HDTV

Netflix ended an exceedingly difficult 2011 by announcing a big number.

The company said earlier today that during the fourth quarter of 2011, more than 2 billion hours of television shows and movies were streamed by users across 45 countries.

Unknown, however, is how that compares to prior quarters. "We haven't made that comparison but suffice it to say 2 billion hours is a big number and a high mark," a company spokesman said.

In October, Sandvine reported that Netflix accounted for nearly one-third of peak downstream traffic in the U.S., making it a bigger bandwidth … Read more

Early in 2011, when the Optoma Neo-i iPhone/iPod projector made its debut, the price tag was a stiff $450.

Today only, and while supplies last, Woot has the Optoma Neo-i projector for $219.99, plus $5 for shipping. Unlike much of what Woot peddles, this Neo is new, not refurbished.

The Neo-i combines an iPhone/iPod speaker dock with a 50-ANSI-lumens pico projector. To put that another way, when you plunk your iThing onto the connector and load up your library of, say, "Arrested Development" episodes, the projector beams them onto any available stretch of lightly colored … Read more

It's not too late to walk into a store and walk out with a sweet present.

To wit: Best Buy has the Dynex DX-32E250A12 32-inch LCD HDTV for $199.99 plus tax. If you're not in a hurry, or don't have a Best Buy near you, shipping is free!

This isn't an all-time low, but it's close. Last month, Amazon was selling a 32-inch Haier model for the same price--but that one is now up to $250. (And speaking of last month, did anybody score that 42-inch Sharp HDTV for $199 on Black Friday?)

Anyway, … Read more

Note: Sorry about the newsletter snafu yesterday! Still working out the kinks, so stay tuned.

Ah, Hulu. For anyone looking to cut the cable-TV cord, the service is pretty indispensable. Unlike Netflix, it lets you watch many, if not most, current TV shows the day after they air.

But here's the thing: If you want access on your Roku box, game console, Android phone/tablet, iOS device, or whatever, you need to subscribe to Hulu Plus.

Normally that costs $7.99 per month, but right now you can get Hulu Plus free for three months. (Note that if you'… Read more

Sony's PlayStation 3 may be trailing the Xbox 360 and Wii in total sales, but the console's steady climb is helping it gain ground.

According to Reuters, Sony Computer Entertainment head Andrew House told reporters today that the PlayStation 3 is on target to sell 15 million units during the current fiscal year that ends in March.

If the PlayStation 3 does reach 15 million units sold, it would mark the fifth-consecutive year of unit-sales growth for the console. During Sony's 2006 fiscal year, it sold 3.5 million PlayStation 3 units worldwide. The company followed that … Read more

The good news just keeps coming for Activison's Call of Duty franchise.

The game developer announced today that Modern Warfare 3 generated $1 billion in worldwide sales in its first 16 days on store shelves. By comparison, the 2009 blockbuster film "Avatar" reached the $1 billion milestone 17 days after it opened.

Modern Warfare 3, which launched last month, has become the third Call of Duty game in as many years to reach $1 billion in total sales. However, Modern Warfare 2, which launched in 2009, took two months to hit $1 billion in worldwide revenue. Last … Read more

Happiness is a big TV. Oh, I mean, happiness is friends, family, food on the table, a roof over your head, good books, good music, and, of course, pizza.

Also, a big TV.

Especially one that doesn't destroy your budget. Great example: Wal-Mart has the Element ELDFW464 46-inch LCD HDTV for $399.98 shipped (plus sales tax). That's one of the best prices I've seen on a 46-inch TV.

Now, I'm sure a few hotheads will point out that the reason this TV is so cheap is that it has a 60Hz refresh rate, and "… Read more

Sharp, Samsung, and a handful of other LCD makers have settled a price-fixing case that has set them back nearly $400 million.

According to Bloomberg, which obtained court papers filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco, Sharp and Samsung paid $105 million and $82.7 million, respectively, for their alleged involvement in driving up prices for LCDs sold between 1999 and 2006. Chimei Innolux paid $78 million as part of the class action lawsuit's settlement.

The eight companies cited in the lawsuit paid a total of $388 million, Bloomberg … Read more

There's no pleasing everyone. Microsoft learned that lesson this week with its new Xbox 360 update.

After a day-one delay that had folks griping, the software company late yesterday started getting its Xbox 360 update out to the 35 million Xbox Live users around the world. Then as the software made its way onto user consoles, the reactions were mixed.

"[I'm] underwhelmed by the Xbox Update," a Twitter user going by the name of "Kelvinwins" tweeted today. "Metro design is lovely, but the app selection should have been ready for launch. Just a … Read more