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TVs from the third dimension, a wrap-up

LAS VEGAS--Anybody who kept track of the news and highlights from CES this year knows that, as predicted, one trend dominated everything else: 3D. And since you'll need a new TV--and glasses!--to view the new 3D movies, games and TV programs, it follows that the main TV-related announcements all centered on 3D-compatibility.

But before I get into the nitty-gritty of actual announcements, it's worth taking a step back for some perspective on 3D. Here are a few general things to remember as you sift through 3D coverage from the show.

The first 3D TVs should ship in "spring" of this year--likely later rather than earlier--at which time we'll publish reviews. Until then we can't say how they'll actually perform in the real world. The models shown at CES were not final versions, and their picture quality in show demos is subject to change. The 3D TVs announced at the show are the most expensive in their respective manufacturers' product lines, although we don't expect them to cost much more than current high-end models. Aside from Vizio, nobody announced pricing on any 3D TVs. The new 3D TVs use technology that's similar to what's seen in IMAX 3D and other commercial 3D theaters, and it's superior to the technology typified by the cardboard glasses with color filter lenses. As far as we know, there's no way to upgrade ANY current HDTV to be compatible with the new 3D display technologies. Update: Mitsubishi announced an adapter box that would enable their current and older 3D-capable, DLP-based rear-projection models to work with 3D. You can watch normal TV and HDTV on a 3D TV with no problem. For a true 3D experience, you'll need new 3D content, whether it's a 3D TV channel, a 3D Blu-ray Disc, or a 3D video game. No such content is widely available now, and small amounts will trickle out throughout 2010. (The first 3D TV channels will likely be on DirecTV in June). Not everyone can enjoy the 3D experience, and many people cannot see 3D at all or suffer headaches or other ill effects from it. We recommend anyone who's considering a 3D TV to first watch a few 3D movies in the theater to see how it works for them. Then remember that TVs are a lot smaller. All of the CES announcements are subject to change, and most will certainly be modified as the year progresses. Check out CNET's 3D TV FAQ for more details.

Now that that's taken care of, let's check out the major TV announcements.

Wrap-up: Monitor industry rests on its laurels

LAS VEGAS--Coming into CES 2010 I wasn't expecting much. Most vendors I'd made plans to meet with didn't have anything really new and exciting planned. At last year's CES, we saw the emergence of 16:9 monitors as well as the first real rumblings of LED backlights and 3D technology.

At this year's show, most vendors seemed to be leaning heavily in the LED direction, with some vendors, such as AOC, outfitting the majority of their lineup with LED backlights. Monitors with LED backlights didn't really start taking off until late last year, even … Read more

CES 2010 wrap-up: home theater

LAS VEGAS--For the past few years, Blu-ray has been at the center of CES home theater news and 2010 was no different. Whether its 3D, portable players, streaming media, HTIBs or even AV receiver/Blu-ray combos, Blu-ray seemed to play a part in nearly every aspect of the home theater gadgets announced at the show this year. Here's a quick summary of the major trends we saw.

3D is coming, like it or not 3D was the biggest story at CES 2010, and four manufacturers announced 3D Blu-ray players: Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, and Toshiba. We liked the Panasonic DMP-BD350T … Read more

CES 2010 wrap-up: Computers and hardware

LAS VEGAS--This may go down as one of the best years for computers, and laptops specifically, at the annual CES trade show. We saw new and improved Netbooks, new CPUs from Intel, and a somewhat surprising number of slate and tablet PCs.

Slates and tablets Following Lenovo's U1 Hybrid, which combined a detachable slate PC with a full Windows 7 laptop (and was many people's favorite show item), we saw glimpses of tablets from HP, Dell, and others--although most were prototypes only, and clearly intended to stake out some slate real estate before the rumored Apple tablet arrives. … Read more

CES 2010: Gaming wrap-up

LAS VEGAS--A lot of the gaming news we anticipated last month came to fruition at this year's CES in Las Vegas. While we didn't get a definitive release date for Project Natal, Microsoft did announce the motion sensing technology would be available this holiday season. How much it will cost is still a mystery and there was no sign of Natal at Microsoft's CES booth.

