Maximum PC HDTV RSS Feed

Meet the World's Thinnest Display

Paul Lilly — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:00:12 -0500

There's slender, and then there's Samsung's disgustingly thin 40-inch LED TV panel measuring just 3.9mm thick, or a third the size of the company's previous panel. We say "disgusting" only because some of us are still bitter over dropping a couple grand on a bulky rear-projection earlier in the decade.

The super-slim backlit LED display boasts a 120Hz refresh rate, full HD resolution support, and a 5000:1 contrast ratio. It's also the world's thinnest LCD panel, measuring 7mm slimmer than Samsung's full production LED TV panel and about 45mm thinner than conventional LCD displays. Prior to today, LG held the title with its 5.9mm LED TV.

So when and where can you buy one? Good question - Samsung hasn't released the 3.9mm panel yet, but according to Akihabaranews.com, the company hopes to do so very soon.

Image Credit: akihabaranews.com

Western Digital Unveils WD TV Live HD Media Player

Ryan Whitwam — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:41:28 -0500

Western Digital has announced the second iteration of its TV connected media player. The new WD TV Live HD takes all that was awesome about the old, and adds some new tricks. The box still has wide codec support for playing files from USB drives, but it now also streams content from Youtube, Pandora, and Flickr. Users can also connect network drives to the new version to view files.

The WD TV Live HD, as the name would suggest, outputs 1080P HD video via a HDMI 1.3 port. Composite and component are also available. If you need to get video off that USB drive and on to your TV, the WD TVs provide an attractive alternative to media center PCs. The new WD TV device has an MSRP of $149.99.

Surprising Facts about LCD Response Time and Motion Blur

Bart Salisbury — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:32:08 -0500

Buying an LCD HDTV just got a whole lot easier. According to Dr. Raymond M. Soneira, of DisplayMate, the quest for minimal response times is as foolish as comparing raw processor speeds. It’s the real world that matters, and for live video mid- to high-range LCDs perform just fine regardless of their rated response times.

Dr. Soneira compared the motion blur characteristics of eight LCDs and two Plasmas against a Sony Professional HD Trinitron Studio monitor, using a battery of motions tests from the proprietary DisplayMate Multimedia with Motion Bitmaps Edition software. His conclusion: “there was essentially no visually detectable motion blur on any of the LCD HDTVs in all of the extensive live video content that we assembled.” Motion blur is more likely a subjective rather than an objective phenomenon.

The good news from this report is it isn’t necessary to ‘buy up’ to 120 Hz or higher refresh rates, strobed LED backlighting, or advanced motion blur processing (which Dr. Soneira claims can introduce “ugly motion artifacts”). Stick with a reputable brand, in the mid- to high-range, without regard to response times, and you’ll be fine.

Image Credit: DisplayMate

LG Broadband HDTVs Now Able to Stream 1080p Movies from VUDU

Paul Lilly — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:00:40 -0500

Onwers of LG's LH50 LCD series and PS80 plasma series can now access VUDU's library of on-demand 1080p movies via LG Netcast.

"LG is proud to lead the charge on delivering high-quality streaming movies for the high-def family-room experience," said Peter Reiner, senior vice president, marketing, LG Electronics USA. "VUDU offers content in 1080p resolution with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound, enabling the ultimate streaming movie experience on premium LG HDTV models."

After applying the automatic software update (if applicable), owners of the above mentioned models will be able to rent the first HD or HDX movie free of charge. After that, normal rental charges apply, which ranges from $0.99 to $5.99 per movie with no subscription or monthly fees.

Full press release here.

Image Credit: LG via Engadget

Your Crappy Eyesight Wastes HDTV's Potential

Paul Lilly — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:22:57 -0600

Having trouble seeing what all the fuss is about after buying a new HDTV? Better get your eyes checked, says Vision Express. According to a study by the UK optometry chain, as many as one-third of adults and children are in need of glasses, contact lenses, or a stronger prescription in order to take advantage of the higher resolutions offered by high definition displays.

