CES - Televisions

LG's top full-array LED gets thin bezel, panel

Update March 29, 2011 LG has announced that this series of TVs, along with the LW7700 series, will not be released. Instead the company tells us that it will release another series (or maybe more than one)--featuring the full-array local dimming Nano backlight detailed below and using passive 3D technology and not active--in mid-September 2011. We expect to hear more details closer to the products' launch. In the meantime we're keeping the information below for reference since we expect the new models, whatever their model names end up being, to closely resemble the ones here.

LG's … Read more

LG details Nano LEDs with better backlights

Update March 29, 2011 LG has announced that this series of TVs, along with the LW9500 series, will not be released. Instead the company tells us that it will release another series (or maybe more than one)--featuring the full-array local dimming Nano backlight detailed below and using passive 3D technology and not active--in mid-September 2011. We expect to hear more details closer to the products' launch. In the meantime we're keeping the information below for reference since we expect the new models, whatever their model names end up being, to closely resemble the ones here.

LAS VEGAS--LG … Read more

LG's best plasma gets THX 3D, black filter

LAS VEGAS--LG will ship seven different series of plasma TVs in 2011, and the chief of the tribe is the PZ950 series.

Much like the PX950 series we liked last year, the PZ950, along with the step-down PZ750, will offer THX certification for both 2D and 3D sources. The advantage of the system is that one button press provides a relatively accurate picture, and in our tests the PX950's 3D was very good. (In case you're wondering, all LG plasmas use active 3D technology, not the passive variety found on some of its LCDs).

The PZ950's main … Read more

LG plasmas get THX, magic wands

LAS VEGAS--The two most noteworthy LG plasma series announced at CES are the flagship PZ950 models and the series described here, the PZ750. And yes, both do include magic wands, otherwise known as motion-sensitive remote controls.

According to the company's press release, the main performance-related difference between the two is the presence of a screen filter, in the 950, designed to improve black levels in brighter rooms.

Aside from that their feature sets are virtually indistinguishable. Much like the PX950 series we liked last year, both offer THX certification for both 2D and 3D sources. The advantage of the … Read more

Samsung improves flagship D8000 plasma

Samsung's flagship plasma TV from last year, the PNC8000 series, was our second-favorite TV of 2010, so it's no surprise we expect good things from its successor, the PND8000 series.

The specification list of the PND8000 has a couple of advantages over that of the step-down PND6500, namely a "Real Black Filter picture enhancement" and a "LCE (Local Contrast Enhancer)." The former performed well on the PNC8000 we tested last year to preserve black level performance in brighter rooms. The latter is a new one to us, but when we hear an explanation from … Read more

Vizio details its Google TVs' sizes, LEDs

Editors' Note Jan 8, 2011: The Vizio XVT3D6SP series was selected as the winner of CNET's Best of CES award in the TVs category.

Yesterday, Vizio announced that it would ship TVs equipped with the Google TV platform and today it followed up with more specifics on the models, which will form the XVT3D6SP series.

That series, designated by the VIA (Vizio Internet Apps) Plus moniker, will come in two screen sizes: 47-inch and 55-inch. Both are larger than any of Sony's NSX-GT1 models, which are the only other Google TVs officially announced so far.

VIA Plus adds … Read more

Vizio XVT TVs proffer passive 3D, full LED

Today Vizio announced a slew of HDTVs that feature passive 3D technology, which the company is calling "Theater 3D." The best-featured of the bunch fall under the company's XVT line of LED-based LCD TVs.

The XVT models include a pair with the Google-TV-equipped Via Plus Internet suite and the already-shipping 65-inch XVT3D650SV. Vizio also announced five other XVT sets, the XVT3D5 models described here.

Passive 3D, which is used in most U.S. theaters, is said by proponents like Vizio to reduce crosstalk (an artifact that appears as a double image) and be more comfortable than active … Read more

Nvidia unveils site for 3D video, photos, sports

Graphics chipmaker Nvidia, eager to hasten the arrival of the 3D graphics era and spur demand for new 3D hardware, today unveiled a site for content called 3DVisionLive.

At the site, people can share their own 3D photos and see more from professional photographers; watch short videos, trailers, and sports; and rate the content they see. The site supports Nvidia's 3D Vision technology and old-school anaglyph technology with the blue and red glasses.

3D is a theme at CES this year--and not for the first time. Moving the industry is a massive undertaking that involves content creation, content distribution, … Read more

Asus, Amimon show off WHDI-based wireless 3D gaming video kit

LAS VEGAS--You want to connect your desktop computer to a big-screen TV so your gaming can go big, literally? Now you can do that, and more, wirelessly.

Amimon, a prominent member of the Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI) consortium, together with Asus today announced the WAVI 3D wireless PC-to-TV package. This kit is the first of its kind to enable consumers to wirelessly connect a desktop PC to a TV with support for 3D content.

This means you now can enjoy 3D PC video games as well as 3D movies on any 3D-capable HDTV, using the PC as the player.… Read more