Samsung updates their popular LED HDTV product lineup with the introduction of a new flagship series called the 8500 Series. Taking the picture quality and thinness of the previous LED HDTV models, Samsung adds the latest networking technologies as well as new interactive features to the 8500 Series.

The 8500 Series will initially consist of two sizes – a 46 inch model with a suggested price of $3599.99 and a 55 inch model with a suggested price of $4499.99.

If you haven’t seen the Samsung LED HDTV, you really owe it to yourself to see one in person (head over to Best Buy and you’ll typically see several models on display). The product line uses white LEDs as backlight source enabling an incredible 7,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. The colors pop, the details are incredibly sharp.. it’s just a sight to behold.

Other features and specs to the new 8500 Series include:

• 2 ms response time
• Auto Motion Plus frame interpolation – using 240 Hz refresh rate
• Three Auto Motion Plus presets as well as user customizable levels for judder and motion blur reduction
• New Samsung Medi@2.0 suite providing mode content from more sources than before.
• Internet@TV Content service with widgets from Yahoo!
• Touch of Color with Charcoal accents
• Crystal neck swivel stand
• Compatible with ultra-slim wall-mount solution which is sold separately
• Ultra Clear Panel
• Wide Color Enhancer Pro
• Down-firing speakers with integrated woofer (15 watts x 2 in the 55 inch model and 10 watts x 2 in the 46 inch model)
• DLNA- certified for wired and wireless access (USB dongle for wireless sold separately)
• Energy Star 3.0 compliant
• Built-in ATSC/Clear QAM digital tuner
• Picture in picture
• Local dimming
• 4 HDMI (HDMI-CEC) version 1.3 input (side)
• 1 component input in the rear
• 2 USB 2.0 inputs (side)
• 1 Ethernet connection in the rear
• 1 optical audio output in the ide
• 1 PC input in the rear

Expect the new 8500 Series around August/September of this year.

Technorati Tags: Samsung 8500 Series LED HDTV

Hitachi Home Electronics announced yesterday their new LCD HDTV product lineup consisting of two new series – the Hitachi UltraVision Series and the Hitachi Alpha Series.  The Hitachi UltraVision Series comes in screen sizes ranging from 42 inches to 55 inches and has features such as 1080p resolution, 120Hz panel speed, and Hitachi’s Reel120 smooth movie motion technology. The Hitachi Alpha Series has two models at this time (a 32 incher and a 42 incher) and has features such as seven HD inputs with four of them being HDMI connections as well as RGB input for direct PC connectivity. Features aside – the biggest news about these new models? The price. The low end Alpha series has a 32 inch model under $500 dollars. The high end 55 inch model in the UltraVision series comes in at under $1800 dollars. Very nice!

Hitachi UltraVision Series

Common features and specs for the UltraVision lineup include:

• 1920 x 1080 resolution
• Five (4 on the 42 inch model) HDMI inputs
• x.v. Color and Deep Color support
• ENERGY STAR qualified
• Preprogrammed Remote
• SRS TruSurround HD
• Power Off Timer
• Intelligent Light Sensor
• Lockable Picture Settings
• 120Hz refresh rate
• 7 aspect modes and auto zoom
• ATSC/NSTC/QAM tuner
• 24 W Stereo Sound
• 2 Wideband component inputs
• 2 composite video inputs
• 2 S-Video inputs
• 1 PC input
• 1 PC audio input
• 1 RF antenna input
• 1 Optical output
• 1 USB input for software upgrades

The three UltraVision models are the

• UltraVision 55-inch Class L55S603 – available in September $1799
• UltraVision 46-inch Class L46S603 – available in August $1299
• UltraVision 42-inch Class L42S503 – available in June $999

Hitach Alpha Series

Moving to the Alpha lineup, here are the common features and specs:

• 1920 x 1080 resolution
• Four HDMI inputs
• ENERGY STAR qualified
• SRS TruSurround HD
• Anti-glare screen
• ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuner
• 4 aspect modes
• Custom input labels
• 24 W stereo sound
• 2 wideband component inputs
• 2 composite video inputs
• 2 S-video inputs
• 1 PC input
• 1 PC audio input
• 1 Optical output
• 1 headphone

The two Alpha models are the:

