Maximum PC television RSS Feed

Have an Extra 30 Grand to Blow? Buy an 85-Inch Plasma!

Paul Lilly — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 07:45:26 -0500

Excuse us while we clean up our morning coffee off of our keyboard and desk - Panasonic wants how much for its 85-inch plasma display? The answer is $30,000, but hey, if you wait long enough, maybe you can catch one on sale for 'only' 20 Gs.

According to Panasonic, the exorbitantly priced TH-85PF12U is the industry's first 85-inch full HD, 1080p plasma display and equivalent to four 42-inch plasmas. The company also claims its Neo plasma display panel technology has made it possible to keep the 85-incher "significantly thinner and lighter than past plasmas," measuring 3.9 inches deep and checking in at 260 pounds.

Sounds groovy and all, but how do you convince your significant other that a $30,000 TV set would really complete your living room? Answer that question and you're halfway there.

Image Credit: Panasonic via Cnet

Hulu's Free Ride May Soon be Over

Paul Lilly — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:31:16 -0500

Brace yourselves for this one. Hulu -- the free video streaming service that has others, like YouTube, trying to emulate it -- may not be totally free in the not too distant future. Or at least that's how Jonathan Miller, News Corp.'s new chief digital officer, envisions things.

According to AOL's Daily Finance website, Miller said he sees Hulu making at least some of its content available only to paid subscribers. At the same time, he was also quick to clarify that he won't attend his first Hulu board meeting until next week, meaning his speculation doesn't necessarily reflect that of Hulu's.

"In my opinion the answer could be yes," Miller said. "I don't see why over time that shouldn't happen. I don't think it's on the agenda for Monday [but] it seems to me that over time that could be a logical thing."

Keep in mind that News Corp. co-owns Hulu and it's Miller's job to find ways of getting revenue from from News Corp.'s properties.

In other words, enjoy Hulu while you can - in the long run, it may all have been just an extended free trial.

Twitter-Based Reality Show Said to be on the Way

Paul Lilly — Thu, 28 May 2009 10:00:00 -0500

This one raises more questions than it answers, but apparently Twitter has partnered with Reveille and Brillstein Entertainment with plans to make an unscripted reality show. According to Variety, the show will seek to "put ordinary people on the trail of celebrities in a revolutionary competitive format."

Yeah, we don't know what the ____ that means either. In fact, there's not much anyone knows about the upcoming show, other than the concept was created by novelist and screenwriter Amy Ephron, who will serve as one of many executive producers putting this thing together.

"We've found a compelling way to bring the immediacy of Twitter to life on TV," Brillstein's Jon Liebman said.

0_o

Hulu Announces Deal with Disney, Gets "Lost," "Grey's Anatomy," and Others

Paul Lilly — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:15:11 -0500

At long last, Hulu and Disney finally inked a deal giving Hulu permission to stream full-length episodes of such programs like "Lost," "Grey's Anatomy," "Desperate Housewives," and more. Under terms of the new deal, Disney will join the video sharing site as a partner and according to un-named sources, take a 27 percent stake in the venture, DigitalDaily reports.

"From our landmark iTunes deal to our pioneering decision to stream ad supported shows on our ABC.com player, Disney has sought to meet the constantly evolving viewing habits of our consumers, and today’s Hulu announcement is the next important step in that ongoing journey," Disney CEO Bob Iger bloviated. "Disney and Hulu share a focus on delivering the highest-quality entertainment experience and we look forward to working with Hulu to build value for our consumers, our brands and our shareholders."

The deal should inject a ton of new content into Hulu, which according to a joint press release, will include full-length episodes of primetime programs, ABC Family series, ABC Daytime and SOAPnet shows, classic series from ABC's library (like "Who Wants to be a Millionaire", "Dancing with the Stars"), Disney Channel hits (like "Wizards of Waverly Place" and "Phineas and Ferb"), yet-to-be-determined library titles from The Walt Disney Studios, and short-form content.

