LATEST ADDITIONS

Tom Norton  |  Jan 06, 2008  |  First Published: Jan 07, 2008

The crowds were overflowing at the Samsung press event. We couldn't even get in. But according to Samsung's press kit the company will be releasing a new dedicated Blu-ray player, the BDP-1500, in June. Reportedly, it can output both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio in bitstream form. (Ditto for DTS-HD High Resolution as well—though we are unaware of any Blu-ray discs that use this audio format.)

Tom Norton  |  Jan 06, 2008  |  First Published: Jan 07, 2008

Blame Sony's Chief Boss Howard Stringer for commenting that OLED sounds like a Norse god. But it's not. It's an ultra flat display technology with an inherently outstanding black level. Last year, Sony showed a number of small 11-inch models, together with a slightly larger prototype. The display was essentially the same this year, except that the design has been refined and the 11-incher is actually on sale now for $2500. OLED is currently expensive to manufacturer in larger screen sizes, and reportedly has a shorter life than LCD and plasma displays. But the pictures on these small screens sure looked fantastic.

Adrienne Maxwell  |  Jan 06, 2008  |  First Published: Jan 07, 2008
We keep hearing that direct movie downloads are the way of the future. The question is, how much are people willing to spend right now for a set-top box that lets them download movies without a computer? The $399 VUDU, on display at last night's Digital Experience event, can store about 100 hours of movie content, which you can rent or buy from the company's online catalog of about 5,000 movies. Most of the current downloads are available at DVD quality, but the company is adding HD downloads to its repertoire and plans to offer 70 HD-quality films by the end of January. The player can output up to 1080p/24 through its HDMI connection, and it’s not too hard on the eyes either, with a glossy black case and matching remote. There are no activation or subscription fees; you can rent new HD releases for $5.99 and classic HD films for $3.99.
Fred Manteghian  |  Jan 06, 2008  |  First Published: Jan 07, 2008

Sharp's newly announced Ethernet equipped LCD panels, like their top of the line SE94, provide customized Web-based content to their owner. In addition, Sharp technicians would have real time access to your TV for support situations or, well, if you were watching a ball game that was blacked out in their area. Sharp says there will be no subscription fees or ad-support requirements.

Adrienne Maxwell  |  Jan 06, 2008  |  First Published: Jan 07, 2008
Sony's press conference. Somewhere out there, Sir Howard Stringer is announcing the release of the XEL-1, an 11-inch-diagonal OLED TV that's just 3mm thick. The XEL-1 sports two HDMI inputs and a MemoryStick slot for photo viewing, and it's available now for the wee little asking price of $2,500.
Adrienne Maxwell  |  Jan 06, 2008
Ah, there they are. A much better view of the XEL-1. The new OLED TV offers more than just a sleek form factor. The picture quality was impressive. We can’t wait to get our hands on one.
Adrienne Maxwell  |  Jan 06, 2008
Sony also showed off a prototype of a 27-inch OLED TV measuring just 10mm thick.
SV Staff  |  Jan 06, 2008
Despite the air being sucked out of the room by the HD-DVD presentation that kicked-off today's Toshiba's CES press conference (you'll recall Warner just dumped Tosh's HD DVD format for Blu-ray), there was one non-HD-DVD nugget of information that...
SV Staff  |  Jan 06, 2008
“A TV designed by women, for women.” While that isn’t exactly what Philips said at their CES press conference today, it might as well have been. What they did say about their new Aurea set is that it has “feminine lines” and is designed to...
SV Staff  |  Jan 06, 2008
When you're Harmony, the world's leading manufacturer of universal remote controls, what do you do for an encore to replace your best selling model ever? You start by listening to what your legion of satisfied customers and loyal dealers have to...

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