One of the many new UHD TVs is the Panasonic TX-L65WT600B. This TV measures 65 inches and comes with UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution and 3D technology. Today, the writers from HDTV Test released their review of this particular device. This TV was the company’s flagship model for the UHD resolution. So naturally the expectations are going to be high. One of the big selling points for the TV is its ability to display UHD video at 60 frames per second. The writers were happy with the overall design and the on-screen menu. The menu didn’t change much from other high-end Panasonic TVs, but they note that there isn’t really any need to change it. The image quality was amazing and the writers thought that the colors were accurate, clean scaling, and there is no unwanted video processing. The TV received their Highly Recommended seal of approval. The writers concluded by stating, “The TX-L65WT600B is an excellent 4K/Ultra-HD outing from Panasonic. To borrow a phrase, “it just works”. The colours are accurate, the scaling clean, and there is no unwanted video processing opted into on the viewer’s behalf. Everything we can think of is controllable, and the display’s ability to eek out every fine pixel of coloured detail even from a 4K source indicates a high level of attention to detail.”

[via HDTV Test]

Today is the day when everyone post their lists of some of the best that 2013 has to offer. Gizmodo recently published their favorite products of the year and topping the list is the Google Chromecast. This HDMI dongle provides online content to any compatible HDTV and hides easily behind the TV. It was incredibly cheap when it was introduced and remains to do so. The Chromecast retails for only $35 and is available through certified retailers.

[via Gizmodo]

The Sharp LC-60LE650U HDTV is one of the company’s new LED models. It comes with a 60 inch screen, full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution, and a 4000000:1 contrast ratio. Today, the writers from Ecoustics released their review of this particular device. The writers note that this TV is part of the entry-level TVs for those who just want something quick and easy to setup. They note that the screen comes with a matte finish, which is different from normal TVs. The matte finish reduces reflection in bright situations. One of the big drawbacks though is that the TV has a really poor light uniformity. The writers noticed little light dots during dark scenes. They also thought the viewing angle was average at best. The final comment they made was, “From a theaterphile perspective, the screen-uniformity issues are an absolute deal-breaker, and I personally wouldn’t recommend this TV for anyone who plans to do a lot of serious movie-watching. Admittedly, screen uniformity is a concern on a number of lower-priced edge-lit LED/LCDs, not just this one. Many people seem willing to overlook this issue to get a big, bright, lower-priced LCD for casual TV watching. If you’re one of those people, then I can tell you that the LC-60LE650U does other things well, serving up a clean, generally natural-looking image with a nice amount of detail and solid contrast. Its brightness and matte screen make it a good choice for a well-lit viewing environment where it will see a lot of use for HDTV, sports, and gaming.”

[via Ecoustics]

One of the new HDTVs from Toshiba this year is the 40L7355DB. This TV includes a 40 inch screen, full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution, and a 5000:1 contrast ratio. Today, the writers from Trusted Reviews released their review of this screen. The writers were very impressed with the image quality. They thought that is was much better than similarly priced TVs. The 3D feature was also good as the writers highlighted the sharpness and the motion handling. Unfortunately there were a few problems. The writers noticed some crosstalk while watching 3D. They also saw some backlight clouding issues. The final verdict the writers made was, “To be fair to the 40L7355DB, for the majority of your normal viewing time it’s a pretty stellar effort for a 40-inch TV that can be yours for under £450. However, some pretty excessive backlight clouding raises its frustrating head during dark scenes, 3D is plagued by crosstalk, and Toshiba’s Cloud TV service needs to add more content – and speed up a bit! – if it wants to rival the best smart platforms in town.”

[via Trusted Reviews]

Samsung is preparing for next week’s CES convention. Today, they announced that they will be introducing a host of new commercial large format displays. The company didn’t really list any specific models yet, but they did state that they will range in size with the largest measuring 95 inches, diagonally. The displays will have an array of uses from lobby displays to in-room environments. “Samsung continues to actively look for new markets for our innovative LFD B2B displays, including hotels, conference centers and shopping malls,” said Jeong-hwan Kim, Senior Vice President of Samsung Electronics’ Visual Display Business. “In the coming year, we will continue to add more innovative and differentiated LFD solutions in the market.” Expect to see more information about these displays next week when the convention kicks off.

[via Samsung]

Belkin is happy to announce today their latest product, the Miracast Video Adapter. This is the latest of a new breed of HDMI dongles designed to provide additional viewing options. The adapter connects to any Android phone and uses it to receive online content and display them directly to your HDTV. The Adapter will mirror the screen of the connected phone. It will display anything from movies to photos. It will also display games and other apps as well. “With so much of our lives embedded in our mobile devices, it’s only natural that people are looking for more ways to share content from their smartphones with family and friends, said Mike Chen, vice president of Belkin’s networking division. “Miracast makes it easy to share rich content, in full 1080p resolution, on your large HDTV so you aren’t crowded around a tiny screen.” The Miracast Video Adapter is available now through certified retailers and retails for just under $80.

[via Businesswire]

Samsung is looking to go bigger as they unveiled today their largest HDTV to date. The TV doesn’t have a manufacturer name yet but it measures an impressive 110 inches, diagonally. It also includes UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution as well. The details are limited, but Samsung is going to selling the TVs throughout China, the Middle East, and several European countries before it comes to the USA. Fortunately though, the TV will be on display next week at CES 2014. Expect a follow up report when more information is released.

[via Engadget]

Samsung announced today that they will be releasing soon a new developer’s kit. This one is called the Smart TV SDK 5.0. It will focus on connecting your TV to other electronics like automatic lighting and state-of-the-art refrigerators. This will allow the user to control the other electronics too through a user friendly interface. It will also be able to interface with mobile devices as well. The framework for the kit will be able to support both HTML5 and Native Client. Samsung is planning to release the kit during CES 2014.

[via Engadget]

One of the many UHD TVs that were released this year was the Sony KD-55X9005A TV. It features a UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution, a 55 inch screen size, and LCD display technology. Today, the writers from HDTV Test released their review of this screen. The first thing they noticed was the extra wide design. But this is due to the larger than normal speakers that are mounted on the ends of the screen. This is something to take into account when measuring space for this TV. The design was impressive and the writers were looking forward to seeing how it performed. The TV needed some adjustments when it was first turned on. They noted that it had a red hue that only got worse the longer the TV stayed on. But after some quick adjustments, the problem was corrected and displaying properly. When testing the UHD resolution, the writers were very impressed with the image quality and called it, “jaw-droppingly spectacular.” The writers gave the KD-55X9005A the recommendation seal of approval and concluded by stating, “If you’re looking to buy a Sony-branded 4K TV, we strongly recommend that you go for the larger, 65in KD65X9005A which does deliver full HD resolution in the third dimension, assuming you have the budget and space to accommodate the set.”

[via HDTV Test]

If you are one of the many who received new TVs this year for the holidays then you are probably in the process of setting it up. Luckily there is help as the writers from HD Guru recently published a guide to help beginners setup their TVs. The start with the beginning and how to unpack your TV from its box. They mention that some TVs have a home use mode and a store demonstration mode when they are first turned on. The store mode will increase the brightness dramatically due to bright lights they use in stores. The guide goes through the different settings and offer advice for which to choose and how to tweak the display. They stress that while factory settings are sometimes nice, they are often not optimal for a home viewing environment. Click the link for more detailed steps.

[via HD Guru]