Digital TV Transition Moved to 2009
Atleast one of the writers on Gizmodo is upset as the adoption of digital television has been shifted from 2006 to 2009 (maybe).
What’s wrong with this country? What, a digital TV isn’t good enough for you? DIsappointing, that’s what you are. Now it looks like the 2006 cutoff date for broadcasters to finally shut off their analog signals and only broadcast digital (hopefully high definition) has been delayed. Actually, the law says “either December 31, 2006 or when 85 percent of the television audience can receive digital, whichever comes later.” So, thanks a bunch. Enjoy that tube TV from 1985 you’re watching.
Food for Thought on French Television
I know this is not a television or even about tv technology, but I thought it was important to post this news that I found on the Australian Financial Review website:
In a nation where school cafeterias routinely offer five-course meals that include cassoulet and camembert along with daily dinner menu tips, nutrition is emerging as a bittersweet issue of liberte to indulge.
France is preparing to become the first country to impose mandatory health messages on all television and radio advertisements that promote processed food next year - to the consternation of a complex circle of advertisers, manufacturers and media companies.
And the nation is pushing ahead as other pressures are intensifying. Other countries are reviewing television advertising standards, while the European Union is prodding food manufacturers to develop a code of self-regulation to confront rising obesity rates among adults and children.
Sweden and Norway ban children’s advertising on local television, although viewers can still see commercials from other countries on cable and satellite channels. But recently a wave of other countries started taking small steps to control and limit food advertising, particularly commercials aimed at children.
Sharp Aquos LC-45GX6U Reviewed
PC Magazine has a review up of the Aquos LC-45GX6U. It is a 45 inch LCD TV and earned 4 out of a possible 5 stars at PC Magazine.
Engadget’s look at the review:
It may not be perfect, but Sharp’s “world’s largest LCD” 45-inch Aquos LC-45GX6U was good enough for PC Magazine to give it four stars and an Editor’s Choice ranking. The reviewer found that the display had “impressive resolution in a user-friendly design” and crowned it “the best-performing big-screen LCD HDTV you can purchase today.” The LC-45GX6U is a 1080p set, with inputs for DVI, HDMI and Firewire, HD tuner, a PC Card slot, an 800:1 contrast ratio and a street price of about $4,000—totally doable.
LG Adds 37-inch and 42-inch
Two new high-end LCD TV’s coming to the market from LG.
A 37-inch (37LP1R), and a 42-inch (42LP1R) television has been put out in the Taiwan market.
The smaller is worth $2,883 US and the larger comes in at $5,659 US.
Both models feature a native resolution of 1366×768, a contrast ratio of 1200:1 and a viewing angle of 178 degrees.
Toshiba Launches New HDTVs
Gizmodo is all happy as another High Definition television has been announced as coming soon to the marketplace.
I think they are more excited that there are many coming, rather than being excited about this particular model, but here are some of the details from Gizmodo on the TV’s:
Hot diggity, it is a HDTV release fiesta today! Boy, we’re excited! First Dell, now Toshiba has announced three new HDTV’s. These TV’s come with a built-in digital TV tuner, each one has two HDMI slots and they all look generally sexy overall. The sizes available will be 32”, 37”, and 42”. Prices will begin around $2,500 for the 32” and go upwards of $4,800 for the 42”. Nice TV’s, not so nice prices.
New HDTVs from Dell
It looks like Dell is going to release some new high definition displays and PC Mag has the details on them.
The smaller of the two runs in at 32″ and is an LCD TV. IT has a 1000:1 contrast ratio, and 16ms response time.
The other is a 50″ plasma display with a 8000:1 aspect ratio. Both televisions have a stand, and speakers.The 32″ LCD TV, better known as the W3201C will retail for $1,799, and the Plasma, a.k.a. the W5001C, will retail for $3,799.
Claro TV: 102-inch glass screen
Engadget has the details on what could possibly be one of the best home entertainment projection systems on the market today.
