Tim Cook says that Apple has BIG plans for 2014. Everyone is assuming that it will finally be the fabled Apple TV set. Our friend Martin Hajek joined forces with Andrew Ambrosino to make this awesome curved Apple TV set which supposedly would reduce glare and reflection.
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Brits can’t really complain about Freeview TV since it comes at no recurring charge, but it doesn’t stop them tiring of the channel selection. Those who also aren’t interested in signing on the dotted line with the likes of Virgin, Sky or YouView now have another way to perhaps cure their programming apathy with VuTV. Launched today, the new service adds 13 channels to compatible Freeview-equipped TVs or set-top boxes for a fee of £7 per month (no extended commitment necessary). VuTV manages to add these new channels via a selection screen hosted within a single Freeview channel, Inception-style. While it sounds like a fair deal, we’re far from convinced it’s worth the money, unless you’re into MTV-made reality shows or have a house full of children to keep entertained. Then again, Comedy Central is a good pick-up on VuTV’s part, and you can always take the two-week trial before throwing down any cash. Full channel list after the break.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: VuTV (Twitter), VuTV (website)
Sceptre has unveiled a new full HD resolution TV that has nice features called the X405BV-FHDR. This is a 40-inch screen HDTV that offers a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a 16:9 aspect ratio. The TV has all the basic functionality that you expect from a modern HDTV. You don’t get any smart […]
There’s a big competitor out in the wild today for the Chromecast called the PLAiR 2, a new generation of the original PLAiR, made to connect to your television’s HDMI port and act as a full-fledged smart TV. You’ll be able to connect to and control this machine from your Android smartphone or iPhone – […]
In what’s essentially a very, very early build of Star Citizen here at NVIDIA’s Montreal 2013 event, we’ve gotten the opportunity to get up-close and hands-on with the likes of 4K output. This game isn’t out on the market yet – it’s still rolling in funding cash, in fact, having just reached a $23 million […]
One of the good things about the rapid advancement of technology these days is that if you’re thinking about cheap televisions, you don’t really have to skimp on quality.
The variety of televisions and the rate at which newer models are released means that there is a plethora of quality-build televisions that you can choose from. You need to resist the temptation to buy the biggest screen you can afford though -instead, you must consider the image and sound quality, as well as the the software and the connection options.
Toshiba 22D1334B
In terms of a compact package that offers you solid entertainment, you’d be hard pressed to find a better deal beyond this Toshiba model. If you already have a television set elsewhere in your home, you can set this model up with an HD receiver to stream HD content to your screen from across the house. – I think this is a bit too techy and would need additional equipment so can we amend to “It’s ideal for kitchens or bedrooms, and with an integrated DVD player it’s versatile too”
A built-in Freeview digital TV is included, which gives you access to up to 50 digital channels and 24 radio stations. It features HDMI, USB, SCART as well as PC inputs, giving it versatile connectivity.
Toshiba 32L4353DB
Toshiba’s 32-inch LED TV with fully integrated Freeview offers cutting-edge picture quality, great colours and handy features like USB multi-playback. It comes with all the trimmings, including Active Motion and Resolution Technology, which enhances movement in fast-moving scenes.
The integrated Freeview lends up to 50 digital TV channels and 24 radio stations. The ports and connections are great too, with USB capability for video and music playback. It also has multiple HDMI ports, so you don’t have to get a splitter if you want to share the port between your video game console as well as your Blu-Ray player.
Digihome 32165LED
This Digihome LED TV is a pretty strong all-rounder. Featuring a built-in Freeview tuner like the sets mentioned above, you can enjoy Freeview and other HD content with this screen’s lavish edge-lit LED technology. It’s received an A-grade in its energy rating and its power consumption during standby is less than 0.5 Watts.
It features one HDMI port, a SCART socket and a USB port, too. You’ll be able to connect to your Blu-ray player, your games consoles, cameras and memory drives.
Panasonic TXL24XM6B
If you’re looking for something that saves on space but doesn’t compromise on quality by doing so, then this is the set you want. While there are other smaller HD screens out there that are LED-powered, this one stands out from the crowd by including an IPS Alpha panel to provide a truly high-image quality, with rich colours.
Apart from the integrated Freeview channels, you’ll have 2 HDMI ports, which means you can connect a Blu-ray player as well as a video game console (or your computer).
There are lots of different kinds of USB dongles and adapters to make your home entertainment system play nice with your computers, but Sony has just announced the release of a smart stick, which will hopefully smarten Sony HDTVs.
The Sony BRAVIA Smart Stick will let you run Android apps from the Google Play store as well as the Chrome browser, and offers pre-installed apps like Netflix, Pandora, Hulu Plus YouTube and others. You can also use the device to search for programs across various sources – including live TV, and it can seamlessly operate other devices with its universal remote capability.
Unfortunately, the Smart Stick is only compatible with Sony’s BRAVIA range of HDTVs with MHL support. It’s available now for $149.99(USD).
[via Sony]
According to Reuters, Panasonic is going to stop production of its fantastic plasma TV sets by March 2014. That sucks. But also not surprising since previous reports had hinted at Panasonic planning to cut its TV production and that the TV market has been overtaken by seemingly every other technology not named plasma.
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Netflix last week publicly reaffirmed its steadfast desire to partner with U.S. cable companies to bundle streaming Netflix programming as an app in set-top boxes like TiVo, but so far the industry in this country has not embraced Netflix’s advances. For cable companies, the streaming video service’s 27 million American subscribers represent competition, not a […]
Toshiba’s overall TV division may be ailing, but it’s innovations like this that’ll keep it from completely decaying. Displayed at the company’s CEATEC booth here in Japan are two new 4K HDTV displays — the 40-inch 40V and 50-inch 50V. Outside of devilishly-thin bezels and native 4K resolutions, the company’s not talking specifications. What it’s focusing on instead is the concept: it’s dreaming of an Ultra HD range of displays that can operate as televisions and as pro-grade reference monitors. After all, budding editors who are being tasked with cutting together 4K footage certainly deserve a monitor that won’t cut corners, right?
A company representative informed us that while the displays weren’t perfectly color accurate, they were far superior to rivals. Plus, the ability to easily toggle between reference mode and various other living room-accepted modes will enable a level of A/B testing that’s pretty tough to get right now. Naturally, both monitors looked stunning up close, and if we’re being candid, we’re fallen in love with Photoshop all over again after seeing it displayed on these guys.
Mat Smith contributed to this report. %Gallery-slideshow99599%
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
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