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HD Penetration Reaches 60 Percent, but 3DTVs Still Lukewarm[teaser]Despite the growing number of 3D televisions hitting shelves, interest is low. [/teaser] If you're still not excited about the prospect of 3D television you're not alone. A recent poll by the Leichtman Research Group revealed that only eight percent of respondents were at all interested in buying a 3D TV. HD penetration has shown marked improvement over the last five years though, coming to a total of 60 percent of homes in 2010. In fact, 26 percent of homes are equipped with multiple HD sets. A promising 18 percent of people said that they're planning on buying a new TV in the next year, which could be very good for 3D TV manufacturers if leveraged properly. "With modest consumer demand for 3D-capable TVs, the potential growth of 3DTV will rely on a continued push of 3DTV by manufacturers and retailers," says head researcher Bruce Leichtman. Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Thu Dec 30, 2010 at 11:00 AM PST by: -
LG Launching a 65 Inch Passive Tech 3D TV[teaser]Vizio's not the only company with cinema style 3D. [/teaser] The first, and most obvious advantage to going with a 3D television that's equipped to work with the same passive glasses used in movie theaters is that the glasses themselves are dirt cheap. Twenty guys coming over for the Super Bowl? No problem. The other advantage that we're excited to test for ourselves is an apparent flicker free 3D image. The set has been certified by TUV and Intertek, but it's really the sort of thing you'll want to see for yourself. LG says the new set provides brighter and clearer images than the competition. "With the introduction of our innovative CINEMA 3D TV, LG is setting another standard for 3D entertainment," says Havis Kwan, president of LG's Home Entertainment division. "For consumers who want to enjoy cinema-quality 3D at home with their family and friends, LG is now making that possible. Source: eCousticsPosted Thu Dec 30, 2010 at 09:00 AM PST by: -
Netflix is the Most Popular Service on Connected TVs[teaser]The paid service is used far more frequently than even YouTube. [/teaser] Connected televisions are incredibly cool and provide users with myriad options for getting their content. Of course, out of all those options only one seems to be essential. While Blockbuster on Demand, Amazon on Demand and CinemaNow are present on a wide range of sets, it's Netflix that leads the way. A massive 57 percent of connected TV owners say that they're using Netflix on their connected TVs. What's particularly interesting is that the free video service YouTube is only utilized by 47 percent of connected TV owners. Music and photos were combined into one category for the poll and showed a 54 percent usage. "Manufacturers are underselling the Internet features of connected TV," says the NPD Group's Ross Rubin. "Broadband features unlock worlds of on-demand content; manufacturers should provide the key by integrating Wi-Fi." Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Thu Dec 30, 2010 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
Boxee Box Sales Better Than Expected[teaser]The device will launch in more markets next year. [/teaser] There was a huge buildup to the Boxee Box, but the launch of Google TV and Apple TV so close to the device's delayed release seemed to spell doom for the Box. It's a much less recognizable name, after all, and it's not exactly traditional in terms of style. That didn't stop Boxee though. According to D-Link, the maker of the Box itself, sales have been better than originally anticipated. "Sales volumes of Boxee Boxes are frequently in excess of stock volumes and therefore clients have placed many additional orders," said a company representative. Currently the Boxee Box is available only online, but D-Link plans to change that with a possible Best Buy launch coming in the near future. We don't yet know how the troubled Google TV may fit into this situation yet. The Box will also be launching in China, Taiwan and other Asia Pacific countries as well as the Middle East in 2011. The company expects 100,000 more Boxes to sell next year. Source: DigiTimesPosted Wed Dec 29, 2010 at 11:00 AM PST by: -
Sears and Kmart Team for Internet Streaming Service[teaser]The companies are working on a roll-out to make the service available on different devices. [/teaser] The streaming game is big, and its only just begun. Companies from all walks are jumping into it, including Best Buy, OnLive, and now Sears. Sears and Kmart launched their new movie service Alphaline this week. Alphaline is a combined effort with Sonic Solutions and is on the same Roxio platform as many others. Using the service you'll be able to rent and buy HD movies for viewing. Now that the service has launched, there need to be devices out there that can use it. That's not far in the future, according to Sears. "We'll continue to increase the reach and flexibility of the Alphaline Entertainment service," says Sears and Kmart president Karen Austin, "by providing consumers on-demand access to the latest entertainment from a range of home and mobile electronics." You can check out the new service for yourself at Alphaline. Source: PR NewswirePosted Wed Dec 29, 2010 at 09:00 AM PST by: -
