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The California Energy Commission (CEC) delayed a vote on setting new energy-efficiency standards for TVs in the state, planning to now address the issue at its Nov. 18 business meeting. The Commission is considering proposed sales restriction for energy-hogging TVs that will be imposed in two tiers, in January 2011 and January 2013, though the first phase of restrictions will not include TVs larger than 58 inches. Click here to read the proposed energy requirements. The proposal has generated much controversy, pitting the environmental advocates… View this story
Displays • Flat Panel • HDTV • LCD • Plasma • Industry • Manufacturers • Dealers • Retailers • Green Technology • Info and Answers • Product News

Black Friday can come weeks early if you know where to shop online. BuyDig.com has a great combo deal on the LG 42PQ30 42” 720p plasma with a Panasonic BD60K Blu-ray player with a GGI Hookup Kit for $619. If purchased separately, the price would be around $885. The 42-inch plasma features a 600hz sub-field drive, 12,000:1 contrast ratio, and 3 HDMI inputs. The BD60K is an entry-level player that features BD Live. The hookup kit contains high-quality interconnects (all 6ft lengths), including two HDMI… View this story
Displays • Flat Panel • HDTV • Plasma • Blu-ray • Deals • Product News

Vizio has added two small-sized LED LCD TVs that have profiles of less than one inch, the 19-inch VM190XVT and 23-inch VM230XVT. The TVs use edge-lit LED backlighting that is usually found on larger screens. Only the 23-inch model is 1080p, but both feature 20,000:1 dynamic contrast ratios, 5ms response times and 300 nits of brightness. Both models also offer two HDMI inputs, a standard PC input, SRS TruVolume to eliminate “volume inconsistencies” and SRS TruSurroundHD. Other features on both TVs: Ambient light sensors that… View this story
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Update: Sears is offering a series of “Black Friday Now” deals that will be available every Saturday between Oct. 31, 2009 and Christmas from 7 a.m. to noon. Due to Halloween, doorbusters sales will start on Friday, Oct. 30 at 5 p.m. Not to be out-leaked by OfficeMax, the Black Friday ads from Sears have been posted on BlackFriday.info. Black Friday is on Nov. 27, 2009, and Sears has some great deals on consumer electronics and DIY products, including TVs, Blu-ray players, home theater systems,… View this story
AV Components • Blu-ray • DVD Players • Cables, Wires and Tools • HDMI • Displays • Flat Panel • HDTV • LCD • Plasma • Furniture • Gaming • Games • Deals

Samsung has added Amazon Video On Demand and officially rolled out Blockbuster OnDemand to its LCD and Plasma HDTVs Series 650 and above and LED HDTVs Series 7000. Owners of those select HDTVs can download the Amazon Video On Demand widget, which supports HD, for free from Samsung’s Internet@TV service. Amazon Video On Demand offers more than 50,000 movies and TV shows that are available for rent or for purchase. There is no subscription for Amazon On Demand, users only pay for what they watch.… View this story
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The much-hyped DTV transition passed pretty quietly earlier in 2009. Consumers, for the most part, have adapted to the change without a hitch, settling in with their flat-panel TVs, HD projectors and digital television converter boxes. That’s the cue for engineers on the manufacturing side to push out the “the next big thing” to build on TV’s momentum. Some of the projects these engineers are working on can be evaluated as a logical technological progression in the format, while others will be evaluated as extreme… View this story
Displays • Flat Panel • HDTV • LCD • Video Projectors • Product News • Slideshows

Panasonic wants to be synonymous with 3D TV. The consumer electronics giant intends to lead the 3D movement, from start to finish: production, relationships with Hollywood, standards, rendering technology, and finally TVs and sources. “Panasonic will continue to be at the leading edge for the industry” for 3D, said Fumio Ohtsubo, president of Panasonic, during a keynote address at CEATEC Japan 2009 near Tokyo. During the expo, Panasonic shrugged off the 100-inch Full HD 3D plasma TV demonstrated at CEATEC 2008 and CES in January… View this story
Flat Panel • HDTV • Plasma • Blu-ray

CEDIA Expo is not just for exploring new technologies and enlightening CE Pros. It’s also a great place for doing your own virtual shopping – virtual as in, “If I had the money, I would buy ….” Virtual shopping also applies to products that are not yet available, and ones that are inexpensive enough, but you couldn’t be bothered to install them. After CEDIA Expo 2009, I came away with a nice shopping list for my own home—some items I’ve coveted for years; others that… View this story
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Panasonic has developed a 50-inch, 1080p 3D plasma that it plans on shipping in 2010 in the United States, Europe, and Japan. The system, which will be on display at CEATEC Japan 2009, requires viewers to wear Panasonic’s “active shutter” 3D glasses. These glasses switch in sync with the TV so that the right eye sees the right image and the left eyes sees the left image. In order to view 3D images, you’ll also need a Blu-ray player and discs that support the 3D… View this story
Displays • Flat Panel • HDTV • Plasma • Product News

If your electronics don’t stream content directly to your living room, they’re just plain lazy. TV, Blu-ray player, receiver and media server manufacturers are pairing up with content providers to cut out the middleman — that being the consumer who actually has to go to a store to get movies or music. Manufacturers at CEDIA Expo 2009 announced partnerships with Netflix and Vudu, showing off the fruits of their collaborations. Vudu had a huge presence in LG’s booth. LG kicked off the show by announcing… View this story
Flat Panel • Blu-ray • Receivers • Web Services • Product News

LED TVs certainly had a strong presence at CEDIA Expo 2009 in Atlanta. Manufacturers are embracing LED TVs because they use a lot less energy and are much thinner than normal LCD TVs, providing consumers with a “green” display that also can be aesthetically pleasing in most environments. You couldn’t get away from LED TVs in Sharp’s booth even if you tried, while LG’s booth also had LED TVs throughout. There were, surprisingly, no OLED TVs on display at the show. A Sony spokesperson attributed… View this story
Displays • Flat Panel • HDTV • LCD • Product News • Slideshows

LG Electronics kicked off CEDIA Expo 2009 by adding Vudu to its BD390 Blu-ray player. Vudu isn’t new to LG. The on-demand movie rental service was recently added to LG’s Broadband TVs, a line that also includes Netflix, Yahoo Widget and YouTube streaming. So between the BD390, the Broadband TV line and a demo of the Vudu interface, LG’s booth had Vudu pretty well covered. LG also showed several LED TVs, including the SL90 line that is slated to ship in October, featuring 42- and… View this story
AV Components • Blu-ray • Displays • Flat Panel • HDTV • LCD • Product News • Slideshows