HDTV Reviews

Westinghouse Digital Electronics, one of the top five LCD TV manufacturers in the U.S.(1), today announced the latest addition to its high-definition (HD) 1080p line, the 47-inch model LVM-47w1. The LVM-47w1 joins the Westinghouse HD 1080p LCD monitor line, which includes a multi-award-winning 42-inch model and the best-selling 37-inch model, LVM-37w1.(2).

The new model features a bright flat panel, fast response time, high contrast ratio, and 1920 x 1080 progressive scan (1080p) resolution, the highest standard available to consumers for HD digital video display. The LVM-47w1 features six HD input connectors for a variety of devices, including a DVD, HD DVD, or Blu-ray player, high-performance gaming platform such as an Xbox 360(TM), and a PC. Consumers can receive HDTV programming by connecting a cable or satellite set-top box, or by connecting an external ATSC tuner that is hooked up to a rooftop HD antenna for over-the-air HDTV broadcasts.

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Syscan Imaging, Inc., the world leader in USB imaging scanners and developer for HDTV technology solutions with it’s daughter company, Sysview Technology has unveiled their next advancement in the world of high-definition. Through the use of their proprietary carbon nano-tube designs, they have produced a true 1080p display on a screen that only measures 0.7 inches.

The 1080P Nano-LCOS microdisplay imager delivers 1080p x 1920 resolution on a screen about the size of your fingernail. With true 2 million pixel images that amount to a lower developing cost for the company, this type of technology could very quickly make its benefit known to the consumers. With lower production costs, companies are able to sell their HDTV sets at a lower price, thus driving up sales numbers and getting more of the world to move towards the natural HDTV evolution. With television standards set to move away from analog signals to HDTV completely in the next few years, this is a great leap forward in technology.

Chairman and CEO of Sysview Technology, Darwin Hu said, “We are extremely proud to be announcing Nanodisplay’s great success in creating a truly unique and proprietary LCOS imager.” Co-founder of Nanodisplay, Inc., Dr. Gehong Kim added, “We at Nanodisplay are very pleased with the advancements we have made, including a low-noise advanced architecture, low imager operating temperature and high component production yield. We’re looking forward to substantive improvements in what OEM customers can expect from LCOS hi-def technology.”
Source: yahoo.com

This HDTVis part of the Panasonic TH-PHD8UK series.
The good: Relatively inexpensive; reproduces deep blacks; solid video processing with 2:3 pull-down; independent memory per input; numerous picture controls; customizable inputs.

The bad: Doesn’t include stand, speakers, or tuner; few included inputs; digital video input not standard; no aspect-ratio control with digital inputs; floating blacks.

The bottom line: The 42-inch Panasonic TH-42PHD8UK is a great deal for the money, but only if you’re comfortable adding inputs, you don’t need a tuner, and you remember to buy a stand.

Leading up to Christmas 2005, pedestal stands for Panasonic’s 42- and 50-inch professional plasmas, including the TH-42PHD8UK ($3,000 list) reviewed here, were back-ordered at almost all reputable retailers. That might be a testament to our positive reviews of the older 42-inch TH-42PHD7UY or the glowing review we gave the 50-inch TH-50PHD8UK around that time, but we’re more inclined to believe it shows how popular flat-panel plasmas are in general–and no-frills picture-first models in particular. After subjecting the Panasonic TH-42PHD8UK to our tests, it’s no wonder. This plasma’s excellent black-level performance, clean video processing, and customizable inputs make it a great choice for anyone who isn’t scared off by none-too-fancy menus and no-extras-included packaging. By no extras, we mean that this professional-series plasma doesn’t include speakers, a stand, or very many inputs. If you want to add an HDMI input and a stand, for example, it will cost around $300 extra. If you’re not comfortable with the idea of paying for and installing your own input boards or speakers, you may want to check out Panasonic’s more expensive and more consumer-friendly TH-42PX50U, which also scored well in our tests.

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Samsung’s breakthrough TX-S3082WH 30″ SlimFit HDTV is 30 percent slimmer than a conventional CRT TV. The Nano Pigment Screen produces deeper colors, higher contrasts and a wider range of color expression, providing a more vibrant picture than current CRT TVs. The side speakers offer wide-screen design impact that takes advantage of the 16:9 aspect ratio. The silver bezel provides a cohesive look for the front of the set, creating a unity of style that is elegant and modern.

