OK. I wish you a

healthy, happy and successful 2007.

Let’s start this year with a funny film on the Wii and Sony PS3 via enthousiasmeren.

It has a lot of the things from “Hi I am a Mac and I am PC”.

I was not aware that there are already so many of these movies.

Just in time for the holidays, Philips introduced two large-screen flat-panel TV sets — a 47W-inch 1,080p LCD TV and a 63W-inch 768p plasma set.

Both TVs were unveiled at the Electronic Home Expo, and are marketed under the Philips brand.

The 47W-inch 47PF9441D will carry a $2,999 suggested retail price when it ships in December. The 63W-inch 63PF9631D is shipping now at $5,999.

Both sets include Philips’ PixelPlus 3HD video processing circuitry that enhances signals, including high-definition and DVDs. Pixels of an incoming picture are altered to match surrounding pixels in a scene. The effect is said to deliver natural looking skin tones, colors and details.

Additionally, the flat-panel sets offer new styling designs with high-gloss piano black finishes.

The 47PF9441D also features Virtual Dolby Digital surround sound.
Continue reading ‘Just in time for the holidays; Philips 768p LCD TV the 47PF9441D’

Technorati Tags: Philips, 47PF9441D, PixelPlus, Virtual Dolby Digital

Acer has been labeled the first producer of a Viiv-certified LCD TV, which “tests for compatibility of networked media devices with Intel Viiv technology-based PCs while sharing content over a home network.”

The 37-inch, HD-ready AT3705 is marketed as “the first LCD TV that integrates digital TV with media gateway functionality,” and reportedly plays back content such as recorded digital TV broadcasts and “protected media” purchased at content service providers thanks to its support for DTCP-IP (Digital Transmission Content Protection over IP).

Essentially, the set allows seamless playback of protected content stored on Viiv-enabled HTPCs, presumably providing one more headache when trying to watch last week’s OTA HD broadcast of The Office. Regardless, we’re sure the content guardians are lovin’ it, and Acer will gladly take any sort of praise it can get, but we’re not so sure this (yet-to-be-priced) set is as spectacular (or useful) as the firm would lead you to believe.

Formally launched at CES 2006, Viiv is Intel’s integrated solution for bringing added value to Media Center PCs. Does it indeed bring added value? There is, of course, much debate about Viiv but I’ll err on the side of Yes, there is added value (as there is with AMD’s answer to Viiv, AMD Live).

Continue reading ‘Acer’s AT3705 LCD TV with Viiv certification’

Technorati Tags: Acer, Viiv-certified, LCD TV, networked media, Viiv, home network, HD-ready, AT3705

A brand new business, ReviewMe was launched last Thursday November 9th. They use a model to help bloggers monetize their blogs by reviewing various advertisers’ products and services.
This new service comes from Patrick Gavin and Andy Hagans both also at Text Link Ads.

Some important points to remember while using Reviewme.com:

1. Advertisers pay for product reviews ahead of time, with no guarantees that review will be positive
2. The review needs to be a minimum of 200 words and needs to be completed within 48 hours after accepting the offer
3. Bloggers explicitly need to disclose that they are being compensated for their posts.

For more articles and discussion on this new service you can also look at:

• ReviewMe Launches: A Better PayPerPost by Michael Arrington / TechCrunch
• ReviewMe.com Launches With A Model That Makes Sense by Jim Kukral / ReveNews
• ReviewMe Launches by Darren Rowse / ProBlogger

Are online reviews important?
According to Guy Kawasaki online feedback is very important. Guy has written a post on online reviews encouraging companies to embrace online reviews:

• Use reviews to improve your operations. Some negative reviews are off the mark, but most provide at least a kernel of truth about problems in your business. Take steps to fix these problems.
• Encourage your customers to post reviews. Mention these review sites to your regular customers, and tell them how much you would appreciate them posting an honest review about you.
• Use positive reviews in your marketing. Just like a Zagat’s write-up or a newspaper profile, a good online review can be posted in your shop window or on your Web site.

Also another interesting point by Elias Kai from Google-kai

wow, I think you got everyone’s attention, but can you see the balance, will it be positive or negative. Anyway, negative or positive publicity is always a publicity.

And Bob Caswell from Computers.net writes on ProBlogger.net:

What I don’t get is the all or nothing / black and white approach to this new idea. For example, one big complaint is that if most of your reviews are negative, then advertisers will no longer be interested in your site. This could be true but is assuming too much.

First of all, are advertisers going to read through your entire archives to figure out what is positive and what is negative? And it’s as if everyone who signs up with ReviewMe will stop what they were previously doing and only write reviews for ReviewMe. For my part, I post something nearly every day, sometimes multiple times a day. If a paid review with full disclosure is here or there, how would an advertiser know where to look without reading half my blog?

