lcd

The hot tub with a 61-inch LCD

This can safely be categorized as one of those only-in-California items because 1) it requires a hot tub, 2) there's a huge TV involved and 3) it's absolutely ridiculous. Making it even richer, there's competition between two appropriately named companies: CalSpas and Catalina Spas.

The first purveyor was featured awhile back with a 42-inch plasma that rises automatically from the side of the tub. But now we're treated to a competing four-seater from Catalina Spas that boasts--get this--a 61-inch LCD HDTV, according to BornRich. (Both of which dwarf the puny screens we've written about in … Read more

Never knock another LCD off the desk

Here's something that makes especially good sense whether you live in a cramped studio apartment or a mansion in earthquake country.

The LCD desk mount saves space and will make sure you never break another computer monitor--at least not by knocking it onto the floor, accidentally or otherwise. The device is affixed to the edge of a desk or even to the lip of those unsightly holes left for cables and wires. The biggest plus of all, as far as we're concerned, is that it supposedly requires no tools.

The mount, which can handle screens up to 24 … Read more

New Toshiba LCDs pinch an inch

Yesterday at the CEDIA show in Denver, Toshiba added to its strangely named "Regza" line of LCDs with a pair of models designed to maximize the amount of front-panel real estate devoted to the screen. Badged with the even stranger moniker "SNB," for "Super Narrow Bezel," the 40-inch 40RF350U ($1,899) and 46-inch 46RF350U ($2,499) indeed have some narrow-looking bezels. In fact, when we compared the 46-inch member of the Sharp LC-D64U series (the thinnest-bezeled LCDs we've seen yet) to its SNB competitor, the Toshiba's panel was narrower by all of 1.22 inches in width and 1.53 inches in height, although the Sharp was less deep by 1.56 inches. So when the Toshiba press release uses the phrase World's Thinnest LCD TV Bezel, we believe it. Other highlights include:

Toshiba RF350U series key features

1080p native resolution Three HDMI 1.3 inputs VGA-style PC input with up to 1366x768/1280x1024 resolution 10-bit panel with xvYCC color support Dimensions of 46-inch model (panel only, WHD): 42.1 by 25.9 by 5.3 inches Dimensions of 40-inch model (panel only, WHD): 36.7 by 22.8 by 5.1 inches September release date… Read more

The world's new largest TV?

Tucked away on the JVC stand at this year's IFA trade show in Berlin was a little surprise. A 110-inch LCD projection TV, using three D-ILA--or to use the more descriptive name, liquid crystal on silicon--chips, through which light is projected to create an image on screen.

Easily the most impressive thing about this telly is the fact that it uses very little power. Indeed, JVC claims it uses roughly the same amount as a 37-inch LCD screen. That means that it drinks less precious electricity, which puts less of a strain on our planet and the bunnies can … Read more

Flat-panels to kill off rear-projection TV sales by 2011

Will rear-projection TV sales plunge to near zero within the next 48 months? That's what a new study from IDC Group claims. With ever larger plasma and (especially) LCD flat-panel HDTVs becoming ever more affordable, IDC sees sales of RPTV sets--those utilizing DLP and LCoS microdisplays--dropping to under 30,000 units by 2011. That's a dramatic drop from the peak of 3.51 million sold in 2004 (according to the CEA).

None of this is shocking news, of course--the trend toward flat panels has been increasingly irreversible as large plasmas and LCD screens continue to break key price-point … Read more

Sharp's thin LCD in a race with time

It's taken awhile, but that whole thin-vs.-thick thing between LCD and plasma TVs will soon be a thing of the past at this rate. The most extreme example of the LCD crash diet is a prototype that Sharp is reportedly calling the "future of television."

The reason for the boast is in the numbers: A 52-inch screen with a contrast ratio of 100,000:1 that weighs 55 pounds and measures only 20 millimeters thick (about 0.78 inches), about 80 percent thinner than most LCDs of that size on the market today. And just for … Read more

Philips' next generation of Ambilight TVs

There have been some rumblings recently about the next generation of Ambilight televisions from Philips. A number of leaks have now provided model numbers and a few details about the new televisions.

From what we can gather, the new Ambilight technology will no longer just rely on reflecting colour on to a wall--instead, the light will be projected behind the screen as well as shine through the bezel of the TV. The question that we immediately have is: Will that be horribly distracting?

Early details indicate that one of the screens will be a 42-inch LCD, with full 1080p support, … Read more

What do you watch on a 24k TV?

Nearly a year after its first sightings, the $130,000 "Yalos Diamond" TV may finally have some competition--at least in the Department of Gaudy (otherwise known as DOG).

Speaking of abbreviations, we didn't know that LG stood for "Luxury Gold," as it does in the case of this 24-carat monstrosity. True to its moniker, the home theater system includes a 71-inch LCD in full 1080p high definition, as well as receivers, media players and a 500-watt sound all trimmed and plated in real gold, according to Aving. It's truly obscene.

The price of the … Read more

Plasma manufacturers can't keep up with LCD

Though revenue from plasma display panels (PDPs) shipments is on an upswing right now, that's not going to last, according to iSuppli.

It's been predicted for some time now that liquid crystal display (LCD) panels would eat away at the plasma industry, and now market research indicates that plasma panels--including the kind used in TVs--will reach their revenue-generating peak in the next two years. Plasma makers made $7.7 billion last year, and are on track to make $8.6 billion this year. In 2008, they'll top out at $10.2 billion, according to iSuppli.

It's … Read more