Televisions

Coinciding with many other announcements during its presser today at the IFA 2012 confab in Berlin, Sony quietly launched the HMZ-T2 personal 3D head-mounted display.

The headset -- vastly similar to its predecessor (the HMZ-T1) -- contains two small 0.7-inch OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays placed in front of the wearer's eyes that simulate a big screen and can display 2D/3D content from any HDMI source. Crave sent Sony an e-mail to see if the HMZ-T2 offers the same 720-pixel resolution and picture quality as before, which seems likely, as T2's marketing babble reads very much like that of the HMZ-T1. We'll let you know. … Read more

We don't usually talk about beds here on Crave, but we know our readers just had to see the techy Anemone multimedia box spring bed by Lavital. Developed by Dutch interior designer Robert Kolenik, the 35,000 euro ($43,901) sleeper costs as much as a mid-grade Audi car. A perfect gift for the one-percenter in your life!

In all seriousness, the overall frame does sport a few nifty features that you can adjust through an iPhone or iPod Touch app. Yes, you read the correctly -- the bed comes with an app, which for that price it most certainly should. … Read more

Sony has unveiled two of its biggest TV innovations of the year, and they're both inside the new XBR-84X900: it's the company's largest screen to date, and it's one of the first to feature 4K resolution.

The XBR-84X900 is the company's first 4K screen, and comes in the single 84-inch size. It's an edge-lit LED-based LCD TV that features passive 3D (another first for Sony) and comes with a 10-driver stereo speaker system.

For more information, check out our first take of the Sony XBR-84X900.

The Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (better known as IFA) is Europe's answer to the Consumer Electronics Show. And like that Vegas extravaganza, the consumer electronics world kicks off the Berlin tech fest with back to back press conferences that stretch over several days.

Among the first up is Sony. CNET will be blogging the event live on Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT, with reporters on the ground in Berlin (and others stateside, monitoring via the event's live video stream). Among the rumored product announcements: an 84-inch 4K TV and possibly as many as two … Read more

A new compression technology represents a significant improvement over today's standard, a new study found. The result could help pave the way for video with at least four times the pixels of today's 1080p standard.

The new compression technology, called HEVC or H.265, is significantly better than today's prevailing standard video codec, called AVC or H.264, researchers from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland, concluded.

"The test results clearly exhibited a substantial improvement in compression performance, as compared to AVC," the researchers said. "As ultra-high definition television has recently … Read more

LG Electronics is set to show off a slew of new products aimed at the home theater market.

Running the gamut from 3D sound systems to entertainment hubs, the new devices will be on display at the IFA trade show in Berlin. The show runs from August 31 to September 5.

First on the list is a 3D home theater system with the product name BH9520TW. The gear includes four 3D speakers delivering a sound that LG compares with that of an IMAX theatre. A 3D sound zooming technology synchronizes the audio with the action on a 3D TV. Viewers … Read more

Earlier this week, I posted a TV deal that sold out very quickly. Let's hope this one lasts a little longer.

Today only, and while supplies last, Kmart has the Haier L24B1180 24-inch LCD HDTV for $109.99 shipped (plus sales tax where applicable). Note: That price appears after you add the product to your cart and then click through to checkout.

Update: Oh, for the love of... It's already sold out. Come ON, resellers! If you don't have enough inventory to last even the early hours of the morning, don't make this your "deal … Read more

Sony plans to introduce a super-sized 84-inch LCD television during IFA 2012, Europe's major consumer electronics show, a source told CNET.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed to CNET that the upcoming 84-inch TV can display a massive 3,840x2,160 resolution (four times the number of pixels in a conventional 1080p set), also known in the industry as 4K. We learned that the 84-inch Sony TV features a side-lit LCD panel (think thin) and removable speakers. In terms of design, our source describes the aesthetics as a reimagined retro-style appearance with a modern twist. … Read more

Finding streaming TV shows or movies is a mess. No service or app has a complete collection, and getting what you want often feels like rummaging at the Internet's garage sale.

Some services have risen up to try to help; the Xbox 360 offers excellent Bing-based search of Xbox media apps, while Fanhattan does the same on iOS, although you have to enter the app to begin searching.

Fanhattan lacks one important feature, though: a listing of shows on actual, live TV.

Bridging the cord-cutting and cable/antenna TV landscape is TV Guide, which tries to implement streaming-media hooks into its existing tradition TV listings service.… Read more