I don’t know if the business plan will work out, but I don’t think it’s fundamentally flawed. I think blogger and advertiser behaviour is hard to define. The results will tell us how it works, not our over-simplified hypothetical’s.

Gene Kavner Former World-Wide Director, Amazon Associates Affiliate Program, 2005-2006.

Bias always exists, whether disclosed or not. Being compensated for the post does not in any way mean that a blogger is not honestly recommending a product they have evaluated and found useful. Just as not disclosing compensation does not automatically dupe the reader, disclosing does not automatically mean the writer is biased. Credibility of the blogger is built on consistent, interesting, thought-provoking perspective, based on months if not years of publishing. If I respect a blogger, I will not mind if he is compensated. And he doesn’t need to tell me. I will trust that this blogger will not want to ruin his reputation which had taken years to build over building bogus positive reviews based solely on getting token compensation paid him by the advertiser.

Elle Brown from Wedaholic just did a paid review via Reviewme.com.

To be honest I was surprised to find a wedding product company wanting a review from my site on day one. I had only just finished writing the review about ReviewMe.com itself!

Well I will just carry on running my blog as normal and see what firstly the reaction is and secondly whether any more advertisers want to appear on the site.

Seems that the only difference between the reviewme model and what has been going on forever is that the reviewer is required to disclose that they got paid. Top reviewers have always gotten paid… they get free gadgets to review. Seems like a free PS3 is worth a heck of a lot more time than a little $30 check.

For $60 you can get the following on LCDs Assistant:

1. You get great exposure on LCDsAssistant.com. Typically it takes 2 -3 days for a post on this blog to be indexed in Google. On many occasions I expect the review to be longer than 200 words (minimum requirement, see above) in order to write a fair review and I prefer to add photographs with the post.
2. An good and honest review of your product or service. Please browse though the archives for my existing reviews to see the standard of writing you find on this weblog.
3. I will end the post with the words “”This is a sponsored review. Please note that this post represents ethical and unbiased review.”. This to avoid any confusion as to whether I am writing the review for fun or if I am receiving money for it.

This is a great opportunity for LCD TVs en Flat TVs and accessories for these TVs, especially new ones, to receive immediate exposure in front of a targeted audience.

P.S. This is a sponsored review. Please note that this post represents an ethical and unbiased review.

Technorati Tags: Reviewme.com, LCD TVs, Flat TVs, sponsored review

No electronic product will be hotter holiday season 2006 than flat screen TVs, partially thanks to continues dropping of the prices (half what they were two years ago). With more and better TVs now available from an ever-growing list of brands. It’s just a great time to purchase a new high-definition LCD or plasma television set.

To help you decide what and when to buy, you can find here some tips that may support you this shopping season.

be price-wise and brand-savvy
The average price for LCD and plasma sets was 22 percent lower this June than it was a year earlier, according to Pacific Media Associates, a research firm that tracks display prices. Competition from lesser-known brands, special promotions, clearance sales on older sets, and price cuts by manufacturers are behind the lower prices.

Smaller manufacturers often use bargain prices to attract buyers, this forces major brands to trim their prices as well. Among the 32-inch LCD HDTVs that did very well in the tests was a Sony model priced at $1,500, competitive with some other major brands. Within that same size grouping, models from Westinghouse and Magnavox did respectably, though not as well as the Sony–but at $1,000 each, they cost considerably less.

Prices could drop even lower in coming months because of promotions tied to the football season, holiday sales, and continued discounting of older models. Some market analysts project that smaller sets could see the biggest price cuts because of oversupply. Quixel Research, a market research firm expects a 20 percent or so drop in LCD and plasma prices by year’s end, with especially good deals on 26- to 37-inch LCD models.

Of course there will always be bigger, better, lower-priced sets on the horizon. You undoubtedly got a lower price and more value than you would have earlier. Shop around for the best deal, and keep your receipt in case you find the set selling for less within a month or so. Often retailers will match the lower price.

for screen size, think big
Plasma sets used to be the only flat-screen TVs larger than 40 inches, but LCDs now come in big sizes too. With the price gap between plasma TVs and big-screen LCD sets narrowing, more buyers are choosing LCDs. Last year, 32-inch screens were the big sellers among LCD TVs, but 37- to 46-inch sets are likely to attract more interest in coming months.

With larger LCD sets posing stiff competition, plasma makers are pushing 50-inch and larger plasma TVs at very attractive prices. But some companies, such as Sony and Mitsubishi, have stopped producing plasma TVs for the consumer market and are focusing on LCD sets.

