December 20th, 2008

Intel to showcase Widget Channel Internet TV platform at CES

Posted by Sean Portnoy @ 5:16 am

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: Consumer Electronics Show, Internet TV, Intel Corp., TVs, Tv & Home Theater, Personal Technology, Home Entertainment, Sean Portnoy

Another tech heavyweight is jumping into the battle over bringing the Internet to the living room. Intel will be showing off its new Widget Channel platform, which combines the new Media Processor CE 3100 with a software framework for displaying widgets of information on your TV, at next month’s CES event.

Intel is targeting its solution at device makers, rather than producing any set-top boxes itself. The new chips include high-definition video processing functions as well as enough horsepower to display multiple widgets on your set at the same time you’re watching TV (as shown in the image above). Intel and Yahoo have worked on a widget platform that will allow viewers to stream weather reports, sports scores, Flickr galleries, and the like, along with anything third parties can develop using the Widget Channel API.

The new platform was displayed a few months ago at the Intel Developers Forum, where it was shown off with the help of Gigabyte’s Media Processor CE 3100 box. Since then, Intel has been mum on any other device makers or TV manufacturers that plan to offer Widget Channel products in the future. That will change next month in Vegas, where the company says it will unveil prototype Widget Channel devices. I’ll submit a full report after I take a first-hand look at CES.

December 16th, 2008

Holiday Gift Guide 2008: Soundbar speaker systems

Posted by Sean Portnoy @ 7:01 pm

Categories: Holiday Gift Guide

Tags: Audio, Home Theater, Speaker, Zvox, Polk, Home Entertainment, Tv & Home Theater, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Sean Portnoy

Some enthusiasts want the accuracy of a full surround-sound speaker setup handling their home theater audio output, but judging from the number of soundbar solutions that have been hitting the marketplace, many people are willing to trade fidelity for a single speaker (and often a subwoofer) that doesn’t require you strewing cables all around your living room. They provide a sleek look and adequate audio for those you don’t mind their virtual surround sound technology. If that sounds like a good gift to give yourself or someone with a new HDTV, here are five different soundbars that can provide the perfect fit for a home theater setup.

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December 13th, 2008

Wireless HD standards battle for supremacy

Posted by Sean Portnoy @ 3:19 pm

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: Standards, Westinghouse, Wi-Fi, Wireless, Sean Portnoy

It’s pretty clear that the future for sending high-definition content to HDTVs is wireless, since it eliminates all those cables that everyone is trying to hide behind walls, in home theater cabinetry, or however else they can. But as is often the case with nascent technologies, the best approach for transmitting wireless HD is up for grabs.

The upcoming CES spectacular next month in Vegas will present a showcase for new products championing one standard or another. In fact, market research firm Parks Associates is planning a panel where four proponents of those methods&—WirelessHD, WHDI, wireless HDMI, and 802.11n#151;will duke it out. Of course, the marketplace is where the real fight will take place, and it’s still too early to declare a winner, since virtually no wireless HD products are available in the U.S. The Belkin FlyWire (pictured above) looked very promising when it was first unveiled last summer, but its release date has now been pushed back to the second half of next year, and it costs $1,500. Another (and available) product of note in this space has been Sony’s Bravia DMX-WL1, a wireless module that costs $800. It uses Amimo’s WHDI chipset; other WHDI supporters include Hitachi, Motorola, Sharp, and Samsung.

Sharp and Samsung also support WirelessHD, which counts as Intel, LG Electronics, Panasonic, and Toshiba as other backers. Westinghouse has partnered with Pulse~Link to create HDTVs using CWave Wireless-for-HDMI technology, while British company ProVision Communications is set to announce products based on the 802.11n Wi-Fi standard, which is certainly the most familiar technology, if one that has yet been promoted by any TV maker. One additional alternative is Sigma Designs’ WirelessHDAV, which Monster Cable is using for its Monster Wireless Digital Express HD system. Announced in the fall, it’s now slated for the “near future” and will cost $1,000.

There should be plenty to report from CES on the topic when I hit Vegas next month. But you can be sure, any new wireless HD products will be expensive and have plenty of kinks to work out.

December 9th, 2008

Holiday Gift Guide 2008: Three Ultimate HDTVs

Posted by Sean Portnoy @ 5:12 pm

Categories: Holiday Gift Guide

Tags: Plasma, Home Theater, HDTV, Laser, 1080p, Home Entertainment, Tv & Home Theater, TVs, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology

Though putting together a high-end home theater for a few thousand dollars might seem like an awful lot of money in this economy, there are a lucky few who can afford to spend the same amount just on their TV. (Of course, many also choose to go the projector route when creating an ultimate home theater costing many, many thousands of dollars.) If you have the cash to burn, and a burning desire to get the highest of high-end HDTV, here are three sets—one plasma, one LCD, and one rear-projection—that will bring the “wow” factor to your home theater setup.

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December 3rd, 2008

Holiday Gift Guide 2008: High-end home theater setups

Posted by Sean Portnoy @ 6:41 pm

Categories: Holiday Gift Guide

Tags: Plasma, Home Theater, Home Entertainment, Consumer Electronics, Tv & Home Theater, Personal Technology, Sean Portnoy

Economy be damned, you want to upgrade your home theater—and do it right—for the holidays (and/or in anticipation of the Super Bowl). If you have the means to spend more than two grand on a set and the hundreds and hundreds more to round out your setup with primo components, you won’t lack for superb options.

High-End HDTVs

Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ800U
Believe it or not, you can get Panasonic’s fantastic 50-inch 1080p plasma for around $2,000, showing how even top-of-the-line sets are free falling in price. As with the best plasmas, the TH-50PZ800U produces deep black levels that most LCDs can’t hold a candle to. But what really sets this HDTV apart is its inclusion of THX Display Certification; the THX mode automatically calibrates the picture according to the content being displayed, so you don’t need to endlessly tweak picture controls manually for the best image quality.

[read the review] [check prices]

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