroe Wal-Mart store, while the receipt came from the West Monroe location. Apparently he … Read more

Down the line: Samsung flat-panel LCDs

We've reviewed three models from Samsung's 2007 flat-panel LCD lineup so far this year: the LN-T4665F, the LN-T4661F and the LN-T3253H. If those model numbers don't mean much to you, don't worry. We'll take you through the company's 2007 LCD lineup from least- to most-expensive, and when we don't have actual reviews we'll provide our take on step-up features and how the models relate to one another. Update 07-12-2007: Samsung has announced two additional series of LCD TVs for 2007, detailed here.

Samsung LN-T42H series

This is Samsung's entry-level LCD series. … Read more

Down with reflective screens

I'm in the market for a new laptop, and I was immediately drawn to the Dell XPS M1330 the minute it appeared in the CNET Labs last week. It's easily one of the slickest-looking Windows laptops I've seen in a long time, and despite its ultraportable size, it still packs all the serious computing horsepower and features I'm looking for, including a slot-loading DVD burner, HDMI output, and a built-in flash media reader. I was seriously ready to budget out $2,000 for this thing--until I noticed the screen. … Read more