LATEST ADDITIONS

CES 2009
Bring Me More Blu-Ray
uavKim Wilson  |  Jan 06, 2008  |  1 comments

During a press conference, Sharp announced a second generation Blu-Ray player, the BD-HP50U. It ships in spring '08 and will sell for either $699.99 or $799.99 (I received two press releases with different prices). The player provides Full HD 1080p digital output and supports the BD-ROM Profile 1.1, allowing consumers to tap into supplemental interactive material without leaving the movie. Some of the interactive features include movie trailers, special subtitles, and director's commentary.

Of course, its compatible with HDMI 1.3 technology and outputs the most advanced lossless surround-sound formats including Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD via HDMI. The BD-HP50U outputs 1080p video at 24 frames per second [frame rate of the original film], which eliminates the need for any frame-rate conversion.

A welcome addition is Sharp’s proprietary Quick Start feature, which takes viewers from disc loading to viewing in less than 10 seconds. What I want to know is when did a fast starting DVD player become a proprietary feature?

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Sharp’s Getting Gamey
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 06, 2008  |  0 comments
Sharp wants to sell LCD TVs to everyone, including gamers. They call gamers a “special market”. For these “special” people, Sharp is offering the second generation Gaming GP-3 Series of 1080p LCD HDTVs. If you’re a die-hard gamer with $1,599 to spend on a 32-inch LCD TV, you can have your choice of piano black, dark red wine, and white.
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Sharp AQUOS Goes Live With A Net
Chris Chiarella  |  Jan 06, 2008  |  0 comments
Remember those ethernet-enabled TVs I mentioned in my Netgear post not too long ago? Sharp has announced a new AQUOS Net service that will push handy content to viewers right in their home theaters, including real-time traffic and weather, plus comic strips and infotainment from NBC. Product-specific details can also be supplied to answer common questions about Sharp displays, all upon consumer approval of course.
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On A Lighter Note...
Adrienne Maxwell  |  Jan 06, 2008  |  3 comments
Since every post must include at least a passing reference to HD DVD's plight, here's mine: Toshiba's morning press conference began about 15 minutes late; and, as the press waited eagerly to see how the company would respond to the big Warner Brothers/Blu-ray news, I couldn't help but imagine the poor presenters huddled backstage, chanting "We're not going to cry. We're not going to cry." To their credit, they addressed the issue candidly and immediately, as Shane recapped in an earlier post.
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LG = "Levinson Gang"?
Chris Chiarella  |  Jan 06, 2008  |  0 comments
Industry legend Mark Levinson stopped by the LG Electronics press conference Sunday morning to bask in the glow of the PowerPoint presentation. Levisnon has partenered with LG to lend his audio expertise and improve the performance of upcoming TV and HTiB products. Partnerships with the ISF and THX were also announced, part of an aggressive new plan to step up the video quality of their displays.
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May the ISF and The Force Be With You- And Your TV!
Shane Buettner  |  Jan 06, 2008  |  0 comments
Ok, I know, that force reference was probably lame even when George Lucas actually was the principal owner in THX. But I'm running out of ways to hype new flat panels!
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Audio Video News
The Unbearable Heaviness of Being HD DVD
SV Staff  |  Jan 06, 2008  |  0 comments
"As you can imagine, this is a tough day for me," said Jodi Sally, VP of Marketing Digital A/V for Toshiba. "I've had better." Sally's better days, to be more specific, were right before last Friday, when Warner Bros....
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CES 2009
Toshiba – Regza
Fred Manteghian  |  Jan 06, 2008  |  0 comments

Regza has been a huge seller for Toshiba, growing their panel business by 350%. Over the last few years. Toshiba will be concentrating on providing solutions between $500 and $2,500 where they think the biggest market exists. Like LG, Toshiba realizes that cosmetic design is key for consumers these days. And to think, we used to put walnut encased CRT tubes in our living rooms. Yeech!

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Audio Video News
Pioneer Stays True to Its Name
SV Staff  |  Jan 06, 2008  |  0 comments
What's this? Pioneer's Kuro line isn't the final word in the blackest TV blacks after all? Not according to Russ Johnston, the company's  executive VP of marketing for Home Entertainment. Pioneer is actually working on a new concept - the...
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If They Called It Mobile-Pedestrian-Handheld, It Wouldn’t Be as Easy to Say
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 06, 2008  |  2 comments
Sure, it’s not as sexy as a 100-inch LCD HDTV that’s only .001-inch thick, but the new MPH in-band mobile digital television (DTV) system is pretty cool if you’re into mobile-pedestrian-handheld TV watching.
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