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Posted: 21st September 2010

Deputy chairman and SEO of News Corp told Hollywood audience last week that he is sceptical about the expected uptake of 3D televisions, throwing cold water on claims that it could be 'the second coming of HD'. He instead predicted that 3D-TV will play a much smaller part in the future of television, and that it will only appeal to a niche audience.

From the figures we see on FrogCompare, interest in 3D televisions seems to have been slow but it is early days. LED televisions are really starting to come into their own, with price points on these sets making them available to more people than when that technology began to appear on the market. Prices of 3D televisions are falling quickly however, with some 46" 3D tvs at around the £1700 mark, if you shop around.

According to a recent article, Toshiba are currently working on a new television that will work without the 3D glasses. Perhaps buyers are still cautious about buying a set that could be out of date quickly if a new product like this comes on the market?

At the moment, it depends who you ask, Stephen Fry for example has just made a video about 3D TV and claims "3D TV in the home is going to be the next exciting chapter in television history".

My own opinion is that the majority of TV buyers will be looking for well priced large screen LED TVs that deliver high quality pictures and that 3D TV will be something a certain group of movie lovers will spend a little extra on. It will be interesting to see how 3D gaming and 3D TV comes together in the near future too.

Compare prices on the latest 3D-ready TVs here.

Posted: 19th March 2010

CES 2010The CES show, the annual technology show in Las Vegas, always sets out the new products from manufacturers for the rest of the year. The 2010 show was no different, with the likes of Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, Sharp and LG showing off their latest tech to the world.

The dominant technologies were Televisions and especially 3D. So what were the highlights that we can look forward to seeing released this year?

3D TV - There's been a lot of buzz about this, with the likes of James Cameron adding his support for the home 3D television experience. All of the major brands were exhibiting their own make of 3D screens that they hope we'll be buying. Combined the companies have invested billions into its development and hope it will boost flagging, recession hit sales.

Thinner TVs that do more - If you thought your TV was just for enjoying hi-def movies, TV shows and gaming, apparently we're going to be doing a lot more in the near future. Internet TV was big at the CES show, with apps for Twitter and Skype on their way. While I don't want to 'twit' with my TV, I'm sure there are many people who will be craving this. And as always, TVs are getting thinner and thinner.

OLED - The Organic LED screens made a huge impression at the previous CES show, with insanely flat screens and much improved picture (not to mention a hefty price tag). This technology is set to gain more traction in the rest of 2010 and certainly hasn't died away.

Freeview HD - More freeview HD channels will be available on Freeview's bigger brother, the non-subscription based Freeview HD. If you've been reluctant to pay the extra monthly fee to sky for HD programming, you might be watching this option by the end of the year. ITV one will be released in April in HD and unlike a lot of the technology on show at CES 2010, you won't need a new TV to see it - although you will need a decoder.

Posted: 8th March 2010

3D TV is comingThis is one of those interesting times where a new technology, in this case 3D television screens, is emerging and will either be something that will become part of our every day lives, or simply fade into obscurity.

I'm not completely sold on the idea of sitting at home watching TV in dark glasses, but the market analysts and stats experts are claiming that there will be 41 million 3D screens in use by 2014.

3D television will let home users enjoy movies like James Camerons' Avatar in full HD 3D, in exactly the same way they can in the Cinema.

And the 3D boom is predicted to last for some time too, with analysts predicting that there will be 64 million 3D screens in use by 2018.

I recently rented out Disneys Monsters Vs. Aliens and was intrigued to see that it came with some old style 3D glasses. I'd presumed that format had died out years ago, with Jaws 3D. Sadly not. How anyone could sit and watch more than a few moments of a movie with one eye bathed in green light, the other in red, is beyond me.

But the combination of new 3D technology in flat panel screens and blu-ray playback offers a completely different experience. Not only with blu-ray, but with new TVs offers 3D freeview and HD 3D freeview. 2010 will really prove whether consumers are ready to pay extra for 3D sets. We'll be seeing a lot more '3D Compatible' logos on product information pages.

Posted: 23rd December 2010

SL9000There's one TV that everyone's talking about at the minute and that's the SL9000 from LG. As well as being one of the new LED TVs, and boasting a staggering 29.3mm width, it's also sporting a beautiful borderless design. The TV was first shown at KES 2009 by LG where it caused quite a stir.

