TVs

Many companies at CES are working on products that combine TV programming with related content from the Internet and distribute it throughout the home (Microsoft demonstrated some of these capabilities with Vista and Media Center Extenders during its keynote on Sunday). But Sharp is the first company to demonstrate a prototype product that can stream two simultaneous HD feeds and Internet content over the existing power lines in your home.

The technology, called Network AQUOS, uses PowerLine Communication modems to connect the TV and PC, and transmit high-quality audio, video and online content over Homeplug AV, a high-speed networking standard. … Read more

HP announced its new lineup of HDTVs for 2007, and the biggest news is probably that its well-received DLP (digital light processing) rear-projection sets aren't being refreshed for the new year. Word is that the company will let stores sell through the DLPs still out there, but that's it. The focus for 2007 will be on flat-panel models. It's strange, considering that the company invested heavily in DLP technology.

Although I suggested in a recent column that the future for rear-projection sets was pretty dim, I think it's a shame HP's rear-projection sets may soon … Read more

It wouldn't be CES without some giant TVs that nobody can afford, and Sharp has done its part with a gigantic 108-inch LCD TV. The 1080p-resolution set measures 93.9 inches high by 52.9 inches wide, so you'll probably need a mansion to go along with your new TV. There's not much more to say except that, unlike many of the giant TVs that are unveiled, Sharp announced at its press conference that this set actually will be available to consumers.

We had a chance to take a quick look at this set both at the … Read more

On Sunday at CES, a couple of CNET staffers and I attended a demonstration of Pioneer's newest plasma technology, and judging from the brief demo, the company has made some significant advancements. Pioneer had lined up five 50-something-inch displays, four plasmas, and an LCD; one of the plasmas utilized the new technology, which is designed to increase black level and reject ambient light reflections. After watching a variety of high-def feeds, I was convinced that the new plasma evinced some of the deepest blacks I'd seen yet in a flat-panel technology. I don't want to say more … Read more

Every year at CES it seems like more and more manufacturers release less and less information about their coolest products. Sure, I realize that the pricing, availability, and specs given are usually "preliminary" anyway, but any information is better than none. Take Samsung's higher-end flat-panel LCD lineup for 2007. Its three models, the 52-inch LN-T5265F, the 46-inch LN-T4665F, and the 40-inch LN-T4065F, all offer HDMI 1.3, 1080p (1,920x1,080) native resolution, a more-unbelievable-than-usual 12,000:1 contrast ratio, and "chrome accents and glossy black finish to accentuate any home theater." Also glossed over … Read more

Most CES announcements about new HDTVs pertain to products that cost more than anybody's grandpa would consider paying for a television, but traditional cathode ray tubes can provide high-def to even stingy old codgers. Samsung, along with Toshiba and no-names such as Insignia, markets a few wide-screen HDTVs that don't cost a fortune, and at CES 2007 it continues the tradition of models including the Samsung TX-S3082WH with an updated trio. The 30-inch TX-T3093WH and TX-T3092 (both April, $699 list) are identical but for speaker configuration; the first has side-mounted speakers, while the second saves width by placing … Read more

LG announced three new series of plasma TVs at their press conference at CES 2007 yesterday: the PC5D series, the PB4D series, and the PY3D series. The press release lacks specifics and availability, but we were able to get a good outline of their upcoming plasma TV product lines.

The PY3D series is LG's 1080p line of plasma TVs, and consists of both a 50- and a 60-inch model. Along with their 1,920x1,080 native resolution, this series also has three HDMI inputs as well as a USB port. Models in the PY3D series--and all other LG plasma … Read more

JVC, purveyor of LCoS-based rear-projection HDTVs including the well-performing HD-56FN97, announced a pair of superslim models in mid-December, and showed them again at CES 2007. The sets are designed to "easily fit on most stands and furniture designed for flat-panel TVs" according to the press release. The 58-inch HD-58S998 (January, $3,300 selling price) and the 65-inch HD-65S998 (March, $4,200) occupy a mere 10.7 inches and 11.6 inches of depth, respectively. The company is marketing a stand (pictured at right) and a wall-mount bracket that allows these TVs to hang over the fireplace, plasma … Read more

Ambient light is the enemy of video fidelity for any display, because external light that hits the screen dilutes the light produced by the display. Plasma HDTVs are more susceptible to the wiles of bright room light because their screens are essentially big, reflective panes of glass, unlike the less-reflective plastic screens of flat-panel LCD TVs and rear-projection HDTVs. Last year, Samsung tried to address that issue with FilterBright, a technology it says helps reduce glare and otherwise improves the image quality in bright light. In my tests last year of models like the HP-S5053, I couldn't detect much … Read more