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Panasonic's Pure Line of TVs Features Luminescent Frames[teaser]Sadly, they don’t actually change color, but the new frames are still slick! [/teaser] Panasonic's new Pure Line isn't going to blow your mind with its included features, and its LED edge lighting isn't anything new for a smaller TV. Where Panasonic hopes to amaze you is in the frame. Unlike the traditional TV frame – a black box surrounding the screen – Panasonic Pure televisions feature luminescent frames that bring a new look to televisions. You can get them in purple, silver or white, and thanks to the design, you'll get slightly different colors depending on your in-room lighting. The sets are available in sizes from 19 inches on up to 37, which means they're able to fulfill a variety of purposes. Valuing style over functionality may not make sense for your main television, but if you've got something sitting in the kitchen or bedroom, it might just be the thing you want. The Pure line is shipping now in Europe, but there's no word on when the sets will hit the states. Source: Trusted ReviewsPosted Thu Sep 16, 2010 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
Toshiba Intros New TV Lines – One 3D[teaser]The WX800 Cinema Series marks Toshiba's first entry to the world of 3D. [/teaser] Toshiba is coming to the 3D game about a year later than most, but the company is hoping that its WX800 line is going to turn some heads. The WX800 is a pretty slick set, featuring built in WiFi, ClearFrame 240Hz technology, and a 7,000,000:1 contrast ratio. It can stream from Netflix, download from Vudu and check in with Facebook, but it's the 3D functionality that's really interesting. The WX800 can handle a variety of 3D formats, and thanks to a tech called 3D Resolution+, you'll be getting a nice crisp picture. You can pick up the 55 inch version of the WX800 for $3,299 while the 46 inch model comes in at $2,599. If you're not looking for a 3D set, there's the WX700. Like the 3D version, the WX700 includes advanced controls for video – including color and gamma settings. It's got the same built in WiFi capabilities, as well as the Netflix, Vudu, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter functionality. The biggest difference, aside from the lack of 3D, is the size. You'll be getting a slimmer set with a flush front, creating a seamless bezel. The WX700 comes in at $2,799 for the 55 inch set and $2,299 for 46 inches. Source: PR NewswirePosted Thu Sep 16, 2010 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
LG Launches a 15 Inch OLED in Europe[teaser]Sadly, it doesn't look like we'll be seeing a US release anytime soon. [/teaser] LG's 15EL9500 probably isn't something a lot of people would be willing to shell out for. Sure, the OLED screen would look fantastic in the kitchen or bedroom, but $2,300 is a lot to ask for 15 inches of television. But just because we wouldn't buy it doesn't mean we don't want the option. As far as these things go, the 15EL9500 is a pretty slick little television. It's capable of showing HD pictures thanks to a 1366 x 768 resolution, and it's got a ridiculous 10,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. It also sports TruMotion 100Hz – the PAL equivalent of TruMotion 120Hz. The 15EL9500 comes in at 3.2mm thick, and with a 15.1 inch screen. It includes a few different audio technologies to boost sound quality, and can display 24p for Blu-rays. All in all, not a bad little set. The new set is available now in Europe, but no US release date has been mentioned. Source: eCousticsPosted Wed Sep 15, 2010 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
Veebeam Intros a Wireless PC to TV Solution[teaser]Veebeam's $99 streaming solution is cheap and simple. [/teaser] The press release for the Veebeam is a bit confusing. It calls the device a media player, but that's not really what it is. The Veebeam is a simple way to send video and audio signals from your laptop to your television without the need for wires. It's simple enough to use – plug the antenna into your PC or laptop and plug the receiver into your TV. From there, your TV will see everything your laptop sees. There are two modes for streaming, one which promises higher video quality and the other which presumably eliminates any delay so websites can be browed without issue. You'll get video up to 1080p with Veebeam, and thanks to the wireless USB connection, you won't have to worry at all about WiFi hookups or interference. You can pick up the Veebeam now through the company itself at a price of $99. Source: PR NewswirePosted Wed Sep 15, 2010 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
LG Announces World's Largest LED Backlit TV[teaser]At 72 inches, the LEX9 is huge, feature packed, and 3D capable. [/teaser] There's a world that exists past sixty inches. It's a world dominated by DLP televisions and all types of projectors. It's not a place where LCD sets go often, but LG is going there in a very big way. The LEX9, LG's recently announced LED backlit LCD set, comes in at a massive 72 inches. It's the largest LED LCD in the world, and by default that makes it the largest 3D LED LCD in the world as well. It sports TruMotion 400Hz that helps to eliminate screen blur and makes sure 3D is nice and easy to watch. LG's LEX9 sports the familiar Infinia design – it's incredibly thin and features a narrow bezel. It's also equipped with everything you'd expect from a high end LG set, like DLNA compliance and NetCast functionality. There's no word on pricing yet, but we'll certainly find out more before the LEX9 is released in the spring of 2011. Source: eCousticsPosted Wed Sep 15, 2010 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