ConsumerReports says here for the best HD experience, buy as big a screen as your room size and budget allow. Surveys of HDTV owners show that many wish they’d purchased a bigger set. This is also my professional experience. While in the purchasing process, peopple look at their current TV, after a while they wished that would have bought a larger screen.

See Types (available to subscribers) for help choosing between LCD and plasma, then consult the LCD and plasma TV Ratings (available to subscribers) for specific models.

insist on fine performance
LCD and plasma technology have made progress over the past year or so, addressing weaknesses that detracted from picture quality. LCD TVs, for example, have had difficulty producing true black and natural-looking motion with no blurring. They’ve also had a narrower viewing angle than plasma sets. The newest LCD models have improved in those areas. Similarly, the best plasma TVs have added features to minimize distracting reflections and screen burn-in, two issues from the past for plasma technology.

Often customer come up with the old problems of LCDs and-or plasma televisions. Don’t assume that a new LCD or plasma TV has the same problems as an older set of the same brand you may have seen. Both technologies have improved, and LCD is catching up with plasma. The best LCDs score as well as the top plasma TVs.

Consider a 1080p TV
TVs with 1920×1080 native resolution — also called 1080p — are starting to gain momentum. A number of sets of this type are now in stores. More are expected next year. These displays have 1,920 pixels from left to right and 1,080 from top to bottom. They’re the first consumer TVs that can potentially display all the detail in the 1080i signal in most HDTV broadcasts, as well as the 1080p high-def DVDs from Blu-ray and HD-DVD players.

Other big-screen HDTVs top out at 1024×768 or 1366×720 resolution; or labeled as “720p” sets. Their screens contain about half the number of pixels in a 1080p set, so they have to convert 1080i HD signals to a lower resolution. This would mean a drop in the quality of the picture. While a 1080p TV can display more and finer detail than a 720p set, resolution alone doesn’t determine picture quality. Black level, brightness, and color accuracy are just as important. A 720p set that does everything right can have excellent picture quality, but an equally adept 1080p set has the potential to be even better.

The difference is most obvious on large screens and in close viewing. With a 1080p model, you can sit near enough to appreciate the fine detail without seeing the faint grid of pixels. However from a normal viewing distance — about 15 feet or about 4,5 meters from a 42-inch screen, a 1080p set won’t look dramatically better than a good 720p TV. More information on The Best Viewing Distance To Watch A TV From.

Keep in mind that any display device is only as good as the signal it receives. A less-than-pristine cable signal, for example, limits even the best TV.

If you want state-of-the-art technology and potentially the best HD picture quality, buy a 1080p TV. If you simply want fine picture quality and prefer to spend less, opt for a good 720p TV.

think about reliability
With more consumers buying flat-panel TVs, there’s a growing amount of data on reliability, and the news is good: During the first year or two of use, LCD and plasma TVs have been just as reliable overall as traditional TVs, which have historically required very few repairs. Some consumers are opting for LCDs over plasmas for fear that plasma TVs have a shorter life span, but such concern is unwarranted, says Rosemary Abowd of Pacific Media Associates.

The latest product reliability survey of ConsumerReports shows no repair issues during the first year or two of use for LCD TVs from JVC, Panasonic, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba. Dell LCD sets have had higher than average repairs. In plasma, there have been no repair issues for Fujitsu, Hitachi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Sony, or Toshiba. The repair rate for Philips and Vizio plasma sets has been higher than average. At this moment there is not enough data to report on other brands or on long-term reliability for any LCDs or plasmas, according to ConsumerReports.org.

Considering the results of these survey’s an extended warranty generally isn’t worth it. If you are only happy with a peace of mind on possible repairs, it might be worthwhile for you (ConsumerReports: pay no more than 15% of the price of the TV set).

Summary:

• Prices continue to drop, with more volatility expected.
• LCD technology is pulling even with plasma for quality.
• More 40-inch-plus LCD TVs arrive, along with more 50-inch and larger plasma sets.
• 1080p TVs offer higher resolution, at a higher price.
• The surveys of ConsumerReports.org show few repairs so far for many flat-panel brands.

Ready to buy? See our LCD and plasma TV Ratings (available to subscribers yearly subscribtion for $26). Not decided yet? Watch the December report from ConsumerReports, which will have Ratings of more flat panels and other TV types.

Source: ConsumerReports.org

Technorati Tags: flat screen

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd has exhibited its 70-inch full-HD LCD for consumer TVs at Flat Panel Display (FPD) International 2006. It has also showcased advanced mobile displays, including 4.8-inch and 7-inch WVGA screens targeting portable computing, entertainment and communication applications.

