HD NEWS MAY 2008

Vying for the title of prettiest LCD TV around, the newly introduced 9600 series of from Philips is also a technological showcase for the Dutch electronics giant. >> Full Story

Panasonic are going on the road around the UK to demonstrate their PZ81 range of Freesat enabled plasma TV's. >> Full Story

Even by the design standards of more innovative LCD TV manufacturers, the transparent Perspex strip between the narrow frame-length speakers at the bottom of the screen and the main frame of the TV represents quite a radical departure. >> Full Story

With their XV505 series of LCD TV's, Toshiba are set to enhance their reputation as producers of some of the best value flat panels around. >> Full Story

Pioneer have revealed details of their ninth generation (G9) plasma screens which now start with a 50in model, making way for the company's first foray into LCD technology. >> Full Story

With their PictureBox service, BT have made available a continuously changing selection of 28 movies available to consumers for £5 a month. >> Full Story

Subtle design touches such as the super slim speakers which sit flush at either side of the screen give the TX37LZD800 that top of the range look. The overall effect is a clean, elegant, supremely classy appearance with real flare. >> Full Story

Having wowed consumers last year with the world's largest Plasma screen (102in) the Korean manufacturer Samsung has done it again with LCD. >> Full Story

Not to be overshadowed by the likes of Panasonic and Sony who have both established a comprehensive range of LCD TV's to suit every budget, Sharp have introduced 22 new flat panels (if you count different colour options) across three model lines. >> Full Story

Illustrating just how strong demand for LCD TV's is set to become, US-based market researcher DisplaySearch has predicted that global sales are expected to increase from 79 million units in 2007 to 150 million units this year. >> Full Story

Offering the same Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution as its high end A656 stable mates, the A559 loses an HDMI input (down to 3) and is equipped with Samsung's second generation DNIe (Digital Natural Image engine) picture processing engine rather than the latest third generation DNIe Pro. >> Full Story

Looking like they wouldn't be out of place on the set of the latest Sci-Fi blockbuster, the W4000 series of LCD TV's from Sony may lose the Japanese electronics giant some of their more conservatively orientated supporters; but they could well attract a group of style conscious consumers who have previously viewed Sony products as too Conservative. >> Full Story

Comparing the black level performance of the KDL-32W4000 with one of Sony's LCD TV's from just a couple of years ago gives us a good indication of how far Sony and LCD technology has progressed. The greyish hues of darker scenes on earlier Sony's have given way to strong blacks with subtle graduations across darker scenes. >> Full Story

Given that Blu-ray has recently emerged as the dominant High Definition DVD format, it is no surprise that the Hollywood studio Paramount has re-issued its catalogue of Blu-ray films. >> Full Story

Neil Berkett, Virgin Media chief executive has confirmed that talks are being held with BSkyB aimed at reaching an agreement over the reinstatement of Sky programmes on the cable operators service. >> Full Story

The TH46PZ85 enhances Panasonic's reputation as one of the finest producers of plasma TV's around. The high definition performance of this screen is almost faultless while the standard definition pictures are exceptional given the panel's size. >> Full Story

Judging by the terminology JVC themselves use to describe their new range of LCD TV's, to categorize them as 'thin' would be an injustice. >> Full Story

With the launch of their PZ81 series of Plasmas, Panasonic have become the first in the UK to offer TV's with built-in Freesat High Definition (HD) compatible tuners. >> Full Story

At the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas earlier this year, Pioneer gave us a tantalizing glimpse of what is to become their next generation plasma series. Pioneer have just released details of their second generation 'Kuro' screens which are due to be released this summer. >> Full Story

Sony's new W4000 series of LCD TV's is now available to consumers in the UK  >> Full Story

The free-to-view satellite service from the BBC and ITV launches today and is the first in the UK to offer free High Definition (HD) programming. The BBC's trial HD channel will be joined in a few weeks by ITV's HD channel  >> Full Story

With around 80 channels of programming, FreeSat, the free-to-view satellite service will begin broadcasting tomorrow (May 6th)  >> Full Story

Complementing Motion Picture Pro 2, the latest incarnation of Panasonic's picture processing engine 'V-real 3' detects on-screen motion and activates backlight blinking to maintain resolution in those areas. Of course there is much more to V-real 3 - Panasonic have apparently re-engineered almost every element of their picture processing engine in its latest guise  >> Full Story

Recognizing that consumer buying habits have dramatically changed over the last few years, flat panel manufacturers are putting more and more energy into improving the look of their TV's  >> Full Story

Virgin Media subscribers can now access the BBC's iPlayer directly through their TV. Around 350 hours of content adds to Virgin Media's existing video-on-demand service, which has 4,300 hours of programming and is accessed regularly by around half of the company's 3.4 million customers  >> Full Story

With an innovative 'Crystallized' Rose-Red finish, Samsung have embarked on a stylistic departure with the LE40A656 which we think looks rather special. A unique manufacturing process is employed to produce Samsung's trademark black gloss finish with a subtle hint of deep red  >> Full Story