1080p Wasted on Most Viewers
Posted June 15, 2009
By Mark Fleischmann
Many viewers are sitting too far from their HDTVs to enjoy the full resolution of a 1080p display. 60 percent of viewers were sitting more than six feet from 1080p/1080i screens under 40 inches. In the 40- to 52-inch category, 43 percent were sitting more than eight feet from the screen. And for sets of more than 52 inches, 35 percent were sitting from 8 to 10 feet away, and another 30 percent more than 10 feet away. In all these cases, that would not be enough to get the full benefit of the set's resolution.
However, when owners of 720p sets (still considered HD) were surveyed, a greater proportion were sitting at the optimum distance.
Of course, seating distance is not always decided upon technical merits. Even if you're sitting too far from your display, that's probably better than sitting too close, which would make video artifacts and pixel structure more noticeable
But when you're shopping for a set, it certainly helps to know what the viewing distance will be, so you can choose the size that will give you the optimum resolution and best overall impact at that distance.
Analog TV Dies: Good Riddance
Posted June 12, 2009
By Mark Fleischmann
The nation's analog broadcast television standard, known as NTSC, died today after a long illness. It was 68 years old and should have died years ago. 
NTSC, which stood for National Television System Committee, had been depressed in recent years. It was originally designed for the 5- to 12-inch black & white portholes that passed for television sets in 1941. Despite having undergone a life-saving operation to add color in 1953, and further surgery to add analog stereo sound in 1984, NTSC was looking a bit peaked.
NTSC was known to be breathing hard in a world of flat-panel HDTVs with large screens that magnified its considerable flaws. Friends say this only exacerbated NTSC's inferiority complex. "It really was kind of embarrassing that people were watching TV using a standard designed in the 1940s," one noted.
Remarkably, there are approximately 2.8 million American households, or 2.5 percent of the total TV audience, who think NTSC is still alive, despite relentless reports of its failing health. In fact, it fell into a coma and nearly died on February 17, but was revived by a team of doctors sent from the White House.
However, all 1760 TV stations in the U.S. finally agreed to shut off life support today. NTSC is now as dead as the 78 rpm record. Open yourself a bottle of champagne and settle down with the new Conan tonight, unless of course you prefer Dave. They're both in HD.
NTSC is survived by ATSC, or Advanced Television Systems Committee, a younger broadcast standard outfitted with a high-definition picture and surround sound. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you buy a DTV.
By the way, be sure run a fresh channel scan on your DTV or set-top box tomorrow, on Saturday. A lot of stations will be doing their final frequency hop as late as midnight tonight.
LCD Tops Plasma in Large Screen Sizes
Posted June 2, 2009
By Mark Fleischmann
In the LCD vs. plasma competition, LCD has sold more sets overall, while plasma has dominated in some larger screen sizes. But plasma has given up that advantageous position in the latest numbers from Quixel Research, which show LCD selling more in the 40 inches and up categories for the first time.
The "USA Large Area Display Report" covers the final quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009. LCD shipments grew 137 percent quarter-over-quarter and almost 500 percent year-over-year in the 55-inch-plus category, while plasma was flat, allowing LCD to overtake plasma.
Wireless HD Coming
Posted April 4, 2009
By Mark Fleischmann
Wireless HD has been a slow train coming. But a new chipset may finally bring it to HDTVs, Blu-ray players, transmitter/receiver kits, and other products.
Israel-based Amimon has finalized the chipset for WHDI (Wireless Home Digital Interface) 2.0, a standard supported by Hitachi, Motorola, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, and LG. It can transmit 1080p/60 video at data rates up to 3Gps with latency of less than a millisecond via the unlicensed 5GHz band. HDCP 2.0 digital rights management is part of the package, so presumably Hollywood will have no objections to HD winging around your home, with range of more than 100 feet, and the ability to penetrate walls. Demos reportedly have been impressive.
Look for the chipset in HDTVs, projectors, a/v receivers, Blu-ray players, set top boxes, game consoles, computers, DVRs, and video dongles that can serve as wireless bridges between your display and various signal sources.
HDMI Mechanically Improved
Posted April 4, 2009
By Mark Fleischmann
The HDMI interface is great for video and audio signal transfer, at least now that it's grown up a bit. But in a mechanical sense, it's no better today than it was at the outset. That's about to change.
Torrent Inc. has become the first company to offer an HDMI cable with a latching connector. The cable has been tested and certified for compliance with the HDMI standard by HDMI Licensing LLC. A small magnet in the connector binds the plug more firmly to the port. Other features include a sliding mechanism that adapts to HDMI jacks of varying depth, and an integrated diagnostic function that confirms signal passage with an LED indicator. Other HDMI cable makers are preparing latching cables of their own, some using pronged mechanisms.
LCD TV Recall
Posted April 4, 2009
Best Buy is voluntarily recalling one model of its house-brand Insignia LCD TV, the 26-inch IS-LCDTV26, 13,300 of which were sold from August 2005 through June 2006.
The power supply of that model has been shown to fail and pose a fire and burn hazard to consumers. Best Buy has received two reports of fires with damage to the wall and television, and one consumer reported minor burns to the hands. Owners of this model should discontinue using the set immediately.
Also included in the recall is a portable power source, the RF-INV80, 1400 of which were sold under the store's Rocketfish brand from July 13, 2008 to February 18, 2009. Best Buy has three reports of spontaneous fires during charging, resulting in minor property damage but no injuries.
Owners of these products should call the Best Buy recall hotline at (800) 233-0462 to receive a gift card for the value of the items.
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2008 CEDIA Show
Posted November 4, 2008
Velodyne In-wall subwooofer
Velodyne’s new in-wall subwoofer uses two active forward-firing drivers and two rectangular passive drivers. One passive driver fires upward at a 45-degree angle while the other fires downward at a 45-degree angle. Velodyne says this helps to cancel out vibrations that might transfer to the wall. It fits in a standard 2” x 4” wall and comes with an external 400-watt amplifier that includes a 5-band EQ, built-in test generator, microphone, and remote control.
Boston Vistas
The newest member of the Boston Acoustics family is the Vista 336 ($3400/pair), available in a wide variety of standard and optional finishes.
Boston Acoustics, Hot and humid
I don’t know how humid it gets in Boston, but I do know how humid it gets in my bathroom after one of my children takes a luxuriously long shower (the kind that sucks every last drop of even lukewarm water out of the hot water heater). Boston Acoustics’ new HH 460T2 is a “high-humidity and weather-resistant” single-point stereo in-ceiling speaker that includes a foam collar around the center post that protects the voice coil from dampness and a crossover that is covered with a special type of varnish to protect it from the elements. The speaker also uses the same type of binding posts found on Boston’s Voyager outdoor speakers, so they’re easy to seal with silicone after the wires have been connected. Two models are available. The HH460T2 is $275 each. The higher-end VH470 T2 is $450 each.
KEF Muon
At somewhere north of $100,000 a pair (if you have to ask...), the striking looks of the KEF Muon speakers likely caught the eye of more than a few custom installers. But even the best sounding speakers are overmatched in the open confines of a big convention center, and the Muons were no exception.
12V HDMI
UltraLink has a solution for those long HDMI cable connections with this powered HDMI cable. It's equipped with an in-line transmitter at the source end and a receiver at the reception end. $1000 for a 100-foot run.
Panasonic goes BIG!
Panasonic had a wide range of new LCD and plasma displays on showcase. They have all your size needs covered including their new 103” plasma for those that really want to see what their power grid is made of!
Speaker Sconses
Triad’s new InWall Silver/4 Omni Sconce brings together two things that like watts – a speaker and an LED light. Although you can’t color the sound, the speaker does come with color gel options of amber, orange, green, red, blue, and yellow.
Atlantic Technology
Atlantic Technology surprised me in its demo with the high quality sound coming from its IWTS-30, THX certified in-wall speakers. Three of them were used across the front, along with four surrounds and two subwoofers. The IWTS-30 ($1375 each) is a three-way system, and the midrange-tweeter array can rotate 90-degrees when horizontal placement is desired or necessary. The same module also tilts to angle the sound slightly to the left and right, when necessary.
1080P...Thats so 2008
By Mathew West
Posted October 16, 2008
If you bought an HDTV in the past two years, there’s one term you probably heard over and over again: 1080p. This term, indicating a TV with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels scanned progressively, is considered the pinnacle of modern HDTV goodness. Add in a 120Hz refresh rate, and you’ve surely reached nirvana.
Well, maybe not. Get ready to learn a new term: 4K.
So…why is this better?
A 4K display comes in at 4096 x 2160 pixels, almost four times the resolution of a 1080p display. When people first started talking about HDTV, they often used the visual of a basketball court. With a standard-definition set, you could see the basketball and the wooden court floor. An HDTV, proponents said, would allow you to see the grain of the wood and the texture on the basketball. Imagine what you’ll see on a display with four times the resolution: molecules, atoms, quarks…
OK, so maybe that’s an overstatement. For now, 4K action is largely confined to the realm of high-end digital projectors. You’ll find these used in museums and movie theaters, or in medical applications where the extra resolution can mean the difference between catching a problem and missing one.
Only a handful of companies are even manufacturing cameras capable of capturing video at that resolution, so don’t go looking for 4K broadcasts from TV networks any time soon. But there’s some evidence that TV manufacturers are already thinking about 4K in the consumer market.
Pioneer Goes LCD
By Mark Fleischmann
Posted October 4, 2008
Pioneer, best known as a maker of plasma TVs, is also planting a foot in the LCD camp. The company already sells 32- and 37-inch LCD sets in Europe. Soon it will launch them in North America and Japan.
Though recent generations of Pioneer's Kuro plasmas have consistently attracted rave reviews, sales of plasmas in general have lagged behind those of LCDs. Just a few months ago Pioneer announced it would outsource the making of glass plasma panels to Panasonic, while still supervising the R&D and design.
Look for the Pioneer LCDs in the first half of 2009.
Recordable Blu-ray Coming from Pioneer
By Mark Fleischmann
Posted July 10, 2008
Pioneer will unveil its first BD recorders before March 2009. Before you get excited, the introduction is currently for Japan only, and Sony has been selling BD recorders in Japan since 2006. The product is a joint effort of Pioneer and Sharp and will satisfy what Pioneer says is a strong Japanese demand. The recorder will be sold under the Pioneer brand, presumably giving the company a leg up in the Japanese BD market, 98 percent of which is controlled by Sony and Sharp.
Whether Pioneer will be more willing than Sony to bring recordable Blu-ray Stateside remains to be seen, and the wishes of the motion picture studios may be a factor. But with HD DVD format dead and DVD sales starting to decline, Blu-ray may move in directions that were previously unexplored. Let's hope recordable BD is one of them. It is a better recordable alternative than clunky D-VHS tapes and hard drives with nonremovable storage.
Most Returned Products Work
By Mark Fleischmann
Posted July 10, 2008
Two-thirds of consumer electronic products returned to retailers are in working order. Another 27 percent are returned due to buyer's remorse. Only five percent are actually defective. This giant disconnect between expectation and reality emerged in a report by the research firm Accenture.
The study makes suggestions on how to prevent returns and how to process them more cost effectively. On the prevention side, it recommends "improvement in design, packaging and documentation," "setting customer expectations and providing proper consumer education," and "providing important after-sales support as well as important accessories which are frequently overlooked."
On the returns processing side, Accenture recommends that manufacturers "decouple return and repair processes" to trim waste and redundancies, concentrating on "greater needs-based segmentation."
Sony Goes Green, Lowest Power Consumption LCD TV
By Mark Fleischmann
Posted June 23, 2008
The Bravia KDL-32JE1 was shown at a Tokyo press conference on Tuesday. It will sell in Japan for the U.S. equivalent of $1400, and will later reach world markets, though when was not disclosed. The set consumes 89 watts, or 86kWh per year, earning it a five-star Energy Saving Label, the highest rating in Japan. Sony did it by "enhancing the efficiency of the backlight tube light emission and the light transmission of optical film." Backlighting is the standard fluorescent type, not the newer and trendier LED type. Native resolution is 768p. The set also uses recycled materials.
Sony LED's the way
By Mark Fleischmann
Posted June 23, 2008
Sony introduced seven new Bravia LCD LED (Light Emitting Diode) HDTVs in sizes from 40 to 70 inches. The Sony set with LED backlighting and local dimming displayed a black level that would make me pretty darned happy in my own home even without something else to compare it to. In absolute terms, it looked great. Sony is calling it Triluminos, perhaps to evoke the past grandeur of the Trinitron moniker. It will be available in 55- and 46-inch Bravia XBR8 models.
Some smaller Bravias (52, 46, and 40 inches) featured a floating-glass industrial design with speaker grilles available in tomato red, silver, brown, or gold. Sony also made a big deal of its wireless connectivity moves, previously unveiled at CES, with DLNA distribution products tossing 1080p images. These products will ship in the fall at prices not yet available.
Sony XEL-1, The first OLED (Organic Light Emmitting Diode)TV to hit the stores is stunning but expensiveBy ConsumerReports.Org
Posted April 22, 2008
This 11-inch widescreen television is wafer-thin, just 1/8th of an inch deep, a fraction of the depth of even the slimmest LCD or plasma sets. The XEL-1 uses a new panel technology called OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode), which offers stunning picture quality. The catch is the steep price: $2,500 for this small screen, which is half the size of some computer displays.
If the slim, stylish display panel, which comes mounted to a sleek-looking stand, isn't enough to get your attention, its picture quality surely will. This TV gets high marks on all fronts, with picture quality that is simply amazing. It displays the deepest blacks we've seen, better than even the best plasma or CRT sets we've tested. At the same time, images are bright, with high contrast, yielding a picture that looks great in both a bright or darkened room. On dark scenes containing black areas, no light is visible from this panel, even when viewed in a dark room. Colors look accurate and are richly saturated
This TV can accept image format resolutions from 480i up to 1080p. The less-than-HD resolution will not leave you wanting for detail in this screen size, and if you have a high-quality HD video source, this little TV will deliver.
Comcast Cable unveils same-day DVD movie schemes
By Mark Fleischmann
Posted February 18, 2008
Comcast will release hit movies via video-on-demand on the same day they hit DVD. Affected titles include Shoot Em Up, Mr. Woodcock, Invasion, The Brave One, Rendition, No Reservations, and Michael Clayton. All will be available in HD.
For TV series, Comcast will go one better. Some series will make their debuts on VOD a week before they air on conventional networks. They will include The Tudors, Flavor of Love, and The Wire. The first two will also be available in HD.
CES 2008
Posted January 12, 2008
Wireless HDMI
This summer, look for Belkin’s FlyWire system to wirelessly connect HDMI source components to your HDMI-enabled TV. The two-box bundle is prematched, so installation and configuration of the sending and receiving units shouldn’t be difficult. Smallest Satelite Speaker
The best truly tiny satellite we've ever heard is the One|Sound Model 2.2 from CDT Audio. Mounted to the wall, the two-inch mid-tweeter handled everything above 200Hz with confidence and ease World's Thinnest TV
Hitachi is very excited about their new statement product, the Ultra Thin LCD. "1.5" is both the brand and the depth (in inches) of these new LCDs, available in screen sizes of 32, 37, and 42 inches. The 37- and 42-inch models have a 1920 x 1080 resolution, while the 32-inch model has a 1366 x 768 resolution.
This JVC LCD measures just 1.5 inches deep. As the company puts it, "across most of its width [the cabinet] measures a mere 1.5 inches deep, with a maximum depth of just 2.9 inches at the panel's center." Why is it deeper at the center? One reason is because, unlike the Hitachi LCDs, these new models have integrated tuners. The new line will include two models, the 42-inch LT-42SL89 and 46-inch LT-46SL89, both of which are 1080p. The estimated release date is early this summer, with no pricing announced.
World's Largest Flat Panel TV
By Adrienne Maxwell
How weird is this? Just the other day, I was staring at this huge empty wall in my house, thinking, "What this wall really needs is a 150-inch plasma. It would really tie the whole room together." And then I see this at the Panasonic booth. Pricing and availability have yet to be announced, but our PR rep assures us that this is a real product that will actually come to market. So start collecting your loose change.
Say Goodbye to Rear Projector TV's
Posted December 10, 2007
Toshiba and Hitachi have announced they're dumping their rear-projecction TVs. A study claims that RPTV sales have peaked at 3.5 million units in 2004, and will drop to 30,000 by 2011. That probably means that current sale prices may go even lower as manufacturers blow out existing inventory. But given the ever-increasing quality and ever-lower pricing of flat panels, is a cheap RPTV really such a great deal? No.
90k HD DVD Players Sold in 72 Hours Posted November 12, 2007
Dueling store clearances sold an estimated 90,000 Toshiba players, according to sources close to retailers on the weekend of Nov. 2. That’s roughly as many Sony blue-ray players that have sold since they launched the player back in July. Toshiba has to maintain this momentum and in the minds of many consumers, the price of a HD DVD player remains $99 whether Toshiba wants to go that route again or not.
