Vizio's 32-inch VO320E LCD HDTV gets reviewed

It's not too often that we see 32-inch HDTVs being reviewed these days, but CNET has a review of the 32-inch Vizio VO320E thanks to its "Eco" tag because it exceeds the Energy Star standard by more than 15 percent. Interestingly, despite the fact the set is fairly energy-efficient, it really doesn't out do other LCDs on the market by much. Where it does shine is its picture quality which you'll get for a low, low price. Just $360 and change. You can read the entire review here.

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55-inch BeoVision 7 HDTV with built-in Blu-ray announced

Bang & Olufsen today launched the largest BeoVision 7 HDTV yet available -- 55 inches large. The set adds in 120 Hz motion refresh and a built-in Blu-ray player with digital surround sound. The new BeoVision 7 also features LED locally dimming backlighting, two three-way bass reflex speakers, six integrated 125W ICEpower amplifiers, a center speaker, and a motorized floor stand. The set can also be mounted. Color options available include natural aluminum, black, blue, dark grey and red and the price tag runs a high $18700.

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Sony's eco-friendly 46-inch VE5 LCD HDTV gets reviewed

Whether or not a company produces a product with any green benefits, spin doctoring the product's respective marketing material to make it seem that way seems to be a must. Though I think many, many consumer electronics products out there today boasting "eco-friendliness" are anything but. Sony's KDL-46VE5 LCD HDTV sports the eco-friendly tag, yet according to CNET, the set is in fact energy efficient and performs well from a quality picture perspective.

The set has a presence sensor which detects a viewer in front of it. When the viewer leaves, the TV set automatically shuts off. Novel, and a reason to up the price, but I'd imagine the feature does save quite a bit of energy. Other positive features according to the reviewers include "relatively deep black levels", solid standard mode dejudder processing, plenty of connectivity options and picture controls. Not so great features include bluish-tinged dark areas, expensive price, and dejudder-dependent antiblur.

CNET ended up giving the 46-inch LCD set a 3.5 out of 5 and a "Good" energy rating.

Sony KDL-46VE5 -- At Amazon

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56-inch quad-HD Sony LCD HDTV announced for Japan

It's official. Japan gets all the cool stuff folks. Sony Japan announced today the TRIMASTER SRM-L560, a 56-inch quad-HD LCD HDTV. The unit sports 3840 × 2160 resolution via a 10-bit RGB LED backlit panel among many other features worthy of a ridiculously high price tag. It also includes "SRM Manager" software which allows owners to adjust color temperature and other pictures controls using a WIndows-powered PC. Coming to Japan November 1, the Sony TRIMASTER SRM-L560 will cost 6,825,000 yen, the equivalent of US$76583.

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Toshiba 55-inch X1 packs a 3 TB hard drive, records 8 channels at once

I hear Toshiba CELL REGZA 55X1 and the first thought that pops into my mind is WOW! The 55-inch LED-backlit set, announced in Japan, utilizes Toshiba's proprietary Cell Platform--a combination of the Cell Broadband Engine and Toshiba's image processing algorithms. Toshiba claims the technology enables the 55X1, which is mounted on a 3 TB hard disk drive, to provide a brightness rating of 1250 cd/m2, a dynamic contrast ratio of 5, 000, 000:1, and the capability to record up to 26 hours of programming from up to 8 channels--simultaneously. The 240 Hz 55X1 is shipping in Japan come the beginning of December, and is expected to reach the Americas in 2010. For a rather extravagant price, of course: $11, 115.

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42-inch LG SL80 240 Hz LCD HDTV reviewed, dubbed good buy

Despite the fact that LG Electronics produces some home theater gear with top-notch features, the company still doesn't have the brand equity of Sony, Samsung or Panasonic. The company continues to pump out good product reviews on a consistent basis though; something to keep in mind next time you're looking for a new HDTV or Blu-ray player.

The latest review, of the 1.8-inch thick LG 42SL80, comes to us courtesy of the folks at PCMag.com. The 42-inch set is not only an aesthetic pleaser, but also quite the performer. It has a handy Picture Wizard that helps the average home theater user calibrate the set to perform maximally. It delivers good color quality and 240 Hz refresh, though the latter doesn't cut all of the motion blur common to faster, action-oriented flicks. On the downside, its standard-definition performance is lacking. Its deinterlacing performance isn't earth-shattering either.

Overall, the LG 42SL80 appears to be a solid buy, receiving a score of 4/5 from PCMag.

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Sharp outs 4 LX Series LED-backlit LCD HDTVs with 2, 000, 000:1 dynamic contrast ratio

Sharp is bringing another four high-end AQUOS LCD HDTV models into the Japanese market this November.

The four LX Series models include the 40-inch LC-40LX1, 46-inch LC-46LX1, 52-inch LC-52LX1, and the 60-inch LC-60LX1. All four models are LED-backlit, contain the industry's "lowest level of energy consumption," feature an impressive 2, 000, 000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, an ARSS 6-speaker audio system with duo bass subwoofer (except for the 40-inch model), and the AQUOS Familink II which integrates AQUOS functions with other peripherals enhancing user-friendliness.

Like any other HDTV with quality specs, those belonging to the LX Series will cost the US equivalent of $2800 for the 40-inch model, increasing to a painful $6100 for the 60-inch model. There was no indication of an international distribution plan for the LX Series in today's press release.

