Televisions

Sharp's one of the biggest players in flat-panel LCD HDTVs, and today it announced four new series of the popular Aquos LCDs for 2007. While the 108-inch LCD might have stolen the show at Sharp's press conference, these four Aquos product lines will be of greater interest to anyone actually looking to buy a TV this year.

The D92U series represents Sharp's top-of-the-line flat-panel LCD models, consisting of the 42-inch LC-42D92U, the 46-inch LC-46D92U, and the 52-inch LC-52D92U. All of these LCDs are 1080p sets, which means they have a native resolution of 1,920x1,080 capable … Read more

If you've got $33,000 earmarked for a new television, then Sony's main CES announcement might pique your interest. If you don't, you'll have to wait until the company's February show to hear anything official about the company's 2007 products. Eschewing CES for significant product news is nothing new for the company, but the price point of its new flagship HDTV still represents a certain kind of bravado. At least Sony knows how to capture headlines from the mainstream press.

The $33,000 KDL-70XBR3 (did I mention it costs $33,000?) happens to be … Read more

DLP-based rear-projection HDTVs have always been a mainstay of Samsung's extensive HDTV offerings, and offerings at this year's CES are no different. To follow up on its release of the HL-S5679W--the first widely available DLP to be powered by LEDs and 2006 Best of CES winner in the television category--the company announced three new LED-powered DLP sets for this year. The 61-inch HL-T6187S, the 56-inch HL-T5687S, and the 50-inch HL-T5087S all replace standard bulbs with a trio of light-emitting diodes, which imbues them with a longer life span (20,000 hours before needing replacement, as opposed to … Read more

Toshiba will deliver 13 new HDTVs in its Regza line of LCD flat-panel models in 2007, including some as large as 52 and 57 inches.

The company highlighted five updated technologies that it hopes will distinguish its Regza LCDs from the increasingly fierce competition in the flat-panel arena. Among them: PixelPure3G (14-bit video processing designed to eliminate banding artifacts and offer improved video noise reduction); DynaLight (dynamic backlight adjustment, designed to optimize contrast); ColorBurst (wider color gamut); ClearFrame (120Hz screen refresh rate, which is said to diminish motion blur without adding flicker or reducing brightness); and CE-Link (HDMI-based control codes … Read more

In a smart move, Philips is shifting away from plasma and focusing almost exclusively on LCD TVs in 2007. The notable exception is its moderately priced ($3,500) 63-inch plasma TV, which has more potential than the company's earlier 42- and 50-inch plasma TVs that had to go head-to-head against Panasonic's highly regarded models.

According to Philips, its new Ambilight LCD FlatTVs "range in size from 32- to 52-inches (32PFL7332, 42PFL7432D, 42PFL9832D, 47PFL9732D, 47PFL7432D and 52PFL7432D). The 42-, 47-, and 52-inch models now boast 1080p resolution, Perfect Pixel HD Engine to maximize 1080p content for the best … Read more

Ever wanted to connect a video component to a monitor or a projector on the other side of the room but didn't want to run an expensive, unsightly HDMI cable to it? Well, Philips has introduced a set of wireless HDMI "cables" that will allegedly hit stores midyear, with a $300 price tag. I know it sounds a little contradictory to call cables wireless, but hey, I don't write the press releases or name the products.

I guess the point is in order to go the wireless HDMI route you will to connect a transceiver to … Read more

MediaZone will debut Social TV here at CES 2007, a mix of Internet television, MySpace, and instant messaging.

It's professionally produced online content that can be streamed or downloaded from the ad-supported site. The idea is to let users give feedback on, chat about, and rate programming, as well as forward the good stuff to friends. It's like YouTube, but from pros. Social TV aims to create global online TV channels that can be launched without the restraints of traditional television.

MediaZone has a shared-streaming technology allows users to securely share video packets, which lower the distribution cost … Read more

At a press conference today at CES 2007, LG introduced the first player capable of playing both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. The words on the drawer of the player read "Super Multi Blue Player," but the model number is simply BH100. The player will be available as early as the first week of February at Best Buy and Circuit City among other outlets, according to the company, and will cost $1,199. At least for now, this announcement appears to be the most significant news at the show.

In case there was any doubt of the unit'… Read more

So you like the idea of watching TV or movies on your MP4 player or cell phone, but the screens are just too small for you to make an accurate call on instant replay, especially if your next paycheck is on the line with the game's outcome. All that could change with new technology from Microvision, which claims to have built the world's smallest projector.

The company's Pico Projector, which is planned for release at this week's Consumer Electronics Show, is designed to be embedded in handheld products to project "photos, videos, movies and TV … Read more