This set is available in 42 and 47 inch sizes and also shows 54 channels at once to help you choose what you want to watch. It's also got some very impressive stats. As well as a contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1, it has smooth 200Hz refresh rates.

As well as getting a top notch picture, this TV will also save you money on your energy bills, as it uses less power than LCD and Plasma TVs of the same size.

Posted: 18th December 2009

Regza CellIf you haven't heard of Toshiba's 'Regza Cell TV', it's an incredibly powerful TV that has some simply staggering technology built into it. This power-house of a TV gets it's name from the processor, the same one used in a PS3 - the Cell. This is an extremely powerful CPU that allows the TV to do all kinds of things previously impossible.

The first Regza Cell TV, the 55X1, officially goes on sale in Japan and will set you back a jaw-dropping £6900. While most of us won't be slapping that one on our credit card this December, let's have a peak at some of the things this incredible new TV is capable of.

The early release of this TV will be a 55 inch model capable of 240Hz. The contrast ratio is a staggering 5 million to 1. And the set uses backlit technology, so the picture's incredibly bright, along with all the energy saving benefits of LED technology.

Sound comes from a stylish 7-speaker soundbar at the base of the TV. And the early versions will also come with a set-top box.

When the TV really starts to pull away from what we've seen previously is with it's 3TB hard disk drive recorder. That's 26 hours of high quality video to enjoy when you want. You can also record 8 video sources at the same time too - compared to say Sky's current two. While this will be more than most people will ever use, I do always hit problems with Sky's current limitations.

You'll be able to sit back in your living room and surf the web on the Regza Cell too. It has an Opera-based internet browser, as well as DLNA connectivity. You can check your emails, catch up with pals on Facebook, and watch the latest viral videos on Youtube.

As well as the 55" version, there's a number of equally exciting models in the pipeline at Toshiba. They're working on a 3D version, as well as a model that will upconvert 1080p to a mind-blowing 3840 x 2160 resolution. Just when you thought HD couldn't look any better!

There's also going to be some smaller sizes for anyone who doesn't want a 55" monster in their living room. You'll soon be able to buy both 37" and 46" versions. You can also do all kinds of clever stuff with the Cell TVs, like running a media server to access all your multimeda content.

Posted: 4th November 2009

3D TVIf you're a fan of watching movies at the cinema in 3D, but are sick of paying the inflated asking price for tickets, you might be interested to know that you'll soon be able to recreate the same effect in your living room. (Minus the annoying kid in the seat behind with the noisy sweet wrappers).

Panasonic have been showing off their new 50" prototype TV that is cable of full HD 3D movies. The 50 inch PDP (Plasma Display Panel) uses a combination of Panasonic's hottest new technology to create stunning high resolution images in full 1080p HD. It uses their newly developed high-speed 3D drive technology that enables rapid illumination of pixels, while maintaining brightness.

The TV also minimises ghosting that you can sometimes see on 3D images. The result is high quality HD 3D movies that are the same quality that you get in modern cinemas.

The technology works in conjunction with your Blu-ray players and specially designed high precision active shutter glasses. These three elements combine to give theatre quality 3D images in your living room.

Panasonic aim to ship commercial versions of the 3D 50" PDP TVs in 2010 to Europe, Japan and the US. While they have been experimenting with versions up to and over 100 inches, Panasonic claim that the most popular size sought by consumers is the 50" version.

Posted: 1st November 2009

Pencil thin TVSexy girls and sexy gadgets. What more could you ask for? Samsung have just unveiled a TV that's about as thick as a pencil. The 'Needle Slim' is a 40" LED backlit TV with a 3.9mm thick full HD display.

This futuristic TV is a prototype and isn't released yet. It features a 5000:1 contrast ratio and is a 120Hz LCD panel. At the time of writing this, Samsung claim this is the thinnest LCD panel on the planet. The race for the thinnest TV continues.

Samsung haven't put a price on this TV yet, but the LED sets I've been looking at this year are still out of most buyer's price ranges. As we go into 2010, lets hope some cheaper LED TVs are released. The idea of a TV this thin, and as easy to hang on your wall as a picture, is very appealing.