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Toshiba confirms 2160p Cell Regza LED TV shipping soon

Toshiba has confirmed to Australian publication Smarthouse that the 2160p Cell LED TV will hit shelves soon in both Japan and Australia. First tipped at CES 2009, the Cell TV uses the same 64-bit Cell Broadband Engine used by the Sony Playstation 3, can record 6 HD TV channels at once to its built-in 1 TB storage unit, and includes a Blu-ray player. 2160p resolution is actually 3 times greater than 1080p, and the Cell Regza can in fact scale 1080p content to 3840 x 2160 pixels. As for a full list of specifications, Toshiba says they will be released "within days", and not surprisingly, the TV will be fairly expensive. The Cell TV will begin selling Japan in December 2009 and Australia in 2010. It will also be on display in Las Vegas at CES 2010.

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Best Buy has an in-house HDTV with a built-in Blu-ray player

Signifying a possible new trend in HDTV design, Best Buy will soon be releasing a 32-inch Insignia LCD HDTV with a built-in Blu-ray player. For cheap too, at only $599. Of course the Insignia NS-LBD32X won't feature any of the new higher-end features we've seen this year. But it will have a respectable 1080p display, 20000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and 450 cd/m2 brightness. No word on the Blu-ray specs short of playback, but for $599 you can't really complain.

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Viewsonic unleashes a plain jane HDTV sextuplet

Viewsonic has launched six new LCD HDTVs today, though they're nothing to write home about. The 32-inch VT3245, 37-inch VT3745 and the 42-inch N4285 make up the real HDTV half of the line. The smaller pair both feature 1980 x 1080 pixel resolution, 5 millisecond response time, 4000:1 contrast ratio, 3D video processing, SRS TruSurround XT audio, and a variety of image scaling modes. The VT3745 will ship this month for $799, while the VT3245 will ship in October for $649. The larger NT4285 features a 10000:1 contrast ratio, an Eco panel, and all the features mentioned above. Shipping in October, the NT4285 will require you to shell out $999.

The VT2042, VT2342, and VT2645 are built to function as smaller HDTVs though they'd typically be better suited to a computer monitor environment. The VT2042 and VT2342 feature 1600 x900 and 1920 x 1080 resolution, respectively, as well as 10000:1 contrast ratio, 5 millisecond response time, 3D video processing, SRS TruSurround HD audio, and a tilt base. The VT2342 also adds in 3 HDMI slots for gaming and Blu-ray viewing. The VT2645 has similar features but only manages 1366 x 768 resolution. All are available this month priced at $299, $349 and $449, in order of mention above.

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Sony 46- and 52-inch BRAVIA ZX5 wireless HDTVs stream 1080p

Sony chose today to announce its BRAVIA ZX5 wireless HDTV line in Japan, the update to its ZX1 series. The 46- and 52-inch wireless models each come with a TV Station hub that contains all of the physical inputs. This allows the displays to be completely wireless. While the ZX1 could only stream 1080i resolution video, the ZX5 bumps it up to 60 Hz wireless HD format or 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second. The display also manages the newer 240 Hz refresh rate and LED-backlighting. The TV Station hub has four HDMI slot, a pair of D5 component equivalent ports, a pair of RCA jacks, and single S-video and VGA slots. An Ethernet connection is also built in, enabling DLNA streaming and internet video streaming. Both models should ship in the United States sometime in the future, but for now it's a sure thing both models will ship in Japan for $4937 and $5581, respectively, on November 20.

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Sharp AQUOS LE700E and LE600E LED LCD HDTVs: World's most energy efficient

Sharp has introduced a pair of 46-inch LCD HDTVs that boast the world's greatest energy efficiency--both members of the new LE700E and LE600E AQUOS families. Both models use "white full LED backlighting" enabling the consumption of only 89 Watts at full power, while the larger 52-inch models manage to consume less than 100 Watts. Both ranges will also be available in 32- and 40-inch models. Features common to all the sets include 1080p resolution, 2, 000, 000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 90% "constant screen illumination", and a 100Hz refresh rate, common to Europe. While launch dates haven't been set, prices will range from US$1324 for the 32-inch LE600E to US$3385 for the 52-inch LE700E.

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Mitsubishi ships VUDU-integrated Diamond LCD TVs in the United States

Mitsubishi has announced it is now shipping its VUDU-integrated Diamond Unisen Immersive Sound LCD HDTVs. Comprised of the 46-inch LT-46249 and the 52-inch LT-52249, the new Diamond line features 1080p resolution, integrated 18-speaker Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound with Dual Driver Extended Range Sound, a 240 Hz refresh rate, and a 1-inch thickness. Both sets also feature wide color gamut backlight technology and Energy Star 3.0 certification. The VUDU integration provides 2200 HD titles and 16000 titles in total. Plus, later this month, VUDU will also provide video, music and photo streaming from YouTube, Pandora, Flickr, Picasa, and "On Demand TV" which provides 80 channels. There is also a limited time offer available that will net new owners $50 worth of free SD, HD and HDX movie rentals. Available now in the United States, the new 46- and 52-inch Diamond models are priced at $2599 and $3099.

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Philips announces latest edge-lit LED Aurea HDTV

The third generation of the Philips Aurea edge-lit LED HDTV was announced on Thursday. The 40-inch 1080p LCD model utilizes Philips' Active Frame with Ambilight Spectra technology which lights up the display with 250 LEDs surrounding the display. The new Aurea display also includes Net TV which allows it to connect to home ethernet or wireless networks in order to stream YouTube and other video content from the web. Other features include DLNA compatibility, 80, 000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 100 Hz refresh rate, a 2 millisecond response rate, and 450 cd/m2 brightness. There's also a ton of connection options on this model including 5 HDMI 1.3a slots, S-video, USB, component, composite, VGA, and digital coaxial audio input. Philips hasn't announced pricing or availability for the Aurea, however it'll most likely only ship in Europe.

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