• Alpha Series 42-inch Class L42A403 – available in May $849
• Alpha Series 32-inch Class L32A403 – available in May $499

Technorati Tags: Hitach UltraVision Series, Hitach Alpha Series, HDTV, LCD HDTV Sets

First quarter 2009 numbers are in and it appears LCD TV shipment numbers rebounded nicely from a dismal fourth quarter of 2008 as consumers went after sales and low-cost vendors. In a report from DisplaySearch, overall LCD TV sales rose 23% year over year – in large part to aggressive price cuts and the liquidation of Circuit City. Along the way, premium brands such as Sony and Samsung gave way to inexpensive brands such as Vizio which rose to the top of the shipments list – rising from 13% unit share to 19% unit share during the quarter. 

Premium brands fared better when consumers looked for advanced features or for larger displays – 40 inches or higher. Here are other interesting tidbits from the report:

• While North American sales rose year over year, they actually fell 18% from Q4 sales because of “seasonal effects”
• 32 inch LCD TVs were a bright spot – rising 41% year over year
• 40+ inch LCD TVs saw no growth from Q1 of 2008
• Plasma TV shipments fell 50% quarter over quarter and 5% year over year

Here are the top brands in the North American LCD TVs:

1. Vizio at 18.9 %
2. Samsung at 17.4 %
3. Sony at 14.5 %
4. Funai at 8.5 %
5. Sharp at 7.9 %

Top brands in the North American Plasma TV space:

1. Panasonic at 38.7 %
2. Samsung at 27 %
3. LGE at 11.9 %
4. Vizio at 7.2 %
5. Snayo at 7.1 %

Overall leaders in North American flat panel unit shares are:

1. Samsung at 18.2 %
2. Vizio at 17.9 %
3. Sony at 13.2 %
4. LGE at 8.1 %
5. Funai at 7.8%

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: LCD TV shipments, Vizio, Samsung, Sony

I just noticed that Samsung’s newest LED HDTV sets with Yahoo/Intel Widget Channel technology is now available over at Onecall.com. We first saw these widget enabled HDTV sets over at CES 2009 and it’s exciting to see them available to consumers now. The widget-enabled LED TVs include the new Series 8 and Series 7 product lineups with the largest display measuring 55 inches. (The series 6 LED TVs that you’re seeing all over Best Buy do not have the widget support built-in)

Onecall currently offers the UN55B7000 for $3199 and the UN55B800 for $3599. As I said back then – my next large-screen HDTV set will be a widget-enabled display.. no doubt about it. Why? It’s cool. Ha.

Technorati Tags: Samsung LED HDTV, Widget LCD HDTV

If you’re into plasma panels then you’ll want to check out the upcoming Panasonic TC-P54Z1 (otherwise known as the Z1) – the company’s most advanced plasma HDTV model to date. First off, the unit comes with a 54 inch panel, and features a form factor that measures a mere one inch thick. Other slick capabilities include:

• 40,000:1 contrast ratio
• Neo PDP panel technology
• Swivel table stand
• Digital Cinema Color gamut
• THX certification
• 1080 lines of horizontal resolution
• 24 Hz Cinematic Playback
• Built-in speakers

The Z1 is also great for those of you into mounting displays on the wall. The system features a wireless HDMI solution thanks to a bundled transmitter/receiver system. The transmitter box has a built in SD card reader and supports VIERA Link Internet.

According to HD Guru, the TC-P54Z1 will be shipping in June for a price of $5999.95.

[Check it out via DVICE.com]

Technorati Tags: Panasonic Z1, Panasonic TC-P54Z1, Plasma TV

Sony expands their BRAVIA LCD HDTV lineup with the announcement of the new BRAVIA W-Series of LCD HDTVs. The new models feature full HD 1080p resolutions and built-in Ethernet connectivity allowing users access to Sony’s BRAVIA Internet Video content which includes selections from partners such as Amazon Video On Demand, YouTube, Yahoo!, Sony Pictures, Sony Music, etc. Oh and yes, the W-Series supports widgets thanks to the inclusion of Yahoo’s Widget Engine. This means you’ll be able to track sports scores, view stock prices, read news content, and interact with Internet content all while viewing television content.