The company’s 70-inch LCD panel is said to be the first TV display that can reproduce full HD video images at 120Hz, giving it a technological edge over plasma display panels (PDP). Most LCD panels have a 60Hz refresh rate, which will makes the company’s new 120Hz 70-inch LCD twice as fast as other LCDs available today, providing crystal clear video reproduction well suited for sporting events and other fast-action programming content.

The 70-inch LCD TV panel is being shown in Japan for the first time at this event. The company will begin commercial production of its 70-inch, full-HD LCD panels early next year, accelerating the company’s push into high-volume, large-screen TV markets. The largest full-HD LCD TV panel currently in mass production is 65 inches.

Samsung’s latest LCD panel boasts full high-definition resolution (1080p) and a conical viewing angle of 180 degrees for multi-viewing audiences. In addition, its video signal is reproduced at 120Hz, compared to a video signal of 60 Hz for a conventional Full HD LCD panel, enabling rapidly moving video images to be reproduced with crystal clarity.

Samsung will begin producing the new 70-inch LCD during the first half of 2007, bolstering its position in the ultra-large-screen TV segment. With the introduction of the 70″ LCD TV, the company will be in a position to compete head-to-head with PDP (plasma display panel) and projection TV makers.

Continue reading ‘Samsung Electronics Showcases 70-Inch Full-HD LCD for TVs’

Technorati Tags: Samsung, full-HD

The big display makers are introducing LED, TFT LCD, PDP (plasma display panel) and surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED) technologies and prototypes at FPD International 2006 (October 18-20) in Yokohama, Japan.

Toshiba is showing a 55-inch SED TV, with the product to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2007, sources said.

Hitachi is showing a variety of small- to medium-size TFT LCD panels for portable devices while Citizen, Samsung Electronics and Osram Opto Semiconductors are showing LED backlight unit (BLU) technologies, with Samsung displaying a 40-inch LED-based LCD TV.

Sharp is highlighting a 4096×2160-resolution 64-inch LCD TV. Matsushita Electric Industrial is showing 40- and 50-inch class full high-definition (HD) PDPs while Pioneer is exhibiting a PDP with a contrast ratio of more than 20,000:1.

Nearly 360 companies are showing products at FPD International 2006, compared to 355 in 2005, with special areas dedicated to panel, key component, material, BLU, equipment and OLED, according to the website of the event.

SED TVs are a combination of conventional CRT (cathode-ray tube) televisions and LCDs (liquid-crystal displays). In conventional CRT televisions, an electron gun fires electrons at a phosphor-coated glass divided into pinpoints to create images. The electrons, however, need to disperse in a large vacuum, which is why TV tubes are so large and bulky.

In an SED television, electrons get filtered into an array of thousands of tips only a few nanometers wide, which then deliver electrons to illuminate the screen. As a result, these TVs can be thin, like LCDs or plasmas. Other companies are producing similar televisions in which thousands of carbon nanotubes fire electrons.

Thomson introduced 3 new LCD TVs to complete the Intuiva range. Available in three sizes, namely 27”, 32” and 37”, each one of them is equipped with a TNT decoder.

The three models have multiple multimedia connections; HDMI (HDCP compatible), a USB slot, a multi-reader card with 2 slots that are compatible with CompactFlash, S-Video, VGA…

The panels are HD Ready with WXGA resolution of 1366 × 768.

Priced at:

• 27LB138B5 : 1000€
• 32LB138B5 : 1500€.
• 37LB138B5 : 1600€

Continue reading ‘Thomson 27LB138B5 LCD TV’

Technorati Tags: Thomson, TNT decoder, HDMI

This is great when you want to watch at another picture if you are not watching the television. The IN-VIS-O-TRAK conceals your TV behind the painting.

Max. Lbs. 100
Width 30 to 80 (inches)
Height 11 to 80 (inches)
Depth 6 (inches)

IN-VIS-O-TRAK: At the touch of a hand-held transmitter, you can now conceal and reveal a LCD television behind your favorite painting. No exposed tracks or wiring…opened or closed! Just press the button on the transmitter and your painting will move silently to reveal your TV.

Source: AV Lifts

Installing the MirrorTV from Electric Mirror is a sure way to add modernity and element of luxury to a bathroom. MirrorTV takes part in the new hot trend of integrating vanity mirrors with LCD TV’s. A 1″ thick LCD TV installs flash with the mirror, has a small footprint so it doesn’t obstruct the view, and prevents fogging. You’ll be able to relax in the bathtub while watching your favorite TV channels.

Source: Electric Mirror via Trendir

Technorati Tags: MirrorTV, Electric Mirror, bathroom, LCD TV