The built-in HDTV tuner (ATSC/NTSC) lets users access digital broadcasts, while progressive scan and 3:2 pull down deliver a crisp, flicker-free picture. The TX-S3082WH offers two HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) digital connections so users can enjoy both digital picture and sound. Two auto sensing HD/DVD component video inputs allow for true HD resolution from HD peripherals, and SRS audio technology combines with the 20-watt built-in speakers to provide robust sound quality.

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Just how little can an HDTV cost? About $550 is the answer provided by the Insignia NS-30HTV, a 30-inch direct-view CRT sold under the house brand at Best Buy. This is one of the least expensive HDTV-compatible televisions on the market, costing less than both smaller flat-panel LCDs and name-brand CRTs of the same size. And yes, it can display HDTV sources and even includes a tuner to receive over-the-air digital and high-def broadcasts.

The Insignia NS-30HTV looks attractive enough from the front, with a thick black border around the wide screen, speakers and controls below, and a thin silver border edging the black. While we like the presence of front-panel inputs, we’d prefer them to be concealed behind a hatch of some sort. The controls handle volume, channel, and power, but there’s no menu key; thus, you can’t adjust other settings without the remote.

Insignia piled all of the remote’s keys into its top half, which provides fine access for your thumbs, but the jumble of similar buttons can’t be easily navigated by feel. We also found the lack of separate keys for volume and channel–they’re integrated into the directional keypad–difficult to get used to. The internal menu system, identical to the one found on Toshiba’s CRTs, was relatively simple to use.

One of the biggest disadvantages of the Insignia NS-30HTV, at least compared to flat-panel LCDs and slimmer CRTs such as the Samsung TX-S3082WH, is its size. It measures 31.3 inches wide and 21.6 inches high–compact enough for a 30-inch wide-screen TV–but its depth is 22.2 inches. Most LCDs are about a foot deep on their stands, and the Samsung, by comparison, has a depth of 16.3 inches. Obviously, the Insignia will fit into fewer tight spots than the others, but if you have the room, that might not be an issue. The NS-30HTV weighs 117.7 pounds–almost exactly the same as the Samsung and more than twice as much as a typical 32-inch LCD.

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Arcam has introduced the latest addition to their already solid, DiVA product range. The AVR350 surround receiver with dual HDMI inputs and Burr-Brown digital to analog converters. In recent years the Arcam DiVA AV receiver range has captured the imagination of a whole new generation of movie and music enthusiasts. For the first time these products successfully bridged the gap between stereo music systems and multi-channel receivers, delivering the perfect balance between performance and features. Building on this success, Arcam introduces the DiVA AVR350, the company’s highest performing receiver to date, with many new features derived from development work on the $5749.00 award-winning fmj AV9.

the best ever sounding receiver from Arcam, delivering real audiophile sound quality for movies and music

- 2-way HDMI switching plus HDTV compatible component / RGB switching

- 7 x 100 watts per channel power output (all channels driven simultaneously) real world power, rare in a receiver

- Second room/zone output with audio and video plus RS232 for system control and install integration

The AVR350 delivers marked improvements in sound quality over its predecessors and over competing receivers. A huge new toroidal transformer improves bass timing and control, Arcam’s proprietary ‘Mask of Silence’ technologies improve the top-end clarity and new op amps improve the midrange.

Arcam has long delivered innovative features in its products and has been a front runner in the adoption of the HDMI interface standard. The AVR350 continues these traditions by adopting two-way HDMI switching with automatic selection of digital video source, adding this feature without compromising the audio quality.

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A chip with a 2 million tiny mirrors is shaking up the TV business. It’s the Digital Light Processor, from chipmaker Texas Instruments (TXN). After only about three years on the market, the chip is now found in sets from all the major manufacturers, including Panasonic (MC), RCA, LG Electronics, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Samsung, and Toshiba.

While the percentage of DLP sets is small when compared to the rest of the overall TV market — research firm iSuppli says DLP chips were in less than 1% of TVs sold in 2005, and it expects that figure to rise only to 1.4% by 2010 — you can’t help but notice that the technology is getting recognition. Consumers will snap up some 1.7 million DLP sets this year, iSuppli reckons.

