HD NEWS JANUARY 2008

With 100Hz processing and 10-bit panels, Sharp's top of the range LC-42XL2E offers some additional features over the entry level LC-42X20E. 100Hz processing doubles the number of frames displayed on-screen for smoother pictures while 10-bit panels increase the number of available colours  >> Full Story

With its 'Design Collection' of LCD TV's the Dutch electronics giant is cottoning on to the fact that style sells. It is actually focusing some of its design efforts around market research that suggests that for 98% of female consumers style is an important factor in the buying process  >> Full Story

This week, the market research group Gartner indicated that it believed that the format war would be resolved in 2008 with Blu-ray emerging as the victor. It also suggested that Toshiba's strategy of cutting HD DVD player prices would simply delay the inevitable  >> Full Story

At a mere 3.44 cm wide, three new Aquos LCD TV's from Sharp are destined to become the slimmest screens commercially available, for a while at least  >> Full Story

The Hitachi P50-XR01 is notable in that it is the only 50in Plasma to offer a built-in PVR (personal video recorder) complete with a 250GB hard-drive which has the capacity to record 100+ hours of standard definition TV. The two digital tuners allow you to watch one Freeview channel while recording another  >> Full Story

With an all new 8th generation screen, dubbed 'Kuro' (Japanese for 'black'), the Pioneer PDP-5080XD promises Black Levels to match and better anything seen to date from other Plasma and LCD TV manufacturers  >> Full Story

Consumers in Japan have snapped up the first batch of 200 OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TV's from the electronics giant Sony for around ¥200,000 (£850).  >> Full Story

The 42PFP5532 is something of a hidden gem, offering a compelling combination of excellent all round performance at a knock down price.  >> Full Story

As a budget plasma screen, LG's 42PT85 comes with a nice surprise, a built-in PVR sporting a 160GB hard drive. It gives the 42PT85 the ability to store around 80 hours of Standard Definition TV, and with two tuners, you can watch one channel and record another.  >> Full Story

Emphasizing slim design, advanced calibration options, hidden speakers and wireless connectivity, LG have announced 4 new plasma screen lines for 2008.  >> Full Story

By dubbing their 8th generation plasma screens Kuro ('Kuro' meaning 'black' in Japanese), Pioneer have firmly indicated in which direction their new range has been designed to excel.  >> Full Story

Picture processing technology on the 50PC55 comes in the shape of LG's proprietary XD engine. The XD Engine brings together a range of picture processing enhancements under the XD umbrella, and amongst other things focuses on improving the input signal quality.  >> Full Story

A total of 8 new lines of LCD TV's from the Korean manufacturer LG will showcase three main technological areas of development in 2008.  >> Full Story

Looking like it may join a long list of casualties from previous format wars, HD DVD was dealt another humiliating blow this week as American retailers began to make more room on their shelves for its competitor Blu-ray.  >> Full Story

With a number of different lines offering a vast array of LCD TV's with different specifications, it is easy to become bogged down in the detail of Sony's current crop of flat panels.  >> Full Story

With a range of stylish, cutting edge LCD TV's, the Dutch electronics giant Philips is set to become a fully paid up member of the leading pack of LCD TV manufacturers in 2008.  >> Full Story

Unlike the KDL-40D3500, there is no corresponding 3000 model alongside the KDL-46D3500 in the UK. If you are familiar with the D3000 series from Sony it is worth noting that the 46D3500's spec sheet reads a little different than you would imagine.  >> Full Story

The Korean electronics giant Samsung is offering something for everyone in 2008 with the introduction of '4', '5', '6', '7' and '9' series LCD TV's.  >> Full Story

There seems to be no stopping LG at the moment as they announce the introduction of no less than 8 new lines of LCD TV's. The flagship super slim series is the LG75 which features a unique 'teardrop' design.  >> Full Story

A change in model number from 3000 to 3500 would suggest that the KDL-40D3500 represented a relatively minor upgrade from its predecessor the KDL-40D3000. However, the changes in specification are more wide ranging than you would imagine.  >> Full Story

The TH42PX700 is an upgrade to the TH42PX70 upon which it is largely based. A very useful extra HDMI input has been added (taking the total to 3) along with Panasonic's 'Advanced Smart Sound Speaker system', which incorporates twin passive radiator woofers.  >> Full Story

With the announcement last week that Warner Brothers is dropping support for the HD DVD High definition format, the number of big Hollywood studios favoring the Blu-ray camp stands at 5 against just 2 for HD DVD.  >> Full Story

With a unique and innovative 'Crystallized' Rose-Red finish, Samsung have produced a very desirable LCD TV of high style along with an impressive feature list.  >> Full Story

Bringing their considerable laser expertise to bear in a flat panel TV, the electronics giant Mitsubishi this week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, introduced a 65in laser TV.  >> Full Story

More innovative perhaps than their world beating 150in plasma recently unveiled at this years CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, Panasonic also introduced some slimline technological wizardry with a 1in thick Plasma screen.  >> Full Story

Yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Panasonic unveiled the worlds largest Plasma. With a resolution of 2160 x 4096 the leviathan screen is around 11 feet wide and 6 feet tall.  >> Full Story

At this years Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas Toshiba has launched an impressive 20 new LCD TV's across a total of five distinct ranges.  >> Full Story

At the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week, Pioneer has introduced concept Plasma screens destined to be the last word in black levels.  >> Full Story

Some of those unsightly wires dangling from the back of your wall mounted Plasma or LCD TV could soon be a thing of the past with a number of major manufacturers promising wireless enabled solutions by this summer.  >> Full Story

While there is nothing to compare with the pristine quality of High Definition pictures on your LCD or Plasma TV, the fact is that for most of us the majority of our viewing schedule will still be Standard Definition (SD) quality.  >> Full Story

With the invitations already sent out, the Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi plans to unveil its take on laser TV at the forthcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.  >> Full Story

With its ability to output Full HD pictures at 1080p/24fps the BD-HP20 has the potential to produce supreme quality High Definition pictures. Of course, you will need a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution screen to make the most of this feature.  >> Full Story

Having heard similar claims from various manufacturers before, the skeptics among us will take with a pinch of salt Canon's announcement that it is to once again promote a new form of flat screen display technology.  >> Full Story

The Japanese manufacturer Fujitsu has announced that it will stop producing Plasma screens after nearly fifteen years of commercial involvement with the technology.  >> Full Story

The most interesting aspect of the LE-52F96BD is a revolutionary new form of Backlight 'LED Smart Lighting Technology' which is composed of a series of light emitting diodes (LEDs) rather than the static backlight (a single light source) of previous LCD's.  >> Full Story