hdtv

LG's $10,000 OLED: Hands-on

Big-screen OLED TV technology has taken years to come to market, and LG's 55EM9600 won CNET's Best of CES award in January, so among technology enthusiasts, it's safe to classify anticipation for the 4mm-thin television as "high."

CNET's Asia's TV reviewer Philip Wong got the opportunity to spend some hands-on time with an early version of the set yesterday in Monaco, and he liked what he saw -- from deep black levels to superb off-angle viewing, with a potential for accurate color. His conclusion?

In many ways, the 55EM9600 is the "spiritual successor" to the lengendary Pioneer Kuro. Until we have a chance to check out the Samsung OLED panel, this LG easily sets the new benchmark in terms of TV picture quality and slim design.

Check out his full impressions here, including plenty of in-person pictures and TV nerd eye candy.

Get a five-port HDMI switch for $19.99

HDMI inputs are like $100 bills: you can never have enough.

One usually goes to the cable box/DVR/TiVo; another to your Blu-ray player. And it's not unthinkable that you'd also have a game console, Roku box, and Apple TV. (What, just me?)

If your HDTV has only two or three HDMI ports, you're looking at a lot of cable-swapping. What a hassle.

To overcome this input deficit, get yourself a port splitter. Like this one: today only, Daily Steals has the Kinovo 501BN 5-port HDMI switch for $19.99, plus $4.99 for shipping. It … Read more

Panasonic VT50 wins Value Electronics 2012 TV picture quality shootout

Electronics retailer Value Electronics held its first 2012 flat-panel TV picture quality shootouts last weekend. The event was won by the Panasonic TC-P65VT50.

Panasonic's best plasma TV for 2012 beat out five other contenders. In descending order of average score (see the scorecard below), they were the Samsung PN64E8000 plasma, the Sharp Elite PRO-60X5FD LCD, the Samsung UNES8000 LCD, the LG 60PM9700 plasma and the Panasonic TC-L47WT50 LCD. Despite a lower average score, the voters gave the Elite second place overall however, ahead of the Samsung PNE8000.

The Panasonic VT50 outscored the others in color accuracy and general content … Read more

Apple HDTV would lure about 1 in 2 iPhone owners, survey says

If you own an iPhone, you're pretty likely to buy Apple's much-rumored TV set, according to the results of a new study.

Market research firm Strategy Analytics today released findings from its 2012 ConsumerMetrix survey, which says "nearly half" of those who already own an iPhone would be "very or somewhat likely" to buy an Apple TV set.

The survey, which took place in March, was limited to the U.S. and Europe, and consisted of about 6,000 individuals, most of whom were located in Europe.

According to Jia Wu, a Director at … Read more

How do I get HD from one source to multiple TVs? (Morrison's Mailbag)

CNET reader Will asks:

When considering acquiring a second HDTV, I discovered that my satellite box cannot send such a signal over the house cable system. In fact, the box has only one HDMI port, so a new distribution system is required to get the HD signal throughout the house.

What are the best options for distributing HD signal from a provider's receiver? Should we just rent multiple boxes or buy a new system?

A complex question, but multiple easy answers.… Read more

HDTV maker Loewe surges, even as it nixes Apple rumor

An unconfirmed report that was ultimately dismissed by management isn't enough to turn shareholders off to German HDTV maker Loewe.

The company's shares today are up 22 percent to 5.55 euros following rumors that it would be acquired by Apple as early as this week. AppleInsider, an Apple-tracking Web site, reported on Saturday that it had received a report from a source claiming Apple had offered a buyout deal for a slight premium on the company's stock price, and Loewe's financial advisers had "been advised" to take the offer.

AppleInsider made it clear … Read more

Pay $2 to promote your Facebook status?

In today's show, we're buying status updates, finding a new route and building a new game addiction:

Would you pay $2 to get your Facebook status message seen by more people? It's something Facebook is testing in New Zealand. (And tell me your two-cents on the issue via Tout!)

The Foxconn factory for Apple products is preparing to build the much anticipated Apple television set. The chief at the Foxconn spilled the beans in a news conference.

According to 9to5Mac, the next version of iOS will not include Google Maps. Rather, it will have Apple's own mapping software. … Read more

Get an HDMI cable for $3 (or less)

Buying an Apple TV or Roku box? A Blu-ray player? A $99 Xbox 360? These and other TV-centric devices have one thing in common: they don't come with the HDMI cables necessary for the optimal connection to your TV.

Shoppers often make the mistake of assuming that whatever the local electronics store charges for an HDMI cable is just the price you have to pay. But although retail prices have come down in recent years, they're still way higher than what you can find online.

For example, Best Buy charges $24.99 for a Dynex 6-foot HDMI cable. … Read more

Apple HDTV prototype spotted, blog claims

If a report from Cult of Mac this morning is true, we may have our first good sense of what Apple's long-rumored and much-hyped HDTV looks like and what features it contains.

In the report, Cult of Mac cites an unnamed source who is said to have seen a prototype of the forthcoming device and who claims that it looks like "Apple's current lineup of LED-backlit Cinema Displays but is 'much bigger.' It [also] has a built-in iSight camera for making free FaceTime video conference calls. And it has Siri, the iPhone 4S' voice-activated virtual assistant." … Read more

Why do plasma TVs look washed out in the store?

CNET Reader Rob asks:

I've been reading your articles on HDTV and find them very informative so, here's something I need cleared up. You mentioned how plasma TVs can control the brightness of individual pixels, made me think they should have a superior picture to LCD -- so I went looking at plasmas. I noticed that they seem to have a "washed out" look, an overall dimmer picture than LCD. Everywhere I go this seems to be the case. What's up with that? Thanks.

A common question, and a huge issue with plasmas, but not how you might think.… Read more