Hasta La Gadget!

Despite not having the best of years, Sharp has still managed to make its presence felt in the television market — namely by introducing plenty of AQUOS TVs in recent months, including that 90-inch LED beast we saw back in June of 2012. Today, the Japanese electronics maker is looking to increase its efforts on that front, with the firm adequately choosing this year’s CES as the platform to unveil its new lineup of 60-,70- and 80-inch LED televisions in the 6-,7- and 8-Series. For starters, the entry-level 6-Series will boast 1080p capabilities with AQUOMotion 240 (120Hz) as the main driving tech behind it, while the higher-specced (and presumably more expensive) 7- and 8-Series are set to carry the same resolution features (sorry, no 4K here) but with Quattron “color intensification” and AQUOMotion 480 and AQUOMotion 960 technology inside both. Smart and 3D features can also be found in all of Sharp’s novel TV models, which should pair nicely with what the company’s calling “striking new slim designs.” All in all, Sharp is kicking off the new year with about 18 new AQUOS LED TVs — and for those interested in learning each model name, the presser after the break should help do just that.

Update: We have just received pricing information from Sharp, and it looks as if the cheapest model will start off at about $1,500 for the 60-inch LC-60LE650, while the most expensive HDTV is set to be the 80-inch LC-80LE857 with a hefty price tag of $6,500 — both of which will be available in February and April, respectively. In addition, Sharp today also announced its new SmartCentral platform, which will be a one-stop hub for the now-accustomed smart TV applications like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu and Facebook. You’ll find more pricing and availability information for the other models inside the updated PR past the jump.

Continue reading Sharp announces new 6-, 7- and 8-Series AQUOS LED TVs as part of 2013 lineup (update: pricing info)

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Source: Sharp

Take a look at your living room – does it have a flat screen TV? Surely you would own something as basic as that, which just goes to show how technology has progressed with time. Well, flat screen TVs are nothing new or to fawn over, but Smart TVs, these are a different breed of their own. You will not be able to find a Smart TV that is of the fat, chunky CRT variety for the simple fact that nothing like that exists. US firm Strategy Analytics have stepped forward to say that there are now 104 million Smart TVs installed worldwide, although out of the 104 million, chances are those which have actually hooked up to the Internet and see regular use by their owners would be a whole lot lower in real life.

For leading markets such as the US, household penetration of Smart TVs are said to have exceeded 20%. China, the world’s second largest economy, is also said to be catching up fast and furious with the nouveau rich there, and in all probability, would exceed those of the US sometime in 2013. This should not come as a surprise considering the population that China has and its growing middle class. It is rather surprising to note that Japan remains the largest market for smart TVs at the moment, boasting an installed base of 21.1 million units, while across the pond, Germany and the UK are firmly planted in the top five, with 7.1 million and 6.8 million, respectively.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Tobii REX Unveiled, Vuzix M100 Smart Glasses,

Samsung knows there’s more to a home entertainment room than a big screen TV alone, and the company has a bevy of new A/V kit for CES 2013 including home theater systems, Blu-ray, and the wireless speakers. Those looking for the complete surround sound experience have the Samsung HT-F9750W Home Theater System to consider, offering 1,330W of 7.1-channel surround sound (and virtual 10.1-channel support thanks to the DTS-Neo Fusion codec “upscaling” from 5.1- or 7.1-channel source material). It uses a vacuum tube and digital amp combo for sound as well as a 4K scaler processor and de-blocking algorithm for video – running on a 900MHz dualcore – together with the same AllShare streaming support as Samsung’s Smart TV line-up over the integrated WiFi connection.

There are two HDMI inputs and Bluetooth, while the bundled speakers include two towers and a rear wireless unit. All get Ceramic Polypropylene Injection Diaphragm spacer cones, for what Samsung promises is an improvement in audio response times.

If that’s too big for you, the Samsung HW-F750 Soundbar also features a vacuum tube and digital amp comp, with 310W out of 2.1-channels and support for virtual surround sound. A wireless subwoofer keeps the bass end happy, and there’s 3D Sound Plus processing which matches the virtual surround sound depth with the depth of 3D images on-screen. Bluetooth streaming supports mobile devices and certain Samsung TVs.

Also toting Bluetooth is the Samsung DA-F60 Portable Wireless Speakers, using aptX for higher quality streaming (with compatible source devices, such as Samsung’s more recent smartphones) and NFC for easier pairing. It also supports streaming from select Samsung TVs.

While streaming from Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Video on Demand, and other online sources has been built into Samsung’s Smart TVs for some time now, the company also has a new Blu-ray player for CES. The Samsung BD-F7500 can upscale to 4K resolution, and features integrated WiFi for AllShare streaming from mobile devices. It can also stream to a Samsung phone or tablet, thanks to Smart View support. Inside there are two 900MHz dualcore processors, and 7.1-channel analog audio outputs.

The Samsung HT-F9750W Home Theater System, HW-F750 Soundbar, DA-F60 Wireless Speakers, and BD-F7500 Blu-ray player all will go on sale in the first half of 2013, with pricing to be confirmed.

Samsung reveals TV and audio accessories galore at CES 2013 is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

After announcing the 97 Titanium HD tablet with a huge 2048×1536 resolution that rivals Apple’s iPad, the folks at Archos are back at it, officially announcing TV Connect, which effectively turns any HDTV into a full-fledged Android-powered smart TV using a “specially designed” TV Touch remote.

The device is essentially a sensor that sits atop your HDTV — almost like a Microsoft Kinect unit — and it supports several types of input, like multitouch gesture control and includes a keyboard with Android shortcuts. You’ll also have full access to the Google Play store and its 700,000 apps and games to choose from.

The remote not only includes a full QWERTY keyboard, but it also has thumbsticks and a D-Pad, complete with all sorts of buttons for any kind of gaming situation. While all these buttons and layouts look convenient, we have to say that the remote itself looks pretty cumbersome to hold, but we’ll let you be the judge of that.

The Archos TV Connect runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and will be available starting next month for $129.99. That’s definitely a small price to pay for turning your TV into an all-out smart TV, so we’ll have to wait until it officially launches before making any snap judgements. In the meantime, the company will be demonstrating the new toy at CES 2013.

[via Android Community]

Archos announces TV Connect, turns any HDTV into an Android smart TV is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Do you own a Samsung Smart TV from 2012 and are keeping a close eye on what the company has to offer in the world of smart television, but absolutely can’t drop another few thousand bucks for a new TV? As specific as your television needs are in 2013, you probably aren’t alone and Samsung knows this, which is why it’ll be debuting its Smart TV Evolution Kit at CES 2013 next week.

Let’s say you’re a newly married couple who used some of their wedding money to purchase a new Samsung Smart TV last year, but absolutely want all of the fancy bells and whistles Samsung’s 2013 Smart TVs offer. With their Evolution Kit, you’ll be able to evolve your Samsung 2012 Smart TV into a new 2013 Smart TV by attaching it to the back of your television.

The Evolution Kit adds some hardware enhancements to your 2012 Smart TV like an improved CPU, memory and GPU which will allow you to experience faster speeds in a number of ways like browsing the Internet or multitasking with applications while watching TV. Hopefully by the time 2014 comes around, you’ll have enough extra cash to buy yourself a proper update as we’re sure those Smart TVs are going to be even more impressive than this year’s.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Microsoft Acquires R2 Studios (Rumor), Eric Schmidt To Visit North Korea,