That’s great news for TI. While the company doesn’t break out results from the DLP business unit, Lehman Brothers analyst Tim Luke estimates sales of the chip contributed $750 million in revenue to TI’s top line in 2005, and could approach $1 billion this year. That would make it the fastest-growing product in TI’s lineup.

Recently BusinessWeek Online technology writer Arik Hesseldahl quizzed TI CEO Rich Templeton on where DLP technology is headed and its importance to TI’s overall business. Edited excerpts from their conversation follow.

We know DLP technology is having an impact on the TV industry, and that it’s turning out to be pretty successful for you. But where does DLP fit in the overall TV picture?
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Metalink, a provider of high-performance wireless and wireline broadband communication silicon solutions, today announced that it will demonstrate its WLANPlus(TM) chipset, a technology based on the emerging 802.11n standard, with unique capabilities for wireless multimedia distribution, at Interop Japan in Tokyo, June 5-9, 2006, at booth #4U22.

The demonstrations will feature the delivery of high-definition television (HDTV) over wireless LAN, at wire line quality, using Metalink’s WLANPlus technology. WLANPlus is an advanced Wireless Local Area Networking (WLAN) technology, designed to enable high-throughput, rich-content, quality-critical applications. Targeted at the emerging 802.11n standard, WLANPlus introduces a significant increase in WLAN throughput and range over 802.11a or 802.11g. WLANPlus addresses the growing need for wireless A/V streaming and high-speed data. Exhibiting breakthrough data rates in true indoor environments, WLANPlus is suitable for products and services that require guaranteed performance and large bandwidth, while supporting WiFi legacy interoperability. This solution provides an optimal high-throughput wireless interface for various consumer electronics products such as Residential Gateways, DTV, HDTV, Set Top Boxes, Media Adaptors and Digital Video Recorders (DVR).
About WLANPlus(tm)
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Hitachi’s new HDTVs include a 1080 plasma screens lines and four slim 120Hz LCD televisions.

Hitachi has taken the wraps off three new series of 42-inch and 55-inch plasma HDTVs plus four new LCD television offerings which, as they ship this year, at least make your HDTV options more plentiful and complicated.

Plasma HDTVS

Hitachi’s new plasma televisions will be available in both 42-inch and 55-inch configurations, and Hitachi says the 42-inch models—the 42HDS69, the 42HDT79, and 42HDX99 —will be the first plasma screen to bring 1080i resolution to that size.

The 42-inch and 55-inch UltraVision models will feature Hitachi’s PictureMaster III processor, giving the 42HDS69 ($2,499) a 1024 by 1080 resolution and the 55HDS69 ($4,299) a 1365 by 768 resolution. Both sizes will features three HDMI and three component inputs, a six-speaker 36-watt audio system, and are designed to look like they were hewn from a single slab of aluminum. They’re expected to ship in June 2006—well, Hitachi says “this month,” but really, it’s almost June, right?

The UltraVision CineForm 42-inch and 55-inch models have all the features of the HDS69 series (above), with the addition of an onscreen TV Guide programming guide, an adjustable color decoder, two IR outputs (and an IR pass-through), and a USB photo input. The list price for the 42HDT79 will be $2,999, the 55-inch 55HDT79 will be $4,799; both units are expected to be available in July 2006. Read more

HD-ready TV has come with a hefty price tag up to now, but times are a-changing – this sharp 27-incher can be had for just £500. That means that nearly everyone can now afford to be ready for the switch on of Sky HD and the arrival of the first Blu-ray and HD-DVD players.

The signs of cost-cutting are there. For a start, the TV itself looks dated and dull, a far cry from the sleek screens made by rivals such as Samsung, Sony et al. The built-in terrestrial tuner is analogue rather than digital, and unlike most new HD-ready models, the Mirai sports a DVI input rather than HDMI.

While DVI is equipped with HDCP copy protection technology and perfectly capable of carrying HDTV pictures, it doesn’t carry audio like HDMI, making it slightly less convenient to use.

The resolution is high enough to display 720p HDTV broadcasts. You get a decent selection of extra sockets: a couple of Scarts, component video and even a VGA input for hooking up a PC.
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