In a random survey of HD Report readers we found that almost eighty percent of poll-takers would order an HD-only service plan if one was offered. So why aren’t the service providers offering this? It seems like a reasonable request to order only the channel formats which fit your 16:9 HDTV. Full Story
CES 2010 is over but one announcement saved until after may be the biggest yet in display development. Silicon Valley company Prysm revealed a new HDTV technology that uses 75% less energy than established LCD, plasma, DLP and OLED technologies. The company developed what is called a Laser Phosphor Display, or LPD, which it claims can be constructed of non-toxic materials. Full Story
DirecTV along with Panasonic displayed a satellite feed of 3D content at CES 2010. Reps for the satellite provider confirmed plans to launch a 3D channel this coming June (which is when ESPN says they will launch their 3D network…coincidence?). I should reiterate though the company is hopeful of launching in June, as no exact date was mentioned. Full Story
VIZIO will show off their new XVT Pro series of LCD HDTVs at CES 2010, which boast 480Hz, 3D, 16:9 and built-in wireless HDMI. The displays, expected to ship sometime this year, will be available in 72″, 55″, and 47″ sizes. MSRPs are set at $3499, $2499 and $1999 respectively. In addition to the 16:9 models, a 58″ Cinema Wide HDTV with 21 x 9 aspect ratio will also be available (no price yet). Full Story
A press release from Comcast this week cites a Leichtman study showing close to 50 percent of US households will own an HDTV by the end of the year. But the ironic part is the same release says that only 36 percent of the HDTV owners were told how to get HD programming. A separate study done by Frank N. Magid Associates (from a recent MultiChannel article) says a whopping 14 million HDTV owners aren’t even viewing HD content — which amounts to a staggering 1/3 of HDTV owners. Full Story
Here’s a list of tonight’s primetime broadcast HD programs from the major networks. Most of the networks listed (except ABC) are running new episodes including “Damage Control” Survivor: Samoa (CBS), ”Appendicitement” CSI (CBS), and “Grey Matters” Fringe (FOX). Special holiday episodes tonight include “Secret Santa” The Office (NBC), “The Goop on the Girl” Bones (FOX), and another “Secret Santa” titled episode on 30 Rock (NBC). Full Story
Sony’s new VAIO L Series multi-media PC comes touch-enabled, allowing you to navigate your PC and control your HDTV or DVR. Optional features include a Blu-ray Disc player or player/recorder, NTSC/ATSC TV Tuner, and up to 1TB (7200rpm) hard disk drive. Full Story
Earlier this week ViewSonic announced six new LCD HDTVs ranging in price from $299 (VT2042 20″) to $999 (N4285 42″). The new displays were built with television, gaming, and computer monitor usage in mind. The models will begin shipping later this month and into October. Full Story
Hannspree North America has introduced a 25-inch 1080p LCD exclusively available at Costco.com. The MSRP of the ST251MKB is $399, but Costco currently has it priced at $299 with free shipping. The model is the first to be released under the ST series, with larger sizes being released later this year. Full Story
Unfortunately, yes. The larger the HDTV, the more energy it consumes. The more energy a TV consumes, the more demand on power plants and resulting carbon emissions. Gaming consoles, DVRs and disc players also consume lots of energy that results in more demand on power plants. Full Story
For many of you getting prepared for the digital TV (DTV) transition in 2009, and just starting to get a grasp on various television standards, you may be confused about all the SD’s and HD’s that are thrown around. The DTV transition is going to greatly improve television standards, and by the way, it already has. You don’t have to wait until Feb. 17 to hook up your digital-to-analog converters, the digital signals are already out there. Full Story
![](http://www.hd-report.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/samsung_lnt4661f_46_lrg.jpg "Samsung LNT4661F 46\")
If you haven’t been able to afford an HDTV, or don’t want to pay service providers a monthly fee for high definition television, here are a few alternative options to watch HD content that won’t break the wallet. Full Story
This morning DISH expanded its high definition lineup by offering local HD channels in 4 more markets including: Austin, Texas; Flint, Michigan; Orlando, Floriday; and West Palm Beach, Florida. This brings their number markets offering local HD in the U.S. to 39. Full Story
I went to check out those “Secret in-Store” sales items that Walmart promoted on their site for today. They advertised a Sanyo 50″ plasma for $998, a Toshiba HD-A2 for $98, and HD DVD movies for $14.96.
First of all, they didn’t even have the Toshiba HD DVD player. They didn’t have ANY hi-def players. I asked if they were going to get some in for the sale. They didn’t know, and the manager was hard to find.
The Sanyo 50″ plasma, while normally priced at $1297, was not such a bad deal at $998. Is this the best plasma out there? Hell No! But for someone who wants big, and has a budget, this non-1080p flat screen might not be too bad. Problem is, they only had 2 in boxes, and one floor model. Huh?
Now let me tell you I got excited about the HD DVDs. $15 bucks for a hi-def disc is about as cheap as you can get them. But their selection was grim. They had a total of 3 titles. They had a module that was scheduled to be set up, but wasn’t up yet. Was there a library of HD DVD titles just sitting in the back room?
I think Walmart forgot to tell their store managers about this secret Friday sale. Maybe if they did they would have had the products in-stock and visible.
The funniest part about checking out HDTVs at Walmart was that they were not displaying hi-def images. I peeked under some fake snow decoration that was hiding the video source to find that a row of HDTVs were being fed by one standard-definition cheapo DVD player. Now that’s how you sell hi-def Walmart! Good for you!
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