However, we did get some information about Xbox Live Game Room, a new online application that will allow gamers to virtually experience all the goodness of a classic arcade. Free to try … Read more

The 404 Podcast 495: Where we left a part of ourselves at CES 2010 in Las Vegas

Today is our first day back from CES 2010 in Las Vegas, and we're pretty lucky to return with our sanity (and organs) fully intact.

On today's episode of The 404 Podcast, we spend the first half wrapping up our coverage and giving you an impromptu slideshow of our experience broadcasting live from the CNET stage.

Of course, we have to spend some time thanking everyone involved with the back-end production, and of course, the dedicated listeners who showed up to watch the live show.

A special thanks goes out to Blake Stevenson for helping us design the very first The 404 stickers and Props Guy Jim for hooking us up with The 404 temporary tattoos!

We'll let you know how your mitts on that stuff very soon, so stay tuned!

The second half is all about Andrew WK, or at least the idea of him. AWK is under the media spotlight regarding a video confessional lecture in London last month, where the artist openly admitted that Andrew WK is simply a fabrication of a group of individuals in "the spirit of commerce."

Andrew claimed that "I'm not the guy you've seen from the I Get Wet album...I'm not that same person. I don't just mean that in a philosophical or conceptual way. It's not the same person at all."

He then goes on to tell us that he actually auditioned for the role of Andrew WK and gives little detail after that; watch the video here. We have so many questions about who actually wrote the album, when the current Andrew WK donned the mantle, and why this story sounds suspiciously reminiscent of The Dread Pirate Roberts from "The Princess Bride." We're going to try to get Andrew back on The 404 to chat with us about the controversy, but the bottom line is that Jeff and I support the music and the message behind it, regardless of who performs it.

It's good to be back! We'll go back to our normal format with a Calls From the Public segment tomorrow morning, so give us a call at 1-866-404-CNET and tell us what's on your mind!

EPISODE 495 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Photo-direct vehicle camouflage matches battlefield

While military camouflage patterns for vehicles have evolved, the application process has been stuck in the spray booth. Now, however, GI equivalents of Earl Scheib can apply a precut "wrap" of adhesive vinyl that will blend in on virtually any battlefield.

The process is similar to the advertising and decorative wraps commonly seen on cars and buses, except that this product from Military Wraps, called Photo Veil, is lightweight and incorporates images from cameras on drones, satellites, or lidar in the field and loops them back to be applied to vehicles or equipment as site-specific, high-resolution camouflage.

It … Read more

CES 2009: Computers and hardware wrap-up

Historically, the Consumer Electronics Show hasn't been a place where we'd find a ton of new laptops, desktops, or computer components. After all, PC makers had Comdex (a now-defunct Vegas trade show), and are generally more interested in hitting the back-to-school and holiday seasons than releasing new products in January.

Still, this year was a decent one for new introductions, and almost every major name in the computer business had a handful of new products to show off. Most were more evolutionary than revolutionary, but when you're dealing with essentially the same small pile of CPUs, GPUs, … Read more

CES 2009: Home audio wrap-up

The 2009 Consumer Electronics Show is history. As far as the home audio world is concerned, the product lineup and trends were pretty much right in line with our predictions.

Wireless speakers: Panasonic showcased the SC-ZT1, a unique "4.4" speaker system with wireless speakers (except for that pesky power cord, of course). But the bigger trend was wireless subwoofers: Samsung, Philips, and Polk Audio (among others) all showed surround systems with wireless subs, enabling more flexibility when placing them in the room.

Network audio: Whether it was more affordable tabletop Internet radios from the likes of Sanyo … Read more

CES 2009 home video wrap-up

CES 2009 is officially over, so we can take stock of the major home video trends we saw at the show. The most obvious difference from CES 2008 is that now that HD DVD is dead, Blu-ray dominated the show like never before. While most of the major trends at the show basically matched up with our CES preview, there was one nice surprise that ended up being the Home Video Best of CES category winner.

Blu-ray trends

If you've been confused by all the different Blu-ray profiles, you'll be happy to know that nearly all (tsk, tsk Philips) … Read more