tv

Last year Samsung promised that certain of its 2012 Smart TVs would get an upgrade called a "Smart Evolution Kit," and now the company announced the upgrade would be available soon.

Buyers of the LED-based UN75ES9000, UNES8000, and UNES7500 LED TVs, as well as the PNE8000 and PNE7000 plasmas, will be able to buy the kit for $299 in May. It installs by simply sliding into a slot on the back of the TVs.

The kit is basically a brain transplant for the TVs. It includes a new A15 quad-core 1.35GHz processor that offers a maximum 3.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Today LG announced it would make the first 55-inch OLED TV available to the public in the Unites States this March for a cost of around $12,000.

The announcement follows one made January 2, when the company said the TV would hit South Korea first in February. I expect LG too announce additional markets for the futuristic TV, such as Europe, soon.

The television, model 55EM9700, is the successor to the 55EM9600 that won CNET's highest honor at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2012 but never actually shipped.

The two TVs are similar in every important … Read more

Intel may offer a peek at its rumored cable TV set-top box to people attending the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week.

An unnamed source inside Intel said that the first working version of the chipmaker's set-top box will be shown at Intel's CES event on January 7, according to tips received by TechCrunch. A video distribution industry source familiar with Intel's plans also told the blog site that the rollout of the new service will start "soon," but couldn't provide a specific date.

TechCrunch's source further said that Intel is … Read more

LG has unveiled its 2013 television range in advance of CES 2013. It builds on the superslim design ethos of the previous year, with LED backlights now standard across its entire LCD range. The company will no longer make TVs with fluorescent (CCFL) backlights

The range comprises just under 20 different series, not including the possibly newly announced 55EM9700 OLED. Just three series are plasma, and more than two-thirds of models now feature Internet connectivity.

Smart TV add-ons LG's big features for 2013 are an upgraded Magic Motion remote with "natural" voice recognition; dual-core processors; a camera … Read more

Ever-higher subscription fees for satellite and cable are a fact of life, and DirecTV confirmed as much by announcing rate increases yesterday that will take effect in February 2013.

The average subscriber's bill will go up about 4.5 percent, although the individual increases vary quite a bit. The entry-level Choice package goes up a buck from $63.99 to $64.99, while the top-end Premiere package goes from $119.99 to $124.99. An HBO subscription goes from $15.99 to $17.99.

Here's the full rate card with the new pricing.

DirecTV claims that its own … Read more

People who want to convert their physical DVDs to an online digital format can now do so via Best Buy, and without leaving home.

Now available as a beta program, Best Buy's CinemaNow service promises to convert your discs into an UltraViolet format that you can store and watch online. UltraViolet is a system that lets you house your movies and TV shows in the cloud and then access them from an Internet-enabled device.

To use Best Buy's CinemaNow service, you have to create an account and then download the CinemaNow Player for your PC or Mac. Choosing … Read more

Hulu CEO Jason Kilar has asked his corporate overlords for twice as much cash as last year to fund the company's growth strategy, a new report claims.

Kilar has petitioned Hulu owners Walt Disney, Comcast, and News Corp. for $200 million for 2013 to be used for acquiring more programming and expanding the company's reach around the world, the Wall Street Journal is reporting today, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the talks. Last year, Kilar asked for about half of that figure.

According to the Journal's sources, a decision hasn't been made yet … Read more

Last night saw some history in "Start-Ups: Silicon Valley."

Yes, given its rather tawdry ratings -- 20 percent of those of "Real Housewives," so rumor has it -- this could be the last episode ever. So the excitement was more palpable than that for the discovery of the tomb of a hitherto unknown ancient Egyptian king.

We began with grunting. Yes, Sarah (blonde lifecaster, recently recovering from not having breast cancer) and David (gay, vaguely sane) are working out.

Sarah has found a wonderful sponsor for the launch party of David's app. It's called … Read more

'Tis the season for holiday promos.

To spread the cheer and allow our shows and stars to make a special connection with viewers, each year we create a new holiday campaign. The 2012 CBS holiday promos feature some of our biggest stars showing their playful sides and wishing health and happiness to the people who tune in to CBS night after night.

This year we also adapted our on-air promos into images that can be viewed and shared online. You can view all of the images here and watch the video below. Take a look, happy holidays, and, as always, … Read more