HD Deals: LG 50-Inch Plasma HDTV

The Holiday season is just around the corner and today's deal is a perfect gift for anyone looking to upgrade their small HDTV. We found this LG 50-inch plasma for close to half-off at $969.99 (normally $1,699.95). More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

HD Deals: Save $950 On A Sony 55-inch HDTV

Need to upgrade your small HDTV to something much larger? Then check out this deal we found on this Sony 55-Inch HDTV for  $1649.99. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

Guidelines To Buying An HDTV

Question: My wife has approved the purchase of a big TV to watch the World Cup next summer. Reading S+V has proven invaluable in the search. What guidelines can you offer when shopping for a 50-inch HDTV that will produce a decent (not soft-looking) picture when watching standard-def channels on Comcast cable? Will the cursed Motorola DCT2000 set-top box provided by Comcast help at all? | Bill Holloway | Alameda, CA

Sonypalooza, Pt. 2: Slim HDTVs!

It's CEDIA, so of course Sony has new HDTVs to show off. The new Bravia XBR10 screens are ultra-thin models controlled wirelessly through a separate box that holds all of the screen's inputs and electronics.

With edge-lit LED backlighting, the new screens are incredibly thin (though Sony hasn't announced exact depths yet), and exceed EnergyStar 3.0 standards. They feature a 240Hz refresh rate, and the controller boxes feature 4 HDMI inputs and RS232C support. They can also access streaming Internet content through Bravia Internet Video, including Amazon Video-on-demand, Slacker Radio, and Netflix.

Philips' new funky-framed flat-panel Aurea HDTV

No, Apple isn't getting into HDTVs. That clear bezel is the frame on Philips' new Aurea HDTV, an LED-backlit screen that oozes style and color. Literally; the bezel bleeds color on the surrounding walls thanks to Philips' Ambilight technology. 250 LEDs along the edge pump out color to match whatever is on the screen.

The 40-inch Aurea features a 100Hz refresh rate, five HDMI ports, and offers streaming media content over Philips' Net TV service via its built-in Wi-Fi antenna. It also comes with a unique, egg-shaped remote that looks more like a sliding cell phone than an HDTV controller.

Football on the world's biggest 1080p screen

It measures 160 feet wide and 72 feet high, and is the largest 1080p HDTV in the world. Cowboys Stadium, the newest stadium in the NFL, is home to this massive screen, which just showed its first football game on Saturday. Granted, it was a game of Madden 10 on a Playstation 3, but for the summer that's still pretty darn neat.

The game (games, actually; a Madden tournament) was part of a fan appreciation day for season ticket holders. The NFL 2009-2010 season won't start for another month, so Madden 10 is probably the only gridiron goodness that enormous screen will be seeing for a few weeks. The event was arranged by Sony and EA, and tournament winners got their own copies of Madden 10, along with game systems (a PS3 for first place, a PSP for second and third places).

— Will Greenwald

[Source: Kotaku via Gizmodo] [Photo Credit: Kotaku reader "Trent"]

HDTV owners now in the majority

Congratulations, "early adopters" of the last decade. You're now part of the majority! For the first time ever, HDTV owners outnumber non-HDTV owners; according to the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing, 53% of consumers now own HDTVs, a huge jump from the 33% recorded last year.

This is pretty big news, but not exactly unexpected. Good luck finding a standard-def television of a decent size on the market these days. If your screen's bigger than a computer monitor and you're buying it new, it's probably an HDTV. Still, considering that HDTV is one of the big things we do, it's rather notable that HDTV owners are now in the majority in this country.

— Will Greenwald

[Source: EngadgetHD]

LG's new screens super-thin and "borderless"

LG announced two new LCD HDTVs during its summer line show today at Lincoln Center. The LS80 and LS90 screens are two completely flat-fronted, "borderless" LCDs that measure less than 2 inches deep.

Instead of a visible seam between the screens and bezels, both models use a single sheet of glass across their entire front, rendering them utterly smooth. LG's Invisible Speaker design maintains the surface, removing any visible speaker grill in favor of the HDTV's sleek aesthetic. LG calls these models "borderless," and while you can still make out a definite edge defining the display against the rest of the device, they indeed have no physical border on the front marking the edge like most HDTVs' bezels.

The SL80 uses CCFL backlighting and measure 1.8 inches deep, impressively thin for a screen with a conventional backlight. It incorporates LG's 240 Hz TrueMotion technology, bumping up the screen's refresh rate for content with a lot of movement. While the SL90 only has a 120 Hz refresh rate, it features edge-lit LED backlighting for energy efficiency and an even thinner (1.15 inches) profile.

Neither screen will have LG's NetCast Entertainment Access suite of streaming media content, and won't be among the models we mentioned earlier that will feature Vudu video-on-demand.

LG's SL80 HDTVs will ship in August, and will be available in 42-, 47-, and 55-inch models retailing for $1,599.95, $1,899.95, and $2,799.95, respectively. The SL90 screens will be available in 47- and 55-inch versions when they ship later this year; LG hasn't yet announced their pricing.

— Will Greenwald

Blu-ray update: B&O puts the BD in BV

Bang & Olufsen is adding built-in Blu-ray Disc support to its 40-inch BeoVision 7 HDTV. Like the Sharp Aquos BD series, the new, upgraded BeoVision 7-40 has a Blu-ray Disc player built right into its stylish frame.

This isn't the first B&O screen with a built-in media player. The previous versions of the BeoVision 7-40 sported a standard DVD player. Of course, when you spend thousands of dollars on a huge, pretty HDTV, you probably don't want to be limited to standard-definition media. The screen itself has also received a minor upgrade; it now features 120 Hz video, twice the refresh rate of previous models.

The updated BeoVision 7-40 hits the market later this month, and retails for $13,500. It's nothing to sneeze at, but at least now it can play Blu-ray Discs.

— Will Greenwald

B&O's 103-inch monster plasma and more

Massive plasma screens aren't just for CES anymore. This afternoon, Bang & Olufsen unveiled the 103-inch BV103 at the Audi Forum in New York City. This huge beastie of an HDTV comes packed with all of the features B&O could think of, including the company's BeoSystem 3 video system, Beo5 remote control (with integration support for every other B&O A/V product), a custom BeoLab 10 center channel speaker that appears as if from nowhere (or at least, from behind the screen) when the television is turned on, and a motorized stand that lifts, pans, and tilts the screen 20 degrees in either direction horizontally and 5 degrees in either direction vertically.

Big screens have big prices, and at $110,000 the BV103 is no exception. Even if you have the six digits to spend, expect to be able to just plunk down the cash and shlep it home, though. Between its size, weight (1,200 pounds combined for the screen and stand), and power consumption (a 220-volt dedicated circuit is needed for the screen and stand, and an additional 110-volt circuit powers the BeoLab 10 speaker and BeoSystem 3 system), potential buyers have to fill out a questionnaire and have their homes surveyed before B&O will sell the HDTV. On the bright side, the BV103's hefty price tag includes white glove delivery to anywhere in the United States.

Bang & Olufsen also revealed a less exciting but arguably more important product: the Master Link Gateway. This rack-mountable home automation system lets Bang & Olufsen products, normally automated with the company's proprietary Master Link system, interact with more standard automation systems like Crestron and AMX. The Master Link Gateway lets users control their lights, HVAC, and non-B&O A/V products through the Beo5 and other B&O controls, and lets any home automation system control B&O products. The Gateway can work over either RS-232C or IP, and presents a great deal of flexibility for custom installers looking to incorporate Bang & Olufsen products into their systems.

— Will Greenwald