Other features on the W-Series include:

• Motionflow 120Hz technology
• Sony BRAVIA Engine 3 for clear picture
• DLNA compliant allowing users easy access to multimedia content stored on PCs or DLNA servers on the network
• USB input
• 24p True Cinema support
• XrossMediaBar (XMB) with enhanced 3D favorites menu
• Internet powered TV Guide
• BRAVIA Sync support
• BRAVIA Link Compatibility
• 4 HDMI inputs

The W-Series will initially consist of three models – the 52-inch KDL-52W5100, 46-inch KDL-46W5100 and 40-inch KDL-40W5100 – all of which will come out this spring.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Sony BRAVIA W-Series LCD HDTV sets, Sony

ViewSonic announced two new displays today – the CD4230 ultra-thin bezel commercial display and the VTMS2431 LCD HDTV with multimedia support. Both panels will join ViewSonic’s digital signage family and will be on display at the Digital Signage Expo. Here’s what you need to know about each model:

ViewSonic CD4230:

• Measures 13.77m thin
• 42 inch commercial display
• 500 nits of brightness
• 1500:1 contrast ratio
• RS-232 daisy chain capable
• DVI and VGA port
• VESA mount compatible with carrying handles

ViewSonic VTMS2431:

• ViewSonic’s first LCD HDTV with internal media player
• 24 inch display
• 1080p resolution
• Integrated ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuner
• USB port
• RS-232 port allows users to control it remotely

Now as far as availability is concerned, both panels will be coming out in the second quarter with the CD4230 priced at around $1999 and the VTMS2431 priced at $449.

Technorati Tags: ViewSonic, CD4230, VTMS2431

Remember that crazy Philips Cinema 21:9 LCD TV announced at the end of January? You know – the one that has an aspect ratio that closely mirrors today’s movie aspect ratios (otherwise known as anamorphic format)? Well there’s now a date and price for this display – at least for residents of the UK. According to SlashGear over the weekend, the 52 inch Cinema 21:9 will be coming out in June for a price of €4000 (£3535/$5044). That’s certainly more expensive than comparable 52 inch panels out there.. but then again, how many other panels can claim a 21:9 aspect ratio? Yeah.. none whatsoever (yet the real question is – will anyone outside of movie enthusiasts really care?)

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Philips, Cinema 21:9 LCD TV

I can’t believe I nearly forgot what today was supposed to be. After all, it’s February 17th – the day we as a country was supposed to switch from analog television to digital television. Alas thanks to millions of procrastinators located both in Washington and in households around the country, the official switchover date was pushed off till June 12th. 

Yet despite the switchover delay, over 600 TV stations across the country will still go forward with the transition tonight – turning off their analog transmissions and switching to digital. To them we say – “GOOD FOR YOU!” If you live in a major city like I do, you probably won’t see any changes from your local stations. Of course if you get your television from cable, satellite, or phone, then you won’t be affected by this at all.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Digital TV, Analog Digital switch,

So you have a standard 16:9 aspect ratio HDTV set and you’re enjoying the latest episode of American Idol in HD which nicely fills the screen from edge to edge. Then you pop in a copy of Transformers in Blu-ray and you’re bugged that the film doesn’t fill the entire display. Why?  Because Transformers is shown in anamorphic widescreen or 2.35:1 aspect ratio. So what do you do? You can always try and zoom in or scale the picture to fit the screen but you’ll either lose other data or distort the resulting picture.

Philips has a better idea – why not create a widescreen display that closely matches the anamorphic format? That’s exactly what they did in creating the new Cinema 21:9 display – a display that closely matches the 2.35:1 aspect ratio found in most movies today (it’s just slightly off). The Cinema 21:9 display measures a large 56 inches and features three-sided Ambilight Spectra technology which illuminates the background edges to match the content being displayed.

Oh and what about 4:3 and 16:9/16:10 content? According to the Philips press release, the content will be stretched or “adapted” to fill the 21:9 screen. Personally, I’d rather see it presented in the original aspect ratio and suffer through vertical black bars. Can’t win it all can we?

The Cinema 21:9 LCD TV will be available this spring.

[Check it out via CrunchGear]

Technorati Tags: Philips, Cinema 21:9 LCD TV