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Young owl Soren marvels at tales of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, mythic winged warriors who battled to save all owl kind from the evil Pure Ones. When he and brother Kludd fall into the talons of the Pure Ones, it's up to Soren to make a daring escape with the help of other brave owls and seek out the Great Tree, home of the Guardians.

This was one of the best looking animated films on Blu-ray with its 2D release, and the 3D sacrifices nothing in terms of contrast, clarity of depth. The 3D aspect isn’t as aggressive as some of the other titles on the market, but it does add some immersion to the experience. I didn’t see any troubling artifacts such as ghosting or line twitter, and the depth of the 3D presentation adds a lot to the overall dimensionality of the film. The DTS-HD Master Audio mix is also first rate with incredible dynamic range and an immersive sound mix.

Price: $3,300 At A Glance: Vivid picture with outstanding resolution • Solid 3D performance • Skewed color and gamma

3D Pictures, Ultra-Thin HDTV

LEDs and 3D. Add in Internet connectivity, Wi-Fi, and an ultra-thin panel, and you have the mix that matters in today’s HDTV market. That also describes Toshiba’s new 55-inch 55WX800U. Together with its smaller sibling, the 46-inch 46WX800U, it makes up Toshiba’s current 3D lineup.

I normally don't cover smartphones and tablets on UAV, but this is something special that relates to flat-panel TVs and Blu-ray players. At CES this week, Vizio will introduce its own smartphone and tablet, both based on the Android operating system, that incorporate the next generation of Vizio Internet Apps dubbed VIA Plus. In addition, we will see the company's newest LCD TVs and Blu-ray players, also with VIA Plus.

The big news here is the seamless integration of TVs, Blu-ray players, and mobile devices, allowing you to enjoy any available content on whatever device is most suitable for a given situation—you can even start watching something on one device and transition to another device at any point in the program. Not only that, the phone and tablet include an IR blaster and universal-remote app, allowing them to control a home-theater system. Finally, both can play HD video from an HDMI output, which is way cool in my book.

Oh yeah, one more thing—the new TVs and Blu-ray players will incorporate Google TV with Bluetooth QWERTY keyboard/universal remote, Wi-Fi, and Chrome browser. As you may have heard, Google has asked its partners not to tout Google TV at CES because it's not quite ready for prime time, but Vizio has decided to do so anyway. It should be an interesting show!

Price: $3,600 At A Glance: Excellent color and resolution • 2D-to-3D conversion mode • Middling shadow detail and off-axis performance

LCD With a Side of LEDs

When I looked over Sony’s press release at the January 2010 CES, I was a bit confused. There are 10 different 3D sets in Sony’s current lineup. The XBR-LX900 line under review here includes 60- and 52-inch models with LED edge lighting, an integrated 3D sensor, and ships with two pairs of 3D glasses in the box. Other 3D HDTVs in Sony’s other lines include either full-array LED lighting with local dimming or Dynamic Edge LED edge lighting. Sony includes the 3D sensor and glasses with some sets, while they’re extra-cost options with others. Sony offers 3D HDTVs in screen sizes ranging from 40 to 60 inches, but not every 3D line offers all of them.