HDTV

Score a 6-foot HDMI cable for free (after rebate)

Last month I mentioned that you shouldn't overpay for HDMI cables: The cheap ones are generally just as good as their pricey counterparts. Of course, the best deal is when you don't pay anything at all, like with eCost's free-after-rebate Azio 6-foot HDMI cable.

Shipping is way overpriced at $9.50 (for a cable? C'mon, eCost), but in the end you're getting an HDMI cable for $9.50--a great deal any way you slice it.

The rebate offer (PDF) is good until June 30, though who knows how long eCost's stock will last? For … Read more

Panasonic says Tru2way TVs on track for later this year

Panasonic has confirmed to CNET that it still intends to deliver Tru2way TVs to the market before the end of 2008. A company representative e-mailed us with the following statement:

Panasonic's Tru2way-enabled VIERA HDTV is in the certification process at CableLabs. Panasonic expects to deliver Tru2way-enabled VIERA HDTVs to the market in time for the holiday season.

Of course, the company's expectation does not equal a guarantee that we'll see the product on store shelves before the end of the year. But it does represent an affirmation that Panasonic is actively working to address the alleged issues … Read more

Sharp's 108-inch LCD descends on Tokyo

The 108-inch LCD that Sharp unveiled in January is now coming to market, ready to induce hernias everywhere.

The massive display measures 93.9 inches wide and 52.9 inches high, in full-HD 1080p resolution. That means there's plenty of real estate in the back for a variety of inputs, including HDMI and DVI-I connectors, according to Fareastgizmos. It also has a fanless design to keep noise to a minimum.

The first stop for Sharp's LB-1085 will be the Shinjuku Piccadilly multiplex complex in Tokyo, a massive theater facility that will maximize the visual impact of the gargantuan … Read more

The rocky road to Tru2way

Update: Subsequent to the publication of this story, Panasonic has released a more detailed statement on the status of its Tru2way TVs.

CableLabs' Tru2way got a big boost last month when Sony signed on with a pledge to design and deliver TVs that incorporate the standard, bolstering an already impressive list of backers. The Web was flooded with optimistic reports of a post-cable box Valhalla where you could simply buy a Tru2way TV, screw in your coaxial cable, and have plug-and-play access to your 1,000-channel universe. Before those miracle TVs hit the market, however, they need to be certified by CableLabs--and there are rumors that the initial trials aren't going well. According to IP Democracy, the initial certification tests for Panasonic Tru2way TVs were unsuccessful--to say the least. The post cites "folks close to Tru2way" as calling the Panasonic tests a "'disaster of spectacular proportions'" that resulted in "'dozens and dozens' of bugs."

In an attempt to verify those dire--but anonymous--quotes, we contacted Panasonic and CableLabs for their responses.… Read more

Video game addicts can be party animals too

When I was a kid, I usually found myself doing one of two things: playing video games at home or trying as best as I could to attract every girl I saw. Was I a video game addict? Probably. Was a socialite? Yep. And you know what? I wasn't alone.

According to a report from Reuters, Daniel Loton, an Australian graduate student found that "15 percent of 621 adult respondents to an online survey were identified as "problem gamers" who spend more than 50 hours a week playing games."

But only 1 percent of those respondents had poor social skills and shyness, suggesting the cheerleaders in school were wrong: video game addicts are cool too.

Sweet, sweet justice.

The beauty of this new study isn't that it tells us something we didn't already know--I was known as the cool dude on campus for a reason, you know--but it helps us combat the fools who insist that video games are bad for children and hinder their ability to interact in the real world.… Read more

Swarovski tarts up a new HDTV

We've already seen the Crystallized Loewe Individual and the ultra-bling Philips Diamond TV, and now it's LG's turn to join forces with the Swarovski empire with its Canvas Crystal X HDTV. A pretty clever one, too, which weds last year's Design Art-series chassis with 1,000 of the glittery crystals. It would have been even better if the company had extended this special treatment to its Scarlet lineup, though we have had equal reservations on the level of unnecessary extravagance.

Whatever it is, this 47-incher is already out in South Korea and costs a dear $3,194 … Read more

Panasonic PZ850: So not your father's TV

If you're trying to reduce the amount of time you spend in front of the television, Panasonic's new high-end plasma HDTV is so not the gadget for you. It's sleek, huge (even in its smallest 46-inch iteration), and offers instant Web connectivity.

The PZ850, part of the company's Viera line, connects to YouTube and Google's Picasa Web album straight from the TV. You can also get weather from five chosen locations and Bloomberg news and stocks that are updated every 15 minutes. Put an SD memory card into the HDTV and you can view high-definition … Read more

Down the line: 2008 Sony Bravia XBR LCD HDTVs

This spring Sony released its mainstream Bravia LCD models, namely the 15-odd HDTVs announced at CES, and we've already reviewed two of them: the 32-inch KDL-32M4000 and the 46-inch KDL-46W4100. Today the company follows up by announcing the bulk of its high-end XBR-branded sets, which will be more expensive and offer a few key step-up features when they hit stores this fall. The main addition of note is an LED backlight, which is finally trickling down from the company's 2005 Qualia model and the $30K KDL-70XBR3. Below you'll find information on all of the new XBR-branded Bravia sets, from least to most expensive, and before you ask, no, Sony hasn't announced pricing.… Read more

Can Tru2way succeed where CableCard failed?

If the industry press is to be believed, Tuesday's announcement that Sony would be producing TVs with Tru2way compatibility was a watershed event--the electronics world equivalent of the Magna Carta or the Treaty of Versailles. But let's step back a bit and examine what this really means.

Tru2way is a digital cable technology developed by CableLabs that's designed to be built directly into TVs, eliminating the need for an outboard set-top box. In theory, you'd be able to buy a Tru2way-compatible TV, bring it home, connect it to your coaxial cable, and instantly be able to … Read more