LG Intros Home Theater Systems and a Blu-ray Sound Bar[teaser]There's a huge range, from the standard to the dazzling. [/teaser] LG's got plenty to talk about these days, including three new home theater and speaker systems. There's a pretty big range in the products, starting at the low end with a 3D Blu-ray sound bar. The LG HLX55W is an interesting case. It's a fairly traditional sound bar, with the exception of the built-in Blu-ray player. The player is mounted in the direct center of the bar and discs are inserted vertically. It's an interesting concept, but it just seems like trouble, especially once those speakers get turned up to 10. LG's HX995TZ is about as traditional as it gets. It's a home theater system that includes four floorstanding speakers, a Blu-ray player and a wireless subwoofer. Strangely, the Blu-ray player is designed to sit or mount vertically, an idea that LG seems to be really into. It doesn't come with a vertically mounted Blu-ray player, but the HX900 is the most interesting new system from LG, at least in terms of design. The package consists of four floorstanding speakers and one center channel , all designed to create a 3D soundstage. The vertical element is created by sending sound out through the tops of the slick looking floorstanding speakers – certainly one of the more interesting speaker sets we've seen recently. Source: eCousticsPosted Tue Sep 14, 2010 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
The Boxee Box is Now Available for Preorder[teaser]There's some pricing confusion and a change in specs, but the Boxee Box is finally available to preorder. [/teaser] The long awaited Boxee Box is finally available to preorder on Amazon, but there's a little bit of confusion about the price. The preorder states a price of $229, which is higher than we've been led to believe. To make it even stranger, the press release from D-Link states that the Box will sell at "an average street price of $199 in North America," which seems to mean that preordering the unit will actually cost you more than just buying it outright in November. The press release also revealed a change in hardware from Nvidia's Tegra 2 chip to the Intel Atom CE4100. According to Engadget, the change was made because the Tegra 2 wasn't able to handle H.264 encoding. Aside from the strange price discrepancy and the upgrade in hardware, the Boxee Box is everything you've come to expect. Edit: The pricing error has been fixed and the Boxee Box is now available for $199 on Amazon Source: AmazonPosted Tue Sep 14, 2010 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
LG Unveils a 31 Inch OLED[teaser]Surprise – it looks amazing. [/teaser] LG showed off a 31 inch OLED television over the weekend, and it's no surprise that the set is absolutely stunning. It's capable of producing all existing colors and according to LG it can handle the gamut of dark colors regardless of your viewing angle. The new TV sports what LG is calling Infinite Contrast Ratio. It's a bit silly, but it does finally put the nail in the coffin of the contrast ratio wars, unless Samsung's new LED LCDs come with Infinite Contrast Ratio +1. LG's 3D capable OLED comes with a fancy mounting bracket, a cool design and measures in at 2.9 mm thick. It's all very impressive as you might imagine. While making bigger and better OLED sets is exciting, the real winner is going to be the company that makes OLEDs cheap enough that the average consumer can shell out for them. Sadly, it doesn't look like LG's model will pull that off. Source: eCousticsPosted Tue Sep 14, 2010 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
Panasonic Adds Netflix to Viera Cast[teaser]Only Viera Cast enabled TVs and Blu-ray players from 2010 on will get the feature.[/teaser] Other companies have been on top of this for quite some time now, but it looks like Panasonic has finally jumped on the Netflix wagon. All of Panasonics Viera Cast enabled televisions and Blu-ray players made in 2010 are now able to access Netflix. "The addition of Netflix to our 2010 VIERA CAST offerings now gives consumers access to the leading online movie subscription service," says Panasonic VP Merwan Mereby. "The features now available on VIERA CAST provide consumers with access to a wide range of the leading entertainment and interactive sites which allow them to enjoy high definition movies and connect directly with family and friends right from their HDTV in the comfort of their own living room." The update should be live now on all VT20, VT25, G25 and G20 televisions as well as the BDT100, BDT300, BDT350, BD65, BD75 and BD70V Blu-ray players. The portable B500 is also included, which is a nice bit of extra functionality for a portable player. Source: PanasonicPosted Mon Sep 13, 2010 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
Motorola Intros A Few Slick New Remotes[teaser] One uses super capacitors, the other has a handy QWERTY board on one side, and a normal one on the other. [/teaser] Remotes aren't usually something to get excited about, but the new gear rolling out from Motorola is definitely worth mentioning. If you're a cable subscriber, you've probably got a Motorola box and a Motorola remote, which makes the company's new offerings particularly significant. The NYXboard is a QWERTY remote that's designed to work well with both traditional television viewing habits and web based services. On one side, it's a full QWERTY remote, and on the other it’s a standard TV remote. Sensors inside the remote will detect which side is up and activate those buttons accordingly. NYXgreen is more high tech, and a bit less likely to end up coming with your cable box. Thanks to the inclusion of super capacitors the NYXgreen remote excels in battery life. Give it a USB port and 60 seconds to charge and the remote will last a full week. The NYXboard seems like a likely inclusion with set-top boxes in the future, but the NYXgreen will be geared towards hotels. Next up for Motorola, apparently, is a remote that runs on an algae battery – no kidding. Source: Sys-ConPosted Mon Sep 13, 2010 at 09:00 AM PDT by:
