| CES unveils the future of TV
One would expect a week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to focus the mind on ever smaller gadgets. Instead, it was the big numbers that impressed the most.
The single most visible trend is the explosion of new technology for TV monitors, from three perspectives:
First, the size and quality of the screens themselves, with Samsung demonstrating the first 108 LCD screen, and several other manufacturers demonstrating screens ranging from 70 to 102. Its not the size that dazzles, but rather the quality. Even at a more conventional-sized level, the 40 screens have come into their own: at that size, Sony, HP, LG, Samsung, Hitachi, Toshiba and many others are all showing near-perfect images from digital sources like DVD and Hi-Definition TV. Tube TV is dead, non-flat panel is dead.
Samsung LN-S4692D 46?
Quick take: The Samsung LN-S92D series consists of three LCD flat-panel TVs: the 32-inch LN-S3292D, the 40-inch LN-S4092D, and the 46-inch LN-S4692D. All three share the same native resolution of 1,366x768, which means they can display every detail of 720p material. Since we have not reviewed these sets, we cannot comment on their image quality. We have reviewed Samsung LCDs such as the LN-S3252D and were pleased with their image quality, but we don't know if the LN-S92D will provide similar performance. In terms of connectivity, all three are the same, featuring two HDMI inputs, one component-video input, and a VGA-style PC input. All three of these sets also have built-in HDTV tuners, which means they can receive over-the-air HDTV without an external set-top box. The LN-S3292D, the LN-S4092D, and the LN-S3692D are all currently available, with list prices of INR 83,921, INR 106,005, and INR 132,507, respectively.
An Increase in HDTV Sales Due to Super Bowl
Guess which two states are experiencing a spike in HDTV sales? Well, if you're a Chicago Bears or Indianapolis Colts fan, then the answer is pretty obvious. According to Bridgette King, a PR rep for Crutchfield.com, "Crutchfield has already seen a 67% growth in HDTV sales as of the 2nd week of January in Indiana. In Illinois, there's been a 27% growth rate." These numbers are simply amazing to me; however, this kind of support and praise for a team or person whom you want to win doesn't surprise me, given the serious spikes in call volume each year from the two American Idol finalists' home towns. In addition, sports is the number one reason why consumers buy HDTVs in the first place. And consumers don't make purchases early in the season either; King also reports that in 2005 and 2006, "Potential TV buyers from the states of the final 2 teams tend to buy their TV in the golden timeframe of 1-3 weeks prior to Super Bowl Sunday." So are all you Bears and Colts fans out there purchasing HDTVs for the big game? If you need help deciding on which one is best for your home, check out PCMag.com's HDTV product guide.
Tiny camera shoots HDTV
The research kids in Germany's Fraunhofer Institute just announced a tiny new video camera capable of shooting at a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution and a variable frame rate up to 60 frames per second. The MicroHDTV is said to measure a scant 4 x 4 x 8-cm. So either that picture above is not to scale (a Euro is about the size of a US quarter) or they don't include the housing, lens, transmitter, etc. in their dimensions. We'll assume the former since it's said to be small enough to fit in a racing-car cockpit, helmet, or any other tiny space you'd like to broadcast HDTV from. It operates using "standard optical systems" and can be controlled via a web interface across the Internet. It'll be on display at CeBIT in march where we'll see what this baby can do. .
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