Hasta La Gadget!

If you look on Amazon or head over to Best Buy, you’ll find a slew of televisions available. Better yet, you’ll find that many of them are discounted right now. Retailers realize that the summer is a tough time to sell televisions, and getting customers in the door with some deals is a great idea.

As enticing as it might be right now to buy a new television, you shouldn’t do so.

Wondering why? Let’s start with the time of the year.

With football season fast approaching, the chances of finding good deals on really great televisions are slim. Retailers know that we’re entering the time of year when we’ll be spending more time inside watching television, and the very thought of giving away the top-end televisions – which offer the best margins — is enough to make them sick.

At the same time, we can’t forget that the Consumer Electronics Show is just a few months away. Each year, television makers unveil the latest and greatest television technology. And I can tell you from experience that there’s absolutely nothing worse than buying a television in, say, October, only to discover that it’s been replaced by something much better in January.

Samsung and Vizio have for years delivered really outstanding television technologies at the Consumer Electronics Show. And this year will likely be no different. So, waiting until the beginning of January to make a purchase might just be a good idea.

“We need to acknowledge Apple’s impact on TV buying”

Why risk getting something now that’ll be obsolete in just a few months?

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we need to acknowledge the impact Apple should be having on television buying. The iPhone maker is reportedly working on a television that could rival those delivered by Samsung, Panasonic, LG, and others.

The device will come in sizes of 42 inches to 55 inches, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, and deliver a host of nice features, like Siri integration, iCloud support, and apps.

If you’re an Apple fan or just enjoy using the company’s products, spending $2,000 on a high-end television right now would be a major mistake. If Apple is, in fact, launching a television in the next year, you’ll be looking at a $2,000 device you’ll probably wish you didn’t buy.

Handicapping the television market can be extremely difficult. Sometimes, companies you like deliver something really exciting, while others offer up products that fall flat.

Even worse, you need to determine what time of the year you’ll find the best pricing. Typically, that means waiting until after the Super Bowl to pick up your next television. But with changing market dynamics and the possibility of Apple entering the race, anything can (and probably will) change.

But what won’t change is my recommendation to not buy a television right now. At the very least, wait until January to see what companies offer up at CES. Despite some attractive prices on older TV models or mid-range devices, the products you’ll actually want to buy just aren’t worth buying right now.

Why You Shouldn’t Buy A TV Now is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

At CEDIA 2012 JVC showed off its 2012 line of home theater projectors, most which feature its e-Shift2 technology, a new version of the “4K precision” upconversion it introduced last year. While they are not capable of accepting a 4K source (not that you have any 4K Blu-ray discs lying around anyway), they work by creating two 1080p frames from the HD source, shifting one down and to the right. e-Shift2 promises higher native contrast and improved processing over its predecessor thanks to a new polarizing wire grid engine and updated algorithms. All of the new projectors are 3D capable with RF-connected active shutter glasses, and there’s a new smartphone app available for controlling settings without interrupting viewing. Of course, a 130,000:1 native contrast ratio doesn’t come cheap and the top of the line DLA-X95R/DLA-RS66 models sporting the spec have a pricetag of $11,999. Of course, if you’re looking for the 4K upscaling for a (relative) bargain, the DLA-X55R/DLA-RS48 can be had for just a hair under $5,000.

That’s not all JVC had to display however, as it also brought along one “early pre-production model” of an 84-inch UHDTV it plans to release in the first quarter of 2013. Like its projectors, it will come in both home theater and professional trim branded the RS-840UD and PS-840UD. It may be a price beater as well since JVC is targeting a sub-$20k price tag for both models, which would be well shy of the $25k set Sony just announced. Unlike some of the other 4K screens we’ve seen it does not include any 3D support, which may be a part of the lower cost. We got a quick peek at the display and the picture looked as sharp and punchy as we’ve come to expect, and even had less glare than other displays we’ve seen. Check out all of the prices and specs after the break, and bring your wallet.

Continue reading JVC reveals e-Shift2 4K scaling projectors, promises true 4K LCDs for under $20k

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD

JVC reveals e-Shift2 4K scaling projectors, promises true 4K LCDs for under $20k originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 19:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We had to wait an extra week for the US details, but Sony has revealed Stateside pricing for its new top of the line HDTVs at CEDIA 2012. The 55- and 65-inch BRAVIA XBR-HX950 HDTVs have pricetags of $4,499 and $5,499, respectively and the press release promises immediate availability online, at Sony stores and through “select” retailers although we heard they may arrive in force around the same time as the 84-inch 4K monster. The press release also has all the specs for these refreshed versions of the old HX929 champ, which bring along all the local dimming, Gorilla Glass and connected TV features we’ve come to expect without any additional surprises, although we suspect that won’t slow down orders from any fans of the monolith TV style with $5k or so burning a hole in their pocket.

Continue reading Sony sets US pricing for 55-, 65-inch HX950 HDTVs: $4,499 and $5,499

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Sony sets US pricing for 55-, 65-inch HX950 HDTVs: $4,499 and $5,499 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 19:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looking to add a media player to your HDTV but don’t want to buy another set-top box? Then check out the latest media players from Germany’s Dune HD, which offer full 1080p playback in a tiny package.

The Dune HD Connect will plug into an empty HDMI port on your TV, adding a full HD media player, capable of streaming content in a wide variety of formats from your home network or over the Internet. While specific format support hasn’t been announced, you can get a sense of what it’s likely to handly from their current compact media players. The gadget also has a built-in microSD connector and a USB port for playback of local content as well. In addition to the base version, the Dune HD Connect 3D adds full 3D video support via the HDMI 1.4 spec, as well as MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) output.

Dune hasn’t revealed a retail price yet for these compact media players, but expects to release them by the end of the year.

If you are a TV enthusiast, you have undoubtedly heard of the new Sony XBR-84X900 LED TV. If you haven’t, this new television from Sony was just announced at IFA and we’ve covered the launch as it was announced. It has a 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution, which is exactly four times as many pixels as today’s 1080p standard.

Tradeshows are not always a great place to look at these TVs since the lighting is so over-the-top, if not outright weird. So instead, we headed for the Sony Store in Palo Alto, where we where the Sony XBR-84X900 is currently on display. Phil Molyneux, Sony Electronics USA’s COO was very proud to show us the capabilities of this TV set. Here’s a photo of him next to the television so that you can have a sense for how big 84″ is. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Sony VAIO Tap 20 Family Touch PC debuted at IFA 2012, Sony XBR-84X900 TV brings 4K resolution to 84-inch image,