LG Announces TVs with Set-Top-Less Netflix

Paul Lilly — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:15:00 -0600

Let's hope there's no insidious plot to take over the world brewing behind the scenes of Netflix, because if there is, we're all screwed. Netflix's streaming service is already being streamed to everything from Tivo boxes to the Xbox 360 console, and starting this spring, LG will integrate Netflix streaming capability into some of its plasma and LCD HDTVs.

The move has the potential to significantly boost Netflix's subscriber base, as consumers in the market for a new television would no longer need to add a separate set-top box, be it a Roku player or one of the compatible Blu-ray players, to take advantage of the more than 12,000 streaming movies and TV shows. It also puts the pressure on the competition to catch up if they have any hopes of contending in the living room.

No word yet on price or availability, though we imagine more information will be made available this week at CES.

Image Credit: Silicon Alley Insider

Panasonic Not Completely Sold on OLED TVs

Paul Lilly — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:03:35 -0500

There's been a bit of hype as of late concerning OLED technology, leading to a cautious optimism in the consumer electronics industry. Back in June, Plexitronics, with funding provided by the U.S. Display Consortium, announced a breakthrough in OLED manufacturing that could lead to low cost OLED displays, and just one month later Matsushita cranked the hype machine by saying it had set a goal of selling 40-inch OLED displays by 2011. Could we be on the verge of an OLED revolution?

Not everyone is as optimisitc, including Panasonic, who casted a ray of reality on the situation during the opening day of Ceatec 2008. Panasonic AVC Networks president Toshihiro Sakamoto squashed that idea that we might see OLED televisions in sizes of 30 inches or more anytime soon, saying th technology is not suitable for mass manufacturing. Earlier this year at CES, Sakamoto said that because "you won't be able to beat the cost and price performance of LCD and plasma for a long time," we likely won't see OLED start to grow as a market until 2015, but now feels even that estimate might be overly optimistic. The biggest irony here is that Panasonic is a brand name of Matsushita's!

Is Sakamoto's pessimism warranted, or will we see affordable 30-inch+ OLED displays before 2015?

Image Credit: Toshiba and Matsushita

The World's Slimmest LCD Television is Only 28mm Thin

Paul Lilly — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:39:17 -0500

Sony just announced a new LCD television so thin that it makes even sickly looking Hollywood stars appear chunky by comparison. The 40-inch LCD TV in Bravia's ZX1 series measures just 28mm thick, and that's at its fattest portion. The thinnest portion measures a scant 9.9mm.

In order to build a chassis so thin, the new display utilizes an edge LED backlight. White LEDs come arranged on four sides of a light guide plate, boasting a contrast ratio of 3,000:1. A wireless connection to bridges the separate display and tuner components. To go with the ultra-skinny television, the company developed a dedicated wall-mounting unit 19.5mm thick. When hung on the wall, the distance between the front surface of the TV and wall is less than 50mm.

The KDL-40ZX1 will launch in Japan in October for about ¥490,000 (roughly $4,507 USD).

Image Credit: TechOn

New Reality TV Show Asks Contestants to Pick Between a Playboy Bunny or Playstation 3

Paul Lilly — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:18:54 -0500

Go on a weekend getaway with a Playboy model, or take the 60-inch plasma TV and go home alone? A new reality TV show will put contestants in a position to answer this and other similar questions to find out what guys find more important - high tech gadgets or hot women.

It's part of a new series to air on Playboy TV called Gadget or the Girl in which one lucky bachelor will be introduced to three women, one of which he'll eliminate right off the bat. After going on a date with the other two, the guy will choose just one to spend the evening with, and then decide whether to continue the one-on-one time during a weekend getaway, or opt for a high tech prize instead. Gadgets will range from high-definition big-screen TVs to arcade machines and everything in between, but the bachelor won't know what he stands to get (or lose) until after he makes a decision. If he does choose the girl, she'll score a mystery prize instead.

The new show will premier on Playboy TV on September 1 at 7:30 PM, which might not be a problem if you're single. But for those of you that are married, you might be better off opting for HBO rather than trying to convince your missis that you need a subscription to Playboy TV.