Samsung is Prepping a 23mm Ultra-Thin 3D Blu-ray Player[teaser] Samsung says it's the thinnest 3D player in the world. [/teaser] If there's one thing the folks at Samsung love more than 3D - and they sure do love 3D - it's thin electronics (1D?). They constantly push for the slimmest TVs, phones, computers, and even Blu-ray players. At this year's Consumer Electronics show it seems Samsung will be unveiling their thinnest yet, coming in at just 23mm, or just under an inch. It's not just any player either, Samsung 's thin new beauty is a 3D player. One point of interest is that Samsung's new player is side-loading according to pictures released by the company. While it might help with the slim design, that might bode ill for the functionality of the player. Sadly, that's all we know about the new player for now. Further details, pricing and launch information are all expected at CES in early January. Source: PC World (via Engadget)Posted Wed Dec 29, 2010 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
Blu-ray Sales Up, DVD Sales Down[teaser]The Blu-ray format got a nice boost this holiday season and is projected to shoot even higher. [/teaser] Blu-ray adaption hasn't exactly been quick. It's definitely not as quick as the switch from VHS to DVD, which is the most obvious point of comparison. Analysts say Blu-ray is unlikely to share the success of its predecessor, but it's getting close. "Blu-ray is on the brink of becoming really mainstream," says Nash Information Services head Bruce Nash. Blu-ray movie sales were up a whopping 75 percent year-to-year, with an expected $2 billion run this year. DVD sales are down significantly, finishing at $8 billion. Blu-ray players are equally promising, 13 percent of homes were equipped with Blu-ray going into the holiday season, but once the gifts are given the NPD expects 20 percent. Source: Wall Street JournalPosted Tue Dec 28, 2010 at 09:00 AM PST by: -
Pioneer Ships 3D Blu-ray Players[teaser]Announced back at CEDIA, Pioneer's 3D Blu-ray players are shipping now. [/teaser] A few months back, Pioneer announced its foray into 3D Blu-ray players with the BDP-430 and a pair of Elite models, the BDP-41FD and BDP-43FD. Today those players are ready to ship. The BDP-430 comes in at $299 and offers, of course, the ability to play back 3D Blu-ray discs. It's not a one trick pony though, Pioneer has also equipped it with Netflix, YouTube and Pandora streaming capabilities. You can go wireless with it too, but you'll need an adapter that's sold separately. Pioneer's BDP-41FD offers the same features as the non-Elite version, but adds an RS-232 port for custom installation controls. You can pick it up for $399. At the high end is the BDP-43FD, which upgrades the player to an armored chassis with a center loading tray, shock absorbers and an insulating plate to help keep both vibrations and electrical interference out. It also boasts upgraded internals, like gold plated HDMI terminals. Source: PioneerPosted Tue Dec 28, 2010 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
Rumor: Logitech Temporarily Suspends Revue Production[teaser]Like everyone who already bought one, they're waiting for an update to Google TV. [/teaser] Google TV's launch was less than spectacular, especially considering all of the powerful companies that got behind it. It seemed so promising, but fell short of expectations. Google is working on an update that should make a big difference to customers, but until then it looks like Logitech is shutting things down. In fact, according to DigiTimes, Logitech ordered a shutdown of Revue production earlier this month. The company was expecting around 500,000 units sold by the end of 2010, but if production has indeed shut down, it's clear that they're falling very short of that mark. Since the Google TV update - originally expected to be launched in time for the Consumer Electronics Show in January - is now coming later, it's unclear what to expect from any of the companies involved. Source: DigiTimesPosted Mon Dec 27, 2010 at 04:00 PM PST by: -
New Google TV Facing Delays Due to Poor Reviews[teaser]The new version of the platform will not be at CES as expected. [/teaser] When it was first announced, Google TV sounded amazing. A few big companies like Sony, Intel and Google all pushing the streaming option could have been great, but things didn't go quite as well as expected. In response to the lukewarm launch, Google has been working on a revamped version of the Google TV platform which was expected to debut at CES this year. As it turns out, the new software won't be ready and Google has asked tech companies to delay their introductions. We've heard rumors of a Samsung Google TV for this year's Consumer Electronics Show, as well as Google TV sets from Vizio and Toshiba. That's a big chunk of the HDTV market that's forced to delay its plans on account of Google, and that can't make them happy at all. Source: The New York TimesPosted Thu Dec 23, 2010 at 09:00 AM PST by:
