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 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.
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