Wireless HDMI?
Posted November 10, 2007
The Wireless HDMI Extender delivers a plug and play method of extending audio/video wirelessly up to 10 meters (33 feet) in distance, with a perfect replication of high definition visuals up to 1080p, or 1080i, and full digital and analog audio support for connecting HDTV sources, such as satellite or cable set top boxes, HD DVD players and gaming systems. All IR signals are also transmitted from the receiver back to the sender for total control. This model is by Gefen and retails for $700.
Sharp 22"1080p LCD
By Mark Fleischmann
Posted November 10, 2007 Who's got the world's smallest Full HD LCD set? That would be Sharp, which unveiled a 22-inch 1080p model recently at a trade show in Japan. Also shown were similarly equipped 26- and 32-inch models.
With prices that will run $1,540, $1,700, and $2,050, its recomended to by a big screen which will cost about the same.
Flat Means More Reliable
By Mark Fleischmann
Posted November 10, 2007 Here's one more reason to buy a flat-panel TV. Whether you opt for plasma or LCD, either type is more reliable than a rear-projector set.
The most reliable LCD brands were found to be JVC, Samsung, Sony, and Toshiba. Most reliable plasmas: Pioneer, Samsung, and especially Panasonic, whose 50-inch TH-50PZ700U had a mere two percent repair rate.
With flat panels performing so well in their early years of use, most people are against paying extra for an extended warranty. On the other hand, if you've bought a rear-projector, and plan to use it for more than 5000 hours within the warranty period, a warranty that covers bulb replacement might be worth the money.
2007 CEIDA Show
Posted November 8, 2007 Flaming Speaker
When there are one million and one speaker companies, everyone has to find a niche...
Light One Up
Soundolier is finally shipping their wireless torchiere omnidirectional speaker and will soon be shipping a matching wireless subwoofer, too. But remember, it is wireless even though you still have to plug it into an AC outlet. It's not meant as a replacement for a full-blown wired-speaker system, but it will bring sound to some rooms where sound wouldn't have gone before.
Ear Horn
Klipsch has decided they want to horn in on the earphone business with models starting at around $99, one of which is supposed to be the smallest in-ear model on the market.
3-D is back
Every five years or so it always looks like 3D TV is ready to take the big leap from cheese to prime time. This time, though, it really does look like truly watchable, enjoyable 3D TV is just around the corner. Not more than 100 yards from one another, TI and Mitsubishi showed demonstrations of 3D TV technology using shutter-style glasses synched by infrared emitters. Both demos including original 3D material as well as 2D video that had been "upconverted" to 3D. The calibre of the 3D images varied depending on the subject material and the company doing the conversion. Mitsubishi and Samsung are going to be offering 3D-upgradeable DLP rear-pro sets now or in the very near future.
Velodyne Reveals See-Through Sub
The transparent Velodyne DD-10 ($1999). Velodyne also has in-wall and in-ceiling models.
Flat-Panel Sound Boost
Boston Acoustics' TVee Model Two isn't a one-box surround system. Instead, it's a two-channel add-on to improve the sound of any flat-panel TV. The powered speaker bar goes above or below a flat-panel TV. It can also be mounted on the wall. It learns IR commands from your current TV remote, so it changes volume without needing to have a second remote on the coffee table. The included subwoofer is wireless (except for the power cord, of course) and can be placed up to approximately 75 feet away from the sound bar. MSRP is $399.95.
Pioneer Unwraps New Monster Receiver
Pioneer's new top-line receiver is the SC-09TX with 200 times seven watts of energy-efficient Class D ICEpower amplification and cool front-panel color LCD display ($7000). Of course it has on-board decoding for Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD, etc. Also new are three other models: VSX-94TXH ($1600), VSX-92TXH ($1300), and VSX-91TXH ($1000). And then there's the X-Z9 system ($1799), with SACD drive, PC streaming via Cat5, and specially designed speakers.
Yamaha sound bar
Five new sound-bar products from Yamaha include the YSP-4000 (MSRP $1800), with 5.1 channels in one convenient box. The new YSP-4000 Digital Sound Projector offers versatile new features such as, 1080p-compatible HDMI, analog video to HDMI digital video up-conversion, and component / composite inputs. It does XM, FM, and iPod with optional dock. And it offers a greater range of surround adjustments from the remote than previous products.