Take one of the best LCD projectors you can find, and instead of projecting onto a wall or screen, use a piece of custom-milled toughened glass in sizes up to 102-inches, coated with translucent holographic film. The result is the Claro TV, which can be wall-mounted or set up as a free-standing unit. The coating allows the screen to display images sent to it via the projector, while reflecting other sources of light, resulting in a mega-screen that works under almost any lighting condition. Of course, all this holographic goodness will run you £25,000 ($45,000) and up, depending on screen size. That explains why pretty much the only place you’re going to find these in Harrods’s showrooms for now. But if you’ve got the cash, one can make it into your living room now; just be careful not to trip over it. Toughened or not, this is still glass, and we’d hate to see it end up as a $45,000 sea of shards at your feet.
LG 37LP1D Review
Robert Heron, of Tech TV and TWIT fame and one of my favourite writers at PC Mag, has a review of the LG 37LP1D, an LCD that can be used as a television or a monitor.
All HDTVs should provide impressive picture quality, useful features, and be aesthetically pleasing. The LG 37LP1D 37-inch LCD HDTV ($5,499.95 list) comes close to the ideal with an attractive facade and good image quality overall, but some design choices hold it back.
Out of the box, the 37LP1D’s glossy black bezel and brushed metal accents draw longing stares from others. Offering a 37-inch LCD with a native resolution of 1,366-by-768, the 37LP1D would be well suited for the bedroom or other space-challenged viewing environments. Matching side-mounted 10-watt speakers and a swivel base complete the 37LP1D’s physical characteristics.
The 37LP1D’s matching remote control was well balanced and easy to use with one hand. While comfortable and sleek, the remote’s bright white backlight illuminated only five of the dozens of buttons adorning its face. The remote’s range and angle performance were good, and navigating on-screen menus and options was speedy and precise. We were mildly disappointed by the remote’s lack of discrete input selection.
Acer AT3705W-MGW
Infosync World has a review of the Acer AT3705W-MGW, a 37 inch LCD TV that has wireless and is a media extender.
Going all out, Acer’s recent autumn release has included several gems - such as the Aspire L250 media PC, the MG-3001P media extender and a nice range of LCD TVs in sizes up to 32 inches. Merging the two latter categories, the AT3705W-MGW LCD TV is the pick of the litter, combining a 37-inch display with the functionality of the MG-3001P for an absolutely stunning result.
Offering a 1920 x 1080 resolution at a brightness of 550 nits, the AT3705W-MGW features a contrast ratio of 800:1 and grey-to-grey response time of 12 ms. Although sleek in design, its measurements are considerable; 1018 x 616 x 210 mm, and God only knows how many Kg. A few quick glances and a close-up examination revealed the claim of 176-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles to hold at least relatively true, and brightness and contrast also appeared to be fully on par with Acer’s listed specifications.
Supporting PAL and SECAM, the AT3705W-MGW offers a stunning array of input options. Four SCART inputs kick off the party, two of which are CVBS/RGB and two of which are CVBS/S-Video; two Component inputs supporting 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i resolutions; dual Composite connectors, one of which is CVBS and the other CVBS/S-Video; VGA in; DVI-D with HDCP; and HDMI. In addition comes RCA type line in connectors for analog audio input, and SPDIF coaxial for digital output - as well as a 10/100 Ethernet, which is where the AT3705W-MGW starts to show its true form.
Not only equipped with Ethernet, the AT3705W-MGW also features built-in Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, both for the purpose of streaming audio and video over a home network as the TV secretly conceals the exact same functionality as Acer’s MG-3001P Media Gateway.
BenQ Ships 37-inch HD LCD TV
BenQ, becoming well known for their display technology and they have recently announced a new 37″ widescreen HD-ready LCD TV.
BIOS Magazine with the details:
BenQ’s latest computing peripheral is a 37-inch widescreen HD-ready LCD TV. Offering a native resolution of 1920×1080, speedy 8ms response time and wide 176-degree viewing angles, the monitor should go down in storm in trendy offices and high-tech homes. Other key features of the screen include a brightness of 550cd/m and 800:1 contrast ratio.
The DV3750 model features BenQ’s ‘Senseye’ digital-image-enhancement technology which automatically and dynamically improves image quality by adjusting brightness and darkness levels, creating colour-maps to adjust relative colour saturation, and reducing jagged edges.
For this beautiful display you will be looking at shelling out around $2499 USD.