Hasta La Gadget!

As if we didn’t already know that video on demand was the hot new ticket, the Wall Street Journal is today reporting that a couple more companies are ready to throw their hats into the ring. OnLive, the cloud gaming upstart, has confirmed its intention to offer up a subscription-based movie streaming service at some point next year, while HDTV vendor Vizio is said to also be looking at its options. What makes these new guys intriguing (aside from the fact that Vizio sells a lot of TVs in the US) is the general feeling among media companies that Netflix is growing uncomfortably big and should be diversified away from. Well, whatever happens, neither we nor content distributors should be strapped for VOD choice come 2011. Hit the source link for a more expansive look at the current situation.

Vizio and OnLive mulling subscription-based video services for next year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 04:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Making plans to invite the whole neighborhood to watch the BCS National Championship in 3D? For large groups, the best option may be this 65-inch Theater 3D LCD HDTV that posters on AVSForum spotted today on VIZIO’s website, since its screen is polarized for use with passive 3D glasses like the ones used at most movie theaters. Since all the cost is in the $3,699 screen, the individual pairs of glasses are far cheaper than the battery powered active shutter glasses used by other 3DTVs currently available. The specs show this one is a 120Hz edge lit LED unit, unlike the 480Hz local dimming 3D sets the company announced earlier this week, but we’ll wait for an official announcement and a release date before deciding if that makes a difference.

Unannounced 65-inch edge-lit LED TV with passive 3D glasses shows up on VIZIO.com originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 20:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Say hello to the new VIZIO XVT 3D series, while the XVT Pro line announced earlier this year (and that 72-inch model we were drooling over) were not to be, these 42-, 47- and 55-inch HDTVs are real and on sale today through Amazon, Sam’s Club and Target’s online shops and should be on shelves later this month. Features like the number of LED backlighting zones (for the 47- and 55-, the 42-inch features edge LED lighting), claimed contrast ratio, WiFi N and VIZIO Internet Apps are consistent with existing models, so the big addition this time around is 480Hz refresh rate and obviously, 3D readiness (active shutter glasses not included). VIZIO’s also announced two new 3D compatible Blu-ray players to match for $189, plus a new router and some high priced HDMI cables to fill out the lineup. Full specs and prices are in the press release after the break, but with a premium of $300-$400 on Amazon over the award winning 2D-only XVT3SV lineup (we have one in for review, hint: it’s excellent), most will probably want to wait for some kind of package deal unless there’s a copy of NBA 2K11 3D or Black Ops burning a hole in their console right now.

Update: It appears VIZIO’s made one other change since its initial 3D announcement, these TVs feature 3D processing from RealD, instead of the SENSIO/XpanD combo announced for the XVT Pro line, press release is after the break. We asked if these glasses will be compatible with those from other manufacturers but haven’t gotten an answer to that question yet.

Continue reading VIZIO launches latest XVT series HDTVs, new Blu-ray players with 3D today

VIZIO launches latest XVT series HDTVs, new Blu-ray players with 3D today originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 09:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to Engadget’s Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we’re here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we have HDTVs in our sights — and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month.

All those small screen devices in our back to school guide so far are nice, but lets face it, when it comes to watching TV or taking a quick Call of duty study break, you’re going to need something more sizable. Higher end features like 1080p resolution, 120Hz and LED lighting have trickled down to more affordable price ranges so there’s really no excuse for lugging a CRT as old as you are into any dorm room this fall. Whether you’re looking something that pulls double duty as a computer monitor for work and HDTV for play (at the same time) or just the biggest screen for the buck there’s plenty to choose from, so let’s select a few winners from the crowd.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide: Televisions

Engadget’s back to school guide: Televisions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This year’s iteration of VIZIO’s top of the line XVT LCDs (at least until the XVT3D — née XVT Pro — series hits in Q4) are finally ready to ship and, as we’ve come to expect, pack a long list of features to go along with their price tags. The 240Hz 42-, 47-, and 55-inch versions all feature LED backlighting, which may be ready to beat criticisms of light black levels with a claimed 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Whether or not you believe any TV manufacturer’s contrast measurements, an increased 120 zones of backlighting (up from 80 last year, up to 160 from 120 on the 47-inch) and a profile that’s 2 inches slimmer (down to just 3 inches deep) this time around should be easily noticeable. The 37- and 32-inch XVT models rely on the company’s edge lit Razor LED lighting tech and are less than 2 inches this, with stated 1,000,000:1 contrast ratios.

Other than arbitrary and easily fudged specs, VIZIO’s fighting the competition with its VIA suite of features — widget based app platform with Netflix, Pandora & others, built-in WiFi and QWERTY Bluetooth remote — and they’re all here, along with plenty of HDMI inputs and SRS audio technology. The 32-inch isn’t the cheapest model that size you’ll find at $699 and neither is the top of the line XVT553SV with its $2,199 MSRP, but after perusing the list of specs in the press release after the break, it’s hard to imagine finding many with a similar resumé at those prices.

Continue reading VIZIO XVT HDTVs with LEDs, WiFi, apps & Bluetooth ready to ship

VIZIO XVT HDTVs with LEDs, WiFi, apps & Bluetooth ready to ship originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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