"Even a marginally short-sighted person sitting on a sofa watching an HD broadcast may not see the full benefits in enhanced image quality," said Phillip Hyde, head of professional services as Vision Express. "If you're investing in HDTV, you ought to have your eyes checked to make sure you get the full benefit."

So there you have it. The next time some killjoy disses your new Blu-ray player and swank new 52" LCD TV, you can confidently accuse them needing to see an eye doctor.

Sharp to Launch World's First LCD HDTV Line with Built-In Blu-Ray Player

Paul Lilly — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:48:48 -0500

The decision of whether or not to pick up a Blu-ray player at the same time an HDTV is purchased may soon get a little easier, as the two are poised to come together in a single package. As of next month, Sharp will become the first company to offer an LCD HDTV with a built-in Blu-ray player and recorder.

26" LC-26DX1(1366x768)
32" LC-32DX1 (1366x768)
37" LC-37DX1 (1366x768)
42" LC-42DX1 (1920x1080)
46" LC-46DX1 (1920x1080)
52" LC-52DX2 (1920x1080)

Sharp's new Aquos DX series will allow viewers to watch a program on one channel while recording on another at the same time. By supporting H.264/MPEG4 AVC encoding, Sharp says its built-in recorder will be able to hold up to 11 hours of high-definition video in 720p on a single 25GB Blu-ray disc.

Pricing will start at about $1700 for the 26-inch model and run up to $5000 for the 52-inch set. Japan gets first crack at the new sets starting on November 20, with U.S. availability by the end of the year.

Image Credit: AV Watch

Philips' 56" HDTV Does 3D without the Funky Glasses

Paul Lilly — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:52:43 -0500

Autostereoscopic. Ever heard that term before? Philips hopes you'll be hearing a lot more of it, and yesterday announced a line of Quad Full Autostereoscopic 3D HDTVs during a 3D event in Hollywood.

A Quad-HDTV means it's screen resolution checks in at 3840x2160 (8.29 million pixels), or four times that of the highest HDTV standard, and otherwise known as 2160P. Combined with autostereoscopic technology, the end result is that 3D images can be made to look believable without having to wear those funky glasses or other specialized headgear. Instead, images target a specific eye, but rather than require a strict viewing angle, Philips says its 56-inch HD 3D display has a generous 160-degree viewing angle.

As expected, first-run products won't come cheap with early rumblings putting this TV in the $25,000 ballpark. But Philips isn't the only one pushing 3D technology - Toshiba and Sanyo have both said they're working on competing autostereoscopic displays, which could drive down the price if this technology takes off.

Anyone yearning to own a 3D TV?

Image Credit: Philips

10 Things That You've Wildly Overhyped!

Will Smith — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:06:36 -0500

You know it, we know it, the whole damn world knows it: On ever-so-rare occasions, there are technologies that we, the nerd elite, have ever-so-slightly... umm... overhyped. That's right, we said it. Overhyped. It's just that when we're talking with engineers or reading about about some hot new technology, we get so damn excited. So excited! And can you really blame us? I mean, who wouldn't get excited when you hear about CPUs that clock in over 4GHz, or instruction sets that will multiply your CPU's performance? And geez, who wouldn't want to turbocharge his gaming framerate? Hell, we shouldn't be blamed for overhyping, it's those damn engineers fault!

#10: Asus's Eee PC

We get it. It's a very small notebook, and you're a cheapskate. But anytime the hype from one product single-handedly launches a whole new product category, we get suspicious. The Eee and its "Netbook" ilk are (a) criminally underpowered, (b) sport keyboards that will be fat-fingered by anyone who doesn't describe his hands as "fey" or "elfin," and (c) include displays with maximum resolutions that we haven't seen since we upgraded to a 12-inch CRT. It's great that you can trade in some cereal boxtops for a "Netbook", but we'd rather spend a buck or two and get a real computer. You know, something that wouldn't have been considered underpowered in 1997.

#9: High-Definition TV

We're now on the cusp of the sixth year that has been described as "the year" that HDTV adoption will finally take off and Change the World™. Sometime in mid-2003 we proclaimed that HDTV-madness was sweeping the nation. And now, almost six years later, even our moms have finally bought shiny, beautiful 1080p sets and invested in HD cable or satellite. But the general public? The general public is so dumb and lazy that they're watching YouTube quality video on their plasmas and LCDs, because they're too cheap (or aforementionedly dumb and lazy) to invest in HD signals. Meanwhile, I'm the dumbass who's watching HD content on the four-foot thick, 500-pound rear-projection behemoth I "early-adopted" in 2001. Yes, I'm bitter. Still.

#8: Facebook

Distracting? Yes. Fun? Yes. Revolutionary? No. Facebook isn't anything special. It's simply the best execution of an idea that started way back when with Friendster, took a wrong turn as Orkut, and accidentally pandered to the teenybopper audience in the form of Myspace before inadvertantly backing into the mainstream by giving drunken college kids a place to post pictures from last night's party. Yes. I'm looking at you, Norm.

#7: Battlestar Galactica

I said it in the magazine, and legions of superfans got pissed. So I'll say it again right now! Right up until the point that everyone went camping on New Caprica, Battlestar Galactica was the best thing on TV. Since then, it's been more about who fraks who than sending toasters to hell. A once-awesome sci-fi masterpiece has been reduced to Melrose Place in space. Meh.

#6: Wil Wright’s Spore

Spore's finally been released, but that's not stifled its critics, who say that it's nothing more than a stripped-down version of better, more complex, more interesting games. Of course, the true irony is that the game Wil Wright built to save science doesn't allow your critters to evolve naturally. Instead, it's nothing more than a treatise in bump-mapped intelligent design. Oops.

#5: 64-bit Computing

PCs can address more than 4GB of memory now, and the 64-bit version of Vista is surprisingly capable. That's great and all, but what we really want are more 64-bit native apps that can address all that memory in our rigs. Sure, the CAD and content creation guys are stoked that they can pack 16GB of RAM in a workstation, but 64-bit has essentially fizzled for normal folks like you and me. So we humbly extend a hardy "thanks" to Microsoft, the computing-industrial hardware complex, and of course ISVs for making Maximum PC look like a hulking bunch of know-nothings in its campaign to tout 64-bit computing as anything that anyone should possibly care about at all.

#4: Downloading Movies From the Internet

Oh, doesn't the promise of instant movie downloads from the Internet seem glorious? The only problem is that with 30,000 companies launching virtually the same service, and with all of them tied to different pieces of hardware, there's absolutely no reason to invest in any of the providers services--at least until the movie industry gives up on DRM, and everyone decides it makes sense for different services to talk to each other.

#3: Nintendo Wii

Wii is a lame name for anything. We don't care if they've sold even 50 bazillion consoles, it's still a dumb name. If Nintendo wanted a name that perfectly captures the essence of the Wii, they'd have called it the Nintendo Sits-In-My-Closet-Til-People-Come-Over-or-a-Mario-Game-Comes-Out.

#2: SLI and Crossfire

Let's do a little videocard math problem. If you're on a train heading east and you have two videocards that draw two times the power and generate four times the noise, how much faster will Crysis run? If you answered "1.5X faster and 5X as expensive," you've probably upgraded your power supply recently. Bravo, Jimmy! You too are a dumbass -- just like the Maximum PC editors who should have been a wee bit more concerned about price, noise and whether Crysis is really all that life-changingingly awesome.

#1: The iPhone 3g

It’s indubitably the coolest phone normal folk can actually buy, but nothing could have lived up to its hype overdose. With a much faster data connection and integrated GPS on top of the killer 3D accelerated interface and the biggest screen we've seen on any smartphone, this a great phone. But Apple's tight rein on App Store submissions and the lack of requisite features--like copy/paste and MMS messages--land the iPhone solidly in the overhyped category.