Hasta La Gadget!

A television with a 4K resolution is still pretty rare these days, and also still very expensive. However, that doesn’t mean there can’t be exceptions. Chinese television maker TCL just announced a new 50-inch 4K HDTV with a price tag of just a dollar shy of $1,000, which is less expensive than most other 1080p televisions on the market today.

How does a 4K HDTV cost only $1,000? Well, the biggest factor is that it’s a cheap Chinese manufacturer, compared to top-quality brands like LG or Samsung, but another big reason for the low price tag is that the TV doesn’t come with the bells and whistles like THX certifications and internet-connected Smart TV features.

TCL is the second manufacturer to provide budget 4K televisions, with Seiki being the first, thanks to their 39-inch 4Ker for only $700 and their own 50-inch model for $1,500. However, the TCL 50-incher costs $500 less, meaning that this is the cheapest 50-inch 4K TV around, and it’s probably the cheapest that big-screen 4K televisions will go — at least until a few years from now.

Other televisions in TCL’s lineup for this year include regular HDTV models at 40-, 46-, and 55-inch sizes, priced at $399, $499 and $799, respectively. TCL’s 4K variant will start shipping in September, while their traditional 1080p models will begin shipping at some point next month.

While 4K (also referred to as Ultra HD) is still in its early stages, it seems like the next progressive step in the evolution television. While we don’t see too many 4K offerings on the market just yet (and the ones we see are extremely pricey), we very well may see 4K become more ubiquitous as time goes on, with prices coming way down in the next couple of years.

TCL 50-inch 4K HDTV arrives with $1k price point is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week the folks a Google have introduced a re-birth of the TV-connected smart device Nexus Q with a dongle called “Chromecast”. This device connects through your television’s standard HDMI port, connects to the web via Wi-Fi, and is controlled by a wide variety of devices, including Android, iOS, Chrome for Windows, Chrome for OS X, and Chrome OS on the Chromebook Pixel.

This device can be explained first by the Nexus Q, a machine that was introduced in 2012 and was quickly doused in the face of its slightly larger-than-life form factor and limited functionality. Now here in 2013, Google comes back with essentially the same package in a pocketable dongle called Chromecast.

This device connects – at first – with YouTube, Netflix, and Google’s media services in Google Play – movies and music, too. This device will cost a surprising $35 USD – and if you’re reading this just a few minutes after the device was first introduced, you’ll likely see one of two messages: “Coming soon” or “sold out”. This could be a glitch, or it could very well be that Google hit the price point on the head.

The device itself works with HDMI and is CEC compatible, working with a maximum video resolution output at 1080p. The dongle measures in at 72(L) x 35(W) x 12(H) mm and weighs an easy-to-forget-about 34g, and needing one of the following operating systems to function:

• Android 2.3 and higher
• iOS 6 and higher
• Windows®7 and higher
• Mac OS 10.7 and higher
• Chrome OS (Chromebook Pixel, additional Chromebooks coming soon).

And be sure to note that you’re going to need to plug this bad boy in to the wall as well. Barely visible in these preview images, there is indeed a microUSB port at the back of this machine – most modern televisions have a USB port on their back anyway, they’ll do the trick. Otherwise you’ll be needing another power port behind your TV. Time for another power strip!

Chromecast hits $35 price point, aims to connect TV to the web this week is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The folks at JVC have revealed an imposingly simple looking line of televisions this week intent on making the world understand that they’re clear on consumer wishes for an absolute lack of bezel. The hero in this line is an LED-LCD TV with a 47-inch display ringing in at 1080p with Edge-lit technology. This machine is also internet ready with streaming services aplenty.

The JVC BlackSapphire SL works with JVC I.C.E., that’s Internet Connected Experience, coming in with Netflix, SlingPlayer, Vudy, and Pandora right out of the box. This massive television works to out-do the slightly less expensive JVC SP (Sapphire) series with passive 3D abilities working with four pairs of glasses that come in the box.

This set is controlled with a “flippable” QWERTY remote control with a dedicated Netflix shortcut button. You’ll be able to connect with three HDMI inputs, USB media port, and a series of composite video inputs. For those users wishing to conserve power and desire only the audio abilities of this machine (however strange that may seem), there’s also a 3.5mm so-called “music port” for use with an Audio Only mode included with the setup.

This television series also comes in a 42-inch iteration, while both versions work with a 120Hz processing engine to back up their adaptive backlight abilities under the hood. The smaller television JVC SL42B-C will ring in at $799 USD while the larger JVC SL47B-C will cost you a cool $899.

Both televisions in this series will be coming in the summer of 2013, and the whole lot will be created with Taiwanese company Amtran. You’ll have a difficult time finding a series of televisions with a look that’s more daunting!

VIA: CNET

JVC BlackSapphire SL HDTV series screams flagship with stark appearance is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Thought Samsung had the US market for 65-inch Ultra HD televisions cornered? Think again. Hot on the heels of its competitor, LG has announced that its 55- and 65-inch UHD sets will sell for $5,999 and $7,999, respectively. They also pack a new feature — a powered 4.1 channel speaker bar that appears / disappears beneath the front lip of the TV. The prices aren’t chump change by any stretch of the imagination, but they’re certainly more affordable than LG’s last UHD TV: an 84-inch monster that sold for a staggering $19,999. Still, getting your hands on one isn’t easy — like its 84-inch set, LG’s latest screens are making their debut exclusively in southern California, and will eventually roll out to stores nationwide. Sure, driving out to Santa Monica to pick up a new TV might not be convenient, but at least it’s closer than South Korea — if you’re not in the US, the company expects to roll them out in the UK, Russia and Australia soon. Check out the company’s official announcement after the break.

Filed under: HD, LG

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I recently had the opportunity to go hands-on (and eyes-on) with one of Vizio’s new M-Series Razor HDTVs and I have to say that I’m really impressed with all of the bells-and-whistles you get for such an economical display.

For this review, I tested the smallest model, the 32-inch version, but the M-Series is available in sizes all the way up to 80 inches. The display I tested offers true 1080p resolution, along with edge LED backlighting and local dimming. This combination allows for a reasonably thin display while offering really good contrast and black levels. Overall, the 32-inch model measures under 2″ thick when hung on the wall, or about 7.5″ thick on its stand.

As a firm believer in the black levels on plasma displays, I was pleasantly surprised by the inky blacks and lack of blooming on the Vizio display. I guess LED/LCD screens have come a long way in the last few years. I did find the colors to be a bit too oversaturated for my liking in the “Standard” display mode, so I switched to “Calibrated” and that fixed things right up. I also turned on the setting that recovers detail in black areas at its lowest level. Other than that, I didn’t touch the factory settings.

The 32″ model I tested has a 120Hz refresh rate, which seemed to be fine for any motion scenes I threw at it, though the 50″ and larger models offer 240Hz refresh rates if that’s something you must have. My 32″ set offered three HDMI inputs and one USB port, while the 50″ and larger models add one more HDMI port and another USB port. All M-Series set offers built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi for fast and easy internet connectivity, and my experience was that getting connected to my home network was a snap. Those larger models also include passive 3D, which I didn’t get a chance to test since the 32″ model doesn’t support that feature.

Setting up the display is stupid simple, with a nice guided user interface which walks you through every step of getting your inputs and internet connection set up.

Built-in audio quality is decent, and the display does offer simulated surround sound. However, I’m a bit of an audio snob, so I’m never one to use the sound system built into a display. That said, if you’re getting one of the smaller models, sound is good enough to fill a small room without noticeable distortion, and you can truly enjoy all of your media with just a single device should you choose to go down that path.

While the picture quality is quite good on the M-Series display, the thing that I really like about the set is its integrated “smart TV” app suite. With a press of a button (or two) you have access to Netflix, YouTube, Amazon, Hulu Plus, Vudu, Rhapsody, Facebook, Twitter and several other services. I also was able to download and install Pandora from the Yahoo! connected app store. I only wish they had HBO Go, and then my life would be complete. All of these are integrated using Yahoo! widget technology, other than Netflix which appears to be directly integrated into the display.

Netflix even has a dedicated button on the remote, which immediately launches their app. There’s also a button for Amazon (but that launches the Yahoo! widgets), and another dedicated button for a new service called M-Go, which has yet to be released on the set. While the Yahoo! widgets are starting to feel a bit dated (I’ve had them on one of my Samsung displays for several years now), at least Vizio has solved the speed problem found with earlier versions, and these load up almost about as fast as you can push buttons on your remote.

Setting up each of your online accounts can take a few minutes because you have to use the on-screen keyboard to enter your credentials. For an internet-connected TV, I wish they had included a keyboard like they had on some of their previous remotes. This is a minor inconvenience, unless you find yourself frequently searching for content instead of browsing through the menus in the various connected apps.

I especially like the UI on the YouTube app, which is the nicest I’ve seen yet, with easy access to each of YouTube’s major categories in a HDTV-optimized experience.

In addition to streaming online content, the set can access media stored on either USB devices or on DLNA-compatible devices, so you can stream media from your computer easily.

What I really like about the integrated apps is the ability to seamlessly switch between traditional satellite/cable programming and streamed content. Plus, the remote even supports fast forward/rewind and pause controls for all streamed content sources, providing a truly integrated experience with no additional hardware.

Overall, I found that the M-Series offered a good mix of display quality and a rich suite of connected apps for – especially for the price. The built-in wireless connectivity means you can just plug in the displays and go – with no additional hardware. In theory, you could get away without cable or satellite service if you wanted – though you still need a high-speed internet connection to enjoy streamed content on the display.

The 32″ M-Series Razor display sells for just $399.99(USD), with prices for the rest of the line ranging from $529.99 to $3999.99. You can find more information about or purchase the M-Series displays over on the Vizio website.

Disclosure: Vizio provided the display for review in this article. However, all reviews are the unbiased views of our editorial staff, and we will only recommend products or services we have used